Emerson

As searching more about the transcendentalist movement I found this quote from Emerson that made me wonder how amazing it would be if we actually united and worked to make a change in society letting those around us see that good still exists. "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men." (Emerson) Any thoughts on this?

On Trancendentalism

"The intellect is a cleaver; it discerns and rifts its way into the secret of things"(from walden).Do you guys agree with this statement why? or why not/

"It looks poorest when you are richest." 

-Henry David Thoreau

In the beginning of chapter 19 of  Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, it describes the transition of how farming went from the landowners cherishing and truly caring for their farms into reaping all that they could from them and turning it into an "industry". These once hard working farmers soon had others doing their work and lost their connection with their land and only used it to satisfy their greed.

"Crop failures, drought, and flood were no longer deaths within life, but simple losses of money. And all their love was thinned with money.."

It goes on to describe the fear and hatred that these rich landowners had towards the "Okies". This fear consumed them and instead of sitting back and enjoying their success, they spent their time trying to obtain ever more land and power. Their greed drove them and for that reason they were never truly happy, even though they were the richest.

Did you find any other passages in the book that you felt correlated with Thoreau's beliefs? 

Transcendentalism

Do you consider yourself a transcendentalist? 
Why or why not?

The end of the Grapes of Wrath was an interesting ending.I myself did not expect a end with some sort of hope but a disastrous one.What did you guys expect to see?

Personally, i believe that we are all capable of moving on.  NOT forgetting, but moving on. It's not so much a restart on life, but it's more of a reset of that past experience of yourself by learning from it, and moving forward. Using it to empower the new image you are proposing to create in your new environment. So the quote from the text, "how will we live without our lives? How will we know its us without our past?" although i understand the circumstances of having to leave your home and almost all the memories and treasures behind, i personally believe it isn't that significant a change. I understand the pain it would cause, but to try and put so much emotion into a situation that doesn't necessarily have the intensity to back it up seems wasteful to me.

Rose of Sharon's Pregnancy

During the course of the novel, I thought about the symbolism of certain characters or events that John Steinbeck portrayed though, one that captured my attention was Rose of Sharon's pregnancy. Rose of Sharon's pregnancy is a symbol of new beginnings and hope for the migrant class during this time period. Rose of Sharon is pregnant throughout the novel and deeply in love with her husband Connie. Both of these characters have dreams and plans about their future in California in order to give their baby all of the necessities. Unfortunately, those dreams become part of the past once Connie left Rose of Sharon. Rose of Sharon begins acting startled by all of the situations that follow including the instability of the family and the lack of milk she received. Therefore, she begins to think of her baby being born deformed or with health problems. Towards the end of the novel Rose of Sharon gives birth to a stillborn baby. The symbol of new beginnings and hope seemed to be departing from the family yet, the Joad family kept walking until they approached to a barn where a little boy and a starved man were staying. The ending Steinbeck decided to conclude with was the scene of Rose of Sharon breastfeeding the old man giving him a new opportunity. This symbolizes once again hope of survival for the migrant class and new opportunities that are yet to come. The last sentence of the novel reads: "She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously."