Personal Philosophy

Jaybee De Dios

American Literature Honors, Block 3

Mrs. Fujii

10 April 2014

Personal Philosophy

Nick Carraway’s father once told him that, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.” (Fitzgerald 1) Now, Nick Carraway was a fictional character from The Great Gatsby, but I think the advice he was given was pretty powerful and important. I think it is important to be humble. I think life is a beautiful gift and we must embrace it.

Everyone’s life story is different, but I think it is important to be mindful. You never know what anyone is going through. They say, “sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt”. That is false. Words do hurt. Some people really do not have the advantages as some others and you never know what a person is struggling with, which is why I try not to complain about a lot of things. I mean, life sucks. I think it is a teenage thing, life sucks and we complain a lot. But, regardless, you do not know about anyone else’s situation. I mean I could whine about not getting enough hours of sleep for school, but some people are forced to wake up at 5 every morning to catch the bus. I have never had to take the bus my entire life and I would rather not brag about getting an extra hour of sleep. I am grateful, there are so many things in my life that I can appreciate. I am grateful for the simplest things that I overlook all the time.

I remember crying at cheer practice once during my Sophomore year, because my coach got mad at the girls who were late to a football game. I was so upset, because it was the only football game I was ever late to during the entire football season. I cried and I apologized to my coach. I was so upset, because that one day was the one day that I did not stay at school for 14 hours. Fridays were tiring, that’s pretty much how my cheer schedule was weekly, I would come to school at 8:30 in the morning on Friday and go home at 10 or 11 at night. I was on JV then and football games were right after school, so I could not really go home or ask my parents to pick me up because they were both working. 14 hour days were the norm, but I was really upset that some girls were late to the game though they had the opportunity to be on time. Moments like that make me think about the Gatsby quote. I was upset over such a simple thing, but I did not have the advantage of going home in between school and games. Moments like that make me mindful of the things I say. Be humble and appreciate the things you have. Never brag about all the luxurious things in your life, I know there are many people who are struggling and would be embarrassed to hear about your “amazing” life. I remember that I used to be embarrassed that I lived in a townhouse, but I do not really care about it now. I mean, my home is not a beautiful mansion, but it is still a comfortable home. I am sheltered and I have a comfy bed, what is embarrassing about that?

I think being mindful and respectful of others’ life situations is important, especially at this time. High school is stressful and the people you are around every day might not be as serene as they seem. People have the ability to look fine at school, but no one is ever really fine. Choose your words carefully and be mindful and aware of the things you do say. Not everyone has the same advantages you have. Be grateful of your life. I know it is extremely easy to take things and people for granted, but take the time to appreciate them. Often times I will hear, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”. It is true. Often times you do not realize how important or meaningful the simple things in life are. There are 24 hours in a day and I think taking 2 seconds out of your busy life is important to appreciate your life. Life is a crazy, beautiful thing and you have to appreciate the roller coaster ride of it all.

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 16-19, D)*

Before the Joad family experiences a change in the concept of "family/unity", they capture "unity". As they travel to California, the family begins to break apart and crumble. The Joad family heavily emphasized togetherness. For example, when they made the difficult and heart-breaking decision to leave Oklahoma, they made sure everyone in the family would travel to California. Grampa insisted on staying behind, but the Joads decided to drug him and carry him onto the caravan. At one point also, their car was breaking down. Tom and Al suggested a plan where the family would split up, Tom and Al would continue to work on the car while the rest of the family would continue to travel to California. With this plan the two brothers would later join the family, however, Ma aggressively rejected this idea and insisted that the family "stay together."Family is incredibly important to the Joads as it is crucial to their survival regarding their journey. They are all dependent on each other and provide for a stronger community when they are a family and when they are more unified.

"In the evening a strange thing happened: the twenty families became one family, the children were the children of all. The loss of home became one loss, and the golden time in the West was one dream..."(193)

The idea of family and unity as it is expressed in this section has changed since embarking on their journey, because the Joad family is slowly breaking away from the concept of family, unity, and community. As the family travels to California, they are faced with many obstacles. The family are losing family members as they finally reach California. When they first leave Oklahoma, there are 12 members of the family and their dog. However, when they finally reach California, many have left or died. Granma, Grampa, Noah, Connie, and Jim Casy have all left the group by the end of Chapter 20. Not to mention, the Wilsons tagged along and subsequently left after Grampa died. I think the value of family begins to decrease as the family makes their way to California. The family is not really affected by the loss of members as they go farther into the West. I think the family's struggles overpower their previous principles of family. The family struggles to survive as they make it to California and the concept of family is slowly vanishing. The bond they had is slowly disappearing, because they start to focus on how to make a living in the west. Family begins to lose its meaning as everyone begins to focus on themselves, and the members that leave capture this idea. I think the Joad family eventually separates themselves from community and helping others, as they only focus on themselves as a family.  Also, the Joads golden time in the West turned into many dreams I think. As they travel further west they hear things about California that influence their dreams of life in California, everyone in the family wants to do their own thing. At this point, family isn't really family anymore.

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 16-19, C)

From what I understand in this novel, hunger and poverty was everywhere during the Great Depression. Many struggled to provide the food necessary to satisfy the needs of their families as jobs and money were extremely scarce at this time. Grapes of Wrath also expands on the idea of community and helping others, regarding food as well. My poem explores the feelings of hungry migrant farmers during this time and how they deal with it as they travelled to California.

I was always hungry.
Hungry---when I woke up.
Hungry---when I went to sleep.
I lay with a permanent feeling of emptiness within myself.
But I couldn't do much.
I had to suffer.
It would be selfish for me to complain.
Everyone was suffering.
Everyone was growing weaker.
If we had to suffer, we had to suffer together.
There was no rising above, selfishness.
If you had something worth eating,
You had to share.
You had to share, or you'd have to suffer more.
They would put you down for being selfish,
for only thinking about yourself.
But, I don't think I could do that anyways.
No matter how weak I was,
No matter how tired I was,
No matter how much I wanted to give up,
I couldn't.
I couldn't because everyone was weak,
because everyone was tired,
because everyone wanted to give up.
But no one did.
We were all hungry,
But the thought of California made us full.
We strived for a better future, a better life.
California made the journey worth it.
Because I know that one day---
One day, I will not be hungry.
One day, we will not be suffering.

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 11-15, B)

 

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 11-15, D)*

"He was foolin', all the time. I think he knowed it. He knowed it. You fellas can make some kinda new life, but Grampa, his life was over and he knowed it. An' Grampa didn' die tonight. He died the minute you took 'im off the place." (146)

I think this is a powerful quote from Reverend Jim Casy, regarding Grampa's death. As I was reading Chapter 13, this quote really spoke to me. I think the quote is really deep and captures Grampa's connection to the Oklahoma farmland. I think this quote speaks on behalf of many farmers during the Great Depression, actually. It was a difficult decision to migrate west for many tenant farmers during the 1930s, mostly because they built generations of life on their farms. A farmer had such an incredible bond to his/her land and migrating to California broke that bond. When the Joad family decides to move to California, Grampa decides he wants to stay in Oklahoma in the very last minute. He says that he wants to stay "where [he] belong[s]". Casy explores the idea that Grampa felt trouble the moment he left the farm. Grampa belonged on the farm and he lost himself on the way to California. I think this idea relates to many farmers who develop strong connections with their life as a farmer in Oklahoma. These farmers have experienced great memories on their farms and they have ultimately become one with their land. Migrating west was difficult as they were forced to abandon this lifestyle and their memories, though they did not have much choice. Moving provided an internal conflict with these farmers, I believe. I think the concept of transitioning to a new life was difficult to grasp, in this case. In Chapter 5, there is a quote from tenant men that says,

"We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even if it's no good, it's still ours. That's what makes it ours---being born on it, working on it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers." (33)

This quote illustrates Grampa's passion towards the farmland, along with other tenant farmers. The land became a part of them and they felt that they could not abandon it, as it was their land. So, when the Joad family forced Grampa to travel with them, Grampa gave up. He knew that there was nothing left for him in California. Grampa did not want to abandon his dear Oklahoma and he lost his sense of happiness when he left the farm. I think the most powerful part of Reverend Casy's quote is,

"He died the minute you took 'im off the place."

This statement in itself has such a captivating message. Casy declares that Grampa's life was over when they decided to bring him with them to California though he refused. I think Grampa's actual death felt less painful to him than leaving his life behind. Grampa died of a stroke and died an unpeaceful death. I am sure he would have preferred to die "where [he] belong[s]". I can feel the passion behind Casy's words. Grampa "died" when he was forced to leave. Farmers developed impressive relationships with their land and walking away from them emotionally damaged these farmers. I think this quote could foreshadow similar experiences for the Joads, where they feel as though they lost a part of them while traveling. However, the Joads are extremely fixed on the idea of California being a "promise land" without any obstacles, despite the negative things they have heard from other people. Maybe California is not going to be the right fit for them and they will feel a loss of identity. I think the Joads are experiencing that "traveling is a fool's paradise" as they are blind to reality, so they could be confronted by an unfortunate surprise in the future.

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 1-10, H)

"I says, 'What's this call, this sperit? An' I says, 'It's love. I love people so much I'm fit to bust, sometimes' An I says, 'Don't you love Jesus?' Well, I thought an' thought an' finally I says, 'No, I don't know nobody name' Jesus. I know a bunch of stories, but I only love people. An' sometimes I love 'em to fit to bust, an' I want to make 'em happy, so I been preachin' somepin I thought would make 'em happy.'" (23) (Reverend Jim Casy)

The Grapes of Wrath Travel Journal (Chapters 1-10, E)*

Personification

"The dust road stretched out ahead of them, waving up and down" (27)

Personification is being used here to allow the readers to visualize the journeys travelled on the road. The road "stretches", which shows its flexibility. This contributes to the text as it expresses the path taken for the journey. The road stretched ahead of them, meaning there is a possibility for the spontaneity of life to surprise Joad and Casy. The road stretches ahead which signifies that there are "unknown" events to occur. The road also waves "up and down", which signifies that the journey is welcoming their presence. The road is personified to motivate travel and migration.