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.
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