Steinbeck and the Beowulf poet both point out that piling up wealth does not lead to happiness.
Tag Archives: Grapes of Wrath
Steinbeck on Why the Rich Are Unhappy
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Beowulf, greedy kings, John Steinbeck, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, wealthy Americans Comments closed
Lit Titles as Cocktails (“The Wasteland”)
NPR’s Studio 360 sponsored a “literary cocktail” contest. We share here some of the highlights.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Age of Innocence, Bonfire of the Vanities, Cat's Cradle, Dougas Adams, Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Great Gatsby, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, My Antonia, Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom Wolfe, Willa Cather Comments closed
Supremes’ Obamacare Decision, The Film
Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare had all the makings of a Hollywood thriller.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Destry Rides Again, Film, Hannah and Her Sisters, Hunt for Red October, It's a Wonderful Life, Obama Care, Shane, Sting, Supreme Court Comments closed
The Hunger Games & the Job Market
“The Hunger Games” captures how my students see the contemporary job situation.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Ayn Rand, Film, Hunger Games, John Ford, Unemployment, Youth Comments closed
Steinbeck Makes Microeconomics Real
Economics teacher Steve Ziliak uses Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” to teach the human side of microeconomics.
Grapes of Wrath Fermenting in Alabama
Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” allows us to see some of the dynamics that the tough new anti-immigration law in Alabama has set into play.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alabama immigration law, Immigration, John Steinbeck, undocumented workers Comments closed
Twice Left for Dead, Japan Claws Back
Two images came to mind as I twice watched the Japanese soccer team rebound from deficits. One was from Alain’s Renais’s film “Hiroshima Mon Amour” where we see grass clawing its way back in the city streets on the day following the atom bomb. The other was of the tortoise crossing the road in “Grapes of Wrath.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alain Resnais, Hiroshima Mon Amour, John Steinbeck, Soccer, Sports Comments closed
Reaching Out to the Needy in Tough Times
Yet having nothing, the Joads still share. In the final scene of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck taps into the legend of “Roman Charity” where a daughter breastfeeds her starving father. In this case, however, Rose of Sharon feeds a starving stranger. A new human family is rising out of the ashes of the old.
Steinbeck’s Agony (A Reminder to Chill)
My novelist friend Rachel Kranz recently sent me an article by novelist William Kennedy about John Steinbeck’s self-doubts as a writer. She herself has been wrestling with self-doubts, even though she has a completed manuscript of what I think is a remarkable work, and the article lets her know that she is not alone. It […]
