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Figurative Language

"The western land, nervous under the beginning change. The Western states, nervous as horses before a thunder storm. The great owners, nervous, sensing a change, knowing nothing of the nature of the change. " (150)

The concept of the west has always been central glimmer of hope for the American conscience. People and migrants have been traveling west for decades in search for gold, work, and sunshine. California has been a symbol of wealth and opportunity for much of American history. However, in the book, this myth is twisted and complicated. An uneasy and unsettling feeling is cast over the west. The western sky is portrayed as horizon-less as if the sky is eating the stars and lights away. The novel puts a dark spin on the American ideal of moving west to seek a better future.

Style

Tone

"On the highways the people moved like ants and searched for work, for food. And the anger began to ferment " (284).

"It ain't that big. The whole United States ain't that big. It ain't that big. It ain't big enough. There ain't room enough for you an' me, for your kind an' my kind, for rich and poor together all in one country, for thieves and honest men. " (120).

"If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself... But that you cannot know. For the quality of owning freezes you forever into 'I,' and cuts you off forever from the 'we' " (152).

The repetition and parallelism of his writing is rhythmic and smooth. His sentences create movement and, as a reader, we get the feeling we are inside this emotional, heightened reality. The narrator addresses a "you" which causes one to all of the sudden be among the Joads and migrant families. This style makes the readers feel part of the story and connects them deeper with the work.

In this quote, the narrator's passion and his emotion erupt as he basically makes a threat to cryptic power. As readers, we know that Steinbeck was extremely shocked by what he witnessed at labor camps when he went to San Francisco. So, we see his true tone and emotions bubble forth about his anger here.

Diction

What does it mean to Formalist Critic?

Rhetorical Orientation

" Rich Fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good, an' they die out" (280).

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage " (349).

Here we see the thick accents of southern country farmers and how they felt about the wealthier people. The way Steinbeck writes the voices of the characters transforms the reader into one of them. One begins to understand their point of view and emotions through the rough choice of words, obvious accents, and pride of their social class.

Syntax

This chapter is about the migrant families overall in California and the hard times affecting them. The quote orients the reader to look at the chapter in the perspective of an omniscient figure. The larger and more important themes and views must be brought to attention. It ties the entire book together, what the theme and tone is, and relates the title to the story line. The quote and chapter describes the major historical effects of the dust bowl and migration of farmers to the west during the great depression.

- A formalist approach to literature: Regards literature as "a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms."

- What is the purpose of formalist perspective?: The purpose of formalist reading is to analyze and interpret the inherent features of a text. A formalist reading approach reduces the importance of the texts historical, biographical, and cultural content.

- What effect does the structure, tone, and language, that formalists focus on, have on the text?: Language structure and tone have a major effect on literature because they emphasize significance of the authors writing choices. Literary devices also encourage the reader to consider the piece of literature from one's own perspective.

"Quote: In Lawrenceville a deputy sheriff evicted a squatter, and the squatter resisted, making it necessary for the officer to use force. The eleven-year-old son of the squatter shot and killed the deputy with a .22 rifle" (236).

Here we see the author break the text and insert a "Quote" that matches the situation and context of what is happening. This is a way to give background information and portray a larger picture to make the reader see the truth about what is truly happening. Steinbeck wants to show with the quote that the migrant community outside of the people he is describing are rebelling and the authorities are struggling with control of it all.

Formalist Criticism

by: Haley, Makenna, and Lilly

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