Grapes of Wrath Formal Essay

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of WrathGrapes of Wrath Formal Essay I chose to write about the quote “I’m learnin’ one good thing…if you’re in trouble or hurt or need--go to the poor people, They’re the only ones that’ll help--the only ones.” because I find it to be true, even in modern society. Despite this quote having a seemingly clear meaning, I think it can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. For example, one person could see it as a statement talking about the helpfulness of the poor, even when they aren’t doing so well themselves, but another person could interpret it as a way of saying that money makes people greedy and selfish. Even in modern day society, many times the rich think only about themselves, despite them having the resources to help others. Poor people, however, tend to be more friendly and helpful despite not having much to give. This shows that money has negative effects on people, as even when the rich have the means to help people, it’s their greed for their own money that prevents them from helping the poor. The poor however, do not have much money, and hence, are not corrupted by it. This gives them more of a bond with the needy, as they are going through the same thing. In the Grapes of Wrath, I understand why Ma Joad said this, as they met plenty of poor, helpful Oklahomans going through the same things they were, but the wealthy Californians did not welcome them and were hostile to them. Ma Joad said this when the worker at the ranch store paid for a dime of sugar for her. The point that this quote makes is that money makes people greedy and selfish, so I believe the quote is more about the evils of money than the helpfulness of the poor. This quote carries the same power today as it did back then, if not more so. A great modern example is that while only 20% of the world lives in a developed country, these 20%
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