If possible, obtain some of the famous 1930s photographs of poor farmers, migrant laborers, and people on city food lines.
In American history texts and other library sources, read about the Dust Bowl and other events of the Great Depression. The novel continues to be one of the most highly praised and vehemently criticized pieces of American literature. From those experiences he wrote The Grapes of Wrath, which upon publication in 1939 earned Steinbeck both high praise (including the Pulitzer Prize) and harsh criticism for its strong language and sociopolitical implications. In 1936, John Steinbeck conducted research on the people who had moved to California from Arkansas and Oklahoma in 1937, he toured the Dust Bowl and traveled with migrants on their relentless drive to California. Eventually, there were as many as 300,000 migrants in California, several workers for every available job in the fertile farming valleys of that state. Many of the displaced farmers sought work in the "promised land" of California. By the late '30s, a majority of the approximately 1.8 million tenant farmers in the South had been evicted from their homes. At nearly the same time, the development of the all-purpose tractor enabled large landowners to dispense with the labor of farmers who were tenants on their land. So severe was this problem that the affected areas of the Great Plains were labeled the Dust Bowl. By 1935, drought and poor farming practices, especially in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas, led to the wind erosion of topsoil. But for those who had little to begin with, it created often unbearable circumstances. Life during the Great Depression of the 1930s was extremely difficult for almost everyone. These sheets may be duplicated, but teachers should select and modify items according to the needs and abilities of their students. The Response Journal should provide students with a means, first, for recording their ideas, feelings, and concerns, and then for reflecting these thoughts in their writing assignments and class discussions. Most of the items can be handled individually, but small group and whole class discussions will enhance comprehension. The questions, exercises, and assignments on these pages are designed to guide students' reading of the literary work and to provide suggestions for exploring the implications of the story through discussions, research, and writing.
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