OF MICE AND MEN
MADDY ZIELINSKI
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression. This was the longest, deepest, widespread depression of the 20th century. The depression began in the U.S. after a fall in stock prices in October, 1929. Worldwide GDP fell 15% between 1929 and 1932, compared to 1% between 2008 and 2009.
By 1933, 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and half of the country’s banks had failed. Due to the stocks falling, Americans started taking their money out of the banks, causing the banks not to have any money, causing there to be less investments and things of that nature. The whole thing was a big chain reaction, leading to many unemployed, Not only was an economical crisis happening, but a physical crisis was, The Dust Bowl. Also known as the Dirty Thirties, the Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that damaged the ecology and agriculture of the United States and Canada. The Dust Bowl phenomenon was caused by a severe drought and failure to apply dry land farming methods to prevent wind erosion. These two crises are not related in the slightest bit, but they went on at the same time, making matters worse.
THE AMERICAN DREAM
“The American Dream” is a national mindset of the United States. “The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. The American Dream is the hopes, desires and ideals of the life of the nation. This technically comes from the Declaration of Independence. “All men are created equal” giving us all equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
James Truslow Adams said in the 1931 definition of the American Dream, “Life should be better richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. The American Dream is not a definite term, and it changes with the people of the United States. From 1900 to 1910, America was a land of liberty to the rest of the world. In this time frame, the dream was to find a job that would help you provide for your family. During the 20s the dream was to have the most and best of everything, a glamorous and materialistic life. During the 70s, the dream was of love, peace, and happiness. The dream of 2010, was for all Americans to be able to afford the chance to make ourselves as individuals heard.Americans polled said the American Dream of 2015 has been best embodied by Steve Jobs. Others said Kim Kardashian...
JOHN STEINBECK
John Steinbeck was born on February 27th, 1902. He was an American author of 27 books, including 16 novels, 6 non fiction books and 5 collections of short stories. He was raised by his mom and dad in California with his three sisters. Steinbeck had wanted to become a writer since he was 14 years old. Accounts say he used to lock himself in his room and write poetry. While he was at college, he dropped out and began to work as a manual laborer.
Most of John Steinbeck's books dealt with social and economic issues. He wrote his first novel, Cup of Gold, in 1929. A few of his follow up novels were, The Pastures of Heaven, To a God Unknown, Tortilla Flat, and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck's finest and most ambitious novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was published in 1939. This book was about an Oklahoma family trying yo start a new life in California during the Great Depression. This piece of work earned Steinbeck the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. In 1962, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature, for his realistic and imaginative writings. Steinbeck died December 20th, 1968