The Grapes of Wrath
“For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments. This you may say of man—when theories change and crash, when schools, philosophies, when narrow dark alleys of thought, national, religious, economic, grow and disintegrate, man reaches, stumbles forward, painfully, mistakenly sometimes. Having stepped forward, he may slip back, but only half a step, never the full step back. This you may say and know it and know it. This you may know when the bombs plummet out of the black planes on the market place, when prisoners are stuck like pigs, when the crushed bodies drain filthily in the dust. You may know it in this way. If the step were not being taken, if the stumbling-forward ache were not alive, the bombs would not fall, the throats would not be cut. Fear the time when the bombs stop falling while the bombers live—for every bomb is proof that the spirit has not died. And fear the time when the strikes stop while the great owners live—for every little beaten strike is proof that the step is being taken. And this you can know—fear the time when Manself will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is the foundation of Manself, and this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe” (John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 14 pgs 152-153).
It is one of the most hated book students are forced to read in high school. What book is it? It is The Grapes of Wrath, a classic American novel, whose length deters many people from enjoying it. While there are many who find the book long and tiresome, some find it incredibly insightful and enjoyable. The claims that Steinbeck makes throughout the book are fantastic and have the ability to flip our usual logic upside down. He makes us ponder about the question, “what would you do in that situation?” many times throughout the novel. Although Steinbeck makes many important arguments in the novel, the argument made in the quote above is certainly the most memorable. Steinbeck makes a bold statement in this excerpt from Chapter 14 by explaining that war is a necessity. His words defy the social commonplace of war as evil by making the claim that we should, “fear the day the bombs stop falling.” Steinbeck uses pathos and logos to make an argument that is powerful, yet it deviates from a commonly held opinion. It is difficult to accept at first, but in the end he is able to make is audience agree with him.
Initially, Steinbeck paints an image in the reader’s mind using pathos. Man is described as an adaptable creature. He, “walks up the stairs of his concepts,” and, “emerges ahead of his accomplishments.” Steinbeck makes it clear that man is able to grow and change when the concepts within society, “disintegrate,” and, “crash.” Describing man in a positive way with such harsh words demonstrates how even though mankind adapts, it is a struggle. The words are methodical, yet descriptive, formulating an image of mankind progressing slowly and painfully. Next, Steinbeck’s diction evokes emotions of terror, and sadness. Men are compared to pigs, and dead bodies are described as being crushed and draining, “filthily in the dust.” Feelings of hopelessness are triggered from the descriptions of war. Then Steinbeck abruptly turns from describing the horrors of war to explain why such horrors are necessary, triggering logos.
Steinbeck makes his final shift from the negative back to positive, appealing to logos by taking a stance on war that many people are unfamiliar with. The idea that people must be afraid of the day when wars are not being fought makes readers stop and think. His point is absolutely brilliant, but it stuns the audience at first. Without the quick shift from describing the harshness of war to describing war in a positive light, the point would lose its effect on the reader. People enjoy believing that they came to agree with an opinion on their own. Steinbeck offers his readers this opportunity by first building a negative image of war in their minds, then replacing it with a positive image almost instantly. This forces the reader to read the sentence again, only this time with an open mind. The readers then feel intelligent when they finally arrive at what Steinbeck is saying, making his point stick.
In a historical context, the argument made by Steinbeck carries great kairos. The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939. The United States was still in The Great Depression, and World War II was just about to begin. Steinbeck’s claims offered a glimpse of hope. Mankind was dealing with huge issues, but Steinbeck explained that as long as people continued to fight there was hope. Although Steinbeck meant to inspire hope with his book, it was not received well when it was released. The country was not prepared to read a book about an issue that they were still facing. Looking back, The Grapes of Wrath had the chance to make a real impact on people when it was first published, but the public was not ready to hear its message. The book did not receive any type of recognition until 1962, when it won a Nobel Prize. Today, the book is considered a literary classic, and is read in high schools everywhere.
The message from Steinbeck is strong and meaningful, making it relevant even in today’s context. The message will always be relevant, provided that mankind continues to progress. It is important that Steinbeck points out that occasionally mankind, “stumbles forward, painfully, [and] mistakenly.” In mentioning this, Steinbeck gives room for man to make mistakes without losing all hope. Times may be hard because of the mistakes that people have made, but as long as people continue to try all is not lost. That important message should be heard by all people.
The exigence in the argument made by Steinbeck will never be lost. There will always be someone in the world that needs to hear his words. When the book was first published the exigence was clear and easy to understand. Steinbeck was writing about a situation that so many people had been dealing with for years. Today, and in the future, a slight amount of interpreting must be done to understand the meaning. Because Steinbeck was not as specific with his words in Chapter 14, it will not be difficult to understand this particular message in the years to come.
John Steinbeck used many different rhetorical tools to create an argument that will remain effective for generations. His words provoked a variety of emotions and made the reader think of war in a different way. These emotions are complex, but that makes the argument far more powerful. Steinbeck’s words will stick with his readers for the remainder of their lives because he made a valid argument by using powerful rhetoric.
Works Cited
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes Of Wrath And Other Writings, 1936-1941. New York : Literary Classics Of The United States : 1996. Print.
"Nobelprize.org". Nobelprize.org. 3 Mar 2011 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/press.html
Reflection
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay assignment allowed for a lot of creativity. We were allowed to pick any rhetorical artifact that we wanted, but no matter what I came up with, this passage from The Grapes of Wrath always seemed more interesting to me. I read the book when I was in high school, and I was one of the few students who actually enjoyed it. I thought the way that Steinbeck set up the book was absolutely brilliant. It was the first time that I had encountered chapters of pure insight mixed in with the chapters dealing with the storyline. This passage from Chapter 14 of the book is one that has been stuck in my mind since the moment I read it. I never had the opportunity to write a paper about it in high school, so I enjoyed revisiting the Chapter and looking at it in a different way. I always knew that Steinbeck made a great argument, but this paper forced me to step back and understand how he was able to do so.
When I revised this paper, I needed to pay attention to my organization. I changed the beginnings and the ends of my paragraphs to make them flow better. I also checked the paper for any words of phrases that I may have repeated, and then came up with a different way to say the same thing. Overall, I loved writing, revising, and editing this paper.
