Kaboom!
Alas, the end has arrived. I am glad we had this whole blog session. Once in a while one needs an "intelligent" conversation otherwise, the brains rot due to the extreme idiotic radiation exposed from daily life. T.O. is a simple and indeed, at the same time, a very complex and deep question which is one of the many questions that make up of the all-grand one. "Why are we here?"
Though "redemption" has a highly significant religious power behind it, due to the fact that we hear of it so often in relevance to it, it is a universal desire. An apology for accidentally knocking into someone can be considered redemption, not only trying to make up for a criminal intent, (though the person who you just knocked into might sue you.... crazy liberals.) To redem one's self is just another part of T.O. like Tom, who is trying to redem himself. Whether or not Tom would've redemmed himself if he had the chance is another question, but the fact of wanting, the burning ambition, and the mind set of him trying to redem himself is inadvertly affecting all those around him. His act of leadership can be looked as a selfish action when considered that the only reason he leads is because of the desire, but aren't everyone selfish? I volunteer at the Foothills hospital and the true first reason was to look good on my resume, but after my obligation was over, I worked even 10 hour shifts during the summer because I felt satisfied that I can do some good. Though it helps out the hospital and all those associated with it, the true beneficiary of the stunt was me.
So, redemption of one's self is just another example of many regarding T.O. Perhaps, because of the selfish desires of people wanting to satisfy themselves which in turn help others, T.O. can help answer the big daddy, "Why are we here?"
GST IS NOT INCLUDED IN BLOG
*BLOGS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
XD
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Emerson on Literature
Seeing as how this will likely be my last post, I thought that I'd close with a quote by Ralph
Waldo Emerson, the father of T.O. himself. It runs- "In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfaction is provided with a resource against calamity."
This really illustrates what The Grapes of Wrath is all about. Literature one of the purest forms of communication, and it seems obvious that both Emerson and Steinbeck placed an extremely high value on the written word. It is thus fitting that Grapes has become likely the most well known example of T.O. in literature.
That's all I'm likely to have time to put in today, and I believe that the blog is due in tomorrow. It's a shame that we didn't have much time to post in the last week, but we still touched on some good topics.
Waldo Emerson, the father of T.O. himself. It runs- "In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfaction is provided with a resource against calamity."
This really illustrates what The Grapes of Wrath is all about. Literature one of the purest forms of communication, and it seems obvious that both Emerson and Steinbeck placed an extremely high value on the written word. It is thus fitting that Grapes has become likely the most well known example of T.O. in literature.
That's all I'm likely to have time to put in today, and I believe that the blog is due in tomorrow. It's a shame that we didn't have much time to post in the last week, but we still touched on some good topics.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
A Quote- More on Reiligion
While flipping through Grapes of Wrath, I stumbled across a seemingly incidental quote
that nevertheless got me thinking about T.O., religion, and those folks that seem most united by T.O. (the migrants searching for work).
The quote is on page 207, when a man looking for work says "Runnin' a furrow four miles long that ain't stoppin' or goin' aroun ' Jesus Christ Hisself" In context, I took this to mean that the new industry has no respect for the old ways, nor does it have any respect for Jesus Christ. On the other hand the Joads, and other migrant workers like them, seem to have an often unspoken respect for religion, especially individuals such as Jesus Christ. This isn't a fanatical devotion to religion, nor is it a complete renunciation of it, but it is there, inherent, and accepted. Basically, they have a healthy appreciation of religion, which unites them.
This is a bit of a stretch, but I think that it stands. Let's keep up the posts on T.O. and religion, they're quite interesting.
that nevertheless got me thinking about T.O., religion, and those folks that seem most united by T.O. (the migrants searching for work).
The quote is on page 207, when a man looking for work says "Runnin' a furrow four miles long that ain't stoppin' or goin' aroun ' Jesus Christ Hisself" In context, I took this to mean that the new industry has no respect for the old ways, nor does it have any respect for Jesus Christ. On the other hand the Joads, and other migrant workers like them, seem to have an often unspoken respect for religion, especially individuals such as Jesus Christ. This isn't a fanatical devotion to religion, nor is it a complete renunciation of it, but it is there, inherent, and accepted. Basically, they have a healthy appreciation of religion, which unites them.
This is a bit of a stretch, but I think that it stands. Let's keep up the posts on T.O. and religion, they're quite interesting.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Mini post
This is just a mini post, hopefully to spur on some more conversation, and discussion.
Since the whole religion aspect of the book seems to have a direct influence on T.O. I think we should explore it.
First of all, the Jesus Christ - John Casy parallel. We've heard some examples of his parallels, I have read some of the bible, and the most familiar part to me (and to most people I think) is the part where Jesus sacrifices himself for the sins of the others. There is almost an exact parallel to this in Grapes of Wrath, the part in Hooverville, where the police officer comes and starts trouble with the "contractor". Casy takes the fall for the trouble, he sacrifices himself for the good of the Joad family, and the whole encampment.
Let's hear what you guys think on the religious aspect of Grapes of Wrath, and it's connection to T.O.
Since the whole religion aspect of the book seems to have a direct influence on T.O. I think we should explore it.
First of all, the Jesus Christ - John Casy parallel. We've heard some examples of his parallels, I have read some of the bible, and the most familiar part to me (and to most people I think) is the part where Jesus sacrifices himself for the sins of the others. There is almost an exact parallel to this in Grapes of Wrath, the part in Hooverville, where the police officer comes and starts trouble with the "contractor". Casy takes the fall for the trouble, he sacrifices himself for the good of the Joad family, and the whole encampment.
Let's hear what you guys think on the religious aspect of Grapes of Wrath, and it's connection to T.O.
The REAL Last Post
Hey!
T.O. has been a great topic for this novel, just because it's all it's talking about. After reading all your posts, I can only say that my first statement is solid as ever.
As Tom leads the group, it seems that he does not think about himself, rather the men and women he leads. I think that it is however, false. I think he feels the need to redeem himself, he has had some harsh times and to fit back in, Tom uses his past to contribute to the group. He wants to achieve some spiritual good in himself, so I believe, that is why he has taken the grand task of leading his people. When he leads them, the people also see in him a desire. Perhaps not all of them know his true desires, but the strong, solid desire inspires and allows them to move on. Though they may have different goals, they all have the same desire to do something, there for bonding them. Just as humans in real life has.
World War 2 is just another example, countries bonded together to fight their enemies, but then if you think about it, they all have the same desire to defeat the other party, there for not only connecting those countries who are allied, but connecting them to the enemy. There was a TV movie on Global that used to play every Christmas, or Christmas eve, called "Silent Night," (http://imdb.com/title/tt0338434/). It's a fact-based World War II story set on Christmas Eve, 1944, where we find a German Mother and her son seeking refuge in a cabin on the war front. When she is invaded by three American soldiers and then three German soldiers, she successfully convinces the soldiers to put aside their differences for one evening and share a Christmas dinner. We may get the impression that the two sides may have hated each other, but the two sides are basically the same. In that movie, you can see that both the Americans and Germans have same interests, hobbies, and even sing together depite the fact they are on the opposite sides in the bloodiest war of Earth's history. A true sign of T.O.
I highly suggest watching the movie.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0032551/
I've seen it when I was around eleven years old, but even then, the movie had a huge impact on me. It may sound funny, but I always get flash back to certain scenes of the movie during my life like a Deja-vu. I can't name any the top of my head, but when you guys get a chance, you have a feeling that you can't help thinking it's some how directly related with you, forming sort of a bond.
T.O. has been a great topic for this novel, just because it's all it's talking about. After reading all your posts, I can only say that my first statement is solid as ever.
As Tom leads the group, it seems that he does not think about himself, rather the men and women he leads. I think that it is however, false. I think he feels the need to redeem himself, he has had some harsh times and to fit back in, Tom uses his past to contribute to the group. He wants to achieve some spiritual good in himself, so I believe, that is why he has taken the grand task of leading his people. When he leads them, the people also see in him a desire. Perhaps not all of them know his true desires, but the strong, solid desire inspires and allows them to move on. Though they may have different goals, they all have the same desire to do something, there for bonding them. Just as humans in real life has.
World War 2 is just another example, countries bonded together to fight their enemies, but then if you think about it, they all have the same desire to defeat the other party, there for not only connecting those countries who are allied, but connecting them to the enemy. There was a TV movie on Global that used to play every Christmas, or Christmas eve, called "Silent Night," (http://imdb.com/title/tt0338434/). It's a fact-based World War II story set on Christmas Eve, 1944, where we find a German Mother and her son seeking refuge in a cabin on the war front. When she is invaded by three American soldiers and then three German soldiers, she successfully convinces the soldiers to put aside their differences for one evening and share a Christmas dinner. We may get the impression that the two sides may have hated each other, but the two sides are basically the same. In that movie, you can see that both the Americans and Germans have same interests, hobbies, and even sing together depite the fact they are on the opposite sides in the bloodiest war of Earth's history. A true sign of T.O.
I highly suggest watching the movie.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0032551/
I've seen it when I was around eleven years old, but even then, the movie had a huge impact on me. It may sound funny, but I always get flash back to certain scenes of the movie during my life like a Deja-vu. I can't name any the top of my head, but when you guys get a chance, you have a feeling that you can't help thinking it's some how directly related with you, forming sort of a bond.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Last Post
This will likely be my last post, so I'll try to keep it short and not bring up a dozen new topics at the last minute.
In regards to Sam's recent comments, I have to say that I hadn't connected Tom's plain speaking manner to T.O.. I don't however think that Tom necessarily says what everyone is thinking, but does in fact say what is beneficial to others, and therefore to the greater good. For example, Tom, like the rest of the Joad family never tells Rose of Sharon that Connie has left her. This is likely because, given the difficulties the Joad family was having, this truth was simply unnecessary and would not have helped anyone. When the truth has the ability to directly help someone, and in turn help the health of the oversoul, Tom tells the truth when others might not (as with the one-eyed man). I do also belive that Tom is one of the greatest examples of the strength of T.O.. Most everything he does within the scope of the novel is motivated by a desire to ameliorate the greater good of a group. This first applies to the Joad family, and when he can no longer help them, he leaves to aid others in need ( the whole "wherever there's a..." speech).
Even though it's rather obvious, I'll also mention the fact that Rose of Sharon becomes an individual who is greatly representative of T.O.. I am of course referring to the final act of the novel in which she breast feeds the starving man. this is truly an example of selflessness and devotion to humanity.
Kevin also seems to have hit on an excellent point in saying that suffering has a great potential to unite humanity. After all, those individuals in Grapes of Wrath who often seem to work against the concept of T.O. are those who are rich and complacent, such as the owners of the fruit farms. These individuals likely never knew any strife, and therefore cannot comprehend the situation of the less fortunate, or why they should feel compassion for them. in a social context, this is probably one of the novel's greatest messages.
Well, that's it. It's a shame we didn't have the time to more fully explore the idea of T.O. in Grapes, but I do think that we hit on many good ideas in our discussion.
In regards to Sam's recent comments, I have to say that I hadn't connected Tom's plain speaking manner to T.O.. I don't however think that Tom necessarily says what everyone is thinking, but does in fact say what is beneficial to others, and therefore to the greater good. For example, Tom, like the rest of the Joad family never tells Rose of Sharon that Connie has left her. This is likely because, given the difficulties the Joad family was having, this truth was simply unnecessary and would not have helped anyone. When the truth has the ability to directly help someone, and in turn help the health of the oversoul, Tom tells the truth when others might not (as with the one-eyed man). I do also belive that Tom is one of the greatest examples of the strength of T.O.. Most everything he does within the scope of the novel is motivated by a desire to ameliorate the greater good of a group. This first applies to the Joad family, and when he can no longer help them, he leaves to aid others in need ( the whole "wherever there's a..." speech).
Even though it's rather obvious, I'll also mention the fact that Rose of Sharon becomes an individual who is greatly representative of T.O.. I am of course referring to the final act of the novel in which she breast feeds the starving man. this is truly an example of selflessness and devotion to humanity.
Kevin also seems to have hit on an excellent point in saying that suffering has a great potential to unite humanity. After all, those individuals in Grapes of Wrath who often seem to work against the concept of T.O. are those who are rich and complacent, such as the owners of the fruit farms. These individuals likely never knew any strife, and therefore cannot comprehend the situation of the less fortunate, or why they should feel compassion for them. in a social context, this is probably one of the novel's greatest messages.
Well, that's it. It's a shame we didn't have the time to more fully explore the idea of T.O. in Grapes, but I do think that we hit on many good ideas in our discussion.
POW RIGHT IN THE KISSER
Howdy,
I know this is ridiculous, but this is my first real post for this blog. Since I missed over a week of school, I had so much work to catch up over the past week staying up all the time, but that's no excuse.
Wow. I have read Grapes of Wrath a few years back and barely remember seeing a movie in regards to this novel, but when I read it this time, Amazing. Now, I have read so called "Great Novels," such as Crime and Punishment and Leaves of Grass, but they were all boring. Sure, a lot of philosophy was adapted into those novels, but Grapes of Wrath has not only of philosophy, but relevance to one's life, a sense of excitement and most importantly, a sense of realism. One of those relevancy is the infamous T.O.
Transcendental over soul, is a repeated concept in Grapes of Wrath which is plainly hard to ignore all throughout the book, but particularly on page, 26, "it's love... love people so much I'm fit to bust..." And True Dat. This whole book is about love, love to your family, and how far each person is going to go for it. At first, after reading some one's previous post, I thought that family was an excellent topic to barge in with. Then I thought, now days, family isn't what it used to be. For instance, it was always family first, family business, family love, or maybe it was just an Italian thing. While Grapes of Wrath has insane levels of love shared between the family members, in the modern times, all we hear on the news is "Husband kills Wife over Love Affair," "Wife Runs Away with Children to Lebanon." I hope the reason why we hear mostly about negative aspects of human lives rather than "good," is that's what media companies think is interesting.
Personally, I believe there is more good on this Earth than bad, but whenever we hear bad things, we tend to remember much more of it, thousand times more. I think most families have good intentions, and "... so much [love] [they're] fit to burst," but then what makes families in the past so much different from the "now?" Let's take the Great Depression. Like the Joads family, everyone has had a terrible time and is now heading to California. They have one dream. The families he lead all merge, in their hearts, all the children seems to be every one's children, and the dream to find a safe haven, is their one dream.
So, from what I understand, it seems when the world was in more peril, more people seem to bond. Just like during the tsunami disaster in South-East Asia, billions of donations poured in from around the world, whether it was political, or whether it was just humane, people united eventually to try to get those victims literally, out of the water and on their feet.
As to religion, many of you stated that religion is not a factor in T.O. but I think otherwise, while I am not a religious man myself, my grandparents on my mother's side are Super Catholics, and my dad's side is Uber Buddhists. Though both religions promote peace and well being a like, just because the other party is promoting peace and well being in different ways, they will tear at each other's throats. There for, religion is a definite no-no subject in my household, so I don't believe in one. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be religion. Spiritually is what some folks were saying that leads people to the ultimate T.O., but if you look at society, so many people rely, if not enslaved (perhaps too strong of a word), to religion for their spiritual guidance. So, religion is a nessecity in this very Earth an even though it divides us, it unites us, because we are all looking for the same thing, "hope for the best."
So in order for us, humans, to become more "peaceful" and "united," there has to be more disasters, perils, and division among us.
Have a nice day,
P.S. I haven't re-read my post over yet, I'll do it later in the evening when I get my thirty pages of Chem done. I'll post another one.
psst...I have made comments... Let's "discuss." =D
I know this is ridiculous, but this is my first real post for this blog. Since I missed over a week of school, I had so much work to catch up over the past week staying up all the time, but that's no excuse.
Wow. I have read Grapes of Wrath a few years back and barely remember seeing a movie in regards to this novel, but when I read it this time, Amazing. Now, I have read so called "Great Novels," such as Crime and Punishment and Leaves of Grass, but they were all boring. Sure, a lot of philosophy was adapted into those novels, but Grapes of Wrath has not only of philosophy, but relevance to one's life, a sense of excitement and most importantly, a sense of realism. One of those relevancy is the infamous T.O.
Transcendental over soul, is a repeated concept in Grapes of Wrath which is plainly hard to ignore all throughout the book, but particularly on page, 26, "it's love... love people so much I'm fit to bust..." And True Dat. This whole book is about love, love to your family, and how far each person is going to go for it. At first, after reading some one's previous post, I thought that family was an excellent topic to barge in with. Then I thought, now days, family isn't what it used to be. For instance, it was always family first, family business, family love, or maybe it was just an Italian thing. While Grapes of Wrath has insane levels of love shared between the family members, in the modern times, all we hear on the news is "Husband kills Wife over Love Affair," "Wife Runs Away with Children to Lebanon." I hope the reason why we hear mostly about negative aspects of human lives rather than "good," is that's what media companies think is interesting.
Personally, I believe there is more good on this Earth than bad, but whenever we hear bad things, we tend to remember much more of it, thousand times more. I think most families have good intentions, and "... so much [love] [they're] fit to burst," but then what makes families in the past so much different from the "now?" Let's take the Great Depression. Like the Joads family, everyone has had a terrible time and is now heading to California. They have one dream. The families he lead all merge, in their hearts, all the children seems to be every one's children, and the dream to find a safe haven, is their one dream.
So, from what I understand, it seems when the world was in more peril, more people seem to bond. Just like during the tsunami disaster in South-East Asia, billions of donations poured in from around the world, whether it was political, or whether it was just humane, people united eventually to try to get those victims literally, out of the water and on their feet.
As to religion, many of you stated that religion is not a factor in T.O. but I think otherwise, while I am not a religious man myself, my grandparents on my mother's side are Super Catholics, and my dad's side is Uber Buddhists. Though both religions promote peace and well being a like, just because the other party is promoting peace and well being in different ways, they will tear at each other's throats. There for, religion is a definite no-no subject in my household, so I don't believe in one. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be religion. Spiritually is what some folks were saying that leads people to the ultimate T.O., but if you look at society, so many people rely, if not enslaved (perhaps too strong of a word), to religion for their spiritual guidance. So, religion is a nessecity in this very Earth an even though it divides us, it unites us, because we are all looking for the same thing, "hope for the best."
So in order for us, humans, to become more "peaceful" and "united," there has to be more disasters, perils, and division among us.
Have a nice day,
P.S. I haven't re-read my post over yet, I'll do it later in the evening when I get my thirty pages of Chem done. I'll post another one.
psst...I have made comments... Let's "discuss." =D
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