One of the most well known events in American history is the Great Depression, when the stock market crashed in 1929 and the United States’ economy reached its lowest point to date until 1939. During this time, thousands of Americans migrated to find work on farms in central and southwest United States. This land was known as the Dust Bowl. Similarly today, thousands of Haitians migrate to the Dominican Republic for the same reason, to find work. There are many works of literature that describe the lives of migrant workers, but one written specifically about the Dust Bowl is John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, which gives an inside view of the minds of migrant workers of the past, and can be related to present day. Although it may not seem obvious, …show more content…
The national population is continuing to increase at a 1.17% growth rate, which appears small, but consider that most developed countries have negative population growth rates. This is caused by two main factors; continuous births in a state that cannot support them, and the deportation of Haitians from the Dominican Republic, who’s population is decreasing. More than that, Haiti still lies in ruins following the 2010 earthquake, which, as previously mentioned, leaves a large percentage of the population without shelter, food, or work. Even worse is that Haiti’s economic status is continually deteriorating, caused by the previous two factors; population growth and geographic destruction. For that matter it is not helping the global economy at all, as a developed country would. Data shows that Haiti is truly the most under-developed country in the Western Hemisphere. This is due to the fact that it “is the most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere” (Aronson 1), the fact that it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has the least income per person, the fact that it does not have nearly enough food, shelter, clothing, water, or work for all of its people. With that, Haiti shows no signs of improvement in the near future, as it has nothing to build up …show more content…
Without labor migration, people may become enslaved instead, which is always the worst way of obtaining workers. These migrant workers receive wages that are substantial enough to support themselves, and hopefully their families. The whole idea of labor migration is seen less in more developed countries, and in a way hidden in a sense, as you can see with the United States continually attempting to block out migrants form Central and South America to maintain a national image. This is also seen in the Dominican Republic, trying to rebuild their national image to match that of countries such as the United States. John Steinbeck conveys the lives of migrant workers in an unusual way, showing their passion for success, how hard they work, and the extent that they will go to in order to be successful. He makes the life of a migrant worker seem to be a very difficult one in which nothing is guaranteed and hard work, though it is the only work accepted, may not get you anywhere. This is such a great way to make it out to be, because it is so true, that nothing in life comes easy, and even when you deserve something you may not get it. When tying all of this together, the Dust Bowl, Haiti, and Of Mice and Men, you can see that these migrant workers all face similar hardships
The Great Depression lasted between the years of 1929 and 1939. During this time unemployment rates rose to an all time high and many people such as entrepreneurs, factory workers, and farmers were all put out of business once the economy failed. When farmers were out of work in the eastern parts of the United States, they traveled west because of the good land there. In Lester Hunter’s poem he spoke of this and said “ From the east and west and the north and south like a swarm of bees we came; the migratory workers are worse off than a bum” (Hunter). Once they did this some unforeseen circumstances appeared, this was the beginning of the Dust Bowl. Many farmers traveled west because they thought the land was prime for planting wheat crops.
Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' explores the everyday lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this era, American men were forced to leave their families and become 'drifters'. These were people who didn't have a fixed job and continually moved from place to place.
Haiti is a prime example of how human needs in one area of the world are interdependent with social conditions elsewhere in the world. Haiti, for most of its history has been overwhelmed with economic
The life of a migrant worker in the 1930s were very depressing one. The Great Depression cause many workers to move from place to place for jobs. Most of these migrant workers are alone with no friends or family and unable to trust people. Some Just like George and Lennie from the book Of Mice Of Men travel together. Of Mice and Men is a story about two men the The Great Depression
The Republic of Haiti has a unique and vibrant culture. It was once hailed as the "Pearl of the Antilles" for being the wealthiest colony in the world. This small Latin American island tells a story of slaves enduring resistance to the some of the most dominant forces abroad. In 1804, Haiti became the first free black republic and the second post-colonial country in the Americas. However, the days of being the wealthiest colony have since passed. Haiti is now considered to be the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere. The proud history of this country is overshadowed by alarming rates of poverty, violence, and inequality. This island nation’s government has been plagued with numerous military staged coups and misfortunes. I
“We watched as the storm swallowed the light. The sky turned from blue to black, night descended in an instant and the dust was on us…Dust lay two feet deep in ripply waves across the parlor floor, dust blanketed the cookstove, the icebox, the kitchen chairs, everything deep in dust.” -Karen Hesse’s Diary, April, 1935 (Dust Bowl Diary Entries). In the 1930s, a phenomenon called the Dust Bowl swept the people of the Great Plains off their feet. This paper defines the Dust Bowl and its impact on the US economy and American citizens.
In the late 1930 unemployment rates were dropping at exponential rates, people were traveling west looking for jobs, hoping to gain even the smallest amounts of money. They were struggling to survive, fighting for jobs and living in horrible conditions. The Dust Bowl had wiped out most of their homes and many were desperate, people referred to them as migrant workers. The story Of Mice and Men revolves around the adventure of two migrant workers, George and Lennie. The book begins with a scene of nature, calm and beautiful yet cruel and complex. Much like nature, John Steinbeck's book tells the dark side of our nation and it’s people. Because of this, Steinbeck's book is still valuable to teach students. His simple yet complex story characterizes
The Dust Bowl was a treacherous storm, which occurred in the years of the 1930’s, which affected the Midwestern people, an example the farmers, which taught us new technologies and methods of farming. John Steinbeck wrote in his novel from 1939 The Grapes of Wrath: "And then the dispossessed were drawn west- from Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, Caravans, carloads, and homeless. Totals of 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 200,000 people. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, food, and most of all for land." The early thirties opened with prosperity and growth. At the time the Midwest was full of agricultural
In 1929, tears swept the nation and gloom bestowed itself upon a once happy place. The Great Depression had started. People lost everything ,so many became migrant workers. Of Mice and Men, a classic novel written by John Steinbeck, emphasizes many sad themes, but gives us a good insight on what life was like in the 1940’s for many people. Although there are other themes, rootlessness, loneliness, and poverty are extremely prominent throughout the novel in many characters.
Many were forced to leave their land in order to survive such an event. The drought and misuse of land led to the physical effects of the Dust Bowl. The emotional toll was greater. It was stated in Out of the Dust, “Those men, they used to be best friends. Now they can’t be civil with each other.” Stress drifted many apart as everyone was competing with one another. Many lost their jobs and couldn’t provide for their families. It was the perfect opportunity to move to California because conditions in the area were still good. The land there was fertile. Many migrants had not seen fertile land in a long while. All the land they could remember was that of a worn out mess. Along with the fertile land, there was a mild climate. It was different then what these migrants were used to. Conditions never changed drastically. All knew what was to come ahead. A lot of hardships were still encountered. Finding work was still very difficult to do. This was because there was not enough work to occupy all of the people. Hard conditions were dealt with in order to receive a little bit of money. Finding a job, any job, was considered to be a blessing. Even then, in times considered to be fair, women did not receive very much pay. This was because they could not work as much as the males. With males requiring work, women were not accepted easily and were lucky to even find jobs. Luckily these times have concluded. No longer does one
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, pays homage to the critical impact the Great Depression had on dust bowl farmers. The growing demand for wheat products forced farmers to overgraze their property. This reduced the overall usefulness and biodiversity of the land, and attributed to the desertification of their establishments. With this, the once lush fields turned to dust, which blew away with the commencement of the severe drought in the early 1930s. Steinbeck utilizes the lives of the Joad family to depict how farmers were often forced to flee their homes in search of better jobs during this time period. Because of the stock market’s demise, no one was purchasing their crops. Banks were required to drive farmers out of their homes, as they could not afford to keep supporting them without profit. The agricultural devastation of the Dust Bowl intensified the economical impact of the Great Depression and added to the misery of the migrant workers.
Between the 1930s and 1940s, the southwestern Great Plains region of America suffered a severe environmental disaster known as the Dust Bowl, that resulted from the combination of a huge water shortage and harsh farming techniques. The drought-stricken plains experienced relentless dust storms that swept through Texas to Nebraska, killing crops, livestock and people. The Dust Bowl further intensified the devastating economical impacts of the Great Depression and drove hundreds of families to migrate in search of work and better living conditions all the while capturing the nation’s artists, musicians, and writers.
Life in the midwest of the United States during the 1930s was hardly quintessential. A notable provoker for this adversity was the dust storm known as the “Dust Bowl”, that lasted until about 1940. The Dust Bowl had consequences all over the United States. Besides causing the largest migration in American history when people began fleeing the midwest, it lead to the deaths of thousands of people and prompted soil conservation campaigns that called forth on the federal government. The Dust Bowl was an entirely avoidable tragedy rooted in greed and ignorance where innocent people paid the price.
The United States during most of the Modern Era, had been described as one of the newest nations of time around. It is commonly known about its revolutionary values that it has held against Britain, at the time and it had indeed become a successful nation. But, it had also gone through several natural calamities throughout history that had changed its course of time, which affected the residents. A natural calamity was the Dust Bowl during the 1930s. According to the textbook, the Midwest was overwhelmed with drought, which caused a Dust Bowl in the 1930s, which made matters worse for these residents because this was also the time of the Great Depression; “the effect, exacerbated by overplowing, was the creation of the Dust Bowl (Benton et
Poverty, corruption, and poor access to education are the most serious disadvantages that Haiti faces. Two-thirds of the country depends on agriculture, consisting of mainly small-scale subsistence farming. This sector is high vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and the country’s widespread deforestation (which have caused periodic flooding). Additionally, Haiti suffers from high inflation, lack of investment,