Chapters 18-22: Family Discussion Reflection

II: This article was about the migrant experience in the time of the Dust Bowl. People would invent Ballads just to pass the time in between inspections. The groups that suffered the most were the families who had to support and feed the many mouths that were open. Especially in the camps, which had poor sanitation and health issues. In the text this week, we read about the multiple struggles the Joad family endured while in the migrant camp.

Fanslow, Robin A. "The Migrant Experience." American Memory. Ed. American Folklife Center. Library of Congress, 6 Apr. 1998. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html>.

III: Level 3 Questions:

1) In what way are migrant workers exploited?

2) Do you think that we treat workers who are in poverty with respect?

3) If you were a migrant worker, would you be willing to go through the amount of struggle that they endure?

V: Family Discussion Reflection:

1) The most memorable part of my discussion with my sister was when she asked about what migrant workers need to go through to get their basic needs fulfilled. She was very put off by what these poor people were required to go through in order to survive. She said "How can we let that happen if someone like me can barely even fathom their lifestyles?"

2) I was surprised when my sister compared the migrant worker's lives in the Grapes of Wrath to those of the Mexican immigrants who come work in California, Texas, and all along the Mexican-American border. She referenced Enrique's Journey, which was satisfying. 

3) My questions were very good this week. Camilla (my sister) was very responsive and had an easy time answering them.

Chapters 10-17: Family Discussion Reflection

Chapters 10-17: Family Discussion Reflection

II. This article is about the hard life the migrant workers and farmers faced, even after they got to California. Relief was very scarce, and the little work they did find was only because it was previously the Mexican immigrants' work. This week, the text we read in The Grapes of Wrath was about the Joads' journey to California in search of work.
Bibliography:
"Mass Exodus From the Plains." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/dustbowl-mass-exodus-plains/>.
III. Level 3 Questions:

1. If someone has every right to do something, does someone with more influence have the right to tell that person they can't do it?
2. How far do you think a person/family/couple would go to get something that is so readily available to others? (a.k.a. minimum wage, food, water, etc.)
3. What do you think are the limits of a person without their basic needs being fulfilled?

V. Reflection on the Discussion:

1. The most memorable moment of the discussion I had with my mother is when she said yes to the first question. Her reasoning is that the person higher up may know better than the person lower than them. When I clarified that this situation had to do with the Great Depression (my mother is from South America), she changed her answer to maybe. 
2. I was satisfied by the amount of things I could teach my mother about the Great Depression after only reading a small percentage of this book. It opened my eyes to see how much I can learn after a short amount of text (especially school-assigned text.)
3. I again need to make my questions slightly less specific and more understandable. If I was trying to make a question more dramatic sounding, such as my question #1, I need to be able to communicate that dramatic feeling 

Chapters 1-9: Family Discussion Reflection

Chapters 1-9: Family Discussion Reflection

II: This article is written about the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl happened during the 1930s-1940s, and it spanned all over the southwestern plains of the United States. The text we read in The Grapes of Wrath so far (Chapters 1-9) reference to the families affected by the Dust Bowl.
Bibliography: "Dust Bowl During the Great Depression." Library of Congress. Library of Congress,                             n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

III: Level 3 questions:
1) If man creates a system and it goes out of control, then what are the consequences to those that created it?
2) How would middle class families react today if suddenly, they lost everything and had nowhere to go?
3) How would we (as the USA) deal with another Great Depression, given the technology and luxuries we have become accustomed to?

V: Reflection on the discussion:
1) The most memorable moment of the discussion I had with my father was his answer to number 2. He described their reactions as a cocktail of emotions: "sad, angry, despaired, and overwhelmed."
2) I enjoyed seeing my father's perspective on the human race. When I asked the third question, he said "We will adapt, as we always have. Humans were made to adapt to different situations...and if history repeats itself, we will do just as [the people living during the Great Depression] did."
3) I need to make my questions more general and broad. This would lead to more opportunity for all valuable answers.