character descriPtiOn indubious battle

Throughout reading the novel indubious battle written by John Steinbeck  the character that i really liked was Jims character because I feel that he brought a lot to the "table"  he went through a lot  Jim never really cared about anyone but him self having lost all his family Jim didn't care about any one but him self.  Jim had a best friend named Mac.  Mac was also very cold hearted and it didn't take Jim long till he became just as cold as Mac.  Both were very cruel throughout the novel and it wasn't hard to see and understand why both were friends.

difficulty paper indubious battle

I didn't really enjoy this novel it was hard for me to stay focused while reading it.  I was not very interested in the novel because im not a big John Stenibeck fan in my opinion i feel like most of his books are boring. This book took me pretty long to actually finish because it kept making me fall asleep it was again boring.  I was not really interested in the book at all it was very hard for me to try to sit and read it so it was very difficult for me to finish but I read it because it was a class requirement other wise i would never of picked the book up and read it.

peer review

I got good advice from my peers about my paper.  The peer reviews really helped me this semester.  The peer reviews work really well when students actually have there essays in class with them :) The students throughout the semester were very helpful and actually gave really good advice on papers and were really honest about feedback which was GREAT because it made fixing papers a lot easier for many people :) thank you again for all the students who gave me good feedback on anything i did in class :)

semester reflection

I have learned many things this semester.  I have learned more about my writing.  I have had Ms. Knapp for my English 1A class.  She is a great teacher and will take her time to help you improve your writing if you take the time to ask her.  I enjoyed our novels this semester they were very interesting and worth reading the class was very fun this semester but not as fun as last semester :) All the feed back that I have gotten on my papers this semester really helped me write them better.  The play in class was a good ice breaking exercise it was fun watching all the students act in some way :) to bad Knapp isn't teaching English 1C :( but she is a great teacher and I have learned a lot from her :)

marjane dealing with authority

Marjane doesn't deal with authority pretty well she doesn't like to be told what to do she is her own person and feels that she can do and say what ever she wants.  Marjane also believes in standing up for what she believes in she questions authority in many ways through out the novel.  She is a strong character and is very important though the novel her strong personality and questioning authority is what makes marjane a great character in the novel.

rough draft in dubious battle

Sure, we all have careers that we are proud of and love going to work every morning. On the other hand, there are others that hate to wake up every morning to go to work but hey they need the money so they do it. Field workers for example, have to wake up around four in the morning to go to work either in the freezing cold during the winter or the blazing heat during the summer. They are bent over most of the day, pushing their bodies to limits they shouldn’t go to just to make sure foods get picked at the right time. Ever go to the grocery store specifically the produce department and say “I wonder which hard working farm worker picked these and packaged them to be shipped out to this store?” Didn’t think so. Mostly everyone bypasses this, goes to the store, get what is needed and leave. This whole time, there are human beings in the fields, getting paid very minimal just to make sure you have fresh produce for your home. In the book In Dubious Battle, author John Steinbeck doesn’t get into much detail of how farm work was back then compared to now and this is what needs to be brought up to attention.

During the 1930’s the United States was going through some of its worst time in history; The Great Depression. Wages for the farm workers was extremely low which meant that they couldn’t afford the necessities to live for example, food, shelter and clothing. The facts that America sold their produce very cheap didnt help the workers gain any profit. The harsh working conditions caused many farm workers to become ill, very ill to the point where they couldn’t 

work and provide for the family. The growers weren’t providing housing for its workers and if they did, the housing would not meet standards and would be isolated from everything. Workers used dangerous equipment and machinery and being exposed to pesticides all day were the main factors why farmers got severely injured and became ill. Pesticides were the worst enemy for farmers. Thousands of farmers would get pesticide poisoning.  Poor sanitation, hazardous working conditions, pesticide exposure and poisoning and a lack of health care resulted in the farm workers expected to live up to the age of 49.

These harsh conditions were the cause for all the strikes in the United States. The most famous one was the one lead by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Steinbeck on the other hand, describes the fruit-workers' strike in a California valley and the attempts of communists to organize, lead, and provide for the striking pickers. The main point of this strike was to attract followers who believed in what was being fought for. With the support of over 1000 fruit farmers, and the strikes going on, there was a bit of violence that occurred.  Jim and a few others were shot, newspaper attacks, espionage, and the destruction by the vigilantes. Though wounded and forced to leave the farm, Jim and his supporters manage to keep fighting back. These actions are similar to what César Chávez, except Chávez managed to use no violence. History tends to repeat itself and its only a matter of time where another revolt happens and laws change because of it.

Today, in the 21^st Century, there are policies and laws that growers have to abide by or face really huge fines. As for their wages, they have to earn at least $8.25 an hour based on how much they 

do according to the United States Department of Labor. The grower is required now to provide decent housing for all its workers. The also have to provide protection against the pesticides that get sprayed on all the plants. Predominantly, masks and gloves are the important ones. When operating machinery, instructions are visibly posted on the safety guidelines for using that type of equipment. Tools are provided so that farmers aren’t stressing out their backs as much and they aren’t using their bare hands to do heavy workloads. They have a form of health care in case they are injured on the job. Overall, the working conditions may have improved just a bit, but it is still rough. You can’t control the weather but now they have tents to either keep out the sun or to protect from the rain. Its getting better but still can improve much more.

No matter who you are, or what you do for a living, all it takes is a few people to gather around and voice their opinions for something to get done. We see this in today’s world with the occupies that are going on in the country. If you have the right people supporting you in what you are doing, then your voice will be heard. That’s what America is all about, hearing what the people have to say. There are equal rights for everyone whether you are Latino or American, it doesn’t matter if you work in the fields picking fruit or you work in an office wearing a suit everyday. Laws and acts that are far from disappearing protect farmers and that is all they need, they have been heard!

rough draft persepolis

Persepolis

No one person can live a perfect life, whether is it childhood or adulthood. It may not be everyday but we are constantly being faced with obstacles that we have to overcome.  Sometimes they are easy and sometimes they take a while to hurdle.  It was very unfortunate that Marjane Satrapi had her childhood tainted by turmoil during the Islamic Revolution.  To make things worse, she was family of the last monarchy in Iran.  Everyone is targeting her family to overthrow her grandfather.  Having all these problems as a child are very traumatizing and will have a long lasting effect.  “You must base everything on these three rules: Behave well, Speak well, act well”  (Satrapi,  7).

  When a country is at war whether it is with an enemy or itself, there is going to be chaos. For a child to witness that, it is nearly impossible to erase memory’s of the events that happened. Marjane had the people of Iran revolt against her family.  Her grandfather had been a prince before Reza Shah came to power and also became the Prime Minister of Iran.  Her grandfather had become a communist, however, and had been imprisoned and tortured by being put in cells full of water.  “It disgusts me that people are condemned to a bleak future by their social class”  (Satrapi,  23).   Her father explained the history of the Iran Revolution.  He said that Reza 

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Shah had been a soldier battling against the King of Persia in order to establish a republic.  This had been during a time when Western democratic ethics were being instituted in many countries worldwide.  The British had learned of Reza Shah's desire to overthrow the king and, seeing an opportunity to profit from the country's rich oil fields, the British had supported Reza Shah's plans. 

Marjane believed highly that one day she would become the last prophet.  She created an imaginary friend that was God.  She would have conversations with her friend God where she pictured there would be cultural and social equality and that old people will not suffer from pain and illnesses.  News breaks that Marjanes uncle has been arrested and taken into captivity.  Her father tells her that her uncle Anoosh is allowed only one visitor.  During that visit, Anoosh tells Marjane that she was the daughter he always wished of having.  It is not that long after that they find out Anoosh has been executed due to false charges that were put on him.  Feeling like she has no one left in life, Marjane banishes her God friend forever and feels empty and alone.  She really cared about her uncle and in an unfair moment he was taken away from her.  It is great for children to have dreams but when they are shot down or taken away from them it is very hurtful and they feel like there is nothing in life to look forward to. 

Most religions in the Middle East require a “dress code.”  The men can pretty much wear clothes to their choosing, but the women have to be covered up.  Now women have to wear burqas.  The reason most women wear it is because they believe they should only be seen by one man and that would be their husband but also because now they are told the vail is obligatory but 

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the young children didn’t understand why they needed to wear it but they had to.  “ I really didn’t know what to think about the veil.  Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde”  (Satrapi,  6).  Marjane, being the rebel that she was, refused to abide by these rules.  She felt like she should be able to wear whatever she wanted.  “Make sure they wear their veils correctly”  (Satrapi,  96).  Her parents had a lot to do with her rebellious ways.  “ If hair is as stimulating as you say, then you need to shave your mustache”  (Satrapi,  96).  Marjanes father told Marjanes school teacher that during an argument that goes to show just how open Marjanes parents are also rebelling with all the new rules set into there “new world”  They were very open with her and told her many things that other parents wouldn’t tell their children because Marjanes father felt that she was old enough and ready to know what  was going on.  When it came time for her education, Marjane did not want to believe what was being taught to her and would disrespect the teacher.  This caused her to have a very conflicting childhood because it wasn’t a normal childhood where kids run around and play.  Instead it was filled with war and her family trying to “hide”  from the government so they wouldn’t get killed. 

 The events that occurred during this period of time had a lasting effect on society even till present day.  People would try to act and dress differently just to fit in.  This is close to a mirror image to Germany and the Nazis in the Second World War.  While reading the novel I kept picturing the Second World War because who every was running the country at a certain time was trying to make everyone fit there “perfect image” of what they wanted society to be.     

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If you were not like the rest then you didn’t fit in and you would be executed.  A person living in fear is not living at all.  Any wrong move and you have a heart attack because you don’t know what’s going to happen to you.  “ I want to be Justice, Love and the wrath of god all in one”  (Satrapi,  9).