AnalyticEssayReflection

IthinkthatmyGrapesofWrathanalyticessaywasmybestanalyticessayofthe
year.ThisisbecauseIfeltthatthisessaystoodapartfrommyotheronesbecauseI
reallydugasdeepasIpossiblycould.Iworkedveryhardinordertoanalyzeandread
inbetweenthelines,andforthatIamproudof.Iamveryproudofhowmuchoutside
theboxcriticalthinkingIexecutedinordertofindthemultitudeofdeepermeaningsof
objects/charactersinthenovelthatweremorphedintosymbols.Ifeltthatthroughmy
analyzationsthatthepaperclearlyshowedallofthesymbolisminthebookandhow
theywereconnectedinlotsofuniqueanddifferentways.Ithoughtthatthisessayhad
thestrongestthesis,wasveryclearinhowIgroupedthesymbols,andhadastrong
biggerpicturemessagetoconcludewith.AlthoughIbarelygotanAonit,Ibelieve
thatthestructure,criticalanalyzation,andmessagetothereaderwasoverallmybest.

Ihavealwaysbeenoneforanalyzingsymbols.Ilovetoidentifythemandreally
breakthemdownuntilIfullyunderstandthebigpicturethemethatbuildstotherootsof
thenovel.Yet,Ihaveneverreallywrittenanentireessaysolelyfocusedonsymbols
andtheirsignificance,andIreallywantedto.Therefore,tostartbrainstormingfora
thesis,IlookedatallofmyannotationsinthebookinordertoseeifIhadidentified
minorandmajorsymbols.BecauseIhadthoroughlyidentifiedamultitudeofthem,I
gatheredthequotesfromwhichIannotatedandtypedthemalldowninagoogledoc.I
figuredthatIwantedtowriteaboutsomethingthathadtodowiththesignificanceofthe
symbols,butIwashavingalotoftroublecomingupwithathesistotiethemalltogether

andmakeanargumentaboutit.Ikeptreadingthequotesoverandoveragaintryingto
seeiftherewasaconnectingthemeinthem,butIjustcouldntfindany.Then,oneday
itjusthitme.Allofthemajorsymbolquotesallsharedtheconnectingthemeofhope.
Fromthere,Iidentifiedthatallofthesignificantsymbolsallfellunderthreeseparate
categories:Biblicalsymbolism,symbolismthroughthelandscapeandsymbolism
throughinsects/animals.Thisprocessoffindingaconnectingthemeandthendividing
thesymbolsintocategorieswasataskthattookverylongbecausealotofanalyzing
hadtobedone,butitprovedtobeverybeneficial.OnceIhadfoundthethemeofhope
andthesubdivisiongroupsforthesymbols,itwasveryeasytoformmythesisfrom
there.Mythesisstartedoffveryrough,andIreviseditmany,manytimes.Ihadtwo
peersinclasseditit,whichwasveryhelpful.Thisrevisionprocess,althoughalotof
work,didnottakeaslongasIthoughtitwould.OnceIhadmyfinalrevisedthesis,
whichwas,In
GrapesofWrath
,JohnSteinbeckusessubstantialsymbolismtoconvey
theconstantthemeofhopethatismaintainedthroughoutthemanymisfortunesofthe
migrants.Steinbeckseekstoemphasizehopestriumphovertheuncertaintiesoflife.
Throughouttheuseofbiblical,landscapeandinsect/animalsymbolism,themessageof
differentaspectsofhopeinthemigrantslivesiswellunderstood.,Ithenadded
mappingstatementstosetuptheideaandstructureofeachbodyparagraphthatI
wouldwrite.Eachbodyparagraphwasadifferenttypeofhopethatthesymbols
portrayed,sothenIjustplacedthequotesintheirrespectiveplacesthenbegantowrite
inanalyzations.Now,whenIpreparetowriteananalyticessay,Icreatemythesisonce
Ihaveallofmyevidenceandclaims.Thisisbecauseitiseasiertocreateanargument

basedontheevidenceandclaimsyoualreadyhave,insteadofstartingwithathesis
andscramblingtofindspecifics.

Ithinkthatmygreatestwritingstrengthweremyquoteinterpretations.Ithinkthat
Ireallydugdeepinordertoanalyzequotesandcreatemoresignificantmeaningsto
symbols.Agreatdealofanalyzationwentintopullingoutsymbolismfromthequotes,
whichIthinkwasmygreatestwritingstrength.Onecanseethisdeepanalyzation
throughoneofmybiblicalparallelsthatIconnectedwiththesymbolofJimCasyas
JesusChristCasyhadawayofcomprehendinghumansinlikeothersdidnt.Casy
expressedthiswhenhesaidhislastwordstothepolicemanbeforehewaskilled,You
dontknowwhatyoureadoin(386).Thesewordsalmostperfectlymirroroneof
Jesusslastsayingsbeforehepassed,Father,forgivethem.Fortheyknownotwhat
theydo(Luke23:34).AnotherquoteinterpretationthatIthinkisverystrongiswhenI
analyzedaformoflandscapesymbolismAfteralongperiodofrain,theskybegan
toclearandnaturestartedtothriveagain,Tinypointsofgrasscamethroughtheearth,
andinafewdaysthehillswerepalegreenwiththebeginningyear(435).Afterlotsof
hardshipsinthemigrantslives,thesymbolofgrowthandnewlifeboostedtheirspirits.
Overall,Ithinkthatmystrengthswereheldwithquoteinterpretationsandcritical
thinking/analyzation.

IftherewasonethingthatIcouldchangeaboutmyanalyticessaywriting,itwouldbeto
developamorecomplexthesis.AlthoughIthinkthatmythesisforthisessaywasstrong

andwellcomposed,IknowthatIcouldhavegonetheextramileanddugdeeper.
SpecificallyforthispaperIwouldhaveimplementedmythesisfurtherbyanalyzingthe
purposesthathopeservesforthemigrantsthiswouldbegoingtheextramile.Alotof
myotheressayshavethesameissue,wherethereisusuallyonestepfurtherthatIcan
gotobutIrefrainforsomereason.ThisisaskillthatIwouldliketoimproveupon
creatingmorecomplextheses.ThisyearIlearnedalotmoreonhowtoeffectively
structureanessay.ThestructureofanessayhasalwaysbeenkindoffuzzytomeandI
wasntalwaysclearontheeffectivewaytostructureoneinorderformypointtoget
acrosstothereaderefficiently.Yet,thisyearIhavealotbetterunderstandingofhowto
andthishashelpedmecreatestrongerarguments,andIhopeto