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2nd READING REPORT
IN
LIT 115
(World Literature)

Contents:
1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
2. The Fear by Charlie Murray Hingson

Submitted by: Bracil G. Cimafranca
Submitted to: Mrs. Bernadette Araula

Title: The Grapes of Wrath (Novel)
Author: John Steinbeck
Biography:
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), East of Eden (1952) and the novella Of Mice and Men (1937). As the author of twenty-seven books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
Characters:
Tom Joad – Protagonist of the story; the Joad family's second son, named after his father. Later on, Tom takes leadership of the family even though he is young.
For more details on this topic, see Tom Joad.
Ma Joad – matriarch. Practical and warm-spirited, she tries to hold the family together. Her given name is never learned; it is suggested that her maiden name was Hazlett.
Pa Joad – patriarch, also named Tom, age 50. Hardworking sharecropper and family man. Pa becomes a broken man upon losing his livelihood and means of supporting his family, forcing Ma to assume leadership.
Uncle John Joad – Older brother of Pa Joad (Tom describes him as "a fella about 60", but the narrator later tells you he is 50), feels responsible for the death of his young wife years before when he ignored her pleas for a doctor because he thought she just had a stomachache, when she actually had a burst appendix. Filled with guilt, he is prone to binges involving alcohol and prostitutes, yet tries to repent for his sins and guilt by spoiling Ruthie and Winfield with candy when he can.
Jim Casy – A former preacher who lost his faith after fornicating with willing members of his church numerous times, and from his perception that religion has no solace or answer for the difficulties the people are experiencing. He is a Christ-like figure and is based on Ed Ricketts.
Al Joad – The second youngest son, a "smart-aleck sixteen-year-older" who cares mainly for cars and girls; looks up to Tom, but begins to find his own way.
Rose of Sharon Joad Rivers – Childish and dreamy teenage daughter (18) who develops as the novel progresses to become a mature woman. She symbolizes regrowth when she helps the starving stranger (see also Roman Charity, works of art based on the legend of a daughter as wet nurse to her dying father). Pregnant in the beginning of the novel, she delivers a stillborn baby, probably as a result of malnutrition. Her name is pronounced "Rosasharn" by the family.
Connie Rivers – Rose of Sharon's husband. Young and naïve, he is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of marriage and impending fatherhood, and abandons her shortly after arriving in California. He is stated to be 19 years old upon his and Tom's first encounter before leaving for California.
Noah Joad – The oldest son who is the first to willingly leave the family, choosing to stay by the Colorado river and survive by fishing. Injured at birth, described as "strange", he may have slight learning difficulties.
Grampa Joad – Tom's grandfather, who expresses his strong desire to stay in Oklahoma. His full name is given as William James Joad. Grampa is drugged by his family with "soothin' syrup" to force him to leave, but dies in the evening of the first day on the road; Casy attributes his death to a stroke, but also says that Grampa is "jus' stayin' with the lan'. He couldn' leave it."
Sypnosis/Summary:
The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison for homicide. On his journey to his home near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Tom meets former preacher Jim Casy, whom he remembers from his childhood, and the two travel together. When they arrive at Tom's childhood farm home, they find it deserted. Disconcerted and confused, Tom and Casy meet their old neighbor, Muley Graves, who tells them the family has gone to stay at Uncle John Joad's home nearby. Graves goes on to tell them that the banks have evicted all the farmers off their land, but he refuses to leave the area. Tom and Casy get up the next morning to go to Uncle John's. There, Tom finds his family loading a converted Hudson truck with what remains of their possessions; the crops were destroyed in the Dust Bowl and, as a result, the family had to default on their loans. With their farm repossessed, the Joads cling to hope, mostly in the form of handbills distributed everywhere in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, describing the fruitful state of California and the high pay to be had there. The Joads are seduced by this advertising and invest everything they have into the journey. Although leaving Oklahoma would be breaking parole, Tom decides it is a risk worth taking. Casy is invited to join the family as well.
Upon arrival, they find little hope of making a decent wage, as there is an oversupply of labor, a lack of laborers' rights, and the big corporate farmers are in collusion, while smaller farmers are suffering from collapsing prices. A gleam of hope is presented at Weedpatch Camp, one of the clean, utility-supplied camps operated by the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal agency that has been established to help the migrants, but there is not enough money and space to care for all of the needy. As a Federal facility, the camp is also off-limits to California deputies who constantly harass and provoke the newcomers.
Reaction/Critique:
Part of its impact stemmed from its passionate depiction of the plight of the poor, and in fact, many of Steinbeck's contemporaries attacked his social and political views. Bryan Cordyack writes, "Steinbeck was attacked as a propagandist and a socialist from both the left and the right of the political spectrum. The most fervent of these attacks came from the Associated Farmers of California; they were displeased with the book's depiction of California farmers' attitudes and conduct toward the migrants.
Title: The Fear (Novel)
Author: Charlie Murray Hingson
Biography:
Charles Murray "Charlie" Higson (born 3 July 1958), is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television. Higson was educated at Sevenoaks School and at the University of East Anglia (where his brother taught from 1986 to 2008, latterly as Professor of Film Studies) where he met Paul Whitehouse,David Cummings and Terry Edwards. Higson, Cummings and Edwards formed the band The Higsons of which Higson was the lead singer from 1980 to 1986. They released two singles on the Specials' 2 Tone Records label. This was after he had formed the punk band The Right Hand Lovers, where he performed as "Switch". Higson then became a decorator – including decorating the house of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie – before he turned to writing for Harry Enfield with Paul Whitehouse and performing comedy. He came to public attention as one of the main writers and performers of the BBC Two sketch show The Fast Show (1994–2000). He worked with Whitehouse on the radio comedy Down the Line and is to work with him again on a television project, designed to be a spoof of celebrity travel programmes.
Characters:
DogNut – Jordan Hordern's (leader of the Tower crew) right hand man, who set out to find Brooke. Leader of the 'Pathfinders' at the Tower. Killed in the final battle with the 'gym bunnies'. Fancies Brooke.
Courtney – Part of the Tower crew. She has a love interest in DogNut. Killed in final battle with the 'gym bunnies'. Fancies DogNut.
Marco – Part of the Tower crew and originally came from the museum with Jordan, Felix, and DogNut. Best friends with Felix although they bicker between each other most of the time. Killed in the final battle with the 'gym bunnies'.
Felix – Part of the Tower crew and originally came from the museum with Jordan, Marco, and DogNut. Best friends with Marco although they bicker between each other most of the time. Killed in the final battle with the 'gym bunnies'.
Olivia – Part of the Tower crew. Killed during the first encounter with the Collector.
Al – Part of the Tower crew. Stayed with his sister, Maria at Buckingham Palace.
Maria – Al's sister. She tells the Tower crew that Brooke is at the Natural History Museum.
Jessica -Part of the Tower crew who stayed at Buckingham Palace.
Finn – Part of the Tower crew who stayed at the Natural History Museum.
Leo – A boy who died months ago but DogNut still has bad dreams about his death.
Brooke – Lives at the Natural History Museum but leaves with DogNut's crew for the Tower. After, she survives the final battle with the 'gym bunnies' as she is saved by the Holloway crew. She is the girl who tells Maxie and Blue about the museum.
Justin – Leader at the Natural History Museum.
Robbie – Head of security at the museum. Saved by Jackson but is seriously injured from the final battle with the 'gym bunnies'.
Jackson – A strong girl fighter at the museum who gets Robbie back to the museum.
Einstein – Head of research into the sickness at the Natural History Museum. He does not get on well with DogNut.
Paul – Olivia's brother who doesn't take her death very well and loses his mind. He releases the sickos in the basement of the museum seeking vengeance. It is revealed that he was bitten by the sicko in the truck. Sypnosis/Summary:
The Fear begins 5 days before Small Sam and The Kid, having escaped from the London Underground, arrive at the tower at the end of The Enemy. A prologue introduces a new being named 'The Collector' who "collects toy", which, in a passive-aggressive sense, are actually children. Throughout the chapter he refers to the captured children as his "toys" and laments their "breaking", or killing the children he's captured. He captures 2 children after a brief struggle, and adds them to his collection. However, The Collector mainly collects newspapers and other paraphernalia which results in his house turning into a land fill. The Collector lives in a 5-story house which is piled high with rubbish, but he mainly lives in his basement. The basement is basically a maze of his own excrement as well as bloodied flesh and more junk. The focus then shifts to the settlement in the (Tower of London), where a scouting trip is in the process of being organised. The scouts are Dognut, Courtney, Olivia – who is going to find her brother Paul; Jessica – who just went as she broke up with her boyfriend; Finn – who is looking for friends; Al – who is looking for his sister Maria; Marco and Felix who were with DogNut at the Imperial War Museum.
After a quick row upriver, they end up at the Houses of Parliament where they find a girl named Nicola and her group, who operate under similar conditions to the pre-apocalyptic government, with elections and various titles. She tells them none of their friends are here but lets them know about David King at Buckingham Palace. During the journey, the group is attacked by the 'gym bunnies', a group of sickos who due to their good physical condition are harder to kill, corner DogNut's crew. About to go in for the kill, they are interrupted by a brutal group of mercenaries, known as "hunters", led by Ryan Aherne. Meanwhile, Paul, who is still crazed, secretly leaves the museum for Buckingham Palace. He meets with David and Jester who take advantage of his mental state, and tell him a fake story that everyone was plotting against him. This causes Paul to take revenge on everyone at the museum. David convinces him to return to the museum and release all the sickos who are in the basement. Paul agrees and returns to the museum. He kills a boy named Jamie who was on duty at the lower levels of the museum. Just before his death, Paul reveals to Jamie that he was bitten by one of the sickos in the truck. Reaction/Critique:
According to the West African tenets of Vodou, a dead person can be revived by a bokor, or sorcerer. Zombies remain under the control of the bokor since they have no will of their own. "Zombie" is also another name of the Vodou snake lwa Damballah Wedo, of Niger–Congo origin; it is akin to the Kikongo wordnzambi, which means "god". There also exists within the West African Vodun tradition the zombie astral, which is a part of the human soul that is captured by a bokor and used to enhance the bokor's power. The zombie astral is typically kept inside a bottle which the bokor can sell to clients for luck, healing or business success. It is believed that after a time God will take the soul back and so the zombie is a temporary spiritual entity. It is also said in vodou legend that feeding a zombie salt will make it return to the grave. But there is indirect evidence that zombie really exist. Therefore, there’s nothing we should be “Fear Off”.