III. Chapters 18-22: Family Discussion

Part II: Research

Topic: I read an article discussing the lives of migrant workers who migrated from the Plain States, to
California in pursuit of job opportunities.

Summary: This article discussed the lives of migrant workers who had moved from the Plain States to
California to find work. It discussed the challenges the migrants faced and what life for the migrants was like when they were not struggling to find work. This article also discussed how the American economy began to turn around at the start of World War II.

Evaluation: This article related to The Grapes of Wrath because it talked about how migrants suffered from discrimination and struggled to find work in California, similar to how the Joad family had struggled to find work in California through in chapters 18-22.

MLA Citation: Fanslow, Robin A. "The Migrant Experience." Memory.loc.gov. N.p., 6 Apr. 1998. 
     Web. 19 Dec. 2013. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html>. 

Part III: Philosophical Questioning

1. Do you think that conditions and opinions of migrant workers in America have changed over the last century or remained the same?

2. Do migrant workers today, help the U.S. economy more, or damage it?

3. Has the issue of discrimination against migrant workers in the U.S., improved or deteriorated?

Part IV: Discussion

Part V: Reflection

     

     I had my discussion with my dad. The most memorable part of our discussion was when we discussed the second question, about whether migrant workers in the U.S., help the economy more or damage it more. My dad had argued that migrant workers, such as workers from Mexico help the U.S. economy thrive. I also agreed that migrant workers help the U.S. economy thrive because migrants often take jobs that are not desired by most Americans. If more Americans were to take some of the jobs that migrant workers take, they would most likely demand higher wages and corporate factories or businesses that own farms would not be willing to pay that type of money. If businesses decided to hire American workers for higher wages rather than migrant workers for lower wages, it would make more sense to export goods such as farm crops from other countries, where the goods are cheaper rather than paying American workers more. This was the most memorable part of our discussion for me because although I agreed with my dad about the fact that migrant workers catalyze our economy, I did question a lot of what he said. I asked thought provoking questions such as "Is it better to hire migrant workers for lower pay so that they can produce goods that are available to those who can afford it? Or, is it better to hire Americans who cannot even afford some of the goods that are produced by migrant workers?" Overall, I agreed with my dad, that migrant workers help the U.S. economy today, but I enjoyed questioning him and forcing him to think. One thing that I found satisfying about my discussion with my dad was the flow of the discussion. It seemed like we both had a lot to say about the questions I raised, which helped me understand certain issues more. One way I could improve my questions is by making them more distinct. For instance, question one seems quite similar to question two.