Abstract This paper discusses interstellar gas and dust, listing the reasons why it is interesting. According to the paper, these reasons are simply that interstellar clouds can simply be enormous and appear at least as mystical and beautiful as the stars themselves., and more practically, the interstellar medium is capable of telling us very significant things about the nature of our universe, how it was formed, and what properties dominate it. Like most branches of astronomy, perhaps the most exciting application of studies conducted upon cosmic dust is to cosmology.
Abstract Traditional explanations of the Dust Bowl emphasize the lack of rain as the fundamental cause of the severe dust storms that struck the southern plains. This paper discusses additional reasons for the Dust Bowl such as poor agricultural practices and years of sustained drought. The paper describes the effect the Dust Bowl had on the inhabitants.
From the Paper "Americans tend to confuse the "Dust Bowl," a region plagued by dust storms in the 1930s, with the mass migration of "Okies and Arkies" to California that occurred in the same decades. Many people were forced to leave the Dust Bowl for California. But the majority of 1930s migrants, even migrants from Oklahoma, came from regions of the country largely unaffected by the dust storms.
The whole concept of a Dust Bowl migration is a wonderful misnomer. Most of the people had nothing to do with the Dust Bowl region. Most really weren't victims of the drought either. A lot of them weren't even farmers."
A paper which shows how John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" and the article "Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture" by Elaine S. Apthorp, depict California's Dust Bowl era.
Abstract The paper shows how the era of the Dust Bowl was an era of mass migration as thousands moved from the region where drought and other factors had ruined the farmland to California, believed to be the land of milk and honey and opportunity. The paper explores how the Dust Bowl and the mass migration it fostered are well illustrated in the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and both the novel and the era it depicts are further illuminated by the article "Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture" by Elaine S. Apthorp. The paper further shows how the novel and the article complement one another and contribute to our understanding of the era and of the way Steinbeck shaped that era into an artistic statement in his novel.
From the Paper "The didactic chapters referred to by Apthorp are the interchapters where Steinbeck performs the analytical task of reporting on the state of America during the Depression, the plight of the people, and other information included with a journalistic eye for what is most telling. In these interchapters, Steinbeck seems to step back from the story to examine the larger picture, but in truth, the author never forgets the reality faced by his characters. For instance, the different members of the family have characteristics which add to their problems and which also reflect larger forces at the same time. Grandpa Joad, for instance, is senile, and this symbolizes the vulnerability of the entire family."
Tags: migrant, workers, Great, Depression, Joad, family
Abstract This paper examines the causes of the original Dust Bowl, tackling issues such as soil composition, climatological factors, and farmer negligence. It also addresses the continuing threat of another Dust Bowl-like crisis and what needs to be done to ensure that it does not happen
From the Paper "The assertion that even without human-induced blunders there would have been at least somewhat of a crisis in the 30's seems like a distinct possibility. There was a definite shift in climate, consisting of severe blizzards, prolonged severe drought, and even a flood to start it all off. Temperature swings between summer and winter were even more severe than usual and dry spells and occasional downpours seemed to strike at the most inopportune moments time and time again (Bonnifield, 1979). Taking these things into account, it seems that even without over-planting, lack of erosion-control and other human mistakes, some sort of agricultural downturn would have taken place."
Abstract This paper addresses the possible causes of the Dust Bowl phenomenon and how and why it led to the mass exodus of people from the Great Plains to California.
From the Paper "The Great Depression marked a time of economic disaster in the United States. Between 1930 and 1941, Great Plains farmers witnessed the worst drought in the country's history (Henretta 709). This and many other factors led to the period that has become known as the Dust Bowl. This period in time is called the Dust Bowl because "Dust seeped into houses and blackened the pillow around one's head, the dinner plates on the table, the bread dough on the back of the stove" (Henretta 709). The term Dust Bowl was created by an Associated Press staff writer, Robert Geiger, in response to the things he saw in Guymon, Oklahoma. Within months, it was the term used throughout the nation to describe the wind-blown land throughout Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma Panhandle, the northern two-thirds of the Texas Panhandle, and northeastern New Mexico (Logsdon 3). The Dust Bowl affected the lives of everyone in the United States, not just those of farmers in the Great Plains area. Knowledge of the Dust Bowl is important because this disaster could be repeated due to both its natural, economic, and social causes. "
Abstract This paper analyzes the poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost. It uses it as an example of how Frost's poems in general capture a fleeting picture of a natural event and how these events are described in very simple words, without flowery or elaborate language, using plain verse structures. It analyzes the style of the poem stanza by stanza and then compares it to it's parody, Bob McKenty's "Snow on Frost" which makes fun of Frost's earthiness, realism and ironic humor by echoing both Frost's words and images and the structure of the poem itself.
From the Paper "In the first stanza, Frost captures a moment that might have been observed while taking a walk in the country in winter. The description is so stripped of detail that it is up to us to visualize the black bird in the dark evergreen tree, dislodging a sprinkling of white snow when it alights or takes off from the branch, perhaps disturbed by the human's approach. But because the poet specifies that the bird is a crow and the tree is a hemlock, other layers of meaning can be inferred at a symbolic level. The crow is typically seen as a somewhat negative creature (unlike the robin, for example), perhaps even as a bad omen."
Abstract This paper describes how John Fante uses the characters in his novel "Ask the Dust" to convey the inferiority complex common to many new immigrants. It looks at the immigrant culture portrayed in the novel and the impact this culture had on the development of Californian culture.
From the Paper "John Fante's Ask the Dust is regarded as one of the most successful novels of the 20th century with its theme grounded in immigration and myth of American dream. The novel is not exactly negative in tone instead it simply focuses on realistically presenting the life of immigrants in Los Angeles community of 1930s. The author has beautifully recreated the early times of massive immigration to the Golden State where people of many communities settled down in the hope of building and carving a more positive future for themselves than the one they would have been accorded in their native lands. After reading the novel, it appears that the most important theme of the novel is "struggle of immigrants to become an American by degrading others"."
Abstract This paper compares the role of punishment and its significance in the two novels "A Handful of Dust" by Evelyn Waugh and "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess and creates the implication that it was just intervention for the characters that deserved it.
Abstract This paper describes this film about black families that have lived in virtual isolation for generations on a small, coastal island of the coast of Carolina called Edo Island. The paper explains that the film, "Daughters of the Dust", examines how memory keeps the lessons of the past alive and provides a sense of continuity and community for the family.
From the Paper "The time frame is revealed through the clothing worn by both men and women, and there is reference in the dialogue about Theodore Roosevelt. At the movie's opening the date is specified as 1902, but the story is not linear and is told in flashback, and it is necessary to reinforce the time frame visually as well as verbally."
Abstract In this article, the writer studies the popular book by South African author Herman Charles Bosman, called 'Unto Dust'. The writer notes that this is an interesting story of authentic South African characters, told by an experienced and visually stimulating South African author. The writer discusses that the diction, plot, setting and the images of which Bosman creates throughout the story are the factors which lead to the response of the reader. The writer concludes that these factors together with the attitude of Oom Stoffel's racist mind and Oom Schalk Lourens' easily-influenced personality play a major role in the story and they create the impression in the reader's mind.
From the Paper "The narrator of the story is Oom Schalk Lourens. His narration is very interesting because he is telling the story which Oom Stoffel Oosthuizen told him. The diction, plot, setting and the images of which he creates throughout the story are the factors which lead to the response of the reader. These factors together with the attitude of Oom Stoffel's racist mind and Oom Schalk Lourens' easily-influenced personality play a major role in the story, and they create the impression in the reader's mind."
"The story starts by Oom Schalk Lourens comparing the difference of the funerals between the youth and the elderly."
Abstract This paper examines David Cassuto's view on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and discusses how the Dust Bowl may not have been only a natural disaster, but rather one exacerbated by economic hardships. This paper talks about the economic hardships and the unfairness of the economic situation as it is described by Steinbeck. The author shows that misuse of land to provide crops for the whole country during World War I led to a misuse of water which, in turn, led to the Dust Bowl.
From the Paper "However, in this novel, water creates economic divisions that are found in free societies generally. Cassuto notes that the primary difference between growers and migrants is in their relative relationships to water. "The growers--owners of the irrigation channels, centrifugal pumps, and watertight mansions, control it--while the Okies, starving and drenched, are at its mercy" (Cassuto, 1993, p. 67+).
The various types of economic conduct Steinbeck sprinkles throughout The Grapes of Wrath are predicated on the issue of having water, or not having it."
Abstract The author of this paper reviews environmental themes from the following five books: "Dust Bowl" by Donald Worster, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, "Everglades: River of Grass" by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, "Killing Mr. Watson" by Peter Matthiessen, and "River of Lakes" by Bill Belleville. This paper discusses the role that culture has played in environmental issues during the past century.
From the Paper "Douglas begins her book by describing poetically the area she was so devoted to for over fifty years. "There are no other Everglades in the world, they are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known" (Douglas, 5). She speaks of the enormous horizon, the sweetness of the winds, and the miracle of the light as it pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and water. She also details the origin of its name, pointing to the oldest English origin of the word "glade" which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "glaed" meaning "shining" or "bright" (Douglas, 1997)."
Abstract Volcanic dust is the residue that remains in the atmosphere after the eruption of a volcano. A volcano is a general term for any opening in the crust of a planet or natural satellite through which gases, lava or magma, and solid fragments are discharged. Volcanoes are typically classified as active, dormant, or extinct (Encarta, 1998).
The interior of the earth is composed of an inner solid-iron core surrounded by an iron-rich, liquid outer core. Beyond the core is the mantle, a chemically distinct silica-rich layer that extends to the earth's crust, about 4,100 miles from the center of the earth. The mantle is extremely hot, and convective ..."
From the Paper "VOLCANIC DUST
Definitions
Volcanic dust is the residue that remains in the atmosphere after the eruption of a volcano. A volcano is a general term for any opening in the crust of a planet or natural satellite through which gases, lava or magma, and solid fragments are discharged. Volcanoes are typically classified as active, dormant, or extinct (Encarta, 1998).
The interior of the earth is composed of an inner solid-iron core surrounded by an iron-rich, liquid outer core. Beyond the core is the mantle, a chemically distinct silica-rich layer that extends to the earth's crust, about 4,100 miles from the center of the earth. The mantle is extremely hot, and convective ..."
Abstract William Faulkner's attitude on race relations at the outset of the Civil Rights Movement in the American South is best expressed in one of his lesser works, "Intruder in the Dust". The paper shows how Faulkner subtly expresses his views through the different characters of the novel, such as Lucas Beauchamp and Vinson Gowrie. The paper also draws parallels between the novel and Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". The paper concludes that Faulkner played a key role in introducing themes of southern race warfare in a context that is at the same time sympathetic to southern culture. The paper also argues that Faulkner's work is so attractive to modern critics because it allows people to see the south through its own vernacular.
From the Paper "However, whereas Harper Lee portrayed a historical event, Faulkner portrayed one that was contemporary, for which he earned harsh criticism from the Southern establishment; Faulkner wrote his book at the beginning of the struggle for Civil Rights and Harper Lee wrote about it after it had been recognized and treated as a social problem by the federal government. At the time of Intruder in the Dust's publication, the "Dixiecrat" party of Strom Thurmond sought to preserve traditional southern racism from the egalitarian policies of the Democratic Party under the helm of President Truman. What had been the "Solid South" was in a state of disarray as the whole of the south voted in a third party candidate in protest. According to Joel Williamson's William Faulkner and Southern History, Faulkner found himself under fire from both sides of the race relations debate."
