The Bible as a Sustained Allusion
The Bible is a sustained allusion throughout the course of East of Eden, paralleling with the eternal story of Cain and Abel. According to the Bible, Cain is the "tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2). Caleb Trask, a farmer at heart, made a vast amount of money by selling beans. Upon presenting Adam with his present of fifteen thousand dollars, Adam not only discarded the gift, but caused Cal pain by comparing him to his godly brother, Aron, who graduated high school and started college at an early age. Adam wished that Cal could have given him something to be proud of-something momentous. Adam's reaction induced Cal with excessive wrath out of rejection. In the Bible, the Lord "had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?'" (Genesis 4:4-7).
"Your son is marked with guilt out of himself . . . don't crush him with rejection, Adam. Give him your blessing. Help him, Adam! Free him! Bless him!" (777). The dry lips of the sickly, dying man parted and failed, then tried again to form the name of his son. His lungs filled, then he "expelled the air and his lips combed the rushing sigh. His whispered word seemed to hang in the air . . . then his eyes closed and he slept" (778).
Set in the growing Salinas Valley in northern California during the time span stretching from the Civil War to World War I, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, is the powerful tale of an idealistic man desperately trying to raise his motherless twin boys solely with the hel...
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...My punishment is greater than I can bear! I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me" (Genesis 4:13-14). As Lee and Cal stood before Adam on his deathbed, Lee pleaded to Adam, "Your son is marked with guilt out of himself-out of himself-almost more than he can bear . . . give him your blessing. Don't leave him alone with his guilt. Give him your blessing!" (777). Adam's breath came quick with his effort and then, slowly, his right hand lifted-lifted an inch and then fell back. In response to Cain's cries, the Lord assured Cain that he would not be harmed. "And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Genesis 4:15-16).
There are more black Americans who are under correctional control, on parole or probation and in jail or in prison than they were enslaved in the 19th century. Now there ...
East of Eden by John Steinbeck is an optimistic film about a boy becoming a man and trying desperately to earn the love of his father and mother in the troubled times of the Great Depression. Cal, the main character is a troubled teen who lives with his entrepreneur father, and a brother who is following closely in his fathers steps. Cal’s mother left him and his brother to become a madam of a whorehouse. The struggle takes place between Cal and his father due to his fathers lack of compassion for his son. The conflict rises further when Cal tries to help his father repay a debt, his father further isolates his son and this turns to violent outbursts. Steinbeck focuses on Cal in order to suggest the theme that without love people become violent and mean.
When the Lord asked Cain where his brother was, Cain lied and replied, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”, arguing the point that he had responsibility over his brother’s whereabouts.
In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Steinbeck uses Cal and Aron Trask to represent the biblical story of Cain and Abel, demonstrating a struggle of good and evil through an underlying religious point of view as well as the overlying fictional telling of the same story. Cal’s innate evil nature contrasting Aron’s inherent goodness are evident throughout the novel and portray Steinbeck’s overall theme of a constant conflict between morality and immorality.
Throughout the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck puts forth many literary techniques in the book to make it utterly vivid. His defined techniques of writing allow the reader to unveil the author’s intentions. Steinbeck’s usage of allegories and alliteration through metaphoric language effectively creates a style that is certain to captivate an audience.
Setting is an important element in East of Eden. Described are beautiful, panoramical views of the surrounding landscapes of the Salinas Valley, California. "The Salinas Valley . . . is a swale between two ranges of mountains. . . . . On the wide level acres of the valley, the topsoil lays deep and fertile. . . . . Under the live oaks, shaded and dusky, the maidenhair flourished and gave a good smell, and under the mossy banks of the watercourses whole clumps of five-fingered ferns and goldy-backs hung down" (Steinbeck p. 480). Steinbeck then goes on to describe the human history of these areas. The groups of peoples that lived there are described in sweeping generalizations. "First there were Indians, an inferior breed without energy, inventiveness, or culture . . . their warfare was a weary pantomime. Then the hard, dry Spaniards came explor...
In Steinbeck’s East of Eden he is constantly using single characters to illustrate many differen...
East of Eden by John Steinbeck, is a fictional novel that details the lives of five main characters, Cal Trask, Aron Trask, Adam Trask, Cathy Ames, and Samuel Hamilton. John Steinbeck pivots the five characters against each other with biblical references from the story of Cain and Abel. The novel’s protagonist Adam Trask has a half brother Charles and is portrayed generally as a good man throughout the novel. The antagonist Charles Trask is jealous and similar to Cain in the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The novel can be split into two parts with the first part focussing on the first generation Trask family and the second part focussing on the second generation Trask family with both following the same story line of rejection and favoritism.
This means that their fruit and vegetable industry is not only valuable to their state, but to the entire nation. Horticultural producers have a large amount of access to international export marks especially with New Zealand, Germany and Japan which are estimated to be worth $87 million a year. This access would not be available without the quarantine of the Queensland fruit fly. The citrus industry in particular saves a $4.2 billion a year due to the limited need for pesticides and any other pest controls. The Queensland fruit fly has outbreaks every couple of years, although they have been successful with its removal every time. South Australia remains under threat from a large number of fruit fly outbreaks throughout the state, so it is essential that prevention, detection and eradication measures continue so that the risk can be
Author, physician, and anthropologist Paul Farmer focuses on structural violence in his book Infections and Inequalities. Structural violence is not only today’s social and economic inequality, but also oppression and exploitation that is ongoing and has been occurring for generations. Current programs to alleviate inequality are important but many people don’t consider that marginalized people are not only marginalized today, but their families have been marginalized for centuries. People argue that it has been a certain number of years since slavery and the civil rights, and are opposed to the continuation of programs to address disparities. Opposition to social programs such as welfare is widespread in America. But structural violence is not just about today’s staggering, undeniable, and increasing inequality, but about centuries of marginalization, that cannot be simply repaired. Structural violence is the exploitation and manipulation of poor or victimized people by powerful people and companies. A person’s lack of resources, both a cause and an effect of structural violence, is not only a lack of money, but also whether a government’s or health provider’s decides to make interventions available to some but not others, or to focus on prevention at the sake of cure.
In society, revolt is typically caused by inequalities rendered by dishonest leaders or an immoral organization that represses the general public.
There came a day when Cain and Abel both went to make an offering unto Jehovah; Abel made an offering from his flocks while Cain made an offering from the first fruits of his harvest. Cain’s offering was rejected by Jehovah, Cain became jealous of Abel and his favor with Jehovah. In a jealous rage Cain slew Abel.
Opponents to mass incarceration like Michelle Alexander have called it the “New Jim Crow”, a social institution aimed at limiting the rights of African Americans. Upon their release criminals are legally denied the right to vote, excluded from juries, and placed in a position of subordination. Others would suggest that, “cultural shifts, political realignments, changes in job prospects for low-skilled men, and perhaps most importantly, legal changes” have led to the severe increase and absolute disparity in the rates of black imprisonment over the late 20th and early 21st centuries. One thing is certain, mass incarceration would be justifiable if crime decreased but that is just not the case. Evidence has shown that the benefits of mass imprisonment in reducing crime have diminished over time and incarceration is now a much less effective method for crime control than it was before the 1990s. Due to factual evidence of high rates racial disparity in imprisonment, mass incarceration can be seen as a significant generator of social inequality. The history and the study of mass incarceration is important because it defines us as a society just like slavery and Jim Crow once
One of the characters in East of Eden who's actions support timshel is Adam Trask. Adam is a representation of good in the novel. He is the Abel of the modern day biblical story of Cain and Abel and his brother Charles represents Cain. Adam has just had a fight with his stronger and angrier brother Charles. Charles beats Adam to a bloody pulp, enraged that their father Cyrus, loves Adam more than him. Adam hides when Charles comes back with a hatchet and the intention of killing his brother. When Adam drags himself home, at the sight of Adam all bloody and hurt Cyrus is fuming: "You'll have to tell me. I'll make you tell me! Go...
The most problematic conclusion about Mass Incarceration, whatever the causes or practices, is that currently America has had the highest national prison rates in the world; furthermore, the rates of minorities (particularly African Americans) are extraordinarily disproportionate to the rates of incarcerated Caucasians. Despite the overall rise in incarceration rates since the 1980s, the crime rates have not been reduced as would be expected. Researchers, activists, and politicians alike are now taking a closer look at Mass Incarceration and how it affects society on a larger scale. The purpose of this paper is to examine the anatomy of Mass Incarceration for a better understanding of its importance as a dominant social issue and its ultimate relation to practice of social work. More specifically the populations affected by mass incarceration and the consequences implacable to social justice. The context of historical perspectives on mass incarceration will be analyzed as well as insight to the current social welfare policies on the