THE FLOOD - RESPONSE

The Flood is one of the chapter in John Steinbeck's famous novel Grapes of Wrath. Similar to The Turtle, this chapter contains a lot of descriptions as well. In the first several paragraphs, all it is talking about is the flood. Also Steinbeck has chosen carefully on his word choose. For example, there are many personifications, such as, "And at first the dry earth sucked the moisture down and blackened" (923). And lots of descriptive verbs, such as, "Levels fields become lakes, broad and gray, and the rain whipped up the surfaces" (923). Furthermore, this passage also revealed a sense of sadness that could draw in people's compassion. The flood brought a huge damage to the people and worsened their living conditions. In one of the paragraphs, it says, "They splashed along, carrying the children, carrying the very old, in their arms. And if a barn stood on high ground, it was filled with people, shivering and hopeless" (924). In which, it shows the sad tone within the passage. However, after finished reading The Flood, I can strangly feel and even see the scene of the flood in front of me.