Chapters 18-22: Family Discussion Reflection

Research

Jordan Opens Camp for Syrian Refugees talked about how Syrian civil war victims are increasingly moving to refugee camps for safety.  A new camp set up by the United Nations in Zaatari has accommodated 100,000 refugees so far.  It is estimated that it could take two months before a third camp can be opened, as the U.N. works to build roads and drill wells in the area.  This article connects to The Grapes of Wrath because just as the Joads and millions of other families moved to government camps during the Dust Bowl, Syrian refugees are seeking economic opportunities in their own camps.

Alpert, Emily. "Jordan Opens Second Camp for Syrian Refugees." Los Angeles Times. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013.

Web. 18 Dec. 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/10/world/la-fg-wn-jordan-second-

camp-syrian-refugees-20130410>.

Philosophical Questions

      1.       At what point would it be worth leaving your home to go to a refugee camp?

      2.       Which is the biggest priority: creating refugee camps or fixing the unstable government?

      3.       Do we have an obligation to help refugees?

Reflection

The most memorable part of my conversation with my mom was when she talked about what conditions would call for migration to a refugee camp.  She mentioned natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, as well extreme violence, poverty, or simply absence of opportunities.  Something that surprised me in our conversation was when she said that it is more important to create refugee camps than to try and fix the government.  She argued that it takes a very long time to restore a government to a reasonable stage and that while this happens, refugee camps provide a quick, secure way to temporarily solve the problem.  This was something I has never considered, because I had always looked at long term, general solutions.  One way I could improve my questions for next discussion would be to connect them to another subject.  If my questions asked how the given topic relates to another, it might stimulate diversified answers.

Chapters 10-17: Family Discussion Reflection

Research

The New Dust Bowl talked about how a terrible drought has had the same effect on Texas as the Dust Bowl had 75 years earlier.  This drought, which started in 2011, has forced west Texans to spend a fortune on feed and hay for livestock or on water to irrigate dusty fields.  The article follows rancher Bill Tullos, who as a precaution has sold most of his cattle, sheep, and goats to avoid impoverishment.  This article relates to The Grapes of Wrath because the Joads were also forced to sell or murder their livestock in response to the Dust Bowl. 

Miller, Peter. "The New Dust Bowl." National Geographic, Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

     <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/09/extreme-weather/sidebar-text>.

Philosophical Questioning

      1.       What responsibilities do we have to help others deal with natural disasters?

      2.       Is it more important to endure a time of crisis or to flee it?

      3.       What measures can be taken to prevent droughts from happening?

Reflection

The most memorable moment in my conversation with my dad was when he applied real world examples to his opinions.  For example, as a solution to prevent droughts from happening, he mentioned how many Israelis use drip irrigation, which conserves water in dry climates.  He also talked about contour farming, which conserves soil during watering.  Something that I found surprising in the conversation was when my dad said that Las Vegas consumes enormous amounts of water in order to irrigate their lawns.  They do this in the middle of a desert to attract people to their casino industries.  He said that all this wasted water could be put to good use by helping farmers in Nevada.  One way I could improve my questions for the next conversation would be to make them more analytical, because the questions I developed for this conversation we largely based off the text.  If the questions did not relate so much to the reading, they might be more thought-provoking.  

Chapters 1-9: Family Discussion Reflection

Research

From the Dust Bowl to the Sahel talked about how the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains was similar to current conditions in the African Sahel.  According to the article, the Dust Bowl was caused by soil erosion in the Great Plains, which took place because the land was better suited for grazing than for farming.  This same process is taking place in the Sahel region, where human activities are causing desertification, and therefore dust storms.  This article connects to The Grapes of Wrath because just as the Joad family had to move during the Dust Bowl, many African farmers are being forced to move off their land to find work.

Schmidt, Laurie J. "From the Dust Bowl to the Sahel." Earth Observatory. NASA, 18 May 2001. Web. 4        Dec. 2013. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/DustBowl/>.

Philosophical Questioning

      1.       Is it more important to preserve the natural environment or to provide work for people?

      2.       What do you predict will happen to people living in the Sahel?

      3.       Do you believe that foreign financial aid is the only way to solve the problem in the Sahel?

Reflection

The most memorable moment of my conversation with my mom was when she highlighted the importance of education in the Sahel as foreign aid.  I thought this was a memorable comment because I had only considered foreign aid to be financial in order to buy better agricultural machines.  What she said made me rethink my question because it is true that with education, the problems that the people in the Sahel could learn how to manufacture agricultural tools themselves.  Something that surprised me in our conversation was that my mom found a solution to whether preserving the natural environment was more important than providing work for people.  She said that people could find work that involves protecting the environment, something I had never thought of before.  One way I could improve my questions for the next discussion would be to make them more open ended.  I think this would allow for a more diverse and in-depth conversation.