New York Times Quote Defense Essay In the novel The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, a poor farmer named Wang Lung climbs the social ladder as the world changes around him. The reader observes how Wang Lung, his life and the world around him changes drastically, as the final Chinese dynasty is overthrown and rural life is rendered obsolete during the Communist Revolution. When Buck published The Good Earth to worldwide acclaim in 1931, the novel was reviewed many times by newspapers, magazines and fellow authors the world over. In particular, the New York Times published a review stating: “(The Good Earth is) A comment upon the meaning and tragedy of life as it is lived, in any age in any quarter of the glove.” This was the New York Times’ voice
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Situations similar to Wang Lung’s have, in fact, occurred in the past, and some are happening even now. Some examples include the Communisation of Russia, the Great Depression, and the Industrial Revolution.
The Communisation of Russia is perhaps the most similar to what happened in China at the time of The Good Earth. As Vladimir Lenin brought the Socialist party to power, people began to desert their rural roots and move into cities. Many people signed up for industrial and scholarly jobs. Young men joined the military in a wave of patriotism that turned Russia from a faltering behemoth into a prosperous world power. Similar anti-capitalist agendas were pushed in both countries at the time of their revolutions.
Another similar situation is the Industrial Revolution. As factories and plants for mass production and processing sprang up, many left the homestead in search of opportunity. These farmers flocked to cities, where they would work in grueling conditions for what we would consider to be little pay. They also went to work on things like railroads, modernizing America through labor. The exodus to cities was so massive, that between 1800 and 2000, the population living in or near cities went from 3% to a staggering
Situations similar to Wang Lung’s have, in fact, occurred in the past, and some are happening even now. Some examples include the Communisation of Russia, the Great Depression, and the Industrial Revolution.
The Communisation of Russia is perhaps the most similar to what happened in China at the time of The Good Earth. As Vladimir Lenin brought the Socialist party to power, people began to desert their rural roots and move into cities. Many people signed up for industrial and scholarly jobs. Young men joined the military in a wave of patriotism that turned Russia from a faltering behemoth into a prosperous world power. Similar anti-capitalist agendas were pushed in both countries at the time of their revolutions.
Another similar situation is the Industrial Revolution. As factories and plants for mass production and processing sprang up, many left the homestead in search of opportunity. These farmers flocked to cities, where they would work in grueling conditions for what we would consider to be little pay. They also went to work on things like railroads, modernizing America through labor. The exodus to cities was so massive, that between 1800 and 2000, the population living in or near cities went from 3% to a staggering