People of California

Chapter nineteen goes back to just the narrator describing something. This time it is about the residents of California. It is described that the state was originally owned by the Mexicans and the farmers took over. Those farmers that worked on the land are now the wealth landowners that are controlling everything. The landowners have security so their land does not get taken over and they pay very little wages so that they can keep their large fortunes. These landowners are afraid that the migrant tenant farmers coming into the state are going to offset the balance that they have worked so hard to get in the first place. This chapter really gives a lot of perspective to why a lot of the people are acting the way that they are towards the migrant farmers. They are really trying to preserve what they are afraid to lose. Now I know that it seems reasonable to want to keep what you have, but I believe that they could really be a little nicer to the farmers. Another part of the chapter describes how some farmers tried to grow their own little gardens. These gardens are destroyed by the police officers. This part actually is not that sad. I did not really feel bad for the farmers on this one just because what they were doing was actually not right. They were planting things on land that is not theirs which is illegal. So really I think what the police did was actually justified. Overall think that what the local landowners are doing is somewhat justified, but they could probably handle the situation a little better. The migrant farmers only want to make enough to survive so the landowners could most likely find a way to work with them. Also what the police officers did was pretty much justified too. It was a little cruel but the farmers were doing something that is illegal to start with.