Woody Guthrie was born July 14, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma, a farming town that later experienced an oil boom in the 1920's. Guthrie's childhood was a heartbreaking experience. The family fell apart when Woody's mother, Nora, set her husband, Charley, on fire with a kerosene lamp. Charley survived and went to Pampa, Texas, to live with his sister, while Nora was institutionalized for the rest of her life. Woody's younger siblings went to Pampa while he and his older brother remained in Okemah. By the time Woody was 14, he was the leader of a gang that lived in an abandoned tin shack. When Woody was taken to see his mother for the last time, he realized that she did not ... Showed first 120 words of 863 Size (words) ...

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In 1939, Guthrie moved his family back to Pampa, Texas. During the harsh winter of 1940, he set out on a solo journey to New York City. On his trip, he frequently heard Irving Berlin's popular tune, "God Bless America," on the radio. The song's lyrics bothered Woody because he knew that not all Americans were blessed. Guthrie wrote "This Land Is Your Land" in reaction to Berlin's song. Guthrie discovered that New York City was a hotbed of artistic expression and intellectual fulfillment. While in New York, Guthrie rode the subway trains and lived in Harlem and the Jewish ghetto, singing his songs all over town, discovering struggle and suffering. (Gale; ...Essay still continues 100 more words...