The PearlSecondary 2

Enriched English

A Novel Study

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is one of the most influential authors of American literature whose works have earned him many prestigious literary awards such as the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for literature.

A Look at the Author• Born February 27th in 1902 in Salinas,

California.

• During his childhood, Steinbeck learned to appreciate his surroundings, and loved the Salinas countryside. This appreciation would later come out in his writing.

• Steinbeck worked during his summers as a hired

hand in nearby ranches.

A Look at the Author

• At the age of 14 he decided to be a writer and spent a lot of time writing in his room.

• From 1919-1925 Steinbeck attended Stanford University to please his parents, but only chose courses that interested him, classical and British Literature, writing courses, and an odd science course.• However, Steinbeck did not receive a degree because

he would drop in and out of school, sometimes to work with migrant workers on California ranches.

A Look at the Author

During the late 1920s and 1930s, he concentrated on writing and wrote several

novels set in California.

In 1936, Of Mice and Men was published,

and was so widely accepted that Steinbeck

began a book tour that led him to Europe.

A Look at the Author• In 1939, The Grapes of Wrath

was published and became an instant best-seller; in 1940 it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world.

• Steinbeck’s experiences in the fields researching migrant workers to write his two best selling novels led him to have more compassion for these workers, and stirred up his concern for social justice.

His LegacySteinbeck's real gift was to see people that the rest of society chose to overlook. Steinbeck's characters are not the rich men and women of California's boom days, but are the homeless, the migrant workers, the poor fishermen, and the farmers. However, each of these people has a deceptively simple, but important story to tell, a story filled with love and pain. The stories tell us not only of the lives of the poor who seek to live off the land, but of the struggles of all people.

His LegacySteinbeck also challenged his readers to look at the harsh realities of life, with the belief that facing such conditions was the first step toward improving them. Steinbeck's strongest belief was in the ability of man to improve his condition.

His Legacy"The ancient commission of the writer

has not changed," he said upon accepting his Nobel Prize in 1962. "He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults

and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the

purpose of improvement." By giving voice to voiceless people, John Steinbeck lived

up to the challenge he set for himself.

The NovellaThe Pearl is a novella- a literary form that Steinbeck often employed.

A novella is longer than a short story but, is shorter than a novel.

A novella generally features fewer conflicts than a novel, yet more complicated ones than a short story. The conflicts also have more time to develop than in short stories. They have endings that are located at the brink of change.

The ParableA parable is a simple story meant to teach a moral or religious lesson.

It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.

The ParableA parable is a short tale that illustrates universal truth. It often involves a character facing a moral dilemma, or making a questionable decision and then suffering the consequences. Though the meaning of a parable is often not explicitly stated, the meaning is not usually intended to be hidden or secret but, on the contrary, to be quite straightforward and obvious.

Introduction to The Pearl

Take out a sheet of paper 1. For every statement in the

next slide, write down “agree” or “disagree” according to your beliefs.

1) There are unwritten rules that dictate how people should act.2 )Good luck can bring happiness.3) There are unwritten rules that dictate how successful, powerful, or popular you can become.4) Money can provide happiness.5) We control our own lives.6) Fate, destiny, or another force we cannot control determines our lives.7) All good things that happen come with a price.8) One single choice can have a huge impact on the outcome of your life.9) Success is available to every person.10) We choose our morals.11) Money is power.12) Weapons make people powerful.13) People like to limit other people’s success.14) Greed is an unavoidable human condition.

Introduction to The Pearl

2. Pick three statements that you STRONGLY feel are true. Put a star by these statements.

3. Pick three statements that your STRONLY disagree with. Put an X by these statements.

4. Pick ONE statement that you agree with. Support your answer with examples from real life and from your own experiences.

Drop Everything and Read!

Chapter 1

Chapter 1•Ants and their competition with each other • Steinbeck identifying Kino with God • The scorpion episode • Social class distinctions •Nature imagery vs. civilization