The Pearl By John Steinbeck Presentation and Webquest Directions: There are a total of four questions for you to answer. Many of those questions have multiple parts. Please label the question number and letter (if indicated) before your answers.
An Introduction to The Pearl Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the Gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gulls's egg, as "perfect as the moon." With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security... A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love. Now click here to watch the book trailer.
Meet the Author: John Steinbeck The Early Years... Born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. Click on Salinas, California to read about his home town. He graduated from Salinas High School and went on to attend Stanford University. He eventually left, without a degree, and moved to New York City to try his hand at writing. After a failed attempt to make it in New York he moved back to California and became a war correspondent journalist traveling to the Soviet Union. Steinbeck was married three times. He and his second wife had two children, Thomas and John.
Meet the Author: John Steinbeck Literary Career... Both novels were based around the harsh working conditions and life styles of the poor workers during the Great Depression. Steinbeck received a lot of criticism for his novels from large farmers and banks who took advantage of these workers. It has also been on the Banned Book List on many occasions. Question #1 Now click here to watch the video on Steinbeck, and in your Reader NB, list 3 reasons why he was controversial writer.
Meet the Author: John Steinbeck Yet Steinbeck's novels were well-received in the literary world. He won a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath. (Click on Pulitzer Prize to read about what a honor it is to win) In 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature for his “realistic and imaginative writing, combining as it does sympathetic humor and keen social perception.”
Now click on the titles to watch the trailer. Meet the Author: John Steinbeck Literary Career... Most famous for writing The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men Now click on the titles to watch the trailer.
Question #2 Answer the questions in your Reader's NB The Author - John Steinbeck Click on the links below, read the information and, on your paper, write the answers to the questions in complete sentences. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm http://www.steinbeck.org/MainFrame.html a. When and where was Steinbeck born? b. Where did Steinbeck work in the summers? c. For what book did Steinbeck win the Pulitzer Prize for literature? d. What did Steinbeck’s writing explore? e. Why is Steinbeck very popular in South America? f. When was The Pearl written?
Literary Genres: Folk Tales What is a folk tale? A folk tale is a short story that comes from the oral tradition. Folk tales often have to do with everyday life and frequently feature wily peasants getting the better of their superiors. How are they different from fairy tales? Fairy tales are a subgenre (category) of folk tales and almost always involve some element of magic and good triumphing over evil. A good rule of thumb: if there's a fairy in the story, it's a fairy tale.
Question #3 Answer the questions in your Reader's NB The Exposition - La Paz, Mexico Click on the links below, read the information and, on your paper, write the answers to the questions in complete sentences. http://www.trybaja.com/lapaztourism/ http://www.bajatravel.com/ The novel’s setting is La Paz, Mexico a. Where is La Paz located? b. What is the geography of La Paz? c. What is the weather of La Paz?
Question #4 Background Information for The Pearl Pearl Diving Click on the links below, read the information and, in your Reader NB, write the answers to the questions in complete sentences. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pearls/obtain/index.html http://library.thinkquest.org/10236/div.htm http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/history/history_pearl.asp a. What dangers do pearl divers face? b. What kinds of people were pearl divers? c. What kind of life did pearl divers live? d. How do pearl divers adapt their bodies to the ocean? e. What are the bends? f. How is the quality of a pearl judged?