John Steinbeck/ The Pearl Webquest

John Steinbeck/The Pearl Webquest
Start with this website: http://www.steinbeck.sjsu.edu/home/index.jsp You can find a lot of the information here. There are links to other sites and information on this site.


1. Since the story takes place in La Paz, Baja, Mexico, locate it on a map.
a. What bodies of water surround it? List all of them.

2. Find information about Pearls. http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/pearl.htm ; http://www.beadinggem.com/2008/01/unlucky-or-lucky-pearls.html http://astringofpearls.com/PearlHistory.html ; http://www.artisan-jewelry-online.com/pearl-diving.html
a. How is a pearl actually grown?
b. List some of the legends about pearls.
c. What are some of the influences that determine whether a pearl is lucky or unlucky?
d. When were pearls first discovered and where?
e. How is pearl diving done today? Fully explain the process.
f. Is pearl diving still done in the same locale as the book? Other places? Where?
g. Do the divers earn a lot of money?

3. Other Information about Steinbeck. http://www.steinbeck.sjsu.edu/home/index.jsp; http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/steinbeck/2569625
a. Who is Eddie Ricketts, and how did he influence Steinbeck’s novel, The Pearl?
b. What other books did Steinbeck write that deal with human values?
c. What are some common themes that can be found in Steinbeck novels?
d. What kinds of awards did Steinbeck win for his works? Give the award, explain what that award is for, and his work that won the award.
e. What symbol did John Steinbeck associate with himself? Why?

4. Skim and scan http://www.steinbeck.org/MainFrame.html and click "About John Steinbeck" at the bottom of the screen to find the following answers.
a. John Steinbeck was born on ________________ ____, ________ in Salinas, ________________.
b. His father's occupation was ____________ _________________, while his mother was a ______________. Steinbeck's family was upper-middle class.
c. In 1962, Steinbeck accepted the ___________________ ______________. He died six years later in the state of ________ ___________.

5. Go to http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm and find the third paragraph, beginning with "Steinbeck attended..." Read that paragraph and answer these questions.
a. Between 1920 and 1926, he studied ________________ __________________ at Stanford University, but did not take a degree-he always planned to be a ____________. (In fact, he decided that career at age 14!)
b. While writing, Steinbeck took odd jobs. He was apprenticehood-carrier, apprentice _______________, _____________________ of an estate, ___________________, and ___________-________________.
c. In 1929, Steinbeck published his first novel, ________ of __________.

6. Head to http://www.steinbeck.org/Bio.html and read the fourth paragraph to learn a little more!
a. Steinbeck married his first wife, Carol Henning in _________. They lived in Pacific Grove where much of the material for _________________ ___________ and __________________ _______ was gathered.
b. Tortilla Flat (1935) marked the ___________________ ____________ in Steinbeck's literary career. (By the way, that year Steinbeck's father died; the year before, his mother passed away.)
c. The ________________ of ____________ (1939) won the Pulitzer Prize.
d. During World War II and later Vietnam, Steinbeck worked as a war correspondent.

7. Check out some info about The Pearl...
a. In 1945, Steinbeck wrote The Pearl, shortly before his best friend died. Together, they traveled around Mexico, where The Pearl is set.
b. The Pearl first appeared in Woman's Home Companion magazine in 1945. The Salinas Public Library in California purchased the original manuscript for $75,000 in 1980.

8. The Pearl is considered a parable. Go to http://www.dictionary.com and search "parable." Write down the first definition here:
a. parable -
b. Steinbeck wrote: "If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it." In other words, this story will mean something different to each of you.