1. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck

2. About Steinbeck… Born in Salinas, California in 1902 Finished The Grapes of Wrath in six months; journaled his experience Journalist and fiction writer Traveled with a photographer to document The Great Depression but would not accept payment for his work.

3. About The Grapes of Wrath Has never gone out of print Takes place during The Great Depression Highlights the plight of the Joad family as they are forced off of their homestead Details the travels of one family but highlights universal tragedy

4. 1930s and 2009—What do they have in common? Economic despair Suffering of family farms Environmental concerns Pollution Homelessness Foreclosure Immigration

5. The Dust Bowl 1933-1939 Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas Historically dry land that farmers believed they could cultivate A 15-year span of wet weather mislead farmers The drought returned, and with it came immense dust storms

6. The Dust Bowl 1933-1939 Cotton farming depleted the soil Farmers borrowed from banks to survive the lean years Drought killed any prospect of recovering, leading to bankruptcy and foreclosure More than 850 million tons of soil lost to severe wind storms

7. The Dust Bowl 1933-1939 Farmers became homeless vagrants Farmers received word that work was plentiful in California. It was not. An overabundance of labor drove down wages. Migrants were often resented

8. Primary Characters Grandma and Grandpa Ma and Pa Joad Uncle John Tom Noah Al (Jim Casy) Rose of Sharon Married to Connie Ruthie and Winfield

9. Secondary Characters Muley Graves Ivy and Sairy Wilson Floyd Knowles Jim Rawley The Wainwrights

10. Vocabulary Forlorn Horde Paradox Fatuous Exhort Declivity Lithe Aloof Cantankerous feral Assailed Pinnacle Nebulous Taut Truculent Accoutrement Perplex Lecherous Fetid Beseech prodigal

11. Themes I / We mentality Exploitation of land and people Injustice Family and kinship Sacrifice Disaster Kindness Man and machine Gender relationships Class divisions

12. Literary Elements Conflict Style (intercalary chapters [narrative vs. descriptive]) Symbol (turtle, rain, Route 66, colors, Christ) Imagery Dialect Allusion (biblical, The Battle Hymn of the Republic) Figures of speech

13. Values expressed in Steinbeck’s works Common humanity Unity as a means of survival Compassion, sharing, and justice Respect for religious heritage Commitment to beliefs Protecting the environment Appreciating technology’s role

14. Reading and Test Schedule Week 1: Read chapters 1-11 Week 2: Read chapters 12-19 Week 3: Read chapters 20-25 Week 4: Read chapters 26-30