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Short Essay Prompt: Write 2 paragraphs in
which you explain, in detail, one of the themes (overall message or life
lesson) that John Steinbeck presents in The Pearl. What specific
details from the story help convey this message?
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1. Choose a TOPIC: Choose one of the topics that we’ve discussed throughout the
book. Make sure it is a topic about which you think you can write a lot, and
make sure you have a good idea of how to answer the question listed beside the
topic that you choose.
*Make sure to have at least 2 pieces of textual evidence.
GREED
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What does
the novel show us about greed, the way it changes people, and the way it can
negatively impact individuals and communities?
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SOCIAL OPPRESSION
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How does
the novel show us the social hierarchy of the town AND what does the author
think about this social hierarchy?
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TRUE HAPPINESS
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What
lesson does the novel teach about true happiness? Where does it come from and where does it
NOT come from?
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THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
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According
to the novel, how can education change a person’s life?
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Remember to respond to at least one classmate!
ReplyDeleteThe Importance of Education:
Knowledge is power. Education helps us get all the information we can so we can build our very own point of views in life. It also is said that it helps you become a happier person, since you are financially independent, you are self dependent, and have a reputable stature in society. In The Pearl, Kino and his family were not educated, did not have money, could not be self-dependent, therefore were seen as inferior to their society. The author saw that society could take advantage of these impoverished people, because they simply did not know better
For instance, the doctor had power over Kino's family since only he could tell them for sure that Coyotito was healthy again. "Kino felt the rage and hatred melting toward fear. He did not know, and perhaps the doctor did. And he could not take the chance of putting his certain ignorance against this man's possible knowledge."(Steinbeck 30) No matter what Kino felt, he couldn't do anything about it because this man had the power of education, the power to heal his son. Maybe this is why Kino sought out to sell the pearl for his son's education. Since knowledge had power over Kino, he didn't want it to have power over his son too. "He dreamed that Coyotito could read, that one of his own people could tell him the truth of things." (Steinbeck 36) Kino dreams that his son could perhaps be one with the Europeans, learn the truth, and be more exposed to the world so he may be able to make ethical decisions on his own.
-Aissa
I found it interesting that you said education lets us build our own views of life. I really like that statement because I realize now that some uneducated people only see the world superior to them and don't have a way to think for themselves.
DeleteI agree with Ben. I also agree with how you said knowledge is power and how you used the doctor as an example of abusing his knowledge to gain something for himself.
DeleteShort essay prompt: I feel like one of the main themes was that greed may seem like it's helping you, but in reality you are just hurting yourself. Kino was instantly taken over by greed when he found the pearl, and kept on feeding off of that greed in order to achieve wealth, so that his son could get an education and so that he could get a rifle. What I found ironic was that it was the rifle that he wanted that killed his son. Juana wanted to get rid of the pearl because she knew that it was hurting them, but Kino was blinded by his greed and saw nothing wrong with the pearl. If he had less greed, then he would have been able to see what the pearl was really doing to him.
ReplyDelete"Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones, Let us-let us throw it back into the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil! And as she spoke the light came back into Kino's eyes so that they glowed fiercely and his muscles hardened and his will hardened."(Steinbeck 55) This quote shows tha Juana just wanted to get rid of it, but Kino was fueled by his greediness and had no plan on stopping, which it eventually led to the death of his son.
In conclusion, if you are fueled by greed then it will only hurt you and get you in a worse spot than you were before the whole thing started.
For my topic I chose social oppression because I feel like it started the whole downfall for Kino. In this town, all the doctors and rich people sit above all of the poor people, obviously. But one thing that makes this social hierarchy so important is because these poor people don't have an education and the rich do, they are giving all of their trust into these people, just because they believe that they are more qualified to do everything. An example of this was when the doctor was able to take advantage of Kino and Juana because he knew that they were not educated and that they would believe anything that he says. This drags the importance of education into the topic of social hierarchy. '"See-it is blue." And Kino, looking anxiously, saw that indeed it was a little blue. And he didn't know wether or not it was always a little blu. But the trap was set. He couldn't take the chance."(Steinbeck 30)
wow I just realized it was all one question
DeleteI like the way you mentioned how the rifle that Kino was also the thing that killed Coyotito. I think Kino did have a point though, if he would have just sold the pearl then his son maybe wouldn't have died, and would be able to have an education. I also think Juana was smart to notice when Kino was becoming greedy and not succumb to the greed herself.
Delete-Hannah Blankenship
I like how you argued that Kino kept feeding off greed to achieve wealth. I think it's human nature that if you get something, it will never really be enough for you. You just keep wanting more and more and more. But my question for you is that Did greed hurt Kino more or the people around him more?
Delete-Aissa
From learning about Kino’s community, it’s clear that education is a rare and valuable opportunity. A large amount of La Paz is made up of the grass houses, and the majority of these inhabitants have no education. This is one of the main reasons of why the doctor has so much power. In chapter 3 the doctor pays a visit to the family almost immediately after he hears that Kino found the great pearl, Kino then tells the doctor that he’s not needed, but because Kino isn’t educated the doctor fools him with stories of how the scorpion venom can lay dormant and then attack when they least expect it. Kino has good instincts though, so he is unsure of whether he’s being tricked or not, “Kino felt the rage and hatred melting toward fear. He did not know, and perhaps this doctor did. And he could not take the chance of pitting his certain ignorance against this man's possible knowledge.” (Steinbeck pg 30.) So even though the doctor could be possibly poisoning Coyotito, Kino would have no way of knowing. In this way, the doctor has Kino trapped because of his lack of education. If Kino was educated it would save him and his family money and it would reduce the risk of the doctor poisoning the baby without their knowledge; the doctor was lucky that he got to the baby in time after he poisoned him, but what if he hadn’t? Education would prevent the risk of that entirely.
ReplyDeleteEven though Kino was never educated as a child doesn't necessarily mean he’ll never learn. In chapter 3, when all of the townsfolk are huddled around Kino’s house, one member asks what Kino will do with his riches. “My son will go to school. My son will read and open books, and my son will write and will know writing. And my son will make numbers, and these things will make us free because he will know- he will know and through him we will know.” (Steinbeck pg 25.) This just shows that it only takes one person who is literate to make an entire family literate, but the government didn’t want the poor to be educated because then the poor could take the jobs away from the rich and the social class would crumble. In a way, education can be deadly; the doctor uses his education strategically to trick people who aren’t educated to make more money. Maybe in this way, Kino would once again be defying the system because he only needs to send his one son to school to set his entire family free. With education, Kino would be able to provide for his family without going through hard labors, he would never have to worry about starvation or being able to afford medicine, and being able to read and write would open up opportunities to have hobbies.
-Hannah Blankenship
I agree with your ideas. The Indians have clearly learned to be clever without a proper education, seeing that Kino was unsure and the Indians aren't satisfied or swayed with the mere sight of something.
DeleteGreed: "It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want something just enough..." (Steinbeck; Page 19) I think this is where Steinbeck first promptly introduces the concept of greed into the book. Before Kino actually opens the oyster we get a glimpse of how he really is as a person. For example, the beginning of the book in the first 3 or 4 pages shows how happy he and Juana are living such a simple life. Though there were things that they would have liked to have, their life was not uncomfortable with less money. I think Steinbeck uses all the imagery to give a comparison of before and after finding the pearl, so we can "watch" the progression of Kino's greed. I feel that the book's main theme is money can't buy happiness and the use of greed as an underlying theme helps develop the story. Then just after the dicovery of the pearl, everyone knows about it and in a way greed is spreading as fast as the rumors are. Suddenly everyone is trying to think of something they have done or can do so that they can get the pearl from Kino which brings up the quote "It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want something just enough..." (Steinbeck; Page 19). which brings me to the doctor.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the doctor hears the news and realizes exactly who Kino is he WANTS to treat the baby because he knows that if he does, he'll get the pearl and he doesn't even need the pearl. He already has so much that basically all he can spend it on is food. He is greedy with his wealth as well as his time. He couldn't care less whether Kino's baby dies because all he wants is the money. And when Kino first comes for help the doctor asks if he has any money to pay for the services and THEN after saying pretty much " of course they don't." He says " I, I alone in the world have to work for nothing, and im tired of it!" To hos servent while wearing a red watered silk dressing gown, eating sweet biscuts of a silver tray and pouring hot chocolate from a silver chocolate pot into a delecate eggshell china cup, while thinking about his last trip to paris. But yet the grass is STILL greener on the other side. Can I get an amen? Please?
I love how you started out with that quote, I totally agree on how it introduces the whole theme of greed. Also when I wrote my paragraphs I distinguished the difference between want and need too so I liked how you mentioned that.
Delete-ashlyn
Greed changes us. It's a well known fact. Winners of the lottery oft go down the wrong path. People beg on the streets for money they don't need. We steal, we bribe, we negotiate, we even look for bargains, because we want to keep the money we have and get more. Greed changes us, and it changed Kino in The Pearl, by John Steinbeck. How? He was content with his life with his wife, Juana, and baby boy, Coyotito. The song of family sang out loud and strong.
ReplyDeleteCoyotito was stung by a scorpion and Kino and Juana couldn't pay for the doctor, so Kino went pearl diving to afford his service. Unexpectedly, he found what he called the Pearl of the World. Kino began to think about other things he wanted, like a rifle, but Juana and Coyotito reminded him of other things, like a proper marriage and Coyotito's education. The pearl and the wealth went to his head. He couldn't think straight, and he gained new fears, like being robbed. Kino went to the extent of killing a man. He was greedy. "He looked into his pearl to find his vision. 'When we sell it at last, I will have a rifle,' he said, and he looked into the shining surface for his rifle, but he saw only a huddled dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat. And he said quickly, 'We will be married in a great church.' And in the pearl he saw Juana with her beaten face crawling home through the night. 'Our son must learn to read,' he said frantically. And there in the pearl Coyotito's face, thick and feverish from the medicine." (Steinbeck 69) Of course, Juana knew the evil of the pearl and tried to warn Kino of it, tell him to destroy it, but to no avail. After leaving La Paz with his family, Kino is desperate and kills more European men. They finally return, and he realizes his heart has begun to chill, his song of family become a battle cry. "And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane." (Steinbeck 86) Kino then truly understood the pearl and its curse, and hurled it into the water never to see it again.
Steinbeck shows us the true evils of greed. It can lead us to unimaginable paths, and while we can realize it before it's too late, once it's begun, we oft never snap back out of its spell.
Nice point although the summary wasn't really necessary. What's up with all the ofts?
DeleteImportance of Education:
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel the theme of education and its impact on social hierarchy is spread throughout the text. In this town education is not free and for an impoverished man with a son, giving them the best education possible is often one of your wishes. On page 25, Kino is imagining what he will do now that he is a rich man, "In the pearl he saw Coyotito sitting at a little desk in a school, just as Kino had once seen it through an open door... 'My son will go to school,' he said, and the neighbors were hushed."
Withholding education is how social oppression can occur. Think back to when African Americans who couldn't read or write weren't allowed to vote as a way to keep White supremacy alive in the government. Without education you can be cheated out of your human rights. On page 30, Kino is offered help from a doctor hoping to cheat him out of some money, "He did not know, and perhaps the doctor did. And he could not take the chance of pitting his certain ignorance against this man's possible knowledge. He was trapped as his people were always trapped, and would be until, as he had said, they could be sure that the things in the books were really in the books." This idea of how withheld education can have such an affect are repeated throughout the book. The Priest lies to Kino to try and get him to donate money to the church, the doctor lies to receive money for a false treatment, and the pear buyers try to swindle Kino out of his money by claiming the pearl he found is worthless. If Kino had received an education the events of this book wouldn't have come to pass (the pearl buyers would have made a fair-ish offer) and he would probably be happily rich and still living on the island.
I agree.
Delete-Haley
Greed:
ReplyDeleteGreed is like a person. It comes alive, takes a person in it's grasp and never lets them go again. Everyday it's pressed upon people, to buy more things, to own more then the next person, to collect everything you don't need. People get a taste of money and never forget how good it makes them feel. It's like a drug, once you get it, you never forget it. It makes you want things you don't need/never wanted before. When Kino finds The Pearl and realizes all the things he's thought about owning are in his reach, he goes crazy. He was happy with his life before, with his wife and his baby, but as soon as he has a chance at money, his greed consumes him. He was a humble man before, hiding his emotions he thought were bad and being gracious, "It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want something just enough..." (Steinbeck; Page 19), but the pearl and the chance at riches changed him.
It's not just his own greed though. The other people around Kino had a craving and they wanted to fulfill it by taking from Kino. He is changed trying to at first protect his family, and then the pearl. In reality it would've been better if they had taken it and it hadn't poisoned Kino with greed. If other people hadn't been there for Kino to compare his life too, he wouldnt have things he would want for. The only things he wants are things that westerners had forced upon his people, saying that because the white man had made them, that they were better then whatever they could make. Kino killed multiple people because greed had taken over them all.
-Haley
Your similes are spot on and I completely agree with them. Greed is like a person and a drug.
Delete-Grace
True happiness: One of the big themes in The Pearl is how money doesn't buy happiness. In the being of the novel Kino and Juana were content with what they had, they were where they belonged and according to them that wasn't in a big fancy house living in the same neighborhood as the people who have been treating like they were trash for centuries. "This doctor was of a race which for nearly four hundred years had beaten and starved and robbed and despised Kino's race, and frightened it too, so that the Indian came humbly to the door"(Steinbeck 11) And was only until they found the peal that suddenly nothing was good enough for them like 15 hundred dollars everything that had once made him smile didn't anymore, because they now knew the full potential of what they could own."Our son must go to school. he must break out of this pit that hold us in it" ( Steinbeck 38). This is an amazing and thoughtful goal but is it worth what else the pearl will bring with it.
ReplyDeleteIn the author's eyes happiness will never be achieved by money and instead any one who thinks so will pay retributions for it." And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away" (Steinbeck 86). For Kino, Coyotito was the main reason he had held on to the pearl, but now no imaginative dream should be worth a child's death. The effect of this tragic collateral damage left Kino and Juana sure of their decision to throw the pearl into the ocean and to never face that evil thing that cost them their happiness again." Kino and Juana walked through the city as though it were not there"( Steinbeck 85). they lost everything that let them smile and feel happiness.
-Grace
I meant to write that it DIDN'T let them smile and have happiness. Oops
Delete-Grace
Greed ~ Throughout the novel greed was shown a lot. From the very beginning when Coyotito first got stung by the scorpion and Kino and Juana tried to get the doctors help. He knew they wouldn't be able to pay because they were considered the "poor people." Therefore he just told them he was out, which was showing greed because instead of being worried about the baby's life he was worried about how much money he would make. Greed is human nature but too much greed can change peoples lives. After Kino found the pearl people were trying to rob him, bargain for it, burn down their house and even tried to kill Kino for it. All based on want; and how much they wanted that pearl for its value. The 'pearl buyers' had planned ahead of time so they could trying to trick Kino into selling it to them for a very unfair, low price. Just so they could sell it for a lot more later. "Now there was only one pearl buyer with many hands..." (Steinbeck 41) To satisfy their own want. Even at one point in the novel Kino had gotten so worked up about how much he wanted for the pearl, he went against his wife's wishes and then he beat her.
ReplyDeleteGreed can change lives and this was definitely a huge message portrayed by the author. The whole book was based around the fact we are never satisfied with what we have. And Juana was trying to show that the whole time but she was always overpowered by Kino. We can't let greed or want get the best of us. Yes, we want the biggest house, the most money, the best food, etc. but in reality we don't need that stuff. You can be happy having little. Kino and Juana were very happy living the way they were until they got their hands on that pearl and its changed their whole perspective of life. And after Kino and Juana returned home and threw the pearl back into the water they felt so much better even though all the bad things had happened to them. "... and when it settled the pearl was gone. And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared." (Steinbeck 87) The author made this line very peaceful to show the relief that the pearl was finally gone.
-ashlyn
Justify knowledge is power from book of the pearl
ReplyDeleteGive 4 points