Grapes of WrathDiscussion Points

Group Vocab Review

1. By way of Drawing, writing a sentence where they fill in the blank, using an Analogy, showing synonyms or creating a scenario, create a Quiz-like question for the person to your right to solve

2. When you finish creating it, pass it to your right and solve the problem for the person to your left (if you get stuck, ask for help from anyone other than who than who created the question)

3. Go through as many as you possibly can get in the 10 minutes you are given.

4. The winning Team with as many accurate words and answers as possible score BONUS POINTS

Discussion Group #1

1. Look at your Anticipation Guide and decide on three points that struck you the most

2. Discuss these with your group. Come to consensus about what you think is most interesting or important.

3. On your tent at the center table, write up to three points you would like to focus your reading. Feel free to put these in your own words or summarize them.

We will often refer to these points as we read.

Intercalary Chapter Presentations

Take notes on the following with each intercalary chapter. These will be used in your analysis project at the end of the unit. Describe the images, music, and clips you see in their

presentation.

What feelings do the slides, music, and clips evoke in the viewer?

What do you think the presenters were trying to accomplish with their work? What were they trying to teach you? –OR- What did you learn?

How do the images connect to the chapter? How do they connect to today?

*If you want to be sophisticated about it, connect the notes to your group focus statements.

Chapter 1

What does the opening scene suggest about the novel?

What does it suggest about family structure?How do you define family in

comparison to this description?

Chapter 2

Discuss the interactions between the driver and Tom Joan. What inferences do you make from them?

Chapter 3

Animals play an important symbolic role in the novel. What importance does the land turtle have in Ch. 3?

What are you noticing about the structure of the novel (1,3,5 are written differently than 2,4,6)? Who is telling the story and what is the value of altering voices in narration?

Ch. 4

What are the motivations of each character for going to California? What emotions and expectations can you see in each of them?

Chapter Five Discussion Group

Define and describe the relationship between the people who farm, and work on and live on the land and the people ho own it.

Look at the conversation between the tractor driver and the tenant on pages 36-39. What is happening to the community based on the decisions of the land owners and banks.

Steinbeck seems to treat the Banks as a person. Characterize the bank. What kind of person or being is it?

Final Product: What idea is Steinbeck suggesting/ promoting in Chapter Five? Do you agree with his ideas? Write one sentence you can defend.

Group Focus

Look at your focus point(s) that your group created on your green sheet. Discuss how this theme or concept is evident in the book so far and write notes inside the tent. Some additional things you may want to look at or add

to your focus/ discussion are:

Masculinity vs. femininity

Identity/ The land

Modernization vs. technology

Wealth vs. Poverty

Power vs. powerlessness

Chapters 5-8

Who said this? About what? What do you learn from it?

“Times changed, don’t you know? Thinking about stuff like that don’t feed the kids. Get your three dollars a day, feed your kids. You got no call to worry about anyone's kids but your own.”

“Where does it stop. Who do I shoot? I don’t aim to starve to death before I kill the man that is starving me.”

“If I was still a preacher, I’d ay the arm of the Lord had struck. I don’t know what happened. I been away. I didn’t hear nothin.”

“Them Dirty Sons of Bitches. I tell ya, men I’m stayin. They ain’t gettin rid a me. If they throw me off, I’ll come back, an’ if they figger I’ll be quiet underground, why I’ll take a couple-three sons of bitches for company. I ain’t goin. My pa came here fifty years ago an I ain’t goin.”

“Somepin went and happened to me when they tol’ me I had to get off the place. First I was gonna go in an’ kill a whole flock of people. Then all my folks went away out West. An’ I got wnaderin’ aroun’. Jus’ walkin’ aroun’. Never went far. Slep’ wherever I was…. Folks never comin’ back. I am jus’ wanderin’ aroun. Like a gaveyard fool.

Chapters 5-8 Who said this? About what? What do you learn from it?

“We was drunk. Drunk at a dance. I don’ know how she started. An’ then I felt this knife go in me, an’ that shocked me and sobered me up. Fust thing I see is Herb comin’ comin’ up for me with his knife. They was this here shovel leanin’ against the schoolhouse, so I grabbed it an’ smacked him over the head. I never had nothin’ against Herb. Nice fella.”

“Get ‘em under obligation. Make ‘em take up your time. Don’t let ‘em forget they’re takin up your time. People are nice mostly. They hate to put you out. Make ‘em put you out, and’ then sock it to ‘em”

“Jus’ let me get out to California where I can pick me an orange when I want it. Or grapes. .. Gonna get me a whole bunch of grapes, or whatever, an’ I am gonna squash’em on my face an’ let ‘em run off my chin.”

“I’ve been thinkin’. I been to the hills, thinkin’ almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think his way out of a mess f troubles… Got tired. His sperit got all wore out…. I ain’t sayin’ I’m lie Jesus. But I got tired like him.”

Chapter 6: Character AnalysisTom Joan Jim Casy Muley The Tractor

Driver

Adjective: Adjective: Adjective: Adjective:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

*What do the similarities and differences among these characters teach us about their society?

Discussion Group Topic: Limited-Omniscience

The Grapes of Wrath is narrated in a “limited-omniscient” third-person voice. This narrator recounts the points of view and experiences of many characters, sometimes far removed from the Joan family. The narrator is “limited” because, in spite of this omniscience, the interior lives of the characters—their silent thoughts and perceptions—are not always revealed to the reader. Steinbeck’s narration alternates between the specific story of

the Joan family and the larger story of all the Dust Bowl migrants. He accomplishes the latter through interchapters that he called “generals.” Why would Steinbeck do this?

Is the alternation consistent, or are there deviations? How does his focus on the migrants (for example, in Chapter 9) contribute to the point of view of the book?

*Answer on one sheet per group. *Develop Answers with strong reasoning and evidence.

Journal #1: Changing Perspectives

Choose one character who has appeared so far: Tom, Casy, Ma,Pa, Uncle John, Grampa, Granma. Retell the story of an event from chapters 9-11 from this character’s perspective. Be sure to include their feelings about their circumstances and the move to California.

Consider the following conflicts or focus points as you tell the story:

Masculinity vs. femininity Identity/ The landModernization vs. technologyWealth vs. PovertyPower vs. powerlessness

Group share/ Journal Reflection

Share stories with your group

Think about how a story can be told from multiple perspectives. What might Steinbeck be trying to tell us by writing about a whole family and a whole community at the same time?

Chapter 7-11: First Impression Character Analysis

Ma Pa Grandma and

Grandpa

Al, Noah or Rose of Sharon

Uncle John

Adjective: Adjective: Adjective: Adjective: Adjective:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

Reasons with two areas of evidence:

*What do the similarities and differences among these characters teach us about their society? What does Steinbeck want us to learn based on these characters?

Antagonist Analysis

Answer in a well-written expository paragraph with layered analysis and support from the novel:

Who is the antagonist in The Grapes of Wrath? Is it the men who drive the tractors? Is it the bank officials who own the land? Or is the antagonist not a person at all, but the “monster” hounding the farmers from Oklahoma all the way to California? Are the protagonist and the antagonist in this novel in a fair fight? Can the Joads win, or are the odds stacked against them?

Ch. 11-14 Group quiz

.       Chapters 1-11 focus on man’s relationship with the land culminating with very detailed imagery of the homestead and the land in chapter 11. Summarize with evidence what you believe is the larger purpose of chapter 11.

2.       First with the intercalary description of what it was like to be on the journey and next with the early impact of the trip on the Joan Family, chapter 12 begins the journey West. Describe with evidence from the text what this journey was for people. What kinds of things do they encounter and endure along the way. What lessons are intended for the reader in this description?

3.       Describe the interactions between the gas station attendant and Jim Casy and Tom Joan. What insinuations does the gas station attendant make? How, in the end is he similar to the Joads? Explain.

In particular look at the “folks is moving around conversation on pp. 127- 128

For added depth, compare this discussion to the conversation with the coffee shop worker

4.       Who died in these chapters? How did these deaths impact the Joads? Were they impacted in ways you expected? What do these deaths signify? Explain with evidence.

5.       Describe the relationship between the Joads and the Wilsons. What does their situation and actions toward each other suggest about them?

6.       Choose two characters that interest you from chapter 11-14. Discuss what is interesting to you about them and what you wonder.

Chapters 14-18 Partner Journal

Consider one of your group focus points. Decide on two events from last night’s reading that struck you as important, interesting, or relevant to what you or your group is examining in this book. Explore the point with careful evidence

and illustration.

Feel free to examine a quotation that struck you or to continue a discussion about a theme your group has already started.

We will be sharing these with one person in the group and writing back to them so please write clearly so another person can understand.

Potential Focus Points: • Masculinity vs. femininity• Identity/ The land• Modernization vs.

technology• Wealth vs. Poverty• Power vs. powerlessness

Partner Journal 14-18 Exchange Process

1. Exchange your journal with one person at your table.

2. Read the Journal Entry.

3. Respond to their thoughts ideas, comments and concerns in a page of your own writing. If you finish before the time is up, write about anything else on your mind in regard to the book and your group’s focus points.

4. Read your partner’s response. Verbally comment on anything you think or you may have left out.

5. Sign your names to your pages and staple them together.

6. Turn them in.

Chapters 19- 21: Character Analysis

Return to your original Joad character from the homework where you retold the story of an early event in the book.

How has your character changed? If your character has died, consider the ways that the death has affected other members of the Joad family.

If you are more interested in a different character or did not do the previous assignment, then compare a character’s outlook from the beginning of the book to now.

Chapters 19-21: Character Journal #2

For this assignment, you will once again become a member of the Joad family or one of the people traveling with them.

Retell the events of chapters 19-21 through the eyes of a character. Be sure to highlight what you think is important to the character and what lessons of themes Steinbeck may hinting at through this character.You have ten minutes to write and should

write at least a page.

Group Think & ShareFor the next seven minutes, share with your

group what you thought was most important from chapters 19-21. Clarify anything that people may be

confused about or misunderstand from the novel.

Write down any questions, comments or concerns that you think the class needs to discuss or clarify on the post its and place them on the back board.

Which members of the Joad family undergo a change in the course of the novel?

1. Each Table gets a different family member.

2. For that family member find examples where the character has changed by the time he or she reaches California.

What causes this change?

Does any character fail to evolve? If so, why? Are the Joads responsible for what happens to them?

3. The person with the closest birthday to today reports the group’s findings to the class