Transcript The Pearl by John Steinbeck Based on an old Mexican folk tale

The Pearl
by John Steinbeck
A novella based on an old Mexican folktale
SYMBOL A person, a place, an object or an action
that stands for something beyond itself.
A dove is a bird, but might symbolize peace. A black
crow circling overhead is a bird flying, but might
symbolize danger to come. Symbols are everywhere
in our daily lives; human beings require symbols for
self-expression (in clothing, music, speech, politics…).
Symbolism is universal. As in all parables, The Pearl
offers much symbolism.
Process
(1) Choose a symbol on one of the following slides.
(2) Click on the image. This will link you to information on
your symbol.
(3) Read through the website.
(4) As you read, record facts you feel are relevant on a Tchart.
(5) Review the information you recorded and write your
interpretations on the back of your t-chart. What do you
think your symbol stands for?
Images of symbols from The
Pearl appear on the next few
slides. Click on the slide that
corresponds to your selected
symbol.
Scorpion
Pearl
Ocean
Canoe
Village
Storm
Discuss Ideas!
• Group with others who
share the same symbol as
you to compare ideas.
Predict how this might fit
into the story.
• As a small group, develop
a list of possible symbolic
meanings.
Draw Your Symbol
Materials:
• White paper
• Colored pencils or crayons
Fishbowl Discussion
One student from each “symbol group” will
take part in a fishbowl discussion.
The discussion participants will bring their
group’s ideas to this bigger discussion.
Students in the outside circle will listen
attentively.
After about ten minutes, students in the
outside circle will have the opportunity to
add questions and comments to the
discussion through notes passed to the
fishbowl.
Acknowledgments
Information, images and links for this activity are courtesy of the following
websites:
Images
http://socrates.berkeley.edu:7001/Gallery/castellanos/thumbnails/orangemountains.jpg
http://yogateacher.com/text/retreats/mxraja/frontpage.html
http://www.desertusa.com/oct96/du_scorpion.html
http://www1.istockphoto.com
www.corbis.com
http://pearlsandjade.com/akoya_pearl.asp
www. magickcanoe.com
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/171/ocean_waves_photos_t1504.jpg
http://palimpsest.typepad.com/photos/sun_moon_stars/twilight.jpg
http://downtheroad.org/Publishing/1TheRoadnoEnd/Images_Filesb/a11Nicaragua/beachhouse.JPG
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/uploaded_images/NHRedRooster-791982.jpg
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/ReleaseImages/20050111/02_thunderstorm_night.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/teens/images/school_270.jpg
http://www.pwcgov.org/ImgLibrary/small/002454.jpg
Reference
http://www.desertusa.com/oct96/du_scorpion.html
http://www.pearl-guide.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/
http://www.canoe.ca/AllAboutCanoes/
http://www.buildinghistory.org/villages.shtml
http://www.learner.org/interactives/weather/storms.html