Unit 9,The Pearl,How do people usually think of pearl? What is the symbolic meaning of pearl?,Do you possess any jewelry with pearl(s)? If no, do you want one? Why?,What might happen if a very poor person came into possession of a very large pearl?,Background Information,1902-1968,John Steinbeck was one of the most famous American writers of the 20th century. Steinbecks novels can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labor. In 1939 he published what is considered his best work, The Grapes of Wrath, the story of Oklahoma tenant farmers who, unable to earn a living from the land, moved to California where they became migratory workers.,1902-1968,His first novel was published in 1929 (CUP OF GOLD) and his last in 1961 (THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT).,He won the Pulitzer Prize for THE GRAPES OF WRATH.,He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.,29 Academy Award nominations and 4 Academy Awards were given for adaptations of John Steinbeck stories.,Text Skimming,At what point in the story is the scene of this extract set?,What do we know about Kino?,What point is made about news in a town?,What was the news in the town?,Which people were particularly interested in the pearl?,Before the arrival of the central figure, Kino.,A poor fisherman /,lives in a brush house /,has a child,in great need of money /,child stung by a scorpion,It travels fast.,Kino, a poor fisherman, had found the Pearl of the World.,the priest / the shopkeepers / the doctor the beggars / the agents of the buyer of pearls,Second Reading,Vocabulary A - p.150,write a 50-word summary of the text,FIBJEACDHG,Vocabulary B - p.150,scramble-climb quickly, often with some difficulty dart-move forward suddenly & quickly panting-breathing quickly foaming-forming white mass of small air bubbles baptize-perform the Christian religious ceremony of baptism, i.e., of acceptance into the Christian Church judicious-with good judgment fat hammocks-the doctors thick eyelids cackle-laugh or talk loudly and unpleasantly semblance-appearance, seeming likeness squint-look with almost closed eyes speculation-thoughts of possible profits distillate-product of distillation (i.e. after heating liquid or steam),Kino, a poor fisherman, has found a great pearl. The quick-spreading news has caused a great stir among people in the town. They start thinking about what they could do with that pearl and they grow greedy. Kino is the only thing that stands between them and the pearl, so Kino becomes their enemy without his realizing it.,SUMMARY,Third Reading,characterization,snobbish; want to take advantage of Kino,seize every chance to make a profit,thoughtful look / remember repairs the church needed / want to baptize and marry Kinos baby,look at unmarketable mens clothes,the embodiment of evil and greed,stern & judicious / roll up his eyes think of Paris / luxurious room and top-grade restaurant,want the gain without the pain,giggle a little with pleasure,want to further their interest trickily,cackle & fight & shout & threaten sit alone / play with the pearls restlessly / eyes squinted finger-tips burned a little,theme,wealth,Wealth brings evil,Evil can be found in many forms,In human nature there always lies the dark and ugly side (greed, snobbery, deceit, betrayal etc.),human nature,People are not always what they seem,people,evil,imagery & symbol,colonial birds,aerial scenic of a small town,town is a symbol of social class and oppression,the pearl is a symbol of dream, hope, desire and also materialism,the pearl,the scorpion,the scorpion is a symbol of evil,house of stone and plaster,brush house,different types of houses represent the social class,figurative language,SIMILE,a town is like a colonial animal,the black distillate was like the scorpion, or like , or like ,METAPHOR,a town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet,a town has a whole emotion,the news washed in a foaming wave into the town,the doctors eyes rolled up a little in their fat hammocks,the essence of pearl mixed with essence of men and a curious dark residue was precipitated,the poison sacs of the town began to manufacture venom,the town swelled and puffed with the pressure of it,PARALLELISM,He wondered what the pearl would be worth. And he wondered,They cackled and fought and shouted and threatened until they,the pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hunger, of everyone,language points,colony n.,1. 殖民地,2. group of people with the same occupation, interest, etc living together in the same place,3. group of animals or plants living or growing in the same place,e.g. an artists colony,e.g. a colony of ants; a seal colony,colonial adj.,News seems to move faster than small boys can scramble and dart to tell it, faster than women can call it over the fences.,Small boys are usually unable to keep quie