Author:John Steinbeck
Group Members: Oliva, Ian, Nicole and Johnathan
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Resume
John Steinbeck
Salinas Valley, California
Objective:
To win another Nobel Peace Prize in Literature.
Skills:
· Mastery of the English language
· Ability to create descriptive imagery through words
· Able to use complex metaphors, allegories, and allusions
Experience:
· (summers c. 1915-1919) Farm hand, Spreckels Farm
· (c. 1925) Handyman, Lake Tahoe resort
· (c. 1942-1944) War correspondent, New York Herald Tribune
· (c. 1929-1993) Novelist and Short Story Writer
o Stories- The Long Valley (1938)
o Novels- Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven (1932), To A God Unknown (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), The Red Pony (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Moon Is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), The Wayward Bus (1947), Burning Bright (1950), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), The Short Reign of Pippin IV (1957), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976), Zapata: A Narrative in Dramatic Form on the Life of Emiliano Zapata (1993)
o Nonfiction- Their Blood Is Strong (1938), Sea of Cortez (1941), Bombs Away (1942), A Russian Journal (1948), The Log From the "Sea of Cortez" (1951), Positano (1954), Un American a New York et a Paris (1956), Once There Was A War (1959), Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962), America and Americans (1966), Journal of A Novel: The East of Eden Letters (1969), Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (1989)
Awards:
· (1935) California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, Tortilla Flat
· (1936) California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, In Dubious Battle
· (1938) New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Of Mice and Men
· (1940) National Book Award, The Grapes of Wrath
· (1940) Pulitzer Prize, The Grapes of Wrath
· (1946) King Haakon VII Liberty Cross
· (1948) Member of American Academy of Arts and Letters
· (1962) Nobel Prize for Literature
· (1963) Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress
· (1964) Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
· (1964) United States Medal of Freedom
· (1964) Annual Paperback of the Year Award
· (1964) Press Medal of Freedom
· (2007) Member of the National Arts Council (1966); California Hall of Fame
Education:
· (1915-1919) Salinas High School
· (1919-1925, did not graduate) Stanford University
Salinas Valley, California
Objective:
To win another Nobel Peace Prize in Literature.
Skills:
· Mastery of the English language
· Ability to create descriptive imagery through words
· Able to use complex metaphors, allegories, and allusions
Experience:
· (summers c. 1915-1919) Farm hand, Spreckels Farm
· (c. 1925) Handyman, Lake Tahoe resort
· (c. 1942-1944) War correspondent, New York Herald Tribune
· (c. 1929-1993) Novelist and Short Story Writer
o Stories- The Long Valley (1938)
o Novels- Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven (1932), To A God Unknown (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), The Red Pony (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Moon Is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), The Wayward Bus (1947), Burning Bright (1950), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), The Short Reign of Pippin IV (1957), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976), Zapata: A Narrative in Dramatic Form on the Life of Emiliano Zapata (1993)
o Nonfiction- Their Blood Is Strong (1938), Sea of Cortez (1941), Bombs Away (1942), A Russian Journal (1948), The Log From the "Sea of Cortez" (1951), Positano (1954), Un American a New York et a Paris (1956), Once There Was A War (1959), Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962), America and Americans (1966), Journal of A Novel: The East of Eden Letters (1969), Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (1989)
Awards:
· (1935) California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, Tortilla Flat
· (1936) California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, In Dubious Battle
· (1938) New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Of Mice and Men
· (1940) National Book Award, The Grapes of Wrath
· (1940) Pulitzer Prize, The Grapes of Wrath
· (1946) King Haakon VII Liberty Cross
· (1948) Member of American Academy of Arts and Letters
· (1962) Nobel Prize for Literature
· (1963) Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress
· (1964) Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
· (1964) United States Medal of Freedom
· (1964) Annual Paperback of the Year Award
· (1964) Press Medal of Freedom
· (2007) Member of the National Arts Council (1966); California Hall of Fame
Education:
· (1915-1919) Salinas High School
· (1919-1925, did not graduate) Stanford University
Work Cited
"John Steinbeck". Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. May 8, 2010.
"John Steinbeck's Biography". The National Steinbeck Center. May 8, 2010.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "John Steinbeck Resume." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 May 2010. <>.
Steinbeck, John. Journal of a novel: the East of Eden letters . New York, NY, United States of America: Penguin Books, 1990. Print.
"John Steinbeck". Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. May 8, 2010
"John Steinbeck's Biography". The National Steinbeck Center. May 8, 2010
Shmoop Editorial Team. "John Steinbeck Resume." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 May 2010. <>.
Steinbeck, John. Journal of a novel: the East of Eden letters . New York, NY, United States of America: Penguin Books, 1990. Print.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Chapters 1 - 5 Questions
1. What do you think the impact of Salinas Valley have on the story?
2. By foiling Samuel and Liza what does Steinbeck show?
3. What does it mean that Cyrus has swagger? Is his swagger important?
4. What is the significance of Adam's mother?
4.What is the significance of Charles and Adam's Fight?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Chapters 6-14 Questions
1. What does Adam's joining the Army say about his character when foiled with his arrest?
2. Do you think that Cyrus' fraudulent war stories were harmful or harmless?
3. How did you initially feel about Cathy? Do you agree or disagree with her actions/ways of handling her problems?
4. What do you think Cathy's true reason is for her attempted abortion?
5. Why do you think the narrator talks about Olive, his mother? What importance does she play in the story?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Chapters 26-36 Questions
1. Do you think the reasoning behind naming the Trask boys will determine their fate or will they choose their fate, following timshel? If you think they will make decisions following the story of Cain and Able? Explain.
2. Do you think Cal(eb) with differ from his mother and become good, proving timshel to be true? Why, is there nay evidence for this?
3. Why do you think Adam told Cathy about Charles fortune? And why do you think Charles left Cathy part of his fortune?
4. Steinbeck makes his characters easy to define in terms of good and evil and many of his characters share similarities with those of the people in Genesis. Classify some of the characters into good and evil and list some of the similarities of the characters in East of Eden to those in Genesis.
5. How does the story of Cain and Able specifically apply to the Trask family? List some examples of when the story applies to East of Eden.
6. How does Cathy continue to influence the Trask family after she leaves? Specifically the lives of the twins?
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