THE PEARL ACTIVITIES

Activity 1

What would you do if you suddenly obtained a vast amount of wealth? Would you think of yourself? Your family? Less fortunate people? Immediate pleasure, or of the future?

Write your ideas in a short essay.

Activity 2

Write the doctor’s diary for the day he heard about Kino’s pearl.

Activity 3

Kino had many different songs that related to his life, and as he went about his everyday work, he constantly heard songs in his head. For example:

The Song of the Family

Clear and soft...the warmth and security...saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole.

The Song of Evil

The music of the enemy...a savage, secret, dangerous melody.

YOUR TASK: Write your own "Song" about your experiences. Some titles you could use are:

The Song of School

The Song of Frienship

The Song of Love

The Song of Fear

Activity 4

Chapter Three is an important one as the news of Kino’s great pearl spreads. Greedy individuals such as the priest and the doctor gather like predators. Meanwhile, Kino himself becomes ambitious, dreaming of clothes, a harpoon, a rifle, education for his son and so on.

Your task is to present the events of this chapter in the style of a graphic novel (a comic strip). You must observe the following guidelines:

You should use not more than three A4 sheets or one A3 sheet. Consequently, you must be selective: plan carefully which moments to include. Many details found in the novel will have to be left out.
At least 10 frames must have a caption and/or dialogue (or a thought bubble) attached to them. Do not just copy these from the book; you will need to shorten or rewrite things. For example, the doctor’s "He is a client of mine. I am treating his child for a scorpion sting" could become "I’m treating his child for a scorpion sting" with a thought bubble that says "Hmm… Here’s a chance to make some money."
You must check your text thoroughly for errors before writing it. (Consult classmates and the teacher.)
You do not have to be a highly skilled graphic artist; however, you should try to make your drawings as clear as possible. Look at some real comics or graphic novels and see how the artists vary their perspective (e.g. wide angle, mid-shot, close-up).

Activity 5

Choose a song introduced in The Pearl. Then find or create 1.) a piece of artwork and 2.) a piece of music that appropriately explain your chosen Pearl song.

You may choose:

The Song of Evil
The Song of the Family
The Song of the Pearl of the World
The Song of the Sea

or any other songs introduced in the novella

Activity 6

Write a newspaper report about an incident in the book. Include quotations from Kino/Juana and any other involved character. Note the following points about newspaper articles:

News articles normally tell the reader WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE in the first paragraph.

The paragraphs are short.

There are a few brief quotations.

Activity 7

The Modern Pearl

If John Steinbeck had set his "parable" in the 21^st century, who might his main character be? Where would they live? What would their life be like? How would they suddenly become rich? What problems would they face as a result of their sudden wealth? How would the story end?

YOUR TASK: Rewrite "The Pearl" for modern times. You should change the characters’ names, occupations etc. You can even add new characters and situations. Be sure to include the following:

Setting

Characters

Incident(s) that causes the main character to become rich

How others (antagonists) try to cheat the main character

His/her attempts to avoid harassment

His/her increasing greed

His/her mistakes