Jared Miller
Dec. 1, 2010
10th Grade Multi-Genre Text Set
Grapes of Wrath
Multi-Genre Text Set: Grapes of Wrath
1. Magazines
a.
Fadiman, Clifton. "Review of The Grapes of Wrath." New Yorker 15 Apr. 1939: 101.
b. Jackson, Joseph Henry. "Review of The Grapes of Wrath." New York Herald Tribune
Books 16 Apr. 1939: 3.
2. Texts
a. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
b. Steinbeck, John, Peter Lisca, and Kevin Hearle. The Grapes of Wrath: Text and
Criticism. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print.
3. Films
a. Grapes of Wrath. Dir. John Ford. Perf. Henry Fonda and Jane Darnell. Twentieth Century
Fox, 1996. Videocassette.
4. Websites
a. http://as.sjsu.edu/steinbeck/index.jsp
5. Photos
a. Lange, Dorothea. 1936. Photograph. The Migrant Mother Series. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
<http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug97/FSA/lang.html>.
6. Song
a. Guthrie, Woody. “Tom Joad.” Storytellers: Woody Guthrie (Chapter 2). 1964.
7. Audio
a. http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/grapesofwrath/
Text Set Rationale
Magazines
1. Fadiman, Clifton. "Review of The Grapes of Wrath." New Yorker 15 Apr. 1939: 101.
This article in the New Yorker was written shortly after the release of John Steinbeck’s
book. I thought it was a good idea for the students to read a short review of the book in order to
ses how the book was received at the time it was released. The New Yorker is a notable source
and we may have the opportunity to discuss good and bad sources for reviews or discuss the
particular slant of different magazines. Students will learn about the initial reactions and
critiques of Grapes of Wrath as well as be exposed to a good book review, discuss different
kinds of magazines and their slants. While the reading level in this particular magazine may be
fairly complex, the article is short which may help struggling readers.
2. Jackson, Joseph Henry. "Review of The Grapes of Wrath." New York Herald Tribune
Books 16 Apr. 1939: 3.
This article is chosen for much of the same reasons as the above article. Students will
learn about the how the book was received in 1939, be able to discuss different kinds of
magazines and their slants. In addition, having two book reviews will allow us to make
comparisons between the two authors. These comparisons can be about the way in which the
writers write, their critiques, the way they chose to do a book review, and so on. There are many
possibilities in the comparisons. Like the above, struggling readers may find the length helpful.
Texts
1. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
2. Steinbeck, John, Peter Lisca, and Kevin Hearle. The Grapes of Wrath: Text and
Criticism. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print.
This particular text is chosen because not only does it have the book we are studying but
it has criticism. I am especially interested in two articles found within this book. Students can
learn about the angry reactions of Californians to Grapes of Wrath by reading Frank J. Taylor’s
“California’s Grapes of Wrath,” published in 1939. Students can also read Martin Shockley’s
“The Reception of The Grapes of Wrath in Oklahoma,” which appeared in 1944. Like the book
reviews, these articles will allow students to see how the book was received at the time it was
written. I chose this book because though it is similar on one hand to the book reviews, on the
other hand it is written much differently. Comparisons can be made between how people reacted
in California and in Oklahoma and between these articles and the book reviews if appropriate.
These texts will also allow the students to further see that Steinbeck was talking about real
situations and real people and his book was sometimes offensive to these people. The students
will also gain a glimpse into what the Californians thought as well as those in Oklahoma. Again,
struggling readers may find the shorter nature of these texts helpful. This book will also be great
for TAG students because the teacher already has a lot of criticisms compiled that can challenge
the TAG students.
Films
1. Grapes of Wrath. Dir. John Ford. Perf. Henry Fonda and Jane Darnell. Twentieth Century
Fox, 1996. Videocassette.
This film can be shown in its entirety or segments can be shown. I think I would opt for
short segments to help students envision what Steinbeck is writing about. I chose to add a film
because the visual elements can really be helpful for many readers. Hopefully, the film will
increase their curiosity to read the text and not hate the text. Struggling readers will benefit from
this too because it will create interest, keep them engaged, and if they are having a hard time
understanding the text, the film may help them understand. We can also discuss as a class how
closely the movie parallels the book, looking at what was kept in and what was kept out. This
sort of discussion has great potential. We can also talk about the different kinds of texts and
what each lends them too.
Websites
1. http://as.sjsu.edu/steinbeck/index.jsp
Looking around the Internet, there are many websites devoted to Steinbeck. I chose this
one because it is put on by San Jose State University which has a lot of Steinbeck resources
including a Steinbeck Center. The website boasts that they are the only university research
archive in the world devoted solely to Steinbeck’s life. Not only can we discuss with the
students what they want to look for in websites to find credible information, but they will have
access to all that is included on this website. There is a great bibliography section for further
reading, potentially for TAG students, as well as a multi-media section (coming soon) complete
with videos, photos, and audio. This website will provide sources for students to do further
studies and resources to help supplement the book. Struggling readers will probably enjoy
poking around this website especially with guided assistance to the multimedia section. The
multimedia section can enhance the book, bringing a little more visual life to what they are
reading.
Photos
1. Lange, Dorothea. 1936. Photograph. The Migrant Mother Series. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
<http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug97/FSA/lang.html>.
Dorothea’s photographs have become very popular and so the students will not only have
the opportunity to be exposed to these iconic photos but also gain a better understanding of
migrant life. They will be able to visually see migrant mothers and a little of what life is like.
Struggling readers will enjoy this because it is visual and adds a visual element to all of
Steinbeck’s words. The pictures will help the students to imagine better which is in turn helps
students to read better.
Song
1. Guthrie, Woody. “Tom Joad.” Storytellers: Woody Guthrie (Chapter 2). 1964.
This song will fit wonderfully with the main text. This song is about Steinbeck’s character and
the music will help the students better understand the time period as well as the lyrics. The lyrics
are quite long and will help them understand the story and the character. Struggling readers will
benefit from this because it puts the story into music. It is not very visual (unless you find a
video performance), but the words are put to music and that makes a huge difference. This song
was also written very shortly after the book so students can see how influential this book was
even at the time.
Audio
1. http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/grapesofwrath/
I chose this audio text because it discusses the Grapes of Wrath. NPR very often does a great job
with their programs and in this one they talk about the story but also the behind the scenes of the
story. They discuss Steinbeck’s life and what it took him to write this book. While Steinbeck
was writing this book, he kept a journal and some of that is discussed too. I think it will be very
interesting for the students to learn the writing process that Steinbeck went through in order to
tell this story. Discussions could be had about the research and telling of the story, Steinbeck’s
own experiences and how they influenced his writing, and the aftermath of the book. This
broadcast appeared in 2002 so students will also be able to see public opinion over the course of
the years. They could even compare some of the material found in this broadcast to the early
reviews and criticisms. Struggling readers should enjoy this text because NPR does a good job
in telling the story. It is not visual so it might be hard to listen to the entire broadcast in one
sitting but excerpts or large chunks could be used effectively and I believe struggling readers
would stay engaged.