The+Pearl

=The Pearl=

Full Text: [|Full Text of The Pearl]

The Pearl Background:

Reading/Study Guide Questions:

Themes and Symbols


 * Themes**

Greed:
 * There are many people in the village that want to steal the pearl from Kino and his family because of greed.
 * The buyers are greedy and want to take advantage of Kino and give him a lower price than it was worth.
 * The Doctor would only help Kino and his family if they could pay him.
 * The Beggars were only happy for Kino because they knew that poor people who suddenly become rich give the most.
 * Kino started becoming greedy when thinking of all the things the pearl could buy him.
 * Kino was greedy when not taking an offer of 1,500 pesos for his pearl but wanting 50,000 pesos.
 * The priest wanted the pearl to be worth a lot because he thought of all the things he could repair in the church.

Good v Evil

The Pearl Good Evil In between
 * Nice people who helped Kino-All of the background characters who helped and encouraged Kino throughout the story
 * Kino’s brother- Helped Kino when Kino’s house caught on fire and had Kino stay in his house for awhile.
 * Kino’s wife Juana- Cleaned all the blood off of Kino when Kino got cut. And made dinner for Kino and the baby. Juana also got Kino through the hard times that they were having.
 * Kino’s bro’s wife- Also helped Kino when Kino’s house burned to the ground and let Kino stay in her house
 * The pearl-It made people do bad things to get the pearl because it was the pearl of the world.
 * the doctor- The doctor did not want to help Kino’s baby till he found out that Kino had found a great pearl and all he wanted was Kino’s money.
 * The village- The people in the village burned Kino’s house down and tried to kill him and take the pearl.
 * Hunters- the hunters killed Coyotito and tried to kill Kino.
 * Kino-at the beginning of the story Kino seems like a good guy, but then throughout the story he gets more and more evil.
 * Coyotito- he is the baby so it is hard to tell whether he would be good or bad
 * Priest- he is a priest so he can’t really be bad but he does some suspicious things
 * Scorpion- it is an animal so it can’t really be evil but it does some evil things like poisoning Coyotito

Family:
 * Juana
 * Juana is important to the family theme because she stuck with her husband even though he did things to hurt her. Also she brought along her baby that could have put her husband's life and her life at risk but she didn’t care. She wanted to make sure that her baby was safe and in her arms.
 * Coyotito and family was her life and most important to her
 * Wouldn’t leave her husband even though he wasn’t doing what she asked
 * Even though Kino hurt her, she still loved him because of everything they have been through
 * She kept Coyotito with them even though she knew he could easily act up
 * Juana kept on singing the family song. Which was important to her because it was about her family
 * Juan Tomás
 * Juan Tomás was important to the theme of family because he was Kino’s only blood related family. He and his wife were close to Kino and Juana. They supported and helped Kino and his family however they could.
 * Went with him to sell the pearl, Wanted to help his brother and constantly advised him
 * Kept Kino’s secret of the murder and that they made it out of the fire
 * Helped his brother get away
 * Greeted them upon return even though he knew something was wrong with them
 * Did nothing but support Kino even if he didn’t agree with Kino’s choices


 * SYMBOLS**

The Pearl- Poison - The Canoe- Songs-
 * Symbolizes wealth.
 * Money can’t buy you happiness.
 * How wealth can corrupt you
 * Every time that something bad happened they blamed it on the pearl
 * Only needed the pearl for Coyotito’s life
 * Everyone desired the pearl
 * “Every man suddenly became related to Kino’s pearl and Kino’s pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone” (page 23
 * This puts everyone in the town against Kino
 * The pearl symbolizes poison too because it poisons their family
 * “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us.” (page 56)
 * Kino beat his wife over the pearl, and is willing to die for the pearl, he values it too much.
 * Symbolizes death, Kino has killed a man over the pearl. Kino also killed the hunters who were going to kill kino and his family over the pearl. It wasn’t until after Coyotito was shot than Kino realized the pearl is a burden.
 * Foreshadowing that Coyotito will die
 * “An adult might become very ill from the sting, but a baby could easily die from the poison.” (page 6)
 * Symbolizes evil
 * “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us.” (page 56)
 * “ ‘This thing is evil, ‘ she cried harshly. ‘This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us,’ and her voice rose shrilly. ‘Throw it away, Kino. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino my husband, it will destroy us’ “ (page 38)
 * The pearl is poisonous to the family, it tears them apart and ruins the good that was a part of their old life
 * Is how Kino makes a living to support his family
 * When it breaks they can’t get away from town
 * Could also symbolize the ending of Kino’s old life
 * The canoe was the last part of his old life that had not been ruined and when he found it with a hole in it, it showed that everything from his old life was destroyed
 * “Kino and Juana came slowly down to the beach and to Kino’s canoe, which was the one thing of value he owned in the world.” (page 14)
 * The songs represent a specific person’s personality
 * When the doctor was near the Evil Song played
 * The Song of the Enemy is used to foreshadow when bad events are going to happen. Kino heard this song when the scorpion stung his baby.
 * “He threw it down and beat it into the earth floor with his fist, and Coyotito screamed with pain in his box. But Kino beat and stamped the enemy until it was only a fragment and a moist place in the dirt. His teeth were bared and fury flared in his eyes and the Song of the Enemy roared in his ears.” (page 6)
 * Represents the feeling of the situation and how the characters interpret the feeling of their surroundings
 * When his family was together the strong sound of the family song rang through his ears
 * “ Kino felt all the warmth and security of his family behind him, and the Song of the Family came from behind him like the purring of a kitten.” (page 29).
 * Song of the Pearl played when Kino revealed the pearl of the world.
 * “But in the song there was a secret little inner song, hardly perceptible, but always there, sweet and secret and clinging, almost hiding in the counter-melody, and this was the Song of the Pearl That Might Be, for every shell thrown in the basket might contain a pearl.” (page 17)

Irony:
 * Literary Devices and Techniques**
 * When the baby died because he was healed already so it was unexpected of him to die
 * The doctor ended up curing the baby when he made it clear that he wasn’t going to help him
 * Everyone thought that the pearl was good and brought good fortune, but it ended up being bad and being evil
 * The rifle that Kino wanted was supposed to be used to protect his family, but he ended up using it for bad reasons.

Foreshadowing:
 * When Juana keeps on telling Kino the pearl is bad- it gets the baby killed, causes Kino to kill some men
 * “‘Kino,” she said huskily, “I am afraid. A man can be killed. Let us throw the pearl back into the sea.’” (pg. 57)
 * The baby was sick and that could lead to death; the baby ended up dying
 * When Juana prayed that they would find a pearl, foreshadows that the next time they went looking they found one.
 * “She had prayed that they might find a pearl with which to hire the doctor to cure the baby.”
 * Kino was talking about how he wanted to get a rifle, that foreshadows how in the future he killed one of the watchers and took their rifle.

Symbolism/Imagery:
 * The Pearl- Juana thought it was evil and Kino didn’t think it was “ He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light burning.” (pg. 89)
 * The Songs- Kino hears the songs whenever something bad is coming up or near him- he also hears the song when there is good near him
 * Ie: When someone tries to steal the pearl from him while he is sleeping- evil song
 * Ie: Juana hums the song to Coyotito- good song
 * The Songs- “And the music of the pearl had merged with the music of the family so that one beautified the other”.

Conflict-(Lexi & Olivia)
 * Man vs Man
 * Kino had conflict with the people when they continuously tried to steal the pearl
 * Had conflict with Juana because she wanted to get rid of the pearl
 * Ended up hitting her
 * Kino fought with the pearl buyers because he felt that they were cheating him
 * He then had to escape the brush town where he lived and run to the mountains
 * Man vs Self
 * If Kino would have gotten rid of the pearl when Juana had told him it was evil then he wouldn’t have had any man vs man conflict
 * Kino was too selfish to admit that the pearl was destroying them because he wanted the money for his family that the pearl would bring
 * Having the pearl made Kino greedy and selfish; he turned evil whenever he couldn’t have the wealth that came from it

Suspense- (Connor & Luke) -When Coyotito got stung by the scorpion and they thought he wouldn’t live - Scorpion poison is very dangerous, especially to small children -It was suspenseful when Kino's hut being attacked. -It got attacked twice -They got Kino one time and beat him - Kino’s house was burnt down -suspenseful because Juana and Coyotito were just in the house and Kino did not know if they had gotten out until he saw them. -It was suspenseful when they were going up the mountain and found out they were being tracked -Kino tried to solve the problem and make fake tracks leading the men a different way -When Kino attacked the three men and killed them -Heard cry from cave and it was Coyotito, he got shot by gun -It was spooky when Kino found Juana about to throw the pearl into the sea -what will he do to her -will she throw it Characters- (Sergio & Zach)
 * Kino-Protagonist, dynamic character- changes because of the wealth of the pearl (turns selfish)
 * Juana- Static Character (Personality doesn’t change at all) She remains faithful and supportive to her husband, even when he changes because of the pearl.
 * Coyotito- Static (Doesn’t change. His personality does not change throughout the story)
 * The doc- Antagonist, he wants to steal the pearl. The doctor is the main reason Kino went and fished for the pearl because Kino needed to pay the doctor for Coyotito's treatment.
 * Juan Tomás - Static (He stays kind and supportive to Kino and his family). When Kino arrives back home, he even raises his hand in greeting to Kino.
 * People who want the pearl- Antagonist, dynamic characters (they get greedy and selfish because of the great wealth)

The Pearl Music Project:

Vlog Details In a vlog (video blog) you are to respond to your reading of The Pearl. You should candidly respond in a 1 minute to 1 minute 30 second video that will be sent to me on the due date. A few tips when vlogging.

- Decide if you want to have a script in front of you or speak impromptu - Do not give me a summary of the reading. I want to hear your opinions, thoughts, comments, and questions on the reading.Put some analysis into the reading. - Plan your video session wisely. Make an outline of your talking points, then film. - Don’t worry about being awkward, it's just a camera and it's not going to be shown in class. - Use eye contact/connect - Use headsets or record some place quiet. Avoid background noise. Speak loudly. - Be aware of your background. - Be aware of lighting-dark and shadowy can be detrimental. - You can be playful! Try jump cuts, black and white, comment bubbles etc. You can record then edit in iMovie if you'd like to add text or effects. - This is a real conversation. Put yourself into it. Feel free to ask me a question in it. - Do take this assignment as a grade. Yes, we can be playful, but I expect some thoughtful and analytical dialogue. Don't spend 30 seconds of it going "ummm" or giving me a summary.

Technical Help -film with Quicktime, photobooth, your phone or another filming device. -upload through quicktime -export to a smaller file -send through Drive if too large of a file to email -see me for help sooner rather than later

Vlog 1 Prompt ideas (These are ideas to get you started. Take one and run with it. Expand it. Go more in depth. Create your own!) **You must use the text in your response** -Impression of the text, characters, setting -Can you relate to any of the characters? -Are there any redeemable characters throughout the text? -Do you see any of the 4 corner statements coming out in the context of the story? -Surprising or OMG moments? -What is the greatest influence that the pearl has? -Free Prompt