Steinbeck studied marine biology, and in his detailed descriptions of the marine life inhabiting the tidepools on the california coast there are echoes of the lives of. Discussion guide cannery row by john steinbeck please note that the leconte stewart. To be sure, one can strain at his underlying meanings and say that such people. Heres a glimpse of what its like the book cannery row details the life on the row in the 1930s the country was in a depression, canneries were busy on the row and a group of fellas were hanging out near the very location of our studio. Compare and contrast steinbecks skid row to the mansions and golf courses lifestyle of the monterey peninsula today. Put simply, a book s setting is where the story takes place. Most of the book takes place in cannery row, so cannery row is a pretty safe choice for a name butbear with uswhat if the book were called docs party okay, thats pretty dumb or mack and the boys. Put the group of cards face down on the floor in a square or rectangle. Peopled by stereotypical goodnatured bums and warmhearted prostitutes living on the fringes of monterey, calif.
Cannery row, like every place else, is not superstitious but will not walk under a ladder or open an umbrella in the house. Cannery row was made famous by novelist john steinbeck who made the area the setting for his books cannery row and sweet thursday. Set during the great depression, cannery row tells the story of a struggling community that pulls together to throw a thankyou party for the friendly neighborhood genius. Ocean view avenue was renamed cannery row in 1953 in celebration of the novel which made it famous and sparked a new tourism industry in the area. Cannery row makes vacations easy to plan and hard to forget. Cannery row was once a thriving sardine canning site. The character of william in cannery row from litcharts. Paper and drawing supplies or computers with word processing or design software. Which john steinbeck novel is not set in california.
Teaching the narrative essay using chapter 15 of cannery row, 20. The brief discussion of the techniques of plot, character development and theme employed by steinbeck in his deceptively simple story provides an overview of the story as well as an understanding of. Cannery row is a novel by american author john steinbeck, published in 1945. And if you like cannery row, sweet thursday is the sequel. All the plots, subplots, and subsubplots tell us more about this unique but common place. The prereading activities prepare students for what they will read in the novel. The indepth characterizations are drawn almost as individual vignettes. The book is set on a street in monterey, california called cannery row.
Last exit to brooklyn is a 1964 novel by american author hubert selby, jr. Discover brief discussion techniques of plot, character development and theme employed by steinbeck in his brief novella, cannery row. Our helpful quiz worksheet combo is a handy way to assess your knowledge of john steinbecks cannery row. Students will be able to identify key themes in the text of cannery row and. The cannery row lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. For instance, in chapter 3, first we learn that doras stern and stately whorehouse 3. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of cannery row and what it means.
She is a successful businesswoman, and, although her business may seem to modern readers to involve the exploitation of others, we see throughout the novel how her brothel provides a needed outlet f or some of the sexual energies of the town. If all of the elements of this lesson plan are employed, students will develop the following powers, skills, and understanding. Doc wenzels old time portraits cannery row, monterey. To be sure, one can strain at his underlying meanings and say that such people should. Cannery row changing lives through literature umass dartmouth. John steinbecks cannery row captured life on cannery row during its industrial heyday, but the story began long before canneries lined the famous street. The 10 best things to do near cannery row, monterey. Cannery row begins by slowly introducing its characters.
Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Our helpful quizworksheet combo is a handy way to assess your knowledge of john steinbecks cannery row. I loved it and to my mind it fits admirably an immediate need in our seasons lists, the need for a richly patterned story spun out of another layer of that peculiar underworld with which steinbeck is at his best. He wrote it, as he explained in a 1953 essay, for a group of soldiers.
Like a tide pool teeming with assorted critters, cannery row has been called a. Cannery row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and. Today, you can book rooms at a waterfront inn surrounded by refurbished canning facilities and explore the spots that shaped steinbecks work. You have the option of using cannery row related words, pictures, or phrases as the items for matching. Imagine a story about a girl and a boy playing hideandseek. Depression era art exhibition will be at umfa through january 15, 2012. An introduction to the setting of ocean view avenue, now called cannery row, in which john steinbecks novel by the same name takes place. Chapter 2 begins in a mythical, dreamlike tone and continues steinbecks giveandtake theme. Cannery row lesson plans by bookrags teachers pay teachers. His 1945 book cannery row fictionalized the characters of the famous monterey fishing district. The setting of the story is cannery row, located in monterey, california. Cannery row is a novel by john steinbeck that was first published in 1945. Explore the variety of exciting activities to experience on cannery row and plan your perfect monterey bay getaway.
Theres much more than meets the eye in californias cannery row in monterey. Cannery row monterey 2020 all you need to know before. Cannery row study guide contains a biography of john steinbeck, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full. Escape the box movies on my shelf flipside radio good goods introductory life science. The history of the row is a fascinating tale, from native american, asian and european settlement, through the boom and bust of the whaling and sardine industries, to restoration and redevelopment. Steinbeck sets cannery row against the great tide pool, where. From john steinbeck cannery row worksheets to john steinbecks cannery row videos, quickly. Setting, space, and movement in hemingway and steinbeck. Apr 25, 2017 cannery row is a kind of nostalgic thing, according to john steinbeck. Monterey county regions official tourism information.
Cannery row like most of steinbecks postwar work, cannery row is sentimental in tone while retaining the authors characteristic social criticism. In chapters throughout the book, from the opening introduction to the final chapter, cannery row is a place that takes on human importancea place that allows all of the humans in it to be who they are, without fear. Famed author, john steinbeck tried to capture its very essence in his infamous novel cannery row long before anyone knew of its magic and intense history. Applying life lessons from docs lab on cannery row.
While the characters in cannery row come out by and large. They do it right this time, and cannery row pulls out the stops to make it one stupendous party. The character of doc in cannery row from litcharts the. Cannery row is the name the author gives to an area on the coast of monterey, california, occupied mainly by fish canneries. The book ends as doc, happy but maybe a little wistful, too, cleans up after the big shindig. The character of william in cannery row from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Please browse the lesson plans below prepared by neh steinbeck scholars in. Topics covered in these multiplechoice questions include the. Cannery row, of all steinbecks novellas, is the simplest story.
In the beginning of the book, as were getting to know cannery row, steinbeck uses places in town as a jumpingoff point for stories about the folks who spend time there. He wrote it, as he explained in a 1953 essay, for a group of soldiers who said to me. With nick nolte, debra winger, audra lindley, frank mcrae. Fortunately for readers, an expanded new edition of hemps popular pictorial. Steinbecks straightforward prose follows the trials and tribulations of the people living along cannery row, in great depression era monterrey, california.
The setting of cannery row contributes to the overall theme, and each character is connected to a separate setting in cannery row and each setting represents something about the character and adds to the theme of the novel as well. Probably the most upstanding citizen in the area is. Extensive original introduction to the themes of the text. One of the unique aspects of cannery row is the intricate manner in which the setting influences the characters and their relationships. James kent, a consultant and community organizer, has responded with inspired ingenuity, applying life lessons learned from steinbecks novel cannery row in his consulting career. Cannery row marine wonders on cannery row experience. Then steinbeck would be telling us that a certain character or group of characters is maybe more important than the others, and more important than the setting.
Once again, as in tortilla flat, he makes no effort to stress social significance. Cannery row project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Cannery row submitted by trudy schrandt profile title and author. Cannery row by john steinbeck, read by jerry farden by prh audio published on 20220t19. The setting of the story is the time and place that it occurs. It is set during the great depression in monterey, california, on a street lined with sardine canneries that is known as cannery row. It is also mentioned in bob dylans song sad eyed lady of the lowlands. John steinbeck lesson plans and worksheets from thousands of. Now, cannery row s buildings are updated, shinier versions of turnofthecentury canneries. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, inclass handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about cannery row in a classroom setting. Cannery row study guide contains a biography of john steinbeck, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Cannery row activities steinbeck in the schools san. Research the great depression of the united states in the 1930s and create a diorama of how cannery row monterey looked during this time. John steinbeck invited his readers to participate imaginatively in his fiction. Weve collected some of cannery row s best mustsees and dos to add to your cantmiss list. Cannery row memory can be played the same way as normal memory. Setting nothing, of course, is more important than the setting of this novella. In cannery row, john steinbeck reminds people about this important theme and how it applies on a bigger scale. It presents a slice of the lives of the men and women who populate a strip of sardine canneries after the workers go home. Mack is a poor but kindhearted character who lives with some of his friends in an abandoned warehouse. Doc was a pure scientist and incapable of superstition and yet when he came in late one night and found a line of white flowers across the doorsill he had a bad time of it. Even before its notorious canneries, cannery row has been influenced, restored, and redeveloped by many cultures into what it is today. Unburdened by the material necessities of the more fortunate, the denizens of cannery row discover rewards unknown in more traditional society.
The history of john steinbecks old ocean view avenue, by the monterey, california area activist and writer michael kenneth hemp, founder and chief historian of the cannery row foundation. John steinbecks cannery row relived in text and image. I dont know how you can take a great story and ruin it like that. In january 1958, the city of monterey officially renamed ocean view avenue cannery row in honor of john steinbeck and his novel that described a colorful past set amid the cannery culture of the time. For example, the palace flophouse is connected to mac and the boys, and the lab is connected with doc. He and his friends want to do something nice for doc, a marine biologist who everybody likes. Dora may be the most successful character in the novel. Among the best of the books is one that first appeared in 1986. Steinbecks choice of setting is significant in that it fully captures the breadth of humanity. The book cannot be pinned down to a plot, rather, it is a commentary on life and the successes and failures, happiness and despair which come to those residents of cannery row. Cannery row is a kind of nostalgic thing, according to john steinbeck. All of the other characters help develop her character. Cannery row may be sentimental but it is far from shallow.
Both were the basis for the 1982 movie cannery row, starring nick nolte and debra winger. A summary of chapters 5 9 in john steinbecks cannery row. Cannery row was the setting of john steinbecks novels cannery row 1945 and sweet thursday 1954. May 20, 2014 cannery row, one of his most endearing short novels, is ideal for a book group looking for a classic american novel. Cannery row the section of town where the now closed fish canneries are located is inhabited primarily by the down and out, although many would not move away even if they could. Published only 20 years after cannery row, selbys novel became a by word for the more futile and hopeless kind of. Find cannery row lesson plans and teaching resources. A book that is rarely found authentically signed or inscribed. Buy a cheap copy of cannery row book by john steinbeck. Cannery row by john steinbeck, read by jerry farden by prh. You can combine daily lessons or use the ideas within them to create your own unique. The setting of a story plays just as big of a role in the plot as the characters. Teacher editions with classroom activities for all 1296 titles we cover. Students will be able to identify key themes in the text of cannery row and trace their expression and development.
If your child is doing a book report, help her learn more about the setting of her book with this worksheet. Summary summary cannery row is a book without much of a plot. The centrality of the setting to his work allows steinbeck to personify without creating a fairy story. The cannery row lesson plan is designed to help teachers and. The author grew up close by and spent much of his adult life living just blocks from this street, which has since been officially named cannery row after the novels success gave it notoriety. Cannery row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses. Cannery row in monterey in california is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. The questions in this brief quiz and worksheet will test your knowledge of cannery row by john steinbeck. Since the focus of cannery row is more about the characters and the scene that steinbeck is setting than the plot, the first chapter deals largely with setting up the mood of the novel. Cannery row setting steinbeck in the schools san jose state. You should be familiar with several characters from the book. Cannery row by steinbeck, first edition, signed abebooks. After a low period for all of cannery row, mack and the boys get it together to throw doc another party, one that he can actually attend.
Steinbeck once described it as a funny little book and pretty nice. In the early 1900s warehouses lined the streets along cannery row to process sardines that were caught just off the coast. This activity will take about an hour, and once theyre finished, students should have a really solid sense of the setting for this book. While cannery row was published in 1945, it is set in the 1930s and does not actually address the war. What is the main idea of cannery row by john steinbeck. I will give you an example to show you how much setting may affect the mood of the story. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Rather, it is an attempt to capture the feeling and people of a place, the cannery district of monterey, california, which is populated by a mix of those down on their luck and those who choose for other reasons not to live up the hill in the more respectable area of town. He wrote it while living in his familys cottage in pacific grove.
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