Harvest Gypsies - Activities
Journal of Key Terms
Preparation
Difficulty Level:
Easy
Time:
Moderate
Learning Type:
Visual and Hands On
Materials:
- Journal/Pieces of blank paper
- Writing Instrument
- Dictionary/Encyclopedia/Internet
Description
Keeping a journal of Key Terms is one of the easiest ways to make the text interactive.
Anytime that you come across a word or phrase that you do not understand, jot it down
in your journal. Right after you have written down the word, you have the option
of either looking up the word/phrase at that moment, or after you’ve finished the
chapter.
Write down the definition or explanation of the word/phrase in your journal so that
you have it as a reference throughout the rest of the story.
Compare and Contrast
Preparation
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time:
Lengthy
Learning Type:
Visual
Materials:
- Copy of The Grapes of Wrath
- Writing Instrument
Description
Read The Grapes of Wrath and try to identify the key ideas, events, locations, etc. from The Harvest Gypsies which Steinbeck has fictionalized in his novel. Keep a list of those elements as
you read. When you have finished the novel, explain what you think the effect of
fictionalizing those elements has on your reaction to them. How does Steinbeck alter
or expand upon those elements in fiction? Which version of the events do you think
best conveys the "truth" of the situation? Why?
Understanding a Contemporary Diaspora Part I
Preparation
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time:
Moderate
Learning Type:
Visual
Materials:
- Encyclopedia/Internet
Description
Nicolaus Mills, professor of American Studies at Sarah Lawrence College, expresses
the following in an article entitled "John Steinbeck's Hurricane Katrina Lesson,"
which he wrote for Dissent magazine: "Today, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stumbles its way
through the Katrina aftermath, failing to supply even enough trailers where they are
needed, it is easy to wish that we had a Steinbeck documenting the lives of the New
Orleans refugees. It might improve the government's response to them, might let us
enter more deeply into their lives than television coverage has." Research and read
other articles on the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Write a profile of those
who were left homeless. Compare and contrast these individuals with the Dust Bowl
immigrants that Steinbeck writes about. In what ways are they the same? In what ways
are they different?
Understanding a Contemporary Diaspora Part II
Preparation
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time:
Moderate
Learning Type:
Visual and Hands On
Materials:
- Encyclopedia/Internet
Description
Propose a course of action to address the problems of those left homeless by Hurricane
Katrina (just as Steinbeck does at the end of The Harvest Gypsies).
Understanding Propaganda
Preparation
Difficulty
Moderate
Time
Moderate
Learning Type
Visual
Materials
- Internet Access
Description
Propaganda is communication that presents the facts surrounding an issue very selectively
in order to sway an audience's emotions. Propaganda is considered inaccurate and
subjective since it often omits other perspectives about the issue that would call
the truth of its position into question. Steinbeck has often been accused of being
a propagandist, usually by the conservative right, which is historically skeptical
of his liberal democratic point of view. Read the critique published by the Center for Capital Flow Analysis. The argument characterizes The Harvest Gypsies and Dorothea Lange's photography as "liberal propaganda," calling into question the
"truth" of Steinbeck's presentation of migrant life. Explain whether or not the argument
succeeds in characterizing The Harvest Gypsies and "Migrant Mother" as propaganda. What parts of The Harvest Gypsies do you think seem true and what parts do you think might be propaganda? What part
of the whole story do you think may be left out of The Harvest Gypsies?
Analysis of a Photograph
Preparation
Difficulty
Moderate
Time
Moderate
Learning Type
Visual and Hands On
Materials
- Copy of The Harvest Gypsies, or
- Internet Access
Description
Select one of the photographs from The Harvest Gypsies, or another Depression-era
photograph of migrants (see Suggestions for Further Reading for links to photographs). Analyze the photograph paying particular attention to
its compositional features. Explain how you think the photograph works to illustrate
a particular idea or theme in The Harvest Gypsies. How well do you think the photograph captures the migrant experience?
Examining Literary Journalism
Preparation
Difficulty
Moderate
Time
Moderate
Learning Type
Visual and Hands On
Materials
- Internet Access
Description
In 1999, the Journalism faculty of New York University listed The Harvest Gypsies as #31 on its Top 100 List of the Century's Best American Journalism. Compare Steinbeck's text to one of the other well known works of journalism on the
list. What qualities do you think make the two works exceptional works of journalism?
What features do the works have in common? What would you say are the most important
characteristics of good journalism based on your comparison of the two works?
Contemporary Harvest Gypsies
Preparation
Difficulty
Moderate
Time
Moderate
Learning Type
Visual and Hands On
Materials
- Internet Access
Description
Research the current political issues concerning Mexican immigrants and agricultural
labor in California today. After conducting your research, compare the current issues
to the labor issues discussed in The Harvest Gypsies. How have things changed? What seems the same? What are the biggest challenges faced
by contemporary agricultural labor versus those faced by the Dust Bowl migrants in
the 1930? Create a report based on your findings.
Setting | Character Summaries| Plot Synopsis | Critical Reception
Cultural References | Key Terms and Concepts | Major Themes