The Grapes of Wrath 18-19 (Grades 9-12)

2018/19 SEASON THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Santa Monica Repertory Theater and The Broad Stage present

THE GRAPES OF WRATH

STUDENT MATINEE

TUES FEB 5 & WED FEB 6, 2019 10:30 AM GRADES 9-12 THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

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2018/19 SEASON THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Jane Deknatel Director, Performing Arts Center EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS STAFF

Ilaan E. Mazzini, Director of Education & Community Programs

Alisa De Los Santos, Education & Community Programs Manager Mandy Matthews, Education & Community Programs Associate Olivia Murray, Education & Community Programs Assistant Tanya White, Teaching Artist, Santa Monica Repertory Theater Pete Barraza, Resident Educator EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Phone 310.434.3560 education@thebroadstage.org thebroadstage.org/education THE BROAD STAGE 1310 11th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 Box Office 310.434.3200 Fax 310.434.3439 info@thebroadstage.org thebroadstage.org

Education and Community Programs at The Broad Stage is supported in part by The Herb Alpert Foundation Johnny Carson Foundation City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

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GREETINGS FROM THE BROAD STAGE! Dear Educators, The Santa Monica Repertory Theater is excited to share its staged reading of The Grapes of Wrath with your students on The Broad Stage this season. Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel remains a poignant and relevant exploration of life in depression-era America.

As an artist and teacher, we are grateful for the opportunity to explore this play with students and educators, inviting a deeper look at theatre as a medium of expression and the social themes of The Grapes of Wrath. The gritty realism of The Grapes of Wrath, a story about strength and resiliency in the face of Depression-era poverty and homelessness, is also an opportunity to explore connections or parallels to the world the students navigate today.

The Santa Monica Repertory Theater is a group of passionate and socially-conscious artists who utilize the unique capabilities of theater to contribute to a more intelligent, inquisitive, and engaged community. What you will experience is a staged reading. The staged reading is not a fully realized production. However, Santa Monica Rep uses a scaled down presentation to focus on the language of the text. This production of Frank Galati’s The Grapes of Wrath is a celebration not only of the human spirit but the power of theatre as a living, breathing work of art.

Lesson plans have been developed to serve as an entry point for students, with the intention of establishing both relevancy and a true critical forum. The initial lesson utilizes visual texts to provide immediate context and guided dialogue. Following lesson plans allow students to understand character development through re-enactment, along with the power of popular culture via the social-political messages conveyed through music. The final lesson asks students to respond to a variety of writing prompts, both creative and academic. Collectively, these focused lessons serve as lenses and mirrors to enhance a student’s engagement with The Grapes of Wrath, be it novel, play, or even John Ford’s 1940 film. It should be clear to any reader or observer that John Steinbeck’s epic resonates in our American life, evident in the “The Ghost of Tom Joad” or the daily images coming into focus in our current social-political life.

We hope the information and activities in these lessons resonate with many of your students---and with you, often the most important lighthouse in a student’s life. Please take the time to go through each lesson to the best of your ability prior to the show in order to make the performance a more meaningful experience. Each lesson follows both VAPA and California Common Core standards and is a tool to help your students find connections between The Grapes of Wrath and subjects they are currently studying.

Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have on this curriculum or in connection to John Steinbeck’s classic novel---one that continues to edify the heart and soul of endless readers.

Thank you for all you do for our youth!

Sincerely, Tanya White & Pete Barraza 2018-19 Teaching Artist and Resident Educator for The Broad Stage

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CONTENTS LESSONS LESSON 1: An Introduction Discussion to Displacement......... 5 HANDOUT 1: Analyzing Visual Texts as Arguments & OPTICS.... 9 HANDOUT 2: Words & Images as Shared Texts................................ 10 HANDOUT 3: “The Final Word” Protocol............................................. 15 LESSON 2: Exploring the Impact of Environment and Circumstances on Behavior, Choices and Decisions using the Characters of The Grapes of Wrath................................................ 16 HANDOUT 4: The Grapes of Wrath Character Guide.................. 20 HANDOUT 5: The Arrest of Jim Casy (sc. pgs 56-59)....................... 21 LESSON 3: Music and Drama............................................................. 25 HANDOUT 6: Protest Songs of the 1920’s & 30’s.............................. 28 HANDOUT 7: “This Land is Your Land”................................................ 30 HANDOUT 8: Author’s Note (sc. pg 8) & Introduction to Jim Casy (sc. pg 9)...................................................................................................... 31 LESSON 4: Post-Show Lesson - Writing and Creating Art to Connect The Grapes of Wrath to American Life ...................... 32

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES GLOSSARY.................................................................................................. 36

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LESSON 1: AN INTRODUCTION DISCUSSION TO DISPLACEMENT IN JOHN STEINBECK’S THE GRAPES OF WRATH LESSON AT A GLANCE LESSON OBJECTIVE: By analyzing significant quotes from John Steinbeck’s The Harvest Gypsies and images by Dorothea Lange, students will begin to explore themes of displacement, dispossession, and disenfranchisement; students will in turn respond to universal questions rooted in some of the key values presented in the script/novel. By utilizing a small-group protocol (“The Final Word”), each student’s verbal contribution will be validated.

DURATION: 1 hr. 20 minutes MATERIALS: Handout 1: OPTICS Guide, Handout 2: Selected Steinbeck quotes & selected images by Dorothea Lange, Handout 3: Protocol for “The Final Word,” 8-9 pods of 4-5 desks STANDARDS: Common Core State Standards Reading Standards for Informational Text Grades Eleven-Twelve: 7.0 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 4.1 Articulate how personal beliefs, cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political contexts influence the interpretation of the meaning or message in a work of art.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 4.2 Compare the ways in which the meaning of a specific work of art has been affected over time because of changes in interpretation and context.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 4.3 Formulate and support a position regarding the aesthetic value of a specific work of art and change or defend that position after considering the views of others.

CONCEPTS/VOCABULARY: Disillusion - the condition of being disenchanted; the condition of being dissatisfied or defeated in expectation or hope.

Disenfranchisement - the state of being deprived of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially being deprived of the right to vote.

Displacement - the enforced departure of people from their homes, typically because of war, financial crisis, persecution, or natural disaster.

Dispossession - the result of depriving someone of land, property, or other possessions.

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LESSON AT A GLANCE, CONTD. Hooverville - disenfranchised by conditions beyond their control, homeless migrants set up camps, dubbed Hoovervilles, near work sites. The camps, characterized by filth and starvation, were named for President Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for the Great Depression.

Migrant - a person who moves regularly in order to find work, especially in harvesting crops.

Okie - the California natives used this term to disparage the Midwestern migrants. Okie connotes prejudice, and hints at the natives’ fears that the migrants might try to seize their wealth: “Okie means you’re scum. Don’t mean nothing itself, it’s the way they say it” (206).

Route 66 - running from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 spanned over 2,000 miles, and was the highway system that the migrants used to travel to California. Route 66 spawned a great deal of commerce, with restaurants, gas stations, and hotels cropping up along the road. Steinbeck spends several intercalary chapters detailing life on Route 66, the most notable of which features a diner waitress who helps a migrant father provide a candy treat for his children.

The Great Depression - an economic downturn plagued Europe and the United States prior to World War II. Years of irresponsible bank lending coupled with a faltering European economy brought about the stock market crash of 1929. The Grapes of Wrath is regarded as one of the most significant novels written during and about the struggles of this period.

The Dust Bowl - one of the worst agricultural disasters in our nation’s history, caused by a perfect storm of factors, including drought, infertile soil, deep plowing, and a lack of crop rotation. During the 1930s, Dust Bowl conditions left farm families unable to pay their mortgages, forcing them to head west in search of jobs.

The Grapes of Wrath - the novel’s title comes from Julia Ward Howe’s abolition song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored….” Steinbeck uses the phrase, suggested as a title by then-wife Carol, to describe the migrants’ anger against the farm owners in Chapter 25.

The Harvest Gypsies - John Steinbeck was commissioned by The San Francisco News to write a series of articles on the migrant laborers of the Salinas Valley. The result, “The Harvest Gypsies” (1936).

GUIDING QUESTIONS: What examples of displacement characterize California’s history and its people?

What does disenfranchisement look like for the Joads and other families who are trying to find decent work and a decent way of living?

While displacement and harsh uprooting and re-rooting occur throughout the play, what examples of generosity and community help to combat the abrasive truth of forced migration?

What is the significance of a journey?

What can we learn from a photograph? Do photographs limit our understanding of reality?

Are today’s images of forced migration similar to those captured in 1930’s America?

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LESSON PLAN Mini Lesson: Given Circumstances (15 minutes) Start a discussion with your students about personal experiences, observations, or readings with displacement or disenfranchisement, letting students brainstorm a list of possibilities to be written on the board. Considering the circumstances (environmental, social, familial, etc.) and situational conditions, students should then discuss as a whole class how a writer, playwright, or photographer might impose these conditions when developing characters or subject matter.

Mini Lesson: OPTICS (15 minutes) In order to prepare students for the larger task of analyzing significant excerpts and images, teachers should go over Handout 1: OPTICS guide, and model the application with a well-known image such as “Migrant Mother” by Dorthea Lange. An important component for this mini lesson is to give students a toolbox for analyzing both written and visual texts.

Main Lesson: Arts & Letters: Using Primary Sources (50 Minutes) As an important introduction to the historical context and exigency for The Grapes of Wrath, students will be asked to observe, reflect, and analyze quotes from Steinbeck’s The Harvest Gypsies and photos from Dorothea Lange, such as “Migrant Mother” through the activity called, “The Final Word.”

Distribute Handouts 2 & 3 and divide students into groups of four to five. Read Handout 3: “The Final Word” protocol as a class and allow groups to assign a facilitator/time keeper. Model “The Final Word” activity prior to having students work in groups.

Task: Synthesizing the verbal responses to the quotes and images, students will individually produce written responses to essential questions.

During “The Final Word,” each student in the group will have the opportunity to begin an analysis in response to the significance of a particular Steinbeck quote and Lange image, having the final word after each group member is afforded the opportunity to make meaningful assertions or conclusions.

Students are to work in their groups for approximately 40 minutes.

Circulate and enter conversations to offer guidance and feedback. Basic explorative questions can be assigned, such as the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. More probing questions will provoke students to connect the excerpts and images to the 1930s and contemporary America.

Assessment Criteria: • All group members participate in “The Final Word.”

• Elements of analysis are used to respond to the assigned excerpts and images.

• Students will include an objective, interpretive, and subjective component within their written responses to the quote and image assigned.

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After completing the activity, ask students to produce a short paragraph that accounts for his/her individual response to the assigned quote and image, along with synthesized comments by the other assigned group members.

Purpose: To learn how various types of texts, written or visual, help to convey arguments in responses to social, political, environmental, or historical facets of American life.

Student Reflection How did you use the key concepts and the handouts to analyze both the quotes and the images within the context of the 1930’s Dust Bowl-Depression Era? How did your own final word help to frame your understanding of your assigned quote and image?

What are the kinds of photos that are missing from the collection?

TAKE IT FURTHER! Ask students to create their own photo journalistic compilations.

Thinking as a playwright, how might you design a set to create the tone in line with the purpose of play’s emotional beats and pulses? How might you design the costuming to emphasize the character’s plight?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT! In what situations might you use photography instead of writing to convey an important message?

RESEARCH Have students research other photographers that helped to change the social-political landscape of America.

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HANDOUT 1: OPTICS GUIDE Key Guidelines When analyzing photographs, the tools to analyze students’ arguments are similar to those used when analyzing arguments. Some of these include: • thinking critically about the artist’s intention(s) • examining the structure of a piece • considering various appeals to ethos, pathos, logos In addition, however, a photographer is likely to use visual strategies such as subject matter, placement and spatial organization, color, and contrast. Consider these additional elements when analyzing photography: • Who is the audience?

• Is there a political aim?

• What is the first thing one notices?

• Is there a narrative or a story in the photo?

• What emotions does the photo evoke?

• Is there a particular tone created through the use of color, light, or contrast?

• Are the subjects real?

• What cultural assumptions are viewers likely to attach to the photo?

• Is there a claim being made about the issue it raises?

The OPTIC Strategy: Analyzing Visual and Graphic Texts Consider this basic framework when analyzing photographs and as well as other images: Overview: Conduct a brief overview of the of the visual or graphic. In one sentence, what is the image about?

Parts: When reading a visual as a text, it is important to identifying the parts (color, figures, textures, shadings, groupings, numbers, repetitions, contrasts, etc.).

Title: Reading the title or caption of a visual can assist in understanding the subject it is covering.

Interrelationships: To better understand the interrelationships in an image, it is important to consider how the parts of the visual come together to convey a particular tone, idea, or argument.

Conclusion: Attempt to draw a conclusion about the visual in terms of the argument is trying to make.

Write a paragraph attempting to interpret the purpose of the image as a whole.

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HANDOUT 2: SELECTED STEINBECK QUOTES & SELECTED IMAGES BY DORTHEA LANGE (A) “The crop may be late, or there may occur one of those situations like that at Nipomo last year when twelve hundred workers arrived to pick the pea crop only to find it spoiled by rain” (J.S. The Harvest Gypsies)

Title: Migrant agricultural worker’s family. Seven children without food. Mother aged thirty-two.

Father is a native Californian. Nipomo, California Creator(s): Lange, Dorothea, photographer Date Created/Published: 1936 Feb. or Mar.

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HANDOUT 2, CONT’D (B) “The dullness shows in the faces of this family, and in addition there is a sullenness that makes them taciturn” (J.S The Harvest Gypsies)

Title: Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California Creator(s): Lange, Dorothea, photographer Date Created/Published: 1936 Feb.

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HANDOUT 2, CONT’D (C) “In their heads, as they move wearily from harvest to harvest, there is one urge and one overwhelming need, to acquire a little land again, and to settle on it and stop their wandering” (J.S., from The Harvest Gypsies)

Title: Toward Los Angeles, California Creator(s): Lange, Dorothea, photographer Date Created/Published: 1937 Mar.

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HANDOUT 2, CONT’D (D) “The Good Neighbors, a woman’s organization, takes part in quilting and sewing projects, sees that destitution does not exist, governs and watches the nursery, where children can be left while the mothers are working in the fields and in the packing sheds” (J.S., from The Harvest Gypsies)

Title: While the mothers are working in the fields, the preschool children of migrant families are cared for in the nursery school under trained teachers, Kern migrant camp, California Creator(s): Lange, Dorothea, photographer Date Created/Published: 1936 Nov.

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HANDOUT 2, CONT’D (E) “There is only one piece of property which is worth attaching for the debt, and that is his car; and while single men are able to get from harvest to harvest on the railroads and by hitch-hiking, the man with a family will starve if he loses his car” (J.S., from The Harvest Gypsies)

Title: The windshield of a migratory agricultural laborer’s car, in a squatter camp near Sacramento, California Creator(s): Lange, Dorothea, photographer Date Created/Published: 1936 Nov.

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HANDOUT 3: “THE FINAL WORD” PROTOCOL Purpose The purpose of this protocol is to give each person in the group an opportunity to have their ideas, understandings, and perspective enhanced by hearing from others. With this protocol, the group can explore an image and corresponding excerpt, clarify their thinking, and have their assumptions and beliefs questioned in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issue.

Time For each round, allow about 8 minutes (circles of 5 participants: presenter 3 minutes, response 1 minute each for 4 people, final word for presenter 1 minute). Total time is about 40 minutes for a group of 5 (32 minutes for a group of 4, 48 minutes for a group of 6).

Roles Facilitator/time-keeper (who also participates); participants Facilitation • Have participants identify one significant idea from the text and image • Stick to the time limits • Avoid dialogue • Have equal sized circles so all small groups finish at approximately the same time Process 1. Sit in a circle and identify a facilitator/time-keeper.

2. Each person will be assigned a photo taken by Dorothea Lange and a brief excerpt from John Steinbeck’s The Harvest Gypsies. Utilizing the OPTICS guide, students will attempt to identify the artistic measures used in the assigned photograph and analyze the tone created in conjunction with the excerpt from Steinbeck’s journalistic work.

3. The first person begins by identifying what struck him or her the most from the image and/or the Steinbeck excerpt. Have this person identify some of the devices or “tools” used by Lange in the assigned photo. Then, in less than 3 minutes, this person describes why the photo in conjunction with the Steinbeck excerpt struck her/him. For example, how does tone get created? What questions does she/he have about that excerpt? What issues does it raise for her/him? What does she/he now wonder about in relation to that quote?

4. Continuing around the circle, each person briefly responds to the same image and excerpt and to what the presenter said, in less than a minute. The purpose of the response is: • To synthesize and expand the presenter’s thinking in order to enhance the critical discourse • To provide a different look at the image and excerpt • To clarify the presenter’s thinking about the image and excerpt • To question the presenter’s assumptions about the image and the issues raised (although at this time there is no response from the presenter) Protocols are most powerful and effective when used within an ongoing professional learning community and facilitated by a skilled facilitator.

After going around the circle with each person having responded for less than one minute, the person that began has the “final word.” In no more than one minute the presenter responds to what has been said. Now what is she/he thinking? What is her/his reaction to what she/he has heard?

5. The next person in the circle then begins by sharing what struck him or her most from his or her assigned photo and Steinbeck excerpt. Proceed around the circle, responding to this next presenter in the same way as the first presenter’s. This process continues until each person has had a round with his or her own photo and excerpt.

6. End by debriefing the process in your small group.

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LESSON 2: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CIRCUMSTANCES ON BEHAVIOR, CHOICES AND DECISIONS USING THE CHARACTERS OF THE GRAPES OF WRATH LESSON AT A GLANCE LESSON OBJECTIVE: Students practice empathy by exploring the point of view of various characters from the play. Students will develop the vocabulary to accurately interpret situation cues that indicate how others feel and ‘put themselves in another’s shoes.’

NOTE: Students need to have read the play or book prior to this lesson.

DURATION: 1 hr. 10 min.

MATERIALS: Handout 4: The Grapes of Wrath Character Guide; Handout 5: sc. pps 56-59 the arrest of Jim Casy STANDARDS: Common Core State Standards, Writing Grades Nine-Twelve: 3d Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

VAPA Theater Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 1.2 Document observations and perceptions of production elements, noting mood, pacing, and use of space through class discussion and reflective writing.

VAPA Theater Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 2.1 Make acting choices, using script analysis, character research, reflection, through the rehearsal process.

Social Emotional Learning competencies: social awareness, take others perspective, empathy CONCEPTS/VOCABULARY: Character - a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, television series, film, or video game).

Character Arc - the individual character’s narrative within the larger story. Typically described as the ‘journey’ or development of the character.

Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Gesture – a physical movement that communicates feeling or images.

Given Circumstances - the total set of environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions that a character in a drama undertakes.

Point of View - a character’s perspective, or unique way looking at the world and processing information.

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LESSON AT A GLANCE, CONT’D Protagonist - the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

Tableau – a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene using gesture and facial expression.

Vulnerability - the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

GUIDING QUESTIONS: How do we know someone is a ‘good person’ or ‘bad person’?

Tom Joad is the protagonist. He also killed a man. How do we feel about him? Is he a good person or a bad person?

In what way do our given circumstances or emotions affect our decision making?

What character in The Grapes of Wrath had the most dramatic or biggest ‘change of heart’ in the play?

How do you know?

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LESSON PLAN Mini Lesson (45 Minutes) Review Handout 4: Character Guide as a group and discuss the following: What is the guiding principle or theme of the play?

What character do you believe best expresses this theme and why?

Break into small groups and assign each group a character from the play. Ask each group to discuss the character’s Given Circumstances and how the character feels based on their behavior in the play.

Encourage the students to speak to how they might feel in the same circumstances.

Have the group discuss the Character Arc and how the character relates to the world at the beginning of the play and by the end of the play.

Next, ask students to write a letter as a character to another character from The Grapes of Wrath or write a diary/journal entry as one of the characters. They can either do this with the character they were discussing as a group or another character from the play.

Examples: • Tom writes a letter to his mother from prison.

• Ma Joad writes a note to Ruthie and Winfield’s teacher explaining why they will no longer be in school.

• Rose of Sharon writes in her diary about the night Connie asked her to marry him.

• Pa writes a letter to the editor of the newspaper about being put off their farm.

Mini Lesson (35 Minutes) Distribute Handout 5: “The Arrest of Jim Casy” and read aloud as a group.

Discuss Point of View. For example, the Sheriff may be described as corrupt but he is doing the right thing from his perspective. As a group, students explore the actions of the main characters in the scene, connecting the characters’ actions/behaviors to the characters’ point of view.

Ask each students to create a character, outside of their own experience, and determine their circumstances (name, age, marital status, cultural identity, etc.) Commit information to an index card.

They are a member of the crowd surrounding the main action of the scene.

After writing, ask students to share their character with their small group and describe the character’s Given Circumstances, Character Arc and Point of View.

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Main Lesson Task: Students will create a tableau of the arrest of Jim Casy using gesture and facial expression to demonstrate the character’s perspective.

Review tableau with your students. Tableau is a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene using gesture and facial expression. Gestures and facial expression are acting tools used in order to communicate what the character is feeling in a tableau.

Divide students into four groups. Each group will create a tableau on the arrest of Jim Casy. Ask students to create a physical gesture representing their character’s state of mind in that moment and one by one they will create a stage picture as each student joins to the tableau.

Encourage students to be flexible and to add their character and gesture to the tableau in a way that adds to the story.

As an option, you can facilitate ‘casting’ the main characters of Jim Casy, The Sheriff, Tom Joad, Floyd and Floyd’s wife (the assignments can be gender fluid). The other students in the group can add as members of the crowd.

After each group participates creating a tableau, lead a class discussion reflecting on students’ experience and how it relates to taking others perspective and empathy.

Did your character seem like a ‘real’ person?

Were you able to empathize with the character you were playing?

Do you think your own circumstances helped or hindered you from understanding the character and their perspective?

Assessment Criteria: • Students’ tableau was reflective of the arrest of Jim Casy.

• Students were committed to their gesture and character.

• Students were able to reflect and discuss on their experience and make connections to the social emotional learning competencies of taking others perspective and empathy.

Purpose: Through tableau, students explore a deeper engagement with empathy as a concept and what it means to the communication of the play’s themes.

Student Reflection Ask students to write and document their observations and perceptions of the elements within the tableaus they experienced. How did the groups use mood, space, gesture, and facial expression to communicate the arrest of Jim Casy?

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HANDOUT 4: THE GRAPES OF WRATH CHARACTER GUIDE TOM JOAD: Tom is the oldest child of Ma and Pa Joad and arrives home after being released from MacAlester Prison to find that his family has been pushed off their farm. He accompanies them to California, learning from Jim Casey and maturing during their journey.

JIM CASY: Jim is a former itinerant preacher who befriends the Joad family and goes with them to California. He listens to the people and thinks deeply and philosophically about what is happening to them. He becomes a role model for Tom. PA JOAD: Pa is the head of the family and the father of Tom, Noah, Al, Rose of Sharon, Ruthie and Winfield. He becomes less and less able to make decisions as life gets more difficult on the journey.

MA JOAD: Ma is the wife of Pa Joad and the matriarch of the family. Ma is truly the strength and backbone for all of them and is especially close to Tom. She guides Rose of Sharon in the ways of becoming a woman.

GRANPA AND GRANMA JOAD: They are the elders and have a hard time leaving the land that has been home for so long. They represent a generation who cannot make it to the “Promised Land” of California.

ROSE OF SHARON: Rose is married to Connie Rivers and is pregnant with their first child. Her name, a Biblical reference, means “flower of the desert.” Her final act may be symbolic of her name.

NOAH JOAD: Noah is one of the brothers and is quiet and a little strange. He decides to stay by the river and not go on with the family into California.

AL JOAD: Al is young and a bit full of himself but is a loving brother and hard worker. He loves cars and girls and really knows how to fix cars, a valuable skill on the journey.

RUTHIE AND WINFIELD: Ruthie and Winfield are the youngest Joads and, as Tom says when they cross into California for the first time, “Who’s really seein’ it is Rughie an’ Winfiel’.” They represent the future.

CONNIE RIVERS: Connie is married to Rose of Sharon and is a dreamer but not a doer. He deserts Rose of Sharon and the family because he cannot deal with the reality of the family’s difficulties.

UNCLE JOHN: Uncle John is Pa Joad’s brother and is a sad man who feels guilty about the death of his young wife years earlier. He drinks too much on occasion to release his sorrow, but he is kind to the younger children. His act at the end of the story with Rose of Sharon’s baby reveals Steinbeck’s anger at what is happening to all these migrant workers.

Content from, La Theater Group: http://www.latw.org/EDU-latw/aliveandaloud/images/grapesX2.pdf THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

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HANDOUT 5: THE ARREST OF JIM CASY (PGS 56-59) CONTRACTOR. You men want to work?

MAN IN CROWD. Sure we wanta work. (Floyd steps out ahead of the others.)

FLOYD. (Quiety) I’ll go, mister. You’re a contractor, an’ you got a license. You jus’ show your license, an’ then you give us an order to go to work, an’ where, an’ when, an’ how much we’ll get, an’ you sign that, an’ we’ll all go. (The contractor turns.)

CONTRACTOR. You telling me how to run my own business?

FLOYD. ‘F we’re workin’ for you, it’s our business too.

CONTRACTOR. Well, you ain’t telling me what to do. Fruits opening up. I told you I need men.

FLOYD. But you ain’t sayin’ how many men, an’ you ain’t sayin’ what you’d pay.

CONTRACTOR. Goddamn it, I don’t’ know yet.

FLOYD. If you don’ know, you got no right to hire men.

CONTRACTOR. I got a right to run my business my own way. If you men want to sit here on your ass, OK. I’m getting men for Tulare County. Going to need a lot of men. (Floyd turns to the crowd of men.)

FLOYD. Twicet now I’ve fell for that. Maybe he needs a thousan’ men. He’ll get five thousan’ there, an’ he’ll pay fifteen cents an hour. An’ you poor bastards’ll have to take it ‘cause you’ll be hungry. ‘F he wants to hire men, let him hire ‘em an’ write it out an’ say what he’s gonna pay. Ast ta see his license.

He ain’t allowed to contract without a license. (A man appears, on his leather jacket is pinned the star of the deputy sheriff. A heavy pistol holster hangs on his belt. He moves through the crowd.)

CONTRACTOR. Ever see this guy before, Joe? DEPUTY SHERIFF. Which one?

CONTRACTOR. (Indicating Floyd.) This fella.

DEPUTY SHERIFF. What’d he do?

CONTRACTOR. He’s talking red, agitating trouble.

DEPUTY SHERIFF. Hm-m-m. (He moves slowly around Floyd.)

FLOYD. You see? If this guy’s on the level, would he bring a cop along?

CONTRACTOR. Ever see ‘im before?

DEPUTY SHERIFF. Hmm, seems like I have. Las’ week when that used-car lot was busted into. Seems like I seen this fella hangin’ aroun’. Yep! I’d swear it’s the same fella. You come on. (He unhooks the strap that covers the butt of his automatic.)

TOM. You got nothin’ on him. (The deputy swings around, and moves slowly to Tom.) DEPUTY SHERIFF. ‘F you’d like to go in too, you jus’ open your trap once more. They was two fellas hangin’ around that lot.

TOM. I wasn’t even in the State las’ week.

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HANDOUT 5, CONT’D DEPUTY SHERIFF. Well, maybe you’re wanted someplace else. You keep your trap shut, Okie. (The deputy gives Tom a sudden violent shove. The contractor turns back to the men.)

CONTRACTOR. You fellas don’t want ta listen to these goddamn reds. Troublemakers—they’ll get you in trouble. Now I can use all of you in Tulare County. (The men are silent. The deputy smiles.)

DEPUTY SHERIFF. Might be a good idear to go. Board of Health says we got to clean out this camp. An’ if it gets around that you got reds out here—why, somebody might git hurt. Be a good idear if all you fellas moved on to Tulare. They isn’t a thing to do aroun’ here. That’s jus’ a friendly way a telling you. Be a bunch a guys down here, maybe with pick handles, if you ain’t gone. (Ma and Ruthie appear near the Joad camp.)

CONTRACTOR. I told you I need men. If you don’t want to work—well, that’s your business. (Floyd stands stiffly, his thumbs hooked over his belt. The contractor moves away.)

DEPUTY SHERIFF. (Moving to Floyd.) Now c’mon, Hayseed, we’re goin for a ride. (Floyd’s wife tries to intercede, but Al holds her back. The deputy reaches a large hand up and takes hold of Floyd’s left arm.

Floyd pushes the hand away. The deputy reaches again and Floyd pushes the hand away. The deputy reaches again and Floyd pushes the hand away. The deputy reaches again and Floyd pushes the hand away again and swings with one movement. His fist splashes into the large face, and in the same motion he is away. The deputy falls in a heap on the ground. Floyd bumps into Casy, who sends him off. The deputy stands, draws his gun, and moves after Floyd, who pushes through the crowd.)

AL. He’s got a gun! (Tom steps in and puts out his foot. The deputy falls heavily and rolls, looking back at Tom. The crowd screams and parts at the sight of the deputy’s gun. Floyd trips and falls to the ground.

The deputy fires. A woman near Floyd screams and grabs her hand. Floyd stands and ducks out of sight.

The deputy, kneeling on the ground, raises his gun again and then, suddenly, from the group of men, Casy steps in. He kicks the deputy in the face and then stands back as the heavy man crumbles. Most of the crowd flees. The deputy is lying on his back, his mouth open. Tom picks up his automatic and pulls the magazine. Casy kneels down and checks the deputy.)

TOM. Fella like that ain’t got no right to a gun. (A small crowd gathers around the wounded woman. A moves to her. Casy moves to Tom, takes the gun and places it next to the deputy.)

CASY. You got to git out. You go down in the willas an’ wait. He didn’ see me kick ‘im, but he seen you stick out your foot.

TOM. I don’ want ta go.

CASY. They’ll fingerprint you. You broke parole. They’ll send you back.

TOM. Jesus! I forgot.

CASY. Go quick. ‘Fore he comes to. (Tom runs away. Al steps over the fallen deputy, then turns to Casy admiringly.)

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HANDOUT 5, CONT’D AL. Jesus, you sure flagged ‘im down!

CASY. (To Al) Get out. Go on, get out—to the fambly. You don’t know nothin’.

AL. Yeah? How ‘bout you?

CASY. (To the family) “Somebody got to take the blame. I got no kids. They’ll jus’ put me in jail, an’ I ain’t doin’ nothin’ but set aroun’.

AL. Ain’t no reason for— CASY. Go on now. You get outta this.

AL (Bristling.) I ain’t takin’ orders.

CASY. If you mess in this your whole fambly, all your folks, gonna get in trouble. I don’ care about you.

But your ma and your pa, they’ll get in trouble. Maybe they’ll send Tom back to McAlester.

AL. OK. I think you’re a damn fool, though.

CASY. Sure. Why not? (Al runs over to the family as Casy kneels beside the deputy. The deputy groans.

Two armed men run on. Casy stands up.)

OFFICER. What the hell’s goin’ on here? (He goes to the deputy who is trying to sit up. The second officer picks up the deputy’s gun. Connie appears.)

CASY. I knocked out your man there.

OFFICER. Now what happened here?

CASY. Well, he got tough an’ I hit ‘im, and he started shootin’—hit a woman over there. So I hit ‘im again.

(The deputy stands up slowly.)

OFFICER. We’ll what’d you do in the first place?

CASY. I talked back.

OFFICER. Awright, you’re going with me.

CASY. Sure. They’s a woman down there like to bleed to death from his bad shootin’.

OFFICER. We’ll see about that later. Joe, is this the fella that hit you? (The deputy stares sickly at Casy.)

DEPUTY SHERIFF. Don’t look like him.

CASY. It was me, all right. You got smart with the wrong fella.

DEPUTY SHERIFF. You don’t look like the right fella to me. By God, I’m gonna be sick! (The deputy stumbles away. Connie runs off as the officer approaches.)

CASY. I’ll go ‘thout no trouble. You better see how bad that woman’s hurt. (The officer puts handcuffs on Casy and then leads him away. Uncle John and Pa watch. Al runs off.)

PA. Now what the hell made the preacher do that?

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HANDOUT 5, CONT’D UNCLE John. He knowed about sin. I ast him about sin, an’ he tol’ me; but I don’ know if he’s right. He says a fella’s sinned if he thinks he’s sinned. I been secret all my days. I done things I never tol’ about.

MA. (Turning from the fire.) Don’ go tellin’, John. Tell ‘em to God. Don’ go burdenin’ other people with your sins. That ain’t decent.

UNCLE JOHN. They’re a-eatin’ on me.

MA. Well, don’ tell ‘em. Go down the river an’ stick your head under an’ whisper ‘em in the stream.

UNCLE John. I got to tell.

PA. Well, tell then, goddamn it! Who’d ya kill? (Uncle John digs with his thumb into the watch pocket of his blue jeans and scoops out a folded dirty bill.)

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LESSON 3: MUSIC AND DRAMA: EXPLORING THE USE OF MUSIC IN THE GRAPES OF WRATH LESSON AT A GLANCE LESSON OBJECTIVE: Students explore the telling of history through song and discuss the power of song giving context to The Grapes of Wrath.

DURATION: 1 hr. 10 min.

MATERIALS: Handout 6: Protest Songs in the 1920’s and 1930’s; Handout 7: This Land is Your Land; Handout 8: Author’s Note (pg. 8) and Introduction of Jim Casy (pg. 9) STANDARDS: Common Core State Standards, Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Grades Nine-Twelve: 4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

VAPA Theatre Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 1.2 Document observations and perceptions of production elements, noting mood, pacing, and use of space through class discussion and reflective writing.

VAPA Music Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 4.3 Explain how people in a particular culture use and respond to specific musical works from that culture.

CONCEPTS/VOCABULARY: Activism - the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.

Anthem - a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.

Historical Context - the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place.

Mood - refers to the production’s overall emotional quality—happy, sad, tragic, comic, and so forth.

Protest Song - a song that is associated with a movement for social change.

Theatrical Device - techniques that facilitate a successful presentation of a play. They also include any practices that advance and enhance the understanding the audience brings to the action and the acting by the cast on stage.

Tone - gives voice to the characters, both literally and figuratively. Through tone, the reader is able to learn about a character’s personality and disposition.

GUIDING QUESTIONS: How and why does music inspire us?

Why is historic context important in understanding a story, play, book or any other form of expression?

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LESSON PLAN Mini Lesson (45 minutes) Review Handout 6: Protest Songs in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Encourage students to find correlation between America in the 1930’s and today.

What are the similarities? What are the differences?

Review Handout 7: “This Land is Your Land, This Land is my Land” and analyze the song.

How does this song comment on the ‘American Dream’?

At what part of the song is there a ‘turn’ in the tone or intent of the song?

Is it effective in making the listener think more deeply about the song as a whole?

Review this quote by Bruce Springsteen together: “I tend to believe music is important to activism in the sense that it stirs passion, it stirs interest, it stirs curiosity, it moves you to question your own beliefs. It strikes straight to your emotions and it stirs you up inside. After you’ve heard it, I think it marinates inside of you, and ends up coming out in your own energy.” - Bruce Springsteen Continue the conversation, ask students to discuss the quote and identify songs or artists that inspire them or made them think differently or more deeply about a subject.

Review the difference between an anthem and a protest song together.

How are they alike in the ways they move people to action?

Are there songs that do both?

NOTE: Here is an additional resource to aid discussion, “American Anthems: The Songs That Unite Us” from All Songs Considered, NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/07/03/625369721/american-anthems-the-songs-thatunite-us Have students break into groups of four and task them with building a playlist of songs that include both anthems and protests songs. Have students choose a theme from either the play and/or another relevant issue from the 1930’s to base their playlist on. Encourage them to use music from the 30’s or later including artists of today.

Student groups will then present their theme, playlist and describe why the songs were chosen to the class.

Assessment Criteria: • Students are able to identify music as more than entertainment and explain its role in a movement.

• Students have a deeper understanding of the intentional use of lyrics and music to influence the individual, an audience and the community at large.

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POST-SHOW LESSON Mini Lesson (25 minutes) Review and read Handout 8: Author’s Note (pp. 8-9) Grapes of Wrath script by Frank Galati 1990 and Introduction of Jim Casy.

Lead a class discussion on Frank Galati’s assessment and on the theatrical devices used in the staged reading they saw at The Broad Stage.

How were the sound and music used differently for the creation of the truck and recreation of the storm?

Recount specific times when sound was used to indicate time, place, event and music was used to influence tone and/or mood.

Do you agree or disagree with Frank Galati’s assessment that judiciously using stagecraft allows the story and the characters to be the focus of the play?

Jim Casy is introduced at the beginning of the play singing a song to the tune of a secular pop song from 1925. However, he is singing on a religious theme. Discuss this moment with students.

Yes sir, that’s my baby 1925 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh1eGgFTLx4 What does this say about Jim Casy as a character?

Does this choice to introduce him in this manner reflect what we come to know about him through the play?

What does it mean to describe Casy as a Christ figure?

Task: Students will analyze the use of sound and music in The Grapes of Wrath script and write about their findings.

Ask students to identify other places in the script where music is used to further the story or give us deeper insight. Have them write a paragraph identifying where in the play music and/or a song is used, how the use of music and/or a song gives us information, and what new information is imparted by the music and/or song?

Assessment Criteria: • Students will be able to identify when a device is being used from reading the script.

• Students will be able to describe how the sound provides context to the scene or time period.

Purpose: For students to have a deeper understanding of music as a theatrical device in theatre (separate from musical theatre).

Student Reflection Ask students to discuss their findings in a small group and reflect on different interpretations of the music and sounds used.

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HANDOUT 6: PROTEST SONGS OF THE 1920’S & 30’S Songs of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Migrants Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197402/ During the Great Depression songs provided a way for people to complain of lost jobs and impoverished circumstances. Perhaps the most famous of these is “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” by E. Y. Harberg, published in 1931. Songs could also be used to raise people’s spirits and give them hope for better times. “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” with lyrics by Lew Brown and music by Ray Henderson, also published in 1931, told listeners “Don’t take it serious, it’s too mysterious.” The song from the film Gold Diggers of 1933, “We’re in the Money,” with lyrics by Al Dubin and music by Harry Warren (1933), asserted that the depression had passed: “Old Man Depression you are through, you done us wrong.” But the effects of the Depression were far from over.

As part of a set of government-funded programs to put people to work, the Roosevelt administration’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) created programs to document the traditions of rural peoples through writing or sound recordings. Scholars from fields such as folklore, anthropology, sociology, and the nacent field of ethnomusicology took up the cause of documenting folk songs, narratives, and other expressions, by writing them down by hand or using recording equipment if it was available to them. The Library of Congress lent recording equipment to scholars as possible in order to obtain this documentation for the collections.

“Bolero sentimental,” sung by Elinor Rodriguez is an example of a song about the depression in Puerto Rico documented by ethnomusicologist Sidney Robertson Cowell in central California in 1939 as she attempted to locate singers and musicians of many ethnic groups, particularly recent immigrants. “The United States Needs Prayer, Everywhere,” sung by Lulu Morris and chorus, which expresses the hopes and concerns of a troubled nation, was documented by folkorist Herbert Halpert in Mississippi in 1939. In Florida, folkorist Stetson Kennedy headed a project to document the songs and tales of the diverse groups in that state. Among the participating scholars was anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Since Hurston had done much of her PhD research without sound recording equipment, using her memory and transcriptions alone to document African American songs, Herbert Halpert and Stetson Kennedy recorded her singing a few of the songs she collected and then describing their uses, such as the recording of “Halimuhfack,” in which she describes how she learned songs.

Depression-era programs, such as the Federal Theatre Project and the Federal Music Project also created opportunities for artists to have their work presented to audiences that would not have otherwise been able to afford to attend. Free concerts and other productions provided educational experiences for the public and work for artists. Composer Hall Johnson, whose musical, “Run, Little Chillun,” showcased formal arrangements of African American sprituals that he had heard in his father’s church in Georgia, is an example of an African American artist whose work was made more widely known as a result of these programs. The show first appeared on Broadway in 1933, but was shown in other parts of the country with support from the Federal Music Project.

The Roosevelt administration also created public works projects in order to improve the country’s infrastructure while creating jobs. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one such project, that put people to work on roads, dams, and the national parks. “Loveless CCC,” sung by Tommy Rhoads, is a blues song composed by a CCC worker about the hardships of such work (select the link for the illustrated video version of the song. For the unillustrated field recording select this link). Songs sung by three CCC workers on the Shasta Dam, brothers Pat, Bogue, and Warde Ford, were recorded by Sidney Robertson Cowell in 1939.

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HANDOUT 6, CONT’D “Brother Can you Spare a Dime” Lyrics by Yip Harburg, Music by Jay Gorney (1931) They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.

They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead, Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.

Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime; Once I built a tower, now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum, Half a million boots went slogging through Hell, And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don’t you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.

Why don’t you remember, I’m your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum, Half a million boots went slogging through Hell, And I was the kid with the drum!

Say, don’t you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.

Say, don’t you remember, I’m your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Guided Discussion: This song tells a story of disillusion with the government and the promises made to everyone who works hard to make a way. What different stories are being told?

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HANDOUT 7: “THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND” Words and Music by: Woodrow Wilson (“Woodie”) Guthrie, 1940 This land is your land, this land is my land From the California to the New York Island From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf stream waters This land was made for you and me As I went walking that ribbon of highway I saw above me that endless skyway Saw below me the golden valley This land was made for you and me I roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts All around me a voice was sounding This land was made for you and me When the sun come shining, then I was strolling In wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting This land was made for you and me As I went walking I saw a sign there And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.”

But on the other side it didn’t say nothing, That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, By the relief office I seen my people; As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway; Nobody living can ever make me turn back This land was made for you and me.

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HANDOUT 8: AUTHOR’S NOTE AND INTRODUCTION TO JIM CASY AUTHOR’S NOTE The Steppenwolf ensemble once played this adaptation of THE GRAPES OF WRATH for an invited audience on a bare stage in Evanston, Illinois. Though the present text calls for special effects that produce the fundamental natural elements of earth, fire and water, the play certainly held the stage without them. The campfires of the migrants, the long trough of water (covered by a moveable lid on the stage apron) that served as both the Colorado River and the stream that flooded the boxcar camp and the sheets of rain that drenched the Joads near the end of the second act in Kevin Rigdon’s simple and eloquent design for the production were present only in the imagination of the audience, and yet the grip of the story held tight.

The broken down “truck”, the Joad’s Hudson Super Six, was nothing more than a wooden platform on wheels, pushed around the stage by the actors. But the music, Michael Smith’s haunting score, was still the engine that drove the truck and so the audience invented the vehicle and saw it move the characters through the story.

This is just to say that THE GRAPES OF WRATH need not be performed using complex technical effects. Our efforts in designing the play were always to make the most modest use of available stage craft. We strove to be simple. Simplicity is difficult to achieve and sometimes the expressive power of stage effects can overtake the story and character. We tried very hard never to let that happen. In a sense there was no “scenery” in our production: there were natural elements, detailed costumes, and many real objects. We did feel that the actors needed the “things” that are precious, necessary for survival and also burdensome to the characters they played, just as they needed real clothes, not “costumes,” to complete the personal environment of each human being in the story.

Future productions of this play may not have fire and water and a motorized jalopy, but they may have the power that a bare stage, a few props and a group of passionate artists create.

Frank Galati Evanston, Illinois May, 1990

INTRODUCTION TO JIM CASY FIRST NARRATOR. The dawn came, but no day. (Particles of dust hung in the air as feeble light spreads up into the sky.) In the morning the dust hung like fog. Men stood by their fences and looked at the ruined corn, drying fast now, only a little green showing through the film of dust. Ane the women came out of the houses to stand beside their men - to feel whether this time the men would break. The women studied the men’s faces secretly.

For the corn could go, as long as something else remained. (Sunlight through a pattern of leaves reveals Jim Casy sprawled in a pool of dust. He blows into a little harmonica: the reedy opening notes of “Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby.” The man with the saw and the First Narrator are gone. Casy lowers the harmonica and picks up the tune in an easy tenor.)

CASY. (Singing.)

Yes, sir, that’s my Saviour Je-sus is my Saviour Je-sus is my Saviour now.

On the level ‘S not the devil, Jesus is my Saviour now.

And by the way...

And by the way...

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2018/19 SEASON THE GRAPES OF WRATH

LESSON 4: POST- SHOW LESSON - WRITING AND CREATING ART TO CONNECT THE GRAPES OF WRATH TO AMERICAN LIFE LESSON AT A GLANCE OBJECTIVE: Considering the close links between and among photography, film, visual arts, and writing during the Depression, students will use writing and art to respond to a variety of questions stemming from the The Grapes of Wrath in order to examine and better understand interdisciplinary connections to American society.

DURATION: In-Class: Approximately 1 hr.-1 hr. 15 minutes; Take-home section: TBD by teacher MATERIALS: Paper and pens; laptops if available; copy of the play; art materials of your choosing STANDARDS: Common Core State Standards, Writing Grades Eleven thru Twelve: 1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Common Core State Standards, Writing Grades Eleven thru Twelve: 2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine thru Twelve Proficient: 2.6 Create a two-or three-dimensional work of art that addresses a social issue.

VAPA Visual Arts, Grades Nine thru Twelve Proficient: 5.2 Create a work of art that communicates a cross-cultural or universal theme taken from literature or history.

CONCEPTS/VOCABULARY: Abstract - Artwork in which the subject matter is stated in a brief, simplified manner. Little or no attempt is made to represent images realistically, and objects are often simplified or distorted.

Aesthetics - A branch of philosophy; the study of art and theories about the nature and components of aesthetic experience.

Collage - An artistic composition made of various materials (e.g., paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface.

Composition - The organization of elements in a work of art.

Content - Message, idea, or feelings expressed in a work of art.

Focal Point - The place in a work of art on which attention becomes centered because of an element emphasized in some way.

GUIDING QUESTIONS: In what ways can writing and art come together to create meaningful responses to the world around us?

How can a story set in a previous historical era be relevant today?

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LESSON PLAN Writing Prompts The following three prompts serve as options and as entry points for discussions, along with opportunities for quick-write responses by students.

Prompt 1: Attitudes After a discussion on the attitudes of Californian landowners and the Associated Farmers, ask students to write their responses to their deeper appreciation for the Joad’s story, their uprooting and re-rooting, their ability to endure tragedy, etc.

Prompt 2: The Natural World Because The Grapes of Wrath is also about lost relationships with the land, ask students to write about the natural world they belong to by using sensory language and details.

Prompt 3: “Ma Joad For President” In an opinion piece for The Washington Post entitled, “75 Years After The Grapes of Wrath, We Need Ma Joad in the White House” (April 18, 2004), Susan Shillinglaw states: “In our turbulent 21st century, a firm-minded, no-nonsense, generous, flexible and empathetic President Ma would be a beacon for all women and all men.” Based on your reading of the novel, play, or your viewing of the staged reading, provide your own character analysis of Ma Joad. In your response, consider the effect Ma has on those around her.

MAIN LESSON Teachers may choose to use this two-fold lesson as a culminating experience, giving students an opportunity to respond to The Grapes of Wrath (the staged reading) in an analytical way via traditional academic writing and contextual art. An interesting note to share with students as a bridge to Lesson 1 is the fact that Dorthea Lange and her husband visited John Steinbeck about a month after the publication of the The Grapes of Wrath, and because Lange and Steinbeck were basically covering the same ground, it was clear to both of them that prose and photos were working to create better opportunities for migrants.

Part 1: Writing & Creating with Purpose (Essay Writing) 45-60 Minutes Task: After a teacher-led discussion and an opportunity for students to respond via a quick-write, students will then choose an essay prompt to produce a more evolved response rooted in the elements of traditional essay writing and create a visual representation of the themes in their essay.

Option A John Steinbeck clearly paints the faces of the Joads and other migrants in our minds. However, there is a blur or distortion in the bodies of the opposition. Oftentimes, this dark power is dangerous, yet faceless: the tractors; the banks; lights from police cars; the sound of guns. After reading the novel, play, or viewing the staged reading, how is the power and beauty of the people fighting against this opposition treated and conveyed to a group of readers or an audience with greater clarity and fullness?

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2018/19 SEASON THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Option B The following quote is from John Steinbeck’s The Log from The Sea of Cortez: “And it is a strange thing that most of the feelings we call religious, most of the mystical outcrying which is one of the most prized and used and desired reactions of our species, is really the understanding and the attempt to say that man is related to the whole thing, known and unknowable.” Consider Jim Casy’s attempt to explain to Tom what exactly it means to be a part of a greater whole, not just in terms of spiritual renewal, but also activism, and human solidarity. For Jim Casy, the universe has meaning, even when the God of his faith seems absent or at a great distance. In what ways is Tom Joad influenced by these ideas?

Other Options • Analyze Tom Joad’s growth throughout the story. Despite the fact that Tom is not a young boy, does the novel have the characteristics of a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story?

• Choose any section from the play or a passage or short chapter from the novel, examining its use of theme, setting, tone, figurative language, allusions, etc. How do the individual elements work within the section or passage? What does this analysis reveal about the work as a whole?

• The Grapes of Wrath is the last novel in Steinbeck’s labor trilogy, following In Dubious Battle and Of Mice and Men. How do the political themes in The Grapes of Wrath extend to contemporary issues in America?

• Considering Steinbeck’s interest in biology, what aspects of the story explore scientific or ecological themes?

• Characterize Rose of Sharon. How do you reconcile her self-absorption through much of the novel with the way her pregnancy ends and her decision to breastfeed the staving man in the final scene? Why is this a perfect, or imperfect, ending to the novel?

• What is the novel’s attitude toward the American Dream? Has it been threatened by the dehumanization of the migrants or reconstructed through Casy and Tom’s efforts?

• Ma tells Tom, “We’re the people—we go on.... A different time’s comin’.” Is Ma right? For the migrant workers of America, did a different time ever come? Is the Joad experience still a part of the American landscape? How can we tell?

Part 2: Writing & Creating with Purpose: (Creating A Literary Visual Representation) Time TBD by Teacher John Steinbeck was fascinated with the intersection of the visual and written arts. Thus, for this section of the assignment, students will create a piece of visual art using any appropriate method (painting; collage; digital design; mixed media; photography, etc.,) to respond to any section of the novel, play, or viewing of the staged reading.

Along with the production of the work of art, students will provide a 1-2 page response analytically explaining their artistic choices used to illuminate some aspect(s) of the story. Ideally, the students’ artistic expressions will correlate with one of the pieces of writing they complete. Below are a few sample artistic expression pieces in response to The Grapes of Wrath created by American regionalist painter, Thomas Hart Benton:

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Sample Artistic Expressions:

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) Hooverville, c. 1940

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) The Departure of the Joads, 1940

https://www.rockwell-center.org/essays-illustration/imaging-a-daunting-journey/

Assessment Criteria: • All students complete the quick-write.

• Elements of essay writing are used to complete the argumentative multi-paragraph essay.

• All students complete some artistic expression along with an explanation of its connection to an essential question, aspect, issue, scene, or character from The Grapes of Wrath.

Purpose: To extend literacy to visual/written responses found in literature and performance.

Student Reflection How did the staged reading shape your understanding of literature and other types of art coming together?

How did the sample art pieces based on The Grapes of Wrath provoke ideas for your own art piece?

TAKE IT FURTHER!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Ask students to design an anthology of prose, poetry, photography, and other visual art in order respond to an essential question, theme, or argument stemming from another literary text.

Do you think literature has the same impact as visual texts?

RESEARCH Research other American novels and their relationship to visual arts.

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GLOSSARY Abstract - Artwork in which the subject matter is stated in a brief, simplified manner. Little or no attempt is made to represent images realistically, and objects are often simplified or distorted.

Activism - the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.

Aesthetics - A branch of philosophy; the study of art and theories about the nature and components of aesthetic experience.

Anthem - a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.

Character - a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, television series, film, or video game).

Character Arc - the individual character’s narrative within the larger story. Typically described as the ‘journey’ or development of the character.

Collage - An artistic composition made of various materials (e.g., paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface.

Composition - The organization of elements in a work of art.

Content - Message, idea, or feelings expressed in a work of art.

Disenfranchisement - the state of being deprived of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially being deprived of the right to vote.

Disillusion - the condition of being disenchanted; the condition of being dissatisfied or defeated in expectation or hope.

Displacement - the enforced departure of people from their homes, typically because of war, financial crisis, persecution, or natural disaster.

Dispossession - the result of depriving someone of land, property, or other possessions.

Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Focal Point - The place in a work of art on which attention becomes centered because of an element emphasized in some way.

Gesture – a physical movement that communicates feeling or images.

Given Circumstances - the total set of environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions that a character in a drama undertakes.

Historical Context - the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place.

Hooverville - disenfranchised by conditions beyond their control, homeless migrants set up camps, dubbed Hoovervilles, near work sites. The camps, characterized by filth and starvation, were named for President Herbert Hoover, whom many blamed for the Great Depression.

Migrant - a person who moves regularly in order to find work, especially in harvesting crops.

Mood - refers to the production’s overall emotional quality—happy, sad, tragic, comic, and so forth.

Okie - the California natives used this term to disparage the Midwestern migrants. Okie connotes prejudice, and hints at the natives’ fears that the migrants might try to seize their wealth: “Okie means you’re scum. Don’t mean nothing itself, it’s the way they say it” (206).

Point of View - a character’s perspective, or unique way looking at the world and processing information.

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GLOSSARY, CONT’D Protagonist - the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

Protest Song - a song that is associated with a movement for social change.

Route 66 - running from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 spanned over 2,000 miles, and was the highway system that the migrants used to travel to California. Route 66 spawned a great deal of commerce, with restaurants, gas stations, and hotels cropping up along the road. Steinbeck spends several intercalary chapters detailing life on Route 66, the most notable of which features a diner waitress who helps a migrant father provide a candy treat for his children.

Tableau – a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene using gesture and facial expression.

Theatrical Device - techniques that facilitate a successful presentation of a play. They also include any practices that advance and enhance the understanding the audience brings to the action and the acting by the cast on stage.

The Dust Bowl - one of the worst agricultural disasters in our nation’s history, caused by a perfect storm of factors, including drought, infertile soil, deep plowing, and a lack of crop rotation. During the 1930s, Dust Bowl conditions left farm families unable to pay their mortgages, forcing them to head west in search of jobs.

The Grapes of Wrath - the novel’s title comes from Julia Ward Howe’s abolition song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored….” Steinbeck uses the phrase, suggested as a title by then-wife Carol, to describe the migrants’ anger against the farm owners in Chapter 25.

The Great Depression - an economic downturn plagued Europe and the United States prior to World War II. Years of irresponsible bank lending coupled with a faltering European economy brought about the stock market crash of 1929. The Grapes of Wrath is regarded as one of the most significant novels written during and about the struggles of this period.

The Harvest Gypsies - John Steinbeck was commissioned by The San Francisco News to write a series of articles on the migrant laborers of the Salinas Valley. The result, “The Harvest Gypsies” (1936).

Tone - gives voice to the characters, both literally and figuratively. Through tone, the reader is able to learn about a character’s personality and disposition.

Vulnerability - the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

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