Do one of the following:
1. Write and send a letter to an adult that does not live in Ouray County, convincing him/her that s/he should read The Grapes of Wrath. Be very specific about what is in the book that touched you, made you think, feel or act differently. Show how the book might relate to his/her own life or work. (You might consider writing to a legislator or other politician. Is there any particular policy or attitude you would like to see him/her advocate?)
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2. Take an action this week that exemplifies the spirit of the book: the movement "from I to we." Schedule a presentation time to share what you did, and exactly how it relates to the book. Create a presi, powerpoint, or google presentation to support your speech. In your presentation, direct us to at least TWO different moments in the lives of THREE characters: how does each of these character make the transition from I to we? How's that relate to you?
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3. Write Chapter 31.
Disclaimer: Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters are the result of research. The characters and the automotive details in chapter seven; the various forms of “pleasure” and the attitudes of the migrants in chapter twenty-three; Mae and Al, the truck drivers, and even the sticks of candy in chapter fifteen; the “surgeons,” the destruction of the crops, the pellagra, and the anger in chapter twenty-five. In order to write these chapters so eloquently, Steinbeck had to first know his subject – then turn it to poetry.
You do not have the benefit of being able to interview migrants and bear witness to what happened next. All you have is what you've read. The novel ends with winter on the horizon – months without work. Of course, some people did not make it; others did.
Things to consider while composing:
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4. Watch the movie Pride. You'll find a description and helpful links here on IMDB. It's a GREAT movie, and brings up many of the same themes Steinbeck brings up in The Grapes of Wrath. Choose a character from each work that you think, somehow, seems similar to the other, and write an essay in which you show how those similarities illuminate themes from the book and movie. You might compare, for instance, Mark from Pride to Tom from The Grapes of Wrath... or Jonathan from Pride to Jim Casy from The Grapes of Wrath... or Cliff from Pride to Uncle John from The Grapes of Wrath... How do these two very different works have similar impacts?
or (if you did NOT do it for Gatsby)
5. Pretend you work in the design department of the publishing company that has the rights to a brand new edition of this book. Create the new cover, and write a letter to your boss, explaining your design choices.
The letter should go into detail, showing how this new cover more effectively highlights the essence of the book than the cover of the edition everyone's been reading...