John Steinbeck`s The Pastures of Heaven Teacher`s Guide

Transcription

Guide compiled by Trish Tillman
JUNE 2010
TEACHER’S GUIDE
PREP YOUR STUDENTS FOR THE SHOW–
Book your pre- or post-show
Classroom Workshop!
Contact the Artistic Learning Administrator
at 510.548.3422x136
for more info.
John Steinbeck’s
Jonathan Moscone
Artistic Director
Susie Falk
Managing Director
Trish Tillman
Director of Artistic Learning
Emily Morrison
Programs Manager
Samantha Fryer
Artistic Learning
Administration Manager
Ava Jackson
Artistic Learning Coordinator
John Steinbeck’s The Pastures
of Heaven has been selected as
a National Endowment for the
Arts Distinguished New American
Play as part of the NEA New Play
Development Program, hosted by
Arena Stage.
PRESENTING SPONSORS
SEASON SPONSORS
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IN THIS GUIDE:
1. California Shakespeare Theater Overview
a. Cal Shakes’ Mission and Funders.................................................................3
b. Artistic Learning Programs at Cal Shakes..................................................4
The Pastures of Heaven Overview
2. a. A Note to Teachers...........................................................................................6
b. Plot Summary.....................................................................................................7
c. Character Map...................................................................................................10
d. Who’s Who: Character Descriptions...........................................................10
e. Who’s Who: The Actors . ...............................................................................12
f. Seeing the Play—Before and After.................................................................15
g. “Hard Fun”: A Blog by Our Playwright Octavio Solis...............................16
The Pastures of Heaven: Dreams vs. Reality—Can the Earth Hold Heaven?
3. a. Utopia...................................................................................................................18
b. What is Normal?...............................................................................................19
c. Your Life’s Dream..............................................................................................20
John Steinbeck’s Life and Historical Context for The Pastures of Heaven
4. a. Biography............................................................................................................22
b. Steinbeck Fun Facts and Quotes.................................................................23
c. Historical Context of Pastures.......................................................................24
d. Directions to The Pastures of Heaven—A Map..........................................25
5. 6.
Resources
a. The Pastures of Heaven and Other Steinbeck Novels on Film..............27
b. Additional Resources: Books and Internet.................................................28

Classroom Activity Guide
a. Cal Shakes’ Mission and Funders.................................................................31
b. Social Networking Character Study: “Steinbook” ...................................32
c. Tableau: Connecting the Word and the Body............................................35
d. Understanding Character Through Personal Connections.....................37
e. Character Backstory: What Makes a Personality?....................................38
f. Create a Podcast Book Review......................................................................40
g. The Short Story Cycle......................................................................................42
h. Oral History Project..........................................................................................46
i. Cal Shakes Critique—Elementary and Middle School................................48
j. Cal Shakes Critique—Middle and High School...........................................49
GUIDE CREDITS
Editor:
Trish Tillman
Contributors:
Emily Morrison, The National Steinbeck
Center, Carole Rathfon, Trish Tillman
Copy Editor:
Stefanie Kalem
Consulting Editor:
Carole Rathfon
Layout & Graphics: Ilsa Brink
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CAL SHAKES’ MISSION
AND FUNDERS
OUR MISSION
We strive for everyone, regardless of age, circumstance, or background, to discover and express the
relevance of Shakespeare and the classics in their lives.
We make boldly imagined and deeply entertaining interpretations of Shakespeare and the classics.
We provide in-depth, far-reaching creative education opportunities for a diversity of learners.
We bring disparate communities together around the creation of new American plays that reflect the
cultural diversity of the Bay Area.
OUR FUNDERS AND SPONSORS
California Shakespeare Theater’s 2010 season is supported in part by the generosity of
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation.
John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven has been selected as a National Endowment for the Arts
Distinguished New American Play as part of the NEA New Play Development Program,
hosted by Arena Stage.
The development of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven is underwritten
by numerous individual donors and generous support from:
Artistic Learning programs are underwritten by generous support from the Dale Family Fund,
Dodge & Cox, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
and 93 donors to our 2010 Gala Fund-a-Need campaign.
California Shakespeare Theater is pleased to acknowledge our 2010 corporate sponsors, whose
generous contributions are helping to ensure the success of our 37th season.
SEASON SPONSORS
PRESENTING SPONSORS California Shakespeare Theater
701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
510.548.3422
• www.calshakes.org
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ARTISTIC LEARNING
PROGRAMS AT
CAL SHAKES
Artistic Learning represents the California Shakespeare Theater’s commitment to integrating our
artistic and education efforts. Our educational programs nourish academic, creative, and personal
growth through the experience of passionately engaging with theater arts, providing essential tools
for a successful and joyful life.
CLASSROOM RESIDENCIES
School-based residencies partner teaching artists and classroom teachers together to
incorporate arts-integration methods with classic texts into Bay Area classrooms. Residencies
typically span 8–10 hours of instruction culminating in a short performance.
AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES
After school classes are held in partnership with individual schools at the school site as part of
their enrichment programs. Through acting lessons and theater games students develop listening,
teamwork, public speaking, and a host of other skills they can use both in school and out.
SUMMER SHAKESPEARE CONSERVATORIES
Cal Shakes hosts four Summer Shakespeare Conservatories in which students study the art
of performing Shakespeare’s text with professional Cal Shakes actors and artists. Limited
scholarships are available.
STUDENT DISCOVERY MATINEES (Field trips)
Our Student Discovery Matinee Series offers students an extended, multifaceted experience of live
theater, including a free pre-performance engagement at the theater, Q&A sessions with the actors
after the show, and this comprehensive Teacher’s Guide (see below).
TEACHER’S GUIDES INCLUDING STUDENT ACTIVITIES
This teacher and student activity guide is available for each Student Discovery Matinee
production. It is available free of charge to all classrooms regardless of whether or not a class
attends a Student Matinee.
For more information or to register for any of our programs, please contact Ava Jackson,
Artistic Learning Coordinator at 510.548.3422 x136 or learn@calshakes.org.
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OVERVIEW
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A NOTE TO TEACHERS
Welcome! We are thrilled to have you and your students join us for this season’s
Student Discovery Matinee production of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven. Our goal is to
engage students with the work on a variety of levels through the live performance and the activities
in this Teacher’s Guide.
The Pastures of Heaven, Steinbeck’s second book, is considered the one in which he “found” the
subject matter—the people of the Salinas valley—on which he would elaborate for the rest of his life.
As in many of his other works, every character in this small community is forced to reckon with their
goals and perception of life as reality intrudes on their ideals. Through this guide, we encourage
you to discuss with your students the theme of “dreams vs. reality.”
Our production is a marriage between Steinbeck’s novel and playwright Octavio Solis’ adaptation
of it. Each writer builds on the other, heightening the themes, tragedy, and humor of the stories; we
encourage you to also explore with your students the idea of adaptation, and the creative choices
writers must make when turning narrative text into dramatic speech.
An actor’s work is to determine what their character wants, how to get it, and to respond to the
resulting success or failure. Steinbeck, Solis, director Jonathan Moscone, and the production’s
actors create active engagement in the audience not only by bearing witness to these particular
characters working through extraordinary circumstances, but also by creating reflection on our own
struggles.
Enjoy!
THE PASTURES OF HEAVEN OVERVIEW
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PLOT SUMMARY
The Pastures of Heaven is a collection of interwoven stories of families and individuals living in
a small, idyllic Californian town given the name “Pastures of Heaven” for its beautiful landscape.
The stories are framed by the narrative of the Whiteside family, which begins the play in the past
to describe the founding of the town. All of the other stories take place in the present time—the
late 1920s—of the fictional valley.
1 INTRODUCTION: LAS PASTURAS DEL CIELO
Richard Whiteside finds the valley of the Pastures on his travels through California, and is
immediately taken with the idea of settling the Whitesides there for all time. He talks of building a
beautiful house, and filling it with a large family to carry on a Whiteside legacy.
2 THE OLD BATTLE FARM
The property of the Old Battle farm is supposedly haunted and cursed by bad luck. Bert Munroe
arrives with his family in the Pastures and wants to buy it. Three men—Pat Humbert, TB Allen, and
John Whiteside, son of Richard—tell him of the tragic history of the farm. Bert tells them of his
feeling of being cursed himself, but buys the farm anyway.
3 SHARK WICKS
Edward Wicks is known as “Shark” for his amazing ability to make money on the stock market.
However, this fantastic world of monetary success exists only in his imagination. Shark values his
beautiful daughter for her innocence and sees her as a costly trophy. When someone tells him
that Alice is seeing a young man from the town, Shark goes out with a shotgun, is arrested, and,
of course, cannot post bail.
4 HELEN AND HILDA
Helen is a self-styled martyr widow, told by her doctor that her daughter needs treatment for a
mental condition. She insists on caring for her at home and the daughter becomes more and
more mentally unbalanced, resulting in tragedy.
5 THE TORTILLA SISTERS
Rosa and Maria Lopez are known as “the tortilla sisters” because they make very good Mexican
food at their Café Lopez restaurant. Despite their culinary talent, their restaurant is failing. They
begin to reward good customers with sex, but are careful to charge only for the food. As people
in the town begin to realize what kind of service they are providing, the sisters decide to accept
their destiny as prostitutes and move to San Francisco.
6 TULARECITO
Tularecito’s name means “little frog,” for a physical disability that renders him strange-looking,
unnaturally syrong, and misunderstood. The community decides he should be taken care
of in school, but he cannot behave there until the new teacher, Molly Morgan, discovers his
extraordinary talent for drawing; when he is allowed to draw as much as he likes, he becomes
calm. However, when she tells the class tales of gnomes and fairies, Tularecito becomes
convinced he is one of them, and sets about wildly digging holes in everyone’s property to find
his lost people underground.
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PLOT SUMMARY...continued
ACT TWO
7 RICHARD WHITESIDE PART TWO
Richard builds his dream house and marries a woman named Alicia, who can only bear him one son,
John. In light of his dream of a legacy, Richard tries to have Alicia bear more children, which nearly kills
her. John grows up and goes to Harvard, but before he can marry and continue the dynasty, Richard
passes away and John must inherit the legacy of the house.
8 JUNIUS MALTBY
Junius comes from San Francisco to the Pastures. He marries the widow with whom he boards and lives
with her and her two sons. She bears his child, but soon after she and her two sons die of influenza.
Junius raises his son, Robbie, to read great books and spend his days philosophizing, but eventually
the community demands that Robbie go to school. Here his lack of good clothes and shoes bring such
shame to the family that both he and his father lose their sense of self-identity. Having been swayed to
the community’s opinion that Junius has not been taking proper care of Robbie in their idyllically lazy, but
intellectually curious and alive lifestyle, the Maltbys slink away, back to San Francisco.
9 PAT HUMBERT
Pat cares uncomplainingly for his old and demanding parents right up to their dying day. Upon their
deaths, he locks up the sitting room from where his parents oppressively dictated his life and avoids it
for years. But upon overhearing hearing a comment by Mae Munroe about how pretty the outside of his
house looks, Pat decides to remodel the dreaded sitting room in the fashion she might like, in hopes
of marrying her. However, when she visits, she tells him of her engagement to another man, and Pat
retires into the house for the rest of his life.
10 MOLLY MORGAN
Molly Morgan is the teacher in the Pastures. She depends on a world of fantasy in which her father
was a loving parent, always returning from trips with little gifts for her. Through Molly’s flashbacks we
learn that Molly grew up in the city in poverty, and that her father was a traveling salesman and only
came home twice a year. One day Molly’s father leaves and never returns. Her mother assumes he
must be dead, but she refuses to believe it. Molly grows up and goes off to college to earn a teaching
degree. She ends up finding out the truth about her father, and decides to leave the Pastures.
11 RAYMOND BANKS
Raymond Banks is a successful farmer, and the other residents admire the way he farms his land
and chops the heads off chickens. He is very proud of his friendship with the warden at San Quentin
Prison and is often invited to watch an execution and act as a witness. Bert Munroe, still fairly new to
town, asks Raymond if he can join him on his next visit. As soon as he asks Raymond, Bert immediately
regrets the request and backs out.
12 CONCLUSION: THE WHITESIDE HOUSE
The Whiteside’s house catches fire from a chance wind in a burn-off. Richard’s son, John, lets the
house burn, and we are left to wonder: Is he glad to see the house’s legacy and his father’s dreams go
up in flames?
13 CODA: THE FIRE
All of the characters from the stories watch the fire and speak about their time in the Pastures, and of
their dreams there.
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SCHOOL
CHARACTER MAP
WHITESIDES
RICHARD + ALICIA
John + Willa
Bill
SPANISH
CORPORAL
+
NATIVE AMERICAN BRIDE
MISS MORGAN
FRANKLIN GOMEZ
RAYMOND + CLEO BANKS
TULARECITO
TB ALLEN
JACK THE DEPUTY SHERIFF
PANCHO
HELEN + HUBERT VAN DEVENTER
MA
+
PA
HILDA
PAT HUMBERT
JAKOB
STUTZ
MUSTROVIKS
PA - MA - SON
BERT + VIVIAN MONROE
JUNIUS MALTBY
Jimmie
Manny
Mae
Robbie
SHARK +
KATHERINE WICKS
Alice
GEORGE BATTLE
+ MYRTLE CAMERON
ROSA & MARIA LOPEZ
John
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WHO’S WHO: Character Descriptions
CHARACTERS
Richard Whiteside – One of the first settlers of The Pastures of Heaven in 1850. He buys 250
acres and builds a large, stately house so that his descendents for years to come will have a
place to call home. Richard is highly educated and an avid reader.
Alicia Whiteside – Wife of Richard and mother to John. She believes in Richard’s dreams of a
large family, but they are ultimately only able to have one child. She encourages her son to carry
on the legacy by having many children.
John Whiteside – Only son of Richard and Alicia. John shares his father’s interest in the great
works of the ancient Greeks, but is not as devoted to his ideas of a Whiteside dynasty. John is
president of the school board and a respected leader in the community.
Willa Whiteside – John’s wife.
Bill Whiteside – Only son of John and Willa. Though raised to be like his father and
grandfather, Bill has no interest in books or living in the Whiteside family home.
Bert Munroe – Though cursed by many business failures, Bert believes he can start fresh as a
farmer in The Pastures of Heaven. He fits in well with his new neighbors, has a lot of energy and
is eventually elected to the school board.
Vivian Munroe – Wife to Bert and mother of three.
Mae Munroe – Age 19, beautiful and romantic.
Jimmie Munroe – Age 17, secretive and rumored to have a way with the ladies.
Manny Munroe – Age seven, best friend of Robbie Maltby.
TB Allen – Owner of the General Store. Close friends with Pat Humbert and John Whiteside.
Pat Humbert – Pat lives under the shadow of his elderly parents until their deaths in his 30s.
Finally left on his own, Pat throws himself into socializing and fixes up his house in the hopes of
winning over the young Mae Monroe.
George Battle – Originally from New York, George is one of the earliest people to buy farmland
and settle in the Pastures. He devotes himself to working the land.
Myrtle Cameron – George’s wife, an epileptic who is plagued by fits. She is highly religious.
She is placed in a mental ward after trying to burn the house down.
John Battle – George and Myrtle’s only son. He inherits his mother’s epilepsy and mad
devotion to God.
The Mustroviks (Ma, Pa, Son) – A foreign family who arrive suddenly and take over the Battle
farm. Their spooky appearance and standoffish behavior makes them a mystery to the other
townsfolk.
Edward “Shark” Wicks – Known as one of the wisest businessmen in the area, Shark takes
great pride in tracking his investments daily in his ledger.
Katherine Wicks – Shark’s wife. A plain-looking but hardworking woman, Katherine has gotten
used to her husband’s indifference toward her.
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WHO’S WHO: Character Descriptions
CHARACTERS
Alice Wicks – The beautiful only child of Shark and Katherine. Alice is very sheltered by her
parents and lacks awareness of the world.
Jack the Deputy Sheriff – Peacekeeper in the Pastures.
Helen Van Deventer – A woman who seems to hunger for tragedy. A widow and single
mother of Hilda, Helen came from San Francisco seeking a quiet place in the country to keep
watch over her daughter.
Hilda Van Deventer – Ill since the time of her birth, she is loud, destructive, and prone to tell
fantastical stories about things that have happened to her.
Rosa & Maria Lopez – When their father dies, Maria and Rosa try to make their living selling
tortillas and other traditional Mexican dishes. With business failing, Rosa rewards their few
customers with spice of a different sort. Maria joins in too, though both are quick to pray for
the forgiveness of any sins they might be committing.
Raymond Banks – A robust, popular man with a vast poultry farm, Raymond’s only vacations
are trips to watch executions at San Quentin prison..
Cleo Banks – Wife to Raymond. Like her husband, Cleo is hearty, cheerful, and not afraid of
a little blood.
Tularecito – A misshapen orphan discovered as a baby by Pancho. His large flat head
and chubby legs give him the appearance of a frog, and he is exceptionally strong from a
very young age. He is a gifted artist, but intellectually stunted and prone to violence when
defending his creations.
Franklin Gomez – Raises Tularecito as his own son. A patient man with a big heart.
Pancho – Foreman of the Gomez ranch, who lives in fear of Tularecito, believing him to be
wicked.
Junius Maltby – Junius believes in the work of the mind, and spends his days philosophizing
under the leaves of his Sycamore tree. Though he lives in poverty, he and his son Robbie are
happily ignorant of what other people think.
Robbie Maltby – Robbie has an active imagination and sharp mind even if he lacks material
possessions that his peers have. Idolized by Manny Munroe and the other school children.
Jakob Stutz – The hired hand of Junius Maltby. Jakob quickly settles into the lazy lifestyle that
his boss promotes, preferring to engage in intellectual debate rather than plant the fields.
Molly Morgan – Young schoolteacher in the Pastures. Molly is adventurous and curious. She
believes in fairytales and stories, and brings this exciting energy to the classroom. Her father
disappeared when she was a child, and she has never quite believed that he was dead.
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WHO’S WHO: The Actors
CAST
ROSA LOPEZ, JACK THE DEPUTY SHERIFF, MOLLY’S
MOTHER, CLEO BANKS, ENSEMBLE
Catherine Castellanos*
VIVIAN MUNROE, HELEN VAN DEVENTER, ALICIA
WHITESIDE, ENSEMBLE
Julie Eccles*
PAT HUMBERT, SHARK WICKS, ENSEMBLE
Rod Gnapp*
JOHN WHITESIDE, ALLEN HUENECKER, PANCHO,
JAKOB STUTZ, PA HUMBERT, ENSEMBLE
Dan Hiatt*
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity.
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CAST
MAE MUNROE, ALICE WICKS, MOLLY MORGAN,
ENSEMBLE
Emily Kitchens*
HILDA VAN DEVENTER, MISS MARTIN, MA
HUMBERT, ENSEMBLE
Amy Kossow
TB ALLEN, HUBERT VAN DEVENTER, FRANKLIN
GOMEZ, GEORGE MORGAN, RAYMOND BANKS,
ENSEMBLE
Andy Murray*
BERT MUNROE, JUNIUS MALTBY, ENSEMBLE
Charles Shaw Robinson*
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity.
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CAST
RICHARD WHITESIDE, JIMMIE MUNROE, DR.
PHILLIPS, BILL WHITESIDE, ENSEMBLE
Richard Thieriot*
MANNIE MUNROE, TULARECITO, ENSEMBLE
Tobie Windham
KATHERINE WICKS, MARIA LOPEZ, ROBBIE
MALTBY, WILLA WHITESIDE, ENSEMBLE
JoAnne Winter*
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association. Note: Role assignments subject to change.
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SEEING THE PLAY:
BEFORE AND AFTER
“I arrive on the morning edge of this green valley. Rimmed all around by
a vast expanse of rolling hills dotted with roble oaks. The grasses sway
on the breath of a warm inland wind. I catch a glint of a creek at the
bottom. Not a soul to be seen, save for the shadow of a condor sweeping
past my own. Beautiful. Exquisite beyond words. I am humbled.”
—Richard Whiteside, The Pastures of Heaven
BEFORE Viewing the Play
What to watch for:
Look for how the Munroe family
appears in stories other than their
own in the play, and for the effects
they have on other characters.
Look for similarities the people in
the Pastures have in common with
one another, aside from living in the
same geographic area.
Look for moments that you
recognize in modern life: Are the
characters acting like people would
today? Why or why not?
Is there a curse at work in the
Pastures? How does the curse
affect its citizens?
AFTER Viewing the Play
Do you think Steinbeck is expressing an
opinion about the people of the Pastures?
What kind of opinion and why?
Pick one character’s story that made an
impression on you. Why in particular do you
remember it? How do you feel about how that
character acted, and why do you think you
react this way to it?
How do characters react to their dreams
remaining unfulfilled? How do you react to
disappointment?
Do you believe in fate? Or do you believe that
people make their own destiny? Explain.
Did you recognize any parts of this story from
modern movies or books, or from your own
life?
See WRITE YOUR OWN CRITIQUE of page 48 of the Activity Appendix for more ideas about what to watch for, and
how to write about your reactions after the show.
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“HARD FUN”:
A Blog by Our Playwright, Octavio Solis
This is a blog by our playwright from June 24, 2009, written as the play
was being developed. The difficulty and exhilaration of adapting text
from a novel into a play is aptly described as “hard fun.”
“Take your attitude and turn it into an action.”
(Director) Jonathan Moscone gave this note to Amy Kossow during our workshop. This suggests
a curious shift in the way we are defining character and action in this Pastures of Heaven
process. In our process of storytelling—which must merge the novelistic approach with the
dramatic imperatives of staging a play—we are constantly redefining how character functions in
this project.
There are numerous complicated shifts from the first person to the third, wherein the actor
describes what her character is thinking, even naming herself in the third person in that classic
Brechtian way. But it is not alienating at all. It enables us to layer in strata of being through
spoken text. The third-person self-address presents a veneer of the character regarding her world
and herself in it; then when she is spoken about by someone else, a new layer establishes itself.
But when the shift turns to first and second person, when “I” and “you” inhabit the moment, we
shift into the starkly, freshly dramatic. The moment becomes immediate and present and active.
“Active” is a word that Jon is constantly repeating when staging this story of Tularecito. Because
he must activate the narrative mode of John Steinbeck’s stories in any way he can. Even through
the presentation of “attitude.” In this work, all the players enact their individual character but
also function as a unified chorus. A chorus whose identity shifts with the demands of the story.
Sometimes, they are the single narrative voice (that is, Steinbeck’s) sometimes they are the vox
populi of the community, and sometimes they are schoolchildren. But what is really fascinating
is how we are discovering how they can operate as the multifarious voice of a single character’s
consciousness. I see the group assembled behind an isolated character like Tularecito and feel
that they are different aspects of his mind and soul. Even if they all have the same attitude, they
can never have the same attitude.
It’s fun working with a group of this size and experience on a project like this. Hard fun. The
actors are bringing so much to the process and I feel I can respond at my leisure to their chancy
stuff. This is what a workshop is supposed to do. It’s supposed to give the director and the
company a chance to activate what I’ve written, to define our working vocabulary and the physics
of the play, to renegotiate assumed notions of character and action and narrative every time we
speak text.
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Dreams vs.
Reality—
Can the Earth
Hold Heaven?
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UTOPIA
“Out of the silent blackness, I see something out of a dream. A stately
white house with a trim garden. Welcoming lights in the windows. A
broad front door opens and a whole covey of Whiteside children stream
out on the veranda. Watching me. Waiting on me to make their destiny.”
—Richard Whiteside, Pastures
In many religious traditions, there is the idea that there is a “perfect place” where people can live
without difficulty or strife. In everyday life, as well, most of us dream of a place or time wherein
our lives might be much better than they are today.
Many groups of people throughout history have tried to create a perfect place for living. Religion,
politics, psychology, and social constructs all have been used in attempts to build an ideal
community. There were numerous experiments in communal living in America, especially in the
1800s: Shakers, Oneida, New Harmony, Brook Farm, and Fruitlands are the names of just a few
of the more well-known. None has survived.
Steinbeck seems to be saying, even in the irony of the very title of his book, that heaven is at
odds with Earth. From the way his characters so forcefully try to achieve their dreams and, with
equal force, come up against the impossibility of realizing them, we may draw the conclusion
that, in Steinbeck’s view, heaven on Earth is temporary at best. Since everyone’s idea of heaven
is personally shaped by his or her own desires, their desires might also ruin the ideal.
One might argue that even by naming the place “The Pastures of Heaven,” characters have
doomed themselves to disappointment. Or do you think these stories point more to the failure of
the individual rather than of the whole society?
For Students—Your Opinion
Why do you think utopian societies have a history of failure?
Is there any system that you think might be sustainable in achieving a utopia?
Imagine your own utopian society. What would you have in it? Why? Where would it
be? How would people interact? What are the rules, or are there no rules at all?
What do you think would be important in order for a utopian society to survive?
DREAMS VS. REALITY—CAN THE EARTH HOLD HEAVEN?
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WHAT IS NORMAL?
Critics of Steinbeck’s book, The Pastures of Heaven, “ ... complain that I deal
particularly in the subnormal and in the psychopathic. If said critics would inspect
their neighbors within one block, they would find that I deal with the normal
and the ordinary.”
—Steinbeck: A Life in Letters
Steinbeck’s characters are often compulsive, deluded, mentally or emotionally unstable, epileptic,
or physically challenged, and they are put into situations wherein their flaws and delusions lead to
disastrous consequences. They may seem abnormal, but in the process of making us think about
these characters, Steinbeck asks us to find out more about ourselves. The characters in Pastures
are definitely in dramatic situations, but are they completely extraordinary? Here’s a handy list of
some of the things that might not be considered “normal”:
• Helen sees herself as a permanently tragic figure.
• Tularecito identifies with gnomes and fairytale spirits.
• Junius Maltby refuses to work, preferring philosophy instead and spending every
day thinking and talking with his feet dangling in the creek.
• Shark Wicks pretends he is a financial wizard with tremendous wealth.
• The Mustroviks do not speak in public, communicating to others only through
the terse voice of their son.
• Pat Humbert resigns himself to live with the ghosts of his parents.
For Students:
Do you think these are exaggerations, or real depictions of how people might choose to live their
lives? Why?
Let’s test it out in real life. Choose three people you know in your life, based on these conditions:
Do they project to the world a certain idea of themselves? (Maybe someone who dresses in a
particular way that shows a particular way of thinking?)
Is this person somehow different from everyone else?
Now for the real question: Are these people not normal, or are they just vividly expressing the
feelings that lots of people have inside?
What is “normal”? Is it defined as what everyone in a group does? What certain people do? How
can you tell if you are “normal” or not? Is that important to you?
See UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER FROM PERSONAL CONNECTIONS in Appendix, page 37.
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YOUR LIFE’S DREAM
“…the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s
proven capacity of greatness of heart and spirit … for courage,
compassion, and love. In the endless war against weakness and
despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and emulation.”
—John Steinbeck, from his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1962
As we have seen in the previous pages, most of the characters in these stories do not achieve their
dreams in the way they had envisioned. Some even turn inward to embrace their failure in a way
that will continue to keep them trapped; for instance, Pat Humbert goes on living with the miserable
ghosts of his parents, rather than seeking out a life of his own.
It can be said that the United States of America was founded on a dream: of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, as written in the U.S. Constitution. Following in that spirit, most parents today
encourage young people to follow their dreams. But Steinbeck and Solis deal in both sides of the
coin: Yes, the dream is good, but what happens when a dream doesn’t turn out the right way? There
are bound to be obstacles and difficulties on the way to achieving any goal.
Steinbeck’s quote above illustrates the brighter side of the negative actions of the play’s characters.
Octavio Solis also uses humor deftly throughout the play to offset the tragic action. As much tragedy
as there is, it coexists with bravery, good will, jokes, love, and even honor. Keep this dual viewpoint in
mind as you ask your students to do the following exercise.
For Students—Watch TV!
Watch any given episode of a popular reality show such as American Idol, Dancing with the
Stars, or Project Runway. Choose one of the people who are eliminated that week. Write three
paragraphs on that person’s experience.
Paragraph 1: How did they react to the elimination announcement?
Paragraph 2: Imagine how they might feel (based on observations about that person’s character) as
they pack their bags and go home, and then what they might do in the week after they’ve left show.
Paragraph 3: Finally, imagine what they do in the next year, assuming that their dream is still to be
a singer (or whatever the goal of the reality show contest was). Do they continue to pursue the
dream? How?
See ORAL HISTORY PROJECT in the Appendix, page 46.
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JOHN STEINBECK’S LIFE AND
HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR
THE PASTURES OF HEAVEN
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BIOGRAPHY
John Ernst Steinbeck, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner, was born in Salinas, California, on February
27, 1902. His father, also named John Steinbeck, served as Monterey County Treasurer for many
years. His mother, Olive Hamilton, was a former schoolteacher who helped him develop a love of
literature. Young Steinbeck came to know the Salinas Valley well, working as a hired hand on nearby
ranches in Monterey County. In 1919, he graduated from Salinas High School as president of his
class and entered Stanford University to major in English. Stanford did not claim his undivided
attention, and he attended only sporadically while working at a variety jobs including one with the Big
Sur highway project, and one at the Spreckels Sugar Company near Salinas.
Steinbeck left Stanford permanently in 1925 to pursue a career in writing in New York City. He was
unsuccessful and returned, disappointed, to California the following year. Though his first novel,
Cup of Gold, was published in 1929, it attracted little literary attention. The Pastures of Heaven,
published in 1932, met the same fate.
After moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 1930, Steinbeck and his new wife, Carol Henning, made
their home in Pacific Grove. Here, not far from famed Cannery Row—heart of the California sardine
industry—Steinbeck found material he would later use for two more works, Tortilla Flat and Cannery
Row.
With Tortilla Flat (1935), Steinbeck’s career took a decidedly positive turn, receiving the California
Commonwealth Club’s Gold Medal. He felt encouraged to continue writing, relying on extensive
research and personal observation of human drama for his stories. In 1937, Of Mice and Men was
published. Two years later, the novel was produced on Broadway and made into a movie. In 1940,
Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Grapes of Wrath, bringing public attention to the
plight of dispossessed farmers.
After Steinbeck and Henning divorced in 1942, he married Gwyndolyn Conger. The couple moved to
New York City and had two sons, Thomas and John. During the war years, Steinbeck served as a war
correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune. Some of his dispatches reappeared in Once There
Was a War. In 1945, Steinbeck published Cannery Row and continued to write prolifically, producing
plays, short stories, and film scripts. In 1950, he married Elaine Anderson Scott and they remained
together until his death.
Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 “…for his realistic as well as imaginative
writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and keen social perception.”
Steinbeck remained a private person, shunning publicity and moving frequently in his search for
privacy. He died on December 20, 1968 in New York City, where he and his family made a home. But
his final resting place was the valley he had written about with such passion. At his request, his ashes
were interred in the Garden of Memories cemetery in Salinas. He is survived by his son, Thomas.
Courtesy of The National Steinbeck Center
JOHN STEINBECK’S LIFE AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR THE PASTURES OF HEAVEN
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STEINBECK FUN FACTS AND QUOTES
Interviewer: “Do you really think you deserve the Nobel Prize?”
Steinbeck: “That’s an interesting question. Frankly, no.”
—Conversations with Steinbeck
As a child John Steinbeck’s favorite novel was Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, a
collection of the legends of King Arthur. This would later influence his work.
He had three sisters—two older and one younger.
Steinbeck worked as a laboratory assistant and farm laborer to support himself throughout his
six years of study at Stanford University. He only took the classes which interested him, not
those which would earn him a degree.
Steinbeck is an abbreviation of the German name Grossteinbeck, which occurred when his
German grandfather immigrated to the US.
Steinbeck met Carol Henning, his first wife, in 1928 while working as a tour guide and caretaker
of a fish hatchery in Tahoe City.
Steinbeck described his speaking voice this way: “I had my voice tested the other day and it was
just as I knew it would be. My enunciation is so bad and the boom in my voice is so bad that I
can’t be understood. I am glad, too, because now they will never ask me again.”
In a1937 interview, Steinbeck says “... Lennie [from Of Mice and Men] was a real person. He’s
in an insane asylum in California right now. I worked alongside him of many weeks.”
In another interview Steinbeck described his method of writing: “I write longhand and then I read
on tape and listen back. ... you can hear the most terrible things you’ve done if you hear it clear
back on tape. I do it particularly with dialogue because then I can find whether it sounds like
speech or not.”
In his interview in 1962 for the Sunday Times of London, Steinbeck said that he acted in the old
Aztec law: “They gave the death sentence for all sorts of things until a man was 60. Then all the
laws were suspended, and he could be as ridiculous as he wanted.”
“ ... I carry nothing consciously over from one book to another. A book is finished; it dies. It’s a
real death. I couldn’t go back. Critics like to know what they’re about to read, but I refuse to be
predictable.”
“I have to sit down at my desk and stay there until a certain number of words are written. When
it starts it’s pure hell. I’ve never understood this; we know it’s going to be wonderful once we
start, but we fight it so dreadfully.”
All facts gathered by The National Steinbeck Center.
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HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF
Oh, Life is so unreal! We don’t exist, no, not at all, until we leave a
record of ourselves on wood, stone, on the lives of others.”
—Molly Morgan in Pastures
History is the record of ourselves that we leave behind. Steinbeck has done more than any other
writer to describe the landscape, culture, and historical significance of California in the early part of
the 20th century. Pastures was the book in which he first wrote about the land and people of the
Salinas Valley— subjects that would he would focus on for the rest of his literary career.
Most of the stories in the book take place between the years of 1928 and 1929, but the
opening of the play shows John Whiteside, a victim of the disappointments of the Gold Rush,
building the first house in the valley in 1850. As the play continues in the 1920s, we see his
descendants and their neighbors pursue their individual ideals in the valley as well. Steinbeck
was not just making up this theme for these characters: The “Golden State” nickname for
California was in use from the late 1800s, not only from the rumor of gold-nugget-filled hills, but
also as fruit and vegetables from California farms were shipped to the East Coast for the first
time. California became the major producer of agricultural products in the United States, and
the Great Depression had not yet occurred. So the American Dream was sought with particular
ferocity in the fertile fields of this state. This time period was a logical place for Steinbeck to
begin his lifelong examination of the effect of dreams on the people of California—his friends,
his neighbors, and all of the people of this land.
For Students: Think About Where You Live
How does where you live influence how you are? For example, if your neighborhood
looks and feels a certain way to you, does that make you feel certain things
about yourself?
Does where you live now suit you? Would you like to live anywhere else or not? Why?
Do you think people are a product of where they grow up? If so, can that change?
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DIRECTIONS TO
—A MAP
1. Take Highway 68 to Monterey
2. Turn left on San Benancio Road
3. Go to the end of San Benancio Road
4. Turn left on Cielo
5. Go to the top of the hill to the big round bus turnaround
6. Turn around as a bus would in order to see the Pastures of Heaven.
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RESOURCES
- 26 -
THE PASTURES OF HEAVEN AND
OTHER STEINBECK NOVELS ON FILM
The Pastures of Heaven only made it to film as one hour-long TV drama depicting just
a handful of the book’s stories, and as of this writing we unfortunately cannot find a
commercial source for its availability.
John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven
Circa 1954
Director: Harry Horner
Adaptation of the Molly Morgan, Shark Wicks and Pat Humbert stories.
Steinbeck’s other works, however, have proved popular source material for film
adaptations.
The Grapes of Wrath
1940
Directed by John Ford
Starring Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell
A film adaptation of the book. The end was changed due to censorship.
1991
Directed by Kirk Browning and Frank Galati
Starring Gary Sinise
A TV adaptation of a stage version of Steinbeck’s novel as performed by the Steppenwolf Theater Company
East of Eden
1995
Directed by Elia Kazan
Starring Julie Harris and James Dean
1981
Directed by Harvey Hart
Starring Timothy Bottoms and Jane Seymour
2011
Directed by Tom Hooper
Cast yet to be announced
Of Mice and Men
1968
Directed by Ted Kotcheff
Starring George Segal and Nicol Williamson
1981
Directed by Reza Badiyi
Starring Robert Blake and Randy Quaid
There have also been many adaptations throughout the 20th century of The Red Pony, Cannery Row, Tortilla Flats, and
The Pearl.
Source: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Steinbeck,+John
RESOURCES
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
BOOKS AND INTERNET
Books
There are many, many books about Steinbeck, including numerous biographies and
all kinds of literary criticism of his works. This is only a sampling of the more relevant
books and articles to this production.
Steinbeck, Elaine, and Robert Wallsten, eds. Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. New York: Viking, 1975.
Mortlock, Melanie. “The Eden Myth as Paradox: An Allegorical Reading of The Pastures of Heaven.”
Steinbeck Quarterly, 11 (Winter 1978): 6-15.
Fontenrose, Joseph. Steinbeck’s Unhappy Valley: A Study of The Pastures of Heaven. Berkeley, Joseph
Fontenrose, 1981.
Benson, Jackson J. The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer. New York: Viking, 1984.
Buzbee, Lewis. Steinbeck’s Ghost. New York: Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan, 2008.
Fensch, Thomas, ed. Conversations with John Steinbeck. University Press Mississippi, 1988.
DeMott, Robert, ed. Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking Penguin Inc.,
1989.
Steinbeck Internet Resources
These websites are listed for the teacher’s reference only. Teachers should always
preview the sites before directing students to visit them. The content and website
links listed are subject to change without notice. The views presented by these
websites do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Steinbeck Center or
California Shakespeare Theater, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial
products, and organizations imply endorsement of them by the National Steinbeck
Center or California Shakespeare Theater.
Websites about John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck: The California Novels http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/
This site links visitors to web sites about Steinbeck’s California novels. Each California novel website
provides chapter summaries, character lists, and a printing history of each book.
SJSU - Center for Steinbeck Studies http://steinbeck.sjsu.edu/fellows/
This site offers visitors a chance to explore Steinbeck’s life and work. It also provides links to other
websites about Steinbeck.
Biography of John Steinbeck http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/
This site contains brief biographical information about John Steinbeck.
John Steinbeck: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
This site offers visitors brief biographical information on John Steinbeck as well as a selected bibliography
of his work.
RESOURCES
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
BOOKS AND INTERNET...continued
John Steinbeck’s Pacific Grove http://www.93950.com/steinbeck/
This site provides detailed information, photographs, and links to Steinbeck landmarks in the town of Pacific Grove.
City of Salinas California - Our History http://www.salinas.com/history/index.html
A brief history of the city of Salinas, this site is good as an introduction to the different historical events that
made Salinas what it is today.
Salinas Valley Steinbeck Country - Pelican Network http://www.pelicannetwork.net/salinas.valley.htm
This web site provides visitors with photographs of the Salinas Valley, plus a map of the area and links to
Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Big Sur.
Steinbeck’s 1962 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/nobel.html
This site contains Steinbeck’s 1962 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, one of the few speeches he ever made.
General Steinbeck Resources from the National Steinbeck Center http://www.steinbeck.org
Courtesy of The National Steinbeck Center
Oral History Resources on the Web
The American Memory: American Life Histories http://memory.loc.gov/wpaintro/wpahome.html
The Library of Congress offers nearly 3,000 life histories the Works Progress Administration compiled
between 1936 and 1940.
Collecting Community History: A Training Handbook for Educators and Life Stories: Voices from the East
Bay Latino Community http://museumca.org/LHP/student_exhibition.htm
Keeping the Struggle Alive: Studying Desegregation in Our Town, A Guide to Doing Oral History http://
store.tcpress.com/0807741450.shtml
Library of Congress: The Learning Page, Using Oral History http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/
oralhist/ohhome.html
Lessons related to oral histories.
The Neighborhood Story Project http://www.neighborhoodstoryproject.org/
Students in New Orleans document their neighborhoods, including those destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath.
StoryCorps http://storycorps.org/
Tens of thousands of friends and family members from across the country have interviewed each other
since 2003. Their stories are archived in the Library of Congress, and you can hear them on the project
Web site. StoryCorps has also issued a book and CD called Listening Is an Act of Love.
Source: Edutopia.org
RESOURCES
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CLASSROOM
ACTIVITY GUIDE
June 2010
Jonathan Moscone
Artistic Director
Susie Falk
Managing Director
Trish Tillman
Director of Artistic Learning
Emily Morrison
Programs Manager
Samantha Fryer
Artistic Learning
Administration Manager
Ava Jackson
Artistic Learning Coordinator
John Steinbeck’s
NOTE TO TEACHERS: This guide was created as a supplement for teachers preparing students to see
California Shakespeare Theater’s production of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven. Worksheets are
designed to be used individually or in conjunction with others throughout the guide. While we realize that
no aspect of this guide fully outlines a course for meeting a subject area standards, discussion questions
and topics are devised to address certain aspects of California state standards. The activities here can be
minimally reproduced for educational, non-profit use only. All lessons must be appropriately credited.
There are many excellent lesson plans for Steinbeck’s work on the Internet. Please see our Resources
page for links. This guide concentrates primarily on ideas that help students understand language, plot and
character through activities that get students on their feet and speaking.
If you are interested in a California Shakespeare Theater Professional Development Workshop, which provides
easy-to-learn tools for teachers to incorporate theater and arts education activities into California standardsbased core curriculum, please contact the Artistic Learning Administrations Manager at 510-548-3422 x 105
or learn@calshakes.org.
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CAL SHAKES’ MISSION
AND FUNDERS
OUR MISSION
We strive for everyone, regardless of age, circumstance, or background, to discover and express the
relevance of Shakespeare and the classics in their lives.
We make boldly imagined and deeply entertaining interpretations of Shakespeare and the classics.
We provide in-depth, far-reaching creative education opportunities for a diversity of learners.
We bring disparate communities together around the creation of new American plays that reflect the
cultural diversity of the Bay Area.
OUR FUNDERS AND SPONSORS
California Shakespeare Theater’s 2010 season is supported in part by the generosity of The William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation and the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation.
John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven has been selected as a National Endowment for the Arts
Distinguished New American Play as part of the NEA New Play Development Program, hosted by Arena Stage.
The development of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven is underwritten by numerous individual donors
and generous support from:
Artistic Learning programs are underwritten by generous support from the Dale Family Fund,
Dodge & Cox, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
and 93 donors to our 2010 Gala Fund-a-Need campaign.
California Shakespeare Theater is pleased to acknowledge our 2010 corporate sponsors, whose
generous contributions are helping to ensure the success of our 37th season.
PRESENTING SPONSORS California Shakespeare Theater
701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
510.548.3422 • www.calshakes.org
SEASON SPONSORS
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SOCIAL NETWORKING CHARACTER STUDY:
“STEINBOOK”
Have your students create a Facebook Profile (see example on the following
page) for a character from the play.
Overview: Being able to empathize with fictional characters sheds light on our own personal situations, and
recast the plot of the play in relevant terms.
Grades: 6–12
Goal: To bring the characters of The Pastures of Heaven into a real-world context.
State Standards: English Literary Response and Analysis 3.0-3.4
Outcomes: Students will be able to use basic facts from the text to imaginatively enter into the thoughts,
feelings, and motivations of fictional characters by creating a mock Facebook page.
Activity: Familiarize students with the profile layout of a social networking site page, such as Facebook. (See
examples to follow.)
1. Ask the students to fill in the profile with
a. Vital statistics
b. Likes and dislikes
c. Friends
Note: Students should use information drawn from their knowledge of the play (for example, Helen Van
Deventer sees herself as someone destined to live a tragic life) and filled out by their imaginations (for
example, her favorite book is Twilight).
2. Profile photos may be drawn or cut out from magazines, or an actual photo of the student could
be used and attached to the page. Remember, many actual Facebook profile pages do not have real
photo of the person who made them—students sometimes choose a picture of something they feel
represents them—a tree, a poster they like, etc.
3. Share the pages you have created in student pairs or in a group discussion.
Reflection:
• Name one thing you had to imagine about your character that you think is really interesting.
• Was it easy to imagine beyond the play—for instance, what Bert Monroe’s activities and interests
might be? Or do you feel the play did not provide enough information? How so?
• How easy was it to decide who your character’s friends were? Would your character ignore a friend
request from other characters in the play? Why or why not?
Extension exercise in writing dialogue:
Beyond the basic profile information, a further way to extend the activity is to have the students write on
each other’s profile “walls”. A wall is the area on a profile page where friends can write short messages to
each other that are posted directly on the page for others to view.
Note: Require the students to fill out the worksheet manually, rather than actually fill out a public profile online. If you can post the
mock profile page that follows onto your school or website or blog for students to fill out online within the framework of this project,
that would work as well, but false profiles in a public space should be actively discouraged. Student examples should show a deep
understanding of the plot and qualities of the character. Some examples follow.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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steinbook
Helen van Deventer
Wall
Info
Photos
Helen van Deventer is coping beautifully. Thank you.
Updated: every single moment
“There are only two tragedies in life: One is
not getting what one wants, and the other
is getting it.” —Oscar Wilde
Share
Wall
Recent Activity:
Helen and Bert Monroe became friends
Information
Birthday: February 29
Current city: Christmas Canyon
Relationship Status: Widow
Helen wrote on Dr. Phillip’s wall
Favorite books: Twilight, anything by Silvia
Plath
Dr. Phillips You should really consider getting some therapy,
if you don’t mind me saying so.
Tularecito likes this
Favorite music: Imogen Heap, Fiona Apple,
Billie Holiday, Evanesence
Helen joined the group In Memory of my little girl, Hilda
Friends
Helen became a fan of Hubert’s gun shop
See All
4 Friends
Dr. Phillips
Tularecito
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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steinbook
Wall
Info
Photos
Updated:
Share
Wall
Recent Activity:
Information
Birthday:
Current city:
Relationship Status:
Favorite books:
Favorite music:
Friends
4 Friends
See All
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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TABLEAU: CONNECTING
THE WORD AND THE BODY
(page 1 of 2)
Overview: Nonverbal activities help connect the body to the essential meaning of the language.
Goal: To experience Steinbeck’s language personally and kinesthetically through nonverbal performance.
Outcomes: Students will gain understanding of images and vocabulary in a particular section of text
through cooperative work.
Materials: Enough copies of the excerpt from Chapter One of The Pastures of Heaven for your class, and
pencils for each student.
Part 1: Create a Seated Tableau
Explain that a tableau is a frozen picture, like a snapshot from a cell phone camera. Emphasize that tableaux
are really about seeing clear emotions in the face and specific action in the body.
Have pairs of students, all at the same time, practice tableaux. You can do this by simply calling
“1,2,3, freeze!” Ask the students to simply stay in their seats, and show you the situations you are
going to describe. They should freeze in an appropriate pose for the situation when you call “Freeze!” Some
examples are listed below.
• You’re in class, and the bell has just rung on the final class day; it is now summer vacation.
• A UFO is hovering in the courtyard of the school and the principal is beamed up.
• You’re sitting in the stands of the stadium when a new sports record has just been broken (
e.g. Bonds’ homerun record).
• You’re waiting to get into a very popular movie on opening night.
• You’re on the class trip to DC and the bus has just pulled up to the White House.
• You’re at a surprise party the moment the guest of honor walks in.
• You’re at the science fair, and the project next to you has just exploded.
Part 2: Putting Language into Action Tableaux
Now demonstrate a standing frozen picture for the students. For instance, bring a volunteer up and have
a student count “1,2,3, freeze!” You might show them a frozen picture where you are at the ballpark and
Bonds has just hit the record-breaking home run, or any of the situations listed above.
1. Divide class up into pairs.
2. Give out monologues (see example below)—one sheet per pair. The leader will read the
monologue out loud.
3. The leader will tell each pair which lines in the monologue they’re working on.
4. Underline the words you and your partner find striking—fun words, words that evoke images, etc.
5. Create a tableau for that section of text.
6. Practice saying the text with your tableau—either before or simultaneously with the tableau.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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TABLEAU: CONNECTING THE
WORD AND THE BODY
(page 2 of 2)
Part 3: Performance
1. All pairs line up in monologue order.
2. First round: Each pair steps forward and speaks translated text and shows their tableau.
3. Then, ask the entire group to come up with a tableau for the final line of the monologue.
4. Second round: Each pair steps forward and speaks the text and shows same tableau.
5. At the end the entire group speaks the last line and does the tableau for that line.
6. Discuss—go around the circle with each pair discussing the words that struck them in the lines they were
given, and then talking about what their idea was for their tableau.
Reflection:
Ask your students the following after completing the exercise:
• What did you think of this monologue before doing this exercise? After?
• Did you get a better sense of the monologue—did the meaning appear any more clearly
when you heard it and saw it?
• What do you think you could (not should) do differently if you had the chance to do this
over again?
• What do you think one of the actor’s jobs is when they must do a speech like this?
Monologue: Narration from Chapter One of The Pastures of Heaven
1. George Battle looked about for a good investment in a woman.
2. In Salinas he found Miss Myrtle Cameron, a spinster of 35, with a small fortune.
3. Miss Myrtle had been neglected because of a mild tendency to epilepsy,
4. a disease then called “fits”
5. and generally ascribed to animosity on the part of the deity.
6. George did not mind the epilepsy. He knew he couldn’t have everything he wanted.
7. Myrtle became his wife and bore him a son, and,
8. after twice trying to burn the house,
9. was confined in a little private prison called the Lippman Sanitarium, in San Jose.
10. She spent the rest of her life crocheting a symbolic life of Christ in cotton thread.
Original text:
George Battle looked about for a good investment in a woman. In Salinas he found Miss Myrtle
Cameron, a spinster of 35, with a small fortune. Miss Myrtle had been neglected because of a
mild tendency to epilepsy, a disease then called “fits” and generally ascribed to animosity on
the part of the deity. George did not mind the epilepsy. He knew he couldn’t have everything he
wanted. Myrtle became his wife and bore him a son, and, after twice trying to burn the house,
was confined in a little private prison called the Lippman Sanitarium, in San Jose. She spent the
rest of her life crocheting a symbolic life of Christ in cotton thread.
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER THROUGH
PERSONAL CONNECTIONS
The classroom leader should lead the students through this exercise verbally
using the provided text below, while the students write their answers down on
paper. After you ask each question, ask them to write one sentence describing
the situation for which they answered “yes.”
Overview: Frame this as an imaginative exercise but using real-life feelings. Let students know their
answers are personal, so they won’t have to share them unless they want to.
Grades: 6–12
Goal: to understand the characters’ dilemmas through real-life experience.
State Standards: English Literary Response and Analysis §3; English Writing Applications §2
Outcomes: Students will personally relate to the choices the characters make in the play.
Activity: Read each questions aloud and ask students to write down their answers.
1. How have people in your life pursued their dreams? Do you think they had dreams?
2. How do you pursue your dream?
3. How do you react to challenges?
4. Is there a time to give up on a dream you had earlier in life? Why or why not?
5. How does the landscape where you live affect your life?
6. Did you ever feel like you are different from everyone else?
7. Have you ever pretended, to other people, to be someone other than yourself?
8. Do you have an idea of yourself that you try to build your personality around?
Reflection:
After completing this exercise on paper, ask the students to reflect on their experiences. Do not ask
the students to share their personal choices unless they are willing to. Using more general questions
will help them share without having to reveal anything specific, such as:
• Did anyone find that one of these situations was more meaningful for you than another?
• Think about your own reaction to that situation—did you see a character in the play with the
same reaction? Which character?
Now ask the students to identify the situations in the play that correspond to the questions above.
• Can you see any times in the play when the characters expressed the same kinds of feelings
that you described? Did they have different reactions?
• Which character strikes you as the most sympathetic?
• Which situation do you think is the most important in the play? Why?
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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CHARACTER BACKSTORY:
WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY?
(Page 1 of 2)
Overview: Write the backstory for one of the minor characters in The Pastures of Heaven, such as Willa
Whiteside, Mae Munroe, Alice Wicks, TB Allen, or the Mustrovik family.
A “backstory” is the personal history of a character that is not described in the actual play or story. In other
words, it is what happens to the character before the play starts.
Grades: 4–12
Goal: To use contextual clues to create an imaginative experience of a minor character.
State Standards: English Writing Applications §2; Theater Arts §1 Identify character’s objective and
motivations to explain the character’s behavior.
Outcomes: Students will research the play for clues to the characters, and fully describe an imagined life
previous to the play’s beginning that justifies the way the character acts in the play.
Activity: Explain to the students that the interior life of the character is something an actor must be able
to imagine as they start to understand how to play that character. The life of a minor character has been a
popular literary and theatrical exercise and can illuminate the main story even more brightly. For instance,
Wicked is a very popular book-turned-Broadway musical that explores the backstory and unseen lives of the
witches of The Wizard of Oz.
1. Create a Word Bank: Create a word bank as a class on the board about a particular character
from the book. Use descriptive, concrete, sensory details (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing). Guide
students through describing how the character looks, how s/he acts (personality), and what we already
know about him/her from the book.
2. Write a Summary—Prepare for Writing the Backstory: Students choose a character from the reading
and, using descriptive words, write a one-page description using words like those in the word bank.
Include, when possible:
• Timeline of significant events in the character’s life
• Physical description
• Personality traits
Also answer the following questions about the character:
• Where and when does s/he live?
• What does s/he want more than anything?
• Who or what is standing in the way of what s/he wants? What is in his/her pockets?
• What is your character afraid of?
• Who are his/her friends?
• What makes him/her happy?What does s/he think about when s/he is alone?
• How does s/he react to stressful situations?
• What is s/he most proud of in his/her life?
• What does s/he do for fun?
• Who has helped him/her?
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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- 38 -
CHARACTER BACKSTORY:
WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY?
(Page 2 of 2)
3. Group Exercise: Divide students into groups of four or five. Students in each group read their descriptions to
each other. Pick one to share with the class and add others if there is time.
4. Theatrical Presentation: Each group should pick one of the stories to present to classmates in an artistic
way. They can choose how to present it. Possibilities include: a rap, comic strip drawings, tableau, puppet show, etc.
Coaching: Tell the students that this requires them to use their imagination! Think of what the character does
in the play and imagine reasons why the character ends up doing what he/she does. Remember, there is no
“right” answer to an open-ended exercise, as long as they can justify their choices using the text. This exercise is
specifically designed to explore the life of minor characters in the play—characters that are often overlooked, but
can yield fascinating discoveries. Actors, even when playing a smaller role, must do this same kind of research to
be able to make that character believable onstage.
Rubric for the backstory:
• Be creative.
• Describe the setting (when and where the backstory takes place).
• Describe the character in vivid detail as s/he was early in life—personality, looks, situation, who s/he is friends
with, what his or her interests are, how s/he looks or talks, etc.
• Use action words, descriptive words, dialogue, and images.
• Be based on clues from the main story when possible.
• Describe a problem that the character faces and why it is a problem (Junius Maltby suddenly realizes his life
of intellectual dreaming has caused his son to be poor, for example).
• Describe specifically why s/he chooses to do those things (for example, personal satisfaction, revenge, habit,
being forced to do them by someone else, etc.).
• Describe how the character feels about doing what s/he does in the play.
Reflection:
• What did you learn about your character that you didn’t know before?
• What did you especially like about one of the descriptions you heard today?
• Did you see a picture of the character in your head?
• How did you describe it in your writing so that other people could imagine the same thing you did?
• (To classmates): Did you see that character the same way the writer did? What was different if anything?
• Who imagined their character’s day while writing the description? What was it like?
• Why did you decide on the specifics that you did for your character? For example, why did you choose a
particular setting for that character’s childhood?
• Does the play provide enough clues to spark your imagination? Why or why not?
• What did you find (in your backstory or someone’s from your group) that was particularly interesting?
• How hard was it to imagine beyond the story?
ACTIVITY GUIDE
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- 39 -
CREATE A PODCAST BOOK REVIEW
(Page 1 of 2)
Goal: To give students practical experience in producing critical written work in a performance mode.
Outcomes: Students will write and deliver a book review through the podcast medium online.
Standards: Grades 6–12. English Comprehension & Analysis 2-2.4; Literary Response & Analysis 3-3.4;
Writing Response to Literature 2.2; Speaking Applications 2.3
How to Make a Podcast
First, listen to other examples. Go to http://www.runkle.org/Podcasts/G8.html
for student book review podcasts from the public schools of Brookline. Then,
discuss your students’ reactions to the work.
• Did it make you want to read the book? Why or why not?
• Could you understand the way the students spoke?
• Did you like the way they presented the book? Name ways the students used to make the
presentation interesting.
• What would you change to make the podcast you heard better?
Decide on your format. Here are the questions to ask:
• Will you be doing the podcast solo or will you have other hosts? (Perhaps a guest from the
novel?)
• How long will your podcast be? (Suggested time is two to three minutes.)
• Will you just be talking or will you play prerecorded (or live) music as well?
SIDENOTE: If you plan to use music in your podcast that is not your own, you need to get permission
to use it. It’s not legal to use copyright material in your podcast without permission. Go to http://
freemusicarchive.org/ and scroll down to the “Music” genre. This takes time to listen to, so doing this at
home is advised. You can also find free music at http://www.garageband.com/htdb/index.html, although
you must register to use this site.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 40 -
CREATE A PODCAST BOOK REVIEW
(Page 2 of 2)
Performance Tips
• Above all, try to be quiet in the classroom during recording.
• Be sure to talk as closely to the microphone as you can (without distorting the sound) to make sure
your voice is above the noise being picked up by the mic.
• Do a test recording to make sure the surrounding noise isn’t too loud or distracting. Record 30
seconds or so and listen to it. It would stink to record an hour of audio just to find out you can’t be
understood over the jackhammer in the background.
• Don’t scream into the mic—that only annoys your audience, so no one will listen.
Recording: Technical Details
1. Plug a USB headset with earphone and microphone into your computer.
Install the free Audacity MP3 recorder for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Make a recording and save it as
an MP3 file.
Upload the MP3 file to your Web site or blog. Follow the instructions at ipodder.org to create an
RSS feed on your site.
2. Visit Blogger.com for free podcast hosting services. Make sure you read the Terms of Service.
Reflection
• What did you particularly enjoy about this performance?
• What, if anything, might you change to make it better?
Adapted from Brookline Schools’ website on podcasts at http://runkle.org/Podcasts/Resources.html
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 41 -
BOOK REVIEW PODCAST GRADING RUBRIC
Criteria
Script
Great
Good
Poor
Great
Good
Poor
Music
Great
Good
Poor
The music and sound effects add to the podcast,
are adjusted for volume, are not too long or too
short, and make the podcast more interesting to
listen to.
Work Ethic
Great
Good
Poor
1. Introduction includes all required elements and is
interesting, creative, and inviting.
2. Book information includes all required elements
(title, author, narrative point of view, pages, and
genre) and does so in a creative and interesting
way.
3. Overview is a concise paragraph (100 words) that
focuses on the main conflict(s) and main
character(s).
4. There are five to seven motivating questions that
might entice the listener to read the book.
5. Critique is a short paragraph which recommends
the book in a creative and interesting way.
6. Rating recommends the book on a scale of one to
five stars, wherein five is the best.
7. Closing remarks thank everyone for listening and
signs off with a clever and interesting tagline.
Voice
The podcast is recorded without mistakes, is clear
and easy to understand, and uses an expressive
and professional-sounding voice.
Student used class time well, came to class
prepared, and stayed focused on the project
without having to be redirected by the teacher.
Name:
Grade:
Adapted from the Brookline Book Review Podcasts by and for Students and Teachers at http://runkle.org/
Podcasts/Resources.html
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 42 -
THE SHORT STORY CYCLE
(Page 1of 2)
“I am using the following method. The manuscript is made up of
stories, each one complete in itself, having its rise, climax and
ending. Each story deals with a family or an individual. They are
tied together only by the common locality and by the contact with
the [Munroes].”—Steinbeck describing the writing of Pastures, from a letter to his agent
The intertwined stories of Pastures focus on ten families in Salinas in the 1920s.
It is known as a story cycle, a genre that is older than the novel form (it dates
as far back as Chaucer!). The stories are generally held together by a common
thread running throughout, but can be read as single stories unto themselves.
In The Pastures of Heaven the thread is the valley/town of the title, in which ten
families coexist; and the Munroe family, one of whom appears in every story, is
the common thread.
Overview: Students will connect the individual parts of the cycle to achieve a greater understanding of the
whole meaning and experience of the stories.
Grades: 8–12
Goal: To understand the short story cycle as a literary form
Vocabulary: Synergism, short story cycle, symbol, theme
State Standards: English Literary Response and Analysis §3; English Writing Applications §2
Outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of how the parts create the whole.
Part One: “Yes and…” Improv Game:
How to Play: Students stand or sit in a circle. The goal is to create a character from scratch. Each person
around the circle, in order, will add another sentence starting with “Yes, and…” The leader will start with a
name, e.g., “Her name is Betty.” The next person will make up a new thing about that person, e.g., “Yes, and
she is 65 years old.” Then the next person builds on that suggestion and says, “Yes, and she was a nurse in
Vietnam,” or “Yes, and she walks with a cane.” Continue to build the character around the circle.
Side Coaching: You may have to guide the students to always use the “yes, and” phrasing. A natural
reaction is to want to change the character (implying a “yes, but” phrasing) which contradicts rather than
builds on previous suggestions. This can happen out of competition, or attempting to get attention, or even
trying to create genuine interest, but the goal is to work as a team and see where it takes them. Coach the
students to be simple—even obvious—for each next suggestion.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 43 -
THE SHORT STORY CYCLE
(Page 2 of 2)
Reflection
What did you learn about the character from playing the game that you didn’t know in the beginning? Did
anything surprise you? Did you think the character would develop a different way, i.e., did you have a picture in
your mind that was different from the way the group went?
What series of films or stories do you know that can stand alone, but make an even bigger story when you see
or read them all together? (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Twilight, Lord of the Rings).
Part Two: Themes
Just like in a story cycle, the whole picture develops bit-by-bit through lots of smaller details.
Have the class brainstorm the themes in The Pastures of Heaven and write the themes on the board to use in
the next activity.
You may have to ask questions that will lead the class to come up with themes like:
• The loss of dreams, self-delusions, or ambition, and needing to start over when reality intrudes.
• The conflict between society’s norms and the individual. Civilized society thinks you should act and
dress in certain ways that may not be good for the individual (the destructiveness of conformity and
respectability).
• Religion is sometimes no solace.
• The different kinds of “curses” that can affect us.
• Mental incapacity or instability and violence.
Divide class into groups and assign one story to each group. Have the groups complete the Worksheet
(following page).
Play the “Yes and…” game using the sentences from the worksheet. Group One reads a sentence from their
worksheet and, if it resonates with another group, that group stands up and reads their sentence and so on. It
might sound something like this:
Person A: “Bert Munroe appears in my story and he acts as a catalyst to make Helen decide to get rid
of her daughter.”
Person B: “Jimmie Munroe appears in my story and he acts as a catalyst to get Shark Wicks to try and
protect his daughter.”
Person C: “All the Munroes appear in my story and they act as catalysts to prolong the idea of a curse
in peoples’ minds.”
Reflection:
How did the stories complement each other and add to your understanding of the whole?
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 44 -
PASTURES OF HEAVEN SHORT STORY CYCLE
WORKSHEET
Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven is a compilation of short stories, each of which seems
complete because it has a conflict and resolution. The combination of the individual stories into one
book is called a Short Story Cycle. This was a very popular literary form at the turn of the century.
When you read the stories all together, the interaction between them creates a powerful impression
that is greater than that of each story individually.
Your teacher will assign your group one story.
To prepare your group for a class activity, answer the following questions.
Write complete sentences that you can read out loud.
1. A Munroe family member appears in each story.
Who is the Munroe in your story?
How does he or she act as catalyst for the events in the story?
2. Another constant in each story is the land (the Pastures of Heaven).
How is the land described in your story?
Why do you think Steinbeck described it this way?
3. Your class has brainstormed some of the themes in these stories.
What theme is strongest in your story?
Describe how this theme is illustrated in your story.
What other themes appear in your story?
4. The use of symbolism allows an author to communicate beyond the limits of language. A symbol
is a person, place or object that stands for something beyond itself. For example, the cross is a
symbol of a Christian religion.
List the symbols that appear in your story.
Write a sentence stating what you think each symbol stands for.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 45 -
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Just like the characters in the stories of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of
Heaven, people all around us can hold up a mirror to our own hopes and
ambitions by describing their life. Elderly people are especially interesting to
connect with, since they have a wealth of experience to share. This activity can
help students “connect” with the elderly.
1. Each student finds one elderly person who is willing to be interviewed about his or her life. It can
be a family member, a friend of the family, or someone in a local nursing home, etc.
2. If the students have access to a video camera, it can be very informative to videotape the interview.
Otherwise, just tape-record it.
3. Give students the interview question sheet (below) and go over the questions. Have them add
some questions of their own.
4. Discuss interview techniques with students: Tell them to ask open-ended questions—questions
that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer. Encourage the students to get the older person talking
a lot, rather than just giving short answers.
5. Each student completes an interview and writes a report summarizing the interview. If videotaped,
the class can make a video montage of the interviewees’ most interesting answers. Otherwise,
students should give oral reports to the other students. We suggest you do not use this as a graded
written project, but rather as a way for students to get better acquainted with an older person.
6. It’s fun to have a culminating activity: Invite the elderly interviewees and the students’ parents to
the classroom to view the video and reports and to celebrate with cake and ice cream.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 46 -
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Interviewer’s Name:
Interviewer’s Age:
Classroom Teacher’s Name:
Interviewee’s Name:
Interviewee’s Date of Birth:
Place of birth:
1. What was it like when you were my age? Describe:
• Food
• Clothes
• School
• Vacations
• Games
• Jobs
• Favorite activity
• Friends
• Family
2. How many different places have you lived in your life?
3. How do you think those places affected you?
4. What did your parents do for a living? Did you want to do the same thing?
5. What is your most treasured possession? Why?
6. When you were my age, what gave people high status? For example, did your family
have to be rich? Did you have to have certain clothes or be good at certain activities? Or
something else?
7. What is the biggest change that you have seen in your lifetime?
8. What was your biggest dream growing up? Did anything get in the way of that dream?
What did you do about it?
9. What is the worst thing about getting older?
10. What is the best thing about getting older?
11. What advice would you give to a young person?
12. (Insert your questions here)
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 47 -
YOU’RE THE CRITIC:
CAL SHAKES PLAY CRITIQUE
(Elementary and Middle School)
NAME: ______________________________________________________________
1. Circle the number of stars that best matches how you’d rate this performance. (One star is the lowest
rating and five stars is the best rating.) Then write a paragraph on the back of the paper that specifically
describes why you gave it that rating. Do not simply say “I didn’t like it,” but say why. For example, “I
didn’t like the fact that the director changed the setting to New York” or “I loved the way the actors made
me believe that they were really going to kill each other.”
2. Outline the main actions that happened in the plot (what were the big events in the story?).a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
3. What is the central idea or theme of the play?
4. Describe what the actors did to help you understand the different characters they were playing.
5. What did you particularly like or dislike about the staging (set design, lights, costumes, music, etc.)?
6. Steinbeck writes about things that we all experience: Love, jealousy, death, anger, revenge, etc.
Write a paragraph (on the back) about one emotion in the play that relates to your own life at the
moment.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 48 -
YOU’RE THE CRITIC:
CAL SHAKES PLAY CRITIQUE
(Middle and High School)
Give this production a rating of one to five stars. (One star is the lowest rating
and five stars is the highest.) On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph
review of the play. In other words, describe why you gave it that rating. Give
specific examples to support your reasons. On the same sheet of paper, reflect
on the following questions:
1. How would you describe the character of the people who come to live in the Pastures of Heaven?
2. How would you describe the actions people take in the play?
3. Which character did you sympathize with most? Why?
4. Think about and describe:
i. the vocal and physical actions of the actors (characterization)
ii. the set
iii. the costumes
5. What do you think are some of the themes of the play?
6. Did the elements of characterizations, set, and/or costumes reinforce any of these themes?
7. Steinbeck writes about things that we all experience: Love, jealousy, death, anger, revenge,
passion, misunderstandings, etc. Write a paragraph about one emotion in the play that relates to your
own life at the moment.
Now, imagine you are the director of John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven,
and use a new sheet of paper to create your new production.
• Cast the characters of Bert Munroe, Raymond Banks, John Whiteside, Hilda van Deventer,
Shark Wicks, with famous actors.
• The set for a play is usually designed with some theme of the play in mind. Would your set
be more heavenly, with bright lights perhaps, or more earthly? Do you wish to play up the
positive side of trying to achieve ones dreams or the more negative side of how dreams
can be lost?
• How about costumes? Imagine how the characters in your new production would be
dressed that would illustrate the kinds of characters they are and what setting you have
put the play in.
ACTIVITY GUIDE

- 49 -

John Steinbeck`s The Pastures of Heaven Teacher`s Guide

Transcription

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