Introduction to Rhetoric and The Grapes of Wrath
In this unit, we'll unpack your main summer readings text The Grapes of Wrath. In particular, you will learn and practice the art of rhetorical analysis (Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition) while considering the implications of an economy that excludes people like the Okies in Steinbeck's novel.
Required Readings:
In this unit, we'll unpack your main summer readings text The Grapes of Wrath. In particular, you will learn and practice the art of rhetorical analysis (Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition) while considering the implications of an economy that excludes people like the Okies in Steinbeck's novel.
Required Readings:
- Joliffe's Rhetorical Framework (PDF: for rhetorical situation discussion)
- Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition
- Seminar Evaluation / Levels of Questioning (PDF)
- Chapter 2 of The Language of Composition
Assignments
Be sure to note the Class Blog for obtaining prompts for your own blog and other assignments.
- The Grapes of Wrath Seminar #1 (PDF)
- The Grapes of Wrath Research Essay Quarter Project (PDF)
- The Grapes of Wrath Research Essay Rubric (PDF)
- The Grapes of Wrath Research Essay Attribution / Citation Exercise (PDF)
Research Resources for Grapes Quarter Project
These are by no means exhaustive, as the internet is huge. Be sure to engage in the CRAAP Test (Figure D) when assessing websites and texts. Also, keep in mind the novel’s themes, as well as your area of focus. Consider using Student Resources in Context on the Chaminade Library website; this is full of resources, too. Here’s how to access it:
Research Links for Sites Related to Grapes
Times site on resources for teaching Grapes (link): Look below the lesson plan resources for tons of New York Times articles about Grapes
1939 New York Times Review of the novel (link)
Natalie Angier on Evolution and Altruism (link)
Homepage for Ken Burns, The Dust Bowl (link)
A 1936 NY Times Article about the Dust Bowl (link)
1942 NT Times Article about Okies, Arkies harvesting that year’s crops (link)
Cesar Chavez’s “Wrath of Grapes” Speech (link)
1936 NY Times Article “The Vague, Roaming Dust Bowl” (link)
1990 NY Times article about Steinbeck speaking about The Grapes of Wrath (link)
2002 NY Times article about Oklahomans saving their California culture (link)
2012 CNN Article comparing 2012 drought to the Dust Bowl (link)
The National Drought Mitigation Center on the economics of the Dust Bowl (link)
NY Times article about Immokalee, Florida, and the Immokalee Workers’ Strike (link)
Webpage for the Steinbeck Center at San Jose State University (link)
Editorial on Illegal Immigration, Jobs that Americans Say Immigrants “Steal” (link)
2009 NY Times article about Depression-era folks looking back on making ends meet (link)
NY Times Editorial comparing the current fiscal situation with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 (link)
The Myth of Route 66: NY Times Article (link)
The Music of Woody Guthrie, the Songster of the Okies and the Great Depression (link)
Biblical Allusions in The Grapes of Wrath (link)
“Why Wasn’t It ‘Grapes of Glee?’ Study of Book Finds Economic Link” (link)
“What the Great Recession has Done to Family Life” (link)
Research Links for Visuals Related to Grapes
Times article about photographs related to the Depression, “America in Black and White” (link)
PBS’s The Dust Bowl Photograph Database (link)
“Waiting for Rain”: Times slideshow about the 2011 drought (link)
“Drought in California—In Pictures” UK’s The Guardian account in pictures on the current California dought (link
You can also search “Great Depression” in Student Resources in Context on the Moeller website and click on “images”
- Login to the Moeller website; go to the “Academics” tab; click on “Chaminade Library”
- You’ll find various research databases, like Student Resources in Context and Opposing Viewpoints in Context
- If you access the website remotely (off the Moeller network), the password is “Crusaders”
Research Links for Sites Related to Grapes
Times site on resources for teaching Grapes (link): Look below the lesson plan resources for tons of New York Times articles about Grapes
1939 New York Times Review of the novel (link)
Natalie Angier on Evolution and Altruism (link)
Homepage for Ken Burns, The Dust Bowl (link)
A 1936 NY Times Article about the Dust Bowl (link)
1942 NT Times Article about Okies, Arkies harvesting that year’s crops (link)
Cesar Chavez’s “Wrath of Grapes” Speech (link)
1936 NY Times Article “The Vague, Roaming Dust Bowl” (link)
1990 NY Times article about Steinbeck speaking about The Grapes of Wrath (link)
2002 NY Times article about Oklahomans saving their California culture (link)
2012 CNN Article comparing 2012 drought to the Dust Bowl (link)
The National Drought Mitigation Center on the economics of the Dust Bowl (link)
NY Times article about Immokalee, Florida, and the Immokalee Workers’ Strike (link)
Webpage for the Steinbeck Center at San Jose State University (link)
Editorial on Illegal Immigration, Jobs that Americans Say Immigrants “Steal” (link)
2009 NY Times article about Depression-era folks looking back on making ends meet (link)
NY Times Editorial comparing the current fiscal situation with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 (link)
The Myth of Route 66: NY Times Article (link)
The Music of Woody Guthrie, the Songster of the Okies and the Great Depression (link)
Biblical Allusions in The Grapes of Wrath (link)
“Why Wasn’t It ‘Grapes of Glee?’ Study of Book Finds Economic Link” (link)
“What the Great Recession has Done to Family Life” (link)
Research Links for Visuals Related to Grapes
Times article about photographs related to the Depression, “America in Black and White” (link)
PBS’s The Dust Bowl Photograph Database (link)
“Waiting for Rain”: Times slideshow about the 2011 drought (link)
“Drought in California—In Pictures” UK’s The Guardian account in pictures on the current California dought (link
You can also search “Great Depression” in Student Resources in Context on the Moeller website and click on “images”