Whitney Charles1st block

September 21, 2011

Themes

John Steinbeck•John Steinbeck (author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men) wrote many pieces of literature in his day, and is very well known for many of his works.

•John Steinbeck used themes that related to society and provided bittersweet entertainment to his readers.

magnetmagazine.com

Some questions you may ask yourself:

What are themes?

Why are John Steinbeck’s themes important?

How do John Steinbeck’s themes relate to the past? To the present?

What are themes? The textbook definition for the word ‘theme’ is:

the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.

But, what most people don’t know is, themes are much more than just a definition.

The theme of a piece of literature MAKES the story. It truly defines what a story is all about.

Examples of Steinbeck’s Themes:Hope for tomorrowAmerican dreamOptimismContest between good and evilPovertyEconomic depression

Why are Steinbeck’s themes important?John Steinbeck’s themes were, and are still today, very important because they contained timeless themes and raised questions.

Steinbeck’s works were sometimes considered too raw, too vulgar, or too sympathetic toward unsympathetic characters- but that is just what society needed. His themes are well known today because they are RELEVANT.

irvingtheatre.org

How do Steinbeck’s themes relate to the

past?Steinbeck’s themes were so easily related to the past.

For example, the theme of The Grapes of Wrath is Economic depression and Poverty. During the time period in which it was written, many people were poor and struggled every day just to live.

guardian.co.uk

How do Steinbeck’s themes relate to the

present?Steinbeck based a lot of his works on poverty and the struggle to live a good life.

Many people today experience this struggle, and can relate to Steinbeck’s works.

filipspagnoli.wordpress.com

Of Mice and MenThis novella is considered a classic. One of the

many reasons is because it contained one of many timeless themes – the struggle for the American Dream.

Many people had to work to get what they wanted – and even needed, and this book provided the readers with questions and answers they could easily relate to.

So, why does this matter?Classic literature is slowly but surely becoming

less and less important. Students of our generation need to know what

makes classic literature, why it is important, and how we should apply it to our daily lives.

John Steinbeck is a very good example of a classic author because he wrote many classics in his time. To some, the words ‘American literature’ instantly remind them of Steinbeck.

Work Cited (information) Michelle Potter, “John Steinbeck's California Connections”, Literary Traveler, Copyright 1998-2010

LiteraryTraveler.com Literary Traveler ® is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved., n.d., Web. September 28, 2011. http://www.literarytraveler.com/authors/john_steinbecks_california.aspx

n,p., SparkNotes, Themes, Symbols, and Motifs, 2011 SparkNotes LLC, All Rights Reserved, n.d., Web. September 28, 2011. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tortillaflat/themes.html

Esther Lombardi, “John Steinbeck Novels”, About, 2011 About.com. All rights reserved. A part of The New York Times Company. N.d., Web. September 28, 2011. http://classiclit.about.com/od/eastofeden/tp/aatp_jsteinb.htm

Petri Liukkonen, “John Steinbeck”, Kirjasto, May be used for non-commercial purposes. The author must be mentioned. The text may not be altered in any way (e.g. by translation). Click on the logo above for information, n.d., Web. September 28, 2011. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm

60SECONDRECAP, “Of Mice and Men" THEMES -- John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men”, YouTube, n.d, Web. September 28, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZKaZLCPH8E

Work Cited (pictures) Richard Hawley, JohnSteinbeck, 2009, Photograph, September 28, 2011,

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/09/23/richard-hawley%E2%80%99s-notes-from-sheffield-john-steinbeck/

N.p., Of Mice and Men, 2010, Photograph, September 28, 2011, http://www.irvingtheatre.org/new/mainstage/seasons/2009-2010/mice/index.htm

N.p., The Grapes of Wrath, 2010, Photograph, September 29, 2011, http://nothingiswrittenfilm.blogspot.com/2010/06/grapes-of-wrath.html

N.p., Grapes1, 2008, Photograph, September 29. 2011, http://www.fipresci.org/undercurrent/issue_0509/grapes.htm

N.p., grapesofwrath, 2009, Photograph, September 29, 2011 http://www.circleplayers.net/Show%20Pages/1011/GOW/gowhistory.html

N.p., Grapesimage142, 2010, Photograph, September 29, 2011 http://www.rachaelreads.com/10-the-grapes-of-wrath-by-john-steinbeck/