Week 4- Entry A

Vocabulary

(p 48) furtive- taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret

(p 60) benign- having a kindly disposition; gracious

Figurative Language-

1. (p 25) "The lip-like flesh writhed up and then subsided. Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon." The pearl Kino finds in the oyster is compared to the moon in this simile.

2. (p 62) "But the buyer's eyes had become as steady and cruel and unwinking as a hawk's eys, while the rest of his face smiled in greeting." This simile compares his eyes to that of a hawk's.

3. (p 118) " The waving branches of the algae called to it and beckoned to it." The algae is personified as being able to wave and call to the pearl.

Quote

(p 118) "And the pearl settled into the lovely green water and dropped toward the bottom. THe waving branches of algae called to it and beckoned to it. The lights on its surface were green and lovely. It settled down to the sand bottom among the fern-like plants. Above, the surface of the water was a green mirror. And the pearl lay on the floor of the sea. A crab scampering over the bottom raised a little cloud of sand, and when it settled the pearl was gone." This paragraph is a perfect example of Steinbeck's writing style. He describes things so well that I can picture the scene in my imagination. I also loved this particular paragraph because the pearl has caused so much chaos and commotion, but the end of the pearl is very tranquil and relaxing.

Theme-

Just because you can take advantage of someone, doesn't mean you should.