The Pearl Essay Questions with Answers Set 2 of 2 - The Pearl Study Guide

Essays With Answers From The Pearl Set Text - Set 2.

1. Referring to specific instances in Steinbeck’s The Pearl, write an essay to show that Juana exemplifies reason in whatever challenge she finds herself in.

Juana exemplifies reason in whichever challenge she finds herself in.
Introduction
When faced with any challenge Juana turns out to be reasonable and her actions in such situations help to assuage/remedy/ help family.
(Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• When Coyotito is stung by the scorpion Juana asks that they call the doctor and when she learns that the doctor would not come, she asks that they go to him. Even when the doctor turns them away, she goes to see from where she makes poultice from the sea weeds with which she treats the scorpion bite Pp. 23-29; 31-33
• She advises Kino to do away with the pearl because it portends evil for them as the family. Even though Kino refuses, she turns out to be correct because it the pearl that sets even their neighbours against them making them flee from La Puz after their house is set on fire. Pp. 59-60. 78-80; 87-92
• Even after being badly beaten by Kino for attempting to throw away the pearl,Juana reasons that she still needs Kino despite his brutality. She argues that beating her was an act Kino committed without much thought. she collects herself and returns to Kino and helps the family flee from the marauding ferocious neighbours. Pp. 83- 85
• When there is a threat of imminent attack from the trackers, Juana comes out to advise Kino against going to attack them in white clothes for he word be spotted from far. Kino then changes the clothes. He manages to kills all the trackers and takes their rifle. Pp.112-114
  (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. TOTAL 12 Marks)

Conclusion
A united family will always stand strong against any storm.
(Accept any other valid conclusion) 2 marks

2. The pearl of the world arouses the destructive power of greed.' To what extent do you agree with this statement? Base your arguments on The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

Introduction
The pearl of the world arouses greed in the Kino, the doctor, the priest and the people of La Paz. Everyone begins to plan their life around the pearl even though it belongs to Kino. They want a piece of it. Kino wants to get more for his pearl than the pearl buyers are offering.

Illustrations

• The pearl of the world arouses destructive power of greed. Everyone wants a piece of the pearl. The doctor at first refuses to treat the baby because Kino cannot afford to pay him. Later when he hears about the pearl, he even says he is the baby's doctor. Moreover, he poisons the baby just so he can get more money.
• The priest visits Kino when he hears of the pearl. The church needs some repairs and he can get money from Kino. He tells him to remember to thank God and probably give a portion of the money from the pearl as thanksgiving. He also wants to preside over Kino and Juana’s wedding and baptize Coyotito.
• The pearl buyers want to pay very little money for a pearl they know is worth so much. They operate as different agents though they are under one person so as to maximize on the profits. Kino is attacked by thieves at his house as they too want the pearl of the world. When they do not get it, they put a hole in his canoe and burn his house.
• Kino is liked and people say his wife is good. They hope the pearl will not change him, but it does. When Juana thinks it has brought evil and she wants to throw it into the sea, Kino slaps her, kicks her in the side and he is angry with her. He guards the pearl with all he has, and even injures a man and kills another. Later Kino wants to go to the city to sell the pearl for a better price and get more money. In the process he kills three men who are tracking him to take the pearl. In the process, the baby gets shot and dies.

Conclusion
Kino is changed by the pearl because he only sees what it can do for him. He fails to realize the most important thing in his life is his family and, in the end, his greed destroys him.

3. “One’s negative personality can be the cause of their downfall.” Referring to Kino in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl write an easy to justify this assertion.

(The candidate is expected to develop the two parts of the question adequately PERSONALITY and DOWNFALL; giving clear textual details to score a fair and full. For merely mentioning any one part, award thin.)

Introduction
Kino’s greedy, violent, chauvinistic and over-ambitious natures are some of the personalities that makes not only him but the family suffer. This is discussed herein.

• Coyotitos death
  Due to over-ambition, Kino loses his son Coyotito. When Kino finds the pearl his desire to change his life blinds him. He hopes to take Coyotito to school. He says that his son will go to school and learn writing. That he will know and they will know through him. They will be free. Even when he suffers attacks and physical pain because of the pearl his ambition clouds his reasoning. He refuses to let go off the pearl. He flees the village with Juana and Coyotito with a view to protect and sell his pearl, hoping to use the funds to educate his son. Coyotito is killed by one of the 3 trackers at the mountains as they were fleeing to the north. Kino suffers the pain of losing his only son.
  (Kino’s wild thoughts of the great achievements after finding the pearl MUST be clearly explored; not mentioned for a candidate to score beyond a thin)
• Physical pain
  Kino’s cruelty makes him suffer physical pain because of the pearl. Kino suffers attack after attack. He is determined to get his hands on new material possession. He suffers in the process. When someone tries to steal his pearl, he injures his forehead while trying to protect it. It his sole hope of new wealth. The night they came from the dealers, Kino is attacked outside his hut and slashed. There is a deep cut on his cheek from his ear to his chin. Juana pleads with him to get rid of the evil pearl but he refuses since is so ambitious to give Coyotito education and to acquire wealth. He is attacked again after striking Juana. He manages to kill the man but is left with injuries. Too much ambition causes pain.
  (To score beyond a thin, a candidate MUST clearly describe any one episode that Kino acts cruelly.)
• Cold relationship
  Because of his chauvinistic nature, Kino would do anything to protect his pearl and acquire wealth. Juana suffers this violent nature when she tries to throw the pearl away. He strikes Juana in the face with a clenched fist. She falls among the boulders. He then kicks her in the side. This destroys their peaceful co-existence as a poor but happy (contended) family. This is despite Juana’s constant plea with him to destroy the pearl or throw it back to the sea for it was evil – It will destroy us all. P59-60 Disregarding Juana’s advice, he says he is a man.
  (To go beyond a thin, the candidate MUST describe Kino’s insistence that he is a man and disregard for Juana’s counsel)
• Pearl buyers
  Kino being naïve in matters about value of the pearl made him not to know how to bargain for the real value of the pearl. Kino supposed the pearl buyers were individuals acting alone, bidding against one another for the pearls the fishermen brought in. little does he know there was only one pearl buyer with many hands. Little was it known to him that the price had been agreed upon. P64-76
  (To score beyond a thin, the candidate MUST describe the one pearl buyer synchrony giving clear textual details)
• Resist views
  Kino’s racist views make him hate the doctor even before he presents his case. He thought that the doctor was not of his people. He was of the race that for nearly four hundred years had beaten and starved and robbed and despised his race. (p26)He suffers self-inflicted pain when he thinks of the doctor as belonging to that other race. He struck the gate a crushing blow with his fist – his knuckles split and blood flowed down between his fingers. P29

(To move beyond a thin, the candidate MUST contextually describe Kinos hatred of the doctor.)

Conclusion
To sum up, Kino’s greedy excessive ambition causes pain/misery/suffering.

4. Great expectations make frustrated men”. Using illustrations from the novel write an essay supporting this statement.

Introduction
Kino is a man with great expectations that eventually makes it impossible to make a success of his life. He expects so much from the pearl and in the end making him frustrated. (2mks)
(Accept any other valid introduction)

• Kino is obsessive, the fact that the doctor refuses to see his sick child because he is poor, makes Kino obsessed with the thought of getting the Pearl. “ That might be that would make him a man again, a man capable of feeding and protecting his family. Hence when he comes into possession of the Pearl, he simply won’t let go, whatever the price he has to pay to keep it. The first time he is injured, his wife begs him to get rid of it, but he will hear none of it. He flatly refuses to part with his fortune even when the wife juana tells him the thing is evil and would destroy them. He eventually kills to keep the Pearl and it is only after his son Coyotito is killed that he agrees to throw it back to the sea.
• Kino stubbornly faces and confronts mountains of danger cost against him. He lacks the caution, the reason and the sense of self preservation. He adamantly rejects the counsel of his wife and actually turns violent and assaults her when she tries to get rid of the Pearl. In the end his expectations make him condemn his family to misery.
• The doctor also demonstrates self- interest. When the Kinos take their sick child to him, he refuses to treat him as he claims he has no time to treat “little Indians; He asks his servant whether they have money and when the answer is negative, he feels him to report that he has to go somewhere urgently. The doctor changes tune when the news of Kino’s sudden fortune reaches him, he visits them in their brush house. The doctor administers fake treatment by feeding the child with something poisonous. When he comes back in an hour’s time to correct the deliberate damage he has done in the treatment he tricks Kino into revealing where he has buried the Pearl. To the doctor, the Pearl is a ticket to a luxurious life in Paris. However, his attempts to get the Pearl are not successful hence making him a frustrated man.
• The priest in the church too has self interest as the rest. Apparently he cannot preside over Kino’s betrothal to Juana because they are and can’t afford the wedding. When the family discovers the Pearl, he even has time to visit them in their humble brush house. In his mind he wants to carry out repairs in the church. He reminds them of the need to thank the giver of their good fortune. He never forgets to remind his servants of the need to be satisfied with their humble circumstances, to hold first as destined by God. His intention is to subdue and make them accept their continued subjugation. He however becomes frustrated when the Pearl does not meet his expectations.
• The pearl dealers too have great expectations when news of the Pearl reaches them. We have been told that twice the Indian Pearl fishers have tried to attempt to break the yoke of greedy Pearl dealers when they heard of Kino’s Pearl they collude to cheat him of the true value of the Pearl. They are later on frustrated when Kino refuses their offer and decides to go to the capital for a better price.

Accept any4 well illustrated parts.
Mark 3:3:3:3

Conclusion
In a nutshell can deduced that great expectation will obviously make frustrated men as illustrated above.
(Accept any valid conclusion). (2mks)

5. Drawing illustrations from the story of Kino Steinbeck’s The Pearl, write a composition to show that sometimes human strive and struggle can be an effort in futility.

INTERPRETATION: One may put a lot of efforts in trying to change his/her status but all that work may be vain.

Introduction
Many time people invest a lot of time and resources in certain things with the hope that it would change their outlook but their efforts may not yield anything tangible.
(Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• Kino goes into great lengths to search for the pearl in the hope that it would help bridge social barriers that the society has created. He goes to the sea, pushes the canoe on the sea, dives, sifts the oysters. Finally he lands on the great pearl of the world. With it he hopes to change his life completely. Instead of bringing good tidings, the pearl ushers him into the labyrinth of suffering. 28-29; 31-36. 41-44
• Kino walks to the pearl dealers in an effort to sell the pearl but fails to get the right price for the pearl. He visits the first, second and third dealer before and fails to agree on the price. He walks back home and decides that he would go to the capital and fetch a better price for his pearl.Pp 63-75
• Kino does everything to defend the pearl and in the process lands himself in greater agonies. He is hurts from ear to chin, beats up Juana who attempted to dispose of the pearl, kills a man who attempts to snatch the pearl from him. Because he has killed, he ends up losing his property; house and canoe. P.78-80; 83-87
• Kino flees to the northern mountains hoping to keep his pearl safe. He chooses a covert as hide-out but soon realizes that it is unsafe. He decides to move deeper into the mountains. While on flight he is hyper- conscious, carries a knife, endures a mountainous rugged terrain to secure his pearl. Pp. 90-92;95-100; 102-105 106-110
• Kino decides to attack the trackers before they could attack him. He manages to kill all of them but in the end loses his only child to a stray bullet. The death of Coyotito makes Kino efforts vain for henceforth he sees the pearl as worthless and together with his wife, the trudge back to La Paz and cast the pearl back into the sea. All his efforts have ended up in nothing. Pp.110-118
  (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. Total 12marks
  Grammar and presentation 4marks

Conclusion

Kino’s efforts to change his socio-economic status using the pearl turn out to be an effort in futility.
(Accept any other valid conclusion) 2marks

6. “Juana’s steadfast spirit makes her a pillar of strength in her family.” Justify this statement using “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck.

Accept any relevant introduction (2 mks)

• Juana as an ideal wife who supports her spouse under all cirmstances.
• She is dutiful and treasures her family.
• When coyotito is bitten by a scorpion, she springs to the baby to suck the poison from his wound.
• She prays to the virgin Mary and some gods.
• She suggests they go to the doctor if he can not come to them.
• When she senses the Pearl may be behind their woes, she urges Kino to get rod of it because it is evil. “This Pearl is like sin!, it will destroy us! (Pg. 59)
• She is more enduring than Kino – she could arch her back in a child pain, with hardly a cry, could stand fatigue & hunger.
• In the canoe she was a strong woman
• She is decisive and determined as a fierce lioness.
• When the doctor declines to treat Coyotito she accompanies Kino to the sea to search for Pearl.
• She was determined to get a solution…. Finally they found the greatest Pearl of the world.
• She is rational and sensible – she tries to throw the Pearl in the sea because it is evil.
• She is Religious and Prayerful. Prays for her husband and child. Maybe it is her prayers that lead to the recovery of their son and discovery of the greatest Pearl.
• She is strong – willed – she accompanies Kino to the city to sell the Pearl with trackers following behind.
• She is assertive a trait that was not used with her earlier.
• Supporting – walks beside her husband with Coyotito dies.
• Her strong will and steadfast spirit hold her family together.
• Her great love and commitment to the family is seen when she helps Kino on his feet, takes him to the house before wiping blood from his face when he was attacked at night.
• Her strength, loyalty, obedience and courage makes her a strong pillar for her family.

Accept any other relevant point and conclusion. (2 mks)

7. “Without Coyotito, there would be no story to tell.” Discuss the validity of this statement showing the role Coyotito plays in various incidences that unfold in John Steinbeck’s story. (20 marks)

• It is only when Coyotito is stung by a scorpion that a true revelation of the doctor as discriminative and racist comes to the surface. The doctor refuses to treat the baby because Kino is an Indian and is poor.
• It is also through Coyotito that the priest is portrayed as materialistic. When he learns that Kino has found a great pearl he questions whether the baby had been baptized. This is because he expects to be paid if he were to carry out the baptism
• The doctor’s hypocrisy and greed is laid bare through Coyotito. When he learns that Kino has found the great pearl he changes tack and visits Kino in his brush house. He gives the wrong medication.
• Kino’s resolve to guard the pearl revolves around his great interest in securing Coyotito’s education.
• When Coyotito is accidentally, shot by a tracker, Kino throws the pearl into the sea, realizing that it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
  (20 marks)

8. Drawing illustrations from the story of Kino Steinbeck’s The Pearl, write a composition to show that sometimes human endeavor can be an effort in futility.

INTERPRETATION: One may put a lot of efforts in trying to change his/her status but all that work may be vain.

Introduction
Many time people invest a lot of time and resources in certain things with the hope that it would change their outlook but their efforts may not yield anything tangible.
(Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• Kino goes into great lengths to search for the pearl in the hope that it would help bridge social barriers that the society has created. He goes to the sea, pushes the canoe on the sea, dives, sifts the oysters. Finally he lands on the great pearl of the world. With it he hopes to change his life completely. Instead of bringing good tidings, the pearl ushers him into the labyrinth of suffering. 28-29; 31-36. 41-44
• Kino walks to the pearl dealers in an effort to sell the pearl but fails to get the right price for the pearl. He visits the first, second and third dealer before and fails to agree on the price. He walks back home and decides that he would go to the capital and fetch a better price for his pearl. Pp 63-75
• Kino does everything to defend the pearl and in the process lands himself in greater agonies. He is hurts from ear to chin, beats up Juana who attempted to dispose of the pearl, kills a man who attempts to snatch the pearl from him. Because he has killed, he ends up losing his property; house and canoe. P.78-80; 83-87
• Kino flees to the northern mountains hoping to keep his pearl safe. He chooses a covert as hide-out but soon realizes that it is unsafe. He decides to move deeper into the mountains. While on flight he is hyper- conscious, carries a knife, endures a mountainous rugged terrain to secure his pearl. Pp. 90-92;95-100; 102-105 106-110
• Kino decides to attack the trackers before they could attack him. He manages to kill all of them but in the end loses his only child to a stray bullet. The death of Coyotito makes Kino efforts vain for henceforth he sees the pearl as worthless and together with his wife, the trudge back to La Paz and cast the pearl back into the sea. All his efforts have ended up in nothing. Pp.110-118
  (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. Total 12marks
  Grammar and presentation 4marks

Conclusion
Kino’s efforts to change his socio-economic status using the pearl turn out to be an effort in futility.
(Accept any other valid conclusion) 2marks

9. ‘The society has lost its moral values: using the Pearl by John Steinbeck. For your illustrations show the truth of the above statement.

INTRODUCTIONS (2MKS)
Accept
- General introduction or contextual introduction

BODY (12MK)

• Greed
  When Kino gets the pearl, people are greedy to either have the pearl or the money when the Pearl is sold.
  The priest thinks about the church repairs. He also wonders how much the Pearl is worth. He tells Kino to give thanks to one who has given him the treasure. All this translates to him getting part of the money when the Pearl is sold.
• Materialism
  Kino guards the pearl with all the energy including killing several people who attempt to steal it from him. When Juana wants to throw away the Pearl, he slaps and kicks her.
  The pearl buyers’ are materialistic. They offer the least to Kino to maximize on the profit they make once they sell the pearl.
  
  
• Hypocrisy
  The doctor is hypocrital. When Kino and Juana take Coyotito for treatment at his house, he sends the servant informing them he is not in because they have no money. When he learns about the pearl, he visits Kino and offers to treat Coyotito and wait for money. The reason why he is ready to treat him is because there is hope for money once the pearl is sold.
• Exploitation
  • The doctor is interested in the money than the lives of the poor villages
  • The priest also exploits his congregation when he learns about the pearl, he thinks about whether he had married them in church and the repair the church needs.
  • The pearl buyers exploit the buyers by buying their pearls at a lower price than the actual.
  • They conspire to cheat Kino off his pearl.
• Violence
  • Kino attacks Juana who wants to throw back the pearl to the sea.
  • The three trackers carry weapons of war. It ends in Coyotito’s death.
    Any other plausible answer

Conclusion (2mks)
NB: the essay should be written in continuous prose.
Language (4 marks)