Monday's Class Assignment

Colonial Influences

Agree or disagree: Colonial influence is largely negative for natives. Draw a table, and support your position with quotes and allusions from The Pearl.

To be honest, I don’t really understand what we’re supposed to do with the table, but I personally think that colonial influence is both a positive and a negative thing for the natives. If we’re talking about the book, the “colonial influence” most likely came from the doctors and such. If it wasn’t for the doctor, there wouldn't be any medical treatment for the natives. Another “colonial influence” that was set upon the natives would be the pearl buyers. Thanks to them, the pearl hunters are able to trade in their findings for money that they can later use for whatever their hearts desire.

Because of the colonial influence, the local shops might raise the prices of their products, because they know that the non-natives have more money than them. This could be seen as a negative aspect, because if the prices are raised, the natives may find it hard to buy the things they need in order to support their daily lives.

Positive	Negative	Quotes/Allusions
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My Essay

The Pearl (Question 2)

In the beginning of the novel, the pearl is portrayed as something bright and beautiful, but as the novel continues, it begins to change its meaning.

After Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, his family rushes to the doctor’s house and asks to see him. Unfortunately, the pearls that Kino brings to pay the doctor are misshapen, ugly and valueless, so they are immediately turned away. Fearing that Coyotito might die, Kino and Juana are in desperate need for something with greater value. That’s when Kino gets the idea to go out to the sea and look for pearls.
When Kino first finds the pearl he is thrilled. Not only because he is now able to pay for Coyotito’s medical treatment, but also because the pearl gives him a new sense of hope. In the pearl he sees a rifle, him and Juana getting married in the church with new clothes and Coyotito in school learning to read and write. Thanks to the pearl, Kino was feeling excited for the future.

The other time the pearl changes its meaning is when Kino is attacked. This time when Kino thinks about buying a rifle, in the pearl he sees a dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat. When he thinks about getting married in the church, he sees Juana with her beaten face crawling home through the night. And instead of seeing Coyotito learning to read, he sees his face, thick and feverish from the medicine.
The change between what Kino saw in the pearl before and what he was seeing now was quite drastic. Now that the pearl was being portrayed as something evil, Kino started to feel uneasy.

At the very end of the novel, Kino sees how evil the pearl truly is and he brings it to the ocean, throwing it in without hesitation. 

The change from the hope of finding a pearl, to finally finding one and then it turning out to be evil really added a lot of drama and emotion to the story.

The Pearl Outline (1.1)

The Pearl Outline (1.1) 

       

         Outline 1:

              1.   Dogs

                      A. Excited Dogs

                      B. Distant barking of dogs

                      C. Hungry dogs on the beach

             2.    Fish

                      A. Clouds of fish

                      B. Tight-woven school of small fishes 

                      C. Swarms of fish

             3.    Snake

                      A. Hissing snake

                      B. Dry ringing of snake rattles 

         Outline 2:
             1.   Introduction 
             2.   Body 
                     A. What happened when they found the pearl
                     B. What Kino first saw in the pearl
                     C. What Kino last saw in the pearl 
                     D. What Kino did to the pearl in the end
            3.   Conclusion 
     Outline 3:
           1.   Introduction
           2.   Body
                   A. What I think the author's attitude towards religion is
                   B. How the church controls society 
          3.  Conclusion

The Pearl Outline