the pearl essay prediction 2022

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Pearl is a slasher prequel that makes the original even better

A killer follow-up to x creates a promising new horror franchise.

By Andrew Webster , an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

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When X came out earlier this year, it was a capable, well-crafted homage to ’70s slasher flicks from director Ti West, but there wasn’t much to it beyond that. It turns out the project is much bigger than that one-off story. As was teased at the end of X , we now have a prequel, Pearl , that tells the origin story of its titular bloodthirsty killer. On their own, the two films each offer a satisfying amount of scares and gore. But it’s when you put them together that they become much more intriguing.

This review contains spoilers for both Pearl and X.

X told the story of a group of young folks attempting to film a porn movie in a rented farmhouse before being steadily killed by the murderous elderly couple they were renting from. Pearl explains how that couple got so murderous. Its predecessor pulled liberally from classic horror movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , but Pearl goes in a different direction. It’s much more like The Wizard of Oz. Only, you know, with lots of blood and guts.

Set in 1918, it stars Pearl (Mia Goth), a simple farm girl with dreams of being a star. Problem is, her husband (Alistair Sewell) is away fighting in World War I, her father (Matthew Sunderland) is sick with the Spanish flu, and her strict mother (Tandi Wright) needs Pearl’s help to keep their struggling farm going. Despite a seemingly cheery disposition, Pearl feels trapped. She sneaks out whenever she can to watch movies, dreaming of one day being a dancer on-screen. But it’s not long before the cracks start to show. Early on, she randomly kills a farm animal with a casual kind of blood lust, and later, she has a surprisingly intimate moment with a scarecrow. Something is wrong, and Pearl knows it. She just doesn’t know how to fix it.

Things really start to change when she meets the local projectionist (David Corenswet), a self-proclaimed Bohemian who introduces her to smut movies and the idea of living life for yourself. While her mother dismisses Pearl’s dreams, the projectionist actually supports them, fueling her desires. Soon after, her glamorous sister-in-law Misty (Emma Jenkins-Purro) convinces Pearl to audition for a local dance troupe. What follows is a series of unfortunate events that leads to Pearl ultimately becoming uncoupled from reality and taking her first steps into the wide world of being a slasher movie villain.

Pearl works as a standalone horror movie; the contrast between The Wizard of Oz vibe and the lurking dread builds a wonderful kind of tension and makes the moments of bloodshed hit that much harder. It helps that Goth turns in an incredible performance. She shines, particularly during a long, discomforting speech that sees her accept herself as well as the perfect yet painfully awkward credits sequence. Goth’s ability to swap between Pearl’s true self and the mask she wears in public is wonderful to watch.

But what really makes the movie interesting is how it builds on, and adds layers and texture to, its predecessor. X made it clear that Pearl was full of spite and envy, yearning for her younger days. But now, those motivations are much more clear, to the point that she almost becomes a sympathetic figure. We also see how her husband is roped into the whole endeavor and even get an origin story for the alligator. No matter which order you watch them in, each movie strengthens the other.

This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, of course. Horror movies are often great at building up a mythology over the course of multiple films, whether it’s Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street . But with Pearl and X , much like with Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy , there’s an intentionality that’s clear from the beginning. The mythology isn’t being created on the fly; it’s there from the start, waiting for you to put the pieces together.

There’s more on the way, too: Pearl will be followed by MaXXXine , a direct sequel to X (I know, the titles are confusing) that sees Goth reprise her other role of Maxine as she attempts to make it in LA. Based on the first teaser , it’s clear MaXXXine will have an ’80s vibe, adding another flavor to West’s growing slasher story — and giving Goth another chance to establish herself as one of horror’s most promising new villains.

Pearl is in theaters on September 16th. This review is based on a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Ti West’s ‘Pearl’ Provides a Fascinating Character Study of a Murderous Daydreamer

Pearl (Mia Goth) is the product of inherent insanity, obsessive ambition, and the conditions of her repetitive, dull, and unfair upbringing. Behind her wide eyes and unsettlingly steady voice lies a propensity for violence.  

The new movie Pearl , released on Sept. 16, is a study of this vicious character who also terrorizes Ti West’s horror movie X . Pearl is a thought-provoking and eerie prequel to West’s earlier film. 

“I want to be loved,” Pearl says. 

When she’s not terrifying audiences with her violent tendencies, Pearl’s desperation to escape her abusive mother and unresponsive father provokes sympathy from the audience. Goth carries much of the movie on her shoulders, as she not only plays the protagonist but is also a co-writer of the film.

Pearl grips its audience with a back-and-forth narrative that bounces between Pearl’s insanity and her sympathy-inducing dreams for a better life. Pearl’s aspiration to become a movie star is underscored by her repressive home life and her sense of invisibility to the world. 

But Pearl is also very conscious that there is something deeply wrong with her. In a way, Pearl’s self awareness and, sometimes, her remorse humanizes her character. The film carefully crafts this brilliantly complex character that leaves the viewer conflicted about how they should feel about the young, hopeful, murderous Pearl.

Goth’s calculated acting in Pearl is the most compelling aspect of the movie. The actress does not overdo her gestures and naturally brings the character to life. Her wardrobe, youthful face, and neatly styled hair give an innocent look to her character that contrasts with who she really is. 

Goth’s long, heartfelt monologues and exaggerated smiles give Pearl distinctive and almost admirable character traits. Even though viewers likely know the future of Pearl’s character from watching X , the film still stands out for its artistic portrayal of insanity and for its carefully written script. 

Set on a Texas farm in 1918, the movie resembles The Wizard of Oz with the set’s antique aesthetics. But in this film, Dorothy is replaced with a sadistic, Joker-like villain. 

Events unfold in broad daylight, challenging the idea that horror movies must be shot in the dark. Daylight, a numbed color palette, and an upbeat soundtrack make the viewer forget from time to time that it’s a horror movie. 

In its unsettling psychological pursuit, the film presents the extreme results—murder, that is—of Pearl’s dissatisfaction with daily life, which is a feeling that any audience member can relate to. The feeling of being trapped in one’s life that Pearl experiences brings the claustrophobic horror of everyday life to the screen. 

The film strives to be more than a disturbing horror movie. It is artful in almost every detail and carries through each of the wonderful performances. Pearl ’s unique psychological elements and dulled atmosphere solidify it as one of the best horror releases of the year. 

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Pearl (2022) Review & Ending Explained: A Love Story Gone Mad? Dissecting a Killer’s Psyche

“Pearl,” an X-traordinary origin story that serves as a prequel to Ti West’s “X” (2022) , is another slasher film released this year to rave reviews for its filmmaking and its homages to 70s classic slasher horror. “Pearl” serves as an origin story for the nonagenarian killer of the first movie, played again by Mia Goth , in a story written by both Ti West and herself. The following will contain spoilers, so proceed with caution.

Pearl (2022) Plot Summary and Synopsis:

What does pearl’s brutal act reveal.

The year is 1918, and the movie begins with the camera panning forward as the stable door opens, and we are introduced to the Texas homestead where Pearl lives. We see her wearing what is later revealed to be her mother’s dress. As she looks at the mirror, we see the lights shut down, a spotlight drops on her, and we see her dancing to a classical musical score until suddenly, the door opens, and the dream breaks. Her mother chastises her for her tardiness and for trying out the dress without her permission and instructs her to go to the barn and feed the animals.

At the barn, she voices to the animals her dreams of becoming a star, of being a chorus girl and part of a troupe, and as the music swells in the background and we believe in her head, she climbs up the bales of hay, almost structured like a stage, with the camera following her. As the music dies down, we see her looking at a stray goose entering the barn. Quizzically looking at it, she walks up to the goose and kills it with her pitchfork.

While we aren’t given the visual of her driving the pitchfork through the flesh of the goose, the immediate next scene is her walking towards the nearby lake, where she feeds the bloody carcass to her alligator named Theda. Like any classic Hollywood movie, the name of the movie appears in full greyish font with a big brassy score, meant to evoke the musicals of the 40s and 50s, but with a very tongue-in-cheek perspective, as evident by the name appearing the instant the alligator manages to bite the goose carcass.

How Does the Spanish Influenza Pandemic Impact Pearl’s World?

As the movie progresses, we learn that her parents are German immigrants. Her mother is the domineering matriarch of the household, while her father is infirm and paralyzed. Her husband, Harold, on the other hand, is currently serving in World War I, and her presence is missed by Pearl dearly, as evidenced by her reading through her letters. We will, however, be proved wrong as subsequent events occur.

We see her feeding her father medicine, after presumably bathing him, before enjoying the hot water in the bathtub while recounting her plan to watch the movies when she goes to the town to pick up his medicine. Her mother then reminds her to cover her face and not linger too close to anyone, lest sickness wreaks havoc on their house again.

This brings to light the film’s timeline, as 1918 was when the Spanish Influenza virus global pandemic was at its fever pitch. This is made more evident as we follow Pearl cycling from her village to the town. We see people wearing masks and makeshift tents marked as “Standard Influenza Medicine Depots” as Pearl cycles over to the pharmacy to buy her father’s medicine.

She then sneaks into the cinema hall to watch the musical “Palace Follies,” As she watches the showgirls perform, her mind fantasizes about being a part of this troupe someday. She later meets Johnny, the projectionist, outside the hall. A charming man, he compliments her on her looks and states that he wishes to see her on the screen someday, and then cuts out a frame of the film and gifts her.

Does the Encounter in the Cornfield Unleash Pearl’s Darker Impulses?

Swayed by the compliment, Pearl cycles back but suddenly has to stop in horror as the little frame of the film gets blown away by a gust of wind towards the cornfield. Walking through the cornfield in search of that frame, she comes across a scarecrow, and after climbing up its frame and throwing it to the ground, Pearl starts dancing with it. The music and her imagination take over her, and she starts kissing the scarecrow and suddenly sees Johnny’s face imprinted over him. Guilt overcoming her, she screams, “I am married.” However, that doesn’t stop her from masturbating by gyrating against the scarecrow.

She manages to wear the top hat of the Scarecrow, which comes under the notice of her mother’s watchful eye, who urges her not to bring it inside. She also urges her to wash her hair and ensure her father is cleaned up. The next scene shows Pearl washing her hair and recounting the film she watched with her father. As she sees the infirmed man almost dozing off, she tries to pinch his finger, almost tearing his skin off.

Her almost childlike psychopathy comes to full effect when she whispers, “Are you still there?” and then almost tries to choke him. Later, at dinner, her mother informs her that eight cents are missing, and Pearl’s answer only serves to make her angrier and withhold her food because, according to her, “the food I worked hard to prepare is not your supper.”

How Does the Opportunity for Escape Clash with Pearl’s Home Life?

The next day, Pearl’s sister-in-law, clearly of far higher financial standing as evidenced by the car they arrive in and the pot roast they bring for Pearl and her parents, informs her of an audition for dancers with a traveling troupe being held at the church. Pearl, realizing that this is one of the feasible ways out of her current circumstance, agrees to join her at the audition and not tell a soul.

Meanwhile, in the background, Pearl’s mother refuses the pig roast, which forces Mitsy’s mother just to lay the pig roast at the door in frustration. That night, Pearl sneaks out of the house and cycles out to the town to visit the projectionist. Johnny receives her warmly and entertains her with stories of Europe and how she had a chance of getting there and being the biggest star if “she wanted it bad enough.”

How Does Exposure to the Forbidden Alter Pearl’s Desires?

He then entices her to watch a movie that “no one had seen before” and thus shows her “A Free Ride,” an illicit stag film he had acquired in Europe. That was the first time Pearl became cognizant of an underground adult film industry, how doing public fornication isn’t illegal, but filming is. As Johnny portentously proclaims, this is the future, and he intends to encash it before it becomes big. Pearl might even have a future in these films if she wants to.

Pearl, finally able to share and talk with someone outside of her farm, reveals that she could only strive to fulfill her dreams after her parents died. In response to the platitude, Johnny throws her way regarding how she has one life that should be taken while she is young, Pearl almost imperceptibly whispers, “If only they would just die.” As Pearl returns home, climbs up to her room through the roof, and shimmies in through the window, she hears her mother sobbing alone in the night.

How Does Frustration Fuel Pearl’s Darker Actions?

Pearl’s words would come to pass sooner rather than later. Her contemplation begins to take a far more sinister and concrete form when she attempts to push her father, who uses a wheelchair, down the lake and feed him to her pet alligator, but her mother interferes. In a rare moment of introspection, when Pearl asks her mother, “When do I get what I want?” her mother answers in the most pragmatic way, befitting her—”One day you’ll understand. Getting what you want isn’t what’s important. Making the most of what you have is.”

Pearl’s hatred for her husband too slowly starts to be visualized as something far more concrete than stray thoughts. She finds an alligator egg near the banks of the lake and squishes it in her hand, imagining her returning husband’s body exploding from the inside. At dinner that night, her mother reveals to Pearl that she has found the film’s program, which Pearl had managed to hide a couple of scenes before.

She orders Pearl to sleep in the bunker for fear of bringing the disease home. Undeterred, Pearl reveals that there is an audition the next day, and she wants to participate. As a counter, her mother chastises Pearl for being ungrateful for her efforts and wonders whether she thinks she is above her station.

How Does the Unveiling of Pearl’s Darkness Fracture the Family?

Pearl emphatically states that she is not under any illusion that she might have to live out on this farm for the rest of her days, but she is going to try to see if she can rise above this. Whether there is something better than the lot she is saddled with is unknown. She had never performed in front of an audience before. Now, she wants to know whether she is good enough to be a star. Then Ruth, Pearl’s mother, drops the bombshell. She knows what Pearl has done. She knows what Pearl does in private, and as her emotional range revs up to 11, she screams, stating that Pearl is not well. Ruth is scared that the world will come to know about the malevolence and cruelty that she knows Pearl is capable of.

Ruth then holds a knife at her infirm husband’s throat, offering to kill him for Pearl, freeing both of them from the yoke of this life. She finally proclaims that she wouldn’t suffer for Pearl any longer and urges her to go, with the caveat that when she fails (emphasis on “when,” not “if”), she will remember what it feels like. She finally asks what is possibly there for Pearl to take away from her that the world hadn’t already. With a hint of fear, Pearl replies, “I don’t want to end up like you, is all.” Ruth slaps Pearl in anger as their altercation turns physical. Pearl screams out her hatred for her mother and shoves her into the kitchen hearth, igniting her dress and resulting in Ruth being burnt.

How Does the Need for Escape Lead to Unforgivable Acts?

Leaving her father in the kitchen, Pearl drags her mother down to the basement and locks her there. Then she leaves the house in the middle of the stormy night and rushes to the cinema, where she has sex with Johnny. The next day, Pearl wakes up early so she can return to the farm to prepare for her audition. Johnny offers to drive her up to her farm. As they arrive, Pearl asks Johnny to wait while she goes inside and tries to tidy up the mess at her house. She tidies up her father and securely locks the door to her cellar. Meanwhile, Johnny becomes perturbed by the maggot-infested roasted pig still outside her door.

His perturbed and suspicious nature starts to increase as she sees Pearl’s exceedingly theatrical nature while introducing him to her father, taking him to her bedroom, and engaging in a make-out session, irrespective of the noise coming from the basement. Johnny, feeling ill at ease, goes down to the kitchen to see the table, with the dishes of food strewn around, which have been unclean since last night.

Pearl appears behind him, creeping him out and telling him that they have a dog in the basement, which they have kept locked up. Pearl’s recollection is too inconsistent to ignore, so Johnny attempts to leave, which only manages to make Pearl overly suspicious, thinking he is leaving her because he is afraid of her. Flying in a fit of rage, almost resembling her mother, Pearl uses the pitchfork to stab Johnny to death while he is driving away to escape, screaming, “Nothing is going to keep me here, not you, not Howard, not Mama.”

From Murderous Rage to Devastating Rejection

As the car stops, Pearl pulls the stabbed Johnny out of the car and drives the pitchfork through his face, giving out a cathartic, angry yell. She then opens the basement to see the burnt, barely alive body of Ruth and whispers back to her what Ruth had said previously, “I want you to remember what it feels like because that’s how I felt when you looked at me.” She then pushes her further down the basement. Pearl then cleans her father up, dresses him up to the nines, and herself in one of Ruth’s lavish red gowns before thanking her father for everything and then suffocating him with a pillow cover.

Pearl arrives at the church where her sister-in-law Mitzy is waiting for her so that they can wait for the audition together. She, somehow, after the events of the morning, has a sense of brazen confidence about her and a determination that the only girl who would be selected to be part of this troupe must be her. Mitzy, on the other hand, is nervous and even convinces Pearl to switch seats with her so that she won’t have to audition earlier. Pearl enters the room, climbs on the stage, and delivers the best performance she has ever given, according to her, lost in the haze of the performative high.

But the judges soundly reject her, stating that she lacks the “X-factor” and that they are looking for someone younger, blonde, and “all-American.” As she is dragged off the stage, Pearl screams out that she is a star and that there has been a mistake. 

Pearl (2022) Movie Ending, Explained:

Does Pearl’s Confession Reveal a Calculated Killer or a Desperate Soul?

Heavily distraught, Pearl is finally taken back home by Misty. In the kitchen, Pearl confides in Misty that something is very wrong with her. Mitzy consoles her and advises her to share all her fears with Howard. She advises Pearl to practice the confession on her, pretending she is Howard. In a long, eight-minute monologue, Pearl pours her heart out.

She reveals that she hated Howard for leaving her here. Pearl reveals that she had been curious about other men and had slept with another man. She states that she had been flattered that someone like him, a handsome and good man, would pine over her, and she was mindful not to make him jealous, as she was familiar with the twisted and rotten nature of that emotion, having suffered from jealousy over people whose lives were easy.

Furthermore, Pearl knew that Howard came from privilege, and in him, Pearl had finally realized a way out of the stasis of her life. Thus, she knew she was lucky to have his attention. That he came from a life and a home “straight out of the pictures,” and she wanted to have that. But instead of taking her away, he wanted to stay at their farm. And that made her angry, thinking about his selfishness after everything she had done to make him happy.

Can a Twisted Desire for Escape and Love Coexist?

She then reveals that she had suffered from a miscarriage but is relieved to hear that. She could not bear the thought of being a mother and is repulsed at the idea of something growing inside her. Her dream is to be in the pictures, to be adored, loved, and desired. She hated feeling this way: unloved, unable to understand what was wrong with her, and her prayers not being answered by God.

Sometimes, her fear washes over her, and she is forced to wonder whether this is the extent of her life. Whether she would be able to move forward beyond her farm was unclear. She acknowledges that her mama was right about her being weak, and now she is scared that Howard will finally return home and see her for what she truly is, and she becomes frightened of her.

Pearl admits that she liked killing and murdering animals who were weak and defenseless. However, when she finally killed her mother and Johnny, she revealed that those were different. Those had meaning. She had killed them to ensure they suffered. But she also admitted that her father didn’t deserve that. She implores Howard, stating that she would be the person he wants her to be. She could love him if he truly meant the vow of “Till Death do us part” because she can’t bear to remain alone anymore. Together on this farm, the two of them would be enough because all she wanted was to be loved.

From Confession to Carnage

After that confession, Mitzy is too stunned to speak and gets up from the table to leave, stating that her mother would be worried if she is late. As she begins to leave, Pearl asks her whether she is frightened of her or whether she thinks Pearl is sick. After Mitzy answers negatively to both of them, fully cognizant at the moment of how dangerous Pearl is, Pearl manipulates her into confessing that she has been selected for the dance troupe.

After she answers in the affirmative, Pearl gives a wry smile and states, “You always get everything that you want. You are younger and more blonde.” As Mitzy opens the door and begins to leave, she sees Pearl coming out of the house with an axe. She tries to escape, screaming for help, but Pearl catches up to her and swings her axe, maiming Mitzy. She falls to the ground, and Pearl towers over her. As she sobs and implores that she would do anything Pearl wanted, Pearl repeats Ruth’s advice given to her near the lake-“It’s not about what I want. It’s about making the best of what I have, “and swings the axe and kills her.

Can Love Survive the Monstrous Within?

We see Pearl walking downstairs towards the basement where her mother’s body unceremoniously lies. She hoists the body near the stairs and hugs her as if trying to ooze the last bit of affection from her mother as she passes away. In a montage sequence, we see Pearl getting ready to “clean” up the house before her husband arrives. She had pushed Johnny’s body along with the car down the lake (a homage to the final sequence of Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece ).

Now, we see her chopping Mitzy’s body and feeding it to Theda, her alligator. She dresses her parents’ corpses up and sets the table for dinner, with the maggot-infested pig gifted by her mother-in-law as the star attraction. As her husband Howard returns from the war, he comes inside the house and is faced with that dreadful sight at the table. He is then met by his wife, who is waiting for him with a lemonade jar, wistfully smiling and saying, “I am so happy you are home.”

The movie ends with that unnerving and creepy smile adorning Pearl’s face. We are left to wonder how Howard survived. As the events of “X” had already been foretold, Howard survived the carnage. It could be inferred that he stuck around with his mass-murdering wife either because he didn’t want to meet the same fate as his in-laws or because he truly loved her and recognized she wasn’t well and wanted to take care of her. It could also be safely inferred that Howard might have been responsible for keeping Pearl’s murderous tendencies limited to the boundaries of their farm.

Pearl (2022) Review and Analysis:

“pearl” uses a disney lens to craft pandemic horror.

There is almost a demented glee permeating through every frame of “Pearl” as Ti West looks to craft a horror movie set in the aesthetics of the Disney family films like “The Wizard of Oz” or “Mary Poppins.” The filmmaking aesthetic, thus, eschews bright, colorful, and, dare I say it, almost all-American. The cinematography and the visual language during Pearl’s dreams of becoming a star resembled those of a musical with how the shots are framed or how the camera pans forward or rotates as it explores the contours of Pearl’s already fractured psyche.

By putting the film smack dab in 1918, in the middle of the Spanish Influenza-affected global pandemic, West is also trying to comment on the very real pandemic we are in the midst of almost a century later. It explores the feelings of isolation and cabin fever, the heightened moments of loneliness, and the urge to escape the monotony of small-town drudgery to realize whether her current lot of life is the only form in which life exists. This feeling only gets compounded as Pearl’s mother’s strictness feels warped due to fear of the pandemic and the fear of understanding and realizing Pearl’s malevolence. 

“Pearl” Deconstructs the All-American Dream with Technicolor Terror

“Pearl” works not only as a commentary on Golden-Age Hollywood films but also as an effective skewering against the “All-American” image of farm life, with the white picket fence, the barn, and the peaceful life on a homestead. The final montage showing Pearl chopping off Mitzy’s hand is equally remarkable because it visually presents the whole ordeal as bright and bloody.

Even Mitzy’s murder is motivated by the fact that she is “pretty and blonde,” the very image of an “All-American” as expected by the judges. The final sequence of Pearl smiling that wide-eyed smile, which doesn’t reach her eyes, as the wife studiously waits for her husband to return home, and the brass music closing the film out, is a final coda in this demented and cracked mirror version of a Golden Age Hollywood film, with its brightly toned color palette unable to hide the rot and violence within.

Mia Goth’s Performance Elevates “Pearl” as an Iconic Horror

The core of “Pearl” is the Mia Goth show, where Goth single-handedly elevates the material with a performance bordering on incandescent. You cannot look away, and it is because of Goth that Pearl manages to remain sympathetic to us even after her murdering ways take over her. Goth successfully captures the emotional whiplash that Pearl goes through as paranoia and anger take over her.

It is undeniable that at 102 minutes, “Pearl” (2022) feels longer than it has to. The slower pacing might feel intentional, but there are moments where scenes occur that feel redundant or have already been set up by dialogue. However, the moments underscoring or building up the violent acts are well done. A healthy dose of restraint is shown here during those moments, which catapults this prequel above its predecessor. While it tries to explore more profound moments of isolation and mental health, Pearl never loses sight of its demented charm and its skewering of its homages, unlike in “X,” where the homages felt more slavishly faithful than anything else. But as far as iconography in horror is concerned, “Pearl” might just have cracked it.

Checkout – Here’s Where to Watch and Stream A24’s New Slasher Movie ‘Pearl’ Online

Pearl (2022) Movie Links: IMDb , Letterboxd Cast: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro

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A cinephile who is slowly and steadily exploring the horizons of the literature of films and pop culture. Loves reading books and comics. He loves listening to podcasts while obsessing about the continuity in comics.

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Consider the priest and the doctor as foil characters. How do their characteristics and roles overlap, and how do they differ?

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America after World War II The Peace Treaty signed on February 10,1947 officially ends World War II. America emerges as a world superpower. It is capable of an incredible industrial capacity and, in addition, America commands the most powerful military in the world: the greatest Navy, the largest standing Army, the best Air Force, and the only nuclear arsenal. The United States military becomes even stronger when Congress passes a law unifying the Air Force, Army, and Navy under one Secretary of Defense. Adding another weapon to America's might, Congress creates the Central Intelligence Agency.

Culturally, American literature, music, art, movies, and eventually television gain popularity around the world. The isolationism of the prewar days is gone and the city of New York emerges as a world center. Visitors to the city experience the tastes and sights of the capital of American publishing, the infant television industry, and the glamour of Broadway shows. They view Abstract Expressionism, maybe bump into a Beat Poet, and revel in the sound of Bebop or blues.

Supply and Demand Economics With the end of the war, the rationing of goods ends and people demand to be supplied with goods that were unavailable during the war. Industry scurries to provide these goods. One immediate demand is housing. The soldiers coming home are taking advantage of the GI Bill of Rights to attend college. They use the same rights again to procure financing for adding their tract house to that other New York invention—the suburban sprawl. The military industrial complex quickly retools to offer prefabricated housing components, appliances, and civilian cars and trucks. All of this consumption, however, wreaks havoc on economic forecasts. Price controls are abandoned too quickly and inflation rises. As men reenter the work force, pressure to raise wages increases and strikes happen frequently.

President Harry Truman's popularity declines drastically with inflation's rise and the liberal coalition formed under Roosevelt—which had brought together business and government so effectively to fight a war—unravels. Fortunately, the worldwide demand for goods is so great and the capacities of America and Canada so vast that boom times are bound to come. Republicans aim to push back the New Deal legislation at a time when the Marshall Plan was being hammered out to help resuscitate Europe. The Democrat coalition begins splitting apart over the thorny issue of civil rights. The Southern Democrats strengthen their alliance with the Republicans to weaken the New Deal and delay action on civil rights legislation.

Despite a presidential veto, the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 (the Taft-Hartley Act) passes. This law outlaws 'closed shop' agreements—where the employer hires only those persons who belong to a specific union. Further, the law demands that workers must first vote by secret ballot before striking. Perhaps most fundamentally, the law made labor unions liable to court action for contractual violations brought on by stake actions.

The Cold War Tense relations developed between the United States and their Russian allies late in the war as they raced to see who would dominate Japan. But it is not until after the war that the growing tensions would come to be known as the Cold War. In 1947, American Bernard Baruch uses the term to label the conflict between Russia and the United States that is just short of war. The Cold War resuits in technological races, political influence in lesser countries (from Central America to the Middle East), and curious exchanges at the United Nations. Both nations break the sound barrier in 1947. With the detonation of a Soviet atom bomb in 1949, an arms race begins. Later, Sputnik would cause a furious investment in math and sciences so that America arrives at the Moon first.

Disturbing domestic legislation is enacted early in the Cold War. Truman hands down Executive Order 9835, which requires the Department of Justice to compile a list of subversive organizations that seek to alter the United States "by unconstitutional means." The list includes a whole range of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, the Communist Party, the Chopin Cultural Center, the Committee for the Negro in the Arts, the League of American Writers, the Nature Friends of America, and the Yugoslav Seaman's Club. Truman's order seeks investigation of those persons affiliated with those groups who might have infiltrated the United States government. Of the 6.6 million persons investigated, as a result of this program, not one case of espionage is uncovered. However, this activity paves the way for such later witchhunts as McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Cite this page as follows:

"The Pearl - Historical Context." Novels for Students, Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-historical-context>

The Pearl is set in and around La Paz, Mexico, a coastal town marked by economic, social, and racial divisions resulting from colonial domination of the local native population. Kino attempts to escape with his family to the capital city and seeks refuge in a cave in the wilderness, but his attempt to flee is thwarted, and he returns to La Paz, where he renders the pearl to the sea.

"The Pearl - Setting." Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, edited by Kirk H. Beetz, Vol. 13. Gale Cengage, 1999, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-setting>

Literary Style

Allegory An allegory takes many forms. One form of allegory is that of a type of fiction more or less symbolic in feature intending to convey a meaning which is not explicitly set forth within the narrative. Allegories usually involve a journey that a character makes toward spiritual growth. Kino's story is an allegory: his journey affords him a small amount of personal growth and a variety of lessons to meditate on. The plot is simple: a man finds The Pearl of the World but he does not gain happiness and throws it back. Within this narrative are many hidden meanings. The story tells us that man is in the dark and needs to wake up. Therefore, the opening shows Kino waking in the night, which is allegorical, but because the Cock has been crowing for some time we know that he has been trying to gain a consciousness—literally wake up—to his people's plight.

Another message is that journeys should be made in communion, not just the company, of another. Kino should be in a leadership position amongst his people because of his fortuitous discovery. But he is not leading them. He tries to sell the pearl, which could have ruptured the economic system and provided economic opportunity for his people. Instead he falls prey to doubt and decides to go for the big city leaving his people ignorant of his mission. Kino decides to make his own way and is followed by his wife. He returns with her, but they are still alone and everything is the same as before.

Symbolism The story is full of symbolism of the talismanic. allegorical, and ironic kind. The pearl itself is a symbol of escape for the poor man, but it also symbolizes the effects of greed on man. Worse than that, Steinbeck sets up the pearl to embody the whole of the European Conquest of the Americas. He does this by saying that the pearl bed in which it was found is the same pearl bed that raised the King of Spain to be the greatest in the world. Historically, then, this pearl bed represents the gold, silver, and raw resources that Spain extracted from the New World at the height of that nation's empire. Now, this same pearl bed lures in a victim of that colonialism to dream of an easy escape from poverty.

The pearl is a talisman: an object that comes to be interchangeable with a man or an idea. At one point Kino views the pearl as his soul and vows to keep it. For Kino, the success of the pearl's sale will indicate his success. The pearl stands opposite to the canoe that at once stands for his family and is a sure bulwark against starvation. When he makes it known that he will pursue wealth by venturing on his own to the great city, his canoe is sabotaged. This is a crime greater than homicide for it is a direct assault on Kino's family—worse than burning down the house.

Irony arises in the name of the village: La Paz or peace. The town is only peaceful because the majority of the people are demoralized. Their peace is one of an oppressed people. The pearl stirs up this peace and only bloodshed restores calm.

The Indians are constantly presented as innocent primitives further duped by the superstition of the Catholic Church. They are also, and Kino especially, compared to animals. In their daily habits of fishing and gathering they are like the hungry dogs and pigs described as searching the shore for easy meals. More exactly, Kino howls, the trackers sniff and whine, the baby's yelps sound like its namesake—the Coyote. Animals have roles as well. The Watcher's horse raises the European above the Indians; this advantage is used to conquer the hemisphere.

Metaphor While the story has its symbols and large allegorical sentiments, every facet of the tale is transcribed into metaphor. Even the minds of the Indian people are as "unsubstantial as the mirage of the Gulf." Further, they are clouded as if the mud of the sea floor has been permanently disturbed to block their vision. Even the city as seat of the colonial administration is given metaphorical animation: "A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet."

In a moment of foreshadowing, Kino watches as two roosters prepare to fight. He then notices wild doves flying inland where later Kino will prepare to fight his pursuers. Juana is like an owl when she watches Kino sneaks down the cliff. Earlier, when the watering hole was described, feathers left by cats that had dragged their prey there are noticed. Those with feathers die. On the other hand, Kino is no longer an animal. Instead, when Kino kills the men who are tracking him he is a machine. He is efficient and without noise, like the cats playing with their doomed prey. He is killing to survive. The metaphor that is mixed in with this scene of tension and action is in keeping with the style of the rest of the work, while also lending it a realistic dimension.

"The Pearl - Literary Style." Novels for Students, Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-style>

Literary Qualities

Kino's story is an allegory: his journey affords him a small amount of personal growth and a variety of lessons on which to reflect. An allegory may take one of many forms. One form of allegory is that of a type of fiction more or less symbolic in feature intending to convey a meaning that is not explicitly set forth within the narrative. Allegories usually involve a journey that a character makes toward spiritual growth. The plot of Steinbeck's story is simple: a man finds the "pearl of the world" but he does not gain happiness and throws it back. Within this narrative are many hidden meanings. The story tells us that humanity is in the dark and needs to wake up. Therefore, the opening shows Kino waking in the night, which is allegorical, but because the cock has been crowing for some time we know that he has been trying to gain a consciousness—literally wake up—to his people's plight.

Another message is that journeys should be made in communion, not just the company, of another. Kino should be in a leadership position among his people because of his fortuitous discovery, but he is not leading them. He tries to sell the pearl, which could have ruptured the economic system and provided economic opportunity for his people. Instead he falls prey to doubt and decides to go for the big city leaving his people ignorant of his mission. Kino decides to make his own way and is followed by his wife. He returns with her, but they are still alone and everything is the same as before.

The novel is full of symbolism of the talismanic, allegorical, and ironic kind. The pearl itself is a symbol of escape for the poor man, but it also symbolizes the effects of greed on man. Worse than that, Steinbeck sets up the pearl to embody the whole of the European conquest of the Americas. He does this by saying that the pearl bed in which it was found is the same pearl bed that raised the King of Spain to be the greatest in the world. Historically, then, this pearl bed represents the gold, silver, and raw resources that Spain extracted from the New World at the height of that nation's empire. Now, this same pearl bed lures in a victim of that colonialism to dream of an easy escape from poverty.

The pearl is a talisman: an object that comes to be interchangeable with a person or an idea. At one point Kino views the pearl as his soul and vows to keep it. For Kino, the success of the Pearl's sale will indicate his success. The pearl stands opposite to the canoe that at once stands for his family and is a sure bulwark against starvation. When he makes it known that he will pursue wealth by venturing on his own to the great city, his canoe is sabotaged. This is a crime greater than homicide for it is a direct assault on Kino's family—worse than burning down the house.

The Indians are constantly presented as innocent primitives further duped by the superstition of the Catholic Church. They are also, and Kino is especially, compared to animals. In their daily habits of fishing and gathering they are like the hungry dogs and pigs described as searching the shore for easy meals. More exactly, Kino howls, the trackers sniff and whine, and the baby yelps—a sound reminiscent of its namesake, the Coyote. Animals have roles in the story as well. The Watcher's horse raises the European above the Indians; this advantage is used to conquer the hemisphere.

While the story has its symbols and large allegorical sentiments, every facet of the tale is transcribed into metaphor. Even the minds the Indian people are as "unsubstantial as the mirage of the Gulf." Further, they are clouded as if the mud of the sea floor has been permanently disturbed to block their vision. Even the city as seat of the colonial administration is given metaphorical animation: "A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet."

In a moment of foreshadowing, Kino watches as two roosters prepare to fight. He then notices wild doves flying inland where later Kino will prepare to fight his pursuers. Juana is like an owl when she watches Kino sneak down the cliff. Earlier, when the watering hole was described, feathers left by cats that had dragged their prey there are noticed. Those with feathers die. On the other hand, Kino is no longer an animal. Instead, when Kino kills the men who are tracking him he is a machine. He is efficient and without noise, like the cats playing with their doomed prey. He is killing to survive. The metaphor that is mixed in with this scene of tension and action is in keeping with the style of the rest of the work while also lending it a realistic dimension.

"The Pearl - Literary Qualities." Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, edited by Kirk H. Beetz, Vol. 13. Gale Cengage, 1999, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-literary-qualities>

Social Sensitivity

Written in the mid-1940's, The Pearl addresses numerous social issues that gained prominence at that time and that remained among the chief concerns of late twentieth century society. Among them are a growing awareness of the more sinister aspects of colonialism and the domination of native peoples by European settlers, the powerlessness of the economic underclass, and the illusory nature of the "American Dream" of financial prosperity.

Uneducated in the methods of western medicine and the victims of racial prejudice, Kino and Juana are turned away when they seek the help of the doctor in treating Coyotito's sting. The doctor, a representative of the colonial elite, compares the family to animals in a blatant expression of his racial contempt. In The Pearl , Kino's racial and economic powerlessness is further demonstrated in dealings with the priest and the pearl dealers, both of whom attempt to take advantage of his ignorance.

The Pearl also offers commentary on the blind pursuit of material wealth. Kino's obsession with attaining the best price for the pearl ultimately leads to the loss of his own innocence, to the death of his child, and to the destruction of the few possessions the family had to begin with. In other words, Kino' greed has left them spiritually, physically, and materially ruined, a situation that reflects the emptiness and alienation that many mid-century writers began to associate with modern American society and its emphasis on personal wealth.

Steinbeck also depicts Kino and Juana's growing isolation from their family and community as they are compelled to flee to the city to find a buyer for the pearl. An episode of domestic violence is portrayed when Juana attempts to get rid of the pearl. Ultimately, the parental devotion that led to their desire for material wealth and enhanced social status backfires— leading to the death of their child and turning Kino into a wife-beater and murderer. The pearl, symbolizing the pursuit of wealth above all else, may be seen to drive a wedge between the couple and their community, to disrupt family relations, and to upset nature in the premature death of their child. In a negative expression of Steinbeck's literary vision of cooperation and natural harmony, Kino and Juana end unhappily through their failure to act in concert with others and for the good of all nature.

"The Pearl - Social Sensitivity." Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, edited by Kirk H. Beetz, Vol. 13. Gale Cengage, 1999, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-social-sensitivity>

Compare and Contrast

1947: Jackie Robinson becomes the first black American to play baseball in the major leagues when he joins the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rookie of the year and lead base stealer in the National League, he is a hero to blacks and a symbol of integration.

Today: Affirmative Action is all but discontinued while blacks retain their predominate role as sports heroes.

1947: Its troops tired of harassment by Jewish settler militias, Britain turns over the "Palestine problem" to the United Nations which allows the creation of the State of Israel months later.

Today: There is still no peace in Palestine.

1947: Britain releases its colonial jewel, India. In the aftermath, three nations are born: India Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Today: Raising the nuclear stakes worldwide, India and Pakistan have conducted nuclear tests and declared themselves nuclear states. Diplomats from China to Moscow fear an arms race.

1947: The Cold War begins leading to tense relations between the two largest nuclear powers.

Today: The Cold War is over but war hawks on both sides continually threaten to restart the arms race.

"The Pearl - Compare and Contrast." Novels for Students, Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-compare-contrast>

For Further Reference

Baker, Carlos. "Steinbeck at the Top of His Form." New York Times Book Review (November 30, 1947): 4, 52. In this favorable review, Baker finds parallels between The Pearl and the "unkillable folklore of Palestine, Greece, Rome, China, India," and western Europe.

Barker, Debra K.S. "Passages of Descent and Initiation: Juana as the 'Other' Hero of The Pearl ." In After " The Grapes of Wrath," Essays on John Steinbeck . Edited by Donald V. Coers, Paul D. Ruffin, and Robert J. DeMott. Ohio University Press, 1995, pp. 113-23. Barker argues that Juana undergoes a trial "equal to or perhaps more momentous" than Kino's as she evolves from the role of "Helpmate" to that of "The Sage."

French, Warren. "Dramas of Consciousness." In John Steinbeck , Twayne Publishers, 1975, pp. 126-30. French defines parable, and maintains that The Pearl does not fit the definition of a parable because it contains too many loose ends.

French, Warren. "Searching for a Folk Hero." In John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited , Twayne Publishers, 1994, pp. 106-12. French describes the novel as offering a "highminded lesson for materialistic cultures that certainly could not have been true."

Geismar, Maxwell. "Fable Retold." The Saturday Review (November 22, 1947): 14-15. Geismar criticizes the novel as a work of propaganda rather than art.

Jain, Sunita. "Steinbeck's 'The Pearl' : An Interpretation." Journal of the School of Languages (1978-1979): 138-43. In this positive review, Jain interprets the central drama in the story to be "Kino's education into manhood through the knowledge of good and evil."

Karsten, Jr., Ernest E. "Thematic Structure in The Pearl ." English Journal (January 1965): 1-7. Karsten relates the novel's themes to its organization, focusing his analysis on the Songs of Family, of Evil, and of the Pearl, on the theme of human relationships, and on the essential roles of men and women.

Krause, Sydney J. " The Pearl and 'Hadleyburg': From Desire to Renunciation." In Steinbeck's Literary Dimension: A Guide to Comparative Studies Series II . Edited by Tetsumaro Hayashi. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1991, pp. 154-71. Krause says that critical responses to the novel depend on how one interprets its conclusion, which he sees optimistically as revealing how Kino's weaknesses have become his strengths. Krause classifies the novel as belonging to the "pessimistic-naturalist" tradition of Twain's "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Levant, Howard. "The Natural Parable." In The Novels of John Steinbeck, A Critical Study . University of Missouri Press, 1974, pp. 185-206. Levant analyzes Steinbeck's narrative methods, focusing on the novella's simple structure, which, he believes, provides a necessary balance to Steinbeck's complex material.

Lisca, Peter. "The Pearl." In The Wide World of John Steinbeck . Rutgers University Press, 1958, pp. 218-30. Lisca offers an interpretation of The Pearl as both a "direct statement of events," and "as a reflection of conscious or unconscious forces dictating the imagery in which it is presented."

Meyer, Michael J. "Precious Bane: Mining the Fool's Gold in The Pearl ." In The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism . Edited by Jackson J. Benson. Duke University Press, 1990, pp. 161-72. Meyer analyzes critical responses to the novella, in particular how they interpret the ambiguity in the tale, then offers his own interpretation: the parable acknowledges that only on his way toward death is man able to "discover who he really is."

Morris, Harry. " The Pearl : Realism and Allegory." English Journal (October 1963): 487-505. Morris investigates the appearance and reception of allegory in the past four hundred years of literature, responds to those who criticized the novella because it is an allegory or because it is anti-materialist, and concludes that Kino is a remarkable hero because he is an allegorical Everyman.

Prescott, Orville. "Books of the Times." New York Times (November 24, 1947): 21. Prescott praises The Pearl for its simple style and powerful emotional impact, and compares it to Kipling's Mowgli story, "The King's Ankus."

Steinbeck, John. "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech." In Faulkner, O'Neill, Steinbeck . Edited by Alexis Gregory. Helvetica Press, Inc., 1971, pp. 205-08. In this speech, Steinbeck considers the human need for literature, and agrees with Faulkner that the "understanding and the resolution of fear are a large part of the writer's reason for being."

Steinbeck, John, and Ricketts, Edward F. In Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research . Viking, 1941. This work is the result of a marine expedition that Steinbeck undertook with his friend Ed Ricketts in 1940. It provides more insight into Steinbeck's biological theories. The expedition takes place in the Gulf of California where a story like The Pearl might easily take place.

"The Pearl - For Further Reference." Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, edited by Kirk H. Beetz, Vol. 13. Gale Cengage, 1999, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-further-reference>

Bibliography and Further Reading

Sources John S. Kennedy, "John Steinbeck: Life Affirmed and Dissolved," in Steinbeck and His Critics: A Record of Twenty-five Years , edited by E.W. Tedlock, Jr. and C.V. Wicker, University of New Mexico Press, 1957, pp. 119-34.

Todd M. Lieber, "Talismanic Patterns in the Novels of John Steinbeck," in American Literature , May, 1972, pp. 262-75.

Peter Lisca, "Escape and Commitment: Two Poles of the Steinbeck Hero," in Steinbeck: The Man and His Work , edited by Richard Astro and Tetsumaro Hayashi, Oregon State University Press, 1971, pp. 75-88.

Harry Morris, " The Pearl : Realism and Allegory," in English Journal , Vol. LII, No. 7, October, 1963, pp. 487-505.

Further Reading Carlos Baker, "Steinbeck at the Top of His Form," in New York Times Book Review , Vol. 97, November 30, 1947, pp. 4,52. In this favorable review, Baker finds parallels between The Pearl and the "unkillable folklore of Palestine, Greece, Rome China India," and western Europe.

Debra K.S. Barker, "Passages of Descent and Initiation: Juana as the 'Other' Hero of The Pearl ," in After The Grapes of Wrath, Essays on John Steinbeck , edited by Donald V. Coers, Paul D. Ruffin, and Robert J. DeMott, Ohio University Press, 1995, pp. 113-23. Barker argues that Juana undergoes a trial "equal to or perhaps more momentous" than Kino's as she evolves from the role of "Helpmate" to that of "The Sage."

Warren French, "Dramas of Consciousness," in John Steinbeck , Twayne Publishers, 1975, pp. 126-30. French defines parable, and maintains that The Pearl does not fit the definition of a parable because it contains too many loose ends.

Warren French, "Searching for a Folk Hero," in John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited , Twayne Publishers, 1994, pp 106-12. French describes the novel as offering a "high-minded lesson for materialistic cultures that certainly could not have been true."

Maxwell Geismar, "Fable Retold," in The Saturday Review , Vol. 30, November 22, 1947, pp. 14-15. Geismar criticizes the novel as a work of propaganda rather than art.

Sunita Jain, "Steinbeck's The Pearl : An Interpretation," in Journal of the School of Languages , Vol. 6, Nos. 1-2, 1978-1979, pp. 138-43. In this positive review, Jain interprets the central drama in the story to be "Kino's education into manhood through the knowledge of good and evil."

Ernest E. Karsten, Jr., "Thematic Structure in The Pearl ," in English Journal , Vol. 54, No. 1, January, 1965, pp. 1-7. Karsten relates the novel's themes to its organization, focusing his analysis on the Songs of Family, of Evil, and of the Pearl, on the theme of human relationships, and on the essential roles of men and women.

Sydney J. Krause, " The Pearl and 'Hadleyburg': From Desire to Renunciation," in Steinbeck's Literary Dimension: A Guide to Comparative Studies Series II , edited by Tetsumaro Hayashi, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1991, pp. 154-71. Krause says that critical responses to the novel depend on how one interprets its conclusion, which he sees optimistically as revealing how Kino's weaknesses have become his strengths. Krause classifies the novel as belonging to the "pessimistic-naturalist" tradition of Twain's "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Howard Levant, "The Natural Parable," in The Novels of John Steinbeck, A Critical Study , University of Missouri Press, 1974, pp. 185-206. Levant analyzes Steinbeck's narrative methods, focusing on the novella's simple structure, which, he believes, provides a necessary balance to Steinbeck's complex material.

Peter Lisca, " The Pearl ," in The Wide World of John Steinbeck , Rutgers University Press, 1958, pp. 218-30. Lisca offers an interpretation of The Pearl as both a "direct statement of events," and "as a reflection of conscious or unconscious forces dictating the imagery in which it is presented."

Peter Lisca, in John Steinbeck: Nature and Myth , Thomas Y. Cromwell, 1978. Critical look at Steinbeck's theoretical use of biological theory and mythical components in his fiction.

Michael J. Meyer, "Precious Bane: Mining the Fool's Gold in The Pearl ," in The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism , edited by Jackson J. Benson, Duke University Press, 1990, pp. 161-72. Meyer analyzes critical responses to the novella, in particular how they interpret the ambiguity in the tale, then offers his own interpretation: the parable acknowledges that only on his way toward death is man able to "discover who he really is."

Harry Morris, " The Pearl , Realism and Allegory," in English Journal , Vol. 52, No. 7, October, 1963, pp. 487-505. Morris investigates the appearance and reception of allegory in the past four hundred years of literature, responds to those who criticized the novella because it is an allegory or because it is anti-materialist, and concludes that Kino is a remarkable hero because he is an allegorical Everyman.

Orville Prescott, "Books of the Times," in New York Times , November 24, 1947, p. 21. Prescott praises The Pearl for its simple style and powerful emotional impact, and compares it to Kipling's Mowgli story, "The King's Ankus."

John Steinbeck, "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech," in Faulkner, O'Neill, Steinbeck , edited by Alexis Gregory, Helvetica Press, Inc., 1971, pp. 205-08. In this speech, Steinbeck considers the human need for literature, and agrees with Faulkner that the "understanding and the resolution of fear are a large part of the writer's reason for being."

John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts, in Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research , Viking, 1941. This work is the result of a marine expedition that Steinbeck undertook with his friend Ed Ricketts in 1940. It provides more insight into Steinbeck's biological theories. The expedition takes place in the Gulf of California where a story like The Pearl might easily take place.

"The Pearl - Bibliography and Further Reading." Novels for Students, Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, 18 July 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/pearl/in-depth#in-depth-bibliography-bibliography-1>

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The Pearl Essay Questions with Answers - The Pearl Study Guide

« Previous Topic LANGUAGE AND STYLE - Stylistic Devices - The Pearl Study Guide

Exam Style Pearl Essays Questions and Answers

Below are essays with answers from The Pearl Set Text. These test questions and answers are the type that are set in the national exams, with ways of how to answer and description.

You can also easily download these essays as pdf to read online whenever you need.

The essays below are mostly in marking scheme format. With points that examiners check.

It should be noted that in an exam situation, essays should be written in prose and not point form as in some of the examples below. In an exam, the "Introduction", "Body" and "Conclusion" titles should not be added in your essays. The examples below just guide on the format that your essays should take.

1. ‘Our lives are controlled by destiny’ Using illustrations from ‘The Pearl’, write an essay to support this statement.

Introduction ( 2mks)

Forces beyond one’s control shape our destiny. What a number of characters go through in the Pearl is pre-determined. Accept any other relevant introduction.

Body(12mks)

• The death of baby Coyotito is pre-determined. However much the family tries to protect and save him, he finally passes on when they are attacked by the attackers.
• Kino returns the Pearl to the sea. This is after he unsuccessfully tries to sell it. The pearl buyers collude to deny him the opportunity to sell it by setting very low price for it.
• Failure by Kino to get to the Pearl Buyer or the best price is beyond his control. This is what makes him to finally realize that it is the pearl that is turning him into an animal and a target of thieves that he throws it back to the sea.
• The stinging of the baby. The scorpion stings the baby irrespective of Kino’s attempt to kill it. This is foreshadowed by the music of Evil in Kino mind and the music of the enemy.

Conclusion(2mks)

Any valid conclusion summarizing the points

2. “A society driven by greed suffers alot” Using illustrations from “The Pearl” by JohnSteinbeck, write an essay to support the statement.

• Kino’s greed for wealth after his discovery of the pearl brings out the worst of him when he retreats into a man driven by the desire to guard his treasure even at the expense of life. He Kills to protect his Pearl. Coyotito’s life is lost as he pursues a better life.
• The doctor is driven by greed and this brings out the nasty inner man he is. He is painted as one of the inheritors of colonial evils - greed topping the list.
• He is repulsive of Kino on his first Counter but he hears about the discovery of the pearl, he makes a quick turn just to benefit.
• The pearl buyers all salivate at making a kill when news of Kino’s newly found pearl reaches them. They all strategize to exploit Kino even by dismissing the worth of the pearl.

3. Materialism and greed are inherent nature of human beings. Discuss the statement, basing your arguments on the Pearl.

General or context based.

Introduction: It is the nature of human beings to wrongly desire what isn’t theirs. Such is the case in The Pearl as seen through characters such as The Doctor, The Priest, Pearl buyers etc.

• The Doctor: Wants to take advantage of Coyotito’s sickness to get the Pearl. Upon learning that Kino has found a pearl he visits Kino and yet he had turned him away earlier. He tries to trick Kino into giving him the Pearl. He also observes Kino’s eyes with an intention of knowing where the Pearl could be buried.
• The Priest: Wants to take advantage of Kino’s and Juana’s marriage. He pays Kino a visit with intentions of getting some of the proceeds of the Pearl. He is keen to remind Kino to give thanks in church, he also wishes to med him and baptize his son. This is because they can now pay for this.
• Pearl buyers: They conspire on how to deal with Kino who has found “the pearl of the world”. They lie to him about the actual cost of the Pearl. They offer very little when in actual sense it is a very expensive pearl.
• The trackers: They track Kino and follow him all the way with intentions of forcefully taking the pearl from him. From Juana we learn that they will not spare Kino, his wife and son in their efforts of getting the Pearl.
• Attackers: They attack Kino on several occasions and injure him. They burn down Kino’s house and destroy his boat- his source of livelihood.

Give opinion or recap the points that have been highlighted.

4. “Greed leads to evil.” Write a composition to show the truth of this statement using illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

Accept a relevant introduction

• The doctor declines to treat Kino’s child, Coyotito, of the scorpion sting because he has no money (has only small worthless pearls).
• The pearl buyers are out to take advantage of Kino and his pearl. Their goal is to cheat him and ruin his plans of happiness and peace for his family.
• The doctor comes to take advantage of Kino’s ignorance by making Coyotito sick and pretending that his illness is the result of the scorpion sting. He pretends as if he does not know of Kino’s pearl, yet the only reason he has come to treat Coyotito was to tr yand seek out where Kino might be hiding it.
• Kino is attacked several times as the attackers want to rob him of the pearl of the world.
• The pearl turns Juana and Kino against one another. At the beginning of the story, they are very close but the pearl divides them. Kino attacks and injures his wife when she wants to throw it into the sea.
• Kino is forced to kill a man to defend himself and the pearl.
• His hut is burned after someone searching for the pearl has ransacked it.
• Trackers follow Kino and his family and they have to hide in the mountain.
• Finally, Kino’s child is shot.

Accept a relevant conclusion.

5. “Appearance can be deceptive” With close reference to the text The Pearl write an essay in support of the statement.

• Some things happen in our lives and we think they are blessings. The appearance of a person can appear to glitter when in real sense the character is rotten. It is usually a rude shock when we realize that outward appearances can be deceptive. This is shown clearly in JohnSteinbeck’s novel, The Pearl.
• When Kino find the Pearl of the World, he has great dreams. He believes the pearl would drastically improve his life and that of his family. He hopes to marry Juana in church, buy new clothes, educate his son, replace his lost harpoon and buy himself a rifle. Unfortunately, his dreams are shattered. There are attempts to steal it and his life is threatened several times. He does not sell it at a low price offered by the pearl buyers. Consequently, Juana declares it evil and attempts to throw it back to the sea. Kino follows her and wretches the pearl from her hand and strikes her with his clenched fist and kicks her on the side. He later kills a man, his canoe is vandalized, their brush house is burnt down and they are forced to flee to save their lives. They lose their only child and return home broken only to throw the pearl back to the sea. The glitter in the pearl, finally brings them misfortune and they lose all what they had treasured.
• The priest stands for the moral authority in La Paz. Kino's dream is to be married in his church. When he says that discrimination is God designed, Kino and Tomas take it as gospel truth. Unfortunately, we find that Kino and Juana are not married in church and Coyotito's is not baptized simply because they cannot pay. When the priest comes to their house he tactfully tells Kino that he is named after a great man and a great Father of the church. He tells them to remember to give thanks to Him who had given them the treasure. As a result his moral fiber becomes questionable since he is motivated by greed and hopes to benefit from Kino's Pearl. This is contrary to the kind of person we expect of him.
• A doctor's profession is admired by many people. When we meet him, he is sitting up in his high bed, dressed in a gown of red watered silk and he is taking breakfast from a silver tray with a silver chocolate pot and tiny cup of egg-shell China. Among the furnishing of his room are religious pictures and a large tinted photograph of his late wife. We are surprised to learn that he is discontented in life and harbours memories of high life with a mistress in Paris. Moreover, he refuses to treat Coyotito who has been stung by a scorpion because the family cannot afford his medical fee. When he learns that Kino has a valuable pear, he ironically says Kino is a client of his and that he is treating his child for a scorpion sting. His greed and opportunism is evident when he makes the recovering child sick in order to treat him and be paid from the proceeds of the pearl. All the above prove that appearances can be deceptive.
• The stout pearl buyer's face looks fatherly and benign and his eyes twinkled with friendship. He is a caller of good-mornings, a ceremonious shaker of hands, and a jolly man who knew all jokes. However, his deception is revealed when Kino entered his office to sell the pearl. His eyes become as steady and cruel and unwinding as a hawk's eyes while the rest of his face smiled in greeting. He cheats that he is going to value and give Kino the best price. After examining the pearl, he puts on a sad and contemptuous smile and declares it a fool's gold and a curiosity only suitable for a museum. He even invites other dealers to support his opinion. His presence is revealed when he, together with other dealers panic when Kino refuses to sell the pearl to him. He further offers to give one thousand five hundred pesos. This proves that his appearance is deceptive.

6. Greed for worldly possessions can lead to in controllable madness. Using Kino, draw illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

Introduction

• Kino's determination to fight poverty and guarantee a future of comfort and security is rewarded with a rare find of the greatest pearl in the world. However, such determination is marked with a mad obsession that blocks him from being reasonable (Sober)
• A thief gets into his house and attempts to steal the pearl from where he buried it. Kino fights the thief off with a knife. He however receives a blow on his head and Juana has to nurse him.
• Her plea for Kino to throw the pearl "This pearl is like sin! It will destroy us"is met with a stubborn resolve to keep it.
• When Kino steps out of his brush house, Juana hears a little rush, a grunting struggle and a blow. In terror, she comes out with a stone from the fire place only to find Kino on the ground struggling to rise. He had been attacked by a thief in need of the pearl. She entreats him to do away with the pearl: Let us throw it back in the sea where It belongs Kino, it is evil, it is evil! Kino is determined to defend and protect it at all costs.
• At cock-crow, Kino senses his wife moving quietly to the fireplace and takes the pearl intending to throw it into the sea. He follows her, wrenches the pearl out of her hands and strikes her in the face with his clenched fist. She falls among the boulders and he kicks her in the side. He becomes violent and half insane.
• As he moves away from his wife, Kino is attacked and his attackers ransack him. Luckily, the pearl drops from his hand and falls near a stone. He kills a man with his knife. Kino and his family attempt to flee from their village, but to his dismay, his canoe has a hole in it. He was an animal now, for hiding for attacking
• Kino is not ready to take advice from Juan Tomas or Juana, his wife and get rid of the pearl. He says the pearl has become his soul. "If I give it up I shall lose my soul."
• Kino readily counters any threats to himself and his family. He ceases to be human and becomes an animal. Kino kills the three trackers in a moment of sheer madness. "...the big knife swung free in his right hand."

7. The Pearl potrays humans as beings inherently greedy. Show the validity of this statement with reference to The Pearl.

Sample introduction.

Greed is evident throughout the text as exhibited from the actions of various characters in the text. Kino, a pearl fisherman finds superb pearl. News of this great discovery spread to admiration and greed for the pearl in equal measure.

Points to consider

• The priest on hearing about the finding of the pearl starts to think of the need for church repairs. He wonders whether Kino and Juana have been properly married (in church and whether Coyotito has been baptized. As a result, he makes a trip to Kon's village driven by greed to lay his hand on the newly found fortune. His was an indirect approach.
• After Kino finds the pearl, the doctor, who had a first refused to treat Coyotito, takes upon himself to deliver the medicine to 'cure'Coyotito. He injects Coyotito with a drug to ensure he is sick so as to later 'cure' him. While in the homestead, his darting eyes are focused on kino to get a clue on where the pearl might be hidden. This shows his greedy nature.
• The pearl buyers had opened different offices in town with a sole aim of exploiting the pearl fishermen. They had collaborated with an aim of buying the pearl at the cheapest price and when Kino fails to fall for their trap they dismiss his pearl of being of poor quality. This portrays their greed.
• The pearl exposes Kino's family to so much danger. There are a number of attempts to end his life. Those responsible were driven by greed. they wanted to own the pearl due to its fortune. At the same time, Kino killed in self defense. His hut is burnt down and his boat is knocked. All this shows the greedy nature of the thieves who want to own the pearl.
• Greed is also noted among the beggars who pinched camp outside the church. They also hope to benefit from pearl for they know there is no alms giver like a poor man who suddenly becomes rich. They believe that when Kino sells the pearl they will benefit.
• The villagers followed every detail concerning Kino's pearl through Kino's brother Juan Toma. This shows some element of greed. Conclusion It is evident that greed for material wealth is inherent even in some cases where individual effort has not been raised.

8. Using the Pearl by John Steinbeck, write an essay to support the proverb," All that Glitters is not gold"

Introduction (2 mks).

As the proverb state all that glitters is not gold, we can agree with this proverb as in "The Pearl" we see that Kino gets a great pearl that can provide a better life for him and his family, however, it is through the same pearl that Kino loses everything.

Body (12 mks) For points of interpretation (4 x 3 = 12 mks)

• Kino loses his canoe. After killing a man who has attempted to steal the pearl, Kino intend to escape with the family. He finds that the canoe had been destroyed by being punctured with a hole. The boat is a pined possession to Kino and his people Pg 87. This was an evil beyond thinking. The Killing of a man was not so evil as the killing of a boat, for a boat does not have soul, and a boat cannot protect itself, and a wounded boat does not heal. Kino felt sorrow in his rage. Pg 32. Kino's canoe was the one thing of value he owned in the world. The canoe had been handed down from his grandfather to the father and family to Kino. It was at one property and source of food for a man with a boat could guarantee a woman that she will eat something. It is the bull work against starvation.
• Coyotito dies. In Kino's struggle with the trackeses who were out to get the pearl, Coyotito is killed. The trackers catch up with Kino as he is on his way to sell the pearl in the capital pg 114. One of the trackers shoots Coyotito thinking that it is a Coyotea after he hears Coyotito's cry and thinks that it is the one of a Coyoto.
• Coyotito is Kino's only child and Kino loves him a lot. He goes for pearl fishing so that he can get a pearl when he can use to pay the doctor to cure him of a scorpion lot. When he gets the pearl, he intends to take Coyotito to speed and to buy his new clothes (pg 45). At the end Kino loses the very person he intends to provide a better life for.
• Kino loses his home. Kino's brush house is burnt by one of the attackers and they end up fining shelter at Juan. Thomas and Apolonia's home. Pg 88. He save a little glove of him, and then without internal a tall flame leaped up in the dork with a cracking roar, a tall edifice of fire lighted the pathway. Kino broke into a run; it was his brush house, he knew it.
• Kino loses his dignity. When Kino finds the "pearl of the World" all manner of people became interested in the pearl. He is attended by different dark figures who want the pearl and he ends up killing a man and the attackers pg 58, Kino held his breath to listen and he knew that whatever dark thing was in his house holding its breath too.... And then he sprang like an angry at. Leaped striking and sporting, for the dark thing he knew was in the corner of his house .... And he raised the blade and looked at it and saw a little line of blood on the steel Pg 84. He heard the rush, got his knife out and lunged at one dark figure and he felt his knife go home...... ..... not in an instant, Juma knew that the old life was gone forever. A dead man in the path and Kino's knife, dark-bladed beside him.
• He also kills the trackers pg 115. By tying to defend and pulled the pearl he ends up killing all these people

9. A person’s character can at times lead to their downfall’. Drawing examples from Kino’s life, write an essay to justify this statement.(20marks)

• The students must use adjectives of behaviour in the body.
• Must begin with on introduction written in a separate paragraph, followed by the body which should have atleast four separate paragraphs. Each paragraph should have a negative character trait identified, illustration showing how that character is manifested and how it leads to the character's downfall.
• The students should only focus on kino as a character and not any other character
• For the conclusion, let the learner give a summary and a remedial statement in the same paragraph (concluding paragraph) to get the (2marks). If only one is given then give (1 mark)

Examples of introduction

• In life, many people get into trouble just because of some of their characters. This is also well illustrated in John Steinbecks novel. The pearl, in which he presents to us a character Kino who falls into many challenges just because of his mannerism.
• Kino is vengeful / racist/temperamental As the procession taking Coyotito to the doctor get to his gate, Kino hesitates for a moment. This doctor is not of his people.' He was of a race which for nearly four hundred years had beaten and starved and robbed and despised Kino's race. Kino is filled with fear and anger due to the prejudice that the doctor's race had towards his race. Due to his racists and vengeful nature, he crushes the doctors gate with his fist only to injure his knuckles to an extend that they bleed. (This applies to all of the three points)
• Kino is a racist - When Kino sees the doctor at his doorway after getting the great pearl, he is raged with hatred and fear for hundreds of years of subjugation were cut deep in him. He hates the doctor's race for having oppressed his race for a long time. This now makes him suffer fear and apprehension.
• Kino's materialistic nature make him not sell the pearl. When he goes to sell the pearl, he turns down the pearl buyers' offer of 1000 pesos, yet the neighbours knew that it was only yesterday that he had nothing. Another dealer offers 500 pesos to him and he snatches him the pearl and wraps it in a deerskin and thrust it inside his shirt. Even when the first dealer says that he can now offer fifteen hundred pesos, Kino goes away with the pearl pushing his way through the crowd.
• Kino's defiant / insensitive nature lead to the loss of their only son Juana warns him that the pearl is evil and they should destroy it before it destroys them to which he refuses. He says he will win over it because he is a man. She even tells him a man can be killed and he insists he is a man. At the end he aims and fires between the frantic frightened eyes only to kill his son. He had even earliest on confessed to Juam Tomas that it is his misfortune but he will keep it.
• Kino's brutal nature make him kill a man which agitates the neighbours forcing them to destroy his canoe and burn his house. When she follows Juana at night when she goes to throw the pearl back into the sea he beats her and she later on sees a stranger with dark shiny fluid leaking from his throat. She knows it is a dead man killed by Kino's knife which lay beside him. He confesses to her that he killed to save his life. They plan to escape only to get his boat with a splintered hole broken in it. His house is also set of fire forcing him to seek refuge at his brother's place.

NB- Mark any other relevant point that is well identified, illustrated and explained.

10. Easy come easy go. Write a composition to show the truth of this statement using illustrations from JohnSteinbeck’s The Pearl.

The things we get easily in life do not last most of the time. It is however the case that the things we strive to get are a blessing to us. This case is clearly brought out through some of the characters in John Steinbeck's text The Pearl.

• Following the sickness of Coyotito, Kino and wife set out to try their luck in getting a means of getting payment for his treatment. Juana remains hopeful that the husband will get a pearl by which they can get Coyotito treated. This does not take long as Kino gets a pearl of the world.
• Kino and the wife get moved by this discovery and hope that it will transform their lives. The villagers also hope to benefit from it. It however does not take long before Kino starts experiencing attacks at night. Attempts by Kino to have a good sale from the Pearl do not bear fruits as the pearl buyers can only offer one thousand pesos.
• His attempts to move on and sell it elsewhere turns out tragic as he is followed by trackers. The result of a confrontation with them is the death of Coyotito. After realizing that the pearl does not give him peace, Kino follows the wife's advice and throws the pearl back to the sea. With this, the pearl does not improve Kino's life in any way, it only disrupts it.

It is true that things people have not struggled enough for may not be of much benefit.

11. In what ways does Kino defy the patterns of life in the town and how does this change him

Kino begins the novel poor and unable to think beyond the confines of his native fishing village. After discovering of the pearl, however, Kino begins to dream of possibilities for his family, most notably an education for his son, that were previously unthinkable. He sees these dreams materialize when he looks into the pearl's surface. Because he cannot simply ignore these dreams he embarks upon a course of action which eventually makes him a fugitive from his own village and a killer of men several times over. The people of the town did not trust their eyes due to the effects of the Gulf mist, yet Kino believes the things he first sees in the pearl and is deceived. The image of his son receiving an education is replaced by an image of the boy's dead body; similarly, the image of Kino and Juana being married in the church is replaced by an image of her bruised and swollen face after he has beaten her. When he returns to the village, defeated by the death of his son, he first offers Juana the chance to throw the pearl into the sea. This indicates that he has learned to appreciate her judgement and is, in a sense, yielding to her. That she insists that he be the one to throw the pearl into the sea indicates that she remains faithful to their previous way of life and, as she has always done, seeks to preserve it.

12. Throughout the story Kino and Juana are attuned to ancient songs that warn them of evil or nurture their sense of family. In what way do these songs serve as rhetorical devices to further the parable?

The use of the songs allows Steinbeck to emphasize Kino and Juana's essential innocence and connection with the natural world and also allows the author to sharply delineate between those things in the story which are to be read as "evil" and those that are understood to be "good". Thus, the Priest is accompanied by the song of evil and the reader knows, without being told in so many words, not to take his statements at face value. The stone that Juana uses to grind the corn, although a facet of her family's poverty, is accompanied by the song of the family and the reader is led to infer that in these simple things does the strength of goodness reside for Kino and his people.

13. The narrator says that to Juana men were "half-gods and half insane" and that she believed women capable of saving men at times through the woman's natural qualities of "reason, caution and sense of preservation." How are these gender roles vital to the story?

Kino believes he can capitalize on the wealth of the pearl because as a man in his native society he has always been the decision-maker and source of physical strength that has provided for its survival. Though he is initially frightened to go to the city he decides that he must make the journey in order that his family will not merely survive but prosper. Juana knows that because Kino is a man he will "drive his strength against a mountain" but "in her woman's soul" she knows that "the mountain would stand while the man broke himself." For this reason she attempts to dissuade Kino. In order for her way of life to continue, however, she must yield to his decisions until he can understand the pearl's evil himself.

14. What characters in the novel are portrayed as overtly good or evil? What characters are portrayed as ambiguous?

Of all the characters in the novel that of the Doctor is rendered most starkly evil and that of Juana is rendered most steadfastly good. The scene in which the Doctor dupes Juana by simply re-poisoning Coyotito and then pretends to cure him makes the Doctor seem all the more duplicitous and she all the more innocent. Ambiguous characters include the pearl buyers who, though they seek to purchase the pearls at the lowest price, are simply acting in accordance with the dictates of their profession and the trackers who doggedly pursue Kino and his family into the wilderness who, like the pearl buyers are not inherently good or bad but merely performing their duty to the best of their ability.

15. In what ways is The Pearl a political novel?

The Pearl is the story of a poor indian whose people have been subjugated for over four hundred years. While the descendents of the Europeans live in stone houses, surrounded by walls, Kino and his people live in grass shacks with earth floors. Kino's struggle to better the lot of his family and his eventual failure can be read as a condemnation of the economic system which prevents Kino from realizing the value of the great pearl. Significantly, Kino's most cherished dream is that his son might receive an education and free his people from the cycle of poverty and ignorance. Coyotito's death, however, destroys Kino's family and serves as a painful reminder that the injustices, which his people have always suffered, will not be overturned by the actions of an individual. The horror of Kino's failure reminds the reader of the need for reform and aid in societies where such action cannot be successfully implemented by the dispossessed.

16. Despair and misery are brought about by racism. Referring closely to John Steinbeck’s, The Pearl, write an essay to support this statement.

• The priest is an agent of the racist colonial masters.
• He has not baptized Coyotito because Kino does not have money – the colonial masters have ensured the indigenous remain in poverty.
• The Priest, a white, remembers this only when he realizes Kino can now afford the cost when he gets the Pearl of the world. He considers Kino’s race children and treated them so. This is evident as the indigenous hold the Priest in awe as he comes to Kino’s house pg 47
• Kino has also failed to solemnize his marriage in Church. He has longed for this but he did not have the money to give the racist Priest.
• When Kino gets the Pearl of the world, his immediate wish is to used. Again, that is the time the racist Priest reminds him about marrying in Church.
• Racial Prejudice is manifest when Coyotito is sting by scorpion.
• The neighbours and even Kino believe that the doctor cannot come to the brush houses when Kino and neighbours take the child to the doctor, he makes racist remarks saying he is a doctor not a veterinary. He became angry.
• He refuses to treat Coyotito because Kino cannot pay. ‘Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians’ pg 28
•  In the end Kino is left alone standing at the doctor’s gate in shame as the servant says the doctor has gone out yet he is in pg 28.
• The racist Colonists have left the indigenous in ignorance. They don’t have access to good education. That is why Kino insists that Coyotito must go to school and in good uniform pg 45 – 46. The neighbours think this is impossible.
• Kino want the child to go to School so that he can acquire the knowledge so that the Parent’s ignorance can be driven away since their son knows – “he will know and through him we shall know” pg 46
• There’s contrast between the life of the indigenous who have been kept in poverty and the whites.
• Kino’s race mainly live in brush house in clusters. This contrasts sharply with the city of stone and plaster with well fenced beautiful homes like the doctor’s.
• Even the meals Kino take of corncake and pulque contrasts to the doctors sweat cake.
• They are encouraged by the racist Priest to maintain the status que on pg 68
• “………. but each one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell”.
• The indigenous Mexicans are exploited. They are Pearl fishers but they offered very poor prices for their valuable gems.
• “ The Pearls had raised the King of Spain to be a great power in Europe in past years, had helped to pay for his wars, and had decorated the Churches for his souls sake” pg 34
• Despite this the fishermen are paid peanuts as seen in Kino’s experience with his great Pearl.
• We are told a man once offered the Pearls to the Church instead of taking very low price.
• The Priest also encourages the status quo so that getting better money is against religion
• The indigenous were treated with cruelty.
• Kino hated the doctor’s race. The doctor was from a race which nearly for four hundred years had beaten and stowed and robbed and despised Kino’s race pg 26
• The doctors race talked to Kino’s race as if they were simple animals pg 26 Expect any 4 well illustrated points mark 3: 3: 3: 3 12 marks Relevant Conclusion 2 marks Grammar and Presentation 4marks 20 marks

17. Most people equate fortune to happiness which is not the case. Justify the truth of this statement drawing illustrations from the pearl by John Steinbeck.

• It brings about physical injury to Kino as he attempts to fight off his enemies.
• Murder – Kino kills four men to save the pearl
• Violence – He hits his wife
• Loss of property – His boat is destroyed and his house burnt down
• Family conflict and turbulence in the once calm home.
• Loss of their child Coyotito (any other valid points)

More questions

• Discuss the various animal imagery that functions throughout the novel: the ants, the scorpion, the hissing snakes, the schools of fish, the oysters, the dogs, and the pearl buyers as octopuses, etc.
• Describe in detail Kino and Juana's simple life before and after the discovery of the pearl.
• How does Steinbeck characterize the doctor? How does he let the reader know that the white powder which the doctor administers to Coyotito is actually a poison which would kill the baby if the doctor did not return?
• How does the priest function as a travesty of religion?
• Why are the pearl buyers referred to as "fatherly" and "benevolent"? How does this contradict their real purposes? Are they also victimized?
• Why are the "dark ones" and the trackers never identified? What is gained by Steinbeck's not identifying them?
• A symbol can change its meaning during the course of a novel. How does the pearl change its meaning during the course of this novel?
• Kino believes that it would be better to kill a person than to kill a canoe because a canoe has no relatives to revenge it. What types of values are operative in such a statement?
• Kino and Juana function more or less on a primitive level in their lives and in their religion, yet they both want a church wedding and a christening for Coyotito. How are these values consistent with their lives? How are they contradictory?
• What is the function of the many songs that Kino hears during the course of the novel?
• “Racism is a tool used to exploit others.” Drawing illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, show the truth of this statement.
• Kino's greatest dream upon selling the Pearl is that Coyotito gets education. With evidence from John Steinbeck's 'The Pearl', explain why Kino holds the dream of education so dearly.

18. ‘Appearances and Characters can be deceptive’. Write an essay to validate the statement basing you argument on John Steinbeck’s: ‘The Pearl’.

INTRODUCTION 2MKS Things are not always as they seem . The outward appearance of someone or something may conceal their true nature or intensions. When Kino finds a beautifull pearl he hopes to sell it and improve his family’s life but instead his life is ruined further.( Accept any other valid

• Priest First, we do not expect the priest to join in the group people trying to exploit Kino for his wealth . The priest should represent virtues but ironically when he hears of Kino’s pearl while walking in the garden he immediately thinks of the necessary repairs in the church. He also thinks about the worth of the pearl .He can not remember whether he married Kino in church or whether he baptized their son Coyotito. His visiting Kino is something he hardly does. He claims that Kino is named after a great father of the church. He also reminds him to give thanks for his newly found wealth. It is disturbing that a clergy man would try to take advantage of Kino.
• Doctor When the doctor gets the news of Kino’s pearl, he claims that Kino is his client and that he is treating his child Coyotito of a scorpion bite. He goes to Kino’s brush house in pretence of wanting to treat the scorpion bite. However, his main mortive is to find out more about the pearl. He warns Kino of the effects of the bite and how serious it can be for the child. He give the child a capsule which makes Coyotito very sick. He later ‘cures’ him with 3 drops of ammonia. He asks Kino when he will pay the bill hoping to the pearl as payment. He tries to convince Kino to reveal where he had hidden the pearl and even offers to keep it safely for him. If the doctor was really genuine he would have treated Coyotito the first time Kino and Juana had visited him desperately seeking his services.
• Pearl Buyers It appears like there are many pearl buyers when in the real sense there is only one. He keeps many agents in several offices to create an illusion of competition. When Kino finds the pearl he decides to sell it to improve his living condition. One of the dealers, the man behind the desk appears fatherly. He knows all the jokes however, he is part of a conspiracy to cheat Kino out the true value of his pearl. After examining the pearl , he offers 1000 Pesos but Kino wants 50,000 Pesos.The other buyers play the same game , they pretend to be disinterested . One offers 500 Pesos claiming he could sell it for 600 Pesos. They are shocked when Kino refuses to sell his pearl. The fatherly man quickly improves his deal 1500 Pesos but in vain. It appears they are trying to offer Kino best price but in reality they are trying their best to exploit Kino.
• The Pearl Lastly , the appearance of the pearl itself is deceptive. It appears beautifull but underneath the beauty is evil and destruction. It’s curve is perfect , it is as big as a seagull’s egg. When Kino finds it he concludes that it is the end of his poor life but he was very mistaken. He hopes to marry Juana in church, buy a riffle, a harpoon , take Coyotito to school and even buy new clothes and shoes. Non of his plans materialize. Juana nad Juan Thomas warn Kino that the pearlis evil but Kino ignores them. He beats Juana when she tries to throw the pearl into the sea. His canoe is destroyed and his hut is burnt and to top it all his son Coyotito is killed by a stray bullet while Kino runs away to the mountains. Eventually Kino realizes the evil nature of the pearl and throws it away into the ocean.

CONCLUSION 2MKS In summary, it is true to say that for sure appearances can be deceptive as illustrated above. ( Allow any other valid conclusion) Award 2:3:3:3:3+ 4mks language.

19. Drawing examples from John Steinbeck’s, The Pearl, write an essay to illustrate the saying, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’

Introduction Many of us have numerous friends including our immediate family members who happen to be our immediate friends. / However, a true friend is that person who stands by you or always on your side in trying moments/ They will stick by you in moments of happiness or pain. Juana and Juan Thomas in The Pearl prove valuable friends of Kino when misfortunes strike him./ Any other valid introduction

• Scorpion Juana stands with Kino when the baby is stung.When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, Kino has no idea what to do. The family is poor thus cannot raise money to seek medication. They cannot see the doctor who is a racist. To save Coyotito’s life, Juana suggests that they see the doctor whether with cash or not. She also offers first aid by sucking poison out of Coyotito’s shoulder. She also finds some seaweed and made a fat poultice of it and applies to the baby’s swollen shoulder. The pain subsides. There are no stomach cramps. She also prayed that her husband finds the pearl so that they can afford medication. Indeed Kino finds the greatest pearl of the world.
• Attacks When increased attacks, Juana advises Kino to either destroy the pearl or sell it as the family was in great danger, When Kino refuses, she opts to throw it back into the sea. Although she does not succeed since Kino waylay her, it sends a strong message that she is tired and she values their lives and anything that puts their lives on line must be destroyed. When she finally lays her hands on the pearl she doesn’t throw it into the sea she feels this would hurt her husband more. She helps him on his feet, wipes blood and dresses the wounds. 3. Pearl buyers When Kino opts to sell the pearl to the capital, Juan Thomas warns him to be cautious of the pearl dealers as they are likely to exploit him. He was not privy to the price of the pearl thus he would have used agents to sell the pearl. Kino does not listen to wise counsel from his brother. He is intimidated, humiliated and regrets why he went to the town. Truth downs on him that enemies are all over. Juan is not through with him, he still warns Kino that he has exposed himself to the enemies thus he must move with speed to dispose off the pearl.
• Killing When Kino kills a man, his house and boat is destroyed. He is a marked man. His enemies are baying for his blood and he can only save his life by escaping. It is Juan Thomas who hides him in his house and lies to the villagers that Kino’s family has escaped; probably perished into the sea. He tells them Kino has gone to the south along the coast. Before they escape, he gives Kino, a bag of beans, a gourd of rice, a cup of dried pepper, a block of salt and a knife for self-defence. Juan again, advises Kino to avoid the shore and wishes him well.
• Flight Juana sticks by Kino as they flee. She adamantly refuses to leave him as as he suggests urguing that they stick together. He draws his strength from her resolve.

Conclusion Juana and Juan Thomas demonstrate the real meaning of friendship. Were it not for their timely intervention, Kino’s family would have perished whole.

20. “Money and desire can change an individual.” Basing your illustrations on John Steinbeck, The Pearl, write a composition to back up this statement. (20 mks)

Introduction In The Pearl Kino is poor but happy but when he finds a great fortune he becomes obsessed with being rich and this makes him sad, suspicious and irrational. This is because greed for wealth can change a person.

Before Kino finds the pearl he is a caring, protective father and husband. He seems contended and happy despite living in poverty. He is satisfied with the simple lifestyle and the little they posses. When he finds the pearl, he has great dreams for his family. He hopes to marry his wife in church. He hopes to buy her new clothes including a new shawl, new skin and new shoes. When someone tries to steal the pearl and Kino is hurt trying to protect it, Juana suggests that they get rid of it. Kino is adamant. He is blinded by desire for money. When she tries to throw it away, he strikes he badly. Excessive desire turns Kino into an abusive husband that he was not at first. Desire for money turns Kino into a heartless murderous man. Kino lives the simple life of a fisherman like the other natives of La Paz. When he finds the great pearl, he turns into “an animal”. He fights and kills a man on the path that tries to steal his pearl. Having grown tired of Kino’s inaction, Juana decides to go and throw the pearl back into the sea. Kino catches her and strikes her with a clenched fist and kicks her on the side. On his way back to the hut, he fights and kills a man forcing them to flee from their home. His obsession with changing their simple lifestyle and acquiring material possession dehumanizes him.

The excessive ambition for riches makes Kino irrational. Kino seems like a wise family man. He provides for his family through fishing and pearl diving. He loves and protects his young family. When he finds the great pearl, he hopes to take his son Coyotito to school so that he frees them from the bondage of ignorance. His preoccupation with this desire blinds him. He fails to see the danger such an ambition puts his family into. While fleeing to the north, he is pursued by three trackers, two on foot and one on a horse with a rifle. His son is eventually killed even when he manages to kill the three men. Had Kino been wise enough he would have gotten rid of the pearl as soon as he saw the red flags. He is blinded by wild desire for wealth. Lastly, the doctor changes his mind about treating Coyotito because of his desires. When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, the doctor refuses to treat the child. He has no time to treat “little Indians” for insect bites because they never have any money. He sends them away claiming he was out attending to a serious case.

Conclusion Any relevant conclusion.

21. “When an individual fails to heed to the wise counsel, he/she ends up suffering .”justify this statement using The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl, John Steinbeck

–can be specific -can be general

• After the visit of the doctor, Kino is attacked at night. He gets his knife and strikes but misses. He injures his forehead. Juana offers first aid and then advises him. He tells him that the pearl is evil, its like a sin, they should throw it away or break it between stones. They should bury it and forget about it. They should throw it back into the sea. It will destroy them but he does not listen. He says its their only chance, his son must go to school. As a result he is attacked a second time and is serious (pg 58-60, 74-78) after he has failed to sell the pearl. Juana the decides to throw the Pearl back into the sea. He is attacked again, he kills a man and is banished.
• Kino is advised by Juan Thomas three times but he refuses to listen to him. He tells him :-to be careful on the handling of the pearl. So that they do not cheat him but he says he has heard stories about the selling of the Pearl and he knows ( pg 67-68)
• He also warns him against against going to the city since it is a strange place. In lapaz he has him and his friends to assist him. When he leaves lapaz he loses his son
• He advises him to be careful on his way. He even gives him a weapon and food for the journey but he attacks the trackers who kill his son .
• On their way to mountain, Juana struggles to make Kino see that the Pearl may not really be worth the trouble. She tells him not to fight the trackers but he does not listen(pg 98) and Juana said, “perhaps the dealers were right and the pearl has no value.” He answers “…….No……they would not have tried to steal it if it had been valueless. In the end the son dies.
• Juana ignores Kinos advise when they are sheltering under the boulder and they see the trackers approaching. He tells her that they separate but she refuses eventually the son is killed.
• Juana is instructed by Kino not to come out of the care and keep the child quiet. Instead she moves to the entrance of the cave and exposes the baby. Coyotito cries and the trackers think is a coyote. He is shot and this leads to the loss of the baby. (pg109,112,114)
• The dealers advise Kino to 1500 pesos but Kino thinks its too little. According to the neighbours 1000 pesos was not to be thrown away. This is the kind of money he had never handled before. They thought he was a pig headed fool for not accepting it. He then decides to go to the capital to sell it for more money. He later loses his son then proceeds to throw the pearl back into the sea. (pg118) (accept any other relevant point) Marks 3:3:3:3 (12mks)
• It can be general or specific (2mrks)
• Grammar and organisaton 4mks

Alternative:

Introduction It is sometimes prudent to listen to counsel by those close to us lest we are subjected to misery/pain. Kino after finding the greatest Pearl in the world, changes his attitude. Juana and Juan Toma’s try to caution him to no avail. He ends up a frustrated soul.

Points of Interpretation

• Juan Toma’s advices Kino against going to the city to sell the Pearl because it is strange place. Kino turns a deaf hear to the advice, he subjects himself and his family to insecurity as they struggle to escape the trackers who ultimately kill his only son – Coyotito: pp 76, 77, 78.
• Juana advices her husband to throw away the Pearl because it was evil and it would destroy them. When he refuses to listen, he is attacked; his house is burnt down; his canoe is broken.
• Juana ignores the advice from Kino that they should separate and that he would lead the attackers on and if he managed to lose them, they should go to Lareto where they would reunite on. Juana turns down the advice. As a result, this leads to the death of Coyotito.
• Kino ignores the advice from Juana Toma’s to sell the Pearl and therefore pass the evil to someone else. He refuses claiming it had become his soul. He ends up exposing himself to danger from the attackers/trackers and jeopardizing his nascent family. 3:3:3:3: = (12 marks) Any other relevant point of interpretation

Conclusion In conclusion, it is good to listen to advice given to us by those close to us lest we end up frustrated. (Accept any other relevant conclusion = 2 marks) Grammar and presentation = 4 marks

 22. Good fortune does not necessarily guarantee happiness. Elucidate the truth of this statement drawing illustrations from the Pearl by John Steinbeck. (20 marks)

Introduction  Kino expects the pearl to bring him happiness but this is not the case. Instead the pearl becomes a nightmare (Any other relevant introduction) 2 mks Content

• Loss of their child Coyotito (any other valid points) Conclusion In conclusion, it is true to say that finding a fortune does not necessarily guarantee happiness to an individual (Any other relevant conclusion)  Language  

23. Juana is the pillar of strength for her family. Show the validity of this statement using illustrations from The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

The killing of a man

• Juana helps Kino after he kills a man. After kino beats Juana and leaves her lying among the boulders, Kino walks up the beach through the brush line, he hears the rush, gets his knife lungs at the dark figure and feels his knife go home. He’s swept to his knees and swept again to the ground. The pearl is knocked from his hand. Juana drags herself up and climbs painfully to her feet, she goes creeping up the beach after Kino . She sees two dark figures lying in the path ahead of her. Juana leaps forward and saw Kino lying on the ground with another stranger with a dark shiny fluid leaking from his throat. Juana instantly knew that the old life was gone forever, a dead man in the path and Kino’s knife, dark-bladed beside him, convinced her. She quickly drags the dead man from the pathway into the shelter of the brush. She goes to Kino and sponges his face with her wet skirt. His senses come back and he moans. Kino cries that they have taken the pearl, he has lost it and the pearl is gone. Juana quietens him as she would quiet a sick child telling him that she has the pearl for she found it in the path. She tells him that he has killed a man and they must go away. Kino defends himself that he struck to save his life. Juana tells him that that will not matter and that the people in the city will not understand / his explanation will not help. Kino draws a great breadth, fights off his weakness and says Juana is right. With his will hardened he is a man again.
• On the journey to the mountains Juana encourages kino when he is in despair. On the journey to the mountain the trackers came near kino and his family. They stopped at the swept place where Kino and Juana had veered off the road and studied. They move on and kino knows they would be back sooner or later to his covered tracks, he slides backwards and does not bother to cover his tracks for there were too many signs, too many broken twigs and displaced stones. There was panic in Kino now, a panic of flight for the trackers would find his trail. And there was no escape except in flight. A helplessness and a hopelessness swept over him and his face went black and his eyes were sad. He tells Juana that maybe he should let them(the trackers) take him. Juana reminds Kino that he has the pearl and they would take it and would not leave him alive. Further says they would come for her and their little one and would not let them live. Her goading strikes into his brain and his lip snarled and his eyes are fierce again. Kino tell Juana that they will go into the mountains and may be lose the trackers there.
• Juana refuses to separate with Kino on their journey to the mountain acting as a source of strength to him. Kino takes note of Juana’s bruised ankles and suggests that he goes on while Juana hides. Kino says that he will lead the trackers into the mountains and when they have gone past Juana will go north to Loreto or Santa Rosalia. If he escapes them he will come back to her and that it was the only safe way. Juana refuses resolutely saying that she will go with him. Kino insists that he will go faster alone and argues that Juana will put the little one in more danger if she goes with kino. Juana adamantly refuses even after kino tells her that she must for it is the wise thing and it is his wish. Kino looks then for weakness in her face, for fear or irresolution and there is none. Kino shrugs his shoulders helplessly then, but he had taken strength from her. When they move on it is no longer a panic flight.

In conclusion, it is evident that Juana is an anchor to her family / backbone for the family/ offers solace in times of distress.

24. “Family members always want the best for us”. Write an essay to validate this claim basing your illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

Introduction In the face of diversity, our relations are always there for us. For instance, Juana Kino’s wife does everything in her power to protect her husband Kino and child Coyotito. She risks her life by sucking the scorpion’s poison out of the child’s shoulder for she cares for her son Coyotito. Accept any other introduction 2marks

• Mother First, Juana cares for her son Coyotito. When he is stung by a scorpion, she does everything within her means to save his life. First, she sucks the poison out and spits and sucks again. She suggests that they go to see the doctor. She also sticks with Kino when he was pearl fishing and prays that they find a pearl with which they can hire the doctor to treat their son Coyotito. Meanwhile she gathers brown seaweed and makes flat damp poultice which she uses as a remedy for Coyotito’s pain. Her quick thinking saves Coyotito from the adverse effect of the scorpion sting; a withered leg, a crumpled back or a blind eye. Surely, family members are always there for us.
• Kino Kino is a simple family man who loves and strives to protect his family. Kino finds solace and contentment in the song of the family. He knows the value of family since he inherited his only prized possession, a canoe, from his father and grandfather. He cannot take a chance that the doctor is lying to him about Coyotito’s health since he doesn’t want his child to suffer. When he gets the pearl Kino only thinks of how to improve his family; clothes for Juana and Coyotito, education for Coyotito and marrying Juana in church. Although the pearl causes pain, Kino only clings on it because he wants the best for his family.
• Juan Thomas Juan Thomas cares for and values his brother Kino. He shows up when Coyotito is stung and accompanies Kino to the doctor. He advices Kino to be careful so that the dealers don’t take advantage of him. He also accompanies him to the dealers. When Kino kills a man, he offers him and his family shelter in his hut and tries to divert the attention of the neighbors and gathers supplies for the journey; a bag of beans, a gourd of rice, dried pepper, salt, a knife and an axe. Although he doesn’t manage to convince Kino to get rid of the evil pearl, he does all he can to help him escape it.
• Wife Juana cares for her husband Kino and is always there for him. She wakes up early to prepare breakfast for her family. She is always on Kino’s side and acts like his chief advisor. She sees the potentially harmful nature of the pearl and asks Kino to get rid of it. She gets tired of Kino’s inaction and tries to throw the pearl away. Even after Kino attacks her she has no anger for him in her. She advices Kino to escape the village after he kills a man and sticks with him through thick and thin as they return to the village with their dead son. She is on his side when he flings the pearl back into the sea. 3:3:3:3=12 points

Conclusion In conclusion, it is indeed true to say that family members are always there for us. Surely blood is thicker than water. Accept any other valid conclusion 2marks

25. “Greed controls human desires and perpetuates evil against others." Discuss the statement drawing your illustrations from the set text The Pearl by John Steinbeck. (20mks)

INTRODUCTION

Many people have suffered in the hands of others as a result of greed. Greed for wealth, power or fame. To acquire all or any of these, some have committed hienus acts against those they perceive to stand between them and what they want. The following instances in John Steinbeck's The Pearl, show this.

• The doctor is driven by his greed for Kino's pearl that he poisons Coyotito in order to pretend to be treating him later so that he can get money from Kino, pgs 51,52,53,54,55.
• The pearl buyers collectively agree to cheat Kino of the true value of his pearl's worth. Their plan to pay little for Kino's precious pearl, however, backfires for Kino refuses to sell it. It evil for them to swindle Kino when they do not stand to gain anything apart self gratification on their part.
• Kino exhibits greed in his possessive nature. He sees the pearl as the sure way to a better life. He shuns all advice against his possessed view and becomes so aggressive and fights his wife who, on seeing dangers of their continued keeping the pearl, tries to throw it back into the sea. His change into a violent man is brought about by his greed to keep the pearl in spite of the obvious dangers.
• The trackers follow Kino on his journey to the capital with one desire; to take his Pearl, and possibly kill him. This desire is perpetuated by greed. They end up killing Coyotito, and all of them are single handedly killed by Kino, pg 102,115.
• The pearl is said to have stirred something evil in people. Neighbors, traders and people unknown to Kino all see their dreams fulfilment in Kino's pearl. Between them and the fulfilment of these dreams is Kino. A case in hand are those who attack him the first night and the next where he ends up killing one.
• These people are driven by greed to attempt to take Kino's pearl. In their frustration, they puncture Kino's boat, probably to immobilize him and prevent his escape to the capital. Further more,they burn down his heart when they fail to get the pearl there.

CONCLUSION Unchecked greed can bring untold miseries to the victim as to the culprit.

26. "Superstition may sometimes affect the way people live their lives." Using examples from John Steinbeck's "The Pearl," write a composition to illustrate the truth of this assertion.

• When Coyotito is in danger of being stung by the scorpion, Juana mutters an ancient magic incantation and then some Hail Mary’s to protect her son. The ancient, superstitious religion of the peasantry has been mixed with the Catholicism of the Western upper class. Juana appeals to native gods and the Western God, uncertain of which holds the true power. This mingling of a polytheistic religion with Roman Catholicism is common in native countries that are colozized. The natives combine the gods of their own religion with the figures of Catholicism. Elements of their original faith remain, such as incantations like the one Juana mutters.
• Juana prays that Kino will find a pearl so that they can have Coyotito’s scorpion sting treated by the doctor. She prays in an attempt to force from the gods the luck she and Kino need to take care of Coyotito. Finding a pearl of value strictly luck. Pearls themselves are accidental, and finding a pearl is considered a gift from the gods or God.
• When Kino finds the large shell, he is reluctant to open it fist because he doesn’t want to show the gods or God that he wants the pearl so much. He believes that if he wants it too much, it won’t.
• Kino worries that the gods will get revenge against him he finds success. He knows that the gods hate when men plan for success, and now that Kino is making plans, he fears that something will come and rob him of this opportunity.
• Juana believes that the pearl is cursed because it has brought an intruder into their home. She warns Kino that it will destroy them all, including their son, if they don’t throw it back to the sea, but Kino won’t listen. His desire to use the pearl to educate his son and make a better life for his family is too strong. He insists that it is their only chance and he won’t give it up. Juana, however, knows that he refuses. He insists that it is their only chance, and he won’t give it up. Juana, however, knows that the pearl will only bring more evil and disaster to them, and decides she must take matters into her own hands, and get rid of the pearl.
• Juana decides that if Kino won’t get rid of the cursed pearl, she will. She takes the pearl and tries to throw it back to the sea to protect her family from any more danger, but Kino stops her. Her fear of the pearl is well- founded; Kino beats her for trying to get rid of the pearl. Further proving that the pearl is cursed and evil. It has made Kino attack and harm the one person he loves most.
• Juana warns Kino that the pearl is cursed and he must get rid of it to pass the evil on to someone else. He hopes that Kino can sell it soon so that the evil of the pearl will not destroy his family before Kino can rid himself of it.
• When Kino looks into the pearl and sees only the tragedies that have befallen his family, he begins to believe that the pearl is cursed, but he still cannot part with it.
• Kino and Juana throw the pearl back into the sea after Coyotito is killed by the trackers. The cursed pearl has brought the death of their child and forced Kinoto kill survive and protect his family. The great pearl has brought nothing but misery to Kino and his family, and together they throw the cursed object back into the sea. As it sinks, the music of the pearl turns to a whisper and then disappears.

27. With reference to John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl, write a composition on the degrading consequences of poverty. 

• Poor diet: Reference to Kino’s breakfast in comparison to the doctors.  Both Kino and Juana have a simple breakfast. The author places hunger as the first enemy of the poor. The author says “For sickness is second only to hunger as the enemy of the poor. Kino is said to have squatted by the fire pit and rolled a hot corn-cake and dipped it in sauce and ate it. And he drank a little pulque and that was breakfast. The poor are also said to work for long hours without food. Kino says that Juana “could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself.”
• Deprivation of healthcare: When Coyotito was stung everyone was surprised that Juana wants a doctor. He never visited the brush houses. The author says that it is “a wonderful thing, a memorable thing to want a doctor. To get him would be a remarkable thing. The doctor never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why would he when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich people…” “He would not come, the people said.” When Juana decides that they go, they only end up being embarrassed and the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito.  
• Denial of education: This is captured in Kino’s ambition. The native Mexicans are so poor the basic education. Due to this they are enslaved by ignorance. Kino hopes that with the finding of the pearl his son will open books and know how to read and write and he say that “these things will make us free because we will know. He feels like the pearl offers the only chance. “This is our chance,” he said. “Our son must go to school; he must break out of the pot that holds us in.”
• Lack of clothing: Kino and his family have been deprived of clothing on account of poverty. This in effect undermines their dignity. It is said that when Kino was going to sell the pearl “Kino’s ragged white clothes were clean at least.” The beggars quick analysis of “Juana’s old blue skirt, saw the tear in the shawl, appraised the green ribbon on her braids, read the age of Kino’s blanket and a thousand washings of his clothes and set them down as poverty people.”
• Poor housing: The brush houses are juxtaposed and the stone and plastered houses. The houses expose the poor to risks as seen from the ease of attack that Kino experiences. Similarly, a fire would threaten to bring down the many houses. 

28. Failure to listen to wise counsel leads to suffering, show the truthfulness of this statement drawing your illustrations from the novel, The Pearl by John Stem beck. (20mks)

• Juana advise Kino to throw away the pearl back to the see in vain.
• Juan Thomas advises Kino to sell the pearl locally instead of trying to go to the city.
• The merchants want to take the pearl at one thousand five hundred pesos which though small, Kino has never handled such amount of money before but he declines to let go.
• Juana asks her husband, Kino to stay in the cave but he opts to follow the trackers to his disadvantage
• Juana throws the pearl back into the sea.

Conclusion In conclusion, it would be wise to follow advice given by sincere people to avoid regretting later

29. Excessive desire for material things can negatively influence one’s character and sanity. Using Kino, draw illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl

Introduction  Any relevant and valid introduction.

• Kino’s determination to fight poverty and guarantee a future of comfort and security is rewarded with a rare find of the greatest pearl in the world.  However, such determination is marked with a mad obsession that blocks him from being reasonable (sober)
• Blow – A thief gets into his house and attempts to steal the pearl from where he buried it.  Kino fights the thief off with a knife.  He however receives a blow on his head and Juana has to nurse him.  Her plea for Kino to throw the pearl “This pearl is like sin! It will destroy us” is meet with a stubborn resolve to keep it.
• Stone – When Kino steps out of his brush house, Juana hears a little rush, a grunting struggle and a blow.  In terror, she comes out with a stone from the fire place only to find Kino on the ground struggling to rise.  He had been attacked by a thief in need of the pearl.  She entreats him to do away with the pearl:  let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs Kino, it is evil, it is evil! Kino is determined to defend and protect it at all costs.
• Slap – At cock-crow, Kino senses his wife moving quietly to the fire place and takes the pearl intending to throw it into the sea.  He follows her, wrenches the pearl out of her hands and strikes her in the face with his clenched fist.  She falls among the boulders and he kicks her in the side.  He becomes violent and half insane.
• Killing – As he moves away from his wife, Kino is attacked and his attackers ransack him.  Luckily, the pearl drops from his hand and falls near a stone.  He kills a man with his knife.  Kino and his family attempt to flee from their village; but to his dismay, his canoe has a hole in it.  He was an animal now, for hiding, for attacking pg.87
• Advice – Kino is not ready to take advice from Juan Tomas or Juana, his wife and t get rid of the pearl.  He says the pearl has become his soul. “If I give it up I shall lose my soul.”92
• Trackers -Kino readily counters any threats to himself and his family.  He ceases to be human and becomes an animal.  Kino kills the three trackers in a moment of sheer madness.”….the big knife swung free in his right hand.”

Conclusion Any relevant and valid conclusion.

30. “He looked into its surface and it was grey and ulcerous” with close reference to the Pearl, write an essay explaining how the pearl could be said to be grey and ulcerous.

INTRODUCTION When kino gets the pearl of the world he has high hopes that it will transform his life and that of his life family for the better. Unfortunately for him the pearl turns to be the cause of his misfortunes. This as illustrated in the arguments below. (Accept any other relevant introduction)

• The doctor – When the doctor learnt that Kino Had the pearl of the world he decides to try his lack at benefitting from it. He declares that Coyotitois a patient of his and visits Kino with the intention of treating the boy and getting the pearl as his payment. When he realizes that that Coyotito had recovered from the scorpion sting,he resorts to poisoning him. This caused Kino and his wife a lot of agony as they fear for their son since the doctors treatment worsened Coyotito’s condition (pages 41, 50, 52-53)
• Pearl buyers Kino finds himself faced by the exploitative pearl buyer who are set reap maximally from his pearl. The buyers conspire beforehand to offer a low price for Kino’s fortune. For a pearl expected by Kino to raise 50 thousand piaster he is only offered a possible 150 piasters. He is greatly disappointed and opts not to sell to them (Pages 64, 67 – 75)
• Broken relationship – it was expected that the pearl would strengthen the relationship between Kino and his wife Juana. Kina had hoped that he would wed his wife in church. The Pearl does the opposite. The cordial relationship between Kino and his wife is strained. When Kino realizes that Juana had intended to throw away the pearl he beats her. This is after Juana realizes that the pearl is evil and could bring them trouble (page 80)
• Kino who is described by the neighbors as a good man in the end gets transformed into a murder because of the pearl. On his way from stopping Juana from throwing the pearl into the ocean he is attacked by someone who fights and kills. This necessitates his movement into a place of safety. He also kills the three trakers who follows him when he goes to sell the pearl.(pg 65)
• The pearl of the world which was admired by many and which had many dreams to Kino( baptism and eductionation of Coyotito, church wedding and new clothes) Caused Kino physical injuries and peace of mind when he is attacked at night e.g after failure to sell the pearl and after the doctors visit. Kino ends up losing his Canoe(a hole is made), His house(burned down) and his only son is shot dead.

Conclusion The pearl which was a source of hope for Kino ends up causing him pain as illustrated in the points above

31. 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

32. 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.

33. “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.

34. 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)

35. 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

• 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

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

36. “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)

37. “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)

38. 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.

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 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

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

39. ‘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.
• 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.
• 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)

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Data-mining methodology to improve the scientific production quality in turkey meat and carcass characterization studies.

Simple Summary

1. introduction, 2. materials and methods, 2.1. literature search strategy and exclusion criteria, 2.2. data analysis, 2.2.1. data-mining chaid decision tree, 2.2.2. data-mining chaid decision tree reliability: cross-validation, 3.1. study georeferencing, 3.2. data-mining chaid decision tree: splitting, pruning, and building, 3.3. data-mining chaid decision tree: splitting, pruning, and building, 4. discussion, 5. conclusions, supplementary materials, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Salgado Pardo, J.I.; Navas González, F.J.; González Ariza, A.; León Jurado, J.M.; Carolino, N.; Carolino, I.; Delgado Bermejo, J.V.; Camacho Vallejo, M.E. Data-Mining Methodology to Improve the Scientific Production Quality in Turkey Meat and Carcass Characterization Studies. Animals 2024 , 14 , 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142107

Salgado Pardo JI, Navas González FJ, González Ariza A, León Jurado JM, Carolino N, Carolino I, Delgado Bermejo JV, Camacho Vallejo ME. Data-Mining Methodology to Improve the Scientific Production Quality in Turkey Meat and Carcass Characterization Studies. Animals . 2024; 14(14):2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142107

Salgado Pardo, José Ignacio, Francisco Javier Navas González, Antonio González Ariza, José Manuel León Jurado, Nuno Carolino, Inês Carolino, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, and María Esperanza Camacho Vallejo. 2024. "Data-Mining Methodology to Improve the Scientific Production Quality in Turkey Meat and Carcass Characterization Studies" Animals 14, no. 14: 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142107

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News Analysis

An Assassination Attempt That Seems Likely to Tear America Further Apart

The attack on former President Donald J. Trump comes at a time when the United States is already polarized along ideological and cultural lines and is split, it often seems, into two realities.

• Share full article

By Peter Baker

Peter Baker has covered the past five presidents.

• Published July 14, 2024 Updated July 15, 2024

Follow the latest news on the Trump assassination attempt.

When President Ronald Reagan was shot by an attention-seeking drifter in 1981, the country united behind its injured leader. The teary-eyed Democratic speaker of the House, Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., went to the hospital room of the Republican president, held his hands, kissed his head and got on his knees to pray for him.

But the assassination attempt against former President Donald J. Trump seems more likely to tear America further apart than to bring it together. Within minutes of the shooting, the air was filled with anger, bitterness, suspicion and recrimination. Fingers were pointed, conspiracy theories advanced and a country already bristling with animosity fractured even more.

The fact that the shooting in Butler, Pa., on Saturday night was two days before Republicans were set to gather in Milwaukee for their nominating convention inevitably put the event in a partisan context. While Democrats bemoaned political violence, which they have long faulted Mr. Trump for encouraging, Republicans instantly blamed President Biden and his allies for the attack, which they argued stemmed from incendiary language labeling the former president a proto-fascist who would destroy democracy.

Mr. Trump’s eldest son, his campaign strategist and a running mate finalist all attacked the political left within hours of the shooting even before the gunman was identified or his motive determined. “Well of course they tried to keep him off the ballot, they tried to put him in jail and now you see this,” wrote Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the former president.

But the Trump campaign seemed to think better of it, and the post was deleted. A memo sent out on Sunday by Mr. LaCivita and Susie Wiles, another senior adviser, instructed Trump team members not to comment on the shooting.

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RNC replay: JD Vance officially accepts VP nomination at Republican convention

Sen. JD Vance officially accepted his vice presidential nomination on Wednesday after former President Donald Trump tapped the Ohio lawmaker as his running mate earlier this week.

Vance during his acceptance speech called on Americans to send Trump back to the White House and introduced himself to voters across the country, talking about his journey from poverty to the vice-presidential nomination.

"I pledge to every American - no matter your party - I will give everything I have. To serve you and to make this country a place where every dream you have for yourself, your family, and your country will be possible once again," Vance said.

Prominent Republicans also spent Wednesday telling voters about their vision for America's role on the world stage during the third day of the Republican National Convention .

Some of former President Donald Trump's staunchest allies, including advisor Kellyanne Conway, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his son Donald Trump Jr. took the stage to court Americans across the country.

The convention is underway in the shadows of an assassination attempt against Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend. Trump was injured in the attack, and a rally attendee died as he was trying to shield his family.

More: Fact-checking the Republican convention: Live look at what speakers get right (and wrong)

Catch up with live updates from the USA TODAY Network.

Vance celebrates key swing states in acceptance speech 

JD Vance formally accepted his nomination as the GOP vice-presidential candidate Wednesday. In his address, the conservative senator said the moment is “about all of us,” including in the key swing states Republicans are hoping Vance will help attract as VP pick. 

“It’s about the auto worker in Michigan, wondering why out of touch politicians are destroying your jobs,” Vance said. “It’s about the factory worker in Wisconsin, who makes things with their hands and is proud of American craftsmanship.”  

“It’s about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio,” he continued, “who doesn’t understand why Joe Biden is willing to buy energy from tinpot dictators across the world when he could buy it from his own citizens right here in our own country.” 

Vance also applauded his mom during his address, who struggled with substance use but has now been sober for 10 years. The crowd broke into chants of "JD's mom."

− Savannah Kuchar 

J.D. Vance officially accepts nomination, talks about his childhood beginnings

JD Vance officially accepted the nomination for vice president on Wednesday night. In his speech to convention attendees, he discussed growing up in Middleton, Ohio, where people “spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, family, community, and country with their whole hearts.”

“But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington,” Vance said, criticizing Joe Biden's handling of NAFTA, America's relationship with China and the invasion of Iraq when he served in the Senate.

“Somehow, a real estate developer from New York by the name of Donald J. Trump was right on all of these issues while Biden was wrong. President Trump knew, even then, that we needed leaders who would put America first,” Vance said.

−Sudiksha Kochi

Usha Vance introduces husband JD Vance ahead of VP nominee speech 

Usha Vance, JD Vance's wife, introduced her husband ahead of his vice-presidential nominee acceptance speech and said she was initially “at a loss” for what to say. 

“What could I say that hasn’t already been said before?” Usha Vance said. “After all, the man was already the subject of a Ron Howard movie.” JD Vance's bestselling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy" was turned into a film.

The vice president nominee’s spouse went on to describe how the pair met at law school. 

“He was then, as now, the most interesting person I knew,” she said, ahead of JD Vance’s entrance on stage. 

Donald Trump Jr. calls on Republicans to ‘fight’ to give his father another term

Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday called on Republicans to “fight” with their vote to elect Donald Trump back to the presidency – invoking the former president’s message after an assassination attempt at his rally over the weekend.

“He may have moved to the ground but he stood back up and when he did, my father raised his fist into the air, he looked out at the crowd and what did he say?” Trump Jr. asked the convention-goers.

“Fight,” the attendees chanted back. Trump Jr. vowed that the GOP will fight, with their voices and their vote this fall. 

Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, also compared Trump’s reaction after getting shot in the right ear during the assassination attempt on America’s spirit: “When he stood up with blood on his face, and the flag on his back, the world saw a spirit that could never be broken,” Trump Jr. said. “And that is the true spirit of America.”

At the beginning of his speech, Trump Jr. honored firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed in the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. 

− Rebecca Morin

Kai Trump, Donald Trump's 17-year-old granddaughter , addresses RNC

Kai Trump, Donald Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter, told convention attendees that she sees a side of her grandfather that most people don’t see.

“He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going and tells me all about his… even when he's going through all these court cases, he always asks me how I'm doing. He always encourages me to push myself to be the most successful person I can be. Obviously, he sets the bar pretty high but who knows, maybe one day I'll catch him.”

She said she was “shocked” when she heard the former president had been injured in a shooting on Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally.

“I just wanted to know if he was okay,” she said. “It was heartbreaking that someone would do that to another person. A lot of people put my grandpa through hell, and he's still standing."

− Sudiksha Kochi

Senators press secret service for answers on Donald Trump assassination attempt 

A group of senators confronted head of secret service Kimberly Cheatle while in Milwaukee at the convention, according to a post on X by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn.  

“You owe the people answers,” Blackburn can be heard saying in a video she shared on the platform.  

Lawmakers have raised questions and concerns in the wake of the assassination attempt against Trump about potential gaps in security at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. They've also raised concerns about future, high-profile events during election season.

Trump: Shooting "changes your attitude, your viewpoint toward life"

As he prepares his acceptance speech on Thursday, Donald Trump says his near-death experience has changed him.

Something like that "changes your attitude, your viewpoint toward life," Trump told a group of supporters at a private event on the sidelines of the convention, according to a video obtained by PBS News.

"You appreciate God even more,” Trump said. The former president also said, "this has been our best campaign and then I got shot. ... How does that happen?"

− David Jackson

Family of service members killed in Kabul airport bombing

The families of service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2021 gave emotional remarks about losing their loved ones. They also criticized Joe Biden's handling to the attack and complimented Donald Trump's response.

− Marina Pitofsky

Who is in the MAGA box with Donald Trump?  Donald Trump Jr., Marco Rubio seen during Kimberly Guilfoyle speech

Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., took the stage following Donald Trump’s arrival for night three of the RNC. 

Along with Trump's oldest son, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (each floated as potential running mates going into this week) sat alongside the former president to watch Guilfoyle’s speech. 

Donald Trump enters convention floor

Donald Trump entered the convention floor just before 8 p.m. CT to cheers. He was once again wearing a bandage on his ear after he was injured in the shooting at his campaign rally on Saturday.

Kellyanne Conway courts female voters

Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to Trump, used her time on stage to make an appeal to women – a voting bloc that Trump has lagged with, compared to men. 

Conway described a meeting during her time with Trump’s administration that included her, the former president and four other women. 

“I soon realized that among us we had 19 children, at the time ages two through 16,” Conway said. “Show me a C-suite in America where five working moms of 19 young children could have the highest rank in the company and work alongside the president.” 

“In the Trump White House, we lived it.” 

−Savannah Kuchar

Doug Burgum jokes about his pre-debate injury before addressing America's energy sector

The last time he was in Milwaukee for the first Republican primary debate, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum joked to convention attendees, he was standing on one leg for two hours after suffering an Achilles injury.

Now, he’s on stage rooting for Trump and an issue he's long focused on: energy dominance.

“Who will make America energy dominant? Again, who will make America energy dominant?” Burgum called on the crowd as they shouted Trump. “It’s after 4pm in DC. So how about one more time loud enough to wake up Joe Biden. Who will make America energy dominant?” 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott talks immigration on stage 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his convention address referenced his controversial decision last year to send thousands of migrants by buses to various cities led by Democrats, including Washington.

“When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refused to even come to Texas and to see the border crisis that they created, I took the border to them,” Abbott said.  

−Savannah Kuchar 

Sarah Phillips, an engineer who was at Trump rally attacked by gunman, addresses RNC

Sarah Phillips, a petroleum engineer who was at Donald Trump's rally on Saturday, when a gunman tried to assassinate him, addressed the RNC on Wednesday.

She addressed her experience after the shooting, telling the crowd "Thank God President Trump is alive." But she also criticized Joe Biden's handling of the American energy industry, accusing him of "crushing everyday Americans like you and me."

Navarro takes stage after prison sentence, slams justice system  

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro took the stage hours after completing a four-month federal prison sentence.  

In his speech, he accused the federal justice system of corruption without evidence. 

“If they can come for me, and if they can come for Donald Trump,” Navarro told convention-goers, “be careful – they will come for you.” 

Navarro was convicted on two  charges of contempt of Congress  for defying subpoenas from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021.  

He immediately received cheers and applause as he addressed the convention floor. He also brought his fiance on stage as he concluded his speech.

− Savannah Kuchar and Karissa Waddick 

Newt Gingrich contrasts Biden and Trump’s handling of foreign policy

Former House Speaker and 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Israel-Hamas conflict and America's relationship with China.

He told the Republican crowd that Trump “understands that only a firm, courageous policy of strength will work in a dangerous world.”

Matt Gaetz mocks Bob Menendez day after conviction  in corruption case

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., took a swipe at Democrats with a reference to Sen. Bob Menendez, who was convicted on over a dozen counts yesterday in his corruption case.

“Under Biden-Harris, inflation has gotten so bad, you can no longer bribe Democrat Senator with cash alone,” Gaetz said. “You have to use gold bars just so the bribes hold value.” 

Menendez was found guilty Tuesday on charges related to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including in the form of gold bars. 

Former acting director of national intelligence calls Washington ‘capital of the world’

Richard Grenell, who served as the former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, told convention attendees that Washington stopped being the capital of the U.S. and called it the “capital of the world.”

“Back then, Republicans believed America's duty was to spread democracy by military force,” he said. “We were misled about weapons of mass destruction. We intervened in other countries' affairs and signed treaties that only benefited other nations. We spent too many years ignoring America's priorities.”

He then argued that there was only one man “with the strength to call out the lies and failures of both Democrats and Republicans:" Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump doesn't care if you're gay or straight, black, brown or white, or what gender you are. He knows that we are all Americans and that it's time to put America first,” he said.

RNC vibe check: Somber but confident in a Trump victory

  Donald Trump's conventioneers  are experiencing a mix of emotions this week: Reverent, somewhat subdued over Saturday's assassination attempt, and supremely confident that victory is at hand.

It's complicated when your candidate is nearly killed.

From the food trucks along Wisconsin Avenue to the convention hall at Fiserv Forum, Trump Republicans marvel at Trump's survival of an assassination attempt, along with the political struggles of  Democratic President Joe Biden.

While concerned about Trump's health - his  bandaged ear  has become an icon, and some delegates have patched their own ears in solidarity - most Republicans are also giddy at the prospect that Trump may come out of this week's convention in the battleground state of Wisconsin as a stronger presidential candidate.

Ronny Jackson kicks off speakers with criticism for Kamala Harris 

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led the round of speakers Wednesday by criticizing President Joe Biden and, most pointedly, Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“She has not been truthful with us,” Jackson said, referring to Biden’s decision to remain in the presidential race. “She has lied to us. She has put party above country and she is as unfit in character as Joe Biden is in body and mind.” 

Should Biden change his mind and exit the race, Harris is the top candidate to take his spot running against Trump. 

− Savannah Kuchar

How long is the Republican National Convention? 

The Republican National Convention is four days total, running from Monday through Thursday. 

Trump is expected to speak on the final night, while his running mate, JD Vance, headlines Wednesday. 

Who is Usha Vance?

Usha Vance, the wife of J. D. Vance is  a litigator for a law firm  based in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. 

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha Vance  grew up in San Diego  and met Vance when they both attended Yale Law School. She was a registered Democrat as of 2014, according to the New York Times.

Usha Vance has previously clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Times reported. The couple have three young children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

– Sudiksha Kochi and Haley BeMiller

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says 'great possibility' Tom Cotton would serve in second Trump administration

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at an event hosted by CNN and Politico at the Republican convention Wednesday that there is a “great possibility” that Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., could serve in a second Trump administration, according to the Washington Post.

She pointed to the CIA or Department of Defense for the Republican senator's potential position − if Donald Trump is elected to a second term in office.

What time does JD Vance speak?

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s newly minted running mate, is expected to take the stage between 9 and 10 CT tonight.

His wife, Usha Vance, will also be giving remarks.

– Sudiksha Kochi

Who is sponsoring the RNC? Hint: It's not Starbucks

Organizers for the  Republican National Convention  raised more than $85 million in donations from companies, organizations, and individuals,  surpassing their initial goal  of $70 million.

Here's a snapshot of some of the convention's contributors.

– Maya Marchel Hoff

Trump campaign burns Biden over VP debate, implying he may not head the ticket

Donald Trump ’s presidential campaign slapped President  Joe Biden ’s re-election team on Wednesday over questions about the timing for a debate between the candidates’ vice-presidential nominees.

Vice President Kamala Harris has already accepted  three potential dates  for a debate with Trump’s running mate, Sen.  JD Vance  of Ohio. In late May, Harris accepted an invitation by CBS News to debate on either July 23 or Aug. 13. She accepted a third potential date – Aug. 12 – on Wednesday. The Trump-Vance campaign has yet to commit to any vice-presidential debate.

The Trump campaign suggested Wednesday its hands are tied because it doesn’t know who will be on the Democratic ticket.

“We don’t know who the Democratic nominee for vice president is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention,” said Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign senior adviser.

– Michael Collins

Babydog on stage, with 2024 ‘prediction’ 

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appeared at the convention Tuesday, with a special guest – his four-year-old English bulldog, Babydog. 

The chubby pup, famous in his home state, had her own chair on stage next to Justice, who touted Trump and Republicans' chances in 2024.  

“Babydog’s got a prediction for everybody here, and here’s the prediction: Babydog says we’ll retain the House, the majority in the House. We’re going to flip the United States Senate,” Justice said. “And overwhelmingly we’re going to elect Donald J. Trump and JD Vance in November.” 

– Savannah Kuchar 

Anti-Trump group releases new ad knocking JD Vance

The anti-Trump Lincoln Project dropped an ad Wednesday highlighting Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s past criticism of the former president.

The roughly 90-second spot, geofenced around the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee, features Donald Trump reading lyrics to “The Snake.” Trump has referred to the song during campaign events to illustrate his position on immigration.

Peppered throughout the ad are Vance’s comments about Trump during the 2016 election cycle, including interviews where he called Trump “noxious” and referred to himself as a “never Trump guy.”

Vance is now one of Trump’s closest allies and has said the former president proved him wrong.

- Haley BeMiller

First campaign ad from official Trump, Vance ticket  

The Trump campaign has its first major advertisement since Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s became the official GOP vice presidential nominee. 

The two-and-half minute video released Wednesday does not feature an appearance from Vance but concludes with both candidates’ names on screen.  

In it, Trump promises to “totally obliterate the deep state” and criticized the multiple criminal investigations he's facing.

Trump’s Republican National Convention fuses faith and politics

Trump has emerged as an unlikely spiritual figurehead as a political leader, experts told USA TODAY, fusing faith and politics at a level never seen before.

Arizona State University religious studies professor Terry Shoemaker said feelings of fear in the wake of the Pennsylvania shooting, relief at Trump’s recovery and excitement for his reelection chances is a perfect storm for "a more profound kind of civil religious experience" in Milwaukee this week.

There was a wide array of religious symbolism on the floor of the Fiserv Forum the first night of the convention, where a panoply of screens beamed images of the American flag and Christian cross onto an eager crowd between speeches.

Sudiksha Kochi, Melissa Brown, BrieAnna Frank and Chris Ullery

When is the Democratic National Convention?

The DNC  will be held from August 19 and run through August 22. It'll be held in Chicago. This year marks the first time the convention will take place in Chicago since 1996, when former President Bill Clinton was nominated for his second term.

– Victor Hagan

Jon Stewart addresses ‘The Daily Show’s’ Milwaukee RNC cancellation

“The Daily Show” was originally slated to film several episodes this week in front of an audience at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday, the show announced that it was canceling its Milwaukee appearances “due to logistical issues and the evolving situation in Milwaukee.” Jon Stewart later said the venue changed its security approach following the stunning attack.

The perimeter boundaries did not change in the aftermath of the attempted assassination, although Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said Monday that the agency had “strengthened” its security plan for the RNC.

– Amy Schwabe and Sudiksha Kochi

Where is Mike Pence during the RNC? 

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who was Donald Trump's running mate in 2016 and 2020, is spending time in Indiana while Republicans gather for the RNC in Milwaukee.

Pence, the former Indiana governor, refused Trump's wishes to try to block certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021 – an act Pence has insisted he never had the authority to do. The former VP also launched his own bid for president last year.

This week, Trump chose Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. as his 2024 running mate. Vance is expected to speak at the RNC Wednesday night. 

Pence posted on X on Wednesday afternoon that he stopped at three nonprofits in the Fort Wayne area. 

"Truly Inspiring Day in Fort Wayne Indiana with friends making a difference for vulnerable families and kids," Pence said in the post. "Grateful for the work at Pearl Street Arts, Bridge of Grace Ministries and Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne! God Bless You All!"

– Brittany Carloni

Who is Amber Rose?

Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Van Jones called it the "most effective" speech of Day 1 at the RNC, and the "most dangerous" for Democrats.

Conservative U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida posted "Beauty and brains" after the speech was over.

They weren't talking about a politician. They were talking about Amber Rose, 40-year-old model, influencer, entrepreneur and former reality TV star, perhaps the most surprising speaker during the first day — or any day — of the convention in Milwaukee.

– Chesnie Wardell

Amber Rose was a surprising RNC speaker: What did she say? How effective was it?

Eric Trump says he was watching his father's rally with his children during assassination attempt

Eric Trump, Donald Trump's son, told CBS on Wednesday that he never thought he would be sitting on a couch with his two children watching his father “almost get assassinated on live TV.” Trump’s right was injured during the shooting, and he’s wearing a bandage over it during the Republican convention.

“It’s severe. You know, this isn’t - this isn’t fun. He always said it was the greatest earache he’s ever had,” Eric Trump said. “And it was far too close. I would say it should have never have happened. You know, he was millimeters away from having his life expunged. ... I’m sure the ear doesn’t feel well.”

He added that his father has no stitches but “certainly a nice flesh wound.”

Who is Ronny Jackson?

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, is slated to speak Wednesday at the Republican National Convention.

Jackson served as White House Physician under the Obama and Trump administrations. He has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Over the weekend, Jackson said his nephew was injured during the assassination attempt of Trump. Jackson said he helped set up his nephew to attend the rally on Saturday. He said his nephew’s injury “was not serious and he is doing well.”

– Rebecca Morin

Kamala Harris agrees to third possible VP debate date 

Vice President Kamala Harris has now accepted three potential dates for a vice-presidential debate hosted by CBS News, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official.  

In late May, Harris accepted an invitation by the network for a debate on either July 23 or Aug. 13. On Wednesday, she also accepted Aug. 12 as a potential date.  

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, named Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate on Monday. Vance has yet to accept the proposed CBS debate. 

— Karissa Waddick  

Will J.D. Vance’s religious background sway Catholic voters?

Religion experts told USA TODA Y it is unlikely Vance’s religious background will sway Catholic voters as he seeks to shore up support for the Republican ticket.

“People are already pretty committed to their positions. And JD Vance being Catholic or not Catholic is really, I don't think going to change anything,” said Cristina Traina, the Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. Chair of Catholic Theology at Fordham University. 

Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate was unsurprising to Chris Devine , a political science professor at the University of Dayton, a Catholic university in Vance’s home state of Ohio. But it’s because of Vance’s loyalty to Trump, not his religion, that Devine believed he was added to the ticket.

Devine co-authored the 2020 book , “Do Running Mates Matter? The Influence of Vice Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections” alongside Kyle Kopko . The duo’s research suggested Catholic vice presidential nominees did not move the needle among Catholic voters in past elections.

— Sudiksha Kochi and BrieAnna Frank

Trump pollster says New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota in play  

Trump campaign pollster John McLaughlin said during an interview on CNN Wednesday that he believes the possibility of traditionally blue states like New Jersey, Minnesota and Virginia voting for Trump is “very real” this election. 

In Virginia, for instance, McLaughlin pointed to internal polling showing Trump performing well with African American voters and military service members. 

“We leading in the battleground states. We're leading in the national polls. We never saw that in 2016,” McLaughlin said.  

A recent Cook Political Report aggregate of national polls found Trump leading Joe Biden 47% to 45%.

JD Vance speech to highlight is childhood, upbringing

Ohio Sen. JD Vance will recount his journey from poverty to the vice presidential nomination during his primetime speech at the Republican National Convention tonight.

Vance is expected to share how he grew up with a mother addicted to drugs and no constant father figure in his life, according to a source familiar with his prepared remarks. That story is outlined in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which thrust Vance into the national spotlight during the 2016 election cycle.

Vance will share how his upbringing informed his views on key campaign issues, including trade, immigration and the fentanyl crisis, the source said.

In announcing his running mate, Donald Trump said the senator will help his campaign reach Rust Belt voters, particularly in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.

— Haley BeMiller

Who is speaking tonight at the RNC? The Day 3 speaker list

Wednesday night’s lineup of speakers at the RNC includes longtime Trump allies, U.S. House members, passed up VP picks and everyday Americans. The most anticipated speech of the night will come from Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.  

Here’s a look at some of the top speakers: 

• Ohio Sen. JD Vance, GOP vice presidential nominee 
• Donald Trump Jr. 
• Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to Trump during his presidency  
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott  
• North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum 
• Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 

Here's more on the Wednesday lineup.

— Karissa Waddick

Peter Navarro slated to speak hours after release from prison 

Donald Trump’s former adviser Peter Navarro will speak at the RNC on Wednesday just hours after he completed a federal prison sentence. Navarro was convicted on two charges of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021. 

Trump’s newly announced running mate, JD Vance , is also expected to take the stage Wednesday. The former presidents 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, also announced on Instagram that she will speak tonight.  

JD Vance, Trump's new running mate, makes the rounds at GOP convention

Like previous vice presidential nominees, Ohio Sen. JD Vance is making the traditional rounds at the Republican National Convention, including interviews and meetings with prominent people.

One such meeting comes Thursday, when Vance meets with fellow Republican senators in a closed session sponsored by the "Senate Opportunity Fund."

Vance also has an important appointment tonight: His acceptance speech.

— David Jackson

Is JD Vance now the Republican front-runner for 2028?

With his ascension to the 2024 presidential ticket as Donald Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance has vaulted into the role of heir-apparent of the MAGA movement and become instant White House contender for 2028.

Donald Trump Jr. said the nomination means there’s “a very high chance” Vance could become president in 2028 if he and Trump win in November.

“(Vance is) the one guy in that movement that’s a current politician that’s out there that actually, really speaks sort of to the ‘America First’ people,”  he said at an event hosted by Axios Tuesday . “It isn’t like we’ll be right back to the establishment. … That’s where our base is. That’s where the Republican Party is.”

— Brianne Pfannenstiel

In a redefined GOP, populism and a new coalition

It's his party.

Donald Trump's takeover of the GOP has been on full display at the Republican National Convention — an even more complete transformation than at the two previous conventions that nominated him and propelled him to four years in the White House.

With a big win in 2016 and a volatile loss in 2020, Trump has managed to replace Ronald Reagan as the party's touchstone, excised the Bush dynasty that had been a political power and launched two presidencies, and pummeled the ranks of moderate Republicans into flight or silence.

Read more on Trump's takeover of the Republican Party.

— Susan Page

Who is Lara Trump? RNC co-chair delivers Day 2 finale

Lara Trump is co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law. She delivered the final speech of Day 2 at the RNC on Tuesday, describing Trump as “exactly what this country needs right now.” 

She became co-chair of the RNC in March after serving as an adviser to Trump’s 2020 campaign . Lara Trump is married to Trump’s third son, Eric. 

Haley, DeSantis promote GOP unity

At one time Republicans Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were doing all they could to warn primary voters that  Donald Trump  couldn't win the 2024 presidential election.

But millions of ballots and an attempted assassination has changed all that.

The two affirmed Trump's perch on the party's mountaintop and further solidified this week's presentation that conservatives are closing ranks  as Democrats remain divided  over President Joe Biden's nomination.

"President  Trump asked me to speak  to this convention in the name of unity," Haley told delegates. "It was a gracious invitation and I was happy to accept."

Don't miss our key RNC Day 2 takeaways.

— Phillip M. Bailey

Kamala Harris calls JD Vance a ‘rubber stamp’ for Trump’s agenda  

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed former President Donald Trump’s new running mate, JD Vance, describing him as a “rubber stamp” for Trump’s “extreme agenda,” in a video published on Wednesday. 

“Make no mistake: JD Vance will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country,” Harris said in her 45-second-long, direct-to-camera address. She criticized Vance for supporting Trump’s efforts to undermine the 2020 election, national abortion restrictions and voting against IVF protections in the Senate.  

Harris and Vance spoke over the phone on Tuesday. The pair are widely anticipated to face off against one another in a debate later this year, but have yet to agree on a host or a date. 

Why Republicans see a chance to flip the rhetorical script on Biden

After Saturday's shooting at a Donald Trump rally, Republicans have accused Democrats and President Joe Biden of trafficking in dangerous rhetoric.

Tired of Democrats calling them autocrats, dismissing their policies as a threat to democracy and being blamed for violent political rhetoric, Republicans see a chance to flip the script on Biden and his main campaign message.

— Sarah D. Wire

What happened on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention

While the second day of the RNC focused on immigration and border security, the other theme was unity. 

Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary and received a mixed response when she entered the stage, threw her support to the former president. Haley previously was not scheduled to speak at the convention and often criticized Trump on the campaign trail. 

“Donald Trump has my strong endorsement. Period,” she said. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy also spoke Tuesday night where they advocated for a Trump presidency. 

— Rebecca Morin

Make America Strong Once Again: What does Wednesday’s RNC theme mean?

Day 3 of the Republican National Convention is “ Make America Strong Once Again ,” and will focus on foreign policy, border security and the United States standing on the world stage. 

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network have around 60 journalists on the ground in Milwaukee and you can follow along with our live blog for updates throughout the day.

Who is Trump's VP pick JD Vance?

JD Vance , 39, is a first-term senator from Ohio, who skyrocketed to fame after publishing his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” 

Vance was first elected to the Senate in 2022 with no prior political experience, but he had widespread name recognition in light of his bestselling book. “Hillbilly Elegy,” later turned into a Netflix feature film, detailed Vance’s journey from a childhood riddled with abuse to a Yale Law School degree that opened doors for him in Silicon Valley.  

While Vance was previously critical of Trump, at one point comparing him to an opioid and saying he could be “America’s Hitler,” he changed his tune ahead of his 2022 Senate race. Since then, Vance has become a loyal ally to Trump. He is also close with one of Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr.

— Haley BeMiller and Riley Beggin

IELTS Essay Prediction Questions for 2022

Below is a list of predicted IELTS Writing Task 2 essay topics for this year, 2022. As usual, these topics are based on common topics, current world issues, and trending topics. Both GT and Academic candidates should prepare from the list below.

IELTS Essay Types in 2022

There are five types of essay questions in IELTS Writing Task 2. You will not know which type of essay you will be given. So, you must prepare for all types. When you read the 2022 Essay Topics list below, be ready for that topic to be phrased in different ways for different essay types. Be prepared to be flexible!!

• Opinion Essay – agree/disagree/ partial agreement
• Discussion Essay – discuss both sides
• Advantage / Disadvantage – includes outweigh essay
• Cause / Problem / Solution Essays
• Direct Question Essays – Positive . Negative Development / one question / two question / three question essays

IELTS Essay Topics for 2022

I’ve organized the predicted IELTS essay questions below and highlighted the topics I feel are more likely to appear. All topics in IELTS essays are current world issues and known society concerns. Our world today is mainly focused on health, work, technology, the internet, and other aspects of life.

• is art important
• what can children learn from art, drama etc
• is literature important to teach in schools
• should the government fund artists
• what people gain from live events
• should art be censored
• does art transcend the language barrier

Books & Reading

• e-books – pros and cons
• are libraries a thing of the past
• children reading story books in their free time
• adults reading children’s stories

Business & Money

• family run businesses – pros and cons
• should we save or spend
• should companies be responsible for their employees’ health
• why some people do not save
• should money management be taught in schools
• is dress code or uniforms important in a company
• why do some people get into debt
• spending money on unnecessary items / luxury goods
• supporting small local businesses
• buying local or foreign products
• relocating companies to the countryside away from city centers – pros and cons
• factors in business success
• is the layout of an office important

Character & People

• is leadership innate
• factors behind success
• are people more impatient than before
• are older people as respected as they should be
• people who follow fashion trends
• keeping up with the Joneses
• individuality or conformity in schools 
• why do some people struggle with change
• are people less respectful of the elderly nowadays
• are people becoming less formal

Crime & Punishment

• fixed punishment for a crime or should circumstances play a role in deciding punishment
• prisons – pros and cons
• stopping ex-convicts from re-offending
• how to reduce crime in society
• do some films encourage criminal behaviour
• should teenage offenders get the same punishment as adult offenders
• why people watch crime shows on TV
• online crimes
• is safety a personal or government responsibility
• are museums and art galleries important
• can children gain from visiting museums and galleries
• should the government support artists
• should schools prioritise science over the Arts
• importance of traditional clothes and music
• how tourism is changing local cultures
• how can the government / schools preserve traditional culture
• globalisation – will cultures be lost
• how has the internet affect culture around the world
• are public celebrations important for culture
• people spending a lot of money on weddings and celebrations
• do foreign films change local culture
• discipline in schools
• pros and cons of learning online
• is science and technology important to teach
• are university degrees more important than experience
• how can people learn soft skills, such as communication, personal skills etc
• homework for children – an aid to learning or too much pressure
• who influences children most – teachers or parents
• teaching good values – teachers or parents
• are children from poor backgrounds disadvantaged in education
• is history important to learn
• studying abroad
• children of different abilities should be taught separately
• home schooling pros and cons
• education in cities compared to rural areas
• how to make learning interesting for children
• all education should be free

Environment, Nature & Wildlife

• protecting trees/ endangered species – causes / problems / solutions
• how to educate people about environmental problems
• noise pollution / air pollution / water pollution – causes / solutions
• how to tackle littering
• importance of tackling climate change – causes, problems, solutions
• importance of spending time in nature
• are wild animals important
• testing consumer products on animals
• children having pets
• who should protect the environment: individuals or governments
• what is the generation gap and how can it be tackled
• can children benefit from a close relationship with their grandparents
• should women with children go to work
• are family roles changing within the family
• who should support elderly family members: family or government
• is it important for family members to spend time together
• why do some couples choose not to have children
• parents should give children the freedom to make their own mistakes
• is our food culture changing
• is it important to keep traditional meals
• why do people eat junk food if it is unhealthy
• should families eat together
• is animal welfare important to know about when buying meat in supermarkets
• what information would stop you buying a certain product
• what is a balanced diet
• why are some people vegetarian 
• should all health care be free – pros and cons
• is public health a personal responsibility or the responsibility of the government
• sugar as a cause of health problems
• problems with junk food
• importance of mental health
• tackling obesity in society / in children
• health problems connected to using screens
• how to encourage children to do more exercise
• why people take up meditation, yoga or taichi
• walking, cycling to work pros and cons
• funding prevention or treatments

Language & Communication

• are text messages / emails / video calls a good form of communication
• pros and cons of one global language
• how has the internet changed the way we communicate and socialise
• should children learn a foreign language at an early age
• is handwriting a thing of the past
• will snail mail one day disappear
• difficulties learning a foreign language
• are holidays important
• why is leisure time important
• are hobbies important
• spending time in nature
• children spending time playing together
• do people value leisure time more nowadays
• why do people watch so much TV in their free time
• Is watching TV a good leisure activity
• what leisure activities are best for children
• should children do homework or have fun in their leisure time

Media & The Internet

• social media and our image of beauty
• shopping online pros and cons
• how the internet has changed the way we work
• importance of accuracy in historical films
• does the internet make people feel more connected
• online streaming for films – pros and cons
• problems sharing personal information online
• reality TV stars
• what makes a film successful – stars, special effects or story
• meeting new people online
• how advertising influences people – billboards, internet pop ups, brand placement in films, social media
• celebrities as role models for children
• are newspapers a thing of the past now that news can be found online
• unreliable news or information online
• technology makes people lazy
• pros and cons of smart phones
• technology in the work place results in job losses
• technology and solving pollution / environmental problems
• technology, science and health
• government spending on space exploration or health care social services
• how has technology changed our lives / the way we work
• how has technology helped mankind
• pros and cons of a traffic free zone in city centers
• way to reduce pollution from cars
• should driving tests be obligatory every 5 years
• how to reduce traffic congestion in city centers
• pros and cons of plane travel
• how to ensure road safety
• should we all use electric cars
• people over 80 should not be allowed to drive
• experiencing foreign countries on TV rather than travelling there
• conforming to the culture of the country you are visiting
• pros and cons of tourism on the domestic economy
• adventure holidays
• tourism and environmental factors (including wildlife)
• pros and cons of taking holidays on your own country
• tourism and its impact on the country
• what children learn from team sports and individual sports
• should sports teach competition or cooperation
• should schools increase physical education lessons
• benefits of exercise, walking, cycling
• should sports stars be paid so much
• companies sponsor sports events and teams for advertising – pros and cons
• sports professionals earning high salaries compared to doctors or nurses
• why people do adventure sports
• importance of international sports competitions

World Issues & Social Issues

• how can homelessness be tackled
• should world issues be solved nationally or internationally
• closing the gap between rich and poor countries
• rich countries should support poor countries at any cost
• overpopulation – problems / solutions
• people are living longer – pros and cons
• should charities help people locally or nationally
• are charities important
• more people are raising money for charities – why, is this a good thing
• living in the countryside or city – pros and cons
• food wastage / increase in world food demand
• (affordable) housing shortage – solutions
• migration of workers from rural to urban areas
• taking care of the elderly – family or government responsibility
• lack of good education in under-developed countries
• pros and cons of working from home
• work-life balance
• pros and cons of being self-employed / working for a company
• bosses contacting people on their days off
• importance of holidays from work
• both parents working – how it impacts children
• is team working skills
• job satisfaction or salary
• working online pros and cons
• pros and cons of technology / machines at work

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Lifting Weak Supervision To Structured Prediction

Part of Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 35 (NeurIPS 2022) Main Conference Track

Harit Vishwakarma, Frederic Sala

Weak supervision (WS) is a rich set of techniques that produce pseudolabels by aggregating easily obtained but potentially noisy label estimates from various sources. WS is theoretically well-understood for binary classification, where simple approaches enable consistent estimation of pseudolabel noise rates. Using this result, it has been shown that downstream models trained on the pseudolabels have generalization guarantees nearly identical to those trained on clean labels. While this is exciting, users often wish to use WS for \emph{structured prediction}, where the output space consists of more than a binary or multi-class label set: e.g. rankings, graphs, manifolds, and more. Do the favorable theoretical properties of WS for binary classification lift to this setting? We answer this question in the affirmative for a wide range of scenarios. For labels taking values in a finite metric space, we introduce techniques new to weak supervision based on pseudo-Euclidean embeddings and tensor decompositions, providing a nearly-consistent noise rate estimator. For labels in constant-curvature Riemannian manifolds, we introduce new invariants that also yield consistent noise rate estimation. In both cases, when using the resulting pseudolabels in concert with a flexible downstream model, we obtain generalization guarantees nearly identical to those for models trained on clean data. Several of our results, which can be viewed as robustness guarantees in structured prediction with noisy labels, may be of independent interest.

Name Change Policy

Requests for name changes in the electronic proceedings will be accepted with no questions asked. However name changes may cause bibliographic tracking issues. Authors are asked to consider this carefully and discuss it with their co-authors prior to requesting a name change in the electronic proceedings.

Use the "Report an Issue" link to request a name change.

Mississippi residents are preparing for possible river flooding

JACKSON, Miss. — The rental home that Suzannah Thames owns in Mississippi's capital city was filled with dirty, snake-infested flood water when the Pearl River overflowed its banks in 2020.

On Friday, Thames pointed to a column on the front porch to show how deep the water was then — about up to her waist. She's now getting ready for another inundation, days after storms dumped torrential rainfall in Mississippi and other parts of the Deep South.

Hydrologists predict the Pearl River near Jackson will crest by Tuesday somewhat short of the levels it reached two years ago. Emergency officials are telling people in low-lying areas to prepare for flooding of homes and businesses.

Thames hired a crew to move furniture, appliances and other belongings out of the three-bedroom home that she now rents to a newly married couple — a medical student and engineer who will temporarily stay in a short-term vacation rental.

"We're fortunate that we have two trailers," Thames said as she oversaw the move. "There's people who don't have anything. There's people who are going to lose everything."

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has urged residents in flood zones to pack enough belongings to get them through several days of evacuation. He said law enforcement officers will increase patrols to protect property.

"Don't allow that to be an impediment for you saving your life and saving the lives of those other individuals in your home," Lumumba said during a news conference Friday.

Second-year medical student Emily Davis and her husband, engineer Andrew Bain, rent the white-brick home from Thames in northeast Jackson. Davis said they knew they were moving into a flood zone, but this is the first time she's ever had to prepare for high water.

"I've felt really stressed because there's so much to do — so much more than I realized to do," Davis said as workers hoisted items into moving vans.

Thames said the rental home is covered by flood insurance, and she lives in an elevated house nearby. She said her house is built 4 feet (1.2 meters) above the line of a massive 1979 flood.

Thames said she wants officials to move forward with a long-discussed plan to build another lake near Jackson to control flooding in the metro area. The project has stalled amid funding problems and opposition from people downstream along the Pearl River.

Thames describes her neighborhood as "paradise" because she can watch deer, alligators and other wildlife less than a mile from the Pearl River, even inside the city limits.

"I've lived in the flood zone for 30 years," Thames said. "I'm not crying, 'Oh, poor me, I've been flooded,' because I knew of the potentiality of it and I prepared for it."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

IELTS Preparation with Liz: Free IELTS Tips and Lessons, 2024

• Test Information FAQ
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• How to Prepare
• Useful Links & Resources
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• 100 Essay Questions
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IELTS Essay Questions for 2022

Below is a list of predicted IELTS Writing Task 2 essay topics for this year, 2022. As usual, these topics are based on common topics, current world issues and trending topics. Both GT and Academic candidates should prepare from the list below.

On this page, you will find:

• List of types of essay questions
• Essay Topics for 2022
• Useful Links for lessons & tips

IELTS Essay Types in 2022

There are five types of essay questions in IELTS Writing Task 2. You will not know which type of essay you will be given. So, you must prepare for all types. When you read the 2022 Essay Topics list below, be ready for that topic to be phrased in different ways for different essay types. Be prepared to be flexible!!

• Opinion Essay – agree/disagree/ partial agreement
• Discussion Essay – discuss both sides
• Advantage / Disadvantage – includes outweigh essay
• Cause / Problem / Solution Essays
• Direct Question Essays – Positive . Negative Development / one question / two question / three question essays

Click here to learn how to spot which type of essay you have: IELTS Essay Types

IELTS Essay Topics for 2022

I’ve organised the predicted IELTS essay questions below and highlighted the topics I feel are more likely to appear. All topics in IELTS essays are current world issues and known society concerns. Our world today is mainly focused on health, work, technology, internet and other aspects of life.

• is art important
• what can children learn from art, drama etc
• is literature important to teach in schools
• should the government fund artists
• what people gain from live events
• should art be censored
• does art transcend the language barrier

Books & Reading

• e-books – pros and cons
• are libraries a thing of the past
• children reading story books in their free time
• adults reading children’s stories

Business & Money

• family run businesses – pros and cons
• should we save or spend
• should companies be responsible for their employees’ health
• why some people do not save
• should money management be taught in schools
• is dress code or uniforms important in a company
• why do some people get into debt
• spending money on unnecessary items / luxury goods
• supporting small local businesses
• buying local or foreign products
• relocating companies to the countryside away from city centers – pros and cons
• factors in business success
• is the layout of an office important

Character & People

• is leadership innate
• factors behind success
• are people more impatient than before
• are older people as respected as they should be
• people who follow fashion trends
• keeping up with the Joneses
• individuality or conformity in schools 
• why do some people struggle with change
• are people less respectful of the elderly nowadays
• are people becoming less formal

Crime & Punishment

• fixed punishment for a crime or should circumstances play a role in deciding punishment
• prisons – pros and cons
• stopping ex-convicts from re-offending
• how to reduce crime in society
• do some films encourage criminal behaviour
• should teenage offenders get the same punishment as adult offenders
• why people watch crime shows on TV
• online crimes
• is safety a personal or government responsibility
• are museums and art galleries important
• can children gain from visiting museums and galleries
• should the government support artists
• should schools prioritise science over the Arts
• importance of traditional clothes and music
• how tourism is changing local cultures
• how can the government / schools preserve traditional culture
• globalisation – will cultures be lost
• how has the internet affect culture around the world
• are public celebrations important for culture
• people spending a lot of money on weddings and celebrations
• do foreign films change local culture
• discipline in schools
• pros and cons of learning online
• is science and technology important to teach
• are university degrees more important than experience
• how can people learn soft skills, such as communication, personal skills etc
• homework for children – an aid to learning or too much pressure
• who influences children most – teachers or parents
• teaching good values – teachers or parents
• are children from poor backgrounds disadvantaged in education
• is history important to learn
• studying abroad
• children of different abilities should be taught separately
• home schooling pros and cons
• education in cities compared to rural areas
• how to make learning interesting for children
• all education should be free

Environment, Nature & Wildlife

• protecting trees/ endangered species – causes / problems / solutions
• how to educate people about environmental problems
• noise pollution / air pollution / water pollution – causes / solutions
• how to tackle littering
• importance of tackling climate change – causes, problems, solutions
• importance of spending time in nature
• are wild animals important
• testing consumer products on animals
• children having pets
• who should protect the environment: individuals or governments
• what is the generation gap and how can it be tackled
• can children benefit from a close relationship with their grandparents
• should women with children go to work
• are family roles changing within the family
• who should support elderly family members: family or government
• is it important for family members to spend time together
• why do some couples choose not to have children
• parents should give children the freedom to make their own mistakes
• is our food culture changing
• is it important to keep traditional meals
• why do people eat junk food if it is unhealthy
• should families eat together
• is animal welfare important to know about when buying meat in supermarkets
• what information would stop you buying a certain product
• what is a balanced diet
• why are some people vegetarian 
• should all health care be free – pros and cons
• is public health a personal responsibility or the responsibility of the government
• sugar as a cause of health problems
• problems with junk food
• importance of mental health
• tackling obesity in society / in children
• health problems connected to using screens
• how to encourage children to do more exercise
• why people take up meditation, yoga or taichi
• walking, cycling to work pros and cons
• funding prevention or treatments

Language & Communication

• are text messages / emails / video calls a good form of communication
• pros and cons of one global language
• how has the internet changed the way we communicate and socialise
• should children learn a foreign language at an early age
• is handwriting a thing of the past
• will snail mail one day disappear
• difficulties learning a foreign language
• are holidays important
• why is leisure time important
• are hobbies important
• spending time in nature
• children spending time playing together
• do people value leisure time more nowadays
• why do people watch so much TV in their free time
• Is watching TV a good leisure activity
• what leisure activities are best for children
• should children do homework or have fun in their leisure time

Media & The Internet

• social media and our image of beauty
• shopping online pros and cons
• how the internet has changed the way we work
• importance of accuracy in historical films
• does the internet make people feel more connected
• online streaming for films – pros and cons
• problems sharing personal information online
• reality TV stars
• what makes a film successful – stars, special effects or story
• meeting new people online
• how advertising influences people – billboards, internet pop ups, brand placement in films, social media
• celebrities as role models for children
• are newspapers a thing of the past now that news can be found online
• unreliable news or information online
• technology makes people lazy
• pros and cons of smart phones
• technology in the work place results in job losses
• technology and solving pollution / environmental problems
• technology, science and health
• government spending on space exploration or health care social services
• how has technology changed our lives / the way we work
• how has technology helped mankind
• pros and cons of a traffic free zone in city centers
• way to reduce pollution from cars
• should driving tests be obligatory every 5 years
• how to reduce traffic congestion in city centers
• pros and cons of plane travel
• how to ensure road safety
• should we all use electric cars
• people over 80 should not be allowed to drive
• experiencing foreign countries on TV rather than travelling there
• conforming to the culture of the country you are visiting
• pros and cons of tourism on the domestic economy
• adventure holidays
• tourism and environmental factors (including wildlife)
• pros and cons of taking holidays on your own country
• tourism and its impact on the country
• what children learn from team sports and individual sports
• should sports teach competition or cooperation
• should schools increase physical education lessons
• benefits of exercise, walking, cycling
• should sports stars be paid so much
• companies sponsor sports events and teams for advertising – pros and cons
• sports professionals earning high salaries compared to doctors or nurses
• why people do adventure sports
• importance of international sports competitions

World Issues & Social Issues

• how can homelessness be tackled
• should world issues be solved nationally or internationally
• closing the gap between rich and poor countries
• rich countries should support poor countries at any cost
• overpopulation – problems / solutions
• people are living longer – pros and cons
• should charities help people locally or nationally
• are charities important
• more people are raising money for charities – why, is this a good thing
• living in the countryside or city – pros and cons
• food wastage / increase in world food demand
• (affordable) housing shortage – solutions
• migration of workers from rural to urban areas
• taking care of the elderly – family or government responsibility
• lack of good education in under-developed countries
• pros and cons of working from home
• work-life balance
• pros and cons of being self-employed / working for a company
• bosses contacting people on their days off
• importance of holidays from work
• both parents working – how it impacts children
• is team working skills
• job satisfaction or salary
• working online pros and cons
• pros and cons of technology / machines at work
• Was this list useful to you?
• Did you get one of these topics in your test?

USEFUL IELTS WRITING TASK 2 LINKS:

Click below to access some useful lessons and tips for your IELTS essay

How to write an introduction

List of keywords for essay writing

How to use the last 5 mins in your writing test

How long should your essay be

All Free Writing Task 2 Lessons and Tips

hello everyone. I am preparing for the IELTS exam. kindly read my essay and suggests me with better writing skills. TOPIC “Newspaper less important nowadays” agree or disagree? Comments

Answer: Few people considered newspapers less important nowadays but others do differ with the statement In present world the demand of newspapers are declined as the people are more tend towards news and updates from internet and they focus least on hands-on paper as they found them of no use as the same stuff is available through internet (in the form of online newspaper).On the other hand people do have collection of newspaper piled up and they found them of no use. People are now well thought out that newspaper printing is useless and waste of resources; above mention are the views of few people not everyone. Moreover other people agree with the fact that reading newspaper online is better than collecting and piling them at home but they also don’t let the fact go away that continuously reading newspaper online may affect the eyes and it may create eyesight disease. After mentioning few general public views about newspaper I will proceed further along with the advantages of newspapers ,Firstly newspapers consists of interesting articles and write-ups that provides vast knowledge ,Secondly we can improve reading skills ,grammar vocabulary and speaking power too. Old newspapers can be used in projects by students in the form of recycle material as an example of solid waste management. I will conclude by saying that newspaper is less important for few people but for other people it is still very useful nowadays.

Please see this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Scientists agree that many people are eating too much junk food and it is damaging their health. Some people think that these problems can be solved by educating people to eat less junk food. Other people believe that education will not work. Discuss both opinions and give your own opinion.

hello dear Liz. I’m going to take my exam on 10th of July. Is it possible if these topics would come in my exam too? thanks in advance

Yes, these topics as well as the common essay topics could easily appear with different wording.

I’m confused. The predicted topics don’t have any essay type. How to know the essay type of predicted topics that u have highlighted?

There are topics, not questions. As long as you can prepare ideas for topics, you can adapt them to any type of essay.

Hii , Liz I’m beginner in this field Nd don’t know how can I collect good ideas to do better in writing task 2 … And how to practice for it

See my Ideas E-book: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi Liz, I was wondering if your correction service is active now.

Regards, Aya

Sorry, not at present. Once my health has improved, I’ll set it up.

Thank you Liz. I scored a band 8 overall!

That’s brilliant!! Very well done to you 🙂

Greeting Liz. I hope you’re good. I prepared for IELTS academic in just three weeks using your materials. I needed a minimum of 7 in all aspects and an overall of 7.5. These are my scores: Listening 8.5, Reading 8.5, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.5. Overall 8.0. Thanks alot for your kindness. God bless you.

That’s a great score! Well done 🙂

Hi Liz, I love your videos in YouTube and your blog has been extremely helpful for my preparation of IELTS exam. Thank you. Sending you lots of love and best wishes from Bhutan 💜❤

Thanks 🙂 Greetings to Bhutan!!

Hello Liz, I just gave a mock writing test and it deducted my band score by 1 for using a clichés which was ‘a waste of time’. Will the same happen in the real test? Can you give a list of other clichés which we cannot use in the test [ apart from the ones given on the site ].

I’m not sure precisely the expressions you use as you mention only one. The expression “a waste of time” is completely fine to use in any Writing Task 2 essay. It is idiomatic, suitable for formal writing and good to use.

Okay. Thank you.😇

Thank you do much Liz.i started reading your tips recently and that Is when I started to understand what I need to do.your content is so easy to understand.

I’m so glad. I built this website to make learning IELTS easy 🙂

I’ve purchased your grammar book and all I can say is I should’ve bought this book ages ago. It was really useful and there so many “oo..” moments when I was learning using the pdf. I also agree with you that it’s not just for students who are taking Ielts, but also for life! this has helped me to unlearn and learn the correct ways of speaking and writing English. Thanks once again.

Thank you so much for leaving your comment. I really love hearing feedback on my work, particularly on that Grammar E-book. I poured my health and soul into it and tried to find ways to make grammar easy. I often feel that grammar is written by academics for academic people, but not for normal everyday people. I always felt that if grammar was explained and illustrated more clearly, it wouldn’t be so difficult. This really gives me a great boost. I’m going in the right direction with my teaching. Thank you very very much 🙂

Hi liz, I just want to express my joy on your comeback. I tried to contact you concerning your health. With your recent activity on your website, i am convinced that your have recovered.

Unfortunately, I haven’t recovered yet. I feel a bit stronger which is why I’m trying to get new posts out on my site. Hopefully this year will see me get stronger as times passes.

Praying for you, Liz. Please know that I have been learning from all your posts. You are a very smart teacher and content-creator. All are useful!

God bless you with better and improved health this 2022

Thank you 🙂

Thanks mum wish you speedy recovery.

You are a real teacher who can effectively deliver the lesson. Looks very kind and cool teacher.May thanks. Stay blessed.

Thanks for your kind comment 🙂

I need contact someone of Ieltsliz. I bought this year in the store but I cant access to it. Can someone help me PLEASE!

I’ve just emailed you. Can you check your inbox and spam folder for my email. Thanks.

Thank you so much Mam Liz . We all miss you so much . I pray to Allah that you get well soon and get you back on youtube .

Thanks for the useful information but I miss you on you tube. Why don’t you make videos again?

I’ve been sick for a long time and I’m still sick which prevents me making videos. You can read my story here: https://ieltsliz.com/determination-my-story/

HI liz.. thank you so much for your sharing. How strong you are Liz. Even I have never met you before but I really admire you. Thank you..thank you so much for your dedication. As you said knowing that help a lot of people reach their goals is the best way to live . We extremely appreciate your time, your support Liz. Wish you all the best.

It’s truly helpful for preparing oneself with these resources particularly writing task 2 topics and ideas. I got a lot of websites for Ielts preparation but this one is well organised to follow. Thanks a lot liz for providing us such quality materials.❤️

You’re welcome 🙂

LIZ , I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. SCORED A BAND 8 ON MY FIRST TRY!!! 8.5 in listening , 8.5 in reading , 7.5 in writing , 7 in speaking – overall 8.

A great result!! Very well done 🙂

Thank You So Much Liz! You are gem of a person. I also got an overall band 8.5 on my first attempt. Your methodological teaching videos on youtube and this website’s practice lessons were my prime source of preparation. Much love. Regards, Dr. Yash

Wonderful news! Band score 8.5 is fantastic! Very well done 🙂

Thank you Liz for providing these topics.. Are these predicted topics only for paper based ielts or for computer based as well???

They are for the IELTS test this year. It makes no difference if you take the test on the computer or on paper.

So helpful topics. Thanks for providing such valuable content🥰.

Thankyou liz..its very very helpful

A very big thank you for these essay topics.It is indeed valuable.

Thank you very much, this information was very useful for us🙏🥰

Thank you so much,Liz for providing such valuable information.

Many thanks for your constant support for the students, stay blessed 🙏🏻

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BOOK REVIEW – Predicting Pearl Harbor: Billy Mitchell and the Path to War

Book review – predicting pearl harbor: billy mitchell and the path to war.

Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb, Ph.D.

In my assessment of Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions (Alan D. Zimm, Philadelphia and Oxford: Casemate Publishers, 2014), I pointed out that “WorldCat (an international library catalog) listed 18,353 publications and other media on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.” I added:

“Among these, there are 6,903 catalog records for the actual attack on Pearl Harbor which includes 3,105 books, 1,293 videos/CDs/DVDs, 644 articles, and 134 theses and dissertations. The less comprehensive Library of Congress catalog has 1,247 cataloged items on Pearl Harbor, of which 590 concern the attack. It appears that more than 200 articles and books on this subject are published each year.”

With the 75 th anniversary of the attack celebrated last December, there was an upsurge in these numbers, confirming that researchers continue to mine older and newer sources on the subject and delve into related topics. Some of these accounts have been published by a highly-regarded university or commercial press, a lesser-known press, and smaller printing companies. Among the most recent academic press volumes are: Geoffrey M. White, Memorializing Pearl Harbor: Unfinished Histories and the Work of Remembrance (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2016); Saburō Kurusu, J. Garry Clifford, and Masako R. Okura, The Desperate Diplomat: Saburo Kurusu’s Memoir of the Weeks before Pearl Harbor (Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2016); and James P. Delgado and Hans Van Tilburg, The Lost Submarines of Pearl Harbor: The Rediscovery and Archaeology of Japan’s Top-secret Midget Submarines of World War II (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2016). Volumes by commercial publishers include Tessa Link, Susan Elkin, and John W. Dower, Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later: A Day of Infamy and Its Legacy (New York: Liberty Street, an imprint of Time Inc. Books, 2016); Steve Twomeym Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017); and Craig Nelson, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness (New York: Scribner, 2016).  Less well-known publishers contributed Brian Curtis, Fields of Battle: Pearl Harbor, The Rose Bowl, and the Boys Who Went to War (New York: Flatiron Books, 2016); and Syd Jones, Before and Beyond the Niihau Zero: The Unlikely Drama of Hawaii’s Forbidden Island Prior to, During & After the Pearl Harbor Attack (Merritt Island, FL: Signum Ops, 2014).  Lastly, memoirs by individual Pearl Harbor survivors or their descendants are continuously printed, often by small and vanity presses or self-published sometimes without International Standard Book Number (ISBN), a unique numeric book identifier (formerly 10 and now 13 digits).

Over the past two decades, Ronald J. Drez, the author of Predicting Pearl Harbor , has written a dozen books on diverse historical topics such as D-Day. The genres include biographies, personal narratives, oral histories, juvenile works, and basic military histories. He is affiliated with the Eisenhower Center, University of New Orleans, and has led tours to military sites in the Pacific theater since 2003.

Drez’s latest volume focuses on William “Billy” Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936), a United States Army general regarded as the “father of the United States Air Force.”  Pelican Publishing Co. of Gretna, LA, provided an “unedited manuscript” for my assessment. The work is scheduled for publication in September 2017.  Hence, I will not comment on the need for copy editing (grammar, typographical errors, and inconsistencies and lack of complete citations).  Examples of the latter include citations to articles in Aviation magazine, Liberty , and newspaper accounts ( Washington Post and Star ) that lack author attributions and pagination.  Briefly, Mitchell served in France during World War I, ultimately commanding all American combat units there by 1918 and afterward was appointed deputy director of the Air Service where he advocated the value of air power, notably the ability of aircraft to sink battleships using aerial bombs which he demonstrated vividly in 1921. He organized a series of bombing runs against anchored ships designed to test this premise and antagonized many Army military and civilian administrators with his arguments and criticisms, testifying before Congressional committees at least 27 times. By 1925, he was demoted from the rank of brigadier general to the permanent rank of colonel and court-martialed for insubordination for accusing military leaders of “incompetency, criminal negligence, and almost treasonable administration by the War and Navy departments” (from an interview of Mitchell published in The New York Times , September 7, 1925).  Congress created the Army Air Corps on July 2, 1926.  Mitchell received numerous posthumous honors including an appointment to the rank of major general by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The book begins with a statement that the author’s interest in the topic stemmed from viewing the 1955 motion picture “ The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell , starring Gary Cooper. His interest in writing about it dates to 2003.  Drez also comments on the difficulty in accessing Mitchell’s “long-suppressed” inspection report from his 1923-1924 Pacific tour, and the unique status of Niihau (usually written Ni’ihau), the westernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair in 1864 for $10,000 from the Kingdom of Hawaii; her private ownership passed on to her descendants, the Robinson family.

Drez devotes a useful chapter to two military strategists who prophesized a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the United States. Homer Lea (November 17, 1876 – November 1, 1912) an American adventurer and strategist who examined American military defense and predicted a war between Japan and America in his book The Valor of Ignorance, with Specially Prepared Maps (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1909, 1942; edition in Japanese, Tōkyō: Hakubunkan, 1911). His controversial publication, popular among America and Japanese military strategists, included maps of a hypothetical Japanese invasion of California and the Philippines. Reader’s interest in these issues should read the still-in-print original (Safety Harbor, FL: Simon Publications, 2001; n.p. Nabu Press, 2010) and consult Lea’s If America Fights with Japan: The Pacific War Foretold Thirty-three Years Ago , Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1942. The most up-to-date analytical assessment is Lawrence H. Kaplan’s Homer Lea: American Soldier of Fortune (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2010, derived from his 1986 dissertation). The chapter also considers Hector C. Bywater (October 21, 1884 – August 16 or 17, 1940) author of Sea Power in the Pacific: A Study of the American-Japanese Naval Problem, with Maps and a Chart (London: Constable, 1921) also still in print (Bedford, MA: Applewood Books, 2002).  Bywater describes a hypothetical naval war between Japan and the United States that influenced the actual naval strategies of both countries during World War II. The most recent assessment of Bywater’s essay is William H. Honan’s Visions of Infamy: The Untold Story of How Journalist Hector C. Bywater Devised the Plans that Led to Pearl Harbor (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991). Kudos to Drez for reminding us about these two authors mostly overlooked by recent historians.

Chapters three through eleven provide a good overview of Mitchell’s military career and subsequent court martial. Drez cites materials from Mitchell’s own publications, particularly Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern Air Power — Economic and Military ( New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1925; reprinted Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2009).  The “long-suppressed” Mitchell Report of Inspection of United States Possessions in the Pacific and Java, Singapore, India, Siam, China & Japan by Brigadier General Wm. Mitchell, Assistant Chief of Air Service, October 24, 1924, is accessible in the Air Corps Library Collection (RG 18). The author also mentions materials from collections at the Library of Congress: William Mitchell [1879-1936].  Archival materials also available but not cited by Drez includes William Mitchell [1879-1936] William (Billy) Mitchell Collection, 1917-1958 (Library Special Collections Branch 6A52. MS 14, USAF Academy, CO: US Air Force Academy, McDermott Library, 2.8 linear feet).  A collection of reports, correspondence and memoranda, photographs, maps, and microfilm pertaining to one of the most controversial figures in the history of the United States Air Force, William Lendrum Mitchell.

Significant material deals with Mitchell’s fight for a separate air service and strategic bombardment after his return from World War I. The remainder of the collection relates to his various assignments and personal letters following his court martial.” Brian McAllister Linn refers to Mitchell’s report in Guardians of Empire: The U.S. Army and the Pacific, 1902-1940 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997).

In addition, Drez quotes materials from four significant secondary source biographies devoted to Mitchell:  Isaac Don Levine, Mitchell Pioneer of Air Power (Cleveland: World, 1943; New York, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1943; New York: Arno Press, 1972); Alfred F. Hurley, Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power (New York: F. Watts, 1964; new ed., Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1975); Burke Davis, The Billy Mitchell Affair (New York: Random House, 1967; Delanco, NJ : Notable Trials Library, 2003); and Douglas C. Waller, A Question of Loyalty: General Billy Mitchell and the Court Martial that Gripped the Nation (New York: HarperCollins, 2004).  In the eighth chapter, “Falling on His Sword,” Drez relies on the US Army’s official reporter Alexander H. Gault (1925), Colonel William Mitchell, Air Service: Trial by General Court Martial, Washington, D.C., October 28, 1925 (Secret and confidential correspondence of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, 1919-1927. 29 folders, 4 microfilm reels, 1980.  National Archives Microfilm Publications, Microcopy 1140, Washington, DC: National Archives).  Both the 1924 Mitchell report (Report of Inspection of United States Possessions in the Pacific) and Gault’s transcript (cited above) contain much additional valuable material related to Mitchell’s career and the court martial that shed additional light on Mitchell, the slow pace of aviation development, and the political firestorm he ignited by accusing the Army and Navy high commands of treason and criminal negligence in matters of national defense. Both Waller and Drez capture much of the spectacular seven-week court martial that became a national obsession.

Chapters six and eleven provide a review the history of Niihau (Ni’ihau) Island in the Hawaiian archipelago and the “Niʻihau Incident” just after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when a Japanese Zero fighter pilot crashed-landed on the island hoping to rendezvous with a rescue submarine. The pilot escaped with the assistance of local Japanese residents, but was ultimately recaptured and killed. The incident is documented in Syd Jones, Before and Beyond the Niihau Zero: The Unlikely Drama of Hawaii’s Forbidden Island Prior to, During & After the Pearl Harbor Attack (Merritt Island, FL: Signum Ops, 2014); and Dan King, The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots (Irvine, CA: Pacific Press, 2012; rev. ed., Rockwall, TX: Pacific Press, 2012). There are citations in Predicting Pearl Harbor to Minoru Genda, the planner of the Japanese carrier-based attack on Pearl Harbor, writing in The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans (Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, eds., Dulles, VA: Brassey’s, 2000, paperback edition of the 1993 volume), which I reviewed in 1999 for H-NET/H-US-Japan (United States and Japanese History and Culture).  Drez provides valuable new material on the incident obtained personally in 2011 during several interviews with Keith Robinson, one of the two brothers who currently own the private island.

Lastly, there is no mention of the Battle of Taranto which took place on the night of 11-12 November 1940 between British naval forces, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham, and Italian naval forces, under Admiral Inigo Campioni. This was the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, employing a small number of obsolescent Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (R87) in the Mediterranean Sea. The attack struck the battle fleet of the Italian Regia Marina at anchor in the harbor of Taranto using aerial torpedoes despite the shallow depth of the water. Japanese Naval officers including Lieutenant Commander Takeshi Naito, the assistant naval attaché to Berlin, came to Taranto to investigate the attack. There is some evidence that the Imperial Japanese Navy’s staff carefully studied the Taranto raid during planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor because of the issues with a shallow harbor. The standard source for this engagement is Thomas P. Lowry and John W. G. Wellham’s The Attack on Taranto: Blueprint for Pearl Harbor (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1995).  Comparisons can also be made to the writings of Homer Lea and Hector Bywater.

Predicting Pearl Harbor: Billy Mitchell and the Path to War adds to the ever-growing list of publications about the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack. Drez reminds us of the early predictions of Lea and Bywater and the quotations from the Robinson interviews are enlightening.

Dr. Kolb is an Independent Scholar (National Endowment for the Humanities, Retired)

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Predicting Pearl Harbor: Billy Mitchell and the Path to War Hardcover – August 15, 2017

The signs were there, but only he saw them.

From Commodore Matthew Perry's 1853 voyage into Japanese waters to the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Japan were on a collision course. Gen. Billy Mitchell recognized the signs and foresaw the eventual showdown between the two nations--eighteen years before the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. Yet his predictions were dismissed out of hand. Mitchell's attempts to have his theories taken seriously led to scorn and a subsequent court martialing. Primary-source documents, memoirs, and firsthand testimonies deliver an exhaustive background to Mitchell's prescient reports. Now, historian Ronald J. Drez finally gives credence to the man called the "Cassandra General."

• Print length 272 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Pelican Publishing
• Publication date August 15, 2017
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• ISBN-10 9781455623150
• ISBN-13 978-1455623150
• See all details

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From the inside flap, from the back cover.

In 1924, Gen. Billy Mitchell traveled to Japan. His superiors warned him not to go in any official capacity, lest it aggravate already strained relations. Mitchell was convinced that he needed to go anyway, so he traveled disguised as a tourist. What he found was a nation that had embraced a philosophy of isolationism. He warned that as friction increased between the US and Japan, war would be inevitable. Japan had defeated China and Russia on the battlefield decades before, due in part to a veil of secrecy. China and Russia were nearly unable to carry out espionage missions against their enemy, and Mitchell was concerned that if America entered into a war with the Japanese then they would suffer the same fate. Eerily, his predictions came to fruition with Japan’s devastating attack on Pearl Harbor.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1455623156
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pelican Publishing (August 15, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781455623150
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455623150
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• #273 in Historical Japan Biographies
• #3,087 in Japanese History (Books)
• #4,525 in WWII Biographies

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