Cannery Row Assertion Statement

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Cannery Row by John Steinbeck Set in the 1930s (during the Great Depression (economic recession); Monterey, California) Use ACTION Verbs in assertion statement Theme: Community (Cannery Row is not just a place to live. It is a place where the inhabitants/denizens belong) -like Delbarton – ‘That here, we belong’ Steinbeck – character relationships; strength in the unbreakable bond of brotherhood ASE Title: Abundance on Cannery Row; Communal Brotherhood; In A League of Their Own Quotes to consider: “Mack was the elder, leader, mentor, and to a small extent the exploiter of a little group of men who had in common no families, no money, and no ambitions beyond food, drink, and contentment. But whereas most men in their search for contentment …show more content…

. . In the world ruled by tigers with ulcers, rutted by strictured bulls, scavenged by blind jackals, Mac and the boys dine delicately with the tigers, fondle the frantic heifers, and wrap up the crumbs to feed the sea-gulls of Cannery Row. What can it profit a man to gain the whole world and come to his property with a gastric ulcer, a blown prostate, and bifocals? Mack and the boys avoid the trap, step over the poison. . .” (Steinbeck …show more content…

• Considered outcasts, “the have-nots” • The environment has shaped them. Conversely, the inhabitants have changed Cannery Row. Despite their own financial hardships and daily challenges, these characters (the denizens of Cannery Row) have forged strong bonds as a means to survive. Mack and the boys – dependent (physically, as well as emotionally) • Physically: built the Palace Flophouse o Palace Flophouse – an oxymoron? Steinbeck uses this oxymoron to help create the mood {Mack and the Boys - Positive energy – transformed a long, bare room into a home built for a king) • Palace – a large, splendid house • Flophouse – cheap hotel or rooming house • Emotionally: support group/trust Strong sense of brotherhood/companionship • Always there to lend a helping hand • No one stands alone o Actions – done with the best of