Study guide for a collaborative project of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and the University of Alabama at Birmingham      Introduction to this site -- for students
	Welcome! This site offers a wide range of resources for anyone studying The Grapes of Wrath -- either the novel or the stage version. Perhaps the most valuable resource for students is the chapter-by-chapter series of Discussion Prompts written by ASFA's resident Steinbeck expert Elisabeth Rohlfs-Hill. Each of these pages also includes web links related to the chapter, and relevant Depression-era photographs. Click any chapter number to see the Discussion Prompts and Web Links for that chapter: 1  2  3  4 5  6  7  8 9  10  11  12 13  14  15  16 17  18  19  20 21  22  23  24 25  26  27  28 29  30 For example, check out Horace Bristol's California Photos - These photos were taken by Horace Bristol in 1938, for a proposed LIFE magazine photojournalism spread. Bristol had planned for John Steinbeck to write the accompanying story, but Steinbeck instead decided -- after seeing these photographs -- to write The Grapes of Wrath. See some of the real people who served as the Joad family models! Another excellent source for the Bristol photos (including several not seen on the other site) is at a site called (oddly enough) "The Scream Online," with the Bristol page here. More web sites to explore before you begin: Overview of the 1930's - Excellent site by the University of Virginia, which covers such areas as the 1930's reflected through its print, film, art, people, sports, slang, etc. The Great Depression - The Free Dictionary's Encyclopedia site with links to a strong overview of the Great (that is, world-wide) Depression of the 1930's. Chronology of John Steinbeck's life from the National Steinbeck Center's website. The Center for Steinbeck Studies. Includes a Brief Biography, Chronology, Homes and Locations, Steinbeck Country, Sources for Further Reading, Biographical Web Sites, and a Photo Gallery. The Grapes of Wrath segment of the NPR Morning Edition's "Present at the Creation" series. Their website contains Brian Naylor's original radio report, as well as links to Woody Guthrie's song "Tom Joad" and even a scene from the 1940 film starring Henry Fonda. (Requires RealPlayer.)!