... of Dusseldorf. During summers he worked as a hired hand on nearby ranches, "nourishing" his impression of the California countryside and its people (Lisca 32). He made occasional exciting trips to San Francisco with his family and more frequent trips to the Monterey peninsula (Fontenrose 2). In 1918, he became ill with pneumonia and almost died, but he was able to recover. After graduating ... returned to California in 1926 (Fontenrose 3). For the next three years, periods of temporary employment alternated with periods devoted entirely to writing; and he moved from place to place, to S...

• Word Count: 2015
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , New Mexico, and Kansas (Hamilton 35). Steinbeck lived through other tragedies too. He lived through the Hindenburg helium ship exploding and erupting in flames, and he lived through the horrific San Francisco earthquake (Hinds 66). Steinbeck lived in the time in which the German Nazi party gained huge popularity in parliament and Hitler was extremely popular and had gained massive power. He ... ...

• Word Count: 1462
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... is a proud but lonely African-American who also works on the ranch. All of these stock characters are flat. This story was written in the 1930's, taking place south of San Francisco. It opens with the two traveling ranch hands, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job at a California ranch. It is while they are traveling that the reader learns ... ...

• Word Count: 1252
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... the Works Progress Administration (WPA). At first, WPA was ridiculed, but soon developed a good reputation by helping rebuild the country. Some of these things include: a zoo in Washington D.C., fairgrounds in San Francisco, Boulder Dam in Colorado, Lincoln Tunnel in New York, 250,000 miles of street repairs, and 150,000 sanitary outhouses. In times of emergency they were called into action along ... ...

• Word Count: 1587
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... the squatters` camps near Salinas and Bakersfield. There he gathered materials for `Dubious Battle in California` and a series of seven other articles called `The Harvest Gypsies`, which appeared in the San Francisco News. During one period that autumn he lived in one of the federal migrant camps in Central California and observed the living conditions among migrant workers. In his novel `The ... ...

• Word Count: 2399
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... to find a new life during this difficult era. The entire nation was in ruins and felt the impact. This novel was inspired by a series of articles he wrote for the San Francisco News. The 30's was a period of Depression. The stock market crash destroyed the economy, affecting all Americans. Many businesses were forced to shut down and banks closed down with the ... ...

• Word Count: 1667
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School