LITR221

For my final project I have chosen to read and write on John Steinbeck’s “The Pearl.” The reason I chose this novel is because I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Of Mice and Men” which is also written by Mr. Steinbeck. I don’t get the opportunity to read many books of late and figured this would be the ideal time to read more of Mr. Steinbeck’s work. I am only about halfway through the book right now but my initial impression is that the main character, Kino, is similar to me in the aspect he greatly cares for his family and wants to provide for them as best he can.
Right now is trying times here in America. Between high unemployment rates, ever increasing cost of living, and social and political unrest, we are in for some very rough times ahead. In addition to all of these problems, nearly every week there is a news story in which a young person is shot and killed by the police. I believe the themes of modern literature would focus on these topics. Racial issues have long been a part of American literature and I can certainly see that becoming more popular with the social unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Additionally, the media hand selects which events get covered when someone is shot and killed by the police. In the case of Michael Brown he was unarmed but was assaulting the police officer and attempting to take his weapon away when he was shot. Most media chooses to minimize this information which is causing an unnecessary hatred for law enforcement. I can also see this emerging as a main role in modern literature. Additionally, even though we have completely withdrawn from Iraq and have seriously reduced our forces in Afghanastain, it is still a popular topic in the media. With the growing threat of terrorist attacks and beheadings by ISIS the topic of terrorism is only becoming more popular. I imagine modern literature is producing many stories pertaining to terrorism, both fictional and non-fictional.