The Good Earth - CurrClick

Study Guide for

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

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Study Guide by Sabrina Justison

Copyright 2013 Sabrina Justison. Published by 7 Sisters IHH, LLC. All rights reserved

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The Good Earth Study Guide 1

Study Guide for

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck Study Guide by Sabrina Justison

This Study Guide with vocabulary is appropriate for high school students of varying levels.

I. Basic: Look up the definition (appropriate in the context of the book) for each vocabulary

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word. Use the comprehension questions as a springboard for discussion with your student as he or she answers them orally.

II. College Prep: Assign your student these questions to answer independently as he or she

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reads the book, and follow up with discussion. For each vocabulary word, look up the definition (appropriate in the context of the book) and write a paraphrase. Assign your student the comprehension questions to answer independently. Complete the character, relationship, and motif sections as directed.

III. Honors: Complete all requirements for level II. Plus answer ALL choices for character, relationship, and motif sections. Complete one supplemental activity.

Copyright 2013 Sabrina Justison. Published by 7 Sisters IHH, LLC. All rights reserved.


Background Information: Pearl Buck was the daughter of missionaries to China in the late 1800's. She was a US citizen but spent most of her growing -up and quite a bit of her adult life in China. Her novel The Good Earth chronicles the life of farmers in rural China struggling to survive, and it provided a glimpse of a country and people that had been shrouded in mystery for much of the western world. When this book was published in 1931, Chinese people had not been allowed to immigrate to the United States for almost 40 years; consequently Americans had a very limited understanding of what life was like in this distant land. Ideas like infanticide (the murder of an infant at or soon after birth), the binding of young girls' feet, and the taking of concubines by a married man were bizarre to western minds. While Buck did not attempt to defend these practices, she wove them into her story and provided a context within which westerners could more easily make sense of them.

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In addition to giving us a glimpse of life in rural China in the early part of the 20th century, The Good Earth also told a story of people, of a family, of individuals trying independently and together to make sense of life and to invest in something that would last. The universal human struggle for security, meaning, and relationships resonated with readers around the world. It stayed on the best-seller list for two years and won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1932.

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There are many sad moments in The Good Earth, but rather than leaving the reader depressed it offers a view of life that is both harshly realistic (bad things happen that are out of our control) and unfailingly hopeful (we live to tell the story in spite of these tragedies). The characters in Buck's story are complex, and just when we think we have figured them out a turn of the page reveals a new layer of personality that leaves us hungry for

It is on these characters that we will primarily focus for the purposes of this study guide. Additionally, we will take note of Buck's excellent use of motif in her writing. A motif is a recurring symbol in a story that draws attention to the theme or idea it represents. more of the story.



Suggested Supplemental Activities Watch the 1937 film adaptation of the book and write a 3paragraph analysis of your thoughts on how well the movie captured the story

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Study the Chinese Revolution of 1925-27 and write a short paper on its impact on the country.



Vocabulary Look up the following words and paraphrase the definition that you find (write the meaning using your own words). (The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the book, and the chapter in which they appear follows each in parentheses.)

obeisance hoary

(ch. 6)

(ch. 8)

ponderous (bellies) gourmands opulence stolid

(ch. 12)

(ch. 9)

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unctuous

(ch. 8)

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importuning

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(ch. 7)

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filial

(ch. 1)

(ch. 13)

(ch. 14)

diffident

(ch. 14)

geomancer eminence

(ch. 28)

parsimony requited

(ch. 26)

(ch. 30)

(ch. 34)



Comprehension Questions Answer in complete sentences unless specifically instructed otherwise. Chapter 1 1. Note the number of times the word “earth” or “earthen” appears in paragraph #4 and #5 at the beginning of chapter 1. What things are we told are made of earth? (Just list them; you do not need to use a complete sentence.) 2. What was Wang Lung's father's description of a suitable wife? 3. When Wang Lung goes into the town, how does he describe his feelings around the town dwellers?

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1. Briefly describe O-lan.

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Chapter 2

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4. The old Lady of the House of Hwang makes a statement about beautiful women. Fill in the blank: “Only men of ______________ need beautiful women to divert them.”

2. How does Wang Lung feel about O-lan working side by side with him in the fields? Chapter 3 1. When O-lan is pregnant, she describes in detail the manner in which she will return to the House of Hwang after her child is born. Briefly describe it here. 2. According to Wang Lung's father, why must a woman “bear and bear”? Chapter 4 1. What does Buck mean by this quote (referring to Wang Lung): “It did not do in this life to be too fortunate.” 2. Two poor homes are described in this chapter, Wang Lung and O-lan's home and Wang Lung's uncle's home. How are they different? 3. Where does Wang Lung hide the money in his bedroom? What is significant about the description of the hiding place? Copyright 2013 Sabrina Justison. Published by 7 Sisters IHH, LLC. All rights reserved.


Chapter 5 1. When Wang Lung and O-lan go to the Great House of Hwang to visit, what does Wang Lung wish for more than anything? 2. Think back to Wang Lung's first visit to the Great House. What are the differences between the two visits? 3. Wang Lung notices that the House of Hwang is growing poor. What is the strongest indication of this change? 4. O-lan decides that her husband is right to buy the rice land. Her slow smile is expressed with words when she says, “_______________________________” Chapter 6 1. What troubles Wang Lung about his great love of his land?

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Chapter 7

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2. O-lan gives birth to a second child. Briefly compare and contrast the two births. (You do not need to use complete sentences.)

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1. The uncle's wife has an interesting way of looking at why their life has been so unsuccessful. What does she say is the reason for their failure? 2. Why doesn't Wang Lung stand up to his manipulative uncle? 3. O-lan gives birth again. What is different this time? Chapter 8 1. When Wang Lung buys another piece of land, glad to know that it was his having once belonged to a prince, what does he fail to do? 2. As the famine worsens, what idea is Wang Lung's source of private comfort? Chapter 9 1. Why does Wang Lung give Ching's red beans to O-lan but keep just a few for himself? 2. Why did the baby die? Chapter 10 1. Why do they decide to board the firewagon? Copyright 2013 Sabrina Justison. Published by 7 Sisters IHH, LLC. All rights reserved.


Chapter 11 1. Why is begging so distasteful to Wang Lung? 2. Why are they forbidden to take rice away from the poor kitchens? 3. Why have the rich given this rice to feed the poor? 4. How does learning this reason help them to learn to beg more effectively? 5. What does Wang Lung learn about the only type of ricksha customers who can be taken without arguing over the fare? Chapter 12 1. Why is Wang Lung essentially a “foreigner” even though he is Chinese?

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2. What is the source of conflict between Wang Lung and O-lan about begging and stealing food to survive? Chapter 13

Chapter 14

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1. What does the man who pulls the wagons at night mean when he says to Wang Lung, “When the rich are too rich there are ways, and when the poor are too poor there are ways”?

1. What is it that sets Wang Lung apart from the other poor men (in his mind, at least)? 2. What reason does the young teacher in the street give the crowd for their poverty? 3. Why does Wang Lung change from pulling a ricksha to pulling heavy wagons at night? 4. How does Wang Lung get the money he needs to return north to his home? Chapter 15 1. Why is Wang Lung determined to have the ox? 2. Wang Lung's uncle survived, and so did his neighbor Ching. Briefly describe the differences in the ways they found to survive. Chapter 16 Copyright 2013 Sabrina Justison. Published by 7 Sisters IHH, LLC. All rights reserved.