I think the ending of Of Mice and Men was definitely appropriate. Though it was certainly very tragic and depressing, I honestly don't think it could have ended any other way. The book was never set up to be one of those happy, "this-is-the-power-of-dreams-kids!" kind of book -- instead it was written as a realistic portrayal of life. From the very beginning of the novella, I was sure that something would happen to prevent Lennie and George from realizing their dream. Of course, I didn't really think that this barrier would come in the form of people dying -- I was shocked that Curley's wife ended up being killed. I knew from the foreshadowing that there would be some kind of situation with Lennie and Curley's wife, but I thought it would just be some kind of misunderstanding that would result in Lennie and George being fired from their jobs on the ranch, therefore not earning the money they needed to buy their plot of land.
I think the most tragic part of the ending for me wasn't actually when George shot Lennie. It was when Lennie accidentally killed Curley's wife. She did nothing to deserve this fate -- she was just a lonely person who was finally finding some company in Lennie. She didn't need to die.
Lennie, on the other hand, did need to die. It sounds harsh to say that, and one could argue that there were other options available, but really, there weren't. At that point in the book, George and Lennie were out of options. He also needed to die from an entertainment point of view. If the book ended with George and Lennie running away, fugitives once more, it would not have the same emotional effect on the reader. The tension all builds to that final scene with George and Lennie, and if George put the gun away and led Lennie to hide in the bush, planning their escape, it would feel like a bit of a letdown. The shooting is the finale to all of the previous tense, emotional scenes, and without a clear ending like that there would be no feeling of closing for the reader.
Some people have complained about the last line, but I think that it works very well. In that one line, Steinbeck manages to subtly convey many things: "And Carlson said, 'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?'"
Yes, this line seems sudden, out of place, and confusing. Shouldn't Carlson know why George and Slim are upset? But this is the point Steinbeck was trying to communicate. Curley and Carlson are such different kinds of people from George and Slim. They have never had a close emotional attachment to another person in the way that George and Lennie did, so they cannot begin to understand how difficult George's position was. In fact, Carlson seems to hold a similar position in this scenario as he did when he pressured Candy to let him shoot his dog. The dog was useless, so he couldn't understand why Candy would still feel attached to it. Lennie had committed a crime, so he couldn't understand why George would feel bad about shooting him. Carlson is unable to empathize with either Candy or George in these scenarios because he has never had those feelings of attachment to anything.
In terms of the abruptness of the line, I think that was also a conscious decision on Steinbeck's part. Lennie may have just died, but life goes on. His death does not affect Curley or Carlson at all -- they are totally removed from the situation. This final line puts everything in context for the reader. Yes, Lennie's death will have a massive effect on George, but in the big picture, nothing has changed. His death does not change the world any more than the death of the mice did.
This brings me to the connection between Of Mice and Men and Robert Burns' poem, To a Mouse. Burns' poem starts off by recognizing the similarities between himself, a man, and a mouse. He writes about how neither of them really have any control over their lives, even if they plan. This is exemplified in the passages where he refers to how the mouse's home has just been run over by his plough. "The best-laid schemes o' mice and men," he writes, "Gang aft agley,/An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,/For promis'd joy!" Here he is stating how even the most carefully planned plans can easily go awry, leaving the planner with nothing but sadness where they could have had happiness. This connects to Of Mice and Men in the sense that George and Lennie, even after all of their planning, were not able to achieve their dream.
In the final stanza of the poem discusses how the mouse is, however, luckier than the man, at least in one respect. "Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me," says Burns of the mouse. "The present only toucheth thee:/But, Och! I backward cast my e'e./On prospects drear!/An' forward, tho' I canna see,/I guess an' fear!
Because the mouse lives only in the present, it is not as affected by the man in these changes of plans. It deals with the change and moves on, able to adapt. The man, on the other hand, dwells on the failures of the past, and worries about the future. George will have to live his life haunted by Lennie's death, cursed to always think about what could have been.
A connection between Lennie and the mouse can be made here. George may be a man, having to live the rest of his life thinking about how his plan went awry, but Lennie does not have to deal with the dream not coming true. His death means that he will always just be frozen in that moment, that peaceful moment as he sat and listened to George tell him what the future would hold. Lennie no longer needs to be apprehensive of the future, or dwell upon the past -- he is free from this, the greatest hardship of being a human.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Literary Devices
Imagery
Imagery is used to help the reader make more of a connection with the setting, characters, or events in a piece of literature. The most common kind of imagery is "visual imagery," in which the author uses descriptive language to help the reader "see" the scenes and settings in the book, although imagery can be used to enhance any of the senses, such as olfactory imagery, tactile imagery, or auditory imagery.
"On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees -- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool."
Characterization
Characterization is the defined presentation of a character in a literary piece -- it is the way the author presents a character's traits and personality. This is done either directly, through narration, or indirectly, through the character's thoughts and speech.
"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely."
Motif
A motif is a recurring element throughout a piece of literature -- it holds a symbolic significance to the story. A motif in Of Mice and Men is that of loneliness.
"Crooks said, 'I didn't mean to scare you. He'll come back. I was talkin' about myself. A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin' books or thinkin' or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin', an' he got nothing to tell him what's so an' what ain't so. Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can't tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn't drunk. I don't know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an' then it would be all right. But I jus' don't know.'"
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author provides hints or clues about what will happen later in the story. There are many examples of foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men, such as the following. This passage about Lennie's interest in petting mice, and the fact that that leads to their accidental deaths, foreshadows the later events in the book with both the puppy and Curley's wife.
"Lennie looked sadly up at him. 'They was so little,' he said, apologetically. 'I'd pet 'em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their little heads a little and then they was dead -- because they was so little.'"
Zoomorphism
Zoomorphism is the opposite of anthropomorphism, and is the assigning of animal traits to human characters.
"His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse."
Suspense
Suspense is the buildup of tension in a literary work, especially as the plot builds to a climax.
"Lennie turned his head and looked off across the pool and up the darkening slopes of the Gabilans. 'We gonna get a little place,' George began. He reached into his side pocket and brought out Carlson's Luger; he snapped off the safety, and the hand and the gun lay on the ground behind Lennie's back. He looked at the back of Lennie's head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined."
Mood
The mood is the general atmosphere created within the piece.
"Evening of a hot day started the wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones. And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
Round Characters
A round character is a fully developed character -- the reader should have a good sense of the character's personality, appearance, opinions, etc. They have depth to them.
"This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs. His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face."
Flat Characters
A flat character is a character that is one-dimensional, with no developed characteristics. They are often just there to play a simple, though potentially crucial, role in story, such as the boss in Of Mice and Men.
"The boss stepped into the room with the short, quick steps of a fat-legged man. 'I wrote Murray and Ready I wanted two men this morning. You got your work slips?'"
Character Foils
A character foil is a character contrasted with another character in order to emphasize certain qualities of that character. An example of character foils in Of Mice and Men is Curley and Slim.
Slim: "A tall man stood in the doorway. He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back. Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket. When he had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen."
Curley: "His eyes passed over the new men and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious."
Symbolism
A symbol is an object or concept that stands for another object or concept. In Of Mice and Men, Candy's dog is symbolic of the attitude towards things that are no longer very useful -- such as Candy himself.
"'Well, I can't stand him in here,' said Carlson. 'That stink hangs around even after he's gone.'He walked over with his heavy-legged stride and looked down at the dog. 'Got no teeth,' he said. 'He's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?'"
Dialogue
Dialogue is the "talking" in the book -- the words the characters say are all dialogue.
"Lennie broke in. 'But not us! An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.' He laughed delightedly. 'Go on now, George!'
'You got it by heart. You can do it yourself.'
'No, you. I forget some a' the things. Tell about how it's gonna be.'
'O.K. Someday -- we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and some pigs and--'
'An' live off the fatta the lan',' Lennie shouted. 'An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.'"
Setting
The setting is the location(s) where the story takes place.
"A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees -- willow fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottles, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool."
Theme
Themes are the main points, concepts, or ideas the author is trying to get across through his work. Though there are several themes in Of Mice and Men, one of the main themes is that of dreams.
"George's hands stopped working with the cards. His voice was growing warmer. 'An' we could have a few pigs. I could build a smoke house like the one gran'pa had, an' when we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams, and make sausages an' all that. An' when the salmon run up river we could catch a hundred of 'em an' salt 'em down or smoke 'em. We could have them for breakfast. They ain't nothing so nice as smoked salmon. When the fruit come in we could can it -- and tomatoes, they're easy to can. Ever' Sunday we'd kill a chicken or a rabbit. Maybe we'd have a cow or a goat, and the cream is so God damn think you got to cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon."
Imagery is used to help the reader make more of a connection with the setting, characters, or events in a piece of literature. The most common kind of imagery is "visual imagery," in which the author uses descriptive language to help the reader "see" the scenes and settings in the book, although imagery can be used to enhance any of the senses, such as olfactory imagery, tactile imagery, or auditory imagery.
"On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees -- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool."
Characterization
Characterization is the defined presentation of a character in a literary piece -- it is the way the author presents a character's traits and personality. This is done either directly, through narration, or indirectly, through the character's thoughts and speech.
"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely."
Motif
A motif is a recurring element throughout a piece of literature -- it holds a symbolic significance to the story. A motif in Of Mice and Men is that of loneliness.
"Crooks said, 'I didn't mean to scare you. He'll come back. I was talkin' about myself. A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin' books or thinkin' or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin', an' he got nothing to tell him what's so an' what ain't so. Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can't tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn't drunk. I don't know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an' then it would be all right. But I jus' don't know.'"
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author provides hints or clues about what will happen later in the story. There are many examples of foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men, such as the following. This passage about Lennie's interest in petting mice, and the fact that that leads to their accidental deaths, foreshadows the later events in the book with both the puppy and Curley's wife.
"Lennie looked sadly up at him. 'They was so little,' he said, apologetically. 'I'd pet 'em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their little heads a little and then they was dead -- because they was so little.'"
Zoomorphism
Zoomorphism is the opposite of anthropomorphism, and is the assigning of animal traits to human characters.
"His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse."
Suspense
Suspense is the buildup of tension in a literary work, especially as the plot builds to a climax.
"Lennie turned his head and looked off across the pool and up the darkening slopes of the Gabilans. 'We gonna get a little place,' George began. He reached into his side pocket and brought out Carlson's Luger; he snapped off the safety, and the hand and the gun lay on the ground behind Lennie's back. He looked at the back of Lennie's head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined."
Mood
The mood is the general atmosphere created within the piece.
"Evening of a hot day started the wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones. And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
Round Characters
A round character is a fully developed character -- the reader should have a good sense of the character's personality, appearance, opinions, etc. They have depth to them.
"This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs. His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face."
Flat Characters
A flat character is a character that is one-dimensional, with no developed characteristics. They are often just there to play a simple, though potentially crucial, role in story, such as the boss in Of Mice and Men.
"The boss stepped into the room with the short, quick steps of a fat-legged man. 'I wrote Murray and Ready I wanted two men this morning. You got your work slips?'"
Character Foils
A character foil is a character contrasted with another character in order to emphasize certain qualities of that character. An example of character foils in Of Mice and Men is Curley and Slim.
Slim: "A tall man stood in the doorway. He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back. Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket. When he had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen."
Curley: "His eyes passed over the new men and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious."
Symbolism
A symbol is an object or concept that stands for another object or concept. In Of Mice and Men, Candy's dog is symbolic of the attitude towards things that are no longer very useful -- such as Candy himself.
"'Well, I can't stand him in here,' said Carlson. 'That stink hangs around even after he's gone.'He walked over with his heavy-legged stride and looked down at the dog. 'Got no teeth,' he said. 'He's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?'"
Dialogue
Dialogue is the "talking" in the book -- the words the characters say are all dialogue.
"Lennie broke in. 'But not us! An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.' He laughed delightedly. 'Go on now, George!'
'You got it by heart. You can do it yourself.'
'No, you. I forget some a' the things. Tell about how it's gonna be.'
'O.K. Someday -- we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and some pigs and--'
'An' live off the fatta the lan',' Lennie shouted. 'An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.'"
Setting
The setting is the location(s) where the story takes place.
"A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees -- willow fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottles, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool."
Theme
Themes are the main points, concepts, or ideas the author is trying to get across through his work. Though there are several themes in Of Mice and Men, one of the main themes is that of dreams.
"George's hands stopped working with the cards. His voice was growing warmer. 'An' we could have a few pigs. I could build a smoke house like the one gran'pa had, an' when we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams, and make sausages an' all that. An' when the salmon run up river we could catch a hundred of 'em an' salt 'em down or smoke 'em. We could have them for breakfast. They ain't nothing so nice as smoked salmon. When the fruit come in we could can it -- and tomatoes, they're easy to can. Ever' Sunday we'd kill a chicken or a rabbit. Maybe we'd have a cow or a goat, and the cream is so God damn think you got to cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon."
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Curley's Wife
On the outside, Curley's wife comes across as a very flirtatious woman. She flaunts her femininity by wearing revealing, tight clothing, and she spends a great deal of time doing her hair and face. Even though she is married, she spends a great deal of time trying to be desirable and attractive to other men. She seeks out conversations and meetings with the other men on the ranch under the disguise of 'looking for Curley,' even if she already knows where he is. The men are wary of her flirtatious ways, knowing well enough what could happen to them if they fell into her trap.
On the inside, however, I do not believe that Curley's wife is exactly as she seems. I think she feels trapped and bored having to live on the ranch: "--Saturday night. Ever'body out doin' som'pin'. Ever'body! An' what am I doin'? Standin' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs -- a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep -- an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else."
This quotation reveals a lot about her character and inner feelings. She resents the fact that she is stuck on the ranch with no one to talk to . She craves a larger social group, true friends -- I think that in many ways she is a lonely person. She does not have a happy marriage with Curley -- in fact, she does not like him at all, as is exemplified in the following quotation.
"Sure I gotta husban'. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain't he? Spends all his time sayin' what he's gonna do to guys he don't like, and he don't like nobody. Think I'm gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley's gonna lead with his left twict, and then bring in the ol' tight cross? 'One two' he says. 'Jus' the ol' one-two an' he'll go down.'"
I think that Curley's wife feels quite lonely and shut-in in the house with her husband. She is a fairly arrogant woman who probably sees herself as being above him, and she is tired of having to listen to him talk about himself. The line "Think I'm gonna stay in that two-by-four house" also shows something about her. She thinks she is better than the life she is currently living, that she should be living in a nicer house in a town, with a more attentive husband than Curley. She deals with these feelings by dressing herself up even just for a standard day at the ranch.
I think that her flirtatious attentions towards the other men stem partly from a belief that she is attractive and deserves attention for it, but I think that most of it comes from a need of self-validation. She is probably unsure about herself and her image, and attention from the men boosts her self-esteem and affirms her feelings that she is better than the life she's currently living. A lot of it also probably comes from a loneliness. She does not have the potential to make many friends, living out on the ranch like that, so she feels the need to interact with the people she can -- in the only way she knows.
On the inside, however, I do not believe that Curley's wife is exactly as she seems. I think she feels trapped and bored having to live on the ranch: "--Saturday night. Ever'body out doin' som'pin'. Ever'body! An' what am I doin'? Standin' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs -- a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep -- an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else."
This quotation reveals a lot about her character and inner feelings. She resents the fact that she is stuck on the ranch with no one to talk to . She craves a larger social group, true friends -- I think that in many ways she is a lonely person. She does not have a happy marriage with Curley -- in fact, she does not like him at all, as is exemplified in the following quotation.
"Sure I gotta husban'. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain't he? Spends all his time sayin' what he's gonna do to guys he don't like, and he don't like nobody. Think I'm gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley's gonna lead with his left twict, and then bring in the ol' tight cross? 'One two' he says. 'Jus' the ol' one-two an' he'll go down.'"
I think that Curley's wife feels quite lonely and shut-in in the house with her husband. She is a fairly arrogant woman who probably sees herself as being above him, and she is tired of having to listen to him talk about himself. The line "Think I'm gonna stay in that two-by-four house" also shows something about her. She thinks she is better than the life she is currently living, that she should be living in a nicer house in a town, with a more attentive husband than Curley. She deals with these feelings by dressing herself up even just for a standard day at the ranch.
I think that her flirtatious attentions towards the other men stem partly from a belief that she is attractive and deserves attention for it, but I think that most of it comes from a need of self-validation. She is probably unsure about herself and her image, and attention from the men boosts her self-esteem and affirms her feelings that she is better than the life she's currently living. A lot of it also probably comes from a loneliness. She does not have the potential to make many friends, living out on the ranch like that, so she feels the need to interact with the people she can -- in the only way she knows.
The Third Section
Pinpoint a turning point for the book in this section. Include the turning point as a quotation and explain why you think it is a turning point.
"George spat on the floor disgustedly. 'We got ten bucks between us.' Then he said thoughtfully, 'Look, if me an' Lennie work an' don't spen' nothing, we'll have a hunderd bucks. That'd be four fifty. I bet we could swing her for that. Then you an' Lennie could go get her started an' I'd get a job an' make up the res', an' you could sell eggs an' stuff like that.'
They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, 'Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her.' His eyes were full of wonder. 'I bet we could swing her,' he repeated softly."
I think that this quote is a turning point in the book because this is the point when it seems like George and Lennie's dream could become a reality. They knew of a place they could buy for themselves, but they didn't have the money to make it happen. Candy, however, does have money saved up, and a reason to want to help them buy the land. This is the first time in the book that it truly seems like George and Lennie might have a chance of living their dream and buying their own piece of land.
Define the term juxtaposition.
Juxtaposition in literature is the placement of two concepts, characters, ideas, etc side by side to demonstrate a contrast between them
Why do you think Steinbeck juxtaposes the scene with George, Lennie, and Candy discussing their plans to get some land of their own with the fight scene between Lennie and Curley?
I think that Steinbeck juxtaposes these two scenes because they have very different feelings and consequences. The scene in which George, Lennie, and Candy are discussing their plans seems hopeful -- it seems like things are finally looking up for them, like things will turn out well, like they can finally be independent. But then Curley comes in and the mood shifts dramatically. Suddenly George and Lennie are not the ones holding power, as Curley comes in and reminds them that they are not yet free to begin their new life. The fight scene destroys the feeling of hope that was present in the last scene. Now they need to worry about keeping their jobs and about dealing with the aggressive Curley. No longer can they just assume that they will be able to make their money and buy their land and leave for their own lives.
"George spat on the floor disgustedly. 'We got ten bucks between us.' Then he said thoughtfully, 'Look, if me an' Lennie work an' don't spen' nothing, we'll have a hunderd bucks. That'd be four fifty. I bet we could swing her for that. Then you an' Lennie could go get her started an' I'd get a job an' make up the res', an' you could sell eggs an' stuff like that.'
They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, 'Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her.' His eyes were full of wonder. 'I bet we could swing her,' he repeated softly."
I think that this quote is a turning point in the book because this is the point when it seems like George and Lennie's dream could become a reality. They knew of a place they could buy for themselves, but they didn't have the money to make it happen. Candy, however, does have money saved up, and a reason to want to help them buy the land. This is the first time in the book that it truly seems like George and Lennie might have a chance of living their dream and buying their own piece of land.
Define the term juxtaposition.
Juxtaposition in literature is the placement of two concepts, characters, ideas, etc side by side to demonstrate a contrast between them
Why do you think Steinbeck juxtaposes the scene with George, Lennie, and Candy discussing their plans to get some land of their own with the fight scene between Lennie and Curley?
I think that Steinbeck juxtaposes these two scenes because they have very different feelings and consequences. The scene in which George, Lennie, and Candy are discussing their plans seems hopeful -- it seems like things are finally looking up for them, like things will turn out well, like they can finally be independent. But then Curley comes in and the mood shifts dramatically. Suddenly George and Lennie are not the ones holding power, as Curley comes in and reminds them that they are not yet free to begin their new life. The fight scene destroys the feeling of hope that was present in the last scene. Now they need to worry about keeping their jobs and about dealing with the aggressive Curley. No longer can they just assume that they will be able to make their money and buy their land and leave for their own lives.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
My Dreams
The only dream/plan I can think of right now is the plan Aliya and I have to go on a road trip after we graduate from grade 12. We're going to buy ourselves an old VW van and paint it a nice orangey colour. We'll carefully select four or five of our favourite CDs to listen to (or even better, we'll install a TAPE player), and we'll drive off without much of a plan. We know that we want to drive to San Fransisco, and from there go to New Orleans, but other than that we're determined not to plan too much and to just go with the flow. We figure that if we just drive wherever we want we'll end up having more spontaneous adventures. Lucy wouldn't have discovered Narnia if she had been looking for it, after all.
We'll stay in seedy motels, and eat at diners along the road. We'll take turns driving, and whoever isn't driving at any given time will be in charge of composing serenades on the kazoo. We'll take a bunch of pictures, and when we get back I'll write a novel loosely based on our extremely awesomely amazing experiences.
Yup, that's just how cool we are. :)
We'll stay in seedy motels, and eat at diners along the road. We'll take turns driving, and whoever isn't driving at any given time will be in charge of composing serenades on the kazoo. We'll take a bunch of pictures, and when we get back I'll write a novel loosely based on our extremely awesomely amazing experiences.
Yup, that's just how cool we are. :)
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Characterization: Slim
'There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.'
Just in this brief description of Slim's manner the sense is given that he is a good man. He is quiet, gaining his respect not from being the loudest or the strongest, but from being a good man with quiet wisdom. The second sentence of this quotation also emphasizes the way others see him -- he is trusted, seen as a source of authority.
'His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their actions as those of a temple dancer.'
These two sentences convey the idea that Slim is an intuitive man, good with human emotions and feelings. He seems to be a good listener, and, though he works on a ranch, he seems to be a gentle, empathetic man.
'Slim looked approvingly at George for having given the compliment.'
This quotation shows what Slim respects in a man -- a kindness, a sense of fairness that is present in George, especially when he compliments Lennie. Slim is not the kind of man who takes delight in mocking others, or putting them down, but instead tries to build them up and recognize their good qualities.
Just in this brief description of Slim's manner the sense is given that he is a good man. He is quiet, gaining his respect not from being the loudest or the strongest, but from being a good man with quiet wisdom. The second sentence of this quotation also emphasizes the way others see him -- he is trusted, seen as a source of authority.
'His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their actions as those of a temple dancer.'
These two sentences convey the idea that Slim is an intuitive man, good with human emotions and feelings. He seems to be a good listener, and, though he works on a ranch, he seems to be a gentle, empathetic man.
'Slim looked approvingly at George for having given the compliment.'
This quotation shows what Slim respects in a man -- a kindness, a sense of fairness that is present in George, especially when he compliments Lennie. Slim is not the kind of man who takes delight in mocking others, or putting them down, but instead tries to build them up and recognize their good qualities.
Characterization: Curley's Wife
'"Well -- she got the eye."' (Old Swamper to George, about Curley's Wife)
This quote tells us that Curley's wife is probably a very flirtatious woman -- though she has just been married, she is already looking to get attention from other men.
'She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.'
This description of Curley's wife tells us that she cares a great deal about her appearance, taking the time to make herself up and do her hair each day. Since she lives on a working ranch, it can only be assumed she goes to these lengths to draw attention to herself.
'She put her arms behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.'
Curley's wife is standing in such a way that shows off her body -- she is evidently trying to flirt with the men in the room and make herself seem desirable. Because she has just gotten married, this behaviour seems especially out of line and conveys the sense that she is not a faithful wife -- she is out to get the attentions of others.
This quote tells us that Curley's wife is probably a very flirtatious woman -- though she has just been married, she is already looking to get attention from other men.
'She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.'
This description of Curley's wife tells us that she cares a great deal about her appearance, taking the time to make herself up and do her hair each day. Since she lives on a working ranch, it can only be assumed she goes to these lengths to draw attention to herself.
'She put her arms behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.'
Curley's wife is standing in such a way that shows off her body -- she is evidently trying to flirt with the men in the room and make herself seem desirable. Because she has just gotten married, this behaviour seems especially out of line and conveys the sense that she is not a faithful wife -- she is out to get the attentions of others.
Monday, 7 May 2012
My Bedroom
I spend a lot of time in my bedroom, so I suppose it reflects my personality fairly well. It's where I go to read, write, listen to music, do homework... I spend the majority of my time in my bedroom.
My bedroom is located at the end of my apartment's hallway, so you can see a part of it all the way from the other end of the apartment. The part you can see is my dresser, a medium-sized beech wood piece that came all the way from Ikea. The top of it is almost always covered in the various pieces of flotsam and jetsam that have drifted over to it. At the moment it is home to a charcoal grey fedora, multiple crumpled, used bus tickets, and two records that I acquired yesterday. These are records of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, read by famous actor Maurice Evans, and I found them yesterday afternoon while out for a walk. Passing by my favourite CD store, my gaze happened upon the table out front, which was hosting five cardboard boxes and a handmade sign: "Free records! Feel free to take as many as three!"
I thumbed through them. Not that we have a working record player or anything, but, you know, records are awesome just to have around! Most of them were old jazz artists I had never heard of, but then I found the Pooh stories. There were two of them, "Maurice Evans Reads A. A. Milne's Joyful Winnie-the Pooh" and "More Winnie-the-Pooh Stories Read by Maurice Evans." They were in very good shape, and they had these fantastically amusing write-ups on the back. I left with the first one.
Once at home however, I began to feel... guilty. Who knew how long those two records had been together! And then I came along and separated them. I began to feel almost tearful thinking of "More Winnie-the-Pooh stories read by Maurice Evans" sitting all alone in a box beside the unwelcoming "Country Music for the Easy Listener." My empathy for this poor, now abandoned record went so far that not five minutes later I was out the door again, headed out to rescue it and bring it back to its friend.
Anyway. Putting my random Winnie-the-Pooh record tangent to an end, that would be my dresser.
Tearing your eyes away from the beautiful, faded illustrations of Pooh and his friends on the cardboard sleeves, your gaze would most likely fall upon the opposite corner of the room, my bookshelf corner. Here I have two tall Ikea bookshelves, housing a couple hundred books. The books here have changed over the years, the old making way for the new, but they all are the same in one regard -- they are all in perfect condition. There are no cracked spines, no fingerprint smears on the covers, no dog-eared pages, no squished corners. They are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, and are perfectly spaced, not so tightly packed you can practically hear them crying out in pain as you wrestle them into position, but not so loose that they struggle to stand on their own. Instead, the support each other gently, their covers making that pleasing swish as they rub against each other on their way out.
Beside my bookshelves is my mother's old cello stand, with my guitar on it. I bought the guitar the first day of last summer vacation from a small, independent guitar shop in my neighbourhood, in the hopes of teaching myself to play. I worked on it fairly regularly last summer, but since the school year started I've been too busy to play much. Even though it's just sitting there most of the time, it still adds to the room. It has a lovely, pale wooden front, and deep brown sides, and sits facing my bed.
My bed! I spend a great deal of time on my bed, reading, listening to music, writing in my journal. Most days, getting home from school, it's the first place I head to. I've had it since I was two years old, so it has a couple of bumps on its wooden Ikea frame (yes, my bedroom could be featured in an Ikea catalogue). The covers on it have changed over the years. It started with a Peter Rabbit blanket with a satiny trim I used to have to rub between my fingers each night falling asleep. Over time the satin started falling off in patches, its cool slipperiness disintegrating under my fingers. It was replaced with a quilt embroidered with farm animals, then with a green duvet cover, and now, today, my bed hosts a deep blue duvet with large, white flowers. This specific duvet cover was purchased at... you guessed it, Ikea, during the same trip I purchased the reading lamp that sits on my bedside table.
My bedside table isn't really a bedside table. I mean, sure, it does sit at my bedside, and it does provide an adequate surface to place books, my lamp, etc... but it is secretly a filing cabinet! And no, it did not come from Ikea! Instead, I received it a few years back from my grandparents. It used to be my grandfather's filing cabinet, but they had a big renovation a couple years ago, and decided that they preferred new, modern filing cabinets with tinted glass fronts and stainless steel sliding hinges that even sound modern when the drawers are opened. So the chunky, wooden cabinet with countless scratches and stains came to me. When I got it I was about eight, so I promptly stuffed it full of all of the random pieces of paper I was sure were going to come in handy someday. The top drawer is bursting with who knows what -- I admit that I am almost frightened at the perspective of one day having to go through and clean out all of the incomplete short stories and animal rights article clippings and BC Ferries promotional pamphlets. On the occasion that I do need to find something in there, it's a struggle to open the drawer. The thick stack of papers that I have stuck on top of the files means that I need to tug at the drawer a couple of times to get it to slide open, and when it does it's with a horrible rasping noise as the pieces of paper I could never throw out get caught on the frame in their desperate bid for freedom. Tentatively shifting things around, you can smell the lovely, woody smell of the inside of the drawer, a smell that holds a brief whiff of... pine needles? This can be attributed to the "homemade air freshener" a friend made me in Grade Seven by stuffing a small cloth bag with dirty pine needles -- I threw it in there without thinking, and, like everything else, it has never gone away.
None of that is visible, however, from the outside of the drawer -- it just looks like a perfectly ordinary bedside table, sandwiched conveniently between my bed and my desk. My desk is where I am when I'm not on my bed. My desk is also not from Ikea -- my parents and I found it in an interior design store in Seattle, and I love it. It has wooden sides, curving metal legs, and a white top you can barely see underneath the piles of papers and books and pens. It's right beside my window, which is probably my favourite part of my room. It takes up most of that wall, and from it I have a view of the mountains. Because it lets in so much light I only have to turn my bedroom light on at night, which gives my room a nice open feeling.
So, in short, that is my room. That is where I live.
My bedroom is located at the end of my apartment's hallway, so you can see a part of it all the way from the other end of the apartment. The part you can see is my dresser, a medium-sized beech wood piece that came all the way from Ikea. The top of it is almost always covered in the various pieces of flotsam and jetsam that have drifted over to it. At the moment it is home to a charcoal grey fedora, multiple crumpled, used bus tickets, and two records that I acquired yesterday. These are records of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, read by famous actor Maurice Evans, and I found them yesterday afternoon while out for a walk. Passing by my favourite CD store, my gaze happened upon the table out front, which was hosting five cardboard boxes and a handmade sign: "Free records! Feel free to take as many as three!"
I thumbed through them. Not that we have a working record player or anything, but, you know, records are awesome just to have around! Most of them were old jazz artists I had never heard of, but then I found the Pooh stories. There were two of them, "Maurice Evans Reads A. A. Milne's Joyful Winnie-the Pooh" and "More Winnie-the-Pooh Stories Read by Maurice Evans." They were in very good shape, and they had these fantastically amusing write-ups on the back. I left with the first one.
Once at home however, I began to feel... guilty. Who knew how long those two records had been together! And then I came along and separated them. I began to feel almost tearful thinking of "More Winnie-the-Pooh stories read by Maurice Evans" sitting all alone in a box beside the unwelcoming "Country Music for the Easy Listener." My empathy for this poor, now abandoned record went so far that not five minutes later I was out the door again, headed out to rescue it and bring it back to its friend.
Anyway. Putting my random Winnie-the-Pooh record tangent to an end, that would be my dresser.
Tearing your eyes away from the beautiful, faded illustrations of Pooh and his friends on the cardboard sleeves, your gaze would most likely fall upon the opposite corner of the room, my bookshelf corner. Here I have two tall Ikea bookshelves, housing a couple hundred books. The books here have changed over the years, the old making way for the new, but they all are the same in one regard -- they are all in perfect condition. There are no cracked spines, no fingerprint smears on the covers, no dog-eared pages, no squished corners. They are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, and are perfectly spaced, not so tightly packed you can practically hear them crying out in pain as you wrestle them into position, but not so loose that they struggle to stand on their own. Instead, the support each other gently, their covers making that pleasing swish as they rub against each other on their way out.
Beside my bookshelves is my mother's old cello stand, with my guitar on it. I bought the guitar the first day of last summer vacation from a small, independent guitar shop in my neighbourhood, in the hopes of teaching myself to play. I worked on it fairly regularly last summer, but since the school year started I've been too busy to play much. Even though it's just sitting there most of the time, it still adds to the room. It has a lovely, pale wooden front, and deep brown sides, and sits facing my bed.
My bed! I spend a great deal of time on my bed, reading, listening to music, writing in my journal. Most days, getting home from school, it's the first place I head to. I've had it since I was two years old, so it has a couple of bumps on its wooden Ikea frame (yes, my bedroom could be featured in an Ikea catalogue). The covers on it have changed over the years. It started with a Peter Rabbit blanket with a satiny trim I used to have to rub between my fingers each night falling asleep. Over time the satin started falling off in patches, its cool slipperiness disintegrating under my fingers. It was replaced with a quilt embroidered with farm animals, then with a green duvet cover, and now, today, my bed hosts a deep blue duvet with large, white flowers. This specific duvet cover was purchased at... you guessed it, Ikea, during the same trip I purchased the reading lamp that sits on my bedside table.
My bedside table isn't really a bedside table. I mean, sure, it does sit at my bedside, and it does provide an adequate surface to place books, my lamp, etc... but it is secretly a filing cabinet! And no, it did not come from Ikea! Instead, I received it a few years back from my grandparents. It used to be my grandfather's filing cabinet, but they had a big renovation a couple years ago, and decided that they preferred new, modern filing cabinets with tinted glass fronts and stainless steel sliding hinges that even sound modern when the drawers are opened. So the chunky, wooden cabinet with countless scratches and stains came to me. When I got it I was about eight, so I promptly stuffed it full of all of the random pieces of paper I was sure were going to come in handy someday. The top drawer is bursting with who knows what -- I admit that I am almost frightened at the perspective of one day having to go through and clean out all of the incomplete short stories and animal rights article clippings and BC Ferries promotional pamphlets. On the occasion that I do need to find something in there, it's a struggle to open the drawer. The thick stack of papers that I have stuck on top of the files means that I need to tug at the drawer a couple of times to get it to slide open, and when it does it's with a horrible rasping noise as the pieces of paper I could never throw out get caught on the frame in their desperate bid for freedom. Tentatively shifting things around, you can smell the lovely, woody smell of the inside of the drawer, a smell that holds a brief whiff of... pine needles? This can be attributed to the "homemade air freshener" a friend made me in Grade Seven by stuffing a small cloth bag with dirty pine needles -- I threw it in there without thinking, and, like everything else, it has never gone away.
None of that is visible, however, from the outside of the drawer -- it just looks like a perfectly ordinary bedside table, sandwiched conveniently between my bed and my desk. My desk is where I am when I'm not on my bed. My desk is also not from Ikea -- my parents and I found it in an interior design store in Seattle, and I love it. It has wooden sides, curving metal legs, and a white top you can barely see underneath the piles of papers and books and pens. It's right beside my window, which is probably my favourite part of my room. It takes up most of that wall, and from it I have a view of the mountains. Because it lets in so much light I only have to turn my bedroom light on at night, which gives my room a nice open feeling.
So, in short, that is my room. That is where I live.
Saturday, 5 May 2012
How is Section One the same/different from your expectations?
Section One of Of Mice and Men was fairly similar to what I expected it would be. I was correct in assuming that it was set in California and that it featured two men going through hard times, trying to find a place in the world, a farm, that they can call their own. Before reading this book, I guessed the two men would have fairly different characters -- I was correct in that assumption as well, as it quickly becomes obvious in section one that George and Lennie are portrayed very differently.
So overall, I was not too surprised with section one of the book -- so far it has not deviated from the brief blurb on the back of the book.
What dreams/ambitions do George and Lennie have?
George and Lennie are labourers, working on ranches in California. They have a dream of eventually getting together enough money to buy themselves a couple acres of land with a farmhouse, where they'll be able to live. They plan to be pretty much self-sustaining, with a vegetable plot on their farm as well as some pigs, cows, and chickens. Lennie has his own dream of keeping rabbits on this farm. This stems from his love of petting small rodents. At the beginning of the book he is stroking a dead mouse in his pocket -- it comes out that he has enjoyed cuddling mice for much of his life, but that these mice often end up dead, accidentally crushed by his large hands. Rabbits, however, are larger and more solid than mice, so it is thought that it would be safe for him to look after them.
Do you think their dreams will be fulfilled? Why or why not?
Much as I would like to believe that George and Lennie will be able to achieve their dream of owning their own farm, I do not think that this will happen. Reviews have commented on the book's sadness, which pretty much cancels out the possibility of them living out happy lives in their own little farmhouse with rabbits. Even if I had not heard of the book's supposed sadness, I still would not think that book would have a happy ending. George and Lennie seem like good people, with good intentions, and in my experience with books like this, those are the kinds of people for whom nothing ever works out.
Personal reflection on Section One: likes, dislikes, characters, setting, plot, dialogue, imagery.
So far I am enjoying Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck seems like a very talented writer, particularly in his characterization of George and Lennie -- he does a good job of revealing information without expressly stating it. His use of imagery and his attention to detail are also commendable, and do an amazing job of setting the scene for the reader.
I also like how the dialogue is written. Steinbeck sets up his scenes with long, descriptive paragraphs, but as soon as the dialogue starts, there is little else. Some of the sections of dialogue are so back and forth one can almost imagine it as a screenplay or script instead. This, combined with the fact that the dialogue is written in the actual voices of the characters (using slang, accents, etc.), makes it very easy to imagine the story visually in your head.
Since we have only read as far as Section One, I am unable to fairly comment on things like the plot, as I have no idea how it will span out. Though I like how this first section was paced fairly slowly, providing the reader with an idea of the setting and some background information, I hope that it picks up slightly in the following few sections as the plot develops more shape.
Three questions about what you've read so far.
Section One of Of Mice and Men was fairly similar to what I expected it would be. I was correct in assuming that it was set in California and that it featured two men going through hard times, trying to find a place in the world, a farm, that they can call their own. Before reading this book, I guessed the two men would have fairly different characters -- I was correct in that assumption as well, as it quickly becomes obvious in section one that George and Lennie are portrayed very differently.
So overall, I was not too surprised with section one of the book -- so far it has not deviated from the brief blurb on the back of the book.
What dreams/ambitions do George and Lennie have?
George and Lennie are labourers, working on ranches in California. They have a dream of eventually getting together enough money to buy themselves a couple acres of land with a farmhouse, where they'll be able to live. They plan to be pretty much self-sustaining, with a vegetable plot on their farm as well as some pigs, cows, and chickens. Lennie has his own dream of keeping rabbits on this farm. This stems from his love of petting small rodents. At the beginning of the book he is stroking a dead mouse in his pocket -- it comes out that he has enjoyed cuddling mice for much of his life, but that these mice often end up dead, accidentally crushed by his large hands. Rabbits, however, are larger and more solid than mice, so it is thought that it would be safe for him to look after them.
Do you think their dreams will be fulfilled? Why or why not?
Much as I would like to believe that George and Lennie will be able to achieve their dream of owning their own farm, I do not think that this will happen. Reviews have commented on the book's sadness, which pretty much cancels out the possibility of them living out happy lives in their own little farmhouse with rabbits. Even if I had not heard of the book's supposed sadness, I still would not think that book would have a happy ending. George and Lennie seem like good people, with good intentions, and in my experience with books like this, those are the kinds of people for whom nothing ever works out.
Personal reflection on Section One: likes, dislikes, characters, setting, plot, dialogue, imagery.
So far I am enjoying Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck seems like a very talented writer, particularly in his characterization of George and Lennie -- he does a good job of revealing information without expressly stating it. His use of imagery and his attention to detail are also commendable, and do an amazing job of setting the scene for the reader.
I also like how the dialogue is written. Steinbeck sets up his scenes with long, descriptive paragraphs, but as soon as the dialogue starts, there is little else. Some of the sections of dialogue are so back and forth one can almost imagine it as a screenplay or script instead. This, combined with the fact that the dialogue is written in the actual voices of the characters (using slang, accents, etc.), makes it very easy to imagine the story visually in your head.
Since we have only read as far as Section One, I am unable to fairly comment on things like the plot, as I have no idea how it will span out. Though I like how this first section was paced fairly slowly, providing the reader with an idea of the setting and some background information, I hope that it picks up slightly in the following few sections as the plot develops more shape.
Three questions about what you've read so far.
- How did George and Lennie meet?
- Why have George and Lennie continued to stick together? More specifically, what kind of an obligation does George feel to Lennie that he gives up his own life to help him out?
- What is the cause of Lennie's mental slowness?
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Based on the topics Ms. Shepard assigned us for the research presentations, I think I can safely assume some things about the book Of Mice and Men. Unless, of course, she just randomly wanted us to research migrant farmers, California, and the 1930s for no particular reason, and the book is actually about a deep sea diver living in Australia in the year 2054.
Assuming that that is not the case, and that the topics assigned related directly to the book, I am going to predict that Of Mice and Men takes place in the 1930s, in California, and involves migrant farmers as main characters. And based on all the presentations on the Great Depression, I can assume that they are probably going through hard times.
Assuming that that is not the case, and that the topics assigned related directly to the book, I am going to predict that Of Mice and Men takes place in the 1930s, in California, and involves migrant farmers as main characters. And based on all the presentations on the Great Depression, I can assume that they are probably going through hard times.
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