english final—discussion prep.docx

8/14/2019 English Final—Discussion Prep.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/english-finaldiscussion-prepdocx 1/7

Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

English Final—Discussion Prep

I. Theme Statements

1. It is hardest to keep hope when everyone around has already lost it.

In Of Mice and Men Lennie and George dream of having their own farm someday thatthey can own and take care of together, but when they start a new job the other

workers around them aren’t quite as hopeful. Even Crooks, who has worked there as

long as he can remember tells Lennie that “ever’body wants a little piece of lan’ […]and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head.” (74) Just like crooks the other men

working the job have seen people come and go, their dreams crushed by reality and

as a result they, too, lost all hope they had.

2. The happiest people tend to be the most oblivious.

As Lennie and George make their way to their new job at the beginning of the novel

they stop to rest by a stream and George realizes that Lennie is carrying something

in his hand and discovers it’s a dead mouse. When he takes it and throws it into thebrush Lennie instantly becomes sad and slightly ashamed and when George asked

what he was planning on doing with it Lennie said he “could pet it with [his] thumb

while [they] walked along.” (6) Lennie didn’t understand that it’s not really normal

to enjoy petting a dead mouse, but because he was unaware of that he was able to

enjoy himself without feeling self-conscious.

3. Being protective of and unconditionally loyal to someone involves being

able to make difficult decisions about them.

George took care of Lennie and stuck by his side no matter what other people said

or how they treated him or Lennie. He truly showed unconditional love to him, even

if it wasn’t directly through words, even when he decided that Lennie had to be

killed at the end of the novel. When George is standing behind Lennie he tells his big

friend that “He’s gotta. [They] gotta.” (106) Though Lennie thought he was talking

about leaving to get their farm it’s obvious to the reader that George is convincing

himself that this is the right thing to do. Finally, “He pulled the trigger” (106)knowing that it was the best thing for him, Lennie and everyone else.

II.

Inferential Questions

1. Symbolism

While all the workers are sitting together they find a magazine with a letter to

the editor in it from a man that had worked with them a few months ago and Whit

remarked that “[Bill] was lookin’ in [a book that had just come] and he [said] ‘I

wrote a letter […] Maybe they’re savin’ it for later.’ An’ that’s just what they [did].”(46-47) That letter in the magazine symbolizes the hope that they all had of doing



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

something great. Why would all the men still lose hope in being able to make

something of their lives even after they saw that one of them did it?

One reason the workingmen wouldn’t have any hope left, even after

seeing one of them achieved something they thought to be impossible would

be that he wasn’t there to see his glory. After looking at the magazine they“wonder if Bill [had] seen it.” (47) They probably think that no matter if they

can do something great or not, odds are they won’t be around long enough tosee it, so what’s the point?

Some characters, like Slim, probably feel like they have been trying for

so long that they don’t have a chance anymore. Slim has been at this

workplace the longest, remarking to George that “hardly none of the guysever travel together, […] they just come in and get their bunk and work amonth, and then they quit and go out alone. Never seem to give a damn

about nobody.”(39) After working there for so long Slim has seen so many

people come and go on their own and all the while he has been in the same

place, still making no more progress than the ones bouncing around finding

work. To him, it probably feels like nothing is worth the energy it takes to

hope for it anymore.

Another reason keeping the men back from hoping for a better future

is that the only things worth hoping for are the ones too big for them. Crooks

tells Lennie that “[he’d] seen hundreds of men come by […] with their bindles

on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads.” (74) Every man

dreams of getting land but after watching all of the other men come and gowith nothing to show it becomes obvious that they are dreaming too big.

Many probably thing that hoping for something that big won’t do anythingbut crush their hopes because they know they will never get there.

2. Characterization

Crooks has lived here, working for a really long time, and no one really treats

him with respect or talks to him. Finally, he is able to tell Lennie how he really feels

and even asks Lennie and Candy if he can join them and George on the farm they’re

hopefully going to get soon. However, just a little bit later he tells Candy to “jus’

forget it, [that he] didn’ mean it.” (83) Crooks has finally found someone he can talkto, and they even told him he could join them but he changes him mind suddenly

and takes it back. Why would he give up a better life for the one he has now that he

doesn’t even like?

If Crooks decided to go live with Lennie, George and Candy and tend

to their very own land and farm they would become his new permanent

company. When Crooks and Lennie were talking about George, Crooks



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

started going on about what would happen to Lennie if George got hurt,

enjoying messing with him, especially when he said that “they’ll tie [him] upwith a collar, like a dog.” (72) Perhaps he didn’t want to go with them to get

their own land because he honestly doesn’t like them and wouldn’t want to

spend any more time with them.

Crooks has lived here for a long time and says himself that he’s “seen

it happen too many times. [He’s] seen too many guys with land in their head.They never get none under their hand.” (76) Crooks probably wants to go

with them, he has just lost all hope and doesn’t want his dreams to be

crushed again, just like he has seen the dreams of so many others be

forgotten and left behind.

Crooks is black, and the slave of the workplace so he honestly would

love to go farm with the other guys but deep down he knows it’s not

supposed to be his place as a black man. The other men tell him that it’s

“’cause [he’s] black. They play cards in [the bunkhouse] but [he] can’t playbecause [he’s] black.” (68) Whatever dreams he had of being on the farm

were snapped back into reality when he realized he would never be the same

as the other men; always considered less than.

3. Foreshadowing

Early in the novel, Candy’s dog has become so old that it simply sits around

uselessly stinking the place up and Candy is pressured into letting the other men killit. Candy was very close to his dog, he had been with it for as long as he could

remember and even though it was getting to the point that no one wanted it because

the bad things it did outweighed the good he still loved it but was able to let go

because it was best for everyone. Slim even told him that the “dog ain’t no good tohimself” (45) This foreshadows Lennie’s death and how his friendship with George

would play a part in it. Eventually Candy was able to get over the death of his dog;

do you think George will be able to get over Lennie’s death as easily?

Yes, I think it will obviously take some time but there are some

factors that will help George get over his friends death even better than

Candy. Candy himself said after the fact that “[he] oughtta shot that dog[himself].” (61) Because George decided to be the one to kill Lennie he knowsthat it was his decision and was confident that it was the right thing to do.

This way he won’t have as many regrets or doubts.

Honestly I don’t think George will ever be able to get over the loss of

Lennie. He and Lennie were so close, George said himself that “[Lennie’s]

Aunt Clara died, [so] Lennie just [came] along with [him] out workin’.” (40)



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

Lennie and George have been together since the very beginning and it’s not

going to be easy for George to learn to live by himself without someone to

take care of or talk to all the time, it he can learn to live like that at all.

I think George will be able to get over Lennie’s death because heknew that it was the right thin to do all around. After shooting him George is

down in the dumps but even Slim saw that it was the right decision, telling

George that “[he] hadda, […] [he] swore [he] hadda.” (107) Even this small

confirmation from Slim will be helpful to George. Inside, George knew it was

the right thing to do because not only would Lennie end up hurting himself

but others as well and that little validation from Slim will help him stay

confident in his decision and recover from him loss quicker.

4. Setting

In the novel, it becomes obvious quickly that Lennie either went through

something as a child or has a disability that has kept his mind in a childlike state.

This novel is set much farther back in time when men had to move around to gets

simple jobs for short times that would be able to feed them and find them a place to

sleep. It quickly becomes clear to the other workingmen that Lennie may be strong

but “ he’s jes’ like a kid.” (43) Would others’ reaction to Lennie change for the better

or worse if this book was set in present time?

It would be worse because when George was talking to Lennie about the

new job they would start soon he tells Lennie that “if [the boss] finds out

what a crazy bastard [Lennie is, they] won’t get no job, but if he sees [Lennie]work before he hears [him] talk, [they’re] set.” (6) If this was set in present

day then it would be obvious to any boss that Lennie had a mental issue and

might not be safe to work whereas in this time as long as he sees Lennie

work first they are set. In present day Lennie would be stuck with no job,

and George with no parter.

It would better because people are more aware of disabilities and they

would be more respectful to Lennie. George tells Slim about why they had to

leave their previous job, that Lennie saw a soft dress and wanted to touch it

but the girl “rabbits in an’ tells the law she been raped.” (42) Nowadays

people would be more aware that Lennie has a problem and wouldn’t be soquick to judge and blame him for things that he doesn’t know are wrong.

I think it would be the same because in both societies some people will still

try and take advantage of him because of his disability. While the other men

are outside Curly’s wife joins Lennie inside the barn and when he tries to tell

her that he’s not supposed to talk to her she tells him that “none of them guys

is goin’ to leave that tenement. [and she asks why she can’t] talk to [him].”



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

(86) She is obviously interested in Lennie and is trying to take advantage of

him while the other men are outside, something that could easily happen in

our time period as well.

III. Experience-Based Questions

1. In Of Mice and Men George is so loyal to Lennie that he doesn’t let what anyonesays about either of them affect his love and dedication to supporting his friend.

This type of loyalty seems so rare, often because most of it goes unnoticed. After

reading the novel it is clear how loyal George is to Lennie, but sometimes it can

be hard to notice those acts as they happen. While George and Lennie are

getting ready to go to bed the night before they start their new job George starts

talking to Lennie about why they had to leave their last job and tells him that

“[he gets] in trouble. [He does] bad things and [he’s] got to get [him] out […] [He

keeps him] in hot water all the time.” (11) Although this looks like George is justmad it shows what he will go through to stick with Lennie, no matter what

happens. Can you think of any other examples that demonstrate undivided

loyalty like this?

While reading Great Expectations this year Pip really displayed loyalty in his

love and devotion to Estella. Whether this helped or hindered him in the end,

he never let what she or anyone said to him come between how strongly he

felt for her. He overcame many boundaries just to try and be with her and

went through many trials along the way, but none mattered to him, all he

cared about was her.

In the movie Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Frodo Baggins is chargedwith the task of bringing the one ring to Mount Doom and throwing it into

the center to destroy it, along with his faithful sidekick Samwise Gamgee.

When Frodo decides to trust deceitful Gollum instead of Sam, Gollum tricks

Frodo into telling Sam to leave, that he no longer wants his help on the quest.

Though Frodo, Sam’s one true friend and companion has given up on him and

doesn’t believe or trust him anymore Sam still followed Frodo to watch out

for him. Sam stayed faithful t o his friend, even when he wasn’t wanted orappreciated.

My brother really showed me an example of true loyalty in a completely

different situation. My brother has loved to play basketball ever since he was

little, and even though he was great he was always on a team with betterkids. When he got to high school he got on C-Team two years in a row when

all the kids he had played with before were on JV as freshmen. Even though

he felt put down he didn’t give up on his sport and kept working at it to get

better. He stayed loyal to himself and his love for the game and never once

has given up when he feels like he doesn’t stand a chance.



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

2. Often times it can be easy to hide behind a lie or a falsehood to please others

around you. In Of Mice and Men George isn’t always completely truthful withLennie, and even tells him right before he kills him that “ever’body[‘s] gonna be

nice to [him].” (106) Even though this isn’t true he says this for Lennie’s benefit.

Have you ever experienced or witnessed a time where wearing a “mask” and

hiding your true self or thoughts has been beneficial?

One of the poems we read in class this year, ”We Wear the Mask” by Paul

Laurence Dunbar talks about how everyone ‘wears a mask’ and we all hide

something from the world. It may make up hurt on the inside, but the poem

talks about how we are so stubborn and won’t let anyone see us unless we arewearing our mask. The poem talks about wearing the mask as a beneficial

thing because it’s better to suffer as one and let the world be happy than force

our sufferings upon everyone else so everybody is miserable.

As a personal experience, I think hiding behind a lie can be beneficial when

the truth can be more damaging. For instance, when I have received a gift in

the past that I really don’t like I will still tell the person that gave it to me thatI’m thankful and I like it because the truth isn’t worth the pain that it will

cause them. I think this is one of the driving factors behind George’s lies toLennie in Of Mice and Men.

Honestly there isn’t any good in hiding the truth. Eventually it will come out

and the more you keep it a secret the worse it will be when others find out

what is real and what’s not. A simple lie might seem like a harmless solution

at the time but lies can quickly escalate and cause more damage than you

would think. Perhaps there are some situations that when you look at themby themselves it seems harmless but in the long run hiding what is true will

do you no good.

3. In this novel, it becomes quite clear how important Lennie and George’s

relationship is. Many relationships entail both frustration, dedication and being

on a long journey together. George and Lennie display this when they are about

to go to sleep in the first chapter and they are talking about their dream farm

when George’s temper runs out and he tells Lennie that “[he can jus’ as well go to

hell, [and he can] shut up now.” (16) Though their relationship can be rocky at

times they really need each other. Can you describe any other relationshipswhere the two act annoyed with one another yet truly need each other in the

end?

One example of a similar friendship is Sid and Manny from the movie Ice Age.

Manny spends most of the movie being frustrated at Sid when he makes

stupid decisions that cause them problems, but in the end Manny and Sid are



Maddie Bradshaw

Period 1

06.10.13

best friends and they truly need each other. They don’t necessarily depend

on one another but neither would be the same if the other was gone.

Another example is Vizzini and Fezzik from The Princess Bride because

though Vizzini is the brains behind every operation he truly needs Fezzik to

complete every heavy lifting task like kidnapping a princess and throwingboulders or scaling the side of a mountain carrying three other people.

Vizzini gets very angry with Fezzik because he may be giant but he has very

little brains, however, in the end Vizzini is grateful for his giant because he

wouldn’t be able to do anything without him.

Another relationship that reminds me of Lennie and George is the cartoon

with Tom and Jerry. Though in this they are enemies they truly need each

other for a sense of purpose in their lives. They are constantly battling one

another but if one of them wasn’t there, the other would have nothing left to

do with their life.

english final—discussion prep.docx

Documents