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By John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck You can read the full novel online as we go by clicking on this website: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf 1 Why are we studying a novel this term? Your English Language and English Literature GCSEs will involve analysing fiction texts including extracts from a novel and complete plays, books and poems. Building on work you have already completed in Year 7 and Year 8, this unit aims to support and develop your understanding of the key skills in exploring how a writer puts a text together in terms of language and structural choices and commenting on the impact these create. You will also be invited to investigate the social and historical factors which may have influenced a writer’s choices and to try to work out how and why they convey certain ideas and messages about the wider world. What skills will I be developing? AO1: explore the plot (storyline) and interpret how characters relate to one another and change over time – find quotes from the text to support your ideas AO2: pick out key techniques and words a writer uses and explain how these affect the audience’s understanding of and reactions to characters, themes, events, and tone (mood) AO3: link characters, events and ideas in a text to wider world issues from the time it was written and modern day e.g. gender roles, racism, social inequality AO4: use thoughtful and, where possible, challenging vocabulary and check over your work for missing full stops and capital letters AO5 & 6: You will also be working on creative, descriptive writing skills in preparation for completing your Language Paper 1 style end of year assessment at the end of June. How will I be assessed? Mini essays/PEE paragraphs and creative writing pieces – strength & target feedback 1 x essay and 1 x creative writing - to be graded Plenty of House Points available for people making excellent effort and illustrating independence and creativity of thought as well as progression in written work! 2 New Vocabulary Try to learn three new words from this page each week over the next five weeks. Practise memorising the meanings and then using them in sentences. You should also try to use some of these words when you are explaining your ideas about the text. Microcosm (n): Patriarchal society Incongruous (adj): Objectification (n): Anatomize (v): to pick Zoomorphism (n): A community, place, or (n): Doesn’t fit in with treating something something apart; Giving animal situation which A society where the surroundings. like an object examined and analysed characteristics to captures the men hold all the (relegating its status) in detail humans. characteristics of power and women something much don’t have any larger. Maltreatment (n): Allegory (n): a story Napoleon complex Cyclical structure (n): Colloquial (adj): Foreshadow (v): give Cruel or violent with a moral or (n): somebody who a structure which language which warnings, hints or treatment of a person meaning is overly aggressive ends in the same reflects the way that clues about future or animal. or dominant to place it starts. people speak in real events make up for their life lack of height. Hierarchy (n): a system Idyllic (adj): Marginalized (v) : Segregate (v): Symbolic (adj): acting Minorities (n): a or organization where extremely happy, treat a person or Set apart from as a symbol or having smaller group people can ranked peaceful or group as others, isolate or another meaning according to status or picturesque. insignificant divide authority. 3 4 BASICS REFERENCE PAGE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR WORK Basic terminology adjective = describing words white, tall noun = naming an object, person, thing book, Joe verb = action words walk, talking adverb = describing an action quickly, loudly simile = compare by using like/as quiet as a mouse 5 metaphor – non-literal, compare by saying something IS something else he is God, lightning cracked the sky Inference = working things out based on evidence- educated guesses Study the book covers below. What can you infer about the novel’s plot, characters and themes (ideas) based on the colours, content and composition (size/layout) of the covers? Label your ideas. Click here to type e.g. Eyes looking down = feeling sad or depressed Click here to type Click here to type 6 What do you think are the three main themes of this novel so far? 1. 2. 3. Read the blurb from the book below and underline or highlight any key facts: The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except each other and a dream – a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes; friendship and a shared vision, and giving voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved one of Steinbeck’s most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films. Which of your themes does this blurb most strongly support? Explain why: Click here to type Challenge: can you work out what this old poem is about? You can cheat with translation on next page – but To a Mouse But Mousie, thou art no thy lane try it first! Start with words you know and try to work out ones you don’t from the others or from In proving foresight may be vain: words they might look like. Use a dictionary to help. The best -laid schemes o’ mice and men Gang aft agley, You could even challenge an adult to have a go with An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, you… For promis’d joy. Robert Burns 7 Read the translation and complete: I think the poet is trying to tell us that: To a Mouse click here to type But little Mouse, you are not alone In proving how vain it may be to foretell the future The best laid schemes of mice and men Often go wrong And leave us with nothing but grief and pain In place of the joy that was promised. Robert Burns John Steinbeck took the title for his novel from this poem by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Burns, who was a farmer as well as a poet, wrote a poem in November 1785, called ‘To a Mouse.’ He was ploughing a field in late autumn when he accidentally ploughed over the nest of a field mouse. The mouse would have survived the winter in this nest, but now it was going to die from the cold because there was neither the time nor the materials to make a new nest for the winter months. Burns wrote the poem afterwards to apologise to the mouse. Why do you think Steinbeck chose to use this title for his book? How are ‘mice’ and ‘men’ different and similar? What message might the author be sending to us about society? Challenge: Try to use the word ‘hierarchy’ in your response. Click here to type Based on the evidence you have seen so far, can you predict what the story might be about? Click here to type 8 Here are some of the main themes of the novel – how many did you identify? Which of these themes most supports your theory about the story so far? Click here to type EVALUATE: Which of these themes do you feel is the most significant in our world today? Try to give 3 specific reasons/examples to support your answer. Click here to type 9 Before reading a novel or a play, it is often useful to find some information about the author (writer) and also the context in which it was written. Context = details of the time and place in which a text was written. This can include ideas about: the author’s own life and experiences people’s relationships in society social class (rich/poor) religious beliefs and ideas of fate /destiny the morals and values people hold (right/wrong) ideas about laws and politics and the monarchy (royalty) key historical events (e.g. WWI) current scientific understanding of the natural world (e.g. Darwin’s theory of survival of fittest) Understanding some of these details can help us to interpret why an author has included a particular style We can link the author’s of character or event in their text ideas to bigger, universal ideas which transcend time and place and may still be relevant today TASK: You are now going to complete some independent research to discover information about the context and background of Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men to complete the table on the following page. Resources you can use: Wikipedia – always double-check facts from here as it is written by ordinary people Google searches of key terms Text/exercise books from other subjects e.g. history, geography, science, RS, PHSE Information from the Powerpoint slides sent with your booklet Parents/relatives who may know about the novel and the times – AVOID PLOT SPOILERS! You don’t want to know the end before we begin! 10 Context Research Notes Click to type The American Dream The Roaring 20s The Wall Street Crash The Great Depression & migrant workers Women’s rights in 1930s Racism in 1930s 11 What information can you find out about the author, John Steinbeck, and his life prior to writing the novel? List five most important facts here: 1.
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