By John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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!

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

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. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Return to your prediction about the novel. Write a brief paragraph explaining how your ideas have been proven/reinforced or changed by this new contextual information: Click here to type

What possible messages do you think Steinbeck could be using his book to warn or tell us about? Click here to type

 Read the opening of the novel below and underline or highlight any interesting words or phrases used to describe the setting.  Make a list of positive and negative words from the passage. Does it seem more positive or more negative to you?

A few miles north of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hill- side bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has POSITIVES NEGATIVES slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foot-hill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, 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. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of 'coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.

There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant Can you remember the name for the technique when a writer includes sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn contrasting/opposite ideas for deliberate effects? smooth by men who have sat on it. Why do you think the writer has done this at the start of the novel? What Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. effect does it create for the reader in terms of mood/atmosphere? The shade climbed up the hills towards to top. On the sand-banks the Click to type rabbits sat as quietly as little grey, 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 laboured 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. 13

Complete two more quote explosions like the one shown: Technique: Visual imagery Effects: creates beautiful, peaceful image of nature Key words & connotations: ‘twinkling’ & ‘yellow’ = magical, dream-like, happy A few miles north of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hill- Deeper meaning: possibly symbolises treasure & gold/wealth side bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has Second detail challenge: verb ‘slipped’ = seems too easy – reflects how it all slipped slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching away in Wall Street Crash the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foot-hill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, 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 Technique: arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among Effects: them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of 'coons, and with Key words & connotations: the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark. Deeper meaning:

There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path Second detail/link: beaten hard by boys coming down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.

Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. Technique: The shade climbed up the hills towards to top. On the sand-banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little grey, sculptured stones. And then from the Effects: direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted Key words & connotations: heron laboured up into the air and pounded down-river. For a moment the place was lifeless and then two men emerged from the path and Deeper meaning: came into the opening by the green pool. Second detail/link:

Key techniques to learn/refresh:

Juxtaposition = placing opposite ideas/events/things next to one another deliberately for effect

Foreshadowing = hinting of something to come later in a novel, play or movie

Choose ONE of the questions to answer, writing two PEE paragraphs with at least one quote in each to support your ideas. (Use sentence starters on page 4 if needed) How does Steinbeck use words and phrases to present the setting at the start? OR: How does Steinbeck use language and structure to create an uneasy atmosphere at the start of the novel?

Click here to type

 Read Chapter One, pages 1-8, of the novel here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/stein beck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

 Now watch the clip of George and Lennie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC M-sEpyh1Q

Consider:  How does George treat Lennie in this scene?  What can you work out about their friendship?  Who has the most power? How can you tell?  How could the context of 1930s America apply to their situation? (Struggling for work? Disability awareness?)  What might the writer want us to feel for George and for Lennie?

First impressions

 Add 5 words to describe each character – aim for challenging vocabulary  Find 3 quotes from pages 1-2 to describe each character’s appearance, personality or voice and note an idea you can infer (work out) from each

GEORGE LENNIE Click here to type Click here to type

Chapter One comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. What is the name of the valley where the novel is set? 2. Why have George and Lennie moved to a new town? 3. Give two words to describe George. 4. Steinbeck compares Lennie to two types of animal – name them. How effective do you think this is in describing his character? 5. What does Lennie try to hide from George? 6. What does Lennie complain is missing from their dinner? 7. Why do you think George stays with Lennie? 8. What is George and Lennie’s dream for the future?

How important are dreams and goals in life?

What are your What would you be dreams for the willing to do or sacrifice future? to achieve them?

Creative writing task:

Imagine you are now 20 years ahead into your future. What does your life look like e.g. work, home, relationships, children, finances? What have you experienced in the last two decades e.g. studies, jobs, holidays/travels, sacrifices? What dreams do you still have for the future?

Write a descriptive diary entry detailing a day in the life of future you…  1-2 pages typed A4 (on next two pages)  5-6 clear, developed paragraphs with range of sentence styles and lengths  Challenging vocabulary and range of techniques e.g. simile, metaphor, 5 senses  Personal, informal tone and correct form e.g. ‘Dear diary…’ 17

Click here to type

SELF ASSESSMENT:

I would most like my teacher to notice:

Use the creative writing checklist to assess your work and give yourself a strength and one target for next time.

My strength is:

My target is:

The American Dream

What can you remember about The American Dream from your research?

The American Dream was the idea that anyone in America could achieve success, and that life could be better and richer and fuller for everyone, through hard work and commitment – no matter where they were from or their background.

A lot of America was unoccupied and people were encouraged to “go west” in order to find fertile land, build a home, grow crops and get rich.

John Truslow Adams first used the term and this was his definition:

“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve the fullest stature of which they are capable of, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the circumstances of birth or position."

Do you think everyone’s chances of achieving The Dream were equal? Why? What challenges do you think these people may have faced in obtaining their dream in 1930s America?

1 2 3

4 5

% chance of Picture achieving Reasons (considering 1930s context) The Dream

Look up the definitions of the following words:

Stereotype =

Prejudice =

Discrimination =

Motivate =

In the novel, many characters are shown to be chasing their own version of The American Dream.

How might this image relate to the idea of The Dream? Try to use one of the above words in your answer. Click here to type

Challenge: How could the idea of The Dream be used as a political tool by those in power? 21

Good news… because you have been working so hard so far this term, you now get to watch a movie!

 Find Miss Critchlow’s instructions for remote access on Classcharts last week

 Remote log into the school’s website

 Go to the file: Student Shared Area/Old Student Work Area/1 English Films – click on Of Mice and Men

 Sit back and watch the show – pay close attention to the plot and characters as you go!

AFTER THE SHOW:

Try to arrange to discuss the movie with a Year 8 friend who has just watched it or with a relative who may have seen it before.

Make some notes beforehand and be ready to comment on:

 Who is your favourite character? Why?  Who is your least favourite character? Why?  Which actor do you feel gives the strongest performance? Why?  What is the most significant event in the story to you? Why?  How effective do you think the ending is? Why?  How has the movie affected your understanding/thoughts on the American Dream?  Are there any elements of discrimination in the story which still occur today? Can you think of any specific examples?

 Read and highlight the key points in the plot summary and then complete the storyboard that follows with words and pictures – you can paste images in or print off/draw your own version on paper

The novel follows the lives of George Milton and Lennie Small over three days. On the first day, the two men sit by the Salinas River in California, resting on their journey to a ranch where they’ve found work after being run out of a town called Weed. Lennie is large and strong but has a learning difficulty and relies on George. At the riverside, George sees Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket because he likes stroking it and makes him throw it away. George complains about having to care for Lennie but when Lennie offers to leave, George says they must stick together. The men discuss their dream of owning a piece of land. Before going to sleep, George tells Lennie to memorise their location and to return there if he gets into any trouble. Arriving at the ranch, George and Lennie are taken to the bunkhouse and meet Candy, an aging, one-handed ‘swamper’ who keeps the bunkhouse clean. The boss enters and admonishes George and Lennie for being late. George does all the talking for Lennie and lies to the boss, telling him Lennie is his cousin and was kicked in the head by a horse as a boy. Shortly afterwards, the boss’s son, Curley, enters and when he sees Lennie, he acts aggressively towards him. Candy later explains to George and Lennie that Curley is a boxer. George warns Lennie against getting involved with Curley. Then Curley’s wife comes looking for him. George immediately sees her as trouble whereas Lennie finds her pretty; George warns Lennie to stay away. Slim, the wise and patriarchal ranch hand, comes in. He talks kindly to the men and tells them his dog had nine pups but he drowned four at birth. Lennie asks George to see if he can have one and he agrees. Later, George tells Slim he has been caring for Lennie since his aunt died. George admits he used to play tricks on him but stopped after realising Lennie would do anything he asked. He said they were run out of Weed because Lennie wanted to touch a girl’s soft dress but she was scared he was going to hurt her. George claims Lennie is simple and doesn’t mean any harm and, after watching Lennie’s behaviour with the pups himself, Slim agrees. Candy comes back in with his old, smelly dog. Carlson, wants to shoot the dog to put it out of its misery. Candy objects but, with no support, he reluctantly agrees. The men play cards as the dog is taken out and shot in the back of the head. Slim says Candy can have a new pup. Curley returns looking for his wife, worried Slim has been flirting with her. The other men follow leaving George, Lennie, and Candy in the bunkhouse. Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing their dream and offers to contribute all his savings to help purchase the land if he can join them. They agree and the men feel confident and excited. Slim returns, followed by Curley who is being mocked by the other men for having no control over his wife. Frustrated, Curley turns on Lennie and attacks him. Lennie does not react until George tells him to fight back - Lennie is so strong he accidentally crushes Curley’s hand and is upset by his own actions. George and the men go into town but Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife are left behind. Lennie visits Crooks, the African-American stable buck, who speaks to Lennie about his isolation and his lifelong experiences of racism. Candy arrives and tells Crooks about their plans to own a piece of land; Crooks asks if he can join them. Then, Curley’s wife comes in and provokes Candy and Crooks. When Crooks tries to tell her to leave his room, she threatens him. She leaves and Crooks claims he was joking about joining the men in pursuing their dream. The next day, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy in the barn and, worried, he hides the body. Curley’s wife comes in and tells him about her disappointment with Curley, her isolation on the ranch, and her dream of becoming an actress. Lennie confesses he killed the puppy, his desire to own rabbits, and his love of soft things. She lets Lennie pet her hair but when he strokes it too hard, she panics, making him grip tighter. When she wife tries to scream, Lennie panics and shakes her too hard, accidentally breaking her neck. Lennie flees to the riverbank where George told him to hide. Candy finds Curley’s wife’s body and calls George. When George sees her, he realises what happened. The men know Curley and the others will want to lynch Lennie. George takes Carlson’s gun and runs ahead of the others to find a devastated Lennie at the riverside. He scolds Lennie but when he hears the men approaching, he tells him to look out across the river and begins describing their dream of owning a piece of land. Lennie listens with joy as George aims the gun at the back of his head and shoots him before the other men can hurt him. Slim arrives and, understanding what has happened, he consoles George. George lies to the others, telling them he took the gun from Lennie and shot him in self-defence. Slim reassures George that he did the right thing. The two men walk away together, leaving Lennie’s body behind.

Of Mice and Men Plot

type type type type

Read Chapter Two of the novel, pages 9-18, here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

Chapter Two comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. List 3 things you can find in the bunkhouse. 2. Name 3 new characters we meet in this chapter. 3. What is the name of the ‘old swamper’ who cleans the bunkhouse? 4. What excuse does George give to the boss for being late? 5. Why do you think George doesn’t want Lennie to talk to anyone? 6. Why do you think Curley’s wife is not given a name? 7. How does Curley react to Lennie? 8. What animal is in the bunkhouse with Candy?

Migrant Worker = someone who travels around looking for work to live – given basic food and shelter with very little pay and unstable positions

Context Reminder:

• In 1932 over 30,000 companies go out of business after Wall Street Crash • Those who kept their jobs took a pay cut of 60%

• 12 million Americans were unemployed in 1933. • People had to move around to find work. • Many people were homeless and many did not have enough food to eat. • In 1934-35 a severe drought killed wheat that farmers planted. • About 150,000 square miles of land came to be called the Dust Bowl as violent storms blew the dust around and many people couldn’t grow crops.

What does this quotation from George in Chapter One tell us about the lives of the migrant workers and about George and Lennie’s relationship?

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to... With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” Click to type

What do these images allow you to infer about life in the bunkhouse?

Cards = life is a game of chance

Small window =

Bunkbeds =

Apple box =

Magazine =

The bunk house was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows, and in the fourth a solid door with a wooden latch. Against the walls were eight bunks, five of them made up with blankets and the other three showing their burlap ticking. Over each bunk there was nailed an apple-box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk. And these shelves were loaded with little articles, soap and talcum-powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch-men love to read and scoff at and secretly believe. And there were medicines on the shelves, and little vials, combs; and, from nails on the box sides, a few neckties. Near one wall there was a black cast-iron stove, its stove-pipe going straight up through the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a big square table littered with playing-cards, and around it were grouped boxes for the players to sit on.

You are now an estate agent tasked with selling the bunkhouse to the next migrant worker. Use the images and passage above, along with your persuasive writing/rhetorical skills to write a convincing advert, making it sound as appealing as you can! Your advert should include a catchy headline, 3 developed paragraphs and a range of interesting vocabulary and persuasive techniques. House points for the best adverts! 26 TIPS: AFORESTER, anaphora, epistrophe, antithesis, ethos, pathos, logos, one word sentences

Click here to type

SELF ASSESSMENT What persuasive techniques have you included here?

What are your 3 strongest examples of vocabulary?

27 How convincing do you feel your advert is on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest)?

Read the way Steinbeck introduces each character. What key words and phrases stand out to you for each? What can you work out about each character’s personality from their description?

Key phrases

Inferences:

Key phrases

Inferences:

Which of these characters do you feel has more power? Why? Give one quote to support your idea. type

How does Steinbeck’s description of this man and woman link to your knowledge of gender roles in 1930s America? type

Can you link any ideas to modern day? type

Read the introduction to Slim’s character above. Choose 3 interesting quotes to type below and write a comment on what each suggests about his character.

1. Type

2. Type

3. Type

How has Steinbeck made Slim seem so different to Curley? Which character seems more powerful to you? Why do you think he has included these different types of male role in his novel? 1. Type

Challenge - include these words in your response: 29 Patriarchal = men are dominant (most powerful) gender Masculine = manly Feminine = womanly  Read the model PEE paragraphs below.  Focus on EITHER THE GREEN OR BLUE and colour-code or highlight where each skill is shown.  Look back at your previous PEE paragraph for setting (pg 14). What level do you think you might have achieved? Set yourself a clear target to work on in your next attempt.

Model answer Skills Level

You make a point with relevant Steinbeck writes about nature when he says ‘his fist lost evidence but your comment does not in Lennie’s paw.’ This makes Lennie seem different. explain your ideas fully or specifically.

Steinbeck uses natural imagery to suggest that Lennie is You like an animal. For example, he says Curley ‘stood  give details to make your point crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw’. This shows that clear Lennie can be dangerous. The word ‘paw’ makes  explore meanings of key words Lennie’s hands seem wild and uncontrolled and the fact that Curley’s hand is ‘lost’ in his emphasises the large  use some accurate terminology size and threat he poses.

Steinbeck uses natural imagery to suggest that Lennie is You: like a wild animal. For example, he says Curley ‘stood  investigate points in detail crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw’. This metaphor  look for additional word and suggests that Lennie can be dangerous. The noun ‘paw’ phrases to explore in a quote makes Lennie seem strong and untamed like a beast and  make connections across the the fact that Curley’s hand is ‘lost’ in his emphasises the large size and threat he poses. This shows that Lennie text to develop your analysis can be violent and can perhaps be unpredictable as,  appreciate impacts on reader moments before, he had been ‘smiling with delight at  use a range of accurate the memory of the ranch, therefore creating an uneasy terminology to make ideas tension and added curiosity for the reader. precise

Steinbeck uses natural imagery to remind us of the You: primitive, violent instincts of mankind. He uses  expand on ideas and evaluate zoomorphism to highlight the animalistic traits of Lennie (judge) how effective the when Curley ‘stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw…’ author’s methods are The noun ‘paw’ makes Lennie seem strong and untamed  connect ideas across the text and the fact that Curley’s hand is ‘lost’ in it emphasises and wider novel to consider his power and the threat he poses. This metaphor character & plot development effectively highlights that Lennie is dangerous and can perhaps be unpredictable as just moments before, he  think beyond the book to had been ‘smiling with delight at the memory of the explore writer’s wider messages about life/society ranch.’ Steinbeck subtly suggests that, like an animal, Lennie reacts instinctively to the immediate situation  included specific links to and perhaps is not fully in control; this pattern of context and social theory behaviour perhaps foreshadows the death of Curley’s  use sophisticated terminology wife. However, Lennie’s innocent thoughts of his  use specific, challenging American Dream contrast sharply with his cruel vocabulary to explain provocation from Curley, making the reader wonder who is the real ‘animal’ here. Steinbeck reminds us of the brutal reality of the 1930s and perhaps references Darwinian ideas of survival of the fittest – as a migrant worker, Lennie’s place in the social hierarchy is below the boss’s son but his ability to fight back offers a glimpse of hope that the working class can one day regain a sense of power.

Choose one of the three characters – Curley, Curley’s wife or Slim - and write a mini essay (2 x PEE paragraphs) answering:

How does Steinbeck use language to present the character?

My target for this piece is: type

Click here to type

Self Assessment

 Read your response – what level do you think you have reached here, out of 1-4?  Highlight where you have shown the skills of analysis in your work.

Skills of analysis Level

You make a point with relevant evidence but your comment does not explain your ideas fully or specifically.

You  give details to make your point clear  explore meanings of key words  use some accurate terminology

You:  investigate points in detail  look for additional word and phrases to explore in a quote  make connections across the text to develop your analysis  appreciate impacts on reader  use a range of accurate terminology to make ideas precise

You:  expand on ideas and evaluate (judge) how effective the author’s methods are  connect ideas across the text and wider novel to consider character & plot development  think beyond the book to explore writer’s wider messages about life/society  included specific links to context and social theory  use sophisticated terminology  use specific, challenging vocabulary to explain

Complete:

I feel I have worked towards my target by:

type

Next time I will try to include:

type

Read Chapter Three of the novel, pages 19-32, here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

Chapter Three comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. What does Slim say he would have had to do to the pup if he didn’t give it to Lennie 2. Why does Slim call Lennie a ‘cuckoo’? 3. Why does Slim think George and Lennie’s relationship is ‘funny’? 4. What happened in Weed? 5. Why do you think no one speaks up to save Candy’s dog? 6. How might the shooting of the dog link to ideas of the American Dream? 7. Why do you think Steinbeck has the men playing cards at this point? 8. Why do you think Curley chooses to attack Lennie?

Read the information below and write a summary of your understanding of Evolution and Survival of the Fittest in the box below.

type

How might the images below link to Darwin’s ideas? Choose 3 to explain.

Image 1 - type

Image 2 - type

Image 3 - type

What traits might someone or something need to have to be the ‘fittest’?

 List here

Consider the people we meet in chapter three and the events that occur – how might these fit in with ideas of Survival of the Fittest?  Rank each of the characters from 1-6, for most-least ‘fit’ then justify your top & bottom choice

Candy’s dog Curley’s wife Lennie Candy Curley Candy

My justification is: Rank of fittest:

My justification is: 4.

How might these ideas link to the chasing of the American Dream? type

Developing understanding of character by dual coding.

 Take the Buzz Quiz to find out which animal you are most like based on your personality by clicking on the link https://icould.com/  Do you agree with the results? Share ideas with a friend or relative.  Think carefully about what you understand of each character so far and decide on an appropriate thing for each category which most reflects their personality.

Lennie Small Slim

Animal: Animal:

Theme tune: Theme tune:

Chocolate bar: Chocolate bar:

Holiday destination: Holiday destination:

I have chosen these because: I have chosen these because:

Curley’s wife Candy

Animal: Animal:

Theme tune: Theme tune:

Chocolate bar: Chocolate bar:

Holiday destination: Holiday destination:

I have chosen these because: I have chosen these because:

What do you think this children’s nursery rhyme is about?

Mary, Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shells And pretty maids all in a row.

How do these images aid your understanding of the nursery rhyme?

Can you spot the links to references in the text?

What do you think the nursery rhyme is about now? Symbolism =

Symbol = something or someone that represents another thing / idea

Authors often use symbolism in texts to convey different layers of meanings and allow the reader to work things out for themselves. This can sometimes act like a secret code or message to crack!

Choose one symbol you have spotted in the nursery rhyme and explain what you think it means and why the writer may have chosen to use it (e.g. silver bells = )

TOP TIP: Look up Bloody Mary / Mary I for a clue! 37

Character symbolism

What do you think Steinbeck uses each of these characters to symbolise (represent) about life in 1930S America?

I think Candy’s dog symbolises

I think Curley’s wife symbolises

I think Candy symbolises

I think Curley symbolises

Read Chapter Four of the novel, pages 33-41, here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

Chapter Four comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. List four things you find in Crooks’ room on page 33. 2. Why does he sleep in a separate room by the stable? 3. Where has everyone gone for the night?# 4. What does Crooks try to wind Lennie up about? 5. Where did Crooks used to live as a young boy? 6. How does he react to Lennie and Candy’s ideas of their dream? 7. Why doesn’t he talk back to Curley’s wife in the end? 8. What do you think the constant rattling of the horses chains might symbolise in this chapter?

List all the things the word POWER makes you think of:

        

Which character has the most power in this scene and how can you tell?

Why do you think Steinbeck makes this choice?

How does this image make you feel:

 

  

What can you recall about racism in the 1930s from your research at the start of term?

Top facts:

 Slavery was abolished in 1860s  Many people could not accept the change and racism was ingrained in society  Jim Crow Laws gave states power to make black and white people ‘separate but equal’  A range of strict rules were put in place to enforce segregation of the races

TRUE OR FALSE?

Which of these rules do you think were really in place in America in the 1930s?

Black and white people were forbidden from:

 travelling in the same railway cart or section of a bus  buying tickets from the same ticket window  eating together in restaurants  drinking from the same water fountain  using the same public toilets  attending the same schools  marrying one another (12mths jail for living together)  being buried on the same plot of ground  playing amateur baseball within 2 blocks of each other  using the same parks  entering public buildings (e.g. hospital, cinema) via same entrance 40

The answer is ALL of them were real rules adopted by various states. Racism was normalised for a while in society and black people were treated unfairly by the justice system, discouraged or prevented from voting in politics and were even sometimes attacked or ‘lynched’ by groups of people. Although slavery was now illegal, black people were expected to accept a role as second class citizens in society.

How much do you think things have changed since?

Remember Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech from the 1960s that you studied last term? What was he dreaming about?

Born in America’s deep South, where racism was rife for many years, actor Morgan Freeman arranged and paid for his former high school’s very first integrated prom to allow black and white pupils to attend the dance together – what year do you think this was? Watch the clip to find out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7HamzMKsEw

Using these ideas expand your answer to why do you think Crooks doesn’t answer Curley’s wife back?

What other types of discrimination can we see in the novel?

Look again at the conversation between Crooks and Lennie on pages 34-36. What can you infer about his character’s life from: (You must support ideas with at least one quote)

 the things he keeps in his room?

 the way he winds Lennie up about George leaving?

 his story about his childhood?

 his attitude towards the migrant workers?

Read Chapter Five of the novel, pages 41-49, here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

Chapter Five comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. What does Lennie hide in the barn? 2. What game are the men playing outside? 3. What does Curley’s wife reveal her own dream to be? 4. Why does Curley’s wife call Lennie a ‘big baby’? 5. How does Lennie kill her? 6. Why do you think Steinbeck refers to nature and sunlight so often in this passage? 7. Who finds her body? 8. Why do you think the horses are heard rattling their chains again in this scene? How might this link to ideas of power and control?

Curley’s wife is entirely responsible for her own death and also for the death of Lennie. To what extent to you agree?

REASONS FOR: REASONS AGAINST: type type

My initial conclusion: type

Read the information and summarise your understanding under each heading:

Feminism in 1930s Type

Simone de Beauvoir’s gender theory Type

How do these ideas apply to modern day society? Can you think of specific examples? type

How do these ideas affect your initial conclusions about whether Curley’s wife was entirely to blame for her own death and the death of Lennie? type

What comment might Steinbeck be making about gender roles? type

Read Chapter Six of the novel, pages 50-54, here: https://www.nhc.ac.uk/media/2840/steinbeck-john-of-mice-and-men.pdf

Chapter Six comprehension questions – test yourself on a piece of scrap paper or ask an adult to test you. 1. How does Steinbeck link this section to the very beginning of the novel? 2. Who does Lennie imagine he sees in his head? 3. What animal does he picture and what does it say to him? What might it symbolise? 4. Why do you think Lennie wants to hear the story of the dream at this point? 5. Why does George shoot Lennie himself? 6. Why do you think he shoots him in the back of the head and what does this remind you of from earlier in the novel?

Explain your initial reaction to the ending when Lennie shoots George – do you think he was right to do this? Why? What do you think might have happened if he didn’t shoot him? type

How effective is the ending to you? How does it make you feel? type

Steinbeck ends the novel back in exactly the same place it began, with George and Lennie in the brush. Why do you think he does this? Cyclical structure = going back to the start at the end (like in a circle) type

How does the ending link to ideas of the American Dream? Do any of the characters get to experience their dream? type

To fully understand a text, you should really start to think about what the author is using it for? What are they trying to tell us about the world in which we all live?

It’s good to remember, as always with Literature, there is not really a wrong answer as long as you can support your ideas with solid references from the text. We can’t exactly ask Shakespeare what he was trying to say – he’s been dead 500 years! - so we just make our own best guess to interpret the text and any possible messages.

Author’s messages are often about the big ideas that affect us all:  Time & change  Life & death (mortality)  Love & hate  Nature & human nature  Right & wrong (morality/beliefs)

Often stories will feature symbolic ideas to give the reader a moral lesson. These stories are known as allegories. Of Mice and Men is an allegory, as are most fariytales.

Let’s try to work out the moral message of this very familiar allegorical story…

I think the author is saying: type

You can follow these four steps to try to work out the message or moral of a story:

You may find several messages in a text but you might want to focus on one in particular for an essay, depending on what you have been asked to write about.

What messages can you find in Of Mice and Men? Complete the table.

type Summarise (story in one sentence)

Simplify (take out specific details e.g. names/places)

Symbolism (things that represent other things)

Saying? (messages about life/death, human nature, right/wrong)

Microcosm = a small version representative of something much larger

The ranch and the people and events on it could be considered as a microcosm of the whole of America at this time.

Why do you think Steinbeck wrote the novel at this point in the 1930s? What messages or comments is he possibly making about:

 Gender roles  Race  Social class  Love & friendship  Life & death  Morality and choices  The American Dream

Choose two themes above and explain what you think Steinbeck might be trying to say about them:

Theme 1:

Theme 2:

Your ideas about the author’s overall message should always go into your introduction to your essay. Make sure it links to the question.

You are now going to apply everything you have learned to plan a final essay – and because you have worked so hard, you can even have a choice of question and extract!

You will first create a plan and you can cheat by looking back over your booklet for ideas.

Remember to apply all of your analysis skills – follow the checklist below as a reminder:

Success criteria:  Create clear argument to the question  5 pars: Introduction, 3 x PEE, Conclusion

 Make points in relation to question  Use terminology to identify techniques  Quote evidence to support from extract  Quote/reference from wider novel  Explain effects on reader

 Zoom in on key words to infer  Explore multiple interpretations  Comment on writer’s intentions / message

 Link to context / social theory  Use specific vocabulary to explain

TIP: Avoid ‘This shows’ – use the analysis phrases on page 4 to be more precise

Think about the three questions below. Make some brief notes on a piece of paper about each topic and what you remember from the novel, including any quotes and ideas about context (1930s America and social theory). Which do you feel you would have more to write about? This will be your essay question! 1. How does Steinbeck use characters to comment on discrimination? (e.g. age, race, gender) 2. Explore the ways Steinbeck presents ideas about the violence of mankind. 3. How does Steinbeck present ideas of loneliness and The American Dream?

Read your chosen extract then complete the essay plan – must include quotes from the extract and elsewhere in the novel

Introduction (idea on question focus and writer’s message)

My quotes Ideas about meanings, key words & effects – can Link to context PEEL 1 you use terminology? (wider novel and times) (technique & effect key words layers of meaning  symbolism  context) 

S&C: reinforce with  second technique/quote/idea

PEEL 2  



PEEL 3  

 

Conclusion (personal view)

Choice 1: How does Steinbeck use characters to comment on discrimination?

This extract was taken from Chapter 4 of the novel where we meet Crooks, the stable buck, for the first time. Crooks is the only black man on the ranch and Lennie has come to talk to him because most of the other men have gone into town.

Noiselessly Lennie appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in, his big shoulders nearly filling the opening. For a moment Crooks did not see him, but on raising his eyes he stiffened and a scowl came on his face. His hand came out from under his shirt.

Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends.

Crooks said sharply, "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me."

Lennie gulped and his smile grew more fawning. "I ain't doing nothing," he said. "Just come to look at my puppy. And I seen your light," he explained.

"Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outa my room. I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain't wanted in my room."

"Why ain't you wanted?" Lennie asked.

"'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me."

Lennie flapped his big hands helplessly. "Ever'body went into town," he said. "Slim an' George an' ever'body. George says I gotta stay here an' not get in no trouble. I seen your light."

"Well, what do you want?"

"Nothing- I seen your light. I thought I could jus' come in an' set."

Crooks stared at Lennie, and he reached behind him and took down the spectacles and adjusted them over his pink ears and stared again. "I don't know what you're doin' in the barn anyway," he complained.

"You ain't no skinner. They's no call for a bucker to come into the barn at all. You ain't no skinner. You ain't got nothing to do with the horses."

"The pup," Lennie repeated. "I come to see my pup."

"Well, go see your pup, then. Don't come in a place where you're not wanted."

Lennie lost his smile. He advanced a step into the room, then remembered and backed to the door again. "I looked at 'em a little. Slim says I ain't to pet 'em very much."

Crooks said, "Well, you been takin' 'em out of the nest all the time. I wonder the old lady don't move 'em someplace else." "Oh, she don't care. She lets me." Lennie had moved into the room again.

Crooks scowled, but Lennie's disarming smile defeated him. "Come on in and set a while," Crooks said. "'Long as you won't get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down." His tone was a little more friendly. "All the boys gone into town, huh?"

In your answer you should talk about:  ideas of how people are discriminated against in this extract  ideas of how people are discriminated against in the rest of the novel

Choice 2: Explore the ways Steinbeck presents ideas of the violence of mankind

This extract was taken from Chapter 2 of the novel where Curley attacks Lennie for no reason. Lennie does not immediately react until George urges him to defend himself and he accidentally crushes Curley’s hand.

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. "What the hell you laughin' at?"

Lennie looked blankly at him. "Huh?"

Then Curley's rage exploded. "Come on, ya big bastard. Get up onyour feet. No big son-of-a- bitch is gonna laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella."

Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and triedto retreat. Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose. "George," he cried. "Make 'um let me alone, George." He backed until he was against the wall, and Curley followed, slugging him in the face. Lennie's hands remained at his sides; he was too frightened to defend himself.

George was on his feet yelling, "Get him, Lennie. Don't let him do it."

Lennie covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror. He cried, "Make 'um stop, George." Then Curley attacked his stomach and cut off his wind.

Slim jumped up. "The dirty little rat," he cried, "I'll get 'um myself."

George put out his hand and grabbed Slim. "Wait a minute," he shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Get 'im, Lennie!"

Lennie took his hands away from his face and looked about for George, and Curley slashed at his eyes. The big face was covered with blood. George yelled again, "I said get him."

Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand. George ran down the room. "Leggo of him, Lennie. Let go."

But Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. Blood ran down Lennie's face, one of his eyes was cut and closed.

George slapped him in the face again and again, and still Lennie held on to the closed fist. Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie's paw.

George shouted over and over. "Leggo his hand, Lennie. Leggo.

Slim, come help me while the guy got any hand left."

Suddenly Lennie let go his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall. "You tol' me to, George," he said miserably.

Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand.

Slim and Carlson bent over him. Then Slim straightened up and regarded Lennie with horror. "We got to get him in to a doctor," he said. "Looks to me like ever' bone in his han' is bust."

"I didn't wanta," Lennie cried. "I didn't wanta hurt him."

In your answer you should talk about:  ideas of how people use and react to violence in this extract 53  ideas of how people use and react to violence in the rest of the novel Choice 3: How does Steinbeck present ideas about The American Dream?

This extract is taken from Chapter 3 of the novel where George and Lennie are discussing their dream of owning a piece of land of their own to work on. Candy overhears and asks if he can join them.

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 sausage an' all like 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 thick you got to cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon."

Lennie watched him with wide eyes, and old Candy watched him too.

Lennie said softly, "We could live offa the fatta the lan'."

"Sure," said George. "All kin's a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We'd jus' live there. We'd belong there. There wouldn't be no more runnin' round the country and gettin' fed by a Jap cook. No, sir, we'd have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunkhouse."

"Tell about the house, George," Lennie begged.

"Sure, we'd have a little house an' a room to ourself. Little fat iron stove, an' in the winter we'd keep a fire goin' in it. It ain't enough land so we'd have to work too hard. Maybe six, seven hours a day. We wouldn't have to buck no barley eleven hours a day. An' when we put in a crop, why, we'd be there to take the crop up. We'd know what come of our planting."

"An' rabbits," Lennie said eagerly. "An' I'd take care of 'em. Tell how I'd do that, George." "Sure, you'd go out in the alfalfa patch an' you'd have a sack. You'd fill up the sack and bring it in an' put it in the rabbit cages." "They'd nibble an' they'd nibble," said Lennie. “I seen ‘em do it.”

"Ever' six weeks or so," George continued, "them does would throw a litter so we'd have plenty rabbits to eat an' to sell. An' we'd keep a few pigeons to go flyin' around the win'mill like they done when I was a kid." He looked raptly at the wall over Lennie's head. "An' it'd be our own, an' nobody could can us. If we don't like a guy we can say, 'Get the hell out,' and by God he's got to do it. An' if a fren' come along, why we'd have an extra bunk, an' we'd say, 'Why don't you spen' the night?' an' by God he would. We'd have a setter dog and a couple stripe cats, but you gotta watch out them cats don't get the little rabbits."

Lennie breathed hard. "You jus' let 'em try to get the rabbits. I'll break their God damn necks. I'll... I'll smash 'em with a stick." He subsided, grumbling to himself, threatening the future cats which might dare to disturb the future rabbits.

George sat entranced with his own picture.

When Candy spoke they both jumped as though they had been caught doing something reprehensible. Candy said, "You know where's a place like that?"

In your answer you should talk about:  ideas of how The American Dream is presented in this extract 54  ideas of how The American Dream is presented in the rest of the novel Type your chosen essay question here:

Use your teacher’s feedback on your last essay on character to set yourself a clear target to work on and type this here:

Click here to type

Read over your essay and drag a tick next to each skill you think you have hit on the checklist:

Success criteria:  Create clear argument to the question

 5 pars: Introduction, 3 x PEE, Conclusion  Make points in relation to question  Use terminology to identify techniques

 Quote evidence to support from extract  Quote/reference from wider novel

 Explain effects on reader  Zoom in on key words to infer

 Explore multiple interpretations  Comment on writer’s intentions / message  Link to context / social theory

 Use specific vocabulary to explain

TIP: Avoid ‘This shows’ – use the analysis phrases on page 4 to be more precise

I put % effort into this assessment. have tried to work on my previous my target by: