Theme Analysis

In last week's blog response, I asked you to select a theme that "hit home" with you the most.  Now that you have set your sights on a theme you would most like work with some more, it is time to test your skills of analysis.  Scan through the last chapter (6) in Of Mice and Men and see if you can pull out a moment from the text that, upon close reading, says something about your selected theme.  Next, try to analyze how this moment is somehow connected to the theme you have chosen.

In "The American Dream"everybody wants to live a successful life and the picture shows that it is very hard to accomplish this aspect and it's beyond people's grasp during the Great Depression.

The topic I was interested was The American Dream and when reading the last chapter (6) on pg. 99 it said, "A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallow.  A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically."

In this moment of the text I think Steinbeck is trying to say that one's American Dream will not come true due to enemies or circumstance that come in people's way.  The heron is I think symbolizes the upper class and more powerful over the water snake.  The water snake is trying to stay alive and pursue its American dream.  It says, "A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side (1st obstacle); and it swam the length of the pool (2nd obstacle) and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallow (hardworking American Dream is beyond the grasp of the bird).  Where the American dream appears into place is when it says, "The beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically." The heron was in more power, but the water snake was not in power and weak so the American Dream for the water snake to was vanished because of it's enemies actions.  


"The American Dream" is what everybody wants to live a happy life and in this youtube video it says that "The American Dream" is color blind meaning that it cannot be reached/visible upon circumstances and that it's just beyond our minds in which we try to work really hard in accomplishing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aZ1Zlo4P0w

Chapter 6 Notes

Chapter Note - Taking Criteria

Summary:  Lennie waits in the brush like George tells him and thinks how life is going to be when George sees him.  In his imagination he meets dead Aunt Clara and Aunt Clara tells what bad thing he has done to George and he tells her that is was a mistake and he could go away if it is any big deal to George.  Then after Aunt Clara leaves his imagination a rabbit talks to him in his imagination and says that he is bad to George and that George wouldn't let him tend the rabbits but trouble/lie to him and beat him.  Lennie get's upset and says George wouldn't do anything but the rabbit says he would and that he wouldn't get to tend any rabbits but be tortured and hoodwinked.  He meets George and after a brief conversation George pulls out his gun and hoodwinks Lennie into seeing his future becoming a success and that there would be no harm and pulls the trigger on him.  The other guys come and Slim said he understood and Carlson was discombobulated and then Slim said to George let's get something to drink and then they both went.

Question: When- 1930's
                  Where- Salines Valley, California (Brush)

1. I wonder how Lennie had all these imaginations in his head and how did it manage to go all away by the time George came? (pg.101-102)

2. How come George pulled the trigger before all the other people came and tried to come down Lennie but didn't want to tell anyone else? (pg.106)

3. Why did Slim tell George to get a drink and why was Carlson suspicious about that? (pg.107)

Prediction: I can predict that since George is alone now without Lennie's company he is going to live on his own but without Lennie's assistance I don't think he would be that successful because he a small dude and if they are bigger people who hate smaller people he would get busted.  If he lives without Lennie he might have to live with these guys and get treated ok but George wouldn't have the same state of feeling with Lennie around even though he could be a big pain.  I also predict George will see dead Curley's wife and she might speak to him what happened to her from Lennie in his mind since George might be wandering why he had killed Lennie, but because he wanted Lennie to stay calm and peaceful by making him dead from the other people himself.  Candy might tell him that he has done a right thing and that when his dog was going to get killed he should have the killed the dog himself and cause he took care of the old sheep dog and knows him the best.  Then George might just sigh and go on with life.

Novel Reaction: Thinking Forward

We have investigated many captivating themes that exist in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men over the last few weeks.  You have explored the desperation and poverty of the American 1930s through pictures and video.  You have witnessed how John Steinbeck used naturalism to portray certain characters as "human beasts" acting on impulsiveness and instinct for self-preservation.  You have examined how the author used literary devices such as sentimentalism, diction, tone, parallelism, and foreshadowing in order to propel these themes.  You have close-read and analyzed the text digging deeper and deeper for evidence of themes such as Power vs. Powerlessness, Individual vs. Community, The American Dream, Euthanasia, Racism, Loneliness, and maybe even a little Sexism.  Pat yourself on the back!  You have been critically thinking about this novella on so many different levels.

For this week's blog response, you need to make some pretty serious decisions!  We are quickly approaching the time where you will be expected to write your Research Paper based on a topic of interest from Of Mice and Men.  If you have been keeping up with your reading, completing your notes, participating in conversations and activities during class on the various themes, and completing your blog responses this choice will be fairly easy!  If not, you may be in for a struggle....

What topic or theme that we have touched on during this unit has "hit home" with you the most?  Which theme or topic has a personal connection for you?  Which did you find most captivating or interesting to discuss and investigate during this unit?  Select a topic/theme from the list above that peaks your interest, and, in this week's blog response, discuss why you find it fascinating, which moment in the story you think about when reflecting on this theme, and how this theme is relevant in today's world.

The topic that has "hit home" me the most in Of Mice and Men is the American Dream.  The American dream has personal connection to me because I would want to live a successful life with happiness and basic needs.  The American dream made me interested to discuss and investigate during this unit because all the character's had a dream and that John Steinbeck did a good job talking about each character and based upon their actions what they wanted their American Dream to be.

I found the American Dream topic fascinating because it everybody in the story wanted their life to be better and in the story John Steinbeck would talk about each character's American's dream.  In the story I think about the American Dream when Lennie keeps on talking about what George's and his future dream will be.  Curley's Wife talks to Lennie is an another moment in the story I reflect to as the American dream.  The American Dream is relevant in the today's world in the sense that people want to have a successful, wealthy life and the main thing today is money but in the 1930's it was water, food, nice place to live, etc. (what people needed to survive and be happy). 

I found a video on youtube that is the "Fallacy of the American Dream" and that everybody wanted to achieve prosperity, success and many more things upon their circumstances in the 1930's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3qwGnKaP4A