Intro: Of Mice and Men
Agenda
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Share Freewrites
Lecture: Intro to Of Mice and Men
Annotating a text
Read: Of Mice and Men as a class
Annotate
HW: Answer question packet
John Steinbeck
• John Steinbeck was
born February 27,
1902
• He grew up in
Salinas, Ca by
farms, the forest,
and the sea
• He spent many
summers working
on ranches
Connection to the land
• Salinas came to be
known as “The
Salad Bowl of the
Nation”
• Steinbeck was
compelled to write
about his beautiful
surroundings
Naturalist Writer
• Steinbeck is one of America’s greatest
Naturalist writers
• Naturalist writers focus on:
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In depth explanations & details of surroundings
Social conflict: Haves vs. Have-nots
Specific occupation/trade
Fate: Your destiny is inescapable. Often determined
by birth (rich, poor,female, male, etc.)
Naturalism: Explantions and
Details
• Naturalism avoids
figurative language
• Instead it focuses on
explaining things as
they are
• Tries to be an objective
(non-judegmental)
observer of events
The sky is blue with white
clouds.
Social Conflict
• Explored the conflict between social classes
(rich & poor, the powerful vs. the powerless)
• The ranch in the story can be seen as a
“microcosm” (miniature world) of American
society
Specific Occupation
• Naturalist writers create
stories on one specific
occupation
• They investigate the
actual lives before
writing
• Almost like a news story
or textbook
• Steinbeck focused on
migrant farm workers
Lettuce Farm, Salinas, 1935
Fate
• The reader is an observer
• Watches how the characters, thrust into
certain situations, deal with what fate presents
• They cannot avoid their fate, no free will
Context
• Of Mice and Men was published in 1937, in
the midst of the Great Depression.
• Hunger, poverty, homelessness and
joblessness were all widespread.
•BREAK TIME
Theme
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Theme is…
• the central or dominant idea behind the story; the
most important aspect that emerges from how the
book treats its subject. Sometimes theme is easy to
see, but, at other times, it may be more difficult.
• Theme is usually expressed indirectly, as an
element the reader must figure out.
• The author implies a theme while the readers infer
its meaning
Theme continued
• It is a universal statement about humanity, rather
than a simple statement dealing with plot or
characters in the story.
• Themes are generally hinted at through different
methods: a phrase or quotation that introduces the
novel, a recurring element in the book, or an
observation made that is reinforced through plot,
dialogue, or characters.
Theme in Of Mice and Men
• The following are topics of themes in Of
Mice and Men:
• The American Dream
• Loneliness and Isolation
• Nature of Friendship
The American Dream
• If you work hard,
you’ll have a good
job, family, and a
large house
• The Great
Depression crushed
the dreams of many
• Steinbeck set out to
document this
Loneliness/Isolation
• Many of the characters
are lonely/isolated
• Each in their own way
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Race
Gender
Intelligence
Social Class
• Look for examples of
this
Nature of Friendship
• As you read the
book ask:
– What does being a
true friend mean?
– What would you do
for a friend in need?
• Ultimately, Of Mice
and Men is about
the power of
friendship
Agenda
• Review Essay Prompts
• Ch.1 Questions
• Annotating
• Theme
– o Dreams
– o Friendship
• Naturalist descriptions
• Characterization Posters (& Ch.1 Question check)
Annotating
• Please review your annotations for
evidence of
– Theme
• Dreams
• Friendship
– Naturalist writing (detailed descriptions with
minimal use of figurative language)
– Be prepared to share out
Annotating
• What title did you give this chapter?
• How did you summarize Ch.1?
Characterization
• Add to your notes
• Characterization: Is the art of letting
the reader know who the character is
and how they came to be that way.
• In short, you’re describing the
character’s personality
Characterization Posters
• You are going to make a poster that shows how Steinbeck
characterizes George and Lennie.
• Visually represent each character and include:
– How they feel about each other
– A representative quote for each character, with an
explanation
– A physical description-USE YOUR OWN WORDS
– What motivates each man
– Surround each character with adjectives that
describe them
– For Lennie- pick out a separate quote that uses
animal imagery-Describe its function
Agenda
• Turn in Naturalist Writing paragraphs
• OMAM formative assessment
– Test
– Review
• Ch.3 Annotations
• Dreams, isolation, and power in OMAM
– Poster prep
– Posters
Of Mice and Men Poster
• With your partner you will make a poster
that analyzes the text for evidence of
– Isolation
– Power
– Dreams
Ch. 4
• By Chapter 4 we’ve gotten to know
many of the supporting characters, as
well as George and Lennie a bit more.
• By this time the American Dream,
isolation, and the power dynamics of the
ranch have been observed.
Isolation
• It is possible to be surrounded by
people but to feel completely alone.
• Look to see the different ways
characters are isolated.
Power
• Power is the ability to influence someone’s
behavior
• The ranch is a microcosm of society and
reflects how different kinds of people
interacted.
• People can have power over others due to
class, gender, intelligence, race, and/or age
Dreams
• The “classic” American Dream is where
if you work hard you will be rewarded
with a good job and a house.
• In short, if you work hard you’ll succeed.
• In Of Mice and Men main and
supporting characters each have some
kind of dream that they hold on to.
Poster Requirements
• Your poster must include the
character’s name
• Representative quote for each section
(with page #’s):
– Dream
– Isolation
– Power
• Detailed explanation for each section