English 11
Mr. Manero / Ms. Young
Name ________________________
Period ________
Of Mice and Men – ONE PARAGRAPH ESSAY
SAMPLE
SUBTOPIC: Characterization of Curley
THESIS: As a roadblock to the American Dream for several characters
in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley emerges as the antagonist
representative of elements in society which prevent the disenfranchised
from realizing their dreams.
Supporting detail from the book
Analysis of how this supporting
detail supports the idea of this
subtopic.
SUPPORT #1:
“Curley was balanced and poised. He
slashed at Lennie with his left, and then
smashed down his nose with a
right…the next minute Curley was
flopping like a fish on a line” (63).
Steinbeck depicts Curley as an
antagonist to the pursuit of the
American Dream. His condescending
and conflicting attitude toward
Lennie reflects obstacles to the
pursuit of the American Dream. His
fight with Curley represents his
attempts to advance himself and
prevent a weaker man from pursing
his own dream.
Your Topic: ___________________________________________________________
Your working thesis: ______________________________________________________
On the reverse side of this sheet, complete the pre-writing for your one paragraph essay
in the same manner as the sample above.