Classic Novel: Reflection and Note Submission
REFLECTION: 15 points—As a follow up to each group discussion, write a three-part
response: Remember: your goal is show you have read, thought about, and discussed
this section of your book, so use specific text details (including cited and embedded
quotes)and show your thinking. You can answer these in any order and should make
them flow together, though put them in separate paragraphs:
1)What was the most interesting or clarifying point brought up in your GROUP’S
discussion today? Explain why this point is important , any interesting ideas brought
up by your group members about this point, and your thinking/questions about it. -5
2) Discuss your BEST observation (what you noticed and thought was REALLY
important) or your most important question about this section of the book. -5
3) Choose ONE of the listed criterion for a “classic” book, and explain how this section
of your book is or is not meeting that criterion. -5
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truthful and valuable—the book says something of value, drawing attention to human
problems, rather than simply telling an amusing story
universal and timeless—people can apply the book’s characters, conflicts, or themes to
themselves despite the setting; classics integrate themes that are understood by readers from a
wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience
well-written--creatively or beautifully written with effective language; sometimes the language is
poetic, sometimes it is very unique, sometimes it is a sharp imitation of a character’s voice,
sometimes is captures the age that it was written in very well
influential—the book’s characters, themes, conflicts, or writing style has inspired or influenced
other works; it is a model that other writers and artists aspire to replicate
Edit your response for the following: run-ons, fragments, spelling, usage, and
capitalization errors, semicolon and apostrophe errors, pronoun case errors. (You can
lose up to three points for GUMS errors)
The “reflection” must be typed, double-spaced, 12 font, a minimum of one-page long
and include the following heading: (You can lose up to two points for format errors).
You may shrink the font to fit the document to one page (let’s save some trees)
Name
Reflection # __
Title, author, pages or chapters read
On Wednesday, submit the reflection stapled to your blue reading notes sheet (15
points) for a total of 30 points. Late reflections (no more than 24 hours late) will earn
half credit.
Anita Highgrade
Reflection #1
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, chapter 1
Our book chat group brought up an interesting point about the characterization of George today:
although George seems like an unlikeable, impatient migrant worker, Steinbeck wants us to see George as
a good guy. Our group started by pointing out George’s rudeness to Lennie, but then Gina argued that he
is actually nice. When we looked at the end of the chapter, specifically when George tells Lennie “I don’t
wantcha to leave” (14), we can see George has a soft spot for Lennie underneath his harsh criticism of
Lennie’s behavior. Like the parent of a small child, George becomes frustrated with his never-ending
responsibility for another person’s life and his frustration manifests in meanness (like when he threw
Lennie’s mouse and later called him a dummy). But as Gina mentioned in our discussion, “It’s like
George is a parent who never had any training and never chose to have a child.”
Just as Gina was able to see the dual nature of George, in my reading I was able to see a “round”
aspect of Lennie. Although Lennie has a child’s logic, he is not totally naïve as seen in Lennie’s
manipulation of George when Lennie threatens to leave and live in a cave in order to make George feel
guilty about yelling at him. Although Lennie lacks in intellectual insight, he seems to understand
George’s emotions well; again, this reminds me of the parent-child connection, as toddlers often know
how to pull their parents’ strings. Lennie knows his “go-off-and-live-in-a-cave” comment will prompt
George to apologize, and then Lennie knows the moment is ripe to ask George for his favorite treat:
hearing about the rabbits. I’m going to look for other examples of Lennie being intune to others’
emotions.
In addition to exhibiting two round characters, the book seems to have the “classic” trait of being
well written. There is nothing extremely poetic about the language in the book, but the dialogue is
extremely realistic. Steinbeck uses many idioms and colloquial diction create the setting. Phrases like
“bindle-stiff,” “bum steer,” and “don’t say nothin’” help set the scene as the Depression-era thirties and
the characters as uneducated, unrefined working-class men. Furthermore, George’s profanity (including
words like hell, damn, and insults to Lennie) and Lennie’s almost child-like, apologetic dialogue help
give a clear view of what these men are like. It is pretty amazing that Steinbeck could do so much for the
setting and characters through so little narrator and the purposeful use of strong dialogue.