Of Mice and Men - Chap. 6

Steinbeck got the title of Of Mice and Men come from a poem by Irish poet Robert Burns. Give it a read:

Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast,
O, what a panic is in your little breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With hurrying scamper!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!

I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor little beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.

Your small house, too, in ruin!
Its feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!

You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough past
Out through your cell.

That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.

But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!

Tough one, huh? I can help you out with it. Here's a 5 minute lecture from a semi-retired college professor. Do this: pres play, and re-read the poem and the guy gives his lecture. You'll be able to follow along pretty well. (He starts reading it and describing what he's reading about 1:30 in.



Here again is the part that inspried Steinbeck:

But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

Here's the question: To what degree to you agree with this claim? Support your claim with evidence not from the text, but rather from another text - a short story, a novel, a film, a poem, etc.

Again, you can earn extra credit by responding to your classmates' posts.

P.S. Anyone remember this game, or am I just old?

Of Mice and Men - Chap. 4

This chapter is all about not fitting in.

It's about being a "freak."

It's about being a "misfit."

Here's the question posed to you: To what degree is it the fault of the "misfit", the "freak", the "outsider" that he or she doesn't fit in? What responsibility do "non-outsiders" have, if any, to include "outsiders" in social situations? In short, whose fault is it that some folks don't fit in, and whose responsibility is it to fix it? Use a specific example - either from the novel or elsewhere - to support your claim.

Again, you can earn extra credit for commenting on the posts of your classmates.

After you've done your work, I have a little treat for you. You might have seen this before, but maybe now you'll get the joke.

Of Mice and Men - Chap. 2

This entry is for periods 6 and 8 students only.


Throughout chapter two, we learn some of the rules - both explicit and implied - of the ranch. We learn what kind of behavior is expected of the men, and what kind of behavior is not tolerated. We also get a glimpse at how the men speak to and treat one another.

All of this leads to a question Steinbeck is posing to the reader: To what degree is life on the ranch – the social behaviors and constructs of the men, that is – a snapshot of life in general? In other words, is the ranch a ‘microcosm’ of real life, or is it simply its own thing?

Here’s your task: Pick a character from another work of fiction - novel, short story, film, television program - and explain, in a thoughtful and thoough paragraph - whether or not that character would fit in on the ranch. Be sure to be specific in your response.

Read the entries before yours -- no repeats allowed! If you’d like some extra credit, feel free to comment on your classmates' responses in separate entries.

Reachionary vs. Progressive Texts

This post is for periods 6 and 8 students.

So we've discussed in class how, according to Marxism, there are two social classes:

• Bourgeoisie - the rich people who control everything. Most of us could really get used to the idea of being part of the bourgeoisie. But don't be fooled, in the world of Marxist criticism, they are bad.
• Proletariat - the poor people who do all the real work. They are usually uneducated and easily fooled into thinking that things other than the bourgeoisie are the cause for their woes. They are wrong, of course.

And we've discussed how 'Marxist criticism' looks at an author’s assumptions and values regarding culture, race, and class are examined. And, finally, we've discussed how Marxist criticism sees all texts as one of two kinds:

• Reactionary texts - tools used by the ruling class to maintain power over the working class.
• Progressive texts - tools used by the working class to gain power from the ruling class.

So, now let's look at some examples of each kind of text.  First are some example of reactionary texts. Remember, reactionary texts are meant to control you, to make you do things. Reactionary texts want things to stay the same.

• The Federal Tax Code (written so you pay your taxes)
• The school acedemic honesty policy (written so you don't cheat)
• A commercial for a new Mercedes (written so you'll buy a Mercedes)

 Next are some example of progressive texts. Again, progressive texts are meant to break the rules, to change the way people think, to bring revolution to the 'staus quo.' Pregressive texts want things to change.

• Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" (written to change the way people think about equality and race relations)
• Any war protest song (written to change a nation's current foreign policy)
• Graffiti written on a desk describing a teach as boring, ugly, stupid, etc. (written to change the way students think about the teacher)

Your task: Post a coment in which you describe a text (book, story, movie, poem, etc.), state whether you think the text is reactionary or progressive, and explain why. Be sure to read all of the posts before yours - no repeats! Please note that your responses should be thoughful, thoough, and gramatically correct.

Extra credit: In a separate comment (or two or three) respond to other comments. Do you agree or disagree with your classmates? Why or why not?

Final Exam Review - Macbeth

The blog enry is for periods 1 and 2 students only.

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from Macbeth, between 5 and 15 lines long
2. the act, scene, and line of the quotation
3. the speaker of the quotation
4. to whom the quotation is being spoken
5. enter the quotation as it appears in the text (ie. hit RETURN after each line)
6. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become. Fourth, entries not meetings ALL of the above components will not receive credit for the entry. Fifth, all entries must be submitted by the start of school Monday.

Hint: You might wish to enter a quotation that you do NOT already know. This will, obviously, help you study more.

Note: Yes, you may do extra entries for extra credit.
May the force be with you.

Final Exam Review - Of Mice and Men

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from Of Mice and Men
2. the speaker of the quotation
3. to whom the quotation is being spoken
4. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become.

This assignment is due by the start of class Friday.

Final Exam Review - A Raisin in the Sun

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from A Raisin in the Sun
2. the speaker of the quotation
3. to whom the quotation is being spoken
4. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become.

This assignment is due by the start of class Friday.