Look back through chapter 1 (pages 1-16) and focus on information from the text that broadens your understanding by giving you images in your head (VISUALIZE!!). Respond to one of the questions below in 4+ sentences. Begin your comment with the prompt number.
(To respond, click on "comments" at the bottom of the post. Then, follow the posting directions!)
1. Describe Lennie and George’s relationship. What images help you understand their relationship?
2. How are Lennie and George different physically and mentally? What images help you understand their differences?
3. Find visual examples of how Lennie is described as childlike and/or animal-like. How does this help with your understanding of Lennie? What does this tell you about him?
4. Page 9 – “George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand.”* How do these words create an image in your head? What do you picture? Is it a simile or metaphor? Why is Lennie compared to a terrier? What does this tell the reader about Lennie and George’s relationship?
5. Discuss your individual visualizations. Were than any images that deepened your understanding or connection to the characters/setting/novella/etc.?
Be sure to check back and see what your classmates had to say!
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22 comments:
4.) I think Lennie is compared to a terrier not only because of his level of intelligance (obviously he doesn't have much of one,) but also because of his dependance on George. Lennie needs George, literally, to survive, and he knows this. Although he likes to think that George needs him just as much and threatens to run away, Lennie is really the only one in the relationship that truly needs the other - the terrier in the relationship.
1. Lennie and George's relationship is like that of two brothers. George constantly teases and fights with Lennie because Lennie is incapable of defending himself. George wants the best for Lennie and tries to keep him out of trouble. This is shown when he has him throw the mice that he catches out of his pocket. George also wants to make enough money so that they can have a farm of their own. Their relationship will be very important throughout this story.
question 4, these words creat a fantastic image because i have seen a dog who doesnt want to drop something but in the end drops it anyway. This lets me know exactly how geore and lennie are with eachother as well, showing that geoge obviously shows dominance over lennie in the same way taht a master would show dominance over his dog. this is a simile because it uses like. they compare lennie to a terrier to show his lesser intelligance and to show that he has no say in the travels that george and lennie take.
1. George seems to be like a father or a figure of superiority to Lennie. I see this with the language that George uses with Lennie, like when Lennie was drinking the water; George spoke with an authoritative and almost lecturing voice. Lennie also seems like a child; his language is childlike to me, as well as his actions.
1) Describe Lennie and George's relationship. What images help you understand their relationship?
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the specifics of the relationship aren't truly clear. we don't know if they're related, friends, what have you. we do know, however, that george is the deffinite care-taker of lennie. he has some kind of obligation, made some kind of promise to someone, to take care of lennie. he obviously feels obligated in some way because why else would he drag lennie around with him? he keeps complaining and talking about all the things he could do w/o lennie so he has to have atleast a soft spot for him or something.
their relationship is kind of a tense one but i don't think it's bad. there is obviously care, loyalty, and some level of respect.
2. Lennis is described as "a huge man, shapless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." George is the complete opposite. George is "small and quick, dark of face, wiht restless eyes and sharp, strong feautures." It's ovious that George is way more in shape than Lennie. Mentally, Lennie seems a little weird. Seeing as he likes to keep dead mice just to "stroke" them is pretty much saying that he has some issues. Also Lennie has a bad memory problem. George seems to be pretty smart, but he does get annoyed a lot with Lennie. The image of them walking down the path helped me visualize them physically. The visualization of them mentally I pretty much picked up from what they would say to each other.
2. George and Lenny are almost as different from each other as two people could possibly be. George is small, strong, and has defined features like slender arms and sharp eyes. Lenny, on the other hand, is huge, pale, a little chubby, and wide. Lenny has a hard time remembering things and does not seem very smart, while George is the mastermind behind their plans. George is the leader and Lenny just follows him. The images that help me understand their differences include the dead mouse, the story of what they dream about happening, and the descriptions in the story about their physical characteristics.
4. As George demands Lennie to give his mouse away, Lennie is compared to a terrier, and George to the master. This seems like an accurate simile to me. George is like the demanding owner of a dog. Sometimes, he is kind and tells George stories of their future and gives George hope. The next thing you know, he's screaming at him for forgetting something else, or causing them problems in the past. This is just like a master who may praise and pet their dog in one minute, and explode with anger at them scratching up the furniture or making a mess the next minute. Lennis is just like a dog in the way that he is very loyal to George and he always tries to be obedient. He even offers to leave George and live in a cave if George wanted him to. Dogs always try to be obedient to their masters, too, but just like George, sometimes they just mess up. With this passage, I pictured Lennie sitting down, so as to make him lower in both height and position in their relationship, and more like the dog.
Lennie and George are very different mentally and physically. In the beginning of the book, George is discribed as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp. Lennie is described as "a huge man, shapeless in face, with large, pale eyes with wide sloping shoulders." So, lennie is tall and round and George is small and defined.Mentally, Lennie is not smart and has a bit of a mental disability. George on the other hand is smart.
Question 3:
"...dragging his feet a little the way a bear draged his paws..." "...drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse." The way they desribed Lennie made me think he wasn't very smart, and becuase of the questions we had about how society treated people, including disabled people, makes me think he's disabled. Lennie seems to be amused at things that a two year old would find amusing, like when he spashed his hand in the water and said "Look George. Look what I done." or how he likes to pet things. I kind of feel sorry for Lennie, esspecialy since i read this book two summers ago.
Question #2: How are Lennie and George different physically and mentally?
Lenny and George are complete opposites, from both a physical and a mental standpoint. "The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features... Behind him walked the opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders." Through the first chapter, it becomes evident that George is a rather intelligent man, while Lennie is, for lack of a better term, a moron.
2. Lennie and George have so many differences it is strange that they are friends. While Lennie is larger and stronger than is plausible, George has quick wits. George, though small, uses his mind to protect Lennie from the world he doesn't understand due to his lack of higher brain power. These differences are evident in the way George talks down to Lennie, but never tries to use physical force. The scene where George demanded the dead mouse helped me visualize how dependent Lennie is and how commanding George is.
question 4: When I read these words I think of George being like the dog owner and lennie being a dog. Not only do I think that because it describes Lennie being like a dog but the way that George and Lennie interact sort of illistrates this relationship. Lennie does what he wants just like a dog but when George is firm with him Lennie is quick to obey. I also think this is why the author compares Lennie to a terrier.
1. I see George as a big brother to Lennie. Throught the reader I haven't yet deciphered how Lennie and George came to know each other or who "Aunt Clara" is but I see a strong friendship between them. Lennie's actions show that he tries to be like George and is a bit envious of him. Somtimes I see that George gets frustrated with Lennie. When George is asking for the mouse that Lennie killed...Lennie is hestant to obey but in the end he respects George and the things he has done for him.. I look forward to reader further in the story.
1. Lennie and George have a relationship that resembles brothers. George is the older brother and Lennie is the younger brother. George gets fed up with Lennie and has outbursts with him but deep down it is obvious that George cares about Lennie more than he get annoyed by him. If George really didnt care he would have ditched Lennie. Lennie is completely dependent on George for everything and he knows this. This big brother, little brother relationship between Lennie and George will be very important thourghout the story.
1. Lennie and George share a strong brotherly bond. While being the much bigger man, Lennie could be the older of the two, he seems to suffer from either a mental illness or a lack of education. George looks after Lennie and makes sure that he is safe, while setting the rules that he tells Lennie he must follow. Trying to catch Lennie to prevent him from doing something bad, George asks Lennie, "'What'd you take outa that pocket?'" (Page 5) Showing obvious concern as well as acting as the strict authority, George displays care. Throughout chapter one, the reader becomes more acquainted with the two and as he or she does, the author writes more to hint at the brotherly relationship between George and Lenny. Strictness warms to affection as George says, "'Good boy! That's fine, Lennie!'" (Page 15) and other similar phrases. As the book progresses, this bond will probably grow, and through trials between the two, strengthen even more. Like an army of ants carrying away giant treasure before they are abruptly stamped upon with enormous feet, this strange simile will signify the great power and love that a brotherly love and friendship can have.
1) Lennie and Georges relationship is one comparable to a parent- child one. Lennie like a bear, the physically larger when in this relationship.George is described as small and scrawny. They are close to eachother and imitate eachothers actions. Lennie and George are teaching eachother in their own ways, teaching ways of survival. Though George does seem to have the upperhand, when it comes to who is in charge despite his size.
1. Obviously Lennie and George have an odd relationship. They're very different which does not nescessarily stop them from being friends. George is like the leader of the duo and Lennie is kind of the muscle, creating a sort of leader-follower relationship. This seems to work for them. They're differences, even in height, help them to help each other.
2. George is decribed in the book as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features... strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose." Lennie is decribed as " a huge man, shapless face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping sholders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little..." I understood Lennie to be not all there mentally: "Jus' wanted to feel that girl's dress- jus' wanted to pet it like it was a mouse..." Lennie obviously didn't understand that touching that girls dress would have cost George and him their jobs and they would have to run away. George, I thought, was not only a friend to Lennie but was the care taker for Lennie. George is just trying to keep himself and Lennie out of trouble so that was the reason for running away.
Lennie and George's relationship... Basically, they're besties. Which, I mean, is cute and all because they really dont seem to have any family to hold onto, so they're there for each other. Lennie is obviously more of a follower, because in the very beginning it talks about how one always walks behind the other, even in open spaces (IMAGERY). George takes care of Lennie which is good. SO YAY FOR THEM. FRIENDS FOREVER. GOOD TIMES FOR SURE.
1. Leenie and George's relationship is that of a father and a son. Leenie looks up to George tremendously, mimicking his every move and constantly asking for his approval. When they approached the river, for example, Lennie was q uick to sit and adjust his hat to be just like George. When George grew angry with him, Lennie wholeheartedly offered to leave him alone and live by himself if it made his father figure happy. Looking over Lennie is not easy for George, but he cares about him too much to let him fend for himself. In realizing he had made Lennie upset, George apologized, promising him they would someday have a better life.
As I opened "Of Mice and Men" (and I use quotation marks here because I don't know how to add underlines on this blog page) I held my breath as the smell of the pages wafted from within. I mean, I don't know about all y'all, but my book stinks. Literally.
It's silly, but the smell of this book alone made me dread what I'd find on the inside. Yeah, yeah, roll your eyes. But I'm serious. When a book smells like my book does, you gotta wonder if something bad went down on the pages. Metaphorically, that is.
However, I braced myself, and as my curiosity for the story took over, I settled myself into the corner of our oversized couch. (Which I plan on stealing from my house when I move out, by the way. I'm not kidding, that thing is so comfy. Ask anyone who has EVER sat on it.) Anywho, I settled myself into the cushy corner of our couch, and started to read.
The first sentence wasn't all that promising: "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank" and yada yada yada. Maybe it's just how I learned to write, but I really expected something more catchy, you know? A sentence that would hook the reader right in. Like, WHAM! LOOKOUT WORLD, 'CAUSE DIS IS MICE AN' MEN RIGHT HERE YO! Quite obviously, John Steinbeck's choice of words does not at ALL parallel what I was looking for. But then again I'm blonde, a teenager, and therefore, completely ridiculous. Moving on.
As I said, the first sentence disappointed me a bit. And as I started to read more and more, I was getting a little edgy. "Where are the characters?" I was wondering. “Are they gonna show up soon? 'Cause if not, I may be making a trip to SparkNotes.” (Just kidding. I'd never do that for a class assignment, unless I severely had NO CLUE as to what was going on in what I just read. But even then, SparkNotes is a last resource.)
Finally, to my relief, George and Lennie stumbled from the brush into the setting Steinbeck has so vividly described. "Yes!" my mind exulted (HELLO vocab word!) "NOW things are gonna get interesting!" And in fact, they kinda did.
Now, we ALL know I'm not talking about "Harry Potter Can't Put This Down Ever" kind of interesting, but all the same, it was slightly captivating. Nothing crucial happened really. It was your basic exposition: meet the characters (George and Lennie), discover what they're doing (running off to a ranch to get hired), and learn a tidbit of interesting information (Lennie loves to pet mice, but kills them because he doesn't know his own strength. I'm guessing this is foreshadowing of some sort? Otherwise, why would it be mentioned?)
All of this was very nice to read. Kinda like a cake recipe. Add two cups of dirty water, one teaspoon of dead mouse, a pinch of . . . friendship?
I guess that brings me to answering question number one. George and Lennie's relationship. . . hmmm . . .
Frankly, I'm a bit disgusted with their relationship. I want so much for the relationship to be something special: two friends, enjoying each other's company, braving the world and it's struggles together with a dead mouse and a can of beans. Instead, the closest word that could describe their relationship is this: two companions, with an obvious inequality in the balance of what they share.
It's almost cruel how George treats Lennie. Taking away his mice, mumbling about abandoning him, outright blaming Lennie for everything that has happened to them; you shouldn't treat someone that harshly when they are more child-like in mind. Yes, you may need a stricter hand, but you should be authoritative to only a certain level. Anything over that is sheer dominance, and is not attractive in a character.
Lennie completely trusts George, and even from the first chapter, you can tell he looks up to him and is constantly seeking for approval. This is made extremely apparent when Lennie insists, "I was only foolin', George. I don't want no ketchup. I wouldn't eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me." (page twelve) George, as well as the reader, knows that this is not completely true. If there had been ketchup there, Lennie'd have been using it like shampoo on a sheepdog at bath-time. Still, Lennie says this and forces himself to believe it because all he wants is for George, the Alpha in the relationship, to bestow a kind eye toward his feeble attempts of being the perfect Beta.
Another example of their relationship comes on page nine. You know, the whole terrier returning the ball to the master quote. This prominently displays the kind of power George holds over Lennie, who is too eager-to-please to disobey the only person that's giving him the time of day.
"Wait wait wait a second!" You cry. "What about near the end of the chapter?! When George softens up to Lennie and tells him the bedtime story? And then tell him later to come back to this spot if anything bad ever happens?" I have mixed feelings about these two things. Right now, from just one chapter, I feel that when George is kind to Lennie, it is merely out of guilt for how rudely he treats him at other times. And don't claim you don't know what I'm talking about. We've all done it before.
As for telling Lennie to come back to the spot they're in if anything bad ever happens? Yes, it does seem caring. But at the same time, I think it is mainly a paternal instinct George now has concerning Lennie. If anything were to happen to his gentle-natured partner, George would bear the responsibility.
And please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that George dislikes Lennie or visa versa. In fact, I think that Lennie greatly likes George, based on his attempts to keep himself in George's favor. As for George liking Lennie, I'm still trying to figure it out. I'd have to say that there is something underneath everything that is keeping the two so close, but right now the strongest emotion from George I'm picking out is annoyance.
While all these observations worry me a bit, I trust that Steinbeck has written everything for a reason, and that the read will be worth it in the end. After all, the title "Of Mice and Men" hasn't stayed popular for so long without a reason, right?
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