Of Mice and Men paper assignment

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Of Mice and Men paper assignment

• OF MICE AND MEN
• LITERARY ANALYSIS
• STRUCTURE

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OF MICE AND MEN

• REVIEW
• In addition to a thesis statement, an
  introduction includes
• An attention-getting first sentence.
• The name of the author and the title of the book.
• A preview of points that will be used to support
  the thesis statement.

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Of Mice and Men

• Now, we move on to writing structure
• Writing in present tense
• Because literature is timeless, it is written
  about in present tense. For example, George and
  Lennie are on an endless quest for their dream
  because the story starts anew each time a new
  reader picks up the book. They are forever in the
  circumstances of the book. To a new reader,
  Lennie is mentally challenged, not was. Even
  after you finish reading the book, Slim still
  moves with the majesty of a master craftsman.

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Of Mice and Men

• So lets look at some samples of how the world
  in the book is caught in time. It never ends.
• Original When Lennie killed the mice and puppy,
  when Carlson killed Candys dog, and when the
  heron ate the snake this all foreshadowed what
  happened to Lennie at the end.

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Of Mice and Men

• Notice how all of the verbs or action words are
  in the past tense killed the mice killed
  Candys dog the heron ate the snake all
  foreshadowed what happened to Lennie.
• The solution simply convert the verbs to
  present tense.
• Revised When Lennie kills the mice and puppy,
  when Carlson kills Candys dog, and when the
  heron eats the snake this all foreshadows what
  happens to Lennie at the end.

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Of Mice and Men

• Now you try one
• Original George and Lennie had more than just a
  friendship they were different than any other
  ranch workers.

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Of Mice and Men

• Your correction should look like this
• George and Lennie have more than just a
  friendship they are different than any other
  ranch workers.

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Of Mice and Men

• OK, your next challenge writing in third
  person. This simply means taking I, we, us,
  my, mine, and our out of your writing.
  Those are first-person words (pronouns).
• In this type of paper, you need to write in
  third person. Think of it as becoming a
  professional critic for this paper. You dont
  need to say things like I think. Its implied
  that you know. Does it make your opinion the only
  right one? No, but this is your reading of the
  book. When someone reads your paper, you become a
  source who knows what you are saying.

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Of Mice and Men

• First-person example
• Friendship can teach us some strange but
  meaningful lessons.
• Solution Simply remove us.
• Friendship can teach some strange but
  meaningful lessons.

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Of Mice and Men

• Now you try changing one from first person to
  third person
• My final example is a little more vague. Just
  before the scene where George kills Lennie, a
  heron snatches a snake out of the water.

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Of Mice and Men

• You could have done something like this
• Although subtle, the encounter between the heron
  and the snake provides a meaningful illustration
  of foreshadowing.

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Of Mice and Men

• Now, lets look at effective transitions.
• A transition is a word or phrase that joins the
  thought or point in one paragraph with the
  thought or point you want to make in the next
  paragraph. This makes your writing flow in a
  smooth and logical pattern.
• Lets try to create one for these two paragraphs.

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Of Mice and Men

• (This is the last sentence of the prior
  paragraph) Never once does George take advantage
  of Lennies stupidity. George regards Lennie as
  too good of a friend.
• (This is the first sentence of the next
  paragraph) Crooks is the stable buck. He has a
  bent back, and he is an African American.

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Of Mice and Men

• (Lets put them together as they would appear in
  an essay)
• Never once does George take advantage of
  Lennies stupidity. George regards Lennie as too
  good of a friend.
• Crooks is the stable buck. He has a bent back,
  and he is an African American.
• This feels disjointed. We need to create a
  transition that can help link the two
  paragraphs/ideas. Feel free to add a few words or
  change a few words if necessary.

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Of Mice and Men

• Does yours look something like this?
• Never once does George take advantage of
  Lennies stupidity. George regards Lennie as too
  good of a friend.
• However, Crooks, the lonely stable buck, has no
  such friend. Crooks, whose name comes from his
  bent and damaged back, is the only African
  American on the ranch.
• See how the word however and the phrase has no
  such friend ties this paragraph to the idea
  expressed in the prior paragraph friendship.
• Lennie and George are friends. They have each
  other. Crooks has no friends. He is lonely.

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Of Mice and Men

• Try one more
• The mice, puppy, and Curleys wife are so weak
  compared to Lennie, they cannot survive.
• Candys dog is the last example of
  foreshadowing in the book.
• Create an effective transition. Feel free to add
  more words, or change words, as necessary.

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Of Mice and Men

• How does yours compare to this one?
• The mice, puppy, and Curleys wife are so weak
  compared to Lennie, they cannot survive.
• In much the same way, Steinbeck uses another
  animal, Candys dog, to foreshadow the decision
  George faces at the end of the novel in regard to
  Lennie.
• The phrase in much the same way is the link
  between the two paragraphs.

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Of Mice and Men

• Putting the text to work
• In this form of writing, its very effective
  (and in this assignment, required) to use
  passages from the book to help support your
  points. This not only provides evidence for
  your points, it also adds multiple voices to your
  writing (as long as you dont overdo it).
• Lets see how this works. Lets say were still
  writing our paper about Crooks.

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Of Mice and Men

• The effects of this isolation become clear when
• Crooks confides in Lennie during a poignant
  moment in
• Crookss room. Lennies mental retardation and
  short
• memory span gives Crooks the confidence to bare
  his
• soul without fear of getting in trouble. After
  painting a
• terrifying picture for Lennie of life without
  George
• whom Lennie travels with, idolizes, and loves
  Crooks
• turns his harsh words inward. He tells Lennie
  how
• hard it is to be shunned by the other men, and
  how
• lonely it gets in the barn with just books to
  keep Crooks company.

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Of Mice and Men

• Theres nothing wrong with that paragraph.
  However, it becomes even more effective if we let
  Crooks do some of the talking, like this
• The effects of this isolation becomes clear
  when Crooks confides in Lennie during a poignant
  moment in Crookss room. Lennies mental
  retardation and short memory span give Crooks the
  confidence to bare his soul without fear of
  getting in trouble. After painting a terrifying
  picture for Lennie of life without George who
  Lennie travels with, idolizes, and loves Crooks
  turns his harsh words inward, saying about his
  own lonely life that, A guy needs somebody to
  be near him. A guy goes nuts if he aint got
  nobody (72).

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Of Mice and Men

• We have used Crookss own words to help support
  our point. Because they are Crookss words, we
  put them in quotation marks. Notice that we put
  the page number, in parentheses, where the quote
  comes from. In this paper, were only using
  material from one source, so we do not need to
  identify the author with the page number simply
  use the page number.
• Because the quote is shorter than four typed
  lines, we can just include it in the same
  paragraph as the writing that comes before it.

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Of Mice and Men

• However, if we use quoted material that is five
  lines or longer, we make it a separate paragraph
  we indent all lines on the left we take away the
  quotation marks and we leave it double-spaced,
  like this
• The effects of this isolation becomes clear
  when Crooks confides in Lennie during a poignant
  moment in Crookss room. Lennies mental
  retardation and short memory span gives Crooks
  the confidence to bare his soul without fear of
  getting in trouble. After painting a terrifying
  picture for Lennie of life without George who
  Lennie travels with, idolizes, and loves Crooks
  turns his harsh words inward on his own empty
  life
• Spose you didnt have nobody. Spose you
  couldnt go into the bunkhouse and play rummy
  cause you was black. Howd you like that?
  Spose you had to sit out here an read books.
  Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark,
  but then you got to read books. Books aint no
  good. A guy needs somebody to be near him. A
  guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. (72-73)

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Of Mice and Men

• Now, one last step. We have to complete our
  point with a concluding thought after the quoted
  material. It would look something like this
  (PLEASE NOTE THIS WOULD ALL BE DOUBLE SPACED)
• After painting a terrifying picture for Lennie
  of life without George who Lennie travels with,
  idolizes, and loves Crooks turns his harsh
  words inward on his own empty life
• Spose you didnt have nobody. Spose you
  couldnt go into the bunkhouse and play rummy
  cause you was black. Howd you like that? Spose
  you had to sit out here an read books. Sure you
  could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then
  you got to read books. Books aint no good. A guy
  needs somebody to be near him. A guy goes nuts
  if he aint got nobody. (72-73)
• Its clear that Crooks is aware of the damage
  loneliness is doing to his soul and that he
  envies the relationship George and Lennie share.
  This prompts him to offer to work for free if he
  is allowed to join George and Lennies dream of
  owning their own place. Crooks is willing to work
  merely for room and board if it means having
  human companionship to stave off his devastating
  isolation.
• A final note Your follow-up discussion after
  the quote should be at least as long as the quote
  itself. Also, do not indent the follow-up
  paragraph.

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Of Mice and Men

• One last requirement
• Format your first page according to MLA style
  (all double-spaced)
• Your first and last name Your Last Name 1
• Mr. Johnston
•  Communications 9 Honors
•  19 February 2013
• TITLE IS CENTERED

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Of Mice and Men

• Now, lets practice this with a miniature essay
  based on the activity you did with To A Mouse.

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Naturalism

• Now that we have translated To A Mouse, review
  your notes on Naturalism.
• Compose a short essay (three to four paragraphs)
  in which you interpret the poem through a
  Naturalistic lens. In your essay
• Include an introduction with a thesis statement
  a sentence that indicates your interpretation of
  this poem Robert Burnss poem To A Mouse
  reveals/indicates/shows that
• Cite specific lines in the poem to support your
  analysis. Burns demonstrates this in the third
  verse Im truly sorry Mans dominion

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Naturalism

• Compare your analysis of the poem to the
  Naturalistic themes in Of Mice and Men. How can
  the naturalistic message of the poem be directly
  mapped onto the naturalistic aspects of the
  novel? For example, you might consider the
  conditions the mouse in the poem faces and the
  conditions George and Lennie face.
• Structure
• Your essay should be written in third person
  (take out the personal pronouns I me my
  us we our avoid second-person you).
• Also, write in present tense Burns states that
  (not stated) The mouse cowers in fear (not
  cowered).

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Naturalism

• REMINDERS
• All writing assignments are typed, double-spaced,
  10-point type.
• Format essays per MLA style.
• Create a title something stronger than To A
  Mouse or Naturalism in To A Mouse
• As noted after the Diner paper, form paragraphs
  and indent them.