I. 5-6 Quiz
Complete Literary Analysis Exercise.
Literary Analysis Questions for Of Mice and Men
II. Creative Essay: Channel your inner George
You are George. Lennie just killed Curly's wife. Everyone on the ranch is aware of her death. What do you do? Please use first person and write an ending to the novel.
(This is a full essay; It will take the place of your test on Monday; It is due on Monday before you walk into class)
**This is a full essay, no restrictions. You may use dialogue, first person, slang, etc.
III. Analysis (We will work on this on Friday/ Monday)
1. Understanding Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is the author’s use of hints early in a piece of literature that relate to an event or events that take place later on. How are each of the following foreshadowed in Of Mice and Men?
a. Curley’s wife’s death
b. Lennie’s death
2. Understanding Allusion: Allusion is when an author refers to another place, time, or piece of literature with the assumption that the reader will be able to make the connection from prior knowledge. The title Of Mice and Men alludes to the poem “To A Mouse” by Robert Burns.
a. What does the poem have in common with the novel?
b. Fully relate the meaning of the translated line from the poem to both pieces of literature: “The best laid schemes of mice and men Go oft awry”
c. How does the line from the poem relate to the following characters? 1) Candy 2) Curley’s wife 3) Lennie 4) George
3. Understanding Theme: The message of the author to the reader is called the theme of a piece of literature. a. How does the idea of power run through the novella? Discuss the various ways in which the strong dominate the weak in Of Mice and Men.
b. Fully discuss the theme of friendship in this novella.
c. Fully discuss the theme of loneliness in this novella. What causes certain characters to feel left out?
4. Understanding Allegory: Allegory is the representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. The representation of a society as comprised of classes is an issue of which Steinbeck writes. How is the ranch a microcosm of American society? What does Steinbeck fear for each of the different classes?
5. Understanding Imagery: The author’s ability to use words that paint a picture in the reader’s mind or appeal to any of the other senses is called sensory imagery. Steinbeck is known for his sympathetic portrayal of the underdog or powerless, his use of animal imagery, and his sensory images. Discuss his use of these three in each of the following chapters: a. Chapter 4 (Crooks’ room on Saturday night)
b. Chapter 6 (Lennie’s death, Sunday evening at the pool)
6. Understanding Idioms: An idiom is a speech form or an expression that cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, and are usually exclusive to (or more easily understood by) a particular region or group. Discuss the meaning of the following idioms used by John Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men:
a. live off the fatta the lan’
b. bustin’ a gut
c. get the can
d. take the rap
e. make it stick
