Literature Analysis: OF MICE AND MEN

 1.John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is about two men named George and Lennie, they are going to a new job to work on a ranch.  George is a shorter man but very smart and witty, on the other hand Lennie is a bigger stronger man but slow on the intellectual side.  Lennie has a mental disability and George is the one who takes care of him.  There are times when George feels life would be a lot easier if he didn't have Lennie in his life, but its obvious their friendship and devotion to one another is mutual. When the men arrive at the ranch and George tells the boss that the two of them are cousins and Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse when he was young.  They are hired and meet the workers for the first time a short period after that. George admits to Slim that he and Lennie are not cousins and they are best friends.  He tells him that Lennie has gotten them into trouble in the past, like their last job where he got accused of rape.  Candy gives in to the pressure and lets Carlson kill his old dog. Curley picks a fight with Lennie and in the altercation Lennie breaks his hand.  The next night the men go out and Lennie is left behind with Crooks and Curleys wife.  While in the barn Curleys wife approaches Lennie in the barn, he tells her he likes to pet soft things and starts petting her hair.  He pulls to hard and she starts screaming and in an attempt to quiet her he snaps her neck.  Lennie leaves to the spot where George told him to go if he got into trouble.  George meets him there a short time later and doesn't seem mad but just talks to his best friend.  While his head is turned he puts the gun to his head and kills his friend out of mercy.  When the rest of the people get there, they are confused on what had happened as Slim and George walk off.
2.  The main theme in this novel is friendship. The friendship between George and Lennie is very strong and is the closest thing to brothers either of them have.  They both have one another's best interest in mind, protect each other, and know that there is someone in the world who is dedicated to looking over them.  They each have a dream that they shape their lives around and it also enhances their bond.  Even though there is a tragic end to the story, there is still no doubt that their friendship is as strong as ever at the end of the story.
3. The tone for Of Mice and Men is both tragic  sentimental.   It is tragic because right when you get a sense that things are starting to go right for George and Lennie, there is a turn in the story that brings a sense of failure for their life. It is sentimental in the fact that the audience starts to gain compassion for Lennie and then there is a plot twist towards the end.  The audience feels bad for Lennie and that's why there is a sentimental tone to it.

4.  A literary technique used in the novel is foreshadowing.  For example, when Lennie is petting the dead mouse at the beginning of the story.  We learn that he likes to pet soft stuff and ends up killing some animals.  At the end of the story he accidentally kills the bunny which leads to his downfall and eventually his death.One literary technique that is used often are symbols. One symbol is George and Lennie's Farm and this is what their dream is.  It also seduces all the characters in the story and it also makes the reader want to believe that there is the possibility of a free life.  The farm gives a sense of freedom and protection from the outside world. Another literary technique used is simile.  For example, "At about ten o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows, and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars."  Diction is also another literary technique that is used- "We could live offa the fatta the lan'." The final literary technique used is Imagery.  "Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves.  The shade climbed up the hills toward the top.  On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quitely as little gray, sculptured stones."

9 Elements of Poetry

"Dear Mama"

You are appreciated

[Verse One: 2Pac]

When I was young me and my mama had beef
Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets
Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face
Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place
Suspended from school; and scared to go home, I was a fool
with the big boys, breakin all the rules
I shed tears with my baby sister
Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama
When things went wrong we'd blame mama
I reminice on the stress I caused, it was hell
Huggin on my mama from a jail cell
And who'd think in elementary?
Heeey! I see the penitentiary, one day
And runnin from the police, that's right
Mama catch me, put a whoopin to my backside
And even as a crack fiend, mama
You always was a black queen, mama
I finally understand
for a woman it ain't easy tryin to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it
There's no way I can pay you back
But the plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus: Reggie Green & "Sweet Franklin" w/ 2Pac]

Lady...
Don't cha know we love ya? Sweet lady
Dear mama
Place no one above ya, sweet lady
You are appreciated
Don't cha know we love ya?

[second and third chorus, "And dear mama" instead of "Dear mama"]

[Verse Two: 2Pac]

Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there
He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger
wouldn't let me feel for a stranger
They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along
I was lookin for a father he was gone
I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs
They showed a young brother love
I moved out and started really hangin
I needed money of my own so I started slangin
I ain't guilty cause, even though I sell rocks
It feels good puttin money in your mailbox
I love payin rent when the rent's due
I hope ya got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
Cause when I was low you was there for me
And never left me alone because you cared for me
And I could see you comin home after work late
You're in the kitchen tryin to fix us a hot plate
Ya just workin with the scraps you was given
And mama made miracles every Thanksgivin
But now the road got rough, you're alone
You're tryin to raise two bad kids on your own
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus]

[Verse Three: 2Pac]

Pour out some liquor and I reminsce, cause through the drama
I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I'm hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act craaazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if ya hold on
It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus]

Sweet lady
And dear mama

Dear mama
Lady [3X]

The poem I chose was  "Dear Mama" by Tupac Shakur.  It showed people a completely different side of Tupac and it shows how much he appreciates his mother and I was able to connect with that.

• The first element from the poem is dramatic situation.  The speaker of the poem is the rapper 2pac and from the poem we can tell he is a sad guy who often is upset.  We can tell from his circumstances that the people around him don't care enough about him to help him with his depression.       The structure of the poem is it is 3  stanzas and has 4 last little lines by themselves. All the lines in the poem relate to the fact that he is appreciative of everything his mother has done for him and his sister growing up, but he has not always expressed this. Each line is a complete thought that continues off of the last one.  There is only repetition in the lines with "you are appreciated" in them and the poem has a rhyming scheme to it. 

·                     The theme of the poem is that no matter what is going on in your life, you always need to appreciate those who have stood by you and who love you most.  Most people do have as sensitive side to them.  Tupac was supposed to be this bad guy who is tough and doesn't let anything get to him, but at the end of the day his mother is his soft spot. When really it really comes down to it, he puts his mom above everything.   The theme is to make sure you appreciate you loved ones because you never know when they’ll be gone forever.  . 

·                     The grammar the author uses is proper but the lines are fragments.  The author doesn't continue off of these fragments so his thoughts are complete to the audience.  There is a lot of meaning to his words that go beyond the literal meanings of the words. 

·                     I think that this poem does have a lot of literal and figurative language.  When he repeats “There’s no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated" he is literally meaning that there is no way that he can repay his mother for everything she has put up with and done for him, but at the end of the day all he wants is to let his mom know that he appreciates her.   The figurative language he uses is like, "You always was a black queen, mama," by that he is talking about his mother and how she is a queen in his eyes.

·                      The important words of the poem are, "Dear mama", "You are appreciated", and "Place no one above ya, sweet lady." These are the most important words because the author is letting us know that he does in fact appreciate his mama more than anything in the world.   If he did have a friend that cared then he would spill his emotions to that person, but since he doesn't he has to hide those feelings.

·                     The tone of this poem is optimistic and appreciative.  He wants the audience to know that through everything, he remains appreciative and tries to live his life taking nothing fore granted. 

·                     There are some literary techniques like metaphors and a hyperbole.  His metaphors compare his mother to a black queen.  He says that his anger wouldn’t let him feel for a stranger (his father).   He exaggerates the fact that his past experiences and his mother takes form and is with him all the time. 

·                     The procedure of the poem is there is a distinct flow to it, that is easy for the reader to comprehend what his message his.  There is also a rhythm to it and that also helps to the reader.  The rhyme is every two lines are grouped together throughout. 

Reflection on Today's Essay Exam

Due to the limited amount of time given to write the essays today, I felt like that was one of the hardest part about the whole exam.  I did feel like I was prepared to write about Dickens Great Expectations which made it really easy for me.  Since I reviewed all of my notes the night before it was easy for me to think of the characters and their qualities when the essay prompts were given.  Getting started is always the toughest part for me.  To help with this, I created a pre-write which really helped me.  

       I learned that the AP questions are able to have a broad spectrum of answers which makes it easy once you really break the questions down.  I actually was very calm under the pressure, which isn't normal for me.  I am not usually a good test taker, but maybe because writing is one of my strong points, I was very calm.  My pre-writes really helped me too.  In order to prepare for the AP exam I need to make sure that I do a review of the novels I have previously read to refresh my memory which will allow me to be more exact with my essays.  All in all I feel like I did a good job on my essays.

Why Dickens' wrote a Tale of Two Cities

Charles dickens wrote this book to help portay how horrible the federal system was and the laws that the king let his people live.Dickens wanted to change the laws. Charles Dickens was haunted by the memories of being forced to work in the debtors prison for so long and losing his sister whom he idolized and being unable to marry the women whom he loved.

10 questions on a Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities
Questions
1. Why does the novel start with the quote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."?

2. The story takes place during the French Revolution in Paris and London. Why are they chosen as the two separate cities for comparison?

3. Mr. Lorry says, "Recalled to life." What is he trying to say and what relation does it have to his life?

4. Why is Dickens's tone in the book very ominous or sad?

5. What is the big surprise about Lucie's dad?

6. How does Monseiur Defarge react to Lucie and Lorry when they come into his wine shop in England?

7. How does Lucie's dad react when Lucie shows up?

8. What is meant by the quote, "death was a recipe much in vogue,"?

9. Who is Jerry Cruncher and why is he relevant to the storyline in the current year 1780?

10. What is the relationship between Lorry and Charles Darnay?


Answers

1. That quotes symbolizes the contradictory attitudes from the two separate cities of London and Paris. While Paris was the center of the Revolution going on, they weren't in any major concern state of mind. Meanwhile, London was scared of another revolution starting. They were scarred for life by the American Revolution and did not want that to come back to haunt them like it did the first time around.

2. Like stated above in answer #1, the two cities were chosen as a sort of comparison between environments during such a huge historical event. Paris was going crazy but kept its cool. London was fearful of what they thought was going to destroy the European nation. Dickens used these two cities like a science experiment with one being the control and the other being the variable. They each took the reactions in different ways; therefore, London and Paris were the contrast of the time period.

3. Lorry is mostly talking about how troubled he is with the circumstances in his life. This phrase refers to the fact that giving himself or someone else a second chance of life is like a renewal. He will be able to start from scratch and have a clean slate at the difficult journey ahead.

4. Dickens has a dreary tone during the majority of the novel to set the scene for a gloomy life going on during the time period. London is known for its foggy setting and with the sad tone mixed in, it represents the sadness that the community feels after losing their last revolution/war. The tone also shows the character's personalities and outlooks on life.

5. Lorry and Lucie find out that Lucie's dad is not dead. He is, in fact, in jail and has been for the past 18 years. He got locked up for witnessing (and being falsely accused) a horrendous murder crime.

6. When they first walk in the shop, he ignores them like they aren't even there. After a few minutes, he talks to Lorry quickly and then leads them up some stairs. Once they reach the room they are looking for, they come to find an older man.

7. At first, he doesn't really recognize her because she has grown up since he last saw her. Then he notices her blonde curly locks as a familiar sign. He begins to assume that Lucie is his wife because of her noticeable hair. Lucie goes on to speak about what's been happening and her dad weeps with shock and joy because he has been reunited at last.

8. This phrase is meant along the lines of how to deal with crimes in the current time period. Many people who get convicted for whatever petty crime they did usually get killed because it is frowned upon to revolt against the laws.

9. Jerry Cruncher is an employee of Tellson's. He is married but he is very abusive towards his wife. He hates the fact that she has no true faith in him and beats her because of it. He becomes more involved in the storyline as he must go to the courthouse to attend to some important matters.

10. Charles Darnay is a man that has been accused for leaking secrets about the King of France, King Louis. He has to go up on trial in which Lorry is involved in as a witness to the crime.