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Guided Notes: Of Mice and Men

Learning Goals for reading & writing:

  • I can read closely and find answers explicitly in text and answers that require an inference
  • I can thoroughly support both explicit and inferential questions by analyzing an author’s words and determining multiple pieces of textual evidence that strongly support those questions.
  • I can determine how specific details in the text reveal and continually refine a central idea.
  • I can determine the overall analysis, ideas, or events being conveyed by an author.
  • I can analyze how a text unfolds and determine the impact that the order, development, and/or connections between points have on the reader.
  • I can analyze how specific word choices build upon one another to create a cumulative impact on the technical meaning (i.e., technical meanings and purposes)
  • I can analyze and explain how the role of particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text helps to develop and refine
  • I can determine an author’s point of view and explain his/her purpose for writing the text.(Realism/Naturalism)
  • I can identify and analyze various accounts of the same subject and determine which details are emphasized in each medium.

Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck

Define Realism:

Define Naturalism:

How does Steinbeck’s background affect the writing of this novelette?

Vocabulary – Chapter One

  1. debris: scattered remains of something broken or destroyed
  2. recumbent: reclining or lying down
  3. bindle: blanket roll or bedroll
  4. morosely: in a melancholy or sad way
  5. resignedly: dutifully; in an accepting way
  6. droned: spoke in a repetitive, flat tone
  7. lumbered:: moved clumsily and heavily
  8. pantomime: wordless gestures that suggest a story or idea
  9. contemplated: considered thoughtfully
  10. imperiously:in a commanding way
  1. Reread the passage from chapter one and underline three words that affect the meaning of this text. Define each word and explain the connotation and denotation of the word.

There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a

path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the

deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the

highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low

horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by

many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.

  1. Examine the way George and Lennie speak. What do their word choices, grammar, and overall style of speaking reveal about their characters? Does their style of speech seem realistic? Explain and give examples.

Lennie sat down on the ground and hung his head dejectedly. "I don't

know where there is no other mouse. I remember a lady used to give 'em

to me- ever' one she got. But that lady ain't here."

George scoffed. "Lady, huh? ------

  1. Reread the passage from chapter one and underline three words that affect the meaning of this text. Define each word and explain the connotation and denotation of the word.

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 quietly as little gray sculptured stones. And

then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of

footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly

for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down

river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged

from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.

  1. How does George react to Lennie’s forgetfulness? toLennie’s attempt to hide the mouse? to his wish for ketchup? Why does George react this way?
  1. Why is the idea of owning land so appealing to George and Lennie? To whom does the dream seem more important, George or Lennie? Why? How does this relate to the theme of The American Dream?

Chapter 2:

Vocabulary:

  1. skeptically: with a questioning attitude
  2. mollified: calmed; quieted
  3. pugnacious: quarrelsome; eager to fight
  4. ominously: in a threatening or foreboding manner
  5. derogatory: insulting
  6. plaintively: sorrowfully
  7. brusquely: harshly; rudely
  8. apprehensive: worried; fearful; uneasy
  9. disengage: to release; to set free
  10. complacently: in a self – satisfied manner
  1. Reread the passage and draw the room Steinbeck describes with descriptive detail:

The bunkhouse was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls

were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were

small, square windows, and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden

latch. Against the walls were eight bunks, five of them made up with

blankets and the other three showing their burlap ticking. Over each

bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it

made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the

bunk. And these shelves were loaded with little articles, soap and

talcum powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch men love to

read and scoff at and secretly believe. And there were medicines on

the shelves, and little vials, combs; and from nails on the box sides,

a few neckties. Near one wall there was a black cast-iron stove, its

stovepipe going straight up through the ceiling. In the middle of

the room stood a big square table littered with playing cards, and

around it were grouped boxes for the players to sit on.

  1. What do you learn about the person who once had George’s bunk? What does Candy’s attitude seem to be toward the man? What does that man’s behavior suggest about the lives of the ranch hands in general? How does this knowledge relate to your research on realism and naturalism?
  1. Candy recalls a fight between the black stable hand and Smitty, a white ranch hand. What was the reason for the fight? How did the other ranch hands respond to it? What mood is created by Candy’s description of this incident? How do you feel toward the ranch hands because of this incident? What affects of Naturalism and Realism evolve?
  1. What things does George do out of loyalty to Lennie? What does Lennie do out of loyalty to George? Why do you think they remain loyal to each other? Why is this behavior an anomaly during this time period? Research what would have happened to Lenny in the 1950s if George did not look out for him.
  1. Draw a chart and list the ways that Curley show he is insecure in contrast to Slim’s confidence. Cite text evidence. What lessons might Curley learn from Slim?
  1. What do you think might happen later in the book? Which characters might cause George and Lennie trouble? Which characters might befriend them? Cite passages from the book as evidence for your opinions. (inference)

Chapter 3

Vocabulary:

  1. derision: ridicule or mockery
  2. receptive: open; encouraging
  3. scuttled: ran hastily; scurried
  4. subdued: quieted or mastered; brought under control
  5. raptly: attentively; in an entranced way
  6. subsided: settled down; became less agitated
  7. reprehensible: deserving of blame; wrong
  8. bemused: amazed, bewildered, and stunned
  9. welled: rose to the surface
  10. wryly: with a dry, sarcastic humor; ironically
  1. Slim refuses Candy’s silent appeal to let the old dog live. Why might Slim think that the dog is better off dead? What does this attitude say about ranch life? How is this an example of naturalism?
  1. Whit shows a magazine containing a letter written by a former ranch hand. Why are Whit and the others so impressed by the letter’s publication? What does this show about the social life and ambitions of the ranch hands? How does this revelation showcase what is missing from the ranch hands to achieve The American Dream.
  1. George has known Candy for less than a day, yet he quickly agrees to let him share in the farm dream. Why might George include Candy so readily? If you were in George’s shoes, would you share your dream with a stranger? Explain.
  1. Reread the passage and explain how this adds to a theme of the novel.

"He's a nice fella," said Slim. "Guy don't need no sense to be a

nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way

around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella."

George stacked the scattered cards and began to lay out his

solitaire hand. The shoes thudded on the ground outside. At the

windows the light of the evening still made the window squares bright.

"I ain't got no people," George said. "I seen the guys that go

around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no

fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all

the time."

"Yeah, they get mean," Slim agreed. "They get so they don't want

to talk to nobody."

"'Course Lennie's

  1. Since Curley agrees not to tell the truth about the fight, do you feel that trouble with Curley is over for Lennie and George? Why or why not? What do think would be the best way to settle the quarrel?

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Chapter 4:

Vocabulary:

  1. accumulated: collected; gathered
  2. aloof: removed; distant
  3. meager: of poor quality; weak or skimpy
  4. fawning: flatteringly; affectionate
  5. disarming: friendly; charming
  6. sullenly: in a gloomy, sulky way
  7. contemptuously: disrespectfully
  8. averted: turned away
  9. appraised: examined in order to make a judgment
  10. crestfallen: disappointed; sad
  1. Reread the text: Choose three words that make a strong impact on the meaning of this text. Explain why Steinbeck chose this diction.

Crooks laughed again. "A guy can talk to you an' be sure you won't

goblabbin'. Couple of weeks an' them pups'll be all right. George

knows what he's about. Jus' talks, an' you don't understand

nothing." He leaned forward excitedly. "This is just a nigger talkin',

an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see? You

couldn't remember it anyways. I seen it over an' over- a guy talkin'

to another guy and it don't make no difference if he don't hear or

understand. The thing is, they're talkin', or they're settin' still

nottalkin'. It don't make no difference, no difference." His

excitement had increased until he pounded his knee with this hand.

"George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter. It's just the

talking. It's just bein' with another guy. That's all."

  1. In what ways is Crooks different from the other ranch hands? How is he both inferior and superior to the others? How does he maintain his dignity, despite the abuse he receives? How does this add to the theme of isolation in this text?
  1. What attracts Crooks to George and Lennie’s dream of buying a farm? What causes him to change his mind about wanting to join the others in buying the farm? Is his pride a weakness or a sign of strength in this instance?
  1. What does the life of Curley’s wife suggest about opportunities for women during the early decades of this century? Why is she so isolated on the ranch? Is she more of a victim of her time or her personality? Explain.
  1. How does George react when he learns that Candy and Lennie have revealed their plan to Crooks? Why do you think George responds this way? In what ways is George’s attitude about the plan different from Candy and Lennie’s? Why might he have a different attitude?

Chapter 5&6

Vocabulary

  1. suspended: dangling; hanging
  2. consoled: comforted
  3. writhed: twisted and squirmed
  4. cringed: shrank back in fear; cowered
  5. sluggishly: slowly
  6. sniveled: complained or whined tearfully
  7. scudded: moved along swiftly; pushed by the wind
  8. belligerently: aggressively; prepared to fight
  9. monotonous: spoken in a dull and unvarying tone
  10. jarred: shaken or jolted
  1. Why does Curley’s wife talk to Lennie about her life? What seems to have led her to marry Curley? Why is she dissatisfied with her marriage? What are her dreams, and how do they compare to George’s and Lennie’s?
  1. Candy berates Curley’s dead wife, saying, “Ever’bodyknowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good.” Is his anger justified? What else might he be angry at? Why is he so bitter, though George remains calm and quiet?
  1. Analyze the ranch hands’ reactions to the murder. Why are they so eager to track Lennie down? What other incidents in the book indicate how they’d be likely to treat Lennie?
  1. Lennie imagines Aunt Clara and a rabbit accusing him of being a burden on George. What do these visions tell you about Lennie’s state of mind? What do they say about Lennie’s relationship with George?
  1. Analyze George’s decision to shoot Lennie. What alternative does he have? Does he make the best choice? Why or why not?