Mixing Things Up

I love reading your essays, because even though you read the same book, and are asked the same question, you always come up with three different answers. Seeing this is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get very excited about it! I want to give you all the opportunity to see this as well, and respond to the different point of view expressed in the essays. In order to do that I am going to assign you to read one of your classmates essays. After you read it you will post a comment about it. Tell your classmate what you thought about the way they approached the question, how it gave you a new perspective, and general comments about the essay. It would also be good for you to respond to the comments that were made on your essay.

Post your essay on the blog under the Essay Question post.

Daniel you are going to read Tyler's essay.
Tyler you will read Kevin's essay.
Kevin you will read Daniel's essay.

I am instituting these new changes to foster a better exchange of ideas. You all have so many good things to say about the books, and it is a shame if I am the only person reading them. I think this will make the class very interactive, which is what we want. Please let me know if you have any questions.


Have you all ever seen these amazing chalk drawings? If you google "3D chalk drawings" and click on Images you will be able to see some more. They are amazing. Enjoy!

Your Turn

It's your turn to ask me a question about Of Mice and Men. This book asks its readers so many questions, I'm sure you have a few rolling around in your head. So now it's your chance to ask. We are going to do things a little differently this time. I will answer all your questions, but then you will answer each others.

Daniel you answer Kevin's.
Kevin you answer Tyler's.
Tyler you answer Daniel's.

This will lead to a fuller discussion. Looking forward to it!

Movie Recommendation

I would like to recommend that AFTER you have finished the book, you rent the movie Of Mice and Men. The film stars John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, who also directed it. Filmed in 1992 on the Central Coast, I think you all will really like it. Maybe the three of you can get together this weekend and watch it. The movie does change some scenes, but the dialog is right out of the book. If you do end up watching it, please post and tell me how you liked it.

I know every family has different standards when it comes to movies, so please talk this over with your parents first. I just watched the movie a week ago, for the second time, so if your parents have any questions about the content, they can e-mail me. It is rated PG-13.

Have a good weekend. I'm off to Oregon for my nephew's first birthday!

Essay Question

The beauty and the terror in Of Mice and Men forces the reader the contemplate the actions of George, and ask the question, "What would I do?" Professor James L. Roberts, Ph. D., maintains that what George did was not only right, but merciful. When discussing the scene of Lennie waiting for George by the river, he has visions of a rabbit, and his Aunt Clara. Both tell him how mad George is going to be, but Lennie trusts George.

"Lennie has great faith in George and when the apparition of his Aunt Clara or the giant rabbit appears, he defends his friend George and asserts with authority that George 'ain't gonna be mean.' George, however, will kill his friend Lennie in a few minutes, demonstrating in an ironic way that Lennie is right because this is the kindest thing he can do for Lennie."

In a five paragraph essay discuss the choice that George made. Was it the kindest thing he could do, as Roberts believes? Or did George make the wrong choice?

Your essay is due Friday the 29th by midnight. Good luck!

Keep Up the Good Work!

Hi Guys,

My sister, who has her degree in English Lit, visited the blog the other day. I had told her about what we were doing, and she was curious to see it. Well after reading through most of it, she called me all the way from Scotland, where she lives, to ask me how old you all were. She was so impressed by the level of books you were reading and the way you were discussing them and clearly understanding them. You all really impressed her, and she knows what she is talking about. She has read all the books we are reading, so she enjoyed seeing your opinion of them.

I just wanted to tell you that little story by way of encouragement. You all are working very hard, and it shows in the level of work you continually produce. I could not be more proud of you guys! Great job!

Of Mice and Men

I hope you are excited, because you are about to read an amazing book! Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is his masterpiece. I know Kevin and Daniel enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath, so you know what to expect from Steinbeck - impeccable character development, fascinating plots, and gut wrenching moral dilemmas. Steinbeck desired to tell the stories of the people who lived on the margins of society. To do this he would go live and work with them. Before he wrote The Grapes of Wrath, he went to Oklahoma, joined some migrants and traveled with them to California. Once there he lived with them in their camps and worked alongside them in the fields and orchards of California. If anyone knew how the migrant farmers of the 1930’s lived, thought, talked, and dreamed, Steinbeck did. Of Mice and Men reveals the deepest dreams and fears of its characters. This book grapples with the dream of land ownership and friendship, and the fear of loneliness. I want you to note the different relationships between the characters, particularly Lennie and George, Curley and his wife, and Candy and his dog.

There are many themes to explore in this book which makes it difficult to hone in on one, but I do not want to ruin the story by telling before hand what to look out for. So please enjoy the book, and we will discuss it once you have finished it. There are only a few questions for each chapter, most questions will be for when you have finished the book. A little different this time, hope I’m not confusing you. Also I am going to have the three of you answer different questions. This will lend a better exchange of ideas.

Chapter 1
A cat house is a house of prostitution.
1. What types of images does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie? What is the purpose of this?
2. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” The entire dialogue after this line is important to contrast with the speech George makes about what he would do if he did not have Lennie. He does not really want that life, because that is the life of men who have no one. But this speech describes the typical life of ranch hands. It is a lonely empty existence.

Chapter 2
Pants rabbits are fleasJ
A tart is a flirt.
1. What type of a guy is Curley? How about his wife?
2. What is your response to Carlson’s desire to shoot Candy’s dog? The event is very important and serves as foreshadowing to the larger story.

Chapter 3
1. Slim is described as “God-Like” early in this chapter. Did you catch it? Why is he described this way?
2. What does the men’s discussion about Candy’s old dog show about them?
IMPORTANT - after his dog is shot, Candy regrets that he did not do it himself. This sticks with George.
3. What does Curly do to Lennie? How does Lennie respond? This important scene shows the reader the great strength Lennie possesses.
Chapter 4
“Pitchers” are movies. Back then they would have called movies “picture shows.” So Curley’s wife is talking about being an actress.
1. What do Lennie’s interactions with Crooks show about him?
2. Who else is lonely on this ranch?

Chapter 5
If this chapter had a title it would be “Broken Dreams.” Here we see the dashed dreams of Curley’s wife as well as George and Lennie’s dream die.
1. What is Lennie’s response to the dead puppy?
2. What is Lennie’s response to the death of Curley’s wife?
3. What do George and Candy fear Curley will do to Lennie?

Chapter 6
We are now back at the place where the book began. It is such a lovely spot, lush, green, peaceful. Yet the contrast to what is about to happen there is deep.
1. What do we learn about George and Lennie’s relationship in this scene?
2. George tells Lennie that they are going where, “ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble.” Why is George saying this?
3. How do the other ranch workers respond to what George does?

I am going to assign certain questions to be answered by each of you. Then you will choose any 3 additional questions to answer.
Kevin - Chapter 1, Q. 1. Ch 2, Q 2. Ch 3, Q. 3. Ch 6, Q. 2.
Daniel - Chapter 1, Q 1. Ch 3, Q 3. Ch 4, Q 1. Ch 6, Q. 2.
Tyler - Chapter 2, Q 1 and Q 3. Ch 5, Q 2. Ch. 6, Q 3.

Let me know if you need any guidance or if this confuses you. Enjoy the book, it really is amazing!

Info:
The title comes from a poem by Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Poet. Here is the poem along with a translation. Scottish English is certainly different than what we are used to.
Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)
Scottish national poet (1759 - 1796)

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Translation:

The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

Your Turn

Please post a question about Metamorphosis for me to answer. Anything about the book that has you confused. Now is your chance to make me do the work of explaining it! And just for fun, I thought I would post a picture of a cockroach. Enjoy! Looking forward to seeing what questions you come up with.

This weekend

Hey Guys,

This weekend Jimmy and I went to the Chicago Car Show. It is the largest car show in the country and there were over 1000 cars there. It was very cool. If you ever get a chance to go to one of these, GO. So much fun. I thought you might enjoy some of these pictures.

What did you do this weekend?

This was a concept car from Lexus. Crazy!

This was my favorite, an old BMW

This was Jimmy's favorite, the Dodge Challenger

This car is $500,000!

Essay Question

It is VERY important that you read the article I linked you to in the Comprehension Questions post before you write your essay. In this essay you need to familiarize yourself with Kafka's life and use this knowledge as well as information from the article to answer the question.

In The Metamorphosis, Kafka examines the value society places on people and success. Since Kafka was Jewish, he experienced societies prejudices throughout his life. How do you think this shaped the way he viewed society? Consider the cockroach as a symbol of a certain group in society, ie Jews, as well as the Biblical symbol of the apple, and the interpersonal relationships of the family members.

Your essay is due by midnight on Friday the 15th and should include information from the book as well as the article. You do not need to tell Kafka's life story, but your essay should demonstrate an understanding of it. Good luck and let me know how I can help!

Welcome Ty!!

I want to welcome Ty to our class! I am very excited that he has joined us, and I know he will be a perfect addition. Thank you Daniel and Kevin for encouraging Ty to join.

Metamorphosis

I am looking forward to hearing about your reaction to our next book, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. It is important to read Kafka because he has a unique style that has influenced other writers. Not only is the writing style unique, but also his plots are very imaginative. I mean who writes a book about a guy turning into a cockroach? Well Kafka does! It is because of his ability to create absurd plots, that society has coined the word “Kafkaesque” to describe stories that are unbelievable. Click here to see the dictionary definition of this word. I never watch Law and Order, but the other day I stopped because there was an interesting conversation taking place in the interrogation room. The detective was describing all the circumstances of the crime and how the suspect fit into it. When she was finished, the suspect said, “Well that was all very Kafkaesque.” And she responded, “Then that makes you the bug.” Well needless to say I was VERY excited, because sitting on the table in front of me was the very book they were talking about. And now you get to read it! The more literature you read the more often things like that will happen. I see references to authors and stories all the time, and it's always exciting to know where it comes from.

Since this is such a short book, less than 50 pages, I want to you research Kafka’s life before you start reading. I will then also post an article or two about the book. You will read those once you have finished the book, and your essay will be based on the articles and the book. Enjoy your reading!

Comprehension Questions
Answer the questions in bold as well as 3 questions of your choice.

Visit this site and read the biography section. What do you find interesting about Kafka?

Chapter 1
1. How do you like the opening line?
2. Gregor does not question the fact that he has transformed into a bug. Why?
3. Describe the different reactions each member of the family and Gregor’s boss have towards him.

Chapter 2
1. What character traits do Gregor’s mother and father exhibit?
2. He becomes increasingly more insect like. Describe the different ways he takes on more qualities of an insect. 3. What does the moving out of the furniture show about the way that his sister feels about him?
4. Why did Kafka choose to have his father throw an apple at him? What does the apple signify?

Chapter 3
1. Now the family is storing junk in his room. What does this show about their ever evolving opinion of him?
2. Who gives up on the notion that Gregor will “get better” first?
3. What was each family members reaction to seeing Gregor dead?

Once you have finished the book, read this article.