Post # 5 - Of Mice & Men

What do the rabbits symbolize in the story?


I think the rabbits symbolize Lennie and George's dream in the story. That there one day will be a life which will be a thousand times better than the one they're living in now; the dream to, " live off the fatta the lan'!"  It could also symbolize Lennie, himself. How Lennie can only take so much pressure or downing in life, that if someone pushes him to far he just shuts down, just like everything he seems to pet dies after a while. But I'm mainly thinking about their dream as what symbolizes the rabbits, which is also the dream of pretty much every character in the book.


Choose a character in the novel (other than Curley's wife) and discuss what they represent. Use details about the character to support your answer.


I think George's character represents friendship, and responsibility in this book. Friendship because even though Lennie is as different and difficult, George stays by his side because they are true friends. He always has Lennie's back, through everything. Responsibility because George doesn't have to have Lennie with him at all, but George chooses to because it's his friend and also because George feels like he's taken responsibility of him. He feels like he has to take care of him, mostly because Lennie doesn't exactly have anyone to take care of him besides George.


Describe your reactions to Lennie killing Curley's wife. What do you think will happen to Lennie now?


My reaction to Lennie murdering Curley's wife was pure of shock! I couldn't believe nor never expected that to happen! I'm not sure what will happen to Lennie, but I know it's not gonna be good at all. George will most likely be furious but also scared because that's a terrible thing to do. He'll either tell Lennie to go away and never come back, or maybe even turn Lennie in. I'm not so sure, but I couldn't believe Lennie would panic so much and kill her. 


 Discuss Curley's wife and what she represents in the novel.


I think what she represents in this novel is lonliness. She is a very lonely character. She can't talk to anyone or Curley will get mad. She has no one to talk to, except Curley but he doesn't listen to her at all. She is a interpreted as a tramp in this story, but as we read on in chapter 5 I saw her differently. I saw her as a real human being, with feelings and dreams. She talked about how she wanted to be a movie star, and how life would of been better if her mother let her leave. This made me think about how you should always go after your dreams, even if someone is stopping you. 

Post # 4 - Lennie's Perspective

Dear Diary,


         I love my new pup. He is just the softest and cutest thing ever! I don't want him to ever go away or die so I can pet him 24/7. I wanted to sleep with him tonight but George no let me. He says I kill it if I do that. I hope that I can sleep with it everyday as soon as it's old enough to be away from its mom.


         An'ways, today George says that we would go away and live in our own house in one month! That make me really happy! I hope it really happens because then we can have millions of rabbits which would make me the happiest person alive. Candy's gon' live with us too because he says he's too old and stuff and they will can him soon. I'm not allowed to tell no one though which is a bit hard though because that thought is just a dream come true. We're gon' live off the fatta the lan'!
         
         Later today was really, really bad though. I almost thought I wasn't allowed to tend the rabbits. Tha'd be bad and make me sad. I didn't mean no harm for anything! Curley came into our room and started yelling at me when I didn't do nothing to him. He walked towards me screaming in my face. Then cornered me against the wall and I begged him to stop. He punched me in the face multiple times. I screamed at George to help me but he just stand there. Blood was coming from my face and I panicked some more. George then told me to fight back; Curley swung his arm again and I caught it and then heard him scream. I dint know what to do so I held on even tighter but then let go. George said he wasn't mad at me even though I almost lost us our jobs.

Slim's Perspective

Dear diary, 


         Today I met two guys, George an' Lennie. They different then others, many morose things have happened to them. George be telling me about how Lennie an' him came to be friends but also about how Lennie is dumb as hell. George also told me how he'd imperiously speak to Lennie, until one day Lennie jumped in a river an' almost drowned. He also told me how they was working in Weed, when Lennie decided to pull on a woman's dress because it was soft and the fabric looked interesting. 


         I feel bad for Lennie, so i agreed to give him a pup from my b*tch. Earlier today, Lennie came into the room with the pup. He's so damn attached to it. He be sitting with it in coat on his tick in a recumbent position. It's awright though George told me he ain't pugnacious or anything like that. Lennie's prob' about to sleep in the barn tonight.


         I like how Lennie and George travel together though. That's quite a rare thing. I'd be happy to have a friend like that one day though life seems quite awright right now. Still, seeing how George cares about Lennie is pretty cool. Lennie may be a dumb bastard, but I think George will stick by his side for as long as they live. 

Of Mice & Men - Post # 2

Describe the way George treats Lennie. Explain how you think George really feels about him. 

         In the first chapter, I see George as a pretty demanding person. He always yells at Lennie, though Lennie can't help it that he forgets things easily. George is just trying to keep him out of trouble as best as possible and keeping his eyes out for him. I think how George really feels about Lennie is that he really cares for him, as if he were his own brother. Even though George always talks about how much better his life would be if Lennie wasn't around, I think George honestly loves Lennie in that best friend type way, and that he will be there for him no matter how irritating he may be.

What is George and Lennie's dream? Provide details. Do you think it's realistic or not? 

         Lennie and George's dream is to one day buy a farm together once they save enough money. They will grow their own crops, and in Lennie’s request, tend rabbits! Their dream is to “live off the fatta the lan!” I think their dream is very realistic. If they keep their minds set to it, and have perseverance 100% of the way they can make their dreams come true. They need to never give up, despite the difficulties or consequences of this dream.

Why do you think George says that migrant workers who travel from farm to farm are the loneliest people in the world? What makes him and Lenny different?

         I think George says this because most migrant workers really have no family, or friends therefore having no one to have their backs. All Lennie and George really have is each other, but that is what makes them different than other migrant workers. They will always be there for each other, through it all, even though George often doesn’t show it. I think he mostly says that though because maybe he's been lonely for a majority of his lifetime until Lennie came along; and that he's really never experienced having a family or being around people who care about him as much as Lennie.

Of Mice & Men - First Class Book

Why do we have friends?


         I think that we have friends because they're a very important part of peoples lives. They're people who accept us for who we are, and people whom we can trust. We need friends because they will always be there for us, whether they need us for if we need them. They can make us smile and make us happy on the baddest days. I think we have friends because they make life enjoyable.


What makes a "good" friend?


         What makes a good friend is the quality of honesty. A good friend will always be honest with you, no matter how hard the truth may be. They are people you can trust with any secret! You can always run to them when you are down, and they will always know what to say to you. A good friend will never be two faced with you, they will never lie and never turn your back on you. A good friend will respect you.


Describe one of your big dreams in life. You could also discuss whether you (or someone you know) have a dream you feel has gone wrong, or might go wrong in the future.


         One of my biggest dreams is to become an elite gymnast. I truly hope that I will reach that goal by the end of high school. This dream might not happen because I dread going to the practices, mostly because I end really late at night and also because it takes so much time of my week. Though I have been doing really good in the last 3 months, I highly dislike going to all the practices because it doesn't seem fun anymore. It seems like its become mandatory, but I still hope that this dream comes true.

A Book I Read Last Year

A book I enjoyed reading in seventh grade was I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. This autobiography is about a young girl named Marguerite (Maya) Ann Johnson, and how she battles the harsh life of racism in Stamps, Arkansas. At the age of three, Maya is sent to live with her father's mother (Momma), with her brother Bailey who is four, both feeling abandoned by their parents. Throughout her life, she is encountered with many problems because of being Black. One being refused to be helped by a white dentist, even though Momma loaned money to him during the Great Depression. Maya also has various trauma scenes in this book as she is molested and later raped by her mother's boyfriend at the age of eight. Though her life is quite a mess in this book, she eventually learns how to deal but also speak out to racism. I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to everyone because some parts are a little bit graphic, knowing it's real and that it's happened, but people who love great stories about struggles in life should definitely read it.