Period 4 Introductory Lesson / Of Mice and Men

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

What to expect period 4

• Literature Test = Of Mice and Men - 2
• > Read the book and study/answer the "booklet" questions
• Wasp texts: Test = vocabulary + grammar - 2
• > Study the grammar booklet + vocabulary EN-NE+NE-EN
• Testweek = reading - 4
• >  + practise exam training and reading
• >>> Planner P4 > see Magister

Important information

Kijk- en luistervaardigheid periode 3 

Benodigde materialen periode 4 = Magister

- Studiewijzer periode 4

- Of Mice and Men PDF/boek

- Of Mice and Men Booklet (vragen) PDF

- Grammar Booklet period 4

- Do: exam texts

Of Mice and Men - Introduction

Of Mice and Men

In period 4 you are going to read a short novel 

called Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

This lesson is the first introduction to the story and themes

Have fun and actively participate! 

The Title

The title of the novel comes from a poem by the 18th century Scottish poet Robbie Burns.

It is about a mouse which carefully builds a winter nest in a wheat field, only for it to be destroyed by a ploughman. 

The mouse had dreamed of a safe, warm winter and is now faced with the harsh reality of cold, loneliness and possible death. 

There is a parallel here with George and Lennie's joyful fantasy of a farm of their own, and its all-too-predictable destruction at the end of the story.          Listen to the original Scottish poem >>>

Themes

Of Mice and Men has several themes, the two most important ones are: 

loneliness and dreams

Foreshadowed (voorspelt) by the reference to Burns' mouse

These two themes interlock: 

people who are lonely have most need of dreams to help them through. 

There is another theme: Friendship.         Listen to the poem: Us Two >>>

1. What exactly is 'friendship'?

3. What will determine whether or not a person is a ‘friend’?

5. Why is friendship important?

2. What does Pooh say when his friend says where he is going today?

1. I want to go too
2. Let's go together
3. Can I come with you?
4. I'm not going there

4. What does Pooh help his friend with?

1. English
2. Maths
3. History
4. Chemistry

6. What do Pooh and his friend do when they see dragons?

1. Stay together
2. Chase them away
3. Run away together
4. Hide together

7. What can a strong friendship allow us to do?

8. So wherever I am, there's always Pooh, There's always Pooh and Me. "What would I do?" I said to Pooh, ......

1. If I lost you
2. If you weren't my friend
3. If it wasn't for you
4. If I forgot you

Inspiration for the novel

When Steinbeck was a young adult, he spent his summer vacations working as a hired hand on local ranches. 

 His interactions with the people he met during those summers greatly influenced the characters he created throughout his career. 

 In an interview about Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck revealed that all the characters in the novel are composites based on real people. 

Main Characters

 Lennie Small: 

 a nondescript, hulking creature of a man whose childlike mentality continually gets him into scrapes with men who neither respect nor understand him. 

 George Milton: 

 a small, lean man, used to fighting for his place in the world. He oversees and protects Lennie. 

Other important characters

 Slim: a tall skinner (a highly skilled mule-driver) that serves as a counsellor to the ranch hands.

 Candy: The one-handed ranch worker who has lived past his prime.

 Curley’s wife: never named, she is not respected by the men on the ranch.

 Crooks: the African-American stable buck is called Crooks because of a spinal injury inflicted by a kicking horse.

 Curley: the boss’ son, he possesses a jealous, cruel streak.  

Synopsis

Of Mice and Men places the reader in Depression-era California, traveling from job to job with two migrant labourers, George Milton and Lennie Small. 

 The novel explores their friendship, in contrast to the isolation of their peers, and the way dreams can either motivate or unmotivate people. 

 It also addresses a variety of issues, including racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, that play out against the backdrop of lonely people seeking happiness. 

Name the three themes

Finished!

You know what to expect in period 4

You made a start in getting to know Of Mice and Men

Good work!