Of Mice and Men - Conflicts

     The novella, Of Mice and Men, has many conflicts. Surprisingly, most of the conflicts that occurred so far have taken place in about a day! These conflicts seem to build up and continue to create the story and make it into a more 'binge-worthy', in my opinion. I found three different types of conflicts, out of the many, that help shape the novella into a interesting read.

       The first and most common conflict is the situation between Curley, George, and especially Lennie. From the beginning when they first met, Curley is bitter towards them.  In the novella Curley states, "By Christ, he's gotta talk when he's spoke to. What the hell are you gettin' into it for?" (Pg 25)  This effects George and Lennie because they learn to keep their distance from him. They do that, but a little later on in the story, Curley and Lennie actually get into a physical fight. The novella states, "Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on the line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand." (Pg 63) This effects Curley's hand, which is now broken, and effects Lennie because he now feels bad and ashamed. It also causes a lie to form, in which Slim makes sure Curley doesn't say anything to anyone. This conflict is Man vs Man.

       The second conflict I chose is how George feels almost obligated to care for Lennie and himself. He feels like Lennie is his responsibility ever since he promised Clara (Lennie's aunt) that he would take care of him. In the novella George states, "I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out." His voice rose nearly to a shout. "You crazy son-of-a-bitch . You keep me in hot water all the time." (Pg 11) Lennie effects George greatly because George has to think for him, and he lost his job because of him. If Lennie hadn't grabbed that girl's skirt they wouldn't be in the situation they're in right now. Not only that, but he has to keep an eye on him all the time. In other words, Lennie is a burden to George. Lennie also has to be told what to do all the time. In the novella, George tells Lennie, "Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says or what she does. I seen em' before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be." (Pg 32) This reveals how George always has to make sure Lennie doesn't do anything that costs them. This is why I would consider this a problem, especially to George. This conflict is Man vs Self since George feels like it's his responsibility to care for Lennie.

       The last conflict I chose deals with the timeline the novella takes place in and how that links to racial inequalities. In the short story, Crooks is known as the only 'negro' on the ranch and he is treated with less respect and importance than the other workers. In the novella Lennie and Crooks gave a conversation, "Why ain't you wanted?" Lennie asked. "'causes I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stick..." (Pg 68) This shows that back in their time black people were treated with less importance and were not considered to be friends with white people. In the novella Crooks also talked about how it felt being black to Lennie, he said, "Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know use's goin' to come back. S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that? S'pose you had to sit out here an' read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain't no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him." (Pg 72) This shows that life back then for a colored person felt isolated and lonely. Crooks isn't allowed to do stuff with the normal workers, and he feels trapped by that. This conflict is Man vs Society.

     Overall, there are many conflicts in Of Mice and Men, most of them which help develop the story. They make the story so much more captivating and give it more life. Although they mostly all take place in one day it creates a unique novella.

Dreams Of Mice and Men - 5/5/16

She stared at the sky,

And watched as time passed by.

Everyday she would work hard,

So she could have her dream yard.

She wanted her walls white,

And her windows to show the sunlight.

She imagined and pictured,

‘You can do it’ she whisperd.

In a day, her dream demolished.

Her work was not acknowledged.

Her heart shattered,

And when it hit the floor it made a clatter.

She begged and prayed for it to come back,

But it was time that she lacked.

She did nothing wrong,

But everything was now gone.

She frowned upon her decisions,

For it ruined her great big vision.

One mistake is all it took,

Now she couldn’t even look.

She had no motivation,

And decided not to go to the workstation.

There was no point,

All she did was disappoint.

She was mad at the world,

And her mind whirled.

Her heart was vacant,

At the fact that her dream was taken.

She slept cold at nights,

Because she no longer seemed bright.

Dreams deferred,

Her eyes blurred.

Although it was difficult,

She faced the fact there would be no miracle.
She let it all go,

And her dream went to a new home.

Of Mice and Men - 5/3/16

     Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse. 

     The atmosphere of the ranch and the bunkhouse is almost restraining and, in a way, tough.  Since they are in a new environment, Lennie and George are forced to keep their guard up. George makes sure not to let Lennie talk, and George himself tries not to reveal a lot about their past lives. In the novella, it states, "You was gonna leave your big flapper shut and leave me do the talking'. Damn near lost us the job." ... "Now he's got his eye on us. Now we got to be careful and not make no slips." (Pg 23) This quote shows George lecturing Lennie, in which can be considered a rather harsh way. This shows a bit of toughness, but it also resembles restraint. George is cautious to make sure the ranch doesn't know about Lennie's condition so he makes sure Lennie is on a tight leash and doesn't utter a word.

     There are more signs of the atmosphere being restraining and tough. A character, Curly, has especially been giving off this vibe while in the ranch. In the novella it states, "He glanced coldly sat George and then at Lennie. His arm gradually bent the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at ounce calculating and pugnacious." (Pg 15) This shows that Curly feels somewhat intimidated and this can lead to toughness.  He is raucous to Lennie especially. Later in the chapter, George also makes sure that Lennie and himself stay away from Curly, and his wife. He doesn't want anything to go wrong with his job, which is why the atmosphere might feel restrained.

      Overall, I don't think the atmosphere in the ranch and bunkhouse is positive. George has to watch over Lennie more, to make sure he doesn't slip up and cause them to lose their jobs. Not only that but Curly has become a new problem because he has some kind of hatred towards them already.  George also needs to watch what he does, in sake of Lennie and their future career. There's not much to do but be careful and make sure Lennie doesn't do anything wrong that can lead them into big trouble.

       Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name?   What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck  trying to send by not giving her a first name?

     The reason Curly's wife does not have a name, in my opinion, is because women aren't important in the story.  Women are hardly mentioned, except for Aunt Clara and Curly's wife. I believe the message John Steinbeck is trying to send is that women were not particularly important and instead they were just known as the men's possession during that time. Why else would they just state she was Curly's? It's almost as if he owns her. Then again, in the story they do make references about her relying on Curly.

       Curly's wife is dependent on her father in-law and her husband. In the novella it states, "Wife lives over in the boss's house." (Pg 27) This is a small quote but it shows that she is dependent on Curly and The Boss because she lives in their home.  She relies on them to provide a roof over her head. This also shows how women might've not been important, they weren't independent yet.

       Curly not only partially provides a place to stay to his wife, but he also provides money to her. In the novella it states, "Curly got his work ahead of him. Bet she'd clear out for twenty bucks." (Pg 28) Not only does this show that she might not have a job, but it also kind of resembles how women were thought of back then.

       In the book, she probably doesn't have a name because she is characterized in the stereotypical sense of a women who isn't all that smart, but is very flirtatious with many men. My interpretation is that she, and other women, weren't important during that time because they didn't do anything significant.

     






 

3rd Quarter Reflections

Prompts:

1.  Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why? 

2.  What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of? 

3.  How have your research skills improved? 


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This quarter has been filled with many lessons, books, essays, etc. It may have been hectic at times but it has taught me many things. These things can range from creating an argumentative essay, to writing poetry, and all the way to analyzing charter development. I also read a lot more books, putting my closer to achieving my 40 book challenge.

1.

       I haven't read many books this quarter, which is something I have to work on next quarter, however I did read A Bronx Masquerade in class.  That has to be my favorite out of the little books I've read. It's my favorite book of the quarter because it was such a simple book yet it had a lot of meaning behind it. As we read it I fell in love with the characters, and their personalities. My favorite character was Raul because he was confident with his art, and didn't care what anyone thought. I actually became emotionally attached to the characters, such as Lupe. I was genuinely concerned for her, I thought she was going to do something she would later regret.  Not only did the characters and their drama interest me but their poems did too.  I really enjoyed the poetry and a lot of it inspired me and helped me create my own poems. It was very interesting reading about how the characters felt and what they thought, especially about their surroundings. This has to be one of the only books that I've read that can actually fall into realistic fiction. Overall I loved it!


2.

       There are many things that I have accomplished this quarter, one of them being getting 4's on 6/7 of my vocabulary tests. I am also proud of the fact that I have improved with my MAP scores for both math and reading. However, an achievement that I am the most proud of is being able to create poetry. I remember getting mad when we had to write our own poems because I hated it, but when I was finished I'd be so happy with the result. I would be so proud and happy that I'd go and read it to my whole family, it got to the point where my sister would say "I don't care, can you leave me alone?" (She's always like that though). My favorite poem I created is my Picture Poem. I grew fond of the poems, and when they rhymed perfectly I would be so happy. At first I thought it was going to be super hard, and it was at times, but it was worth it. I feel like poetry is a way to put all of your emotions and thoughts down, and since they don't have to be explicit it just makes the experience even better. It's been quite an experience learning about poetry as well as making it.

3.

       My research skills have improved greatly since the beginning of the year. Out of all the assignments we have done, I think the biggest assignment that has helped me improve a lot would be writing our argumentative essay.  That project took a lot of researching and it was one where I learned a lot of things on what to do and what not to do. For example, I have improved with using the TIQA format as well as summarizing. Also, our interview project we had to do with some well known people from the Bronx also helped. I think something that is very important that I've learned is how to create a works cited page. Before this year, I didn't even know what it was. These projects have allowed me to improve my skills. Our aow's have also helped improve my research skills, especially because we do it so often it's just something you continuously do that, after a while, starts making a difference. If someone were to ask me right now if I think that I've improved with doing research and collecting data I'd have to answer with a definitely. How did I do this? The answer is simple, the amount of times Mrs. Larson has assigned us a research project has exposed our class to newer things regarding it. Not only that, but we've also learned how to properly do them. At the end of the day, I'm just happy I did something productive.

       In general, this quarter has been filled with many lessons and some new experiences. I'm really happy that we have 3/4 of the school year over already. This was just another step into getting closer to summer!

Literature Circle Blog - The Giver

       The essential question I chose from the book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry is, "What happens when someone is released?' My essential question tied in with the novel study because in the book Jonas talked about how old people and sometimes babies got released.  In the story Jonas also asked questions to his parents about what exactly happens when someone is released.  Jonas and I both thought that the people who were released were just set free to the outside part of the wall. Finally towards the end of the book Jonas is able to see a baby, who was the smaller baby in a set of twins, get released. The outcome or answer to the essential question is that when someone is released they are killed by a shot given to them. They then get released, literally, through some sort of garbage chute. I found this out when Jonas asked to see the baby get released and when the baby got injected he passed away. Jonas put two and two together, and determined that his father was a murderer and being released is not what people in the community thought.  Overall, the outcome was sad and reading about it made me anxious.


       The article that we chose that connects to our book is, "North Korea: Life in cultural isolation" by BBC News.  This article relates to The Giver because in the story the people are forced to live in a small civilization away from other communities with no outside knowledge. In the article it states, "Our minders had probably never seen any other kinds of news item or documentary about their country or the rest of the world.They were not allowed to, and they could not, because no-one has access to the internet in North Korea."(Paragraph 18 & 19) This paragraph from the article connects to the book because it shows how North Koreans don't have knowledge on what's going on in the outside world, just like the people in The Giver.  The authors use the same information but use it differently because the author for The Giver uses the idea of isolation to make the civilization seem more intact and the same. The leader of North Korea uses this information to make his civilization oblivious to the outside world so he is the center of attention and he wants to seem more in power. 

       In the book and the article they also focus a lot on controlling the community or people. In the book it states, "There was no way, really, to know in advance. It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, The Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never never even any jokes made about the assignments."(Page 15) This paragraph is basically discussing how The Committee of Elders choose the year 12's jobs for them and they determine what they are going to be doing for the rest of their lives. This paragraph from the book connects to the article because in the article the leader of North Korea determines how his citizens are going to live just like the Committee of Elders. The authors use the same information but use it differently because in The Giver Lois Lowry uses the information to evenly distribute the community. The leader of North Korea uses this information by controlling the people to make sure they are all the same, and so they don't know the differences between other jobs around the world. 


       Overall, the article and the book follow the same guidelines in a way.  Although, they do have many differences. The article takes place in the real world, which makes it more serious, but the book doesn't, making it less serious. Both the book and article have the same rules, but use it differently. 










     








 

Poetry Reflection

     This year, in our language art's class, we did a unit on poetry.  At first I was expecting to be reading and writing long complex pieces of poetry with words I didn't even know how to pronounce. However, as time progressed on, I realized that poetry is actually an escape and quite easy to make.  As we read Bronx, and created poems as assignments, I found a love for the poems I created. Somehow I felt connected to them.

     This brings me back to one question, how did poetry affect my life?  The answer is not that simple, I have a love-hate relationship with poetry.  In a way, I have learned to accept it and make it the best it is as I can. Yet, I also couldn't wait for the unit to be over.  Poetry has also made me open my mind more. Poems like Sideyard, have had a huge impact with their vague sentences. Phrases from the that poem such as this one, "Just like they love this timber house and hardly care if anybody knows.", have made me catch on to the fact that not everything is going to be right there for you to see and understand. The character, Tyrone, from Bronx Masquerade has taught me to not judge anyone from what you see on the outside. He showed us that he judged people wrongly, but after listening to their poems appreciated much more about them.  One person he definitely learned to stop judging was Jenelle. The same thing that happened to Tyrone, has happened to me too.  Overall, poetry has effected me in many ways.  It has taught me more about what is not seen, more about emotions, more about rhythm, and more about purposes.

       Poetry can effect anyone, or at least I'd like to think it can.  However, I don't think poetry belongs to everyone. I believe everyone and anyone has a special talent in something having to do with writing, wether it be with writing essays, creating articles, etc. They don't necessarily have to be good at poetry.   I know some of my classmates had trouble creating some of their poems, especially with rhythm and putting meaning and emotions into them.  How do I know? I know because I have talked to people about creating poetry.  Every time I have talked to these people they would talk negatively about it. I assume they aren't really fond of it and don't like it. This leads me to the thought that some things just don't belong to everyone, in this case, it's poetry.

       Life experiences can effect poets in many ways.  Take Edgar Allen Poe as an example, growing up he had a rough life.  He even had to set a couch on fire to stay warm.  Look at his poetry, and you'll notice it has sadness, madness, and hatred incorporated in them.  Those are all negative thoughts, but what is there to expect from a man who grew up with a bad past.  In class, when we had open mike fridays and some of my classmates performed there would always be a couple of students who's poems were deep and dark.  They must've got their inspiration from their hidden past. In a way, I think poetry helps people express themselves. Their expressions could be having to deal with past experiences, thoughts, ideas, etc.  When they write it down, a poem is born. Someone with a happy life might not right something dismal. Same goes for a person who has a horrible life, they might not write something happy and cheerful.  Overall, life and experiences a poet goes through affects their poetry is many differs ways, especially word choice and plots.

       A poem's structure and form contributes to it immensely.  Take my letter poem for example.  My poem, in a way, was limited.  It's structure didn't allow the poem to be set up how an average poem would be, which is in stanzas.  It's rhyming was also different and instead of having just phrases, there was full sentences.  Not only that but the shape of the poem inspires and shows what it is going to be about. My poem was a letter E, for my name, meaning the poem was going to be about me. Another poem, Zorro, from Bronx Masquerade was shaped as a Z. Since it was shaped this way it symbolized what the poem was going to be about.  The poem Zorro also had sentences, and didn't follow the same procedures as a normal poem would.  A poem's structure and form, is what identifies it in a way.

       Poems are also impacted by the use of literary devices.  Certain words and phrases can affect a poem greatly based on the 'intensity of it'.  Phrases especially play a big part because they can help develop the poem more, but they can also confuse it more. Words are incorporated to make the poems stronger and to show more emotion.  In a poem, rhyme can affect it by adding humor to it, or making it easier to understand.  Alliterations can influence the poem on the topic, and the word choice it's going to use. Repetition also can add humor, and can affect the poem by giving something more value.  Lastly, figurative language can affect a poem by making it more complex and giving it more emotions, ideas, and thoughts.

     Overall, I have learned that poetry isn't all that bad.  I have to say, when I was told we were going to be doing this unit soon I would've never expected to actually like it. Poetry has taught and showed me things that books or articles won't show you. I appreciate that.



Poems Created in this Unit:

* Nonfiction Poem

* Bio-Poem of a Literary Character

* Where I'm From Poem

* Spine Poem

* Found Poem 

* Nonsense Poem

* Picture Poem

* Those Who Don't

* If Poem

* Letter Poem

* Dream Poem
     

Nonsense Poem

"Beyond the Night in Disolay"

By: Evelyn Mazariego