FaMou$

M:

I had to change your password to your blog because I was getting emails like crazy about spam comments. If you would like to reenter your blog, please email me at school or see me and I will tell you what it is.

Thanks for your great work here on this space.

Sincerely,

Mr. Sheehy

Foreshadowing-the use of clues to suggest events that have yet to occur

“I seen plenty tough little guys. But this Curley better not make no mistakes about Lennie. Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.”(26)

I think that this a great example of foreshadowing because something does happen later on in the book and people noticed that this was a foreshadowing statement. If you are familiar with the term than you would probably notice this right away. I think that Steinbeck was trying to foreshawdow to keep the intensity up. So people could expand their minds and wonder what was going to happen. Keep them on their toes.

Simile-comparison of two thingsusing the words like or as

“…drank with long gulps,snorting into the water like a horse…Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers…”(3)

I think that this qoute is an example of a simile because you get the idea how animal-like Lennie is. Throughout the book Steinbeck refers to Lennie as an animal because he is big, slow, but friendly. When you think of a horse you would think of them as big and obnoxious when they drink. When I think of a dog, I think of a dumb, friendly, and sometimes big. This is exactly how Lennie is. He has no intentions to hurt someone but does it anyway. Just like when an animal is playing around with you other other animals they might be hurting them but wouldn’t know what was going on. Steinbeck was trying to get the idea into our head of what Lennie and George were really like because that had a lot to do with the story.

Repetition-The repeating of any element of language, including words, phrases, lines, or stanzas

“There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he’s so strong.”(43)

The repetition isn’t so obvious in this book but I think that people would be able to point them out. I noticed that throughout the book they refer to Lennie as dumb, but strong, especially George. I think that Geroge repeats this so no one will mess with im and they won’t have to run away again. This is a good idea because it would keep them out of trouble. There are many incidents in which they say that Lennie is very strong and not to mess with him. I think that Steinbeck is trying to get people to notice why they refer to Lennie as strong and dumb.

Symbol-something that stands for or represents something greater than itself

“That was your own Aunt Clara. An’ she stopped givin’ ‘em to ya. You always killed ‘em.”(9)

I think that the mouse is a symbol in this story. Lennie is always talking about the mice and the rabbits. Lennie always ended up killing them but didn’t mean to. This lead up to killing the pup and not wanting anyone to find out. Since Curley’s wife found out he killed her unintentionally. This was a symbol because they refered back to the mice a lot and how unresponsible Lennie was. He is just like a little kid but a really strong one. he doesn’t know the intensity of his actions and doesn’t know what he is really doing.

Parable-A short story that tells a moral lesson of some kind

“We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us…we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres…”(14)

“Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.”(106)

I think that this was a parable because it was a story about friendship. It may have seemed liked a story about this dumb strong guy that killed a girl and “hurt” another girl but it was really about friendship. In the end George shot Lennie because he wanted Lennie to be safe and not be taken to jail or to be beat by anyone else. Like the incident with the dog. Candy said that he should have shot him instead of having a stranger do it. I think this had a big part to do with George shooting Lennie. He would rather do it than a stranger or someone who wanted to. This is a great example of friendship. The whole book they were by eachothers sides, basically. I loved this book and wish that more books would end like this because it’s shocking but in a good way. Not that it was good to shoot him but shows that they had real love for eaachother.

            I have learned many things this year about myself and about new things. I learned about myself that I am a procrastinator and I don’t know why. I know that my mom is one too and so is one of my sisters. Maybe it’s in the genes but I don’t even know if that can be inherited or just learned from experiences. I wish I could change this and I probably could, maybe I’ll get to it one day (ha ha.) I have changed but it was too late. I think I just saved it for the last minute. Not a good idea so a word to others, don’t procrastinate. My teachers have had a huge influence on me. Most of them would push me to the end, even though sometimes I didn’t listen to them (sorry.)

I will remember everything from this year, good and bad. I think that I liked English the best though because I learned a lot about myself. I liked the way that you taught because you were friendly and funny but yet serious when needed to be. I think this created a strong relationship with the students and I wish that more teachers would do this. I know that I didn’t turn in a lot of my work but like I said I like to put things off. Don’t worry because it wasn’t you or the class because I did it in other classes too. I understood everything because you taught it all so well and I liked the technique.

I liked that this was a small class because there wasn’t a bunch of awkwardness lingering in the air. You were able to help us with what we needed and wanted. The most challenging for me would have to be turning in my work. I will remember to turn all my things in and know that consequences come along with those actions. I just hope that I can pass this class because if not I’m screwed. I like Central a lot better than
Douglas. I like the people here and the teachers and administration.

I will be sad to leave next year (hopefully.) Maybe my work had something to do with the work that I didn’t do. I know that I was working a lot and by the time I got off I wanted to just go to bed or relax. I hope that you continue the way you are going with teaching because it had a big influence on me and I liked it a lot (even though I’m not that good at it.) I liked the stories we read and the discussions we had about them. I learned a lot more from the discussions than I would have on my own. This gave me different views and perspectives. I would like to think that you didn’t dislike me fro not turning in my work. You were one of my favorite teachers.

I have learned a lot from you and the other teachers. I hope that I wasn’t too much of a handful. I liked the blogging because I could access it from home and not need a printer I could just post it. If I had a say I would want other teachers to start doing that too. Maybe in math? Just kidding. But really it is a good idea. I don’t know if other teachers do it in the English department but if they don’t you should encourage them to do it. I’m sure that a lot of students would prefer blogging instead of other things.

I noticed that no one skipped this class, besides that one guy that never came but I guess if he didn’t want to be here then we wouldn’t want him to be here with his negative attitude (not in a mean way.) They talked about skipping other classes but I never noticed anyone skipping English. That says something about your teaching and assignments. I’m pretty sure that if you taught a senior class that we would all take it. I know I would but be more productive next time. I wish I could have this year but the past is the past and I can’t change that (sorry.)

I’m just glad that I got put in your class this year when I transferred because other teachers probably wouldn’t have been so lenient or flexible. I would have gave up but you pushed me through and you were a wonderful teacher so that kept me going. I hope that you have a great summer and hope that I wasn’t too much of a load for you to handle. Even though I know you could handle me if I was out of control (ha ha.) I hope to see you around next year and maybe be able to talk to you if I need help with English because I know you would help me or anyone else that needed it. Thank you! J

I liked this book. At first I wasn’t as interested in it because of all of the descriptions but once I got into it then I liked the descriptions because it helped explain the book better. I understand why there were such good descriptions so I could get the actual visual of the story. “Why do you got to get killed?”(85) I expected for him to end up killing the puppy because of the incident with rabbits and mice. I understood more about Lennie after this because he got mad at the puppy for dying even though it didn’t do anything. He really didn’t realize what he had done and the intensity of the situation. This led up to him killing Curley’s wife because he didn’t want her to tell George what he had done. “I don’t want ta hurt ya…I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing.” (91) He realizes what he did and remembered to run to the brush. I thought at first George wasn’t going to remember that he told Lennie to go to the brush if he got in trouble. I wonder what Lennie would have done if George would’ve never showed up. He might have run back to the farm or he might have stayed there and starved waiting for George. This book kept me engaged and on my toes. I liked this book a lot. I didn’t think that I was going to because it was really short and the title seemed weird to me but I liked it. The ending made me sad because Lennie didn’t know the troubles he was getting himself in to.

Lennie begged, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.”

“Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.”(106)

After this he shot Lennie. I was really sad and probably would’ve cried if it was in a movie because they were supposedly best friends. I think that there would have been other ways out of this situation. I wouldn’t be able to do that I would run for it. I liked the ending in a way though because it kind of shows how much George really cared for Lennie, even though he shot him. Maybe he wanted to make sure that Lennie wasn’t going to be killed or tortured by anyone else. I think that this is a book of friendship. The message isn’t up front but its indirect and that’s what I like about it.

Can they handle the dream being real? This is a good question. I never really thought of that but it makes me wonder if they really could handle it. Candy is one-handed and old, Lennie is big and “dumb”, and George is over controlling.

The expressed idea: If something needs help, it’s not worth living. Everyone needs help once in a while unless they are really stuck up and think they are perfect. But Lennie is just slow in the head and needs extra help. What would happen to him if he didn’t have any help? Would he be dead or alive?

parallels between Lennie and dog Lennie and the dog both need help. In a way I see Lennie as George’s dog because he bosses Lennie around and Lennie listens. It is like George is the owner.

I like this knew Graphic organizer because you can get links to pages and have little notes. Even though it does take longer I would prefer this one because you can get more out of it.

I noticed that Steinbeck starts his chapters out with a lot of descriptions to kind of get you in the mood. In the beginning of Chapter 3 Slim and George were talking about Lennie and how “he nearly killed his partner buckin’ barley.”(39) This reminded me of how strong he really is and how he doesn’t realize how intense his strength is or what he could do. He is just a big teddy bear that doesn’t mean to harm anyone just too dumb to realize what he is doing. When George was talking to Slim about Lennie he almost told him about what happened in Weed. He did end up telling him and hopefully he will be able to trust him. If Slim was to let the word out I wonder what the reaction would be from the other people. They did start talking about dogs a lot in the beginning of this chapter. I hope that Lennie doesn’t do anything stupid to mess things up with the pup he has now. “I might go in an’ set and have a shot…” (53) This was when they were talking about going to Susy’s place. I think that if Lennie was to go that he might get into some trouble because there would be girls there and he might not be able to handle it. “Thinks Slim’s with his wife, don’t he?” (54) I wonder if there is going to be a problem because of this or if there is even anything going on between Slim and that lady. When Lennie and George were talking about getting a place Candy jumped into the conversation and asked to go with them. He doesn’t know the boys so maybe he just wants to get out of the bunk or maybe there is another reason. Maybe I’m looking too far into this ha. George said he could because he offered up 350 and he knew that that would help them out a lot. I’m not sure if they’re going to get the place or not. I have a feeling that they aren’t going to but I could be wrong. “You keep outta this les’ you wanta step outside.” (62) Its funny because Curley thinks that he’s all bad and strong but ends up getting his hand broke by Lennie. After Lennie took his hand he had trouble letting go of it kind of like the incident with the dress. I wonder why he does this.

Is Curley going to tell his dad what happened?

I chose this question because I want to know what would happen if he told his dad what Lennie did to him. I would think that they would get kicked out and be chased again like in Weed and they wouldn’t be able to get their stake. But hopefully he won’t tell because he brought it on to himself.

What is going to happen with Curley’s wife?

I chose this question because the guys seem to like her and I’m thinking that this is going to cause a problem later on in the book.

“He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously. Curley stepped gingerly close to him.”(25)

I think that this passage is interesting because Curley didn’t even know who George and Lennie were but yet still “hated” them. Steinbeck describes Curley as a small skinny man and Lennie as a big stong man but yet Lennie is intimidated by Curley. I think that Curley has a problem with them already and will try to stir up something with them just to get in a fight or argument with them. Why does Curley have a problem with them? Is it because Lennie is intimidating to him because he’s big or is there somehting beneath all this? I already don’t like Curley because he is judging them by the cover and he doesn’t even know them yet.

“Well-she got the eye…Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart.”(28)

What do they mean she has the eye? Is the kind of eye that she would cheat on him with like maybe she gets around? Or is it an evil eye like she wants to hurt somebody? If she is a tart I think they mean she gets around or either she is slow. Maybe Curley married her because that’s all he could get and she would be the only one to offer him anything? I don’t know but I’m excited to find out where this is going to lead.

“Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little.”(31)

Wow as soon as I read this I thought of when George and Lennie were in Weed and Lennie caused problems with that other girl for touching her dress. A few paragraphs after this George knows what Lennie is thinking and starts to worry. I think that Lennie is going to try to do something with this girl and Curley is going to catch them together. This is goign to stir up a lot of trouble.

“I ain’t nothing to scream about, but that big bastard there can put up more grain alone than most pairs can.”(34)

I noticed that George brags about how strong Lennie is and how dumb he is. This might cause a problem because the boss thinks that George is trying to take things from Lennie. George does refer to Lennie as dumb but strong. Maybe they will find out that he isn’t what George says he is?

“Lennie was watching George excitedly”…”You ask him right away, George.”(36)

This is that whole thing about the rabbits and the mice. I think that Lennie will get a puppy but will end up killing it OR he might prove George wrong and learn to love the puppy and not kill it(on accident).

“Ya know, Lennie, I’m scared I’m gonna tangle with that bastard myself. I hate his guts. Jesus Christ!”(37)

Maybe this might be a little foreshadowing. A few things came to my mind when I read this part. I thought that maybe George would end up fighting Curley by defending Lennie. Or maybe something would happen that George would do and they will end up fighting. I don’t know quite yet because so many things could happen. I just want to read more and know what happens with all this. It’s keeping me on my toes

Honesty is a big part in every relationship you will have. I think that a good relationship will have honesty vice versa for a bad relationship. Some lies can be forgiven and some lies can’t. It seems like forever when you are trying to gain someone’s trust back. This leads to my life. I know when I was younger I made many bad choices and would lie about them to my family and friends. I am still trying to gain the trust back from my family and it seems like they will never be able to forgive me but I will keep on trying. They say people use their gut instinct or they use their mind and think things out. Well I used to use my gut instinct and not think about the decisions I was making. I would lie to my mom about where I was going and what I was doing just so I could have some fun. I would get caught up in the lies. Once you start one lie it usually leads to another and another until you have a big mess of lies. I would get caught up in my lies and keep lying to not get caught. I ended up spilling out the truth and now I’m honest with my mom. Abigail is a lot like me in this Act because she starts out with lying to everyone saying that she was forced to go into the woods and do witchcraft. Then she gets the girls to lie with her and they start to blame anyone for witchcraft. This ends up with the executions of many people and they can’t take back what they said because if they did they would get charged for what they did. Their named would be blackened and hated by the people in the town because they were responsible for the deaths of other people.

“The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely” (2).

I could really visualize this part of the story. When i was younger I had a friend that was younger than me and smaller. We were best friends so I pictured me and her walking down the street on a narrow sidewalk because I was a lot taller than her and more filled out. It’s funny because this just shows that George is the leader even though he is smaller than Lennie. Lennie is compared to an animal a lot so far, especially a dog. As you read further you realize that Lennie is kind of mentally somewhere else and the saying “you dumb dog” is what George would probably say to Lennie.

“You remember about us goin’ into Murray and Ready’s, and they give us work cards and bus tickets?” (5)

It seems like Lennie can’t remember very well in this story. This makes it easy for George to control him and maybe put ideas into his head that aren’t true. I wonder if this is going to have something to do with the rest of the story or part of it. What are work cards?

“Awright. You got that. But we’re gonna sleep here because I got a reason” (7).

George wanted to stay there to rest or was he scared of something? He seems to boss Lennie around but when Lennie asks him if he wants him to leave George says no. This must mean that he cares for Lennie or it might mean that he is scared to be on his own because he is so small and not imtimidating.

“I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead – because they was so little” (10).

Lennie is big and bulky. This qoute says to me that he can’t control his agression and he doesn’t know how much strength he really has. I could understand the feeling he would have after he did that. Lennie means no harm but does it anyway because he isn’t all the way there in his mind. He is like a teddy bear that doesn’t realize the harm he can do.

“When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace” (12).

George seems big headed to me. Its like Lennie is his little brother in a way because if he left I think that George would be sad but when Lennie is around he doesn’t want him around. That’s how I feel about my nephew sometimes. I want him to stop annoying me but when he isn’t around I realize I’m sad and not having as much fun.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” (14).

They got a future. What future would they have with just working on a ranch? George and Lennie do have eachother and without eachother I think they would be lonely. I think that somewhere along the story they are going to be seperated and I want to know what would happen if they really did seperate.

“Well, look. Lennie – if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush” (15).

I take this as a hint that something might actually happen again because Lennie seems like he can’t control some of his actions. It’s good that they have a place to meet in case something does happen because if they didn’t I think Lennie would get caught up in some really big trouble.

I was among a group once that had trouble getting along. Actually the group had a lot of trouble getting along. It probably would not be safe to put the two in the same room. I was stuck in the middle of there problem. Have you ever had a time when your friends were in different groups and they try to make you choose a side? Well that was the situation that I was in. As you know I was new to Central High School a few months ago and I made quite a few friends but obviously I chose the two that hated each other. I had no idea even what had happened between the two of them but they still wanted me to choose sides. “Kristy” had a problem with “Julie” because Julie took Kristy’s friends boyfriend. So these two girls hated each other just because of that small little problem. Since the girls had problems with each other then all there friends had a problem with the other girls’ friends. If you think about it the girls should have been mad at the guy because he cheated on Kristy so technically it wasn’t Julie’s fault because she had no idea he had a girlfriend. It was “Bob’s” fault because he didn’t tell them. I think that this is related to The Crucible because Abigail had to choose sides too. She had to choose whether she was going to tell the truth about what happened in the forest or tell the people what everyone wanted to hear. She chose to lie about it so she wouldn’t get in trouble. Abigail got the other girls to lie with her and that was a choice she and the girls could have made.