Recent update
- Arthur Miller
- Of Mice and Men Final Project
- of mice and men ch. 4,5,6
- a word with the sheehyness
- graphic organizer
- of mice and men ch. 3
- Of mice and men ch. 2
- Of mice and men ch. 1
- the crucible act 3
- the crucible act 2
Arthur Miller
May 29th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
Arthur Miller was a famous American playwright. He didn’t have the greatest childhood, living in new york with his father who was a ladies clothing manufacturer and shopkeeper. the depression pretty much destroyed this little business. He finished out high school then continued to college. He went to the university of michigan and won awards for playwriting. In 1938 Miller joined the federal Theatre Project. He did work for big name radio broadcasting crews like cbs and nbc. he had some plays on broadway. One didnt do so great but the other won the New york drama critics circle and two Tony awards. In about 1949, Miller started getting really big. Death of a Salesman came out and turned out really well. Arthur Miller continued on his road to fame and won many awards. He became a well known and respected playwright. Arthur Miller just recently died on february 10th, 2005 of heart failure.
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Of Mice and Men Final Project
May 28th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
okieeee then. Our final project we are supposed to find and explain five literary terms and explain them in the story and how they help the story along and what use they are.
One of the biggest literary device that I saw was the use of similes. Steinbeck was always comparing Lennie to an animal or something else. Simile- a comparison of two things using the word like or as. “Jesus,” he said, “He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t he.” (pg. 43)In this passage the author uses the word “like” to compare Lennie to a child. And it’s totally true though. Throughout the story Steinbeck used similes to describe Lennie as being big and quite frankly, dumb. This sort of helped the reader to understand more so that Lennie isn’t the brightest and he does have the mind of a child.
Another device that the author used was foreshadowing and he used it more than once. Foreshadowing- is the use of clues to suggest events that have yet to occur. “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.” (pg. 15) George tells Lennie what to do if he manages to get in trouble. I definitely saw this as foreshadowing for him getting into trouble later on. Which he did. Steinbeck gave out some huge hints in other things with his foreshadowing, but sometimes not enough to give away the plot, which was nice. It kept you waiting for whatever happened next. Like something you knew was going to happen you were just waiting for it.
Metaphors were also used some. Metaphor- A comparison where you call one thing something it is not or using one thing to represent something else. “You’re yella as a frog belly.” (pg. 63) Here Carlson is telling Curley that he’s yellow as a frog belly, but what he means is he’s more or less a coward and he’s not all that he’s made out to be. The author sort of used metaphors to say something just in a different way. He didn’t just come out and say “you’re a weak, and sniveling coward,” he used a somewhat more colorful vocabulary and called him “yella.” These sort of metaphors just gave a little bit more personality to the characters or just the story in general.
One thing that I found was used but a little harder to explain was the use of symbols. Symbol- Something that stands for or represents something greater than itself. “I can still tend the rabbits, George?” (pg. 65) Now I don’t know how well that passage sums up symbolism if at all. I couldn’t really find one that did. But I did think that there was symbolism with the rabbits, the mice, puppies etc. I don’t really know exactly how to explain what it means to me as symbolism. I’ll go out on a limb and hope it makes sense. I sort of thought that the animals symbolized Lennie’s true nature. Sort of timid, very simple, not a whole lot to him. I can’t really word it but I tried. It kind gave me, as a reader, a better idea of who Lennie was though.
Something I also thought I saw a lot of was Flashbacks. Flashback- Most often, when a character tells a story of something that happened earlier or more broadly, a flashback can be any event that occurred before the normal chronological spot in a text.“’Course he ain’t mean. But he gets in trouble alla time because he’s so God damn dumb. Like what happened in Weed-“(pg.41) Here George is just freely talking to Slim and accidentally slips about telling him an incident that happened in Weed with him and Lennie. What he tells him actually gives some more foreshadowing and insight to what happens in the future and also plays off as a flashback.
These were my five lit. terms simile, foreshadowing, metaphor, symbolism, and flashback.
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of mice and men ch. 4,5,6
May 23rd, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
in general i thought of mice and men was a pretty good book. i liked it a lot. kind of a short read but doesnt change the fact that it was well written. i would say that it was kind of predictable though. it put out a lot of pointers. like when george tells lennie if he gets in trouble to go to that spot and wait for him. that basically was telling you that something was going to happen. or when george and lennie first meet curley’s wife and george tells lennie that she’ll be trouble. plus the fact that lennie could hardly keep his eyes off her. a small hint when steinbeck talks about her hair in the beginning referring them as ‘little sausages’ and that it was soft. that comes up later in the story and lennie goes on doing his whole routine of touching nice things. one thing that i didnt predict was what happened in the end. i had some suspicions of what might happen but i wasnt right. i did begin to wonder when carlson mentioned that is gun was missing. i did think that george had taken it but i had originally figured after that point that he had taken it to protect lennie from curley and the rest of the guys. but when it says that george pulled the gun out of his pocket everyone kind of knew what was going to happen. i guess it made sense to do what he did. it makes it a little easier on everyone in the end. it sucks that it had to be that way. this was probably the best option though. either lennie dies or gets locked up in an asylum where he’s treated horribly. anyone in the right mind would probably rather die than be in one of those back in that day and age. i kind of want to know what would’ve happened after the book was over. in the end i liked it a lot though.
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a word with the sheehyness
May 23rd, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
mr. sheehy,
your class has been a lot of fun. in all honesty it was one of my favorites. i did learn a lot. like reading deeper into things. books, poetry, short stories. just finding the real meaning in what the author is saying, or at least our closest interpretation. i found this to be a fairly useful thing when reading.
How have i changed? i can’t honestly say really. i see little things in how i’ve changed but in major ways it’s a little harder. i think it’s easier for someone on the outside to tell how someone has changed. for some people, like me, its a little more difficult to just peer into yourself and pinpoint exactly how you’ve changed and why.
what has influenced me? a better question. what hasn’t influenced me? everything around me has some sort of influence on me in at least one way or another.
what will i remember when i think back on this year? there are definitely certain things about this year i will never forget. quite impossible really. this year has probably had the most impact on me than any other.
i enjoyed the style of teaching. it was somewhat different from most classes. like i’ve never had to do this whole blogging thing but it wasn’t a bad idea really.
what i found the most challenging i cant remember. i didnt find anything particularly challenging.
i didnt really learn anything about myself that i didnt know. nothings changed there i guess.
as far as lessons to be remembered, i’d say there were too many. i’ll keep them in mind and use what i’ve learned to the best of my ability.
my year was, for the lack of a better word, pretty sucky. i dont really care to go into detail but it for sure wasnt my finest year. i guess the only thing you can do is live life day by day and concentrate on the better things and major ways.
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graphic organizer
May 21st, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
eh it’s alright. a little hard to see. how do you zoom in? a little bit confusing. too much work. I think it’d just be easier to just leave things the way they are. I could see where the graphic organizer would be helpful though.
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of mice and men ch. 3
May 19th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
George continued, “Remember Andy Cushman, Lennie? Went to grammar school?”
“The one that his old lady used to make hot cakes for the kids?” Lennie asked. (pg.56)
So apparently Lennie does remember things. Mostly things that he wants to but he still remembers. so it’s like selective hearing but with his memory. So then why doesn’t he remember even important things. is it just that he doesnt care or is it that it doesnt benefit him in some way. Because in some parts it seems like he only remembers things that get him something, or has to do with food. I think Lennie may be a little smarter than he’s given credit for.
“S’pose i went in with you guys.” (pg. 59)
Candy makes the proposal of helping George and Lennie pay a pretty large portion of the money they need to buy their house/ranch. It sounds like a fairly decent idea. But i am a little curious as to whether or not George still has something up his sleeve. because then that amount of cash was probably a good amount and if he got rid of Lennie and Candy he’d be pretty well off. I’m still really unsure of whether or not George is a shifty character or just Lennie’s friend. the question is still in the air and until it’s solved i suppose i’ll just try to look at every scenario.
“Well, then listen,” Slim went on. “I think you got your han’ caught in a machine.” (pg. 64)
It ends up being that Curly and Lennie do get in to a fight. Curly freaks out and starts wailing on Lennie, Lennie grabs Curly’s fist and basically man handles it and breaks every bone in it. And Lennie didnt even do anything to deserve it. Now George is worried about losing their jobs on account of the fact that Lennie DESTROYED Curly’s hand. So Slim comes up with the idea to say that Curly got his hand stuck in a machine to keep George and Lennie from gettin fired and in return Slim says he wont tell everyone what happened. But I’m wondering how this whole idea is gonna pan out. how do you explain Lennie’s face looking like minced meat? what if one of the ranch hands says something.
So i guess i do have some questions but not necessarily the “big picture or discussion starting” type. my apologies.
Why doesn’t Lennie just leave? I think he could make it on his own if he wanted to. he could make money doin whatever it is he does and go buy as may rabbits as he wants.
Does Slim have any real importance? just curious
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Of mice and men ch. 2
May 15th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
“Sure. Ya se the stable buck’s a n*****.”
“n*****, huh?” (pg. 20)
This kind of stuck out to me. I was just wondering if Mr. Steinback is a little racist. or maybe that’s just for the story. i dont know. I really do disagree with the use of the n word though. i find it to be a very offensive term. It’s just the way it was tossed around so freely. On page twenty the word is used seven times. It just got a little annoying and i lost a little bit of respect for Steinbeck.
“The boss turned on George. “”Then why don’t you let him answer? What you trying to put over?”" (pg. 21)
“I said what stake you got in this guy?” (p. 21)
So earlier there was question on whether or not George is trying to do some shady work and this gives me further suspicion. The boss, a farely nice/temperamental fellow is definitely keeping his eye on them. George wouldn’t allow Lennie to talk making him think that he had a few extra cards up his sleeve. Which really isn’t out of the question. It’s beginning to look more and more like George IS up to something. Then again I could be wrong. maybe he does genuinely care for Lennie. but my mind is swayed toward George being a little underhanded.
“He moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch…” (pg. 33)
So this guy Slim, sounds like he’s a very well respected character. It also seems like he might have some importance. it seemed like he took somewhat of a liking to George and Lennie. well at least more than the Boss and Curley. Maybe he helps George and Lennie somehow later on.
“Ya know, Lennie, I’m scard I’m gonna tangle with that bastard myself. I hate his guts.” (pg. 37)
I definitely think there will be some sparks flying with either Lennie and Curley or George and Curley later on in the story. If something does happen which im betting would happen soon, it will thicken the plot. Maybe that’s where a major problem comes in. And I’m also thinking there will be some sort of drama with Lennie and Curley’s wife. Or just an issue with her in general.
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Of mice and men ch. 1
May 9th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
exactly how big is this guy? he pinches a mouses head and it dies? and what’s the big guy’s obsession with petting things and mice and rabbits? if you were to ask me i’d say he has some deep rooted issues. with petting things. creepy.
Lennie obviously has a horrible memory. He’s like one of those friends who you tell something fairly important to only to find out there watching a butterfly wizz by and then says “huh?” I could see where this guy could get into some serious trouble with petting things and then forgetting simple things. like who is aunt is for example. you’d think you’d remember who the person is supplying your mouse crushing obsession but nooo. If he didnt have George, jeebus only knows where he’d be at. face down in a pile of spit?
So why exactly doesnt he just leave him on his own. if he’s such trouble? maybe they are best friends but you wouldnt really know it from this first chapter. it’s pretty much George telling Lennie how things are gonna be and bossing him around. not that lennie doesnt need on account of the fact that he’s like a big 12 year old. a REALLY big 12 year old. but George apparently has all these great ideas of what it could be like if he let lennie go and how much better things would be without him having to watch over lennie, tell him what to do, keep him out of trouble etc. struck me as odd.
“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).
possibly some foreshadowing? i suppose this would be a good idea for him to go there if he gets in trouble, but again it sounds like george is pretty sure that he will get in trouble. im curious to find out what happens when they get to the ranch they’re heading too. what is lennie going to do. what if he forgets that he’s not supposed to say anything and gives out vital information. do the people that were chasing them ever catch up with them?
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the crucible act 3
April 25th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
at the beginning of act 3 they’re in the presence of judge danforth who is questioning mary about being involved in the witchery and see if what she says holds any water. she says that abigail and the other girls are lying, but when danforth brings them in to see what happens they say that she’s under the devil’s spell and that she is the one who made them do what they did. and somehow in all of this proctor announces to the court that abigail is a whore and that they had an affair. he says that the reason abigail is doing all this is to get back at elizabeth for kicking her out and to get her out of the way. so danforth decides to bring elizabeth in to confirm this story. she’s not allowed to see either john or abigail. so in the end she ends up trying to protect john and says that he was loyal and there was no affair even though she strongly hints toward it. so danforth then says that john is a liar but hale steps up (finally) and states that he believes him and that he thinks the girls are false. then abigail and the rest of the girls start pretending to see a bird in the rafters, claiming that it’s mary sending her soul out to attack them. they start up a ruckus. finally mary breaks down and says that john is the devils man and that he made her do all this and now she’s with god. so she completely screws over the proctors. hale decides to just quit and walk out and that’s where we’re left.
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the crucible act 2
April 25th, 2008 by crackdaddykane66
so in the beginning of act 2 the proctors are talking about all the people being framed up for witchery and about elizabeth’s ( john proctor’s wife) suspicion of johns and abigails affair. she wants him to come out and call abigail a liar and put this nonsense to rest. then mary their servant comes and tells them that elizabeth’s name was brought up in court and may be accused of witchcraft. mr. hale the “expert” comes to their house to interview them and then some guy comes down and tells john that his wife is under arrest. he says no, flips out on the guy and elizabeth ends up telling the guy that she’ll go with them. they find a poppet in the proctor house that has some relevence to abigail having a pin in her side and blah blah blah that leads to elizabeth’s conviction even though we all know that it’s just abigail trying to get her out of the way to try and be with proctor. so john tells mary she needs to go to court and tell the truth, that it was her poppet and denounce everything that’s going on.
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