Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Report Essays - English-language Films

Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Report The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands. During the setting of the story, they are at a ranch whose owner's name is Curley. It is in this setting that the novel reveals that the main theme is death and loss. Lennie accidentally killing all of his pets establishes that the theme of this novel is death and loss. These pets consist of mice, dogs, kittens, etc. Lennie loves to feel and pet animals, but he does not know his own strength. He kills them without really noticing what he has done, until George tells him that he did something wrong. After being scolded, Lennie is very remorseful about what he did. Once, after being yelled at Lennie says, "I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead- because they were so little (13)." Lennie's remorse is probably more for upsetting George than it is for actually killing the animal. Another way that death and loss is evidenced by this novel is when Lennie killed Curley's wife. When Lennie is in the barn (after killing his new puppy) Curley's wife came into the barn and came on to Lennie. Lennie not knowing what was happening let her lull him into touching her hair. To Lennie it was like petting any other animal. Curley's wife became flustered when Lennie became scared and would not let go of her hair. She started to scream and Lennie tried to cup her mouth, which concluded in him killing her. Lennie was truly remorseful after this action. Soon after killing her Lennie can be heard saying to himself, "I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing (121)." The final confirmation of the death and loss theme occurred to George, not Lennie. After going to the place where George had told him to go if anything went wrong, Lennie lays and waits in the brush for George to come get him. What Lennie wasn't expecting was George to come with a posse of ranch hands with him. The ranch hands were not quite there, when George shot Lennie in the back of the head to save him the pain the posse would do to him. After he shot him "the brush seemed filled with cries (140)", which symbolizes the loss of George after shooting Lennie. This was a truly great loss for him since Lennie was his best friend. Of Mice and Men is a very sad and depressing story that contains many deaths of many living creatures. Many people had a loss from these deaths, especially George. He had to shoot his best friend. This can possibly be the greatest loss of all, because without friends, where would we be?

The eNotes Blog Key Questions to Ask While ReadingKeats

Key Questions to Ask While ReadingKeats With so much classic literature out there, it can be difficult to know what to read and where to begin. Here at , weve recently been reading the poems of John Keats, and were confident youll love them as much as we do. Getting started with Keatss work can be daunting, and youll probably have some questions before you dive in.  Fortunately, we have answers. 1. Who in the World Is Keats? John Keats was an English poet who lived during the early 19th century. Orphaned as a child and tasked with the care of his four younger siblings, Keats chose the stable life of a surgeon. However, Keats became so passionate about poetry that he left his life behind, devoting himself entirely to writing. Spurred on by a worsening case of tuberculosis, Keats composed a breathtaking body of poems before dying at just twenty-five. In the decades after his death, Keats came to be known as one of the greatest poets of the Romantic era and of English literature in general. 2. What’s the Deal with â€Å"Romantic† Poetry Anyways? â€Å"Romantic† poetry doesn’t mean poetry penned by lovestruck paramours, though that’s sometimes true. Romantic poetry comes from the literary movement of Romanticism, which took hold in England in the late 18th century. The Romantics- from William Blake and William Wordsworth to Percy Shelley and Lord Byron- wrote verse that expressed a passion for the natural world, sublime experience, the artistic process, and classical history. Though he was largely unrecognized in his time, John Keats has come to be known as a quintessential Romantic poet. 3. â€Å"Blushful Hippocrene†? â€Å"Dales of Arcady†? What Is He Talking About? Like many of his fellow Romantics, John Keats held a deep fascination with the world of classical antiquity. Keats particularly loved the world of ancient Greece, its many gods and myths. Many of Keats’s most famous poems are filled with references to Greek stories and places. So when you’re reading Keats, be sure to keep a guide to Greek mythology close at hand. 4. Wait, What’s Even the Point of Reading This Stuff? Keats’s poetry confronts some of the biggest themes in life. In his best poetry, Keats investigates the  ache of love, the enormity of history, the mystery of melancholy, and the inevitability of death. Keats’s poems will stun you with their insight and draw you more deeply into life. Plus the rhymes are great! 5. Will Reading Keats Change My Life? Probably.