Titanium

John Steinbeck is really good at using Metaphors, a metaphor is a comparison where you call one thing something it is not, he uses them many times and here is one. “sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws” (p2). This is really a good example of a metaphor because it is calling Lennie something he is not. Lennie is obviously not a bear but Steinbeck still calls him that, so it is a metaphor.  Metaphors advance what Steinbeck is trying to do because, they can be a little of foreshadowing, but they also give more details, and allow you to see a picture a lot easier.

Personification is also used in the story; Personification is giving human traits or characteristics to a non-human thing. “At about ten o’clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through the side windows” (p18). This is a good example of personification because the sun can’t throw anything; it is making it like a human that is throwing light around. Personification enhances stories because it lets people see pictures while reading.

Foreshadowing is used big time in this story. Foreshadowing is the use of clues to suggest events that have yet to occur. “I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be.”(p32) This is a good example of Foreshadowing because if Lennie would have listened to George he wouldn’t have killed her. Steinbeck is kind of hinting in this passage that she is going to be trouble. Foreshadowing advances the story because at the end you look back and you see all these clues, and you tell yourself, I should have noticed that, and it adds suspense to, because even though you might not know what is going to happen, you can tell that something is.

Flashback is used at least once in Of Mice and Men. A flashback is when a character tells a story of something that happened earlier. “What’d he do in Weed? Slim asked again. Well he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard he is, he wants to…” (p41). This is a good example of a flashback because George is telling a story about why they had to leave weed. Flashbacks add to a story because you can learn more about a character, and then you understand them a little better.

Dramatic Irony is used in the story. Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something a character does not know. “I didn’t know you was here, he said disapprovingly; and then he was beside her and- Oh, Jesus Christ!”(p93). This is a good example of dramatic irony because we already know that Curly’s wife is dead but Candy doesn’t know this at all. He finds out though. Dramatic Irony adds to a story because it puts a strain in you. You want them to know what you know to. So you feel somewhat strained because you can’t do anything.

Dear Mr. Sheehy,

Hello, this year, was quick. I feel like this year was extremely fast in ending. It has been a pretty good year, no fake shooter lock downs. In school I have learned many things in some classes and few things in other classes. In English I would like to say I learned mounds of new and interesting things but, I can’t. I enjoyed my English, almost all of it. Sometimes the lack of commitment in some of the students in my class was annoying. I could also say this in all of my classes. When I look at one of my classes one of the things that really sticks out is the fact that so many students in my classes don’t care, don’t turn in work, don’t listen, don’t do a lot of things. It seems like people are just getting lazier. It is kind of upsetting, because I think that if we keep getting lazier then who is going to do the work? Obviously not our parents, we need to step up and start understanding that work is important. In English I did learn a lot about reading and writing and to me this isn’t learning because how can something I enjoy as much as reading and writing be learning? Its fun. Have I learned any life lessons in this past year? I don’t know yet, I learned some things that I am sure will stick with me for the rest of my life, but lessons, the phrase to soon to tell seems to fit well with this question.

I think I have changed, quite a bit actually. I think I have grown as a human, maybe my maturity level went up slightly, but more importantly I think I have learned when it is ok to be immature. I have started to really not care what other people think about me. Maybe I am making my way to adulthood, maybe I am just becoming an older kid, I don’t mind either way.

            What did I find most challenging? Can the play count here? Being in the play Miss Saigon, is probably one of my most memorable memories in High School, and also one of the most challenging. I had to work through all of the play work, along with regular school work, at the same time. This gets a little tricky when some nights you are at play practice till 10:30. So Miss Saigon is definitely the most challenging thing I did this year, but it was also one of the greatest things I have ever done, so it evens out.

            What did I enjoy about class? I really enjoyed several things about classes this year. One people are really starting to treat us as humans and not little children in our classes. In English I really enjoyed the blogs, though sometimes they got over used. I thought that it was a very cool and fun way to write things, and learn. It is cool because you get to put stuff where other people around the world do have the chance to find it. In other classes, I really enjoyed my Drama 2 class, it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being able to learn more about Drama, and get to know Mr. Speck better.

            The story of my year would be a joyful story with not a lot of excitement. Then at the end it would be sad because, this year is really hard for me. I am losing my sister for one thing, she is going off to college, hopefully. The other thing is I am losing a lot of other people that I have grown up with, such as Max Downs, Aaron Stoneburger, Robby Martin, and many other people who I have been able to call friends for a long time. They are all going off to college and leaving me behind. The end of my story would be happy though because next year is coming and we will rule the school.

            What has influenced me? Well a lot of things, obviously my parents or I wouldn’t be here today. I would like to say that you influenced me quite a bit, I think that I would like to go on and become an English teacher, and that has a lot to do with having you as a teacher. I have enjoyed these three years with you almost everyday, except on vocab days. You have shown me how English can be fun, before I came to High School, I hated English. It was my least favorite subject, I was just a kid that liked to read but couldn’t stand English. When I got into your class freshmen year, that started to change and shortly after about mid year, English started to become my favorite class. I think that if I hadn’t been put in your class, I might still be hating English instead of loving it.  So thank you for being inspirational and my teacher for the past three years. Since you still aren’t getting rid of me though, I have one year left to learn, and this time maybe help, under an outstanding teacher. Thanks for being there for all of us.

End a story? Steinbeck doesn’t do that. He destroys the earth like in Revelations. What to say after a book like Of Mice and Men? Wow. The story brings us to an emotional high as we think that maybe for a second they will accomplish this dream. We feel happy and we can see our dreams reflected in their dreams. Then we see that maybe Lenny isn’t safe

“Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice.”

Lenny killed his puppy. One of the things that he cared about, he feels sad but he is also mad, not at himself for being reckless but at the puppy for dying. This isn’t a normal thing for a human to feel, is he dangerous? This question is starting to gain an answer, and it appears to be yes.

As if the puppy wasn’t enough a worst thing happens, Curly’s wife comes into the barn, and Lenny gets in more trouble then before.

“And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”

I think whether you care or not, like the story or not, or hate Steinbeck everyone’s heart drops a little when they read this line. The sky is beginning to fall, Candy is upset he knows they aren’t going to get the land. Lennie is on the run, and George has a hard decision to make. Should he let someone kill Lennie, because obviously he can’t be on his own anymore, or she they catch him and put him in a “cage”. The decision is made and only George knows.

“No. Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now.”

George does care an awful lot about Lennie, he cares enough and knows him well enough to realize that Lennie couldn’t live in a cage. So he chooses the only thing he can. He has to end it. So he has to kill Lennie himself, that way no stranger kills him, and he doesn’t have to be caged. Most people don’t understand this some do like George and Slim also.

“Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?”

This is one of my favorite books, and I really enjoy Steinbeck, I think he really understands what life is about, and he writes about things that are difficult and hard to talk about. So my personal opinion about Of Mice and Men is wonderful, fantastic, and encouraging.

I have had to give up many friends in life for various reasons. Some were easy, some not so much. I had to give up one of my best friends in elementary because he was getting into drugs and other things that I think are completely wrong. My friend was going one way and my principles the other. It is hard to give things like friends up, but was it harder for Proctor to hang for his principles and end up giving up not only his wife, children, and friends but also his life on this earth. I would have to venture to guess that it was quite a bit harder then just loosing a friend. 97 Losing a friend is tough but I can’t imagine how terrible it would have been to loose your life for something you didn’t even do. I know I have been afraid to admit I was wrong, I am kind of a stubborn person. So when I think something is right, most of the time I don’t change my answer even if I am shown how it is wrong. The judges in the crucible could be described as stubborn also, they can see that people really aren’t into the hanging of the few people that were going to be hanged, but they still hang them even though they can see no one wants them to.

I learned that maybe there is even more to the story then I saw the first time I read it. I am continueously reminded of how different each persons mind is, while reading through others passages.  Some people see things that I would have never thought of, or see it completely differently then I do. I really like the graphic organizer, kinda. It is kind of annoying to have to scroll around so much. I do like how it has the info. right there and you can get a idea just by clicking on them.

Words to describe chapter 3, long, detailed, exciting, hopeful, scary, dirty, sad, and happy. These are just a few of the words that really describe chapter 3, either in emotions you have or emotions, the characters are having.

“Make ‘um let me alone George”

How many times to we call out for help from “George”, asking to make them leave us alone? The reality of the situation is that we have to keep going, no matter what. In Lenny’s case it doesn’t count, he is just a child that can’t understand what is going on. In our own cases though we can understand and no matter how much people pick on us, or tell us they are there for us, the reality is we have to do it ourselves.

“I’ll break their God damn necks. I’ll… I’ll smash ‘em with a stick.”

I think we see the anger that can be in Lenny; here it is only subtle and innocent. The bad part is that he has the strength to do these things and if he gets caught up in the moment like he did against Curly, he can really hurt someone. Is Lenny dangerous? This question is important to ask, is he a danger to others? Is he able to control himself or be controlled? Lots of questions, lots of different answers, I don’t know if he is any more dangerous then any one else but, that still means that he is dangerous at least to a small degree.

“She’s gonna make a mess. They’s gonna be a bad mess about her.”

Once again George see’s things that the characters in the story aren’t paying much attention to. He recognizes over and over again the fact that the girl is trouble, and maybe he is right. Does George have any idea of how dangerous she could be? This question needs to be asked because if he does know, is anything that happens in the future, that could be stopped, on his head? If he knows about it, is it possible to stop future events? These are all questions that spawn from one main question that probably won’t be answered.

“I said what stake you got in this guy?”

What stake does he have in Lenny? This is a very good question, apart from the ridiculous excuse of being Lenny’s cousin we are not really given an account for his stake in him. We also kind of vaguely realize that he isn’t using him for money and that he actually cares about him. Is it because George likes being a leader? He has pity for Lenny? Or is it because he genuinely cares a lot for Lenny and what happens to him? It is true that this question raises more questions then answers but I don’t think we shall receive a direct answer, I think it is left open for each person to choose what he sees in his own eyes.

This girl is not going to be a good thing, Candy knows it, and so does George.

“Listen to me, you crazy bastard, Don’t you even take a look at that bitch”

She seems to be over flirtatious; especially to two new people she just met. This passage is interesting because it states flat out what George thinks about Curly’s wife. I don’t think George will like her at all in this story, and this passage says that right from the beginning. Will she involve Lenny in something bad? Or will she destroy both of their lives? I guess we will have to find out.

I think that people really don’t give out compliments very often anymore and even rarer is a compliment that was completely meant, no strings attached.

“Slim looked approvingly at George for having given the compliment.”

Here we learn a little more about George, we find that he is not very selfish because he is willing to bring someone up above himself and totally mean it, Slim recognizes this character trait and I think respects it. I think we will continue to see George’s selflessness more and more throughout the story.

“A brown and white one”

O if only more of us could be as care free as Lenny. Here we see how little he understands or truly cares about the real world. All that matters is the fact that he could get a puppy and it should be brown and white. If people had kinder souls and simpler minds think about the wondrous acts of kindness that could occur throughout the world. I think we will continue to see Lenny’s baseness throughout the story, even if it gets him in some trouble in the future.

What separates the men from the mice? Lenny can’t squish men as easily as he can the mice.

“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).

This is a very good story so far, even though I have read it before, it was good the first time and it will be good this time to. So far in the story not much has happened, we have been introduced to the two main characters and a little of the plot. We learn that George and Lenny are on their way to a job, and they have to walk to get there because the bus dropped them off at least four miles from the place. We find out a little about the characters such as their appearance

“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).  

The large man he is describing is Lenny and the small on is George. So far we learned that Lenny is a little slow. I really like the way Steinbeck describes things because he uses words that everyone can understand and it really paints a picture. He also pays attention to specific details a lot, without boring people out to much. I look forward to reading this story myself unlike the last time when I had it read to me, it should make a little different reading.

A bad choice that I would go back and change would be when I broke my arm. When I was little I was playing a game in the back yard, it was kind of like tag. My sister was it and I was running away from her so I went to the backyard, I found my way blocked by a padlocked gate and a fence. Anyone who knows me also knows that I absolutely hate to lose at almost anything. So me being myself I wasn’t about to admit defeat to my slightly older sister, running to the fence I thought to myself I can climb this. So despite my parents many warnings about not climbing fences because I will fall and hurt myself, I proceeded to climb it. When I got to the top my foot got caught and I fell head first to the other side. Instead of taking the brunt of the force on my head I stretched out my arm and locked it. My arm hit and came right back it was excruciating pain. I went inside and my mom insisted that it wasn’t broken so we didn’t go to the doctor’s for about 3 hours. Finally when I convinced her it was really hurting we went in only to discover that I had fractured my arm from my thumb up about half way up to my elbow. In the story the crucible Mr. Proctor is terribly sorry for cheating on his wife and out of anything I bet he wishes he could go back and change what happened, just like me and my broken arm. Since neither of us can go back it is important to learn from our mistakes, he learned not to do that and to love his wife, I learned not to climb fences. One of the only things that you can really do to avoid these situations is don’t climb fences. In other words don’t tread the line and try to do what your suppose to and these things won’t occur, not that they won’t always occur you just have a lesser chance that they happen to you.

I think we all have experienced a time when we or someone we knew was judged unfairly. My time that is very vivid in my mind happened this year in the Central High School commons (which is our lunch room). While sitting down talking with our friends after we had finished eating and put our trays away. Norma the Racist security guard came to our table. Now sitting right on our right side was a group of kids that were Native American, in between our two groups of kids was a dirty tray that someone had not put away. Norma came over to our table told us to take care of it. We told her the tray did not belong to us, so she pushed it down to the other kids they also said it was not theirs. This is very likely though because of the amounts of kids that eat there it is possible that a previous kid had left the tray there. Then Norma came back to us and just automatically assumed that the tray belonged to us because those kids said it did. She told us to take care of it. We told her again it was not ours, she proceeded to tell us that she was going to look at the tapes and if she found out it was our tray we would all be in trouble. This really made me mad because she was taking the Native Americans side over ours; there have been many other cases just like this involving Norma.  (I do not have a problem with Native Americans jus with people treating them differently then us). Finally I was going to tell her that we should go watch the tape when my friend Chris got up and just took care of the tray. We were all accused unfairly just as they were in the story the Crucible. In this story instead of trays though they had people being charged for being witches, it involved the officials believing one group of people over another group of people. This is all very wrong and shouldn’t happen.