Jumpstart

Jumpstart•Why do you think it has taken three weeks for the government to intervene in this situation?

•Do you think the rescue will be successful because of the delay? Why or why not?

Of Mice and Men

By: John Steinbeck

Questions to consider:•Does the American Dream exist? •Would you spend your life taking care of someone who is developmentally challenged?•Should the strong help the weak or should only the strong survive?

John Steinbeck•Born in 1902 in Salinas, California•Grew up modestly and decided early to become a writer•Attended Stanford University but dropped out – poor

attendance•Moved to NYC, worked in construction and journalism•Moved back to California after several years•Most successful novel = The Grapes of Wrath•During WWII, served as war correspondent for the New

York Herald

Recognition •Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 for his works: Cannery Row, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men

•Recognized for “his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception”

Of Mice and Men•Written in 1937•George and Lennie, migrant workers, during Great Depression•Title refers to “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns• Intended to be a play: lengthy dialogue, long scenes•Banned periodically: profanity, morality, depiction of mentally challenged

Setting•Salinas Valley, where

Steinbeck was born

•Ranch is near south of San Francisco

•Based on Steinbeck’s own experiences

Migrant Work – “Bucking Barley”• Process of collecting clumps

of barley, putting in large bags, and throwing onto backs of trucks

• Lennie is a very strong barley bucker - $100 combined for work of Lennie and George

Bunkhouse

Historical Background of Migrant Workers

• Humans made up work force – little technology

• 1880s-1930s, thousands of men would travel the countryside searching for work

– wheat harvesting

• $2.50 or $3.00 a day, plus food and shelter

• Unemployment high in 1930s and agencies were created to send farmworkers

where they were needed

• In the novel, George and Lennie (the two main characters), were given work

cards from Murray and Ready’s, which was one of the farmwork agencies.

Assignment•Read “To A Mouse” by Robert Burns

•Complete chart with a partner

•Define: timorous, forlorn, rebuff, foresight, rend

The American Dream• From the 17th Century onwards, immigrants have dreamed of a

better life in America.

•Many people immigrated to America in search of a new life for

themselves or their families.

•Many others immigrated to escape persecution or poverty in their

homeland.

The American Dream, Continued

• Dreamed of making their fortunes in America.

• For many this dream of riches became a nightmare.

• There were horrors of slavery, the Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution

• There was a growing number of slums that were just as bad as those in

Europe.

• There was also great corruption in the American political system which led

to many shattered hopes.