Of Mice and Men Background Research Team Unknown.

Of Mice and Men Background Research

Team Unknown

John Steinbeck

About Steinbeck..............

• Born in California• Attended Stanford University but

never graduated• Traveled to New York to become a

free-lance writer• Shortly after he returned to California

to write stories

Short Stories and Novels

• First known for Tortilla Flat• Also wrote In Dubious Battle,

 The Long Valley and The Grapes of Wrath

The title of his book Of Mice and Men, came from the poem, To a Mouse, by Robert Burns. The poem translates the message that a mouse is just as important as a person. The poem also says that not everything goes the way it is arranged, so you just need to work with what you have and make the best of the situation.      

Steinbeck's literature often focused on social novels relating to the economic difficulties of rural labour.

During the 1930s

• 1929: Stock market crashes.• 1932: Emelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo

across the country.• 1932: Dust Bowls start.• 1932: Democrat Franklin Delanor Roosevelt is elected as

president of the United States of America.•  1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.• 1939: Germany invades Poland.

The Great Depression

    The Great Depression started when there was a dramatic in the stock market. Share holders quickly sold their stocks so they would not lose money. This life changing event started in the United States but soon spread across the world. The Great Depression caused many Americans to lose their jobs which in turn increased poverty across the country. Because of the increased poverty the Government started Soup Kitchens like the one pictured. People without jobs would stand in line with hundreds of other people like them.

The Dust Bowl

    Throughout the 1930’s the Plains were tormented by series of dust storms.  By 1934 an estimated 100 million acres of farmland had lost all or most of the topsoil to the horrific winds. The wind storms were not only inconvenient but they were dangerous as well. The worst dust storm had winds that reached 60 mph. No matter how closed up you thought your house was, dust and dirt still got in. Mothers could no longer feed their children off of clean bowls because there was nothing clean in the whole Plains region. The Dust Bowl caused many deaths and injuries across the Plains and because of the loss of crops, many farmers went bankrupt.

The Life of a Migrant Worker

Many factors contributed to the extensive migrant worker emigration to the state of California during the 1930's.   • Their vast farmlands dried

up and "blew away" in dust storms during something called the Dust Bowl

• The migrant worker's farm's land became dry, and therefroe did not allow for any cultivating to occur, therefore they could not produce a profit

• California's warm, wet, year round climate allowed for a long growing season that appealed to many impoverished farmers.

The Life of a Migrant Worker

What was life like for a migrant worker?

Many people traveled to California with high hopes.  Unfortunately, not all these people were able to set up farms or acquire work.  Many people set up camps around farms in hopes that they would receive work.  Many times, these migrant workers, also called Okies, would travel place to place, only following places where there was work.

The Life of a Migrant Worker

Life was very hard for the Okies.  They never received the land that they hoped for.  Instead they received difficult, manual labor, and lived in dirty refugee like camps.  The Okies lived a very hard lifestyle, and did not become prosperous by any measures.

What is Mental Retardation?

Mental retardation is a condition diagnosed to one who lacks normal developmental milestones and is incapable to to practice life skills due to their slowed learning abilities.

Causes of Mental Retardation Causes of Mental Retardation are results from: -Infections- Chromosomal abnormalities-Environmental issues (deprevation of necessities)-Genetic abnormalities-Inherited metabolic disorders-Metabolic issues-Malnutrition-Toxic Exposure-Trauma after birth (lack of oxygen or head trauma)- And, the largest group, the unexplained

Symptoms of Mental Retardation

 -Infantile behavior -Decreased learning ability, or slowed learning ability -Does not meet intellectual milestones in child development -Inability to meet educational goals in school -Lack of curiosity

Goal of Treatment for Mental Retardation

The primary goal to help people who have Mental Retardation is to make sure they are able to live and enjoy life to its fullest, despite their condition. This assistance would include aiding

them with social skills and helping them to function normally in society.