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Of Mice And men English Paper tomorrow

Ive done alot of revision but can anyone help me with some key points to write about on my essay? Will be much appreciated and ill give you some tips as well, if you need any. Now coooome on!!!!

Reply 1

HipsAndHearts

TheTurd

Ive done alot of revision but can anyone help me with some key points to write about on my essay? Will be much appreciated and ill give you some tips as well, if you need any. Now coooome on!!!!

Erm let's see. Your probably going to know all this so sorry if you do. I am very much panicaing about tomorrow so much I have read the book about 5 times... :smile:

1. Always right about two different meanings if part of the book has it, such as Lennie halucination at the end, The giant bunny could be representing how much Lennie wanted the dream and now knows he's not going to get it, or it could show the seriouness of what Lennie has done that even a rabbit is telling him off.

2. Remember Point Evidence Explanation..

3. When writing your conclusion turn the question round, so if it was asking about the loniness of the characters right about the character that are lonely etc, but when getting to the conclusion write about what you think would happen if the characters weren't represented as lonely.

4. Always stick to writing about stuff to do with the question, don't go off and write something completely different because it just wastes time and ends up screwing up the essay.

and GOOD LUCK. I hope you won't be panicing as much as I will be tomorrow!!
Hope this helps..

Reply 2

Scottish_Expatriate

Hey I'm doing Of Mice and Men too.
It really all depends on your question, though if you pick a more broad one you should comment on many different points.
For example, if it asked you to comment on the topic of loneliness (theme running through most of the characters in the ranch) you should relate it to specific characters and bring in other themes.
CROOKS: Physically Crooks, a victim of racial discrimination, is segregated from the other workers so he is 'alone'. Though he is described as 'proud and aloof' he certainly likes company. He is seceretly very pleased when Lennie and Candy visit him in his shack.
GEORGE: In an act of compassion, George kills Lennie so to free him from the cruel ranch workers. He knows that Lennie will inevitably die, so he feels he should be the one to kill him. Lennie's life of the ranch begun in the morning and ended in the evening. Is Steinbeck trying to show that in some way Lennie's time was complete? Or is he emphasising finality. Lennie, though sometimes considered a burden, was George's sole companion. With him gone, George will have to experience loneliness head on.
CURLEY'S WIFE: Not even graced with a name, Curley's wife is also physically lonely. She is the only female and married to a man who does not respect her and goes elsewhere for sexual gratification. She responds to her loneliness by seeking company with the other migrant workers, who refer to her as 'bitch' and tart.
CANDY: Candy's companion was his dog, but in an act of kindness, Carlson kills him. The dog was living in pain and suffering, as well as contributing to a bad odour in the bunk. With the dog gone, Candy is alone. The relationship between Candy and his dog can reflect that of George and Lennie. Lennie was reliant on George, as is the dog. He is also seen as a burden to some of the other workers and does not have the same intelligence as the rest- such as inability to hold a conversation or understand movements in society (refer to conversation with Crooks- he doesn't know why he is segregated).
The killing of Candy's dog can forebode the killing of Lennie.

You should also comment on symbolism- such as the heron eating the snake and how this is FATE/DESTINY. The novel begins and ends in the same place.
It is cyclical.

Anyway I'm tired now...and need to read over my Of Mice and Men coursework to revise key points. Some of this will be irrelevant and it all really depends on the exam question.

:smile:

Hope this helps!

Reply 3

TheTurd

Do you reckon I should go deeply into the background of the novel ie the time it was written in, the great depression, the Wall Street Crash etc or is it not important