Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The title of the book derives from the poem "To a Mouse" by Scottish poet Robert Burns.
While the Scottish dialect is challenging, listen for the abundance of sound imagery to imitate the harsh chatter of the mouse, the hissing of the wind, the crunching of winter snow, the sharp CRASH of the plough.
The speaker of the poem, the farmer who accidentally ruins the mouse's winter nest, apologizes not only for the destruction, but also for all of mankind's actions against animals and nature. He sees himself as a mortal who shares the world with the mouse, no better or worse. The end of the poem reveals its theme and contains the line from which Steinbeck named his novella. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Gang aft agley,/ An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,/ For promis'd joy!" No one, man or animal, can foresee what might happen in the future. A person may think he or she has planned for everything, but something can still happen that ruins the plans. Depressing, right? It is interesting in the end of the poem, the farmer actually tells the mouse that it is better off than he is because the mouse lives only in the present; whereas, the farmer looks back at regrets and low points in his past and looks forward to the unknown future with fear. |
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Essential Question: Why is John Steinbeck often called a "champion of social justice"? |
Essential Question: Is social justice still relevant in the 21st century? |
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"Pervasive injustice has society at a turning point. Every individual has a choice to make - you can either stand with me and fight for social justice, or you can stay on the sidelines silently supporting the systems that perpetuate the inequality, violence, and poverty that plague our world. This talk highlights some of the most critical social justice issues of our time and calls on everyone to stand up and play a part in changing the world. " -Charles L. Robbins, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the Undergraduate Colleges at Stony Brook University. Published on Dec 17, 2014
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