Exploring Of Mice and Men

The Literary Essay is an insightful, critical interpretation of a literary work. It is not a summary of plot, character or other elements of fiction in any given literary work.

…you provide your own formal interpretation and/or opinion of the topic

…you use the literary work to prove or substantiate your understanding of the topic

…try to prove the plot – we know how the series of events unfolded because we read the book

…need to prove that the characters, setting, or themes existed in the literary work

…provide an interpretation of the plot, setting, character, conflict, and themes as they relate to the topic you are discussing

…develop elements that will prove your argument

…allows you, the writer, to provide your own understanding of the literary work in a properly structured format.

HOW IT LOOKS

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

ARGUMENT 1

ARGUMENT 2

ARGUMENT 3

1. Choose your topic2. Consider – what will you prove about this topic that is specific to the

novel Of Mice and Men ?

Ex: Explore the theme friendship

Incorrect: Every person needs someone to call friend because friendship gives people the strength to do challenging things.

The problem with this is that it is not specific about the novel at all. With a literary essay, you are exploring a topic within the text

Correct: specific topic + specific opinion = thesis

The friendship shared by Lennie and George is band that provides strength in the challenging times they face, and allows them toovercome obstacles other, isolated ranch hands cannot alone because they have no support.

In order to be complete, your essay must include the following :

…states the main purpose of the essay

…is often stated in the LAST sentence of your introduction

…answers the question: What will you prove/show through this essay about the literary work under discussion?

…clearly introduces the topic, the literary work, and the author.

Example: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck presents prejudice and discrimination of both minorities and

migrant workers.

The introduction allows you to give the reader the clear and specific direction of your essay.

Should catch the reader’s attention with a hook statement. A hook might be something general about the theme you’ve selectedEx. When a person is viewed as different by those around them, social isolation can occur andwreck havoc on his life.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION

Isolation from social groups wrecks havoc on the lives of people who are not accepted by their peers. Those who are considered social pariahs in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck , exist in challenging conditions that ultimately do not allow them to achieve the happiness of others on the ranch. Anyone who has any sort of difference from the expected norm of the white male migrant worker finds themselves not welcomes into the comradery of the ranch hands. Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife each live on the ranch, but because of their perceived differences from the other ranch hands, must live in a kind of seclusion that creates a negative impact on their lives.

Time to take the information from the outline and turn it into something cohesive as your introductory paragraph

Loneliness and isolation are something every human

wants to avoid. Down to a cellular level, humans are social beings who

thrive when in cooperation. But in the case of the character of Curley’s

wife, isolation is all she has ever felt. Throughout the novella Of Mice

and Men by John Steinbeck, she is faced with the brutal and unfair way

reality reminds her that she is estranged from everyone else. Because

she has been victimized by men and their entitlement towards her,

Curley’s wife knows only attention-seeking from her sexuality and that

creates her status of being known only as “Curley’s wife” rather than that of

her own identity. Her isolation, but desire for companionship, sets her up

for desperation and destruction over the of the course of the novel.

…is divided into paragraphs

…is composed of paragraphs which begin with a topic sentence that clearly introduces the topic in the paragraph and end with linking sentences that introduce the next paragraph

…serves to PROVE your thesis NOTE: In order to prove your thesis, you must develop and expand

on the topic using examples and citations (quotes) from the literary work to substantiate your statements

Once a quote is cited, you must provide an interpretation, not a summary, about how this quote is relevant to the development of the topic and thesis. Do this on your outline sheet with every quote.

…is where you develop your ideas about the topic

DOES NOT USE FIRST PERSON …is where you provide your own ideas by answering the following questions:

1. What is the topic? How is the topic relevant? 2. How does the topic relate to the literary work?3. How does topic affect the development of the

literary work as a whole?

4. What is my understanding of the topic and the literary work?

5. How does the setting affect the development of the topic?

6. How do the characters assist in the development of the topic?

You DO NOT, however, write your essay in a “question & answer” format. It must flow like the literary work itself.

Use the questions only as a GUIDE.

They will help you to interpret instead of summarizing!

Paragraph 2 – Development of first argumentTopic Sentence: Introduces only the argument in this paragraph. Development consists of ideas which support the topic sentence and thesis Choose 2 – 4 quotes from the literary work

which will develop/support this topic and establish a connection to topic/thesis

A linking sentence will reinforce what was stated in this paragraph and connect it to the following argument.

Quotes of four lines or less can be included in the body of your essay using quotation marks

Example: “Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it.” (Steinbeck 63)

Author’s last name and page reference for the first quote used

EMBED THE QUOTE WITHIN YOUR SENTENCE

Using a quote right in the body of your own words is often the best and easiest way to integrate your textual evidence and maintain the flow of your language. If the quoted word or phrase fits into the flow of your sentence without a break or a pause, then a comma is not needed. A comma is also not needed if you are only using a part of the quote rather than the whole line.

George understands that while “Lennie ain’t handy”(p 26), his friend’s brute strength is enough to do real damage if Curley “messes around with Lennie”. (p 26)

SKIP WORDS WITHIN A QUOTE

Sometimes a quotation needs to be altered by shortening it within the text of your essay. This can be done by replacing the skipped words with an ellipsis (…)

“Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt…with Lennie.” (p 26)

CLARIFYING WORDS FOR CONTEXT

If the context of your quote may be unclear due to grammar or pronouns, you may want to add a few words to provide clarity for your reader. Enclose the added material in brackets [ the square ones] to show the reader the enclosed words are not from the text.

“Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk [the boss’ son] is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.” (p 26)

USING A SINGLE WORD FROM THE TEXT

Sometimes within your writing you will want to draw on the specific language of the novel to illustrate your point. In these cases, your single word quotation does not require a page number.

By referring to Curley as a “punk” the reader understands right away George’s view of his new boss as a trouble-maker.

Rather than taking the time to see her as anything more thana “tart” or a “rat-trap”, the ranch hands keep far away fromCurley’s wife fearing the trouble she may bring to them.

USE COMMA POWER

When the phrase right before the quotation is an incomplete sentence (a subordinate clause), use a comma to introduce and link the quote.

Warning that,“Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.” (p26)

Also, following almost any form of to say,you will almost always need a comma.

The reader is first introduced to the potential dangerous capabilities of Lennie when George says, “Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.” (p 26)

USE THE POWER OF A COLON (:)

When the phrase right before a quote is a complete sentence, and the quote is also a complete sentence, use a colon to link them. The colon shows that these ideas belong together.

George foreshadows the coming incident between Curley and

Lennie after their first meeting in the bunkhouse:”Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.” (p 26)

WATCH OUT FOR HANGING QUOTATIONS

A hanging quote is one that is simply inserted into your writing without an introductory phrase. Quotes simply inserted into the text fragment your writing and do little to illustrate your point.

Example: After their first meeting in the bunkhouse, George foreshadows the coming incident between Curley and Lennie. “Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.” (p26)

So how can you fix this?

Hug all Your Quotes (they are a little insecure you know)

• Quotes must be explored and explained in order to be useful

• This means for every quote you include, you should include 2-3 lines of explanation. This will help keep your essay free of summaries

• Quotes cannot end paragraphs (don’t leave them hanging!). They must be explored for meaning and cannot stand on their own - so give them an information HUG

The first sentence of the conclusion is a restatement of your THESIS.

Do not introduce any new information in the conclusion.

Restate your most important points as a means of bringing your argument to a close.

The conclusion is your last chance to prove your opinion to the reader!

Restates the thesis in a new way

Summarizes the main points of your argument from each paragraph in a way that shows they have been proven

Makes final concluding point that ends the paper with authority

CONCLUSION

Throughout Of Mice and Men , Curley’s wife is misunderstood and misinterpreted by everyone around her; her naiveté and lack of social skills lead her fate to Lennie’s hands as she sought understanding. What she wanted was true companionship, acceptance, and to be accepted. Instead the men never saw her as more than a problematic, promiscuous “tart”. Loneliness and isolation lead into a whirlwind of problems for Curley’s wife. Unable to find happiness in her marriage, her life was wasted on broken dreams, simple wishes, no true fulfillment, in her many complicated relationships with the men who never saw her true self. Ironically, she ultimately finds death at the hands of someone she thought she might call friend.

WORKS CITED

Alfredo, B. Critical Interpretations of To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.

Lee, H. To Kill A Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Warner Books, 1960. Print.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher,

Date of Publication. Type of media.Use MLA format.

Include the literary work on the works cited page .

Use the correct title page format (shown on next slide)

In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Be sure to use double-spaced text.

Double space again and center the title. Don't underline your title or put it in quotation marks.

Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

Jane SuperstudentMiss Bell

English 12, Blc ZAug. 56th, 2015

dent

Student Name

Teacher Name Class Name Date

Here is a sample first page of an essay in MLA style:

Last Name 1

Ensure you have completed the following before you submit your essay for assessment to your teacher:

1. Double-spaced your essay2. Microsoft Times New Roman font size 123. MLA format throughout4. Label each page, including page 1, with page number and

last name

5. Include a Works Cited page

6. Cited the literary work in the Works Cited page and referenced it properly throughout

7. Have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion that are all connected to your thesis

8. Have not used the first person “I” perspective nor mentioned “you”

9. Clearly stated and specific thesis

9. Edited for spelling and language errors (be careful of “typos”)

10. Stapled the essay in the correct order11. Spelled the teacher’s name correctly12. Indented each new paragraph 13. Underlined or italicized all book titles

throughout the essay