Of Mice and Men
Click above to access
Click above to access
Reading and Writing Workshop
Reading and Writing Through the Lens of Of Mice and Men
Core Text:
Session 1: The American Dream and Economic Hardship
Focus: Understanding themes of aspiration, labor, and failure through the lens of the Great Depression.
Read:
Compare George and Lennie’s dream to one of the firsthand accounts from Voices from the Dust Bowl. How do both reflect or challenge the idea of the American Dream?
Session 2: Loneliness, Isolation, and Friendship
Focus: Explore the emotional core of the novel through its portrayal of isolation and companionship.
Read:
Using Crooks and Lennie’s interaction and Lowell’s poem, write a reflective journal entry from the perspective of a marginalized character describing their need for connection.
Session 3: Power, Prejudice, and Marginalization
Focus: Examine how Steinbeck portrays race, gender, and ability in 1930s America.
Read:
Analyze the parallel experiences of Crooks and Douglass. How does Steinbeck’s depiction of Crooks reflect broader historical experiences of African Americans?
Session 4: Dreams Deferred – Literary Allusion and Theme
Focus: Explore the allusion to Robert Burns’ poem and the symbolism of dreams.
Read:
How does Steinbeck reinterpret Burns’ sentiment in the novel? Write a personal narrative about a time when your plans went awry and connect it thematically to the novel and poem.
Session 5: Why Was Of Mice and Men Banned?
Focus: Investigate the novel’s history of censorship and the controversy surrounding its content.
Read:
Write an argumentative essay: Should Of Mice and Men be taught in schools? Use the Pico case, examples from the novel, and your own reasoning.
Session 6: Final Creative and Analytical Showcase
Focus: Synthesize learning through a creative or analytical writing piece.
Read:
Core Text:
- John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937)
Session 1: The American Dream and Economic Hardship
Focus: Understanding themes of aspiration, labor, and failure through the lens of the Great Depression.
Read:
- Excerpt from Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1 (George and Lennie discuss their dream)
- Public Domain Text:
Voices from the Dust Bowl (Library of Congress)
https://www.loc.gov/collections/voices-from-the-dust-bowl/about-this-collection/
Compare George and Lennie’s dream to one of the firsthand accounts from Voices from the Dust Bowl. How do both reflect or challenge the idea of the American Dream?
Session 2: Loneliness, Isolation, and Friendship
Focus: Explore the emotional core of the novel through its portrayal of isolation and companionship.
Read:
- Excerpt from Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4 (Crooks and Lennie)
- Public Domain Text:
“To a Friend” by Amy Lowell
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13630
Using Crooks and Lennie’s interaction and Lowell’s poem, write a reflective journal entry from the perspective of a marginalized character describing their need for connection.
Session 3: Power, Prejudice, and Marginalization
Focus: Examine how Steinbeck portrays race, gender, and ability in 1930s America.
Read:
- Excerpt from Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4 (Crooks) and Chapter 5 (Curley’s wife)
- Public Domain Text:
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (Chapters 1–2)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23
Analyze the parallel experiences of Crooks and Douglass. How does Steinbeck’s depiction of Crooks reflect broader historical experiences of African Americans?
Session 4: Dreams Deferred – Literary Allusion and Theme
Focus: Explore the allusion to Robert Burns’ poem and the symbolism of dreams.
Read:
- Steinbeck’s title reference from Of Mice and Men
- Public Domain Text:
“To a Mouse” by Robert Burns (1785)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18500
How does Steinbeck reinterpret Burns’ sentiment in the novel? Write a personal narrative about a time when your plans went awry and connect it thematically to the novel and poem.
Session 5: Why Was Of Mice and Men Banned?
Focus: Investigate the novel’s history of censorship and the controversy surrounding its content.
Read:
- Selected passages from Of Mice and Men that have been challenged for language, race, and violence
- Public Domain Text:
U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Board of Education v. Pico (1982) (on the First Amendment and school book bans)
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep457/usrep457853/usrep457853.pdf
Write an argumentative essay: Should Of Mice and Men be taught in schools? Use the Pico case, examples from the novel, and your own reasoning.
Session 6: Final Creative and Analytical Showcase
Focus: Synthesize learning through a creative or analytical writing piece.
Read:
- Your favorite excerpt from Of Mice and Men
- Public Domain Text:
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (explore themes of labor and humanity)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1322
- Write a poem or monologue from the perspective of one character in Steinbeck’s novel, channeling the voice and style of Whitman.
- OR: Compose a literary analysis comparing Steinbeck and Whitman’s treatment of workers and human dignity.