Question

Rough Draft Essay
Of Mice and Men
Rough Draft Due: Friday, April 1

Directions:
Decide if Of Mice and Men is a novel about kindness or cruelty in the world. You must pick one side and defend your choice by providing examples from the novel and your own analysis. In your thesis statement, explain whether the novel shows the world to be kind or cruel. In the rest of your essay, you will need to provide evidence from the novel to support your claim and some of your own analysis to further support your claim. Follow the specific directions listed above each box.

Online access to novel:
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men


Paragraph #1
Background Information: Provide 4-5 sentences that summarize the novel’s plot.
Thesis Statement: Make your claim about whether the novel is about kindness or cruelty in the world.




Paragraph #2
Topic Sentence: In one sentence, briefly identify your first example from the novel that supports your thesis.
Evidence From Novel: Write 3-4 sentences that describe your example in more detail than the topic sentence. Provide the page number(s) from the book where you found your evidence. Use your own words to summarize instead of direct quotes.
Analysis: In 3-4 sentences, explain why you think the example was kind or cruel.




Paragraph #3
Topic Sentence: In one sentence, briefly identify your second example from the novel that supports your thesis.
Evidence From Novel: Write 3-4 sentences that describe your example in more detail than the topic sentence. Provide the page number(s) from the book where you found your evidence. Use your own words to summarize instead of direct quotes.
Analysis: In 3-4 sentences, explain why you think the example was kind or cruel.







Paragraph #4
Topic Sentence: In one sentence, briefly identify your third example from the novel that supports your thesis.
Evidence From Novel: Write 3-4 sentences that describe your example in more detail than the topic sentence. Provide the page number(s) from the book where you found your evidence. Use your own words to summarize instead of direct quotes.
Analysis: In 3-4 sentences, explain why you think the example was kind or cruel.




Paragraph #5
Restate your thesis.
Discuss whether or not you think the world we live in has changed from the time the book was written in 1937. Is it more cruel now, more kind, or have things stayed the same?
Provide examples from the world today that you have seen or read about that support your perspective.

Answer 1

Though obviously subjective due to the fact that you’re allowed to pick a prompt, I think it would be stronger to claim that novel is a statement on cruelty on the world. This is clear throughout the novel, but if you’re in a rush and haven’t read it I understand! In that case, AT LEAST watch and read summaries concerning themes and major character developments and events (Sparknotes, Cliffnotes)
Some things you might touch on to communicate this claim may be:

- Societal values of the 1930s, relate to historical context of the Great Depression
- Industrialization of man, seeing people as no more than a means for labor
- Disregard for human and animal life, suffering (Candy’s dog)
-The pursuit of the American dream yet it being unobtainable
- Raw violence, a lack of sympathy, grief
***The end dynamic of Lennie and George. Please look into the significance, it’s one of the most profound moments in the book. Did George feel responsible for his friend’s actions? Was he making a sacrifice to save him from suffering even if there is cruelty in the act itself?

I wish I could help you with specific evidence but if you’ve read the book, I hope you can connect these ideas back to support your claim. Of Mice and Men is really effective in making a statement on morality and just the raw definition of what it means to be human. It definitely explores the nature of dreams, sacrifice, and loneliness which makes it so great. Good luck!! :)