Of Cruelty and Slaughter
Of Mice And Men is a classic novella written by author John Steinbeck, who is renowned for his mastery of realistic and imaginative writings. He is most well known for his novelette, Of Mice And Men, a story which follows George Milton and Lennie Small, two traveling laborers who work in order to make money to purchase their own farm. George, characterized as smart and having a one-track mind, while Lennie is slow but friendly. This book, considered a classic by many, however, the book sheds light on topics that deemed distasteful or abhorrent by many. Though Steinbeck is protected by the First Amendment, his most noteworthy work, Of Mice And Men, should be barred from the education system because, it displays ableism,
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This rank is fairly and justly founded on the basis that many individuals and groups have come out to denounce the book. Even from the beginning, the reader is aware that Lennie, is characterized as not as intellectually apt as the rest of the characters. George, the cohort, friend, and caretaker of Lennie stated that before he and Lennie were friends, he would play cruel jokes and pranks on him; “I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with 'im. Used to play jokes on 'im 'cause he was too dumb to take care of 'imself. But he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him” (Steinbeck 19). The pinnacle of his former cruelty is when George inadvertently causes the near death of Lennie by asking him to jump in the river knowing that Lennie would willingly comply. This cruelty towards the obviously mentally disabled Lennie is a point brought up in many court cases from the 90’s, including a case from 1993, where the book was cited as an inappropriate English curriculum assignment because of, “profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending” (“Censorship History of Of Mice and Men (Novel)” ). The parents rightfully brought this injustice to the courts, as no individual should be treated in the way that George treated Lennie. These actions are not a good example for young, impressionable readers, nor are they …show more content…
Though Steinbeck uses the word 17 times, he uses it in situations which have characters using the word with contempt. “Where the hell is that God damn nigger?” (Steinbeck 14). By using the word with anger, it exhibits a sense of hatred and bigotry both qualities which should not be tolerated nor taught to youths in school. The use of that word, really any racial slur, shouldn’t be relayed to students. Not only is the use of racial slurs like the ones used in the book rude, but also have effects on ones psychological health. “Ethnicity and Health in America Series” is raising awareness about the physiological and psychological impact of racism and discrimination as it relates to stress” (Physiological & Psychological Impact of Racism and Discrimination for African-Americans).Seeing as ones school environment May contribute to stress, racial slurs from books should not be allowed to contribute to it. Though the word ‘nigger’ is used as an insult to those os African-American descent, it also conjures unsettling feelings to both teachers and students of all
Teachers should just focus more upon what the book is actually about and relax a little more about the use of the offensive term. Some people just try to change the n word to “slave” to make the word more acceptable, but that is not how the word was used back then, so they do not need to change it
In the story Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, it mainly takes place on a ranch where two migrant workers, Lennie and George travel around to find work. Throughout the story George helps Lennie throughout the whole story because Lennie is mentally handicapped and has trouble thinking. Lennie cannot be by himself and needs help with simple tasks. George has a large amount of responsibility for Lennie as he always has to care for him. There were events throughout the story where Lennie does some bad things that gets him and George in trouble and at risk of getting kicked out of the ranch.
Censoring or hiding the word isn't the way to go, the word exists people will find it sooner or later so why not rip the Band-Aid and let it be taught in the best environment possible, a school. In an article named Masterpiece or racist trash by Barbara Apstein she wrote that “Jim embodies the stereotype of the “darky”: he is superstitious and gullible and often appears more childlike than Huck himself”(Barbara Apstein).Back then African Americans would have to deal with white people being on top of the hierarchy. The stereotype for black people back then was them being gullible and superstitious according to Barbara, having a definition for the n-word is a good thing for the country's society to know so that they can have more knowledge on the things they say. Barbara also stated that “Thoughtful examination of Twain's use of the n-word can help teach students the importance of understanding the context in which the word is used”(Barbara Apstein).Which perfectly sums up why it's important for students to have this knowledge. This history should be hidden under lock and key.
TITLE Within this lifetime, people are forced to compromise their sense of morality for the sake of another. The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck features a pair of ranch workers that looked after each other during the Great Depression: George Milton and Lennie Small. Prior to Lennie being mentally handicapped, George’s job opportunities were frequently ruined yet the level of commitment suggests a shared history and aspiration. Their dream was shattered in the end, and George was given an ultimatum between killing Lennie or allowing him to suffer at the hands of Curley.
The constant usage of the n word can be demeaning and harmful to African American students — in 1995, a group of African American students in Cherry Hill, NJ suddenly began failing tests and quizzes in their English class. This happened as a result of an incompetent teacher, who forgot to mention the 200 plus instances of the n word and the fact that the book was controversial. And to make matters worse, the white students would snicker and stare at the African American students when the n word was read aloud. (Document E) This should not be the case — I was lucky enough to have a teacher who would make sure to make reading Huck Finn as comfortable as it would aloud.
Of Mice and Men is a short novella by, John Steinbeck, detailing on the fear society carries for the unknown. Steinbeck 's novella touched on a subject most do not explore but led us on a journey of self reflec. Starting from the beginning John was born on on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California, and died 1968 writing his best-selling novel in 1937. It was in highschool that Steinbeck found his passion for writing then went to college at Stanford until 1925 but never did he graduate. After leaving Stanford and hitting rough spots on the way it was with Of Mice and Men Steinbeck was becoming well known in his time with his book becoming a popular and critical success, was selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club.
The words, “nigger” and “faggot,” I feel are being used more often as a counter to the malediction that was placed on this words; either it be during the civil war in the nineteenth century or the modern day. George Carlin said that there are only bad thoughts and intentions that turn the words that we use into ones that may inflict pain: Both nigger and faggot are degrading terms that by themselves have no power, but when there is a meaning behind them that is intended to inflict agony upon the receiver of the word, only then does the word take on its true form. Nigger, was used commonly in the South part of America during the Civil War, where black people were kept as slaves. The word derives from many languages spelling of the word black,
f Mice and Men Essay - Essays and Analysis Critical Context and Evaluation print Print document PDF list Cite link Link Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness”
Lennie is a big character involving this stories theme by still having friends even though is very different from George and all the other workers. Some readers might think that Lennie has a brain injury that causes his forgetfulness and is a mean person who wants to cause havoc. Despite, the readers thinking that Lennie has a brain injury, it is clear that those allegations are false and George only says this to cover up Lennie’s stupidity. Although, some critics may think that Lennie is a mean person always trying to cause havoc, it is obvious that Lennie is a nice man with a small mind who does not know how to control his strength. Lennie is a dynamic character with observations being made about his forgetfulness and kindness.
When world renowned author, John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men, America went into an uproar, because he created a detailed and realistic account of the time period as he tells the tale of the main characters, George and Lennie. Readers are forced to contemplate their own past experiences and how those have affected the way they perceive their fantasies. He depicts the grit, dedication, and harshness of the reality it takes to reach our dreams. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses symbolism, parallelism, and pathos to portray the American Dream through the lives and deaths of the characters. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men portrays the American Dream through symbolic characters.
Lennie is huge, sweet, caring, unsmart guy in the book. Steinbeck was successful at making Lennie sympathetic because he cares about everything and will always be there for George but other characters keep sizing up to him and he doesn’t know how to fight. Lennie is clueless, kind, but forgets things easily. Others say that Lennie is useless at his job and should stay with George at all times. Lennie likes to make trouble without even knowing what he is doing.
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novel that packs a punch and really looks back at America’s past and mistakes. Steinbeck paints a picture of the late 1920s and early 1930s through two men, George and Lennie. George looks after the mentally challenged Lennie and must take action by soon ending Lennie’s life. The characters in the novel all struggle with heartbreaking conflicts but, no one else suffers more than Lennie and George. These conflicts are often supported imagery in the text.
I think that the word nigger, is appropriately used when talking about race or oppression. It needs to be said so people can feel the weight that it carries. Many people say that only black people can say the n-word because the word was used to oppress them. I think that when saying the n-word, context is key. It can be said by anyone
Do you think people are simply cruel or do they have a reasoning to be cruel? In the book of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many characters show a cruel side of them that was a bit misunderstanding but had their own personal reasons why they acted cruel. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, with a very intense storyline is about two best friends named Lennie Small and George Milton who are always on the road looking for work on farms, since they’re planning to own their own farm someday. When luck hits them and find work at a ranch they meet many people at the ranch but everyone doesn’t get along. Sadly in the end when George finds out they wanted to kill Lennie, George ended up killing Lennie himself.
Of mice and men is a prominent book read by most high school students for a long time. Of mice and men is a book written by John Steinbeck. In the book George and Lennie had to run out of weed, so they looked for a ranch to work on. Lennie had issues with liking soft things that lead to him killing Curley's’ Wife and a puppy. To express that the american dream is impossible to achieve Steinbeck uses conversations, conflicts, and events.