Name
Block
Mr. Lee
Date
Of Mice and Men Paper Prompts
Option 1:
In the world of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, we encounter only one female
character, who is unnamed and marginalized, her sole identifier reduced to simply being
a possession of her husband. However, it would be too simple – and thus false – to
claim that Curley’s wife doesn’t get a sympathetic view from the reader, if not the
characters in the plot. For this prompt, I ask that you look past the simple question of
sympathy to consider the book through the lens of feminism:
By only considering the text of Of Mice and Men, could you claim that John
Steinbeck is a feminist with validity?
Option 2:
Of Mice and Men ends with a dejected George, stumbling away from the body of his
best friend that he just shot. However, even if our sympathies lie with George in that
moment, it is a different question altogether to consider if the choice George made to kill
Lennie is a morally sound decision:
Considering history, probability, morality, and justice, was George right to
execute Lennie?
Objectives
 To display a clear understanding of the characters, movements, and narrative of
our text
 To be able to apply an outside standard to the circumstances in our text
 To dig deeply into the literature and see how things are presented (in addition to
what is presented) as evidence for an argument
Requirements
 Due in class and on Turn It In on Wednesday, December 7th.
 Be between 2-4 pages in length
 Reference a quotation from our text in every body paragraph
 Employs appropriate tone, approach, and grammar
Grading
 Worth 100 points
 Will be graded on how well you:
o Develop your answer to our prompt
o
o
Incorporate and analyze the evidence from your texts
Fulfill the requirements above
Notes
 I suggest approaching this piece as either a 4 paragraph or 5 paragraph essay
 Start off your essay by warming us up and actually introducing us to, not just
mentioning, the concepts and texts that you will be discussing.
o Start with a hook, end with a thesis, and avoid “the roadmap” style
introduction!
 Remember the general rhythm of a body paragraph that employs deductive
reasoning:
o Topic sentence and transition
o Standard or definition you will be using (major premise)
o Moment in text you will be using (minor premise)
o Context
o Evidence
o How do we see your standard in your evidence (warrant)
 Hold off on your transitions until the beginning of the next paragraph
 Make sure to not simply recap in your conclusion but also push further and
answer the question “is this right?” or “why does this matter?” or “what does this
have to say about our society?”
Deductive Reasoning Paragraph with a Quotation
1. Topic sentence – The claim/ the argument you are making.
2. Major premise – the standard you are applying (should not be reliant on or referencing the text)
3. Intro to minor premise - a moment in the text that show the premise in action
4. Transition to evidence – Use context to attach the idea to premise.
5. Evidence – The quote
6. Warrant - How does that quote prove your premise?
Odysseus, the principal character in Homer's The Odyssey, should not be considered a great
leader. Effective and productive leadership is one that develops a sense of trust and equity
between the individual in charge and those who are his subordinates. It is clear that Odysseus'
men lack this trust when they rupture the bag of West Winds in search of treasure. After
Odysseus secures the aid from the island of Aeolia, he falls asleep while steering the boat back
to Ithaca, his home. As Odysseus slept, his men murmured, "This guy gets everything wherever
he goes. First he's freighting home his loot from Troy, beautiful stuff, while we, who made the
same trip, are coming back empty-handed…Let's have a quick look and see what's here, how
much gold and silver is stuffed in this bag." The contents of this conversation point to both a lack
of equity - as the principal complaint of his men seem to be that they are coming home "emptyhanded" when Odysseus "gets everything wherever he goes" - and a lack of trust. When his men
decide to take "a quick look and see…how much gold and silver is stuffed in this bag", it is clear
they suspect that Odysseus has been hiding items of treasure from his men, that he has not been
upfront about the amount of wealth he has been obtaining throughout the journey. Good
leadership would not be plagued by these issues but would rather share in equity - each person
earning what he deserves - and develop a sense of trust that the one in charge is working for the
common good.
1. Topic sentence – Odysseus, the principal character in Homer's The Odyssey, should not be
considered a great leader.
2. Major premise – Effective and productive leadership is one that develops a sense of trust and
equity between the individual in charge and those who are his subordinates.
3. Intro to minor premise - It is clear that Odysseus' men lack this trust when they rupture the
bag of West Winds in search of treasure.
4. Transition to evidence – After Odysseus secures the aid from the island of Aeolia, he falls
asleep while steering the boat back to Ithaca, his home.
5. Evidence – As Odysseus slept, his men murmured, "This guy gets everything wherever he
goes. First he's freighting home his loot from Troy, beautiful stuff, while we, who made the same
trip, are coming back empty-handed…Let's have a quick look and see what's here, how much
gold and silver is stuffed in this bag."
6. Warrant - The contents of this conversation point to both a lack of equity - as the principal
complaint of his men seem to be that they are coming home "empty-handed" when Odysseus
"gets everything wherever he goes" - and a lack of trust. When his men decide to take "a quick
look and see…how much gold and silver is stuffed in this bag", it is clear they suspect that
Odysseus has been hiding items of treasure from his men, that he has not been upfront about the
amount of wealth he has been obtaining throughout the journey. Good leadership would not be
plagued by these issues but would rather share in equity - each person earning what he deserves
- and develop a sense of trust that the one in charge is working for the common good.