AS 90053 / 90849 – Workbook
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Student (full name):
What am I doing?
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Reading Of Mice and Men.
Making notes after finishing each chapter.
Using my notes to write an essay, possibly worth 7 credits (3 credits for internal
assessment & 4 credits for the external exam).
How do I know if I’ve done alright?
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I will have a good understanding of these things:
The main characters (George, Lennie, Candy, Curley’s wife,& Crooks)
The idea of marginalisation.
THE NOTES WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR STATIC IMAGE, READING LOG, RESEARCH, & ESSAY ON OMAM
Personal Reflection
Sometimes it can be help to relate the text to your life.
To ‘connect’ with OMAM, you need to think about the degree of closeness between you and a friend.
Think of a random friend in your life.
Write a number from 1-5 in the box to show the statement that best describes your relationship: 5
1 = truly bff (I can’t imagine life without this person – we’re so close)
2 = intimate & dedicated (we share some personal stuff because we’ve been through a lot together)
3 = we’re good mates (always good to hang out with this person, friendly but not too intimate)
4 = casual friendship (we get along when we’re together, but we’re also quite happy when we’re apart)
5 = we’re more like acquaintances (we know each other but we’re not close)
Think carefully and write an adjective to finish the sentence below:
I have a/an __________________________ relationship with this person.
*Chapter One*( pp. 3-18) -- first impressions
What do you think of these characters?
Write three adjectives to describe Lennie and then another three for George.
Lennie
George
1._________________________
1._________________________
2._________________________
2._________________________
3._________________________
3._________________________
*Chapter Two*( pp. 19-38) -- the olden days…
The setting of OMAM
Time: 1930s (during the Great Depression)
Place: Salinas Valley, Southern California
Note: what do you think of the way other characters treat negroes? [SEXC paragraph answer]
2.1 Find the page where Curley says, “Oh, so it’s that way” (his comment about the bond between
Lennie and George). What was Curley suggesting when he said that?
_________________________________________________________________________________
2.3 Explain Curley’s attitude towards big men.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2.4 Find some evidence to back up your explanation – can be a quote or specific details (description).
2.5 What do the men think about Curley’s wife? Mention evidence to back up your explanation.
2.6 What did Carlson want to do with one of Slim’s puppies?
2.7 Why?
*Chapter Three*( pp. 39-65)
3.1 How did Lennie end up travelling with George? HINT: mention the name of the aunt.
3.2 Why did Lennie and George have to leave the last town they were in?
3.3 What did Carlson do to Candy’s dog?
3.4 Who is Susy? Why do the men like her?
3.5 How did Candy change George and Lennie’s daydreams about owning their own farm?
3.6 Give TWO reasons why Curley picked on Lennie for a fight.
*Chapter Four*( pp. 66-82) – theme: marginalised figures (and what they represent in the real world)
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People are marginalised when they are restricted to the ‘fringes / outer edges of society’. They don’t
have any real power over their lives and they can be seen as ‘victims’.
4.1 Explain why Crooks is a marginalised figure. Mention details from the text as EVIDENCE.
4.2 Explain how Crook’s marginalisation affects his personality. Mention Lennie and the dog collar.
*Chapter Five*(pp. 83-97)
5.1 Explain why Curley’s wife is also a marginalised figure.
5.2 Explain how her status affects her personality. How does she treat Crooks & Lennie? Mention details.
*Chapter Six*(pp. 98-106)
Situational irony occurs when an outcome contradicts the reader’s expectations. The plot in OMAM leads
readers to expect George to do something, but he does something else that contradicts the readers’
expectations.
6.1 Explain the situational irony at the end of the novella. Mention the plot and point out what the reader
expected to happen.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
You should also discuss the parallelism between the characters. Several characters’ lives parallel each other i.e.
they ‘run side by side and are very similar’.
E.g. 1 – Candy and George’s situations parallel each other.
E.g. 2 – Curley’s wife and Crooks’ situation are similar.
• Candy is a lonely man who has a very close
• George doesn’t want to be a loner, so
bond with a smelly, old dog that nobody likes;
he spends a lot of time an effort
he looks after the lame mutt.
looking after Lenny – a simpleton who
causes a lot of trouble.
The similarity between these two characters helps to convey the idea of the NEED FOR
COMPANIONSHIP. The parallelism reinforces the idea that companionship is being a fundamental
need in life and it can be very traumatic for someone to lose a close companion.
• Curley’s wife is a lonely young woman. She is
• Crooks is a lonely old man. He is
isolated on the farm and the men treat her
isolated and the men on the farm and
badly. She normally has no one to talk to and
the men treat him badly. He normally
this has affected her personality. She…
has no one to talk to and this has
affected his personality. He…
The similarity between these two characters helps to convey the idea of MARGINALISATION. The
parallelism reinforces the idea that marginalisation is disturbing because it affects people in negative
ways.
MR TONG WILL GIVE YOU THE ESSAY TOPICS AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED THIS WORKBOOK