Of Mice and Men paragraphs

How to write top band (B,A, A*) analytical paragraphs





Example question: How is the relationship of George and Lennie presented in the novel?
A successful paragraph structure is:
Opening Sentence: 1. What technique is being used? + Why?  
                                                                
The writer
Steinbeck
uses characterisation
-          contrast
-          dramatic irony
-          pathetic fallacy
-          biblical imagery
-          foreshadowing
-          animal imagery
-          pathos
-          body language
-          dramatic action
-          repetition
-          symbolism
-          telling details (e.g.
Curley’s wife’s make-up)
-          onomatopoeia/sound
-          cyclical structure
(begins and ends at the same place)
-          tight setting of the
ranch (and 3 day time period) that symbolises the claustrophobia of characters’ world
to emphasise
-          highlight
-          stress
-          convey
-          to involve
-          to prompt
-          to allow




                           
-          the emotional deprivation
of the migrant workers in the 1930s
-          how close the bond
between George and Lennie is
-          the reader to empathise
with the hopelessness facing George and Lennie
-          make us realise that Lennie
is not as different from ‘normal people’ as it may first appear – that he is like all of us, full of longings that will probably never be realised
-          make us feel a sense of
outrage at how cruel the world of the ranch is/how much discrimination women/black people faced in the 1930s
-          admire the courage of
ordinary men like George and Slim
-          grasp the bankruptcy of the
American Dream
-          the reader to hear the voice
of the voiceless in society

Body sentences:
2. Find good evidence of your technique: juicy quotation/striking example
3. Unpack this evidence in detail. What effect does it have on the audience?
4. Link to other big ideas/themes throughout the play. OR link to context.  
Example paragraph
1.


2.


3.


4.

Remember:
-      Do not tell the story!
-          Focus on Steinbeck and his craft (techniques!)
-          Refer to the key words from the question as often as you can (or similar words) – e.g. ending, effective
-          Remember different readers will respond in different ways…suggest some alternative interpretations – this is something that top grade candidates do!

Key techniques/ideas:

Steinbeck – chronicler of the Great Depression – he wants to give a voice to the voiceless. He doesn’t want people like Lennie to be discarded by society and forgotten forever.
Steinbeck wants to call into question the American Dream and its naïve optimism

-“Playable novel” – body language, focus on action, sparse description, very tight setting – only a few different places/scenes > oppressiveness/claustrophobia of the society
-Tragedy – There isn’t any real hope for Lennie (or anyone) in the tight world of the novel.  Pathos is big in the novel and is heighted through the pathetic fallacy of the heat at the beginning of the novel (>>>Heat>>>> violence) and of the sun setting at the end of the novel (Sunset>>>Lennie’s death)
-Tragedy is also implicit in the title – Robert Burns’ poem is clear that our plans do not work out, and therefore we know from the beginning that the characters’ dreams are going to fail.
-Foreshadowing
-Animal imagery  - snakes/mice/dogs – look particularly at the snake at the beginning and end/foreshadowing
Non-teleological thinking’ or ‘is thinking’ – The novel celebrates that it’s what we have in the present that matters, because we have it.  The novel celebrates ordinariness, friendship and courage.
-Race (Crooks) and the role of women in society is explored
-Contrast/Irony  - there is a strong visual contrast at the beginning Lennie/George ‘Lennie Small’ >>> thought-provoking. Steinbeck wants us to look past the surface. ‘I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.’
-Names – seem symbolic/laden with meaning e.g. Curley’s wife
Remember Slim could be seen as the idealised human/hope for a different kind of society

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Macbeth: Grade 9 context analysis

Aiming for a Grade 8-9.... then you need to have a detailed understanding of how contextual factors influence the play.  Social and historical context  A Scottish King had just taken the throne....leading to an atmosphere of FEAR and INSECURITY  Macbeth was written in the early years of the reign of James I of England (James VI of Scotland), probably in 1604-5.  After nearly fifty years of rule, Queen Elizabeth I had died leaving no direct heirs and the throne was passed to her cousin James.  There had been fears of uprising at the queen’s death – after an earlier heirless death, that of Edward VI in 1553, a faction at Court had sought to secure its own power by placing Lady Jane Grey on the throne instead of Edward’s sister, Mary.  The situation was even more dangerous on Elizabeth’s death in 1603, f or Scotland was a traditional enemy of England and the fear of a popular revolt against the King of Scotland becoming King of England was very ...
Read more

Freedom and confinement in Never Let Me Go

If we were honest, though, particularly near the beginning, most of us would have admitted missing the guardians. […] But this was one thing we'd been told over and over: that after Hailsham there'd be no more guardians, so we'd have to look after each other. (10.7) The woods were at the top of the hill that rose behind Hailsham House. All we could see really was a dark fringe of trees, but I certainly wasn't the only one of my age to feel their presence day and night. (5.4) Of course, in practice, especially during the first months, we rarely stepped beyond the confines of the Cottages. We didn't even walk about the surrounding countryside or wander into the nearby village. I don't think we were afraid exactly. (10.9) But I do like the feeling of getting into my little car, knowing for the next couple of hours I'll have only the roads, the big grey sky and my daydreams for company. (18.5) I thought about Hailsham closing, and how it was like som...
Read more

Unseen Poetry Cheat Sheet and Moth's plea link

Unseen Poetry Cheat Sheet:  How to get an A/A* 1 Hour – 20 Marks PLAN FIRST  - spend 10-15 mins thinking DEEPLY about the poems Circle the most interesting language techniques –3 per poem Try to use the following structure: Ideas Mood + Atmosphere Language Compare + Respond Paragraph 1:  State concisely what both the poems are about. What are the ideas of the poems? (Brief) Paragraph 2:                                                                         Atmosphere Poem A Describe the atmosphere/mood of Poem A with mini quotations to back it up. Suggest how different readers might respond in different ways. Is there any kind of ambiguity in the poem? Surprises? Puzzles? Paragraph 3                  ...
Read more