Friday, September 6, 2013

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck



School is back in, and my thinking cap is back on.

Over the summer, I was in a relaxed state of mind, and I found it very difficult to do any type of really deep, analytic thinking. My brain desperately needed a break.

Now, I have put my thinking cap back on, and my desire to read is great. Yesterday, I sat outside of Wholefoods, one of my favorite places on my street, and I finished reading Of Mice and Men. As soon as I was finished, I wanted to read something else...I'M BACK!!!!

Of Mice and Men falls in the novella category, which means that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel, and it is a mind blowing read. It deals with mental illness, racism, what a person will do for love, dreams etc.

George and Lennie, are the main characters, and they are chasing their dreams. As I was reading this, I was thinking about the power of dreaming, and how dreaming helps many of us to move forward, and it sure helped George and Lennie. At the commemorative March on Washington, Al Sharpton stated that dreaming is for people who do not like reality, and I have thought a lot about this statement since the March, and I thought about Al's statement as I read Of Mice and Men.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow. 

I will be teaching this novella to my 10th grade students this year. I can't wait to hear their thoughts about this very interesting book.

Read and fall in love with Of Mice and Men.

My next read is Daisy Miller by Henry James, Join Me!

2 comments:

ArchivedProfile said...

I have no idea how I made it through the education system without reading any of the classics. But I just read this book last year. I've added several other classics to my list. I wouldn't mind a few recommendations for those that should be high priority.

Jacqueline said...

A few classics that I love are Crime and Punishment, Fahrenheit 454, and of course Their Eyes Were Watching God!

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