Of Mice and MenUnit 1 Literature Exam (May2012)

40% of your Literature grade

The Assessment Objectives for Unit 1

AO1 (15%)Respond to texts critically and select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations

AO2 (15%)Explain how language, structure, form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings

AO4 (10%)Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts; explain how texts have been influential and significant to self and other readers in different contexts and at different times

Key issues for improving grades

The specification states that answers should:

be relevant – you don’t need to write everything you know about the text, only the things that relate to the question

be sufficiently detailed – it is better to give a lot of detail about a small part of the text than trying to cover lots of different points

be well structured – with a clear introduction which addresses the question and a clear conclusion that returns to the question

use effective vocabulary – including literary terms where relevant use well-chosen evidence/quotations to support points. To gain a top grade, candidates should show an

enthusiastic and critical personal response. The best candidates write about the author’s methods and achievements, and will concentrate on comment, not content.

AO2:Devices to look out for in the extract (and other parts of novel for part B)

Dialogue ◦Turn taking◦Questions◦Statements◦Commands◦Interruptions◦Silence◦Language used (colloquial/dialect

AO2:Devices to look out for in the extract (and other parts of novel for part B)

Actions of charactersFeelings of characters (expressed by

narrator)SettingSymbolismForeshadowingLiterary devicesSound effects

Answering the question

Part A – detailed and sophisticated analysis of the extract Look for the devices use and focus on what they reveal Connect to themes explored in the novel Part B – essential that you discuss context relating to the

themes introduced in the extract. Refer to quotes in other parts of the book to support your points. Use the same detailed approach for explaining points and devices that you used in Part A

Range of points in both parts essential but analysis must be detailed and specific – use literary terms and always discuss intended effect/what device reveals

Context (AO4)

The novel was published in 1937It focuses on American society n the

1930s and the relatively poor and deprived class of men on whom the US economy depended

It is set in California during a period known as the Great Depression

Position of Women

Curly’s wife is never given a name – this shows that her identity is seen only in terms of her husband – she is an interesting and controversial character

Uneducated women in rural California in the 1930s had few opportunities and were not regarded as equals

They were expected to be feminine, or motherly (Aunt Clara) or were treated as sexual commodities whose sexual favours could be paid for

Text Focus

Read p.58-60Explore the presentation of women in this

section – how is Whit’s description of the brothel different to Steinbeck’s presentation of Curly’s wife?

Refer to language and context in your answer (AO2 and AO4)

The Dust Bowl

Over farming and lack on rain created a ‘Dust Bowl’ which created a situation where owners of worthless land and unskilled workers travelled to find work on ranches (George and Lennie)

Steinbeck made himself unpopular with employers by writing socially critical books like OMAM but conditions were probably more squalid than described

The American Dream

People who emigrated from Europe to America believed this new land would enable them to realise their hopes and dreams

There was a less rigid class system and a lot of land – it was believed that if you worked hard you could ‘make good’

George and Lennie and Curly’s wife are believers in the American Dream

Racism

Until 1865, slavery was still legal in the USA. In fact Southern states depended on it

The Northern victory in 1865 freed the slaves, but black people were still regarded as second class citizens

Crooks has some social contact with the other ranch workers but he is not regarded as an equal

P.91: his passive reaction to Curly’s wife’s comments show he has no rights at all

Lennie’s Dream

This section is very important. It not only establishes the closeness of Lennie and George- the ‘farm speech’ has obviously been recited before – but makes us sympathetic to their simple ambition. Their dream is to have a small farm to “live off the fatta the lan!”as Lennie says. Lennie’s response to it is like a small child being told a favourite bedtime story.

Section 1: Text Focus

Steinbeck begins the novel by ‘painting’ a scene

Explore Steinbeck’s use of language and the effects achieved

Techniques: foreshadow (incident with the mice foreshadows what happens later in the novel)

Section 2: Heroes,Villains and Loneliness

Find key quotations from section 2 that explore the characterisation of heroes and villains and also the emerging theme of loneliness

Focus on the techniques use by Steinbeck:◦Dialogue (slang/repetition/accents/sentence

length)◦Strengths and weaknesses of characters

Importance of section 3 ‘The dawn of hope’

It explains the relationship between George and Lennie, and reinforces the importance of loneliness in the novel

The shooting of Candy’s dog shows us the cruelty of the world portrayed in the novel. It prepares us for the shooting of Lennie

The mention of the cowboy magazine the ranch hands pretend to scorn but secretly admire is introduced. It is another dream – something unreal but something to make life bearable

Importance of section 4 ‘death on the farm’

A rest period before the final climaxIntroduces the issue of racial prejudiceLennie’s anger at Crooks warns us again

that Lennie can be dangerousThe harsh injustice of the world is shown

by the ease with which Curley’s wife can humiliate Crooks

Loneliness is again emphasised

Importance of section 5 ‘murder by mistake’

It seals Lennie’s fateIt shows the sad loneliness of Curley’s

wife, as well as her negative affect on others

It suggests that the dream of the farm will die with Lennie

Dreams and realityPortrayal of men and womenWarnings

Portraying men and women (section 5)

Some feminists argue that Steinbeck encourages old fashioned stereotypical images of women. They argue that Steinbeck sees the use of prostitutes as a man’s right, and that the only women who appears in the novel is a passive victim, a threat to men and someone described simply in terms of her sexuality.Yet the men in the novel are also frequently imperfect and Steinbeck has sympathy for Curley’s wife: she is portrayed as a pathetic figure, with her own unrealisable dream, married to a man she hates and with nothing to distract her from her unhappy marriage. In her own way, perhaps she is as much of a victim as Lennie.In basing his novel largely round a group of men and what we might see nowadays as ‘macho’ values, Steinbeck us writing in a firmly American tradition. Steinbeck’s concentration on male figures in OMAM allows him to examine a theme more closely studied in The Grapes of Wrath: in the America of the 1930s, men are in charge. Yet both novels show how little anyone. Male or female, is actually in control of their lives.

Importance of section 6 ‘The end of the dream’

It brings the novel to a dramatic climaxIt finishes the novel back where it startedIt introduces for the first and last time two

fantasy visionsAt the same time, it shows us Steinbeck’s

brilliance at natural descriptionIt shows us the tragic but perhaps

inevitable ending to George and Lennie’s relationship

Section 6 – Text focus

The setting ‘background to death’The visionsDramatic tensionIronyparadox

Section 6 –Techniques: The visions

The visions – of Aunt Clara and the giant rabbits – are poetic , and very different from Steinbeck’s style in the rest of the novel

Both visions provide a clear insight into Lennie’s feelings at the close of the novel. They show his guilt and his genuine inability to control himself-a giant with mind of child. They also show how much Lennie suffers – both Aunt Clara and the rabbit hurt and taunt Lennie

Lennie’s hopelessness is a sad contrast to his hope at the start of the novel – a shattered dream

Grade Booster!

Show that you are aware of underlying themes. The tragedy of the novel is as much about the shattering of dreams as it is about the deaths of two of its main characters

Section 6: Setting

The section opens with a description reminiscent of the opening of the novel. In the opening, there was a heron and a water snake. Now the heron kills a water snake preparing us for the death of Lennie

Note the marvelous image of the sum blazing on the Gabilan mountains, and the contrast with the shade of the pool. Steinbeck makes use of light in his descriptions. In addition, ‘tiny wind waves’ on the water remind us of the waves caused by Lennie in the opening section

Section 6: Irony

There is a tremendous amount of irony in the fact that George takes Carlson’s pistol to kill Lennie as an act of Mercy. His decision is based on the paradox of being cruel to be kind

The novel has other paradoxes – Lennie kills Curley’s wife but is essentially innocent. Curley’s wife is a ‘tart’ who causes her own death and Lennie’s but at the same time is shown to be ‘innocent’

Section 6: Dramatic Tension

Significant dramatic tension is created by the dialogue between George and Lennie at the end of the novel- the reader is waiting for the inevitable

There is clear dramatic irony in the comparison between the opening and closing scenes of the novel – the same setting, once filled with hope, is now a scene of despair

Descriptive Style

Poetic in its intensity Natural description Detailed Successful because of Steinbeck’s eye for detail and

unusual metaphors and similes and imagery (describing the water snake as a ‘periscope’ is an effective example)

Steinbeck’s style is economical – describes the essential Use of light/sound and vision is evident throughout Steinbeck’s use of light and sound gives a precise sense of

perspective and distance in the novel, and fixes the moment clearly in our minds

The light flaming on the Gabilan mountains is a recurrent image

Dialogue

The dialogue is colloquial (formed from everyday speech). Steinbeck blends dialogue with the descriptive style with fluency

Steinbeck uses phonetic spelling to reflect the way that they sound as spoken by the characters

Steinbeck uses slang to reflect the speech of the ranch workers at the time

Be careful to distinguish between slang and phonetic spelling (as slang dates/changes over time)An example is ‘flop house’ for brothel

Exam Question

Read from ‘A tall man stood in the doorway…’ to ‘It’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know’. Answer both parts of the question:◦How do the details in the passage add to your

understanding of Slim?◦How does Steinbeck use the character of Slim in

the novel as a whole to convey ideas about working life on ranches in 1930s America?

(read extract from A grade answer provided)

Criteria for sample question on Crooks/Racism

Read the passage and then answer the questions which follow.(a) How do the details in this passage add to your understanding of Crooks?(b) How does Steinbeck use the character of Crooks in the novel as a whole to conveyimportant ideas about America in the 1930s?Indicative contentAnswers are likely to deal with some of the following aspects of the story: AO1 Details of Crooks’ room such as the tidiness; his possessions; the books; the

treatments for his back; the fact he lives in the harness room. Details of what Crooks is like such as working with horses; proud; disabled; educated Details of what happens to Crooks such as racist treatment; injured by horse; momentarily drawn into dream; talks to Lennie

AO2 Writer’s use of language to describe Crooks’ room such as amount of detail to show his accumulated possessions; linking of specific objects with specific qualities of Crooks;

significance of copy of California Civil Code; writer’s use of Crooks as representative of how black people were treated

AO4 Racism of society; Crooks’ isolation; his association with the horses.