Let's look at some sample blogs

Below you will see some sample blog posts to Of Mice and Men.  Let's examine them to see what the writers did.  For each sample, what did the writer do that was effective?  What was not effective?  What makes a strong blog response?  What will you have to do as a writer when you start to blog in our class?

Sample #1

In chapter 5, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays Lennie’s thought, actions, and ultimate effect on others, when Lennie is placed in a pressure situation. Chapter 5 takes the reader to the barn where we find Lennie has accidentally killed one of the pups. ”And Lennie said softly to the puppy, ‘Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard.’ He bent the pup’s head up and looked in its face, and he said to it, ‘Now maybe George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he fin’s out you got killed,” (p 85). That quote allows the reader to infer that Lennie responds very childishly when presented with a consequential situation. That inference is made by Lennie blaming the dog for dying, instead of blaming himself, much like a child does when they do something bad. The quote also shows everything revolves around the dream farm for Lennie. Another quote, that shows how Lennie responds in different consequential situations, comes when Curley’s wife wanders into the barn to find Lennie still struggling to find a solution for killing the puppy. Curley’s wife begins to converse with Lennie, but Lennie remembers George’s warning to stay away from Curley’s wife. ”I get lonely,’ she said. ’You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody.’ Lennie said, ‘Well, I ain’t supposed to. George’s scared I’ll get in trouble.’ She changed the subject. ’What you got covered up there,” (p 87). Lennie then proceeds to answer Curley’s wife, forgetting all about George’s warning. From this excerpt the reader can infer that Lennie can be easily distracted and is somewhat gullible, very much like a child, these qualities of Lennie’s lead to trouble for Lennie. The inference is based on Lennie going from refusing to talk to Curley’s wife, because of George, to conversing with Curley’s wife the next line. A third excerpt, where Lennie response to pressure situations is exhibited, comes later in his conversation with Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife begins to almost seduce Lennie by letting touch Lennie touch her hair. ”Look out, now, you’ll muss it.’ And then she cried angrily, ‘You stop it now, you’ll mess it all up.’ She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. ’Let go,’ she cried. ’You let go,” (p 91). From the quote a reader can infer that Lennie panics when something occurs which Lennie did not foresee. That inference can be made from Curley’s wife beginning to struggle and Lennie only grips her hair harder. Also the reader can infer Lennie does not think rationally when in situations he did not foresee, because Lennie both suffocates and breaks Curley’s wife’s neck when Curly’s wife becomes frightened and starts to yell for help.

 

 

 

 

Sample #2

 

I liked the imagery and the detail it had. I could picture the scene unfolding. It helped me imagine the scene taking place. I also liked the way Lennie and George interact. It reminds me of a Bugs Bunny episode called "Bugs and Thugs". The scene was easy to follow, there weren't any bad things to say about it. There was nothing that could have been done better in my opinion.

 

Sample#3

The ending of "Of Mice and Men" saddened me a lot. Lennie was by far the character I liked to the most. He added humour and sadness into the book. I think George did the right thing in killing Lennie.   Lennie would only cause himself and the others around him more pain. The thing that justified George's choice to kill Lennie was that he wanted Lennie to be happy when he died. If he had let Curley shoot him, Lennie's last few moments would have been terrible. Even if Lennie was simply put in jail, he still wouldn't have been happy. Curley would have made sure Lennie was miserable in jail. People would have laughed at him and hurt him. George killed Lennie out of love.

 

 

Sample #4

John Steinbeck's award winning book Of mice and men throughout the 5th chapter exhibit the theme common theme of loneliness but also violence within innocence. This chapter strongly shows loneliness in one of the characters that hasn't been shown as much as others. On page 86 the book takes place in the barn where Lennie sits as Curley's wife appears the two begin to talk but as the book reaches page 87 Curley's wife opens up like Crooks did to Lennie and says, "I get lonely. You can talk to people but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad." That was the first display of loneliness in this chapter but also the first time we really see this side of Curley's wife, she confesses her unhappiness in her marriage, her lonely life, and her broken dreams. When I read this Curley's wife went from a character that I didn't care about more specifically she doesn't even have a name but now knowing about her loneliness she begins to become more of a in-depth character that i thought could become a main character later on. This is when the theme of violence comes in. Lennie and Curley's wife have been talking about how Lennie loves to feel soft things and that why he always pets the pups and mice, but also so excited about the rabbits that he gets all worked up. Curley's wife doesn't see the violence within Lennie because he is such an innocent guy an tries to calm him on page 90 by saying "But my hair is soft, fine.'Course I brush it lots.That makes it fine. Here feel right here" as she lets Curley feel here soft hair. Come page 91 she gets angry for Lennie messing her hair up that she yells freaking Lennie out. Lennie reacted in a violent matter of shaking hold tightly to her hair until her neck accidentally snapped and she lie dead. This is really the first time the theme of violence has happened but to foreshadow I feel it will happen again due to Curley's rage at Lennie for the murder on his wife.