part (b)

Ok...

Remember I said earlier that I thought this was quite a difficult question? Well, the reason I said that is because setting is a little bit of an awkward topic. The setting at the START and END of the novel is almost a mirror image. They are the same place, so will have a lot in common. So I am going to use the ENDING as my EXTRACT. Remember...set your own extract!! Part b is just an extract question that you set yourself!!

Ok, so here is my extract...

But I might actually use some from a bit further on if I run out of things to say here. You can do that too! In this section everyone, you are just going to show off exactly what you are capable of! You know this book VERY WELL. You understand lots of the hidden layers and meanings TRY AND SHOW OFF ABOUT THEM!!

Here we go - I will time it so that you have an idea how long it took.

The setting at the end of the book is very important. The book ends in exactly the same setting as at the start. This is done for a lot of reasons. Steinbeck seems to be trying to show us that nothing ever really changes for the characters in this book, and that they will always end up back where they started. The American dream simply does not happen for them. Lots of the things which happen in this description of the setting add to the pointlessness of their attempt to reach their American Dream.

The author, firstly, seems to apply a human quality to the sun by personifying it. The extract describes how the sun 'had left' the valley. This is firstly important because it shows how dark the setting can get at night, building a sense of isolation for Lennie at this time. It is also a metaphor for Lennie being left on his own, and the fact that George, his friend, will no longer be standing by him (This only just occurred to me. We are READING INTO THINGS. Remember, no right or wrong answers. If you think it sounds sensible put it in! Try to see everything as a metaphor for what is going on).

This sense of the valley being 'abandoned' by everything that is light or good carries on later in the extract. We read that 'the light climbed out of the valley'. This implies that the light needs to make a lot of effort in order to get out of the valley. Not only does this imply how deep and sheer the valley must be, but it also emphasises the point that Lennie is being left in darkness at this point in the novel.

The author describes on more than one occasion how the hilltops are 'lit by the sun'. This use of a literal image shows that the only remaining light is way up above Lennie, and that it is now far out of reach. Here, the author paints an atmospheric view of the scene. He also seems to be implying that, like the light, George and Lennie's dreams are now unreachable and far out of their grasp.

Steinbeck uses the imagery of nature in order to show his views about the world of the time. The author describes, in quite a lot of detail, a story which involves a 'watersnake' gliding 'up the pool'. The fact that the watersnake is swimming up stream implies that it is struggling, and this could be a metaphor for the struggles that George, Lennie, and everyone else on the ranch has in order to make a living. At the end of the river, the author describes a 'motionless heron'. Eventually the heron eats the watersnake; a metaphor for how the world at the time 'eats up' common people, and will not allow them to reach their goals. The fact that the author describes the heron as 'motionless' makes the bird sound cruel and cunning, just like the rich people of the time.  (See how I am focussing on individual words and images? You must do this!)

The way the author describes the action of the heron is also very effective. Steinbeck describes how the heron's beak 'lances' down, and 'plucks' the snake out of the water by the head. These verbs sound very cruel and unforgiving; another metaphor for the world of the time. This passage also shows how even though nature can be beautiful, it is also very cruel and only the strongest survive. This seems to apply to the people as well as the animals.

The author again adds a sense of mystery and otherwordliness to the setting by personifying yet another tree. Steinbedk says, 'the sycamore leaves turned up their silver sides'. This makes the reader feel almost as if Lennie is being watched. It is like the scenery around him is conscious and is responding to his presence. This description makes it sound like the leaves are turning away because they do not want to see what is about to happen to Lennie.

Steinbeck goes on to use repetition to show how unchanging this setting is. He describes 'row on row' of small wind waves. This could be a metaphor for the lives of the people on the ranch, or just the lives of working people in general. The wind waves remind us of the many people who have passed this way before in search of something more. There are many who have gone before them, and there will probably be many to come after them.

Later in the extract, when George has joined Lennie, the author reinforces the hopelessness of their situation by using yet another metaphor of darkness to represent the dark time they are now both facing. The author says, 'the shadow in the valley was blue and soft'. The fact that the shadow is described almost as a concrete object makes it sound suffocating and inescapable. All the way through this novel, the author has focussed on desribing the light coming in through the windows. Imagining George and Lennie now in darkness makes us worry for them and what is about to happen.

After this, the author describes how shouts and barks of dogs can be heard in the distance. The author writes, 'from the distance came the sound of men shouting to one another.' Literally, this shows us that the are they are in is big and vast. This presents the reader with a dilemma. They know that the brush is big and vast, and will wonder why George and Lennie don't simply run when they hear people coming. The fact that they hear men 'in the distance' also reflects their current lives. We know that everyone on this ranch is lonely. This is one of the main themes of the book. The fact that the nearest people to them are 'in the distance' reminds us of the constant loneliness they will probably find themselves in and partly expains why George takes the tough decision to kill his friend, to give himself a better chance of living anormal life.

There we go people. TEN paragraphs, 25 minutes. Although I didn't allow myself any time to read or plan, so that is pretty good going.

Just remember:

*Keep it simple
*Look for metaphors and alternative viewpoints
*Try to use more than one piece of evidenc ro back yourself up if you can
*Always answer the question directly
*Always EXPLAIN YOURSELF - Remember, PEE is your friend.

Hopefully your question will be a lot kinder than this one, which was a little bit awkward (but still OK).

Yours may be on:

*A character
*A relationship
*A theme

Just don't panic. Remember, everyone in the country is seeing the question for the first time. EVERYONE will find it a challenge. Just use your FANTASTIC Englih skills. Read it, and form some opinions. You are a very bright class, and your opinions/explanations will be better than most peoples'!

The best thing you can do now...

READ THE BOOKLET I GAVE YOU ABOUT THE 5 IMPORTANT SCENES! MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THEM INSIDE OUT!!!

http://www.shipk12.org/web/filemgmt_data/files/Steinbeck_-_Of_Mice_and_Men.pdf

That is a link to the text if you need it!