You were afraid to admit you were wrong. Yea who has not been afraid to admit they were wrong? We all have our moments. Some are just easier to admit to then others especially when pride is in our way.

There was a time when I thought I knew better then a friend of mine when it came to the city but I had to admit I was wrong. I knew a lot of the city but he was better much better. I was upset over it for a while because I just wanted to be better then him so after getting over that he started to show me all the small things I missed. Like back roads to get around heavy traffic and short cuts to get to school.

So in the end it worked out for me to swallow my pride and just let him show me a trick or two and it helped me out a lot. I just with I would have let him show me sooner rather then me wasting all my gas being stubborn. But I suppose that’s what I get for pride.

Now I can’t say much for Hale because he was up to his head with trouble that he could not take back and he had to watch people hang for his mistakes so in the end he didn’t turn out well. And I would say he is scarred for life. But I suppose that’s what happens when you make a huge mistake and your not willing to admit it right away.

In over your head because of a bad choice.Wow this is me in a nut shell when it comes to school. I have made a lot of bad choices this year like missing a lot of my classes. Some, well most of it was because I was sick and tired from work and I had to leave due to family emergencies. But I could have tried harder where work was concerned. I could have taken a little more time off and I could have asked for Sundays off so I would not over sleep and miss my first blocks.

I have learned a lot from this year about balancing school and work which I am meaning to apply for next year so it will go a lot smoother then this year. Also it’s my senior year and I really want to graduate with all my friends. I don’t want to graduate a year after them. I would feel kind of dumb doing that. And I want to travel in the up coming years with out having to worry about missing school and setting deadlines and all sorts of demanding things. I would have to plan around work but not around school and work. I think it would be easier also to make money when not in school. It would be a lot less stressful. So in the long run I have learned something and I will apply it so maybe a bad choice was what I needed to see how much better I can be.

So I didn’t tell lies like Abby or bite off more then I could chew like Proctor and Hale but I did learn my lession in the long run.

When reading of mice and menI came across a lot of Lit devices like Flashback, Foreshadowing, Irony, Imagery and Repetition. I didn’t realize at first, how many lit  devices were in Of mice and men until this project. There are probably a lot more but i’ll stick with this for now.

Flashback- when a character tells a story of something that happened earlier.

This can be seen when George is talking to Slim about what happened in weed with Lennie and the girl with the red dress. He tells Slim how they ran away because Lennie latched onto the girl out of fright because he wanted to feel the red dress.

Foreshadowing-The use of clues to suggest events that have yet to occur.

When George and Lennie first run into Curley’s wife and George warns she is nothing but trouble and will bring about nothing but disaster to them and their plans for the future. (which later on becomes true).

Irony- (more specific situational Irony)-When something happens opposite of how one expects it to happen

George and Lennie are the perfect pair for situational Irony. George is small, smart and mean while Lennie is Large, slow, and kind.

Imagery-Descriptive language used to create pictures in the mind of the reader

Used pretty much all over the book. Like the beginning they describe the setting with the Salinas River dropping close to the hill side bank and running deep and green and warm too. Also used to give us a better picture of the characters. ( their appearance).

Repetition-The repeating of any element of language, including words, phrases, lines, or stanzas.

George repeats himself over and over when it comes to their small piece of land. He says or at least gives the same picture three times during the story. Once when we meet them once when he talks and candy listens in and again before he kills Lennie. Also Lennie always talks about the rabbits. How he is going to tend the rabbits.

Those are 5 of the Lit devices I found while reading the book. Sure there are a lot more but I don’t have that kind of time to list them and if I keep picking them out I might as well tell the whole story. Just kidding. But those are my 5 Lit devices.

Dear Sheehy,

This year has been a crazy one for me with all the personal stress and I would personally like to say thank you for helping me and allowing me to catch up my work. I think I could have tried a little harder but whats done is done and I like to thank you for helping me pass by giving me the assignments. (you didn’t give me the evil eye like most teachers).

Also with that said I did enjoy your class, well with the exception of the 10 million essays and the vocab. The blogs were pretty cool also. (if you could log into them).

Most the stories were pretty cool also, with the exception of mice and men. ( I did not like the ending but the rest was good). And the Crucible. ( pretty good but the back and forth was enough to drive you nuts).

Well with that being said and it being early morning and I with out my first cup of coffee myself I close this letter by saying bye, thanks, and I hope next year was as interesting as this year.

Missy

When I read the book I could not put it down at all. I just had to keep reading and reading. The book I thought was very good up until the end. In the end I was really upset when Lennie accidently killed Curley’s wife. I felt she deserved it because she was a tart and kept messing everything up. I was really rooting for Lennie and George and Candy to get their land but they never did. It was very upsetting especially when you get so drawn into something and it does not end the way you want it to.

When George Killed Lennie I cried and I thought back to Candy and his dog. When he told George he should have been the one to shoot him not some other man.

Candy said, “George.”

“Huh?”

“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.” 

That was I think how George felt and he didn’t want anyone to hurt Lennie so he took it upon himself to keep Lennie from harm. In this case, Pain and suffering. Because if Curley got him he would have shot him in the guts. He would have given Lennie a long and painful death. That would not have been right on any level. For Lennie didn’t do it out of meanness he did it because he was scared.I still stand by my opinion about Lennie I wrote a few chapters back. I still found him to be a Gentile giant and in the picture in my head of Lennie I imagine him to be larger then life. Just a huge man with the personality of a child. 

Somethings i found interesting were how much people put Lennie and Candy’s dog in the same boat and hit on their handicaps also how they say George is Lennie’s only tool for survival and how people say George could just up and leave and be alright with out Lennie.

The Organizer was not bad but it make it hard to see things. It expands so far out you kind of loose your place and end up hitting things you have already read. But besides that mix up it wasn’t too bad.

I kind of wanted to hit on Lennie a little bit because that poor guy needs someone to help him out. So I figured I would stick up for him. Since George seems to get himself into more trouble then Lennie does right now.

Lennie I think is a kind hearted, non absorbed big teddy bear. He just wants simple things like rabbits. That makes this big bear happy. He is beyond kind but he doesn’t know his own strength. For instance, the mice. He would grab them after they bit him and accidentally kill them because they are so small.

I believe Lennie wouldn’t mean any harm to anyone or anything. And now he has a puppy.

George said,”It wasn’t much to you, maybe, but it was a hell of a lot to him. Jesus Christ, I don’t know how we’re gonna get him to sleep in here. He’ll want to sleep right out in the barn with ‘em. We’ll have trouble keepin’ him  from getting right in the box with them pups.”(38)

see? simple, and happy! That’s Lennie!

Now for George in this chapter I think he made a friend. He met Slim and started opening up a lot. He became a little more social and a little less with the attitude. Maybe its because he finally has someone different to talk to? And actually talk not just tell stories to. Also I think meeting Slim gave him a way to vent.

“One day a bunch of guys  was standin’ around up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, “Jump in.” An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him  out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more”(40)

He kind of poors his heart out. Like he was bottled up so long and he still felt bad. Maybe it was a release for him. But this also make me wonder. How far can George push Lennie. I suppose not really push I would just say order him? I’m not sure but how much can he say and how much will Lennie listen to? All of it? He seems pretty obedient to me, especially when he gets attacked by Curley.

Lennie took his hands away from his face and looked about for George, and Curley slashed at his eyes. The big face was covered with blood. George yelled again , “I said get him.” (62)

Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line.(62)

Suddenly Lennie let go of his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall. “You tol’ me to, George,” he said miserably.(64)

Will Lennie always listen to George even if he says something he feels is wrong?

Will George use Lennie like a weapon?

Will Slim tell others about what George told him?

While reading chapter 2 the first passage that really stood out was :

“What kind of guy is the Boss?” George asked.

“Well, he’s a pretty nice fella. Gets pretty mad sometimes, but he’s pretty nice” (20)

This made me think about the “Boss” a little bit. My first thought was, is he short tempered? Or does it take a lot to make him angry? And when hes angry is he violent? Or just harsh on words? What was the true character of this new guy they call “Boss”?

The boss pointed a playful finger at Lennie. “He ain’t much of a talker, is he” (21)

This line personally gave a more relaxed feeling to the Boss. It hit me more I think because it was the last sentence on page 21 also so it kind of steered you into the fact that he was a “pretty nice fella” and made him seem more of a likable character then what was originally said about him. It just felt more personal I suppose.

“I wasn’t kicked in the head with no horse, was I, George?”

“Be a damn good thing if you was,” George said viciously. “Save ever’body a hell of a lot of trouble” (23)

This really stood out to me about George and Lennie’s relationship was how cruel George would be to Lennie but really you know he cares because if he didn’t he would have ditched him along time ago. And of course how good of a sport Lennie is to take the abuse. But I suppose it reminds me of a bother to brother type of relationship because only George can mess with Lennie. If someone else tries to he gets very personal. So hes cruel but protective. Kind of a funny pair.

“You the new guys the old man was waitin’ for?”

“We just come in” said George.

“let the big guy talk”

Lennie twisted with embarrassment.

George said, “S’Pose he don’t want to talk?”

Curley lashed his body around. “By Christ, he’s gotta talk when he’s spoke to. What the hell are you gettin’ into it for?”

“We travel together,” said George coldly.

“Oh so thats the way.”

George was tense and motionless. “Yeah, It’s that way.” (25)

“The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely” (2).

Enough said. With this small block of text we have just seen the ideal characters that are used today in most movies and also we can pick them out in our own society too! Do you remember your cartoons? Always running around being “quick and smart” until they get nailed over the head and see stars and start asking “which way did they go George which way did they go?” .

Or have you ever met a huge person that was not very mean or very quick with his wits but the little ones act like little dogs and are always ready to scrap with everything they see that’s bigger then them?

All i know is that I have known a lot of people like that and its like because they are so opposite they attract one another and are almost all the time good friends. So I got a kick out of this first chapter especially after seeing how simple Lennie is and how “smart” George is.

When I read this book I always have the thought of “which way did he go George which way did he go” in the back of my mind so maybe that is what keeps me reading. I also like to see what kind of trouble Lennie gets into because that’s all you hear about.

“Well, look. Lennie – if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush” (15).

You kind of get the idea of what Lennie did but they don’t really get into a lot of detail so that’s another reason I keep reading. I can’t wait to find out. What could someone so simple and timid do that was so bad that they had to run away?

When reading act 3 Abby reminded me of a manager namedNick I work with. He was a person I have trained and was promoted to management and ever since went on a power trip. This was brought on because he now thinks he knows it all and thinks he is all big and bad in his long sleeve shirt. So the whole time we just make fun of him because he worries about getting dirty and he sweats to death so thats kind of funny.

 This has angered a lot of people just like Abby has and also hurt a lot of people and made people I work with walk out. He, like Abby take things too far and there is not a lot you can do about it because no one will listen and since the GM is his friend he goes with the flow just like the girls go with the flow with Abby. But in that case they are between a rock and a hard spot. If they give up the act that choose between jail or her “pointy” reckoning.

Either way is not good but still a power trip is not positive either. So just like the girls I feel the workers are in the same spot. We are all between a rock and a hard place.