Preparation for Of Mice and Men exam to do in class on 24/02

In the exam you will have the choice between 3 questions on 3 different characters. These characters could be George, Lennie, Slim, Curley, Curley's wife, Candy or Crooks. Complete the following task to help you prepare.

For each character you need several quotes (about 6) which show:

1.Their influence in the novel and how they are used by Steinbeck to express  his message/ themes/

ideas such as loneliness, friendship, fragility of dreams, corruption of power, social structure, racism,

gender discrimination, rejection, economic context of the 1930s, etc. (Use PEE)

2.Different aspects of their personality (Use PEE)

3.Their relationships with other characters (Use PEE)

Use this link to learn good personality adjectives specific to Of Mice and Men.

https://headmagnet.com/lists/136210

Literary Essay: Of Mice and Men

What is a Literary Essay?

• A discussion and analysis of the main ideas/characters in the novel

• You must use quotes to support your ideas “…”

• DO NOT describe what happens

• You need to understand the main characters and the main themes of the novel

Point Evidence Explain (PEE)

Point = make a point about a character or theme in relation to the question.

Evidence = back up what you say with proof from the text. Find a quotation and write it down in speech marks.

Explain = show how your quotation justifies your point. Pick out individual words from the quote which are particularly effective at demonstrating your point.

Point

Give an answer, explaining the part of the aspect of the character you are describing and your idea (make sure it is relevant to the question)

Sentence starters:

In my opinion/ I think that …/ Firstly/ At the beginning of the novel/ However, the character changes when… / Not only … /Despite the fact that …/ Despite the lack of … / While …

Expressions: 

due to/ especially as/ which (eventually) leads to/ which means that/ not only …. but it is also/ a central issue or character is/ Certainly, this is a main theme in the novel/Certainly, this character is central to the plot because …

Evidence

Try to integrate the quotation – remember it can also be only one word! Use a comma before the quotation and remember to use quotation marks!

e.g.   This is shown in the quote, “…”

  This is suggested with the quote, “…”

  This is implied with the quote, “…”

  When Steinbeck writes, “…”

Explain

This is the difficult part – analysing the quotation and making it relevant to the original question. Begin with a basic analysis:

In this quotation…

From this quotation…

The description of … gives an impression/idea about …

This quotation suggests/shows/reveals the/how/why …

We can infer from this quotation just how ….

This line reveals the …

Considering the context, this could link to ...

However, perhaps this indicates ...

Additionally this could be interpreted as ...

This writer uses the word which is important because …

This implies .../ This suggests .../ This shows .../This reveals

However, on the other hand it might suggest that …

Alternatively, this could be interpreted as a sign of …

Essay Structure

1.A brief description (the person reading your essay has read the book!) of the
character in the novel and answer the question

2.Answer the question about the character on his/her own, independent of the other
characters or themes

3.Answer the question in relation to other characters

4.Answer the question related to the themes/messages of the novel

5.Conclusion

Is George is coward?

1.Introduction (4/5 sentences)  a summary of the role of this character in
the novel and a clear focus on the question and your answer

2.In what way is George a coward or not on an individual level? (Use PEE)

3.In what way is George a coward or not in relation to other characters? (Use
PEE)

4.In what way is George a coward or not within the wider context of the novel
related to the themes/messages illustrated? (Use PEE)

5.Conclusion

Poetry Exam on Tuesday 23/02

THE POETRY EXAM

•You will speak uninterrupted for around 4 minutes.

•You will not be allowed any notes.

•You must have a solid idea of the poems.

•You will not have seen the image before sitting down.

•You will have 2 minutes to look at the image, think of the emotions and make some planning

notes before you start.

•You will be expected to talk about at least 2 poems.

•Remember – you are speculating! As long as you justify your link (with good explanation) then

you can really say anything you want about any of the poems) Within reason!

Example: Lack of Freedom in each Poem

•Out of the Blue – the fact that he does not have a choice in what happened. The fact he

is trapped by the fire.

•Quickdraw – perhaps the cause of the arguments or the fact that they can

be reached by two phones means no escape, no freedom

•The Manhunt – the man is no longer free. He has returned from War, but he is forever 

hanged. The wife (the speaker) has also lost her freedom – she feels under pressure.

•The River God – the ultimate force of nature and how this can take away the freedom of

humans – the woman who had been swimming in the river was killed by the river.

Modals

Must:

'must + infinitive' (for something that's likely about the present) or
'must + have + past participle' (for something that's likely about the past):

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-of-probability-exercise-1.html

Must/Have to:

http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal2.htm

All modals:

http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal1.htm

Order of adjectives

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl_adjectiveorder4.html#

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/adjorder.html

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/adjord1.htm

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=6877

Poetry analysis table

	Out of the Blue	The Manhunt	Quickdraw
What happens? 3 bullet points
Type of conflict?
3 examples of “stand-out” imagery
Favourite line – why?
Speaker’s emotions in the poem? Prove this with a quote

The River God

I may be smelly, and I may be old,
Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools,
But where my fish float by I bless their swimming
And I like the people to bathe in me, especially women.
But I can drown the fools
Who bathe too close to the weir, contrary to rules.
And they take their time drowning
As I throw them up now and then in a spirit of clowning.
Hi yih, yippity-yap, merrily I flow,
O I may be an old foul river but I have plenty of go.
Once there was a lady who was too bold
She bathed in me by the tall black cliff where the water runs cold,
So I brought her down here
To be my beautiful dear.
Oh will she stay with me will she stay
This beautiful lady, or will she go away?
She lies in my beautiful deep river bed with many a weed
To hold her, and many a waving reed.
Oh who would guess what a beautiful white face lies there
Waiting for me to smooth and wash away the fear
She looks at me with. Hi yih, do not let her
Go. There is no one on earth who does not forget her
Now. They say I am a foolish old smelly river
But they do not know of my wide original bed
Where the lady waits, with her golden sleepy head.
If she wishes to go I will not forgive her.