Of Mice and Men Analytical Essay
English Honors 10
Purpose: To improve your thesis writing skills; to continue using MLA in text citations; and to improve your use of quotes as textual evidence in your critical writing.
Directions:
1. Choose a topic question on which to focus your essay from those listed in the Write for College text on page 272. You may also decide to follow a train of thought that we have discussed in class. Please see me if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your paper’s focus. Below are some other questions to consider:
a. Analyze the book’s view of relationships between men. Could this be compared to any relationships in our society?
b. Analyze Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife as the lone female on the all-male ranch.
c. Paying attention to the long descriptive passages at the beginning of each section, discuss the ways in which the novella is similar to a theatrical play. Do these similarities strengthen or weaken the work? How?
d. Analyze George’s actions at the end of the story. How can we justify what he does to Lennie? How can we condemn it? This may be an extension of our analysis of euthanasia and our perception of euthanasia in society.
e. Analyze Steinbeck’s descriptions of the natural world. What role does nature play in the novella’s symbolism?
f. Analyze the characters of Slim, Crooks, and Curley. What role does each character play?
g. Is the setting of Of Mice and Men realistic? How does Steinbeck represent the 1930s? Please note: this essay requires comparing/contrasting fiction and history, and therefore does require some outside research. (interviews with teachers, SIRS database, RELIABLE materials)
2. Write a solid thesis that states the overall guiding idea of your paper. Avoid the pitfalls of vague ideas, ambiguous language, and stating simple fact. This is your most concise idea to the question you have chosen to answer. Writing a good analytical thesis requires you to make a judgment on the issue. I do not want to see wishy-washy, hedging language.
3. Choose three specific textual quotes that support your idea. You will be quoting these exactly in your text, so paraphrasing will not do. You will base your paper around these pieces of evidence, so make sure they are interesting, intelligent, and specifically related to the topic you have chosen. You will need the page numbers to use in your parenthetical citations, so WRITE THEM DOWN!!!
4. Draft the main body of your paper first, centering the organization of your ideas on the best possible use of your textual quotes. Put them in the order that will most naturally enhance the reader’s understanding of your idea. Use these quotes to their fullest potential. You can expand greatly by making generalizations and judgments about the words the author has chosen for his/her story. You are learning here how to avoid summary and focus on the technique in which the author has written the narrative.
5. Pay close attention to MLA citations. One of the categories I will be grading is your ability to follow MLA instructions (as we have been practicing).
6. Create a solid introduction that sets up the interest of the reader for the paper topic. End your essay with a thoughtful conclusion that avoids simply restating (in almost the exact same words) the ideas you have already mentioned previously.
7. Type the paper in MLA formatting style, and include a Works Cited page.
DUE DATES:
Thesis:
Rough Draft:
Citation Check:
Final Draft:
Any questions? Remember, writing is about drafting, Drafting, DRAFTING!!!!!