...concerns. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie is a man with incredible physical strength, but unusually low intelligence. He travels in a duo with his childhood friend George, but often is under his companion’s jurisdiction. He often seems to be controlled by George, but is usually happy to comply, and leads a relatively comfortable life with his friend looking after him. In life, Lennie the weak is more fortunate than his more powerful peers, because his mental weakness leads to a humbler and happier life. The weak live an inherently modest life. Those who are weak cannot be selfish or proud, because they have little or nothing to be selfish or proud of. For example, the mouse in the poem To a Mouse Robert Burns has a “small house” (Burns 19), and only wishes for a “small bit of leaves and stubble” (31). It only has the ability to attain small things. Therefore, it can only have little pride. Furthermore, this is demonstrated in the novel Of Mice and Men. Lennie, who is arguably the weaker one due to his extreme dependence on George, for the most part, has humble wishes in life. Although he shares his big dream of owning land with George, he often just wants to pet soft things, which is why he obsesses over small furry animals (Steinbeck 10). His wishes are quite simple, especially in comparison to those of others, such as becoming wealthy or famous. Just like the mouse, Lennie is incapable of having a great ambitions, which in turn insures no great pride...
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...obert Burns (January 25, 1759-July 21, 1796) is the national poet of Scotland. Since they were first published, his poetry and songs have never been out of fashion. Translations have made him a classic in other languages. In households where books have been few, an edition of Burns's poetry has often stood on a shelf with the Bible. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The people who care nothing for literature and poetry care for Burns." With their writing Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott created an enduring Scottish identity at a time when the Scots might have been entirely absorbed into a general British culture. In particular, Burns preserved the Scots tongue in literary form. The most loved figure in Scottish history and literature, his birthday, January 25, is the annual occasion of "Burns Night" festivities. He is celebrated by the Unitarians of Scotland as a religious forbear. Robbie was born in a thatched cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire. His father, William Burnes, was a moderately well-educated farmer who did some of the teaching of his children and occasionally provided private tutors. He wrote his own relatively liberal catechism for his children as an alternative to that of the Westminster Assembly. Robbie did a lot of reading on his own, including works by philosophers John Locke and Adam Smith. He worked on the family farm until his father's death in 1784 and continued farming with his brother Gilbert, 1784-86. As a young man Burns made a study of local religious phenomena...
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...'Auld Lang Syne' Song Lyrics, Meaning And Everything You Need To Know About The Popular New Year's Eve Song By Carey Vanderborg@CareyDrew2 on December 31 2012 3:07 PM Among the many traditions that come with ringing in the new year, the singing of “Auld Lange Syne” has become a staple of every gathering. While “Auld Lange Syne” was originally a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788, it was eventually set to the tune of a traditional folk song. The title of the Scottish tune translates to "times gone by" and is about remembering friends from the past and not letting them be forgotten. Now, at the conclusion of almost every New Year's celebration, partygoers join hands with the person next to them to form a great circle around the dance floor. At the beginning of the last verse, everyone crosses their arms across their breast, so that the right hand reaches out to the neighbor on the left and vice versa. When the tune ends, everyone rushes to the middle, while still holding hands. When the circle is re-established, everyone turns under the arms to end up facing outward with hands still joined. Over the years, “Auld Lang Syne” has taken on a life of its own as musicians put their own spin on the traditional New Year's jaunt. As the jam band Phish returns to Madison Square Garden in New York City for a four-show New Year's Eve run to close out 2012, the band will continue to play their rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” as they have done since 1989. As Phish rings in the...
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...cynical sustenance. George and Lennie, with their dream of acquiring a farm, represent an attempt to stand against such perpetual loneliness. Even the name of the city near which the novel is set - Soledad, which is Spanish for "solitude" - resonates with this theme of loneliness. The title, Of Mice and Men, is an allusion to a Robert Burns poem. How is this allusion meaningful in the novel? Consider some similarities and differences between Burns and Steinbeck's works. Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse," is the source of the famous quotation: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men / Gang aft agley" ("often go awry"). And, indeed, Of Mice and Men features two men with a scheme - to escape their lives of menial, temporary employment - that goes awry. Beyond this simple plot similarity, the two works both consider the relationship between the human and animal worlds. Burns poem, in which a field worker offers philosophical reflections after upsetting a mouse's nest, mirrors Steinbeck's work, in which Lennie unintentionally destroys the lives of small, furry animals (including, at the novel's opening, a mouse, which is a clear wink at the Burns poem). Of Mice and Men is...
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...gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and - we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin to work and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin down on the roof.” (14). I can conclude that George and Lennie’s dream is to own land and to belong to something. George and Lennie want to fit in and they want to be in charge of something. They want to get something from what they work for. The dream farm in Of Mice and Men also symbolizes the quote “The best laid schemes Of Mice and Men often go wrong and leave us nought but grief and pain for promised joy!”(To a Mouse by Robert Burns 1785). The dream farm symbolizes this quote perfectly because the farm is George and Lennie’s scheme, it is something they are planning to do. But soon that plan went wrong when Lennie killed Curley’s wife. The farm was always thought to do with Lennie but when Lennie killed Curley’s wife it was going to be nearly impossible to live in peace. George shot Lennie because it was the best decision and the best thing for Lennie. By this event happening, everything that George and Lennie talked about was no longer existent for the both of them. This event also hurt Candy. Candy was relying on the creation of the dream farm so when he wasn’t any good anymore he had a place to live and a place to go. When Lennie killed Curley’s wife Candy asked...
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... Of Mice and Men “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men go often askew.” Of Mice and Men tells a tale about two unlikely friends, small but intelligent George and enormous but childlike Lennie. They are going to a farm and Lennie gets in a lot of trouble. Lennie has a tendency to grab onto things when he gets scared and that gets him in trouble, and George has to bail him out by packing up their stuff and leaving. The death of Lennie, Curley’s wife and George and Lennie’s dream are all important events in this book. The death of Lennie might come as a surprise to some or might be obvious to others. For example candy says “ I shoulda done it myself,” after Carlson kills his dog. Candy feels bad that he didn’t kill the dog himself. George wanted Lennie to be happy/not upset when he died. When Carlson says “right in the back of the head,” he’s talking about shooting Candy’s dog. Carlson shot Candy’s dog “right in the back of the head,” and it was painless. George wanted Lennie’s death to be painless so he did it, rather than Curley shooting him in the back of his head and waiting for him to bleed out and die that way. George killed Lennie quick and didn’t cause him any pain. The death of Curley’s wife probably wasn’t as much of a surprise for she didn’t even have a name. Lennie says “I’m not supposed to talk to you, George says your trouble,” to Curley’s wife,and she still wouldn’t leave. The other men thought she was trouble, because she was always around. She was just lonely...
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...Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men tells the story of two men, George and Lennie. These two are working a new job, with the dream of, hopefully, one day owning their own farm. Lennie, unaware and unable to control his strength, accidentally kills a woman. George is forced to choose Lennie’s fate. Steinbeck’s use of foreshadowing, narration, and tone illustrates the bitter and heartless side of human nature. To begin, Steinbeck utilizes foreshadowing to portray how humans can be cruel. Carlson notices how Candy’s dog is frail and suffering from old age. He persistently tells Candy to kill the dog, as the animal is no longer useful. Carlson describes how he would kill the sheep dog “Right back of the head. He wouldn’t even quiver” (Steinbeck 45). Candy later regrets his decision and says “I ought to shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to let no stranger shoot my dog” (Steinbeck 60). This forced murder of Candy’s dog foreshadows a future event, in which George kills Lennie. While Lennie is facing away from George, Steinbeck narrates, And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering. (104) Lennie is not able to control his strength. He accidently kills animals and kills Curley’s...
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...Per 3 The famous Scottish saying "S mairg a ni tarcuis air biadh," "He who has contempt for food is a fool." describes the attitude of the food and cooking of Scotland. Scotland is geographically located in the continent of Europe occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britan. Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom of Great Britan. Scotland is known around the world for its grade A whisky as well as being considered the homeland of the popular American sport of golf. Of all the wonderful contributions Scotland brings to the world, I am here to study the culture and importance of Scottish food. Scottish cuisine is very distinct and unique, usually based off of traditional foods. For example, a very simple Scottish traditional food is porridge. Porridge should be thick and wholesome not slimy like gruel. Porridge must be cooked with salt to get the right flavor. Those eating porridge outside Scotland have been known to cook it without salt and instead eat it with sugar or even syrup, which is a habit which would turn the stomach of any Scotsman. Scotch whisky (or simply "Scotch") is the best known Scottish drink. Scotch whisky is distilled from barley liquor and flavored with peat tainted water. There are two types of whiskey, Malt whiskey which is more expensive and comes from a single distillery, and Blended whiskey which is cheaper and more popular, comes from multiple distilleries. The national dish of Scotland is Haggis. Haggis is made...
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...Lennie Small from Of Mice and Men was the least lively character throughout the story, but also the star from the beginning to the end of the book. Throughout the entire book Lennie has three traits, he is unknown of his strength, he is very devoted to the people in this life and the things around him, and he likes the feeling of being protected. Lennie shows no significant change in the book but yet he is the favorite character by many readers. In the beginning of the book, Lennie is unknown of his strength. His love of petting soft things, small animals, dresses, and people’s hair, leads to disaster. Aunt Clara used to give Lennie mice to pet but he unintentionally killed them. Lennie does not mean to kill the animals, but he pets...
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...Lennie Small is one of the main characters portrayed in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. He is often depicted as the underdog, or the watcher on the sidelines; he often times just goes along with what his good friend George is doing, such as when George advise Lennie to not speak when they arrive at the ranch (6). Lennie small is a character filled with traits that show who he really is, despite of what may seem like complete hopelessness. Lennie’s mental instability is often times overseen by George and their companions on the ranch. Steinbeck reveals Lennie through direct characterization by depicting him the “opposite of George” (2). He is explained as being a huge burly man, with a “shapeless” face, pale eyes, as well as sloping shoulders...
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... “The best laid schemes Of Mice and Men often go askew.” is a great quote that sums up Of Mice and Men and is from the poem, To A Mouse. The story, Of Mice and Men takes place in California during the great depression. George and Lennie are farm laborers who are searching for work. The have one dream that propels them forward is to own a house and live off the fatta’ the land. John Steinbeck used many sneaky ways at hinting about future events. He used foreshadowing when the farm dream was dead, when Curley’s wife died and when Lennie died. One way Steinbeck used foreshadowing was with the farm dream being dead, an example of this is when George stops his fantasy. The author states, in doc C, “ Listen to the rain commin’ down on the roof… Nuts! I ain’t got no time for more.” This explains that George realizes this dream may not happen, and stops his vision in disappointment. Another way Steinbeck used foreshadowing was when Crooks made a comment about how crazy Lennie’s dream was. The author states on doc C, “I’ve seen hundreds of men walk these paths… and they never ever reach their goal.” This is saying that Crooks has seen a lot of people try and get land but they never do. Why are George and Lennie any different? The farm dream had many clues to never working out, George and Crooks only said a few things. Another way Steinbeck hinted an upcoming event in the book, was when Curley’s wife died. Curley’s wife said her hair was soft like mice, and Lennie kills mice. The author...
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...In the novella of Mice and Men and the TV show Fargo, the idea of masculinity and its surrounding ideas are played with allot. From the idea of a male partnership to animal symbolism, these texts show similar events happening to similar collections of people, however, these two texts are different in the audience that they are appealing towards. In Steinbeck’s novella, it is very much a piece of its time, being centered around the great depression and a man's struggle to find work in these hard times, very much reflecting on Steinbeck’s own life. Whereas Fargo focuses more on the ideals of the American dream, following a lowly ‘failure’ of a man as his life gets ripped from him. The idea of the traditional Lone Wanderer is portrayed in both these texts, however, both express an adaption of this classic theme. Steinbeck’s literary techniques display Lennie’s hulking body in his bear symbolism and Georges small figure, however, George is required to help Lennie through life to give an example when Lennie is hiding the mouse from him and he sais ‘I ain’t got nothing George’ and ‘I didn’ kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead’ This illustrates his child like behavior and his requirement on George to simply survive. A similar idea is reflected in Fargo with Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers with one being deaf and the other a George-like figure, however, the imagery when they both talk demonstrates a more evolved relationship that George and Lennie’s. Both texts show evolved versions...
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...scarce and violence seems to be the only answer. It also illustrates how everyone experiences hardships and challenges in their lives despite social status. Johnny Cade is the gang’s pet. He is only 16 years old, but has already been beaten down by the cruelty of life and his abusive parents. The theme of family love is clarified by Johnny many times, because his fearful eyes have seen what family love isn't. Johnny begins as a meek and fearful boy but a turn of events changes his attitude toward life. Some moments that exemplify Johnny’s change was the murder of Bob, saving children from a church fire and his calm determination when faced with death. One of the ways in which Johnny shows elements of change is when he killed the Soc, Robert ‘Bob’ Sheldon. When Bob almost drowned Ponyboy in a park fountain, Johnny stabbed Bob with his switchblade as an act of self defence. Johnny wouldn’t let anything happen to any of his friends, especially his closest friend Ponyboy. “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you.” This example shows that Johnny would not tolerate others bullying his friends, and wouldn’t be a bystander, when he could do something about the situation. Another event in the novel that reveals Johnny’s change is when risks his own life to save children from a burning church. Johnny and Ponyboy return to Jay Mountain from lunch to see that the church they were staying at was on fire. When they hear children’s screams from inside the church...
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...A man shot and killed 12 people at the premiere of 'Batman' Police in Colorado say a shooting at a movie theater premiere of the latest Batman film has killed at least 12 people and injured 50 more, the Associated Press reported. The death toll was originally given as 14, but later revised down. Several people are said to be in critical condition in hospitals in and around Aurora, near Denver, where the shooting took place. A suspect is in police custody. Officials identified him to NBC News as 24-year-old local man James Holmes. More from GlobalPost: Eyewitness account: Batman premiere shooting in Colorado Shots were reported around 30 minutes into a midnight showing of the newly released Batman movie, The Dark Night Rises, the Denver Post said. Witnesses at the Century 16 movie theater described terrifying scenes. Eyewitness Sharon Segura told GlobalPost: "We get about 10 minutes into the movie and there is this big action scene and there's lots of gunfire. And there is just maybe five or six really loud pops. "So I freak out and I jump a little. And my husband laughs at me and I said, 'No, you don't understand, that wasn't part of the movie, that was real. That was way too loud.'" The AP said the suspect is believed to have kicked in an emergency exit door and thrown some sort of explosive, possibly tear gas, into the darkened theater before opening fire. More from GlobalPost: Yahoo to pay Marissa Mayer up to $100M over 5 years Frank Fania, a police spokesman...
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...powder 1 on the plastic film in two piles, and test its reaction to vinegar then to iodine. Repeat this for mystery powders 2-6. 3) Record results 4) Make 6 small bowls out of the tin foil to hold the mystery powders. 5) Connect the Bunsen burner hose. 6) Turn on the gas and light with a striker. 7) Hold the tin foil bowls with the mystery powders in them with tongs, and then move the bowls over the flame for 20 to 30 seconds. 8) Record results Observations Vinegar Iodine Heat A White powder, Blue tint No Fizz No reaction Burned around edges B White powder, fine, clumps together Fizz Reaction Smokes, burns edges C fine powder, clumps Fizz No reaction No heating reaction D clumps, yellow tint, soft No Fizz Reaction Very quick reaction, Flames E very soft, very fine No Fizz Reaction Caught on fire early F clumps, fine powder No Fizz No reaction Melted but no burn till later G Fine powder, course Fizz Reaction No heating reaction In this experiment we got different results from the rest of the groups, but that was because my group was in a dark corner and was difficult to determine if iodine had a reaction. We did not need to vary from the...
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