Character Analysis

   In the book, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie go around finding new jobs. They started working of the ranch they are at now because their last job had ended. This relates to The Great Depression because during the time of The Great Depression, people were losing their jobs and trying to find new ones. Lennie's character is not the brightest but he is very sensitive and gentle. He has mental retardation. Mental retardation is a condition that usually happens before someone turns 18. This condition makes it hard for them to remember things and they don't know how to act in big crowds or in public. This is like Lennie because Lennie didn't know how to act in public when he saw the girl's pretty dress and wanted to touch it.

   In the book, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, Lennie is the big, tall, and dumb character. But his personality does not match his physical features. If one looks beyond the large Lennie, they will find a gentle and sensitive person. He was kicked in the head when he was younger. This caused him to have a condition called mental retardation. Mental retardation made it hard for him to control how he acts in public and made him have horrible memory. He is also slower at learning how to do everyday things that a person his age would normally know how to do.
   Mental retardation is the reason why Lennie says the things he says and acts the way he acts. "Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever'thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an' the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on 'cause that's the only thing he can think to do." Since Lennie had metal retardation, he didn't know how to act in public which is why he held onto the girl's dress. Lennie also has bad memory. "Lennie looked puzzled. 'Like I done in Weed?' 'Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya?'" Mental retardation makes life hard for Lennie so George stays with him.

The Great Depression

   The Great Depression is when America's economy dropped and created an economic downturn which started in 1929 and lasted all the way to 1939. There were steep declines in the industrial output because consumer spending and investment dropped. People started spending less and this lead to piles of unsold goods. Farmers didn't have enough money to harvest their crops which meant they had to leave their crops to rot leading to piles of unsold goods. Piles of unsold goods are bad for businesses and its workers because if nothing is being brought, no money will be made. Along with the drop of consumer spending, banks also lost a lot of their money. Investors demanded cash from the banks and led to many closed doors of banks because they lost a lot of money. In conclusion, The Great Depression led to rising numbers of homeless in the streets of America and many unemployed citizens.
   After 1935, America started to get back on its feet. There were programs and institutions that helped people get there life back together after The Great Depression. During years 1935-1943 the WPA help 8.5 million people get permanent jobs. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams and hydroelectric projects to control flooding and provide electric power to the Tennessee Valley region of the South. During the spring of 1933, after showing signs of recovery, America's economy continued to improve throughout the next 3 years. Along with the job increase, The Great Depression helped America become even more employee friendly. In 1935 Congress passed a Social Security Act which insured safety. Also, after The Great Depression industrial production started to rise, creating a reduced unemployment rate that was even lower than what it was before The Great Depression. In conclusion, The Great Depression was not all a bad thing.
Rhysa & Aaron

MIce and Men Vocbulary

Relish:
Definition: to enjoy or to savor greatly
Sentence: During the last performance of "Peter Pan", the cast relished every moment of the show because they would never perform it again.
Quote: "'The guys said on account of the nigger's got a crooked back, Smitty can't use his feet.' He paused in relish of the memory." (p. 20)

Cesspool:
Definition: an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage
Sentence: You would not want to fall into a cesspool because it's full of liquid waste and sewage.
Quote: "'We... we was diggin' a cesspool." (p. 22)

Rhysa and Aaron

Metaphor Graphic

A Coney Island Life Essay (Final)

   Today there are many people who hope for things that are out of their reach. They hope and wish and have expectations so high, they are disappointed when it is not what they wanted. One can hope for something but it is not guaranteed that it will happen. In the poem "A Coney Island Life" by James L. Weil, he talks about life, comparing it to Coney Island. He said one shouldn't have hopes too high because in the end, they'll just be reaching for something they can't get.
   When the author compares life to a Coney Island life, he talks about the rollercoasters and balloons. Life has good times and bad times like a "rollercoaster ups and downs". Everyone has feelings and emotions. There are feelings of happiness and excitement and feelings of despair and sadness. When one is hoping for something big and great to happen, they feel like they are going up the rollercoaster not knowing when or if it's going to happen. But once their hopes are crushed, they feel like they are going down the rollercoaster, scared and not knowing what to think. Our hopes are also compared to helium balloons. One's hopes get higher and higher. "And seen my helium hopes break skyward without me," is what happens when their hopes are too high and can't be reached.
   The author also talks about life and death. One might be living their last their last few days of their life but won't know when they'll leave earth. Every day when one wakes up, they don't know if they'll die today or tomorrow or the next. Everyday is a day to keep on reaching for one's hopes that haven't been reached. The poem also talks about reaching for one's hopes. The author compares reaching for one's hopes to catching the "brass-ring-sun before the game is up". The "brass-ring-sun" is one's hopes that they are reaching for everyday. If the hopes are too high, it will be harder to reach them. If one wants to be able to reach one's hopes, don't have hopes too high so that they are in reach.
   In conclusion, having hopes too high will only lead to disappointment. When one has hopes too high. they will feel like they are going down the rollercoaster. They will be scared and confused. having high hopes can also lead to being left behind. It'll be like their hopes flew away like a helium balloon that got away from a little kid at Coney Island. High hopes also disappoint people when they are trying to reach for it when they don't have much time left. It's like trying to reach for a brass-ring sun. Don't have high hopes because one won't be as happy as if they had hopes that are in reach.

Vocabulary Graphic and Sentences