‘Of Mice and Men’ was published in 1936 by novelist John Steinbeck. It traces the journey of two workers, George and Lennie and their dream of having their own farm. Although the characters in Steinbeck’s novel are fictional they reflect what life was like during the great depression. This is shown throughout the novel as the two male protagonists show their need of keeping their job on the ranch. I will compare this novel to three various poems. The first of the three is ‘The Farmer’s Bride’. This poem was written by Charlotte Mew in 1916 and is set in a farming community. It reflects the sad incidents which had taken place during the poet’s life. Instead of introducing the contexts of the poem, the title introduces the characters and informs readers that the key theme will be marriage. The second poem which I will be comparing to ‘Of Mice and Men’ is called ‘Quickdraw’. This poem was written by Carol Anne Duffy and explores the positives and negatives of a romantic relationship. The title links to western cowboy films. The final poem that I will compare is ‘Brothers’ which was written by poet Andrew Forster. This poem is about an elder brother thinking that he is superior than his younger brother. It relates to an everyday sibling relationship as it makes those readers who have siblings realise that sometimes they may also have behaved with their siblings in a way that they have later regretted. Once I have compared and contrasted these texts to the novel, I will finish off by giving a conclusion.
The poem ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ is based on a couple relationship between the farmer and his bride. It is in some aspects similar to ‘Of Mice and Men’ as they both present a couple based relationship. In the poem the relationship is bet...
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...s expectations. The second poem which had been compared to the novel was ‘Quickdraw’. Although, it is a couple based relationship it can be compared to some of the characters in the text as the key idea of ‘words hurting’ is also applied in the novel. The final poem which I had compared to the novel was ‘Brothers’ this poem reflects on the relationship between George and Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men’. Although George and Lennie are just friends, the way they look out for each other gives them the opportunity to have a brotherly bond. Just like most siblings think of their younger brother or sister as a pain as well as a burden, that’s just the way George thinks Lennie is to him.
Therefore, all the poems mentioned are similar to the novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’ as they all explore the plutonic, familial and romantic relationships between certain characters in the texts.
The authors John Steinbeck and Robert Burns approach their ideas in very different ways, while having the same themes the reader comprehends key concepts in a different light. Throughout the short story “Of Mice and Men” and the poem “To a Mouse” the theme of hope is a key concept, even though while in both stories their hope did not bring them their happiness, friendship brought them together. Correspondingly while having similar themes of friendship, loneliness, and hope, this all takes place in different settings with different characters.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.
To the average reader, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck may initially look very similar, but after carefully critiquing and comparing their abundance of differences, their opinion will change. Steinbeck found his inspiration for writing the novel after reading that poem. His novel is set in Salinas, CA during the 1900s and is about migrant farm wrokers while the poem is about the guilt felt by one man after he inadvertently ruins the “home” of a field mouse with his plow. Even though they are two different genres of literature, they share a similar intent. The poem is written in first person, while the novel is written in third person omniscient. The vocabulary used to provide imagery is also another subtle different. Being two different genres of literature, they are destined to have both differences and similarities, but the amount of differences outweighs the aspects that are the same.
excited one. He now has hope of doing something and it came from the "dream
The bride is more comfortable with the animals on the farm than the farmer himself but the farmer is stuck in the marriage. Charlotte Mew wrote “happy enough to chat and play” to show the Brides feelings towards the animals whilst the farmer has “hardly heard her speak at all”. These lines are paradoxes to each other, this is similar to how Shakespeare shows unrequited love in Romeo and Juliet. Another line that represents the farmer’s unrequited love is “but what to me?” A chilling sentence in which the farmer is questioning his relationship. To His Coy Mistress’ aggressive speaker also suffers from unrequited love. He tries to manipulate his “lover” into marrying him by using aggressive statements. He says “we would sit and think which way” and “I always hear time’s winged chariot hurrying near” to try and get out of his unrequited love. He tries to get the lady to feel sympathy and guilt with the line “and into ashes all my lust” explaining that he feels pain whilst suffering from unrequited love. Although the speaker is trying to force his lover to marry him it is clear that the woman is the dominant force as she is denying his love. This makes the speaker appear more like a boy than a man, his character is similar to
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
Family bonds are very important which can determine the ability for a family to get along. They can be between a mother and son, a father and son, or even a whole entire family itself. To some people anything can happen between them and their family relationship and they will get over it, but to others they may hold resentment. Throughout the poems Those Winter Sundays, My Papa’s Waltz, and The Ballad of Birmingham family bonds are tested greatly. In Those Winter Sundays the relationship being shown is between the father and son, with the way the son treats his father. My Papa’s Waltz shows the relationship between a father and son as well, but the son is being beaten by his father. In The Ballad of Birmingham the relationship shown is between
In this essay I will compare and contrast a collection of different poems by Carol Anne Duffy, Robert Browning, Ben Johnson and Simon Armitage.
Both authors use figurative language to help develop sensory details. In the poem It states, “And I sunned it with my smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.” As the author explains how the character is feeling, the reader can create a specific image in there head based on the details that is given throughout the poem. Specifically this piece of evidence shows the narrator growing more angry and having more rage. In the short story ” it states, “We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among bones.” From this piece of text evidence the reader can sense the cold dark emotion that is trying to be formed. Also this excerpt shows the conflict that is about to become and the revenge that is about to take place. By the story and the poem using sensory details, they both share many comparisons.
Novels that exhibit what the life is like for the people at ranch can help readers reflect on how they might react in comparable situation. George and Lennie who struggle to transcend the plight of inerrant farmworkers are followed by the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Readers are positioned to respond to themes through Steinbeck’s use of conventions that are dispirit. Themes such as Freedom and confinement, loneliness, and racism are pivotal in the novel and draw out a range of responses from the readers.
On the other side, “Love Poem” is very different from the previous poem. This seven stanza poem is based on a man describing the imperfections of his lover. In this, the speaker uses stylistic devices, such as alliteration and personification to impact more on reader, for example as the speaker shows “your lipstick ginning on our coat,”(17) ...
Relationships between two people can have a strong bond and through poetry can have an everlasting life. The relationship can be between a mother and a child, a man and a woman, or of one person reaching out to their love. No matter what kind of relationship there is, the bond between the two people is shown through literary devices to enhance the romantic impression upon the reader. Through Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham,” Ben Jonson’s “To Celia,” and William Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” relationships are viewed as a powerful bond, an everlasting love, and even a romantic hymn.
and a simile. He starts the poem out with a simile comparing his mistress' eyes to the sun. He then quickly switches over to using the metaphors to compare the rest of his mistress' characteristics, such as her breasts to snow and hair to wires.