The Importance of Helping Friends in Leo Lionni's, Frederick and Swimmy
In many of Leo Lionni's children's books, one of his characters is always helping a fellow friend out. For example, in Frederick and Swimmy, there are characters that help others to survive. These characters possess human attributes and carry across important messages to the reader.
Frederick shows that just because he is not working with the other mice does not mean that he is not helping out. He is just doing it in another way. While the others are working to gather food for the winter, Frederick just sits there and takes in other things such as the "sunrays for the cold dark winter days", and "colors for the winter is gray", and finally words "for the winter days are long and many, and we'll run out of things to say"(3). The other mice may not believe what Frederick is saying, however in the end when they are cold and the sky is gray, and they are at a loss for words, they turn to Frederick who in turn shares with them everything that he had been saving up. By Leo Lionni writing this, he was able to show that people can help out others in many ways. Although Frederick was not doing the same things as the other mice, in the end he helped his friends to survive the long, cold, dark winter.
What Frederick achieves by gathering his supplies, Swimmy achieves by being smart. In Leo Lionni's book, Swimmy, the odd fish is the one who in the end helps the other fish from being eaten by the big "tuna fish" who is "swift, fierce, and very hungry" (75). Swimmy does not want to have to constantly worry about being eaten by the big fish, so he comes up with an idea to help all of the other little fish survive the large fish. He has them all join together to become one big fish and he is the eye. By Swimmy coming up with this idea, he is able to protect all of his friends. Without his help who knows what would have come of all the other little fish.
Although not all of Leo Lionni's books portray how friends can help other friends survive in different ways, Frederick and Swimmy are great examples of this.
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.
Burns talks about the mouse in sympathy and is sorrowful that he had taken the mouse’s home away from the mouse by accidentally destroying its home for the winter, and that the mouse’s dream was to dwell in their cozy home, and even though the mouse had prepared everything Burns says that “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often awry.”
The affection the narrator displays for the mouse in Burns’ poem mirrors the affection George displays for his friend Lennie in Of Mice and Men. The narrator starts by convincing the mouse that he is not an enemy, and that he will do the mouse no harm. “Wee, sleekit, cow'rin', tim'rous beastie, O what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty…I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee” (lines 1-5). In this portion of the poem, the narrator attempts to establish a rapport between himself and the mouse. By the same token, in Of Mice and Men, G...
The newfound friends are led by a young headstrong rabbit named Hazel who tries to lead with courage and wisdom. While the group travels to their unknown destination they encounter problems like wild animals, but with cooperation they get through their problems. An interesting part is how they figure out a way to transport their injured Fiver and Pipkin across the river to escape the dog. Using his brains, Hazels has the idea to ship the two injured rabbits across the river upon a flat piece of wood. When this act had been done, the other rabbits had a new admiration of Hazel. This new admiration was brought upon, when he had to choose to leave injured rabbits behind he refused and thought of idea to help them across, Hazel has shown himself as a competent, caring, and wise leader.
“There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear (Frank Tyger).” It’s always very important to have someone to confide in and vent to otherwise life just feels empty. You feel lonely without anyone. That’s what the characters in Of Mice and Men experienced. Loneliness. This book demonstrates what they viewed a friendship as. Most of them don’t even know what it’s like to have a friend. In this book Lennie, George, and Carlson deserve the most sympathy because each one of them has gone through some tough phases from being treated like crap to not having anyone who understands them and who sympathizes why the things they've been through reflect who they are as a person.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
Strong essay- Well chosen quotes with Is friendship really necessary in life ? In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the main characters George and Lennie are best friends who travel through California looking for a stable job and a stable place to live during the time of the Great Depression. Throughout the book both George and Lennie’s friendship is questioned because of Lennie’s mental disability and during this time everybody works for himself to save money and settle down. Another reason they are questioned is because everyone during this time is very cranky and looks out for themselves. Everyone needs a good friend in life no matter what circumstances.
John Steinbeck describes a world where the American Dream was based on achieving goals but never got accomplished. Steinbeck paints a uncontrollable portrait of America in the 1930s. Steinbeck reveals how people with different mindsets come together and help each other out because of the way they think and the ability they had. Friendship is the emotions or conduct of friends. Aristotle classifies friendship under three categories; pleasure, usefulness, and true friendship. I believe George and Lennie have a true friendship because it is long lasting, rare, and they want the best for each other.
Friendship In Of Mice and Men Friendship sometimes does not go as people have hoped or planned. Many times people find themselves in situations that they do not want to be in because of their friends. At the same time, they know that they need friendships because that is what formed them to be who they are today. These instances often occur in books as well, often time’s characters are in a tough situation because of their friends, or they are benefited because of the relationship that they have with another character. In the case of the book Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck suggests that friendship is necessary in people’s lives, but it is also difficult.
Friendship is not something that has adapted over time. The desire to seek out and surround ourselves with other human beings, our friends, is in our nature. Philosophers such as Aristotle infer that friendship is a kind of virtue, or implies virtue, and is necessary for living. Nobody would ever choose to live without friends, even if we had all the other good things. The relationship between two very different young boys, Bruno and Shmuel’s in the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an example of the everlasting bond of a perfect friendship based upon the goodness of each other.
John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, set in California during the Great Depression, depicts the desire for the American Dream, held by many different individuals. Throughout the novel many characters are introduced, and their conflicts ignite trouble. For instance, the main characters, George Milton, intelligent and irritable, and his companion, Lennie Small, hefty and senseless, are migrant workers who hope that one day they will acquire the American Dream. Lennie, being senseless, makes George have a difficult time trying to find a job because of Lennie’s wrongdoings. Withal, in the Bunkhouse, many conflicts arise as these migrant workers join the ranch. Steinbeck uses the lives of George and Lennie to demonstrate the importance of friendship
During the Great Depression it was difficult to maintain a job, let alone support a friend. Despite this, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men characters, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, manage to stick together and support each other through hard times. Steinbeck uses characterization through hard times to develop the importance of friendship. In Steinbeck’s novel, these two unusual friends stick together, even though it means sacrificing their own dream for friendship.
American Black Bears are covered with soft, long fur. Although they are called “Black Bears,” American Black Bears are not always black. They can range anywhere from a darker blonde color to jet-black. On the Western part of the United States, the Black Bears are normally a lighter color, whereas the Black Bears in the Center of the United States are darker. American Black Bears ar...
I was taken by surprise and intrigued when my teacher told me to join an online community and follow the postings and chats for my next English paper. That same class period I spent a lot of time looking around finding all sorts of sites and topics that could keep my interest. As I explored I was trying to figure out what an online community really was. I wasn’t sure if a site with just a discussion board was enough for this project, so I tried to find others with chat rooms. Finally I came across a subject that interested me and I felt met the requirements for an online community. It was a place where common interests link people to a community online.
The two stories ‘The Kite Runner’by Khalid Hosseini and ‘A Place on the Piano,’ by Eva Ibbotson, both have a set of friends each. In the Kite Runner we have two boys who are oblivious to the fact that they are half brother but they both have been raised as friends in the same home in Afghanistan. On the other hand, A Place on the Piano, has two people who become friends. Marianne is an orphaned girl living in Germany, and only speaks German. Whereas Michael, is also poor but he only speaks English.