Does money equal happiness?

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks all have a dream - to get a little farm together, but they still won't have a lot of money. Will they be happy? Is it possible to be happy without money?

Death Penalty

Lennie probably would have been killed by Curley and the other men because he killed Curley's wife. Do you think that this is a fair punishment for Lennie's actions? You might think about the death penalty. In some states, if you commit murder, your punishment is death rather than prison. Do two wrongs make a right? In other words, is it okay to kill someone because they killed someone else?

Women Then and Now

In Of Mice and Men, women are separated from society and not treated as the equals of men. Do you think that this is still a problem in today's society? Are women treated the same as men? Do women have the same opportunities as men? Or do you think that women are treated better than men?

Book Covers

Look at the various book covers of Of Mice and Men. Which do you think is the most appropriate book cover? Why? Which do you think is the least appropriate book cover? Why? Is there a book cover that you find particularly interesting?

Title

Why did John Steinbeck title his book Of Mice and Men? Think about Robert Burns' poem. Can you think of any possible meanings?

Today's Misfits

John Steinbeck often writes about society's "misfits" - people who don't fit in. In the 1930's society's misfits were women, minorities, the mentally challenged and the poor. What people or groups of people would be "misfits" in today's society?

Characters

Do you think all of the characters in the story are realistic and believable? Are there any characters that are more believable than others?

Steinbeck

based on what you know about John Steinbeck, how much of his own life do you think he put into this novel? For instane - how did Steinbec feel about ranch life? Where did Steinbeck live and travel?

The Land

Think about how Steinbeck depicts the land. How is it treated? What does the land do for people? What do you think that Steinbeck is saying about the attitude of Americans towards the land?

Setting

How important was the setting to this story? When you think back over the places the narrator has described , which ones do you "see" most clearly in you mind?

What will you remember?

What will you remember longest about this story? Did you find anything humorous in the story? Which part was the saddest? the most surprising? the most thought provoking? Did you learn anything from the book - about the Depression, California, ranch life, human beings or society, etc. ?

Crooks and Curley's wife

Why do you think the characters of Crooks and Curley's wife were included? How did you feel toward each? Would you say they were both lonely people?

Friendship

Why are George and Lennie friends? It's more than just because Aunt Clara told George to take care of Lennie. What does each offer the other?

Ending

How did you feel about the ending of Of Mice and Men? How did you "see it coming? Do you think that George did the right thing? Do you think that George and Lennie would ever have gotten their place if Lennie hadn't gotten in trouble?

Your opinion of the book

What part(s) of the book did you find especially memorable, humorous or inspiring? Are there individual characters who beliefs, acts or motives especially impressed you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?

2 different stories?

One of the criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central story lines, Scout, Jem and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial of Tom Robinson, are not connected to one another. Do you think that the two different story lines are part of the same theme or should Harper Lee have written two different books? Explain.

Ban this book!

In the past, some groups of people have attempted to remove To Kill a Mockingbird from public libraries and school curriculums. Some people have tried to censor the book because
1) it portrays conflict between adults and children
2) refers to sex, the supernatural and witchcraft
3) unfavorably depicts African Americans

Do you think it is acceptable to read this book in school or should we ban this book?

Do not say it should be banned just because you do not want to read it

Believable narrator?

Scout's ages ranges from 6-8 over the course of the novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations that seemed unusually knowing for such a young child?

Mockingbirds

The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the blue jays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In class, we discussed the idea that Tom Robinson is a kind of "mockingbird" because he is convicted even though he is innocent. What other characters in the book might you say are"mockingbirds"?

Class Prejudice

One of the many kinds of prejudice depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird is class prejudice? Many people throughout the novel discriminate against one another based on class, or social position. Do you think that class prejudice is a good thing? Explain.

Tom Robinson - guilty?

In spite of the evidence to the contrary, the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty. Why does the jury find Tom Robinson guilty? To Kill a Mockingbird is fiction, but do you think that something like this could really happen? If this happened today, what would you do about it?

Promotion in school

In Chapter 20, during his closing arguments, Atticus says, "The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious - because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority" (205). Do think that students should be promoted in school based on their age and grade level, regardless of how they do in school? In other words, if you fail all of your classes, should you still be promoted to the next grade, just because that is the grade that you should be in?

Punishment

In chapter 11, Atticus make Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose, even though she was mean to Jem. What do you think about Atticus' decision? Mrs. Dubose acts through ignorance, should she be forgiven?

Lula

In chapter 12, Jem and Scout attend Calpurnia's church. When they arrive there, Lula does not welcome them. Lula says, "You aint got no business bringing white chillum here" (119). Is Lula right? Why might Lula not want Jem and Scout in her church?

Stand Up!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus stands up for something that he believes in - the idea that all people deserve a fair trial, regardless of race. Atticus and his family suffer the insults of many of the people in Maycomb and their family. Do you think that Atticus should have defended Tom Robinson? Would you stand up for something that you believe in even if it meant that physical or emotional harm might come to you and/or your family?

Book Covers

We have been reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird for several weeks. Look at the various covers of the book posted on our blog. What do you think of the covers?

Answer the following questions as you discuss the covers.
Which is your favorite? Why?
Which is your least favorite? Why?
What part of the book is depicted on the cover?
Why might the artist have focused on that particular part of the book?

Remember:
Answer all of the questions and discuss each book cover
Read and Respond to your classmates' posts