About this web page...
Ever since our school's computer labs have been hooked up to the Internet, I've watched students (and teachers) struggle with web searches. Although they seem more than capable of finding web pages devoted to Dragonball, WWF, and The Backstreet Boys, doing academic searches can prove to be frustrating and time consuming. The WWW can be a powerful teaching resource, but learning to master it for research purposes takes a lot of time and a great deal of patience, something most of our students and many teachers simply don't have.
Someone once said that the Internet is the world's biggest library -- but all the books are on the floor. What I've tried to do here is to pick up some of those "books" and put them on a "shelf" where they can be accessed with more ease.
This web page is meant to serve as an annotative source for Of Mice and Men. Hundreds of words, allusions, and idioms have been defined or explained. In addition, links have been added in many cases to provide further clarification.
Why Of Mice and Men...
While this novel is one of the most banned books in the American education system, it is still assigned with regularity in many high school English classes throughout the country. There's good reason for its popularity. The novel is compelling and packs quite an emotional punch. In addition, it is relatively accessible even to the most reluctant of readers. Nevertheless, Steinbeck's brief tale of two migrant workers in Depression-era California contains numerous words, references, and idioms that are likely to be unfamiliar to many students, especially those with limited English proficiency.
It is my hope that, by providing the annotations on this web page, students will have an easily accessed source to guide them through the mechanics of their reading. This should, hopefully, allow the classroom teacher more time to spend on discussion of other aspects of the novel.
Vocabulary, Allusions, and Idioms
In going through the text, I isolated three main areas to be annotated. The first, and by far the most extensive, is the vocabulary. In order to make this page student-friendly, I have attempted to provide the briefest explanations possible. While many of the words listed here have multiple meanings, only the most relevant definition is provided.
Geographic, historical and cultural references make up most of the list of allusions. Although smaller than the vocabulary list, the allusion section is perhaps the richest in terms of its links. The majority of these words and phrases are linked to either pictures or other web sites that provide further explanation and clarification.
The list of idioms provides explanations of various expressions and turns of phrase, many of which may be somewhat mysterious to those students who claim something other than English as their primary language.
Teaching Of Mice and Men
The main purpose of this web page is to provide an avenue of assistance to those students reading the novel. It is not designed to teach the text. That job falls to you.
Some online aid does exist. The EducETH page devoted to this novel contains many useful links (including a few back to this website - the irony!). The San Diego County Office of Education has produced the Score CyperGuide, a creative set of four activities for students to access as they study the novel. Elk Grove High School has published this Study Guide that contains some useful reading comprehension questions. From England comes this list of essay questions.
While you're online, take a moment to read Of Mice and Men, Version 2.0, Jeff MacGregor's witty attempt to bring Lennie and George into the computer age. Your computer and web-savvy students will probably enjoy it too!
And now for something (a little bit) different...
If you or someone you know is teaching or studying Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, some assistance can be found at The To Kill a Mockingbird Student Survival Guide.
Questions, comments, suggestions...?
I hope that you and your students will find this site useful. I would be most appreciative of any feedback you'd like to offer. I can be reached at the email address listed below.
Nancy Louise Rutherford
Belmont High School, Los Angeles, California
