Friday, May 1, 2009

''Of Mice and Men'' - Between the Line: Theme

What do you think in the theme of the book called ‘’Of Mice and Men’’?

The theme could be considered as the American Dream because most people think of the American Dream as living a happy life and acheving their goals. In the story George goal was to buy his own land were he would have to depend on the produce from Curley’s or anyone else farm to survive another day, but to be able to do things on his own. George plan to accomplish his goal of own his own property something like how Curley did where be can be the own rather than the worker. George and Lennie shared this same dream but, they were not the only one with a dream though. Candy also that a dream to accompany them but he just wanted to be respected and treated well instead of being treated worthless. George did what he needed to do to try t reach his American Dream but, like some dreams it did not happen as planed. Instead he lost someone close to him in the end.

''Of Mice and Men'' - Between the Line: Motif

What was something that was repeated more then once in the book called ‘’Of Mice and Men’’?

In the book ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ there was something that happened more than once and was men coming together to get the job done. When Lennie was petting a lady dress in Weed and people were after him so his friend George worked with him to try of get him out of trouble, but that was not the only time when men came together to make a decision . For an example when Lennie and Curley was fighting after Lennie crushed Curley hand the men came together to decide that they were going to tell everybody that he got his hand caught in the machine rather than the truth. Men worked together on the farm when it was time to do the farm work like staking the hay, but it was not just all about getting the farm work done. After Lennie had killed Curley’s wife the even then they came together to find Lennie so that he could face his punishment. Every time men came together it was not always because someone was hurt, there was work to be done, or someone was in trouble but, they also came together to play games like solitaire and just have a good time.

''Of Mice and Men'' - Between the Line: Symbol

In the book called ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ what does the character Curley’s Wife a symbol for?

After reading Of Mice and Men I think that Curley’s is maybe a symbol for women during that time period. I think that she represents women during that time period because she just played the role as a stay at home wife who does not do manual labor but, the only think she has to do is keep her self up and maintain the house hold. During that time period women were not allowed to do much either but take care of the kids, maintain the house hold, and keep their self together too. Curley also want her to stay in the house all the time and during that time period women were not even allowed to vote so Curley’s wife show what it was like for women back in the day.

''Of Mice and Men'' - Between the Line: Characters

In the book called ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ does Lennie take care of George or does George take care of Lennie?


After reading the Of Mice and Men I think that George takes care of Lennie. I say this because whenever Lennie can’t remember something George has to remind him. For and example when Lennie thought he was holding his own work card but, George had it he could not remember that he gave it to him and if he can’t remember simple things like that then how will he be able to provide for his self on his own. Lennie also forgets where they are going sometimes and George has to remind him. George takes care of Lennie because when they go somewhere and Lennie get into trouble George has to get him out of it because he can’t fix his mistake on his own. In the book there was a line that was said by George and it stated ‘’ I could get along so easy and nice if I did not have you on my tail’’ which I think means that Lennie always follows him and not the other way around.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Of Mice And Men: Beyond The Line - Does any characters in the book remind you of someone that you know or another character from T.V show?

Did you ever read a book and realize that the characters remind you of you, someone else, even another character from a book or T.V show, well in my case it does. In a book I read called ‘'Of Mice And Men ‘’ written by John Steinbeck there are two characters named George and Lennie that I think reminds me of two characters name Grim and Billy from a T.V show called ‘'The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy''. The character Lennie is more like Billy and the character George is more like Grim. These characters are similar because one character from each is smarter than the other, one character takes care of the other, and one is more responsible than the other.


First of all, the two characters Lennie and George from the book ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ are similar to the two characters Billy and Grim from the T.V show called ‘’The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy''because one character from each is smarter than the other. Grim who is more like George is smarter than Billy who is more like Lennie because Billy is always acting dumb and making a mess of things and Grim always have to clean it up. In the book Lennie always gets in trouble and George has to get him out of it like when Lennie was petting the lady dress in Weed George hurried up and got him out of there before he got into anymore trouble. Lennie also does not really have a seen of right from wrong and like Billy he needs someone help to keep them out of trouble.

Secondly, the two characters from the book called ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ are similar to the two characters from the T.V show called ‘’The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy’’ because Grim takes care of Billy and in the book George takes care Lennie. George helps Lennie to remember things like when he miss place thing or can’t remember where they are going because Lennie has a memory problem and without Georg e he would be lost. On The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy Grim has to watch Billy so that he won’t do anything stupid and he has to watch him because he acts childish and he needs supervision , so if he did not have Grim then he would not be able to get out of any trouble like when George help Lennie in Weed.

Lastly, the two characters from Of Mice and Men are similar to the two characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy because George and Grim is more responsible than Lennie and Billy. George has to keep track of Lennie and his things or he will lose them and he won’t be able to remember where he put them, so George is not just responsible for himself but Lennie too. When Lennie though he lost his work card he was not only just not being responsible but he could not remember that he did not even have it George did. In The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Grim has no choice but to be the responsible one because Billy is the younger one and he is not mature.

To sum it up, the two characters George and Lennie from the book called ‘'Of Mice and Men'' are similar to the two character Grim and Billy from the T.V show '‘The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy '' because they share some similarities. Lennie is more like Billy and George is more like Grim. In each one their is someone who is smarter than the other, one who takes care of the other, and one is more responsible than the other. I can see the similarities can you?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Civil War Essay:

In order to understand the Civil War I would say that it was a tragic event that affected many people. There was a need for equality and before the Civil War everyone was not equal. It was a separation between different races, but in order to win the war different races had to work together because if they did not everyone would not be cooperating and there would not be any order. There were many events that lead up to the Civil War and one of the first was the Bull Run. There were many events that lead to the Civil War which all connected and finally came a conclusion to the war.

In The Battle of the Bull Run the north was defeated by the south and they learned they needed a stronger army and stronger weapons. Next was the Anaconda Plan, which was a plan that Abraham Lincoln prepared in hopes to surround the south and squeeze it to death like an anaconda snake. The Antietam battle was then later in action and it was known to be one of the bloodiest one day war in American History because more than 20,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in battle. The Emancipation Proclamation was in affect by 1863 where Lincoln created a proclamation freeing all slaves in the rebellious states. Then came the Battle of Gettysburg, which lead to the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address was a cemetery for the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. The war was to enforce equality and to prove that all men were created equality. Sherman’s March to the Sea involved troops destroying everything they found of value in the cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Carolinas. This lead to total war and Grant then later captured the capital by surrounding Lee and he was forced to surrender. After Lee surrender Grant allowed the Confederate officers to keep their weapons, troops whom clamed their own horse could keep it, and they were allowed to return back to their homes. This was the end to the war. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)


Due to the separation of different races a problem accrued, which lead to the problem with equality and then the Civil War took place. The soldiers who fought in the war put a side their differences and worked together in order to win the war. The soldiers showed that if you put a side your differences you are able to work together and accomplish something. Even though they had to learn to work together that was not their only hardship. They faced many obstacles and they fought for a good cause.

During the Civil War soldiers were not able to see their loved one so they had to find a way to keep in contact. One of the ways they kept in contact was with their loved ones were through letters. Soldiers wrote letters that talked about anything that was on their mind. They wrote letters that talked about battles, politics, slavery, food, camp life, the weather, their leaders, their brothers in arms, the places that they visited, their health, and the things that they missed. This was their way of staying in contact and involved in other things that happened outside the war. They wrote letters to let their loved ones know how they were doing and they also wanted to let them know what was going on in the war. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

One example of the letters that soldiers wrote is a letter written by George Tillotson and he wrote it for his wife Elizabeth. This letter was written on June 2nd 1862. This letter included information about what life was like during the war and what they did during the war. In the letter there was a line that said ‘’our living is very simple’’, which shows that they talked about their life in the war. Another example of a letter that was written by a soldier in the war was a letter written by John P. Nugent and it was written for his mother on November 18, 1862. This letter was written by hand and it included information about his trip to Kentucky and how his shoes gave out and how he had to walk five hundred miles bare foot. The letter also included information about his health. The letter said ‘’I am not in very good health, I have had diarrhea for more than two months’’. This is another example of how the soldiers wrote to their loved ones about camp life.

The Civil War was brutal and around 3 million men who fought in the Civil War and a third of them died or they were wound in battle. The problem was that cause this was the new weapons, which made the battles more deadly. One of the new weapons was called the rifled musket, which allowed had a spinning bullet that traveled faster, farther, and to cause more damage. They also improved cannons so that they could have an explosive shell. The new weapons were able to take down a line of troops at one time and the troops were not spread out and they would travel in large groups so it was easier for them to be targeted. The weapons were even able to take down a large number of soldiers at a great distance. These new weapons made it hard for the soldier to survive on the battlefield and they increased the chances of dying on the battlefield because they were so deadly. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)


In 1860 there was not much medical knowledge. Doctors were unable to treat many diseases. They did not understand the cause of an infection and the need of surgery. Many soldiers who were wounded died on the battlefield because of the little knowledge that the doctors had on their injury. There were some battle field surgeons, but they worked with their clothes cover in blood because they did not know the proper way to clean their hands or surgical tool. The Battlefield surgeons would wipe their hands and surgical tools on their jackets or they would dip them in dirty water between operations. A common surgical tool that was used was the bone saw. The musket ball shattered bones and the doctor had no other way, but to remove the whole limbs. Most of the time they had to do surgeries without anesthesia and there would be piles of arms, legs, and feet were stacked up outside the medical tents. Soldiers often washed in the same water that was used for drinking and that one of the causes for the spread of diseases. Many soldiers who died of diseases were from unsanitary conditions in camp. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

The soldier did not just live their lives receiving different honors or fighting in wars. The soldiers often had a lot of time on their hands. They spent their spear time reading, writing letters to their loved ones, playing cards, and swimming. In the picture from the Gilder Collection there were soldiers at their camp site just relaxing. This picture showed that soldiers played card on their spare time in between battles. They liked to read newspapers from their home so that they could say informed on what was happening. Soldiers performed magic shows, skits, and they played with their camp mates. Soldiers also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and for sports they like to wrestle and they like baseball. The soldiers also enjoyed music because it raised their spirits before battle and an example of one of the songs they would sing was called ‘’The Battle Cry of Freedom’’. They preferred traditional folk songs and sentimental ballads. The soldiers made songs about their hardships during the war and they sang song about camp life. A song called ‘’Weeping Sad Lonely’’ was a song that they would listen to when they were feel home sick. So music helps the soldiers to express what they were feeling and music also help them to feel better when they were home sick. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

In 1863 black men were allow to join the union army. This was formed by Frederich Douglas and other abolitionists. The Black Soldiers Join Union Army poster shows what was happening and how the blacks were given an opportunity to serve as a troop in the union army. In a picture from the library of Congress Prints and Photos Graphs Division shows black soldiers lined up. I think that this picture might have been taken after they decided to recruit black soldiers into the army or when the black soldiers were congratulated for helping them win the war.

To sum it up, soldier’s life was not all about fighting in wars. They enjoyed playing cards and just relaxing at the camp site. They faced many difficulties like when a soldier John P. Nugent shoes gave out and he had to walk bare foot. The soldier medical care was bad and many soldier died from medical problems and they did not have clear water because they had to wash in their drink water. Since the soldier could not see their loved ones they wrote letters about what they missed, how camp life was, what war was like, and their health. The soldiers did not have it easy but they still fought to protect our rights.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

After School Clubs:

Young Mark waits day by day after school thinking about what he should do. There are after school program, but he does not want to stay after school. His mother tells him it’s a good idea because it keeps him off the streets and it could turn out to be a good experience for him. What is Mark to do if none of the after school programs meets his interest.

There are many after school actives that meet student’s interest. Many high schools have after school actives like track. Track is a useful because it can improve your running skills and it can help you get in shape. Some schools have sign language classes as an after school program, which can help you in the future if you have to speak to someone that is deaf or if you want to be a sign language teacher when you get older. So after school programs are helpful depending on what kind they are. Here at Constitution High School we have after school actives that meet the student’s interest. Constitution High School has after school clubs like debate, sign language, historical society, etc. Our school debate club is a good experience because it helps you improve your skills on defending position and getting your point across. This is a trait that you will need if you plan to be a lawyer I the future.


After school actives are helpful, they are fun, and students enjoy going to them. There are many reasons why students attend after school programs and it is not just because it looks good on your college application. These after school programs help the students better their future, they keep children off the streets, and they give students something to do after school.



Tenth grade student Labriah who attends the after school club track says that after school programs are necessary because it keeps students off the streets and it keeps them busy. She also says that it would be better if we had SAT Prep.


Eleventh grade student Michel-l’e who attends debate and historical society says that she likes the debate club because it improves her debating skills and she enjoys going because she gets to learn about something she likes.



Tenth grade student Kenya who happens to not be attending any after school programs say that she believes that they are helpful, but she chooses not to attend. The reason why she does not attend is because she has a boyfriend and she wants to spend time with him after school.


Students who attend Constitution High School believes that after school programs are necessary to have and that they could be a good experience for us. So here at Constitution High School we believe that after school clubs are a need because they help better our future, and they help you in your future career.