Paragraph response to literature

1. Paragraph response to literature A response to Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck

2. Thesis Statement • George is responsible for Lennie’s death because he could have prevented the accident, he did not give Lennie a chance to escape, and he did not seek out any form of humane imprisonment.

3. STEP 1 Write a sentence from the story that best captures the main idea. Remember to put quotation marks around it with a page number in parenthesis. This quote should support one of your main reasons from your thesis.

4. STEP 1 Example: “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42).

5. STEP 2 After the quote, write in your own words the significance of the quote in reference to the story. This is where you can explain it in relation to the theme or events that follow.

6. STEP 2 EXAMPLE: “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42). This shows that George, with his superior intellect, can think of effective ways to keep Lennie out of trouble. His escape plan in Weed succeeded in keeping Lennie safe and continuing their dream; this is evidence that he could have used a similar tactic in Soledad.

7. The conversation… If you want your writing to make a point, you must do more than make a statement: You must also indicate what larger conversation your point is responding to. This is the context for an argument or circumstances leading to your response. You may want to indicate this BEFORE you make your point, because this is how your reader processes information.

8. STEP 3: • Scroll up to the quote. You will now write BEFORE the quote. • Introduce the purpose of the quote or introduce the speaker or narrator. • Tell WHAT the narrator is trying to achieve and HOW.

9. STEP 3 Example: George and Lennie are no strangers to trouble, and George has kept Lennie from being killed by an angry mob before. There is no reason that this particular accident requires Lennie to be killed. George recounts how he saved Lennie’s life in Weed, saying, “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42). This quote shows that George, with his superior intellect, can think of effective ways to keep Lennie out of trouble. His escape plan in Weed succeeded in keeping Lennie safe and continuing their dream; this is evidence that he could have used a similar tactic in Soledad.

10. STEP 4 Is there another line in the reading that says something similar to the first quote? If so, put this quote at the end of all the writing you have done so far. OR Is there another line in the reading that further shows the point of the first line?

11. STEP 4 Example: George and Lennie are no strangers to trouble, and George has kept Lennie from being killed by an angry mob before. There is no reason that this particular accident requires Lennie to be killed. George recounts how he saved Lennie’s life in Weed, saying, “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42). This quote shows that George, with his superior intellect, can think of effective ways to keep Lennie out of trouble. His escape plan in Weed succeeded in keeping Lennie safe and continuing their dream; this is evidence that he could have used a similar tactic in Soledad. Earlier in the story, George explained that Lennie was to “come right here an’ hide in the brush” if he got in trouble (Steinbeck 15).

12. STEP 5 After the second quote or example, write a short explanation of HOW it relates to the first quote and WHY it is significant to the story.

13. STEP 5 Example: George and Lennie are no strangers to trouble, and George has kept Lennie from being killed by an angry mob before. There is no reason that this particular accident requires Lennie to be killed. George recounts how he saved Lennie’s life in Weed, saying, “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42). This quote shows that George, with his superior intellect, can think of effective ways to keep Lennie out of trouble. His escape plan in Weed succeeded in keeping Lennie safe and continuing their dream; this is evidence that he could have used a similar tactic in Soledad. Earlier in the story, George explained that Lennie was to “come right here an’ hide in the brush” if he got in trouble (Steinbeck 15). This is proof that George had anticipated the need to make a quick escape and was prepared for Lennie to get in trouble again. Strangely, he later abandons this plan, though there was no good reason to give up.

14. STEP 6 • Read through your paragraph so far….Think about the main idea. Do you see a general theme or idea in your message? • Write one or two sentences that grab the general idea of the paragraph. Your sentence should be large enough to cover both quotes and ideas, but small enough for your audience to have a good idea about the paragraph. This paragraph MUST support your thesis from the introduction. • Sum up your argument at the end of the paragraph.

15. STEP 6 Example: George’s good planning skills and quick thinking could have offered Lennie a chance for survival, but he selfishly abandons his plan to help Lennie escape. George and Lennie are no strangers to trouble, and George has kept Lennie from being killed by an angry mob before. There is no reason that this particular accident requires Lennie to be killed. George recounts how he saved Lennie’s life in Weed, saying, “We sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. Got on’y our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch” (Steinbeck 42). This quote shows that George, with his superior intellect, can think of effective ways to keep Lennie out of trouble. His escape plan in Weed succeeded in keeping Lennie safe and continuing their dream; this is evidence that he could have used a similar tactic in Soledad. Earlier in the story, George explained that Lennie was to “come right here an’ hide in the brush” if he got in trouble (Steinbeck 15).This is proof that George had anticipated the need to make a quick escape and was prepared for Lennie to get in trouble again. Strangely, he later abandons this plan, though there was no good reason to give up. George, as the parent figure, is responsible for this decision and ultimately for Lennie’s death.

16. STEP 7 • Read the entire paragraph…does it make sense? Is it clear? Does it support your main idea? • Compare it to the paragraph you wrote the first time. What are some differences? • Make any revisions necessary.

17. Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter In Persuasion. N.p.: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc, 2005. Print.