Of mice and men

1. Of mice and men The full guide… By Sharanjit Chahal 10mdl

2. Model Answers from Year 10s “She had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.” • Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife as a secretive and mysterious character. This is evident in the quote “She had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.” Steinbeck uses connotations of red to suggest that she is a callous character and she is a villain. It could also suggest a possible death or murder in the storyline, perhaps the death of Curley’s wife. However the author describes that Curleys’ wife’s “fingernails were red” showing that she may have committed and evil act causing her to be secretive and mysterious. Moreover, Steinbeck says that she was “heavily made up”. This implies that Curley’s wife is trying to hide her true identity by putting on a façade in front of the main characters, George and Lennie. This might mean that Curleys wife is trying to hide something which may lead to serious consequences in the future. Her “wide spaced eyes” indicates that she is hiding something whereas it could also mean that she is aware of her surroundings and is able to create space between the two main characters who are best friends. Even though Steinbeck uses red to connote evil, there is a possibility that she could be portrayed as a loving and affectionate character instead of evil and mysterious. This is because red also connotes love and affection. Through his portrayal of Curley’s wife Steinbeck shows his attitude towards society’s views of women in the 1930s; he suggests that society has women portrayed as very manipulative and malevolent. What Band do you think this is? Use the criteria on the next slide to determine what Band it is How can it be improved?

3. Has the model paragraph met the band 4/5 criteria?

4. Checklist – have you analysed properly? • The key things to look at when analysing is the quote’s structure, form and language. Use this checklist to see if you have analysed everything? • Structure • Layout • How is it presented? • Is it formal or informal • Who says the quote? • Language • Have they used: • - similes • - metaphors • - personification etc. • Punctuation • Sentence starters • Connectives • Formal or informal vocabulary • Sophisticated words? • Form • Is it a speech • Is it a non-fiction text • How can this effect the reader?

5. Analysing a quote - Curley’s wife Seen as a villain or obstacle Positivity either coming or going “Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off” The letter ‘c’ is a harsh and sharp sound – implying that her personality or callous character Shows that she is a dominating character Round and more dimensional characters are being ignored and cut off whereas minor characters(Curley’s wife) plays more importance