Please take some time to post two responses to Of Mice and Men before you return to class on January 4. Each post should be at least 100 words long and should include direct references to the text you are discussing. Even if you are responding to a quote in the prompt, you should bolster your own response with other references. Those references should include internal citations to note where you are in the book (p. #). When you make a post, please read all other posts for that question so that you are participating in a conversation. Please do not repeat what other students have already said. There are many questions from which to choose, so you should be able to discuss your ideas somewhere without being redundant. Remember to make some post-it notations about symbols and archetypes, along with any other ideas you would like to discuss when we get back to class.
Feel free to respond to as many prompts as you would like. If you respond to more than two, please asterisk the responses that are NOT for evaluation. Be sure your name appears on each comment, so I can see who you are. I think you will need to log in to your Google account as you work. If you can, please post with your school Google identity. If you post as "Anonymous" without your name, you will not be able to receive credit for your work, so be sure your name appears within the comment if you do that.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Racial Bias
Comment on racial bias you see in the novel. Be clear about whether is is Steinbeck's bias or his characters and HOW you know.
Racial bias is obviously present throughout the novel and is directed at Crooks. Crooks ostracized from all of the other characters in the book, is clearly thought of as inferior, and is often simply referred to as "n****r". While many of the things said to and about Crooks in the book are horrible, Steinbeck makes it clear that it is his characters bias at work rather than his own. This is made clear because crooks is not presented as a weak character, but as confident character with weakness impressed upon him due to his skin color. Steinbeck also portrays all f the characters who are disrespectful to him because of his race in a bad light, showing that it is the characters bias rather than his.
Racial bias is shown through Crooks as he is referred to as lesser and is given the bluntness of racism. Steinbeck describes, "Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable bunch and a cripple, he was more permanent that the other men, and he had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back" (65). The way Steinbeck continues to describe Crooks's set up is envious and expresses superiority to the ranchers lifestyle. For George, this life would be desirable but because he's a black man, life isn't comparable. This is also shown when, "Candy leaned against the wall beside the broken collar while he scratched his wrist stump. 'I been here a long time,' he said. 'An' Crooks been here a long time. This's the first time I ever been in his room.' Crooks said darkly, 'Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much'" (73). This shows how to the white men like Candy have known him for years and yet they avoid his room. Lennie is the exception of the bias and he shows Candy that he too is a regular person. If Steinbeck were racist, he wouldn't have used an unbiased character like Lennie to express that Crooks is just as worthy of conversation. Despite racial bias Steinbeck uses Lennie to show that the racial differences exists solely on the surface.
Racial bias is obviously present throughout the novel and is directed at Crooks. Crooks ostracized from all of the other characters in the book, is clearly thought of as inferior, and is often simply referred to as "n****r". While many of the things said to and about Crooks in the book are horrible, Steinbeck makes it clear that it is his characters bias at work rather than his own. This is made clear because crooks is not presented as a weak character, but as confident character with weakness impressed upon him due to his skin color. Steinbeck also portrays all f the characters who are disrespectful to him because of his race in a bad light, showing that it is the characters bias rather than his.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Ness
Racial bias is shown through Crooks as he is referred to as lesser and is given the bluntness of racism. Steinbeck describes, "Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable bunch and a cripple, he was more permanent that the other men, and he had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back" (65). The way Steinbeck continues to describe Crooks's set up is envious and expresses superiority to the ranchers lifestyle. For George, this life would be desirable but because he's a black man, life isn't comparable. This is also shown when, "Candy leaned against the wall beside the broken collar while he scratched his wrist stump. 'I been here a long time,' he said. 'An' Crooks been here a long time. This's the first time I ever been in his room.' Crooks said darkly, 'Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much'" (73). This shows how to the white men like Candy have known him for years and yet they avoid his room. Lennie is the exception of the bias and he shows Candy that he too is a regular person. If Steinbeck were racist, he wouldn't have used an unbiased character like Lennie to express that Crooks is just as worthy of conversation. Despite racial bias Steinbeck uses Lennie to show that the racial differences exists solely on the surface.
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