MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!! 12/7/2015 – “If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help - the only ones.” – John Steinbeck Teaching Point(s): – We will understand the background to Of Mice and Men, the 1920’s and 1930’s and John Steinbeck. – We will begin reading Of Mice and Men. Homework Due: None. Homework Assigned: Read pages 3-17 in Of Mice and Men and complete a Literature Circle Role.

Of Mice and Men Ask Anything What to look for in Of Mice and Men – 1920’s, 1930’s and John Steinbeck Notes – Answer Questions – Symbols, Motifs and Themes

The 1920s, 1930s and The Great Depression

The Roaring 20’s The new concept of “credit” People were buying: – Automobiles – Appliances – Clothes Fun times reigned – Dancing – Flappers – Drinking

Why was this bad? Credit system – People didn’t really have the money they were spending WWI – The U.S. was a major credit loaner to other nations in need – Many of these nations could not pay us back

Herbert Hoover was president at the start Philosophy: We’ll make it! What He Did: Nothing The poor were looking for help and no ideas on how to correct or help were coming

Farmers were already feeling the effects – Prices of crops went down – Many farms foreclosed People could not afford luxuries – Factories shut down – Businesses went out Banks could not pay out money People could not pay their taxes – Schools shut down due to lack of funds Many families became homeless and had to live in shanties

Many waited in unemployment lines hoping for a job.

People in cities would wait in line for bread to bring to their family.

Some families were forced to relocate because they had no money.

“Hooverville” Some families were forced to live in shanty towns (A grouping of shacks and tents in vacant lots) They were referred to as “Hooverville” because of President Hoover’s lack of help during the depression.

The Dust Bowl

A drought in the South lead to dust storms that destroyed crops. “The Dust Bowl”

The South Was Buried! Crops turned to dust meaning there was no food to be sent out Homes buried Fields blown away South in state of emergency Dust Bowl the #1 weather crisis of the 20th century

Two Families During the Depression

A Farm Foreclosure

Some families tried to make money by selling useful crafts like baskets.

Migrant Workers MIGRANT in this sense means: an agricultural laborer who travels from place to place harvesting seasonal crops

At nearly the same time as the dust bowl, the tractor was invented This allowed landowners to hire less workers By the late 1930s, approximately 1.8 million tenant farmers in the South had been evicted from their homes (they had no work and no money)

Many of the displaced farmers sought work in the “promised land” of California. Eventually, there were as many as 30,000 migrants in California There were several workers for every available job in the fertile farming valleys of California

John Steinbeck An American novelist Wrote stories of social impact Told realistic stories of people struggling to get by Novels include: Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath

Of Mice and Men Steinbeck’s novels, including Of Mice and Men, introduces readers to a fascinating, realistic cast of characters that reflect the lives of real people Steinbeck focuses on the homeless, the migrant workers, the poor fishermen, and the farmers

Of Mice and Men Each of his characters has a deceptively simple, but important story to tell Stories filled with love and pain Stories tell us not only of the lives of the poor who seek to live off the land and sea, but of the struggles of all people

100 miles south of San Francisco 10 miles east of the Pacific Ocean The Setting

George: A migrant worker who travels from farm to farm for work during the Depression Cares for Lennie, his childhood friend who is mentally disabled Lennie: A large mentally disabled man Obsesses over touching soft things such as hair and fur Dreams of having a farm with George and raising rabbits CHARACTERS

Curley: Son of ranch owner A big jerk Protective/controlling of his wife Candy: An old, crippled man who has lost his hand Loves his loyal dog Curley’s Wife: Considered a tramp by most of the ranch men Doesn’t have a name

Crooks: Stable buck of the ranch Only black man Carlson: Large man who complains about Candy’s old dog Offers to put the dog down Slim: Ranch foreman Wise man A “good guy”

Agree or Disagree 1.When people are a victim of a crime, they should be able to take the law into their own hands. 2.Committing a crime is okay if you are saving someone from pain. 3.Women today are more often treated by men as equals rather than objects. 4.Feeling responsible for someone can be a burden. 5.There are times when mercy killing can be justified.

What did I miss???? 1.We learned about the background of Of Mice and Men. 2.We learned about life in the 1920’s and 1930’s. 3.We learned about the symbols, motifs and themes in Of Mice and Men. 4.We began reading Chapter 1 in Of Mice and Men. 5.We began our Literature Circle Role for Chapter 1 in Of Mice and Men. Homework is to read pages 3-17 in Of Mice and Men and complete a Literature Circle Role.