: Of Mice and Men - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography: Of Mice and Men 1) Brunjes, Ann M. and Harold Bloom. “Thematic and Structural Analysis.” Bloom's Notes: Of Mice & Men (1999): 11-23. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. 2) a. What literary approach does the author take? The authors take a formalist approach. They examine the form and themes of the novel. b. What is the main idea/focus of the author of the criticism? The main idea of the authors is that each section of the story reveals the themes of shared dreams, powerlessness, and loss. c. With what literary device(s) does the author use to support his/her position? The authors use the plot, setting, and symbolisms to support their position. They focus on the plot and how it affected the hopelessness of George and Lennie’s dream of having a house and land of their own. They also explore the setting and its impact on the perceptions of universality of powerlessness and dreams. In addition, they use symbols, such as “soft” elements (i.e. mouse and puppy for Lennie), to designate the relationship between the need for dreams and fleeting feelings of empowerment and comfort. d. What are some of the details/facts that support the main idea of the author’s criticism? The authors provide details about how George and Lennie interrelate to demonstrate their intimate relationship. They also describe setting details and actions to connect the plot to the themes. e. Provide a quote from source to support one of the above statements. “The author's delineation of his disaffected characters, with their individual aspirations and their unique brands of loneliness, stands in stark contrast to the broader themes of friendship and shared dreams, powerlessness and loss” (Brunjes and Bloom 23). 3) a. What main idea could you develop from this source for your own essay? The main idea that I can develop from this source is that the setting, plot, and symbolisms effectively contribute to the understanding that hope for the working and poor class is futile, when they cannot have a fair access to the sources of production. b. What three major points would support the main idea in previous question? The three major points that can support the main idea are: 1) George and Lennie’s friendship is fragile in the midst of an economic crisis; 2) There are many others like them who dream of Eden, only to not find it; and 3) Capitalists own the source of production and workers only have their labor to produce goods, which is not enough to make money that can buy land. c. What specific facts from the novel could be used to support the main idea and/or points? The specific facts that can be used are the human relationships and their outcomes, as well as the hopeless outcome of human affairs. Also, the ending proves the futility of dreaming. d. How would you use the source to support the main idea and/or the thesis points? I can use the source to explore important events that can support the main ideas. e. Write a quote that supports one of the above statements. “Although specific conflicts ultimately lead to their destruction, the blame lies with no character in particular, but in the unpredictability of life itself” (Brunjes and Bloom 23). 1) Emery, Jean and Harold Bloom. “Jean Emery on Misogyny in Of Mice and Men.” Bloom's Major Novelists: John Steinbeck (2000): 67-71. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. 2) a. What literary approach does the author take? The authors take a feminist approach, where they focus on the homogeneity of male relationships. The masculinity in the story is argued to diminish the presence and value of femininity. b. What is the main idea/focus of the author of the criticism? The main idea of the authors is that dominating male relationships suppress and eliminate femininity and women characters, in the effort of “saving” these women. c. With what literary device(s) does the author use to support his/her position? The authors use characterization, plot, and symbolism to explore this position. They emphasize the patriarchal husband-wife relationship between Lennie and George. George’s need for power over Lennie is also a patriarchal manifestation. Furthermore, the plot reveals how George treats Lennie as the weak and dependent feminine character. The ranch and its activities symbolize manly activities and motives. d. What are some of the details/facts that support the main idea of the author’s criticism? The facts that can support this criticism are the interactions between George and Lennie that demonstrate the proverbial husband-wife relationship. Furthermore, their conversations underscore the oppressed femininity of Lennie. e. Provide a quote from source to support one of the above statements. “Lennie's size and strength, a constant reminder of George's own physical puniness, presents a constant threat to George's vulnerable masculinity, dearly displayed in Lennie's effortless emasculation of Curley when Lennie crushes the bully's hand” (Emery and Bloom 71). 3) a. What main idea could you develop from this source for your own essay? The main idea that I can develop from the source is that George plays a patriarchal role that diminishes the importance of femininity in attaining realistic Eden. b. What three major points would support the main idea in previous question? The three major points are: 1) George treats Lennie as a dependent, but needs this dependence too to affirm his masculinity; 2) George uses his masculine power to diminish Lennie’s ability to make decisions; and 3) George neglects how femininity establishes the only genuinely dependable human relationship he ever had. c. What specific facts from the novel could be used to support the main idea and/or points? The specific facts from the novel that can be used to support the main idea are the interactions between Lennie and George. Their behaviors and conversations also reveal their unequal power relations. d. How would you use the source to support the main idea and/or the thesis points? I will use the source to support the main idea and points by using its examples and arguments. e. Write a quote that supports one of the above statements. “The ranch George and Lennie come to work--a stronghold of physical effort, rationality, and orderliness--reeks with maleness” (Emery and Bloom 71). 1) Owens, Louis. “Of Mice and Men: The Dream of Commitment.” Critical Insights: John Steinbeck (2010): 145-151. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. 2) a. What literary approach does the author take? Louis Owens follows a formalist approach. He analyzes the connection between the setting of the novel and its thematic structure. b. What is the main idea/focus of the author of the criticism? The main idea of the author is that the setting connected effectively with themes of isolation and commitment. c. With what literary device(s) does the author use to support his/her position? The author uses setting, foregrounding, symbolism, and characterization to support his position. The setting characterizes the lost Eden, which underlies the futility of finding Eden in real life. George and Lennie’s friendship symbolizes the existence of valuable human relationships in the midst of hopelessness. The author also uses foregrounding where the lost Eden predicts the futility of establishing genuine human relationships, when everything is doomed to end. Lennie’s yearning for something soft also stands for the need of humanity for warm, human relationships. Characterization also impacts the theme of the story, such as Lenny’s childishness and how this affects his need for a protector to diminish feelings of isolation. This protection is based on solid human commitment and not just on pessimism, based on the argument of Owens. d. What are some of the details/facts that support the main idea of the author’s criticism? The author provides details about the characters and their motives and actions to argue for the importance of human relationships and commitment. The author argues that Lennie's hunger for rabbits and soft, living things signifies the “yearning all men have for warm, living contact” (Owens 147). e. Provide a quote from source to support one of the above statements. Owens focuses on human commitment in advancing a more positive analysis of the novel Of Mice and Men: “It is ironic that, in this fallen world, George must reenact the crime of Cain to demonstrate the depth of his commitment” (149). 3) a. What main idea could you develop from this source for your own essay? The main idea is that the setting can be analyzed in its connection with the themes of isolation and human commitment. b. What three major points would support the main idea in previous question? The three major points are: 1) the setting showed the hopelessness of Eden, and so it is natural for people to feel disconnected from each other; 2) the hopelessness of finding Eden, however, makes it natural to find comfort in human relationships and contact; and 3) even without Eden, it is still possible to find happiness through human commitment. c. What specific facts from the novel could be used to support the main idea and/or points? The specific facts from the novel that can be used to support the main idea and points are the plot sequences, the relationship between Lennie and George, and George’s ironic, but ultimate act of commitment to Lennie. Furthermore, the novel provides various symbolisms and foregrounding to indicate the relationship between setting and human isolation and commitment. d. How would you use the source to support the main idea and/or the thesis points? The source determines the relationship between the setting and theme. It already provides facts on how this relationship is established and explored. e. Write a quote that supports one of the above statements. “Unlike Candy, who abandons responsibility for his old dog and allows Carlson to shoot him, George remains his brother's keeper without faltering even to the point of killing Lennie while Lennie sees visions of Eden” (Owens 149). Read More