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Good literature will be defined differently if you ask one person from another, it all falls down on every one's personal perspective and opinion, and John Steinbeck had strong commentary in his profession. Good literature, according to Steinbeck in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, is when a writer is able to connect with his audience, in order to help people change for the better or simply, but clandestinely, give the knowledge to bring out the best in them. Even though Steinbeck wrote his novel Of Mice and Men several years prior to his acceptance speech, he most certainly believed and stayed true to what he thought to be good literature and demonstrated his passion for writing thoroughly.

Writers have got to be able to prove the "capacity for greatness of heart and spirit", that they know we all have in ourselves, and by showing us with their characters, it ultimately brings it out in us, giving us that certain amount of courage and hope we need to improve. The writer is given a task, or an opportunity to show our "faults and failures... for the purpose of improvement." Character's flaws are what people can relate to the most, the connection becomes instantly stronger, giving the audiences the feeling of knowing the character, or even feeling as if they are indeed that character themselves.

In the novel Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife is an important figure and easily shows off what we could call faults. Her constant need for attention is mainly due to the fact that Curley does not give her any, in her words, she "never [gets] to talk to nobody. [She gets] awful lonely." Not only does Curley not listen to her but neither does anyone else on the ranch, she complains that "they ain't none of them cares how I live", which makes her search for any sort of attention she can find. It's understandable that she wants someone to talk to, being in the undeniable abusive relationship with Curley. She brings certain problems unto herself though, that harms her and her personality greatly, such as knowingly condescending Lenny and showing a strong sense of racism towards Crooks.

On the other hand, Steinbeck states that literature should show "human strength as well as... weakness." George is a great example of a great human heart, that has to deal with life altering decisions and several conflicts. George cares for Lenny more than anyone else and tries his hardest to earn money for their future land, which throughout the book, overpower his wrongs. George takes care of Lenny, whom he knows has a mental illness that holds back not only Lenny, but himself as well. As Lenny says, "I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you." George is short tempered though, and expresses his frustration towards Lenny aloud, on a regular basis, while being aware it makes Lenny upset to be obliged to listen. His wrong-doings occurred mostly in the past, such as being guilty of playing jokes on Lenny for his child mentality. What George is left to do in the end of the novel is the best choice. He knows it's for the better and honestly does it for Lenny's sake, which ultimately shows the greatness in him, in a not-so-great situation and outcome.

Writers, such as John Steinbeck, understand how people think and function. They know our faults and our slight imperfections and use that to their advantage in their works. Steinbeck undoubtedly knew what his thoughts on literature were from the very beginning. His Of Mice and Men show off what he stated in his speech, about showing the "war against weakness and despair" and how to overcome obstacles in our lives. These qualities affect literature in numerous ways, such as being that strong connection with the audiences and also helping all of us learn from a certain character's mistakes. It means so much for people to be able to rely on character's and turn to them in their own times of need. Steinbeck understood this, along with many other writers, and knew all along what he was trying to achieve with his work.

Good literature will be defined differently if you ask one person from another, it all falls down on every one's personal perspective and opinion, and John Steinbeck had strong commentary in his profession. Good literature, according to Steinbeck in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, is when a writer is able to connect with his audience, in order to help people change for the better or simply, but clandestinely, give the knowledge to bring out the best in them. Even though Steinbeck wrote his novel Of Mice and Men several years prior to his acceptance speech, he most certainly believed and stayed true to what he thought to be good literature and demonstrated his passion for writing thoroughly.

Writers have got to be able to prove the "capacity for greatness of heart and spirit", that they know we all have in ourselves, and by showing us with their characters, it ultimately brings it out in us, giving us that certain amount of courage and hope we need to improve. The writer is given a task, or an opportunity to show our "faults and failures... for the purpose of improvement." Character's flaws are what people can relate to the most, the connection becomes instantly stronger, giving the audiences the feeling of knowing the character, or even feeling as if they are indeed that character themselves.

In the novel Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife is an important figure and easily shows off what we could call faults. Her constant need for attention is mainly due to the fact that Curley does not give her any, in her words, she "never [gets] to talk to nobody. [She gets] awful lonely." Not only does Curley not listen to her but neither does anyone else on the ranch, she complains that "they ain't none of them cares how I live", which makes her search for any sort of attention she can find. It's understandable that she wants someone to talk to, being in the undeniable abusive relationship with Curley. She brings certain problems unto herself though, that harms her and her personality greatly, such as knowingly condescending Lenny and showing a strong sense of racism towards Crooks.

On the other hand, Steinbeck states that literature should show "human strength as well as... weakness." George is a great example of a great human heart, that has to deal with life altering decisions and several conflicts. George cares for Lenny more than anyone else and tries his hardest to earn money for their future land, which throughout the book, overpower his wrongs. George takes care of Lenny, whom he knows has a mental illness that holds back not only Lenny, but himself as well. As Lenny says, "I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you." George is short tempered though, and expresses his frustration towards Lenny aloud, on a regular basis, while being aware it makes Lenny upset to be obliged to listen. His wrong-doings occurred mostly in the past, such as being guilty of playing jokes on Lenny for his child mentality. What George is left to do in the end of the novel is the best choice. He knows it's for the better and honestly does it for Lenny's sake, which ultimately shows the greatness in him, in a not-so-great situation and outcome.

Writers, such as John Steinbeck, understand how people think and function. They know our faults and our slight imperfections and use that to their advantage in their works. Steinbeck undoubtedly knew what his thoughts on literature were from the very beginning. His Of Mice and Men show off what he stated in his speech, about showing the "war against weakness and despair" and how to overcome obstacles in our lives. These qualities affect literature in numerous ways, such as being that strong connection with the audiences and also helping all of us learn from a certain character's mistakes. It means so much for people to be able to rely on character's and turn to them in their own times of need. Steinbeck understood this, along with many other writers, and knew all along what he was trying to achieve with his work.

I love fashion and makeup.
I like to ride bikes, play tennis, and sketch.
I am an avid reader.
I can speak fluent Spanish and work as a translator.
I like a variety of music and love watching movies.
I wish I could dance.
And sing well.
I am a Potterhead.
I think, I may possibly spend too much time on the computer.
I'm kind of weird.
I love food.
I would like to become a psychologist.
I'd like to learn Italian, then French.
I'm nervous about the future.
On that note, I worry too much.
My birthday is May 15th.
I have traveled half way across the world to Europe and I want to go back.

Blog for English 11 - Mrs. Gillmore.

"English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin, a language with which it has precious little in common." -Bill Bryson.