In the wretched heat of the sun, George and Lennie are employed on a ranch in Soledad to buck barely for cash. Lennie was a muscular man yet uneducated but accompanied by his close friend George. George wasn't as nearly as humongous as Lennie but he was the brains of Lennie that allowed him to survive long enough for him to travel and perform hard labor to ear money. Their money was to be put forward towards their American Dream. This American Dream that they worked so hard for involved owning their own ranch, which allowed them to relax and work only when needed to. By working in a ranch in Soledad, George and Lennie get a chance at acquiring this dream that many men aim for with the help of an elderly man George and Lennie meet on the ranch. This aging man's name was Candy and has offered to pitch in money to afford the ranch so that in return, could assist and reside there till his death. Throughout the story, the protagonists find themselves confronted by obstacles that disable them from reaching their dreams. These obstacles includes a flirtatious women, a lonely black man that obsesses over his loneliness, and the ranches owner's son that likes to pick fights with others. In the end, Lennie is mercy killed to prevent another being from killing him out of revenge and ending George, Lennie, and Candy's American Dream.

Throughout the book, the readers find themselves making connection between the story and their life. For example, when Lennie was put out of his misery, it reminded me of when I had to put down my dog because she was old and senile so it was necessary for her to be put to sleep so that she doesn't have to live through pain her whole life. Sometime I also share the same feelings and emotions as the main character. There are parts of the book that George resents having to watch over Lennie just like how I wish I didn't have a brother because he may watch television for to long or spill my most hidden secrets. When these emotions arise, I usually block my brother out of my mind and act like he is not there so that I can continue what I was doing without distraction. During the book, I notice George ignoring Lennie's stupidity in order to accomplish a task without much confusion. Behind Lennie's dull intelligence, he shares a relationship or bond between him and George. Since they travel around together a lot, it seems like George is the older brother and Lennie is the younger sibling that George must take care of and make decisions for. Even though the men on the ranch think that George and Lennie traveling together is awkward, I think that it is normal for two men to travel together and is also helpful at the same time because they are able to get work done faster and would be able to rely on each other better.

While reading this book, I have read numerous issues that play a significant role in this story. One issue that has impacted the story is the conflict with the only women on the ranch, Curley's wife. Since she is the only woman on the ranch, she is very lonely and has to act flirtatious with the men on the ranch in order to get attention. When she confronts Lennie alone she tries to entice Lennie with her soft hair but when Curley's wife had enough of Lennie mussing up her hair, she lets out a shriek, which Lennie ceases by breaking her neck. I've heard about these issues before when friends go out to play and someone gets hurt doing something illegal. The other friends would panic and would end up killing their friend. One of the themes in this book that goes well with this story is an unfulfilled dream. It helps me better understand this story by helping me foreshadow how the American Dream that the protagonists worked for would come to an end. Passions that affect my understanding of the story are that most good things will come to an end, which told me that the good fortune was to good to be true and something would terminate all that the laborers worked for.

By using journal prompts I'm able to make more simple connections that still tell a lot of the reader. For example, my favorite part of the book is when Lennie crushes Curley's hand so that Curley has almost no bones intact. It came out of nowhere and taught Curley a lesson. The part of the story that makes a real picture in my mind is when George describes to Lennie how life would be when they raise enough money to buy a ranch and to be able to live off the fatta the land. 3I can just picture Lennie feeding the rabbits and tending the crops outside of the barn. The part about how Carlson mercy killed Candy's dog reminds me of when my dog had to be put to sleep because she was to old and couldn't walk by herself. I am most like the character George because I am smart and sometimes I pick on my brother. I also have a sense of pride in what I'm doing and am able to control my temper. It's hard to believe that George and Lennie can still keep together and keep up with each other even though they get in trouble with themselves and others around them. I though it was funny when the author compared Lennie to the other workers that were bucking barely and seeing that it takes two men to carry one bag of barely when Lennie can do it alone.

“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.”

Prejudice can be defined as judging someone by a stereotype, before you know anything about them, or before even meeting them.

Racial, social and gender are types of prejudice displayed in the novel.

The main way in which Steinbeck discusses and portrays racial prejudice in the novel is through the character, Crooks- a black man. As the only black man in the novel, Crooks is immediately singled out from the other characters.

Steinbeck highlights Crook's isolation from society (because of his colour) in a number of ways. He uses setting (Crooks' room is in the harness room instead of in the bunk room with the whites) to convey where he has to live.

“Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room.”

Steinbeck also reveals that racial prejudice causes Crooks to feel lonely, hurt and without friends.

“I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse.”

“Cause I'm black. They play cards in there but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all stink to me.”

Steinbeck's word choice, “stink” is effective as it makes the reader feel that Crooks is thought of as very unpleasant to be near, or spend time with, but through Crooks' comment “you all stink to me”, we know that he understands that it is the colour of his skin that separates him from the other men, and not his smell.

Steinbeck also uses the theme of the novel to convey the prejudice Crooks suffers. Others treatments of him as a black cause him to feel lonely and isolated and his dream is simply to have a friend and someone to talk to. The fact that Crooks has a dream links him with the other characters, Lennie and George, as they have their own dream too- to have land of their own which they can farm and live off independently of others. The way in which other characters in the novel behave towards Crooks also is effective in highlighting racial prejudice. Others call him “nigger” in a casual way, and don't refer to him by name.

Curley's wife is extremely racially prejudiced towards Crooks. She threatens him when he tries to speak against her, saying,

“Well you keep your place then nigger. I will get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny.”

The use of the derogatory term “nigger” and her comment that she can “get you strung up…so easy” clearly indicates that she believes she has the right and the power to hang another human being simply because he is black.

In contrast to this, Lennie's childlike behaviour allows him to see Crooks as any other person, and stops him to see Crooks as any other person, and stops him from seeing the differences between himself and Crooks. His question to Crooks, “Why ain't you wanted?” Indicates that Lennie is unable to understand the prejudice that prevents Crooks from entering the bunkhouse. Steinbeck's word choice “wanted” is significant, as by using this term in place of “allowed” he conveys that the prejudice is deeper and personal than a fact or law.

Throughout the novel, Steinbeck also discusses gender prejudice. The only female character in the novel of importance, Curley's wife, is never referred to by name. By doing so, Steinbeck creates a strong image of women being men's possessions (“Curley's wife”), and lessening their importance as people in their own right. Again, Steinbeck uses setting to highlight the gender prejudice Curley's wife experiences. She is the only woman on the ranch, and is therefore isolated by her gender. This loneliness leads to her to seek comfort and attention from other men on the ranch, and encouraged her to use her position as the solitary female figure to her advantage. Her attempt to seek attention is shown when George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch and Curley' wife.

“Leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward,”

Steinbeck is implying that even though George and Lennie have just arrived, Curley's wife is making an immediate attempt to flirt with them. His choice of the word “thrown” suggests that this is a deliberate and enthusiastic attempt, and something she has thought about.

The theme of gender prejudice is continued when Curley's wife is frequently left at the ranch with other men who have a disability. This categorises her as being less valued and less important than the ranchers.

Steinbeck's treatment of gender prejudice again ties in with the themes of the novel, loneliness and dreams. Curley's wife suffers prejudice and isolation as she is a woman in a male environment, and she too has a dream of being a great actress.

Social prejudice is also referred to by Steinbeck throughout the novel.

Lennie and George suffer social prejudice because their relationship as ranchers who travel together is not seen as “normal”.

“Never seen one guy tae so much trouble for another guy,”

The ranchers presume George and Lennie are homosexuals before they even get to know them, simply because they behave in a different way. Steinbeck's use of the word “Never” reinforces the social prejudice, as it implies that this is an event which has not occurred before at any time.

Lennie's mental disability also conveys social prejudices. He finds it difficult to get work on his own, and when things go wrong and he faces difficulties he relies heavily on George's support. An example of this is Curley's reaction to meeting Lennie and doesn't understand his disability and is suspicious that Lennie will not speak for himself, and that George answers for him.

Steinbeck also uses the character of the old ranch hand, Candy, to discuss social prejudice. An older man who is no longer fit to work because he has lost a hand, Candy is assigned to unimportant jobs such as sweeping up. When Candy's dog is shot simply for being old, Steinbeck uses this as a metaphor to show how Candy himself is no longer valued by society, as he is older and not able to do a day's work like he used to.

In conclusion, I think Steinbeck is effective in highlighting different types of prejudice in the novel. He does this through use of setting (by isolating characters physically), by theme (loneliness and isolation) and by showing how the characters behave and relate to each other, and how they speak to each other.

From reading this novel I have learnt that you shouldn't separate a person and treat them differently because of their appearance, their gender, or their physical or mental abilities, as this would be judging them by a stereotype, and might cause them to feel hurt or lonely.

Animal Farm is a short allegory that displays the conflicts of a communist, totalitarian government. Although considered a classic by the literary circles of America, Animal Farm reads like a children's book. Taking into account the talking, literate animals, this book touches on the borders of fantasy. George Orwell wrote this book about communist Russia, but now it has become a subtle rebellion agaisnt totalitarianism in general.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha covers the basics of Buddhism, enligthenment, and Nirvana in about 190 pages of easy reading. This adventure follows a man through life, while he tries different paths in an attempt to reach enlightenment. The writing is not difficult or long winded, but is written to be understood. The concepts of this book are some-what hidden, but they are not difficult to understand. The reader just has to look for the ideas as they appear in the text.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 is a great book that criticizes and condemns censorship. Although Fahrenheit 451 is considered a classic, the writing of the book is simple, with a descriptive nature that entertains the reader as he reads. Many great books lack the lyrical quality of a book like Fahrenheit 451. The concepts presented in this book are also easy to grasp, as the book does not posess any extended metaphors or allegory. This book contains a plethora of information, making it one of the easiest classics to write about.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a concise book that tells the story of two farmers in about 110 pages. Steinbeck is a highly regarded writer, considered one of the greatest American authors. This book is commonplace on high school curriculum and yet another easy read. If you're reading this book for a high school class, be prepared to write a paper about the importance of language in the book.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is realistically for the "B" and above students. The Stranger is short novel filled with existenialist ideas and morals, which are subtlely showed with no obvious clues. One must be prepared to study and think about this book intently before any hopes of writing a decent paper amount. However, any paper that impresses a teacher about this book will get an "A" for sure. This book is on this list because it is an easy read, but the concepts are deep below the surface, and therefore the reader must be prepared to dive into this book headfirst.

He could do the work of three men without even breaking a sweat, and he would not complain one time. He would do anything I said because he had complete faith in me. Lennie was so trustworthy that you could tell him to do anything like walk into the lake, and he would do it, no questions asked. He was a good man too.

You could tell Lennie all of your secrets and know that he would never repeat them to anyone. Lennie loved to feel smooth things; it always made a smile stretch across his face when he things that were smooth. He would try to keep mice as pets, but he always ended up killing them because he would pet them to hard. He was too dangerous and he needed me to help keep him stay out of trouble.

Lennie and I shared a dream of someday buying our own farm. We would have lived together and grown our own crops. He would always get excited so about being able to take care of rabbits that we had planned to get. I never really believed in the farm but he would always make me tell the story of us on it and his excitement from it started to get me excited in it. It seemed like we would be able to follow through with this dream, but just he couldn’t help himself.

People never could really befriend Lennie. I was his best friend. I was his only friend. He was an outcast among other people. He did not know what he was doing when he killed Curlys wife. It was an accident. Everyone has accidents. His was just had too big of one, and this one unfortunately cost him his life.

Lennie did not deserve to die. He couldn’t help most of the things he did, yet at the most important times, we seem to forget that even though I will never forget Lennie.

One character that struggles to be accepted is Cal. The cause of most of his struggles is his brother Aaron. Aaron is well liked by everyone at school and outside of school. He is seemingly perfect, and makes friends with everyone. He is accepted. Cal, on the other hand, is respected by his peers, but he has very few friends, and people always look at him as the darker of the two brothers. Cal lives his life wishing that he was good like his brother, and wishing that he could be accepted like his brother. However painful it is for Cal to experience this, it certainly strengthens him. After he has had enough with his brother, Cal finally tells Aron who their mother is. Aron runs off and joins the army, and later dies. This in turn causes Adam to have a stroke. Cal blames himself for everything, and in his sorrow, grief, and guilt, he thinks about committing suicide. Most other characters did commit suicide when faced with similar amounts of guilt and sorrow, but because Cal has always had to struggle for acceptance, he is strong enough to withstand the great waves that are crashing down on him.

Another character who struggled for acceptance is Will. Throughout his childhood, Will struggles to be accepted by the rest of his family. This is so because he has a knack for business and money, a trait that has never well respected by the other Hamiltons. While he is never accepted by any of his brothers or sisters, Will turns out to be the most profitable and stable among the children, and not just because he is a businessman. He makes the most money, but he is also much more emotionally stable when painful incidents occur. When Tom accidentally kills Bessie and consequently himself, Will does not lash out, act irrationally, or do anything outside his character, which others in the family have been known to do. He remains stable and is the most successful Hamilton.

Lee is a third character who struggles for acceptance. Because he is Chinese, people expect him to speak poor English and to talk very little in general. However, Lee is a very sophisticated man who speaks English well and also likes to go into deep discussions with others. Although he isn't very vocal about it, Lee struggles to be accepted as a real, intelligent person, and not just the Chinese stereotype that many Americans project onto him. Although he wants to be accepted, people will not accept him when he speaks in plain English, and so he must speak in a primitive, broken English. Even so, Lee goes on to become very influential in the lives of others, especially the Trasks, and is much more than a mere servant. Lee is an example of one who rises out of their struggles in greatness.
Cal, Will, and Lee are three characters who, in general, struggle more than others to be accepted when they are young. And yet they do not just crumble into a meaningless existence. They are strengthened, and end up being much more successful than characters who, by contrast, do not have to struggle with acceptance. Cal doesn't run off like his brother does when he realizes who his mother was. Will doesn't crash emotionally like some of his brothers and sisters do when hard times came. And Lee holds a meaningful and fulfilling life, unlike many in the world he lives in.

The character line up for this piece of literature is both intriguing and peculiar. The fact that two men are working and traveling together really contradicts the common "loner" theme of this time. In addition, Steinbeck offers only two women as characters in the simple plot of this book. Curley's wife is not even named by Steinbeck. Naming a character is a simple task that may describe or reflect actions of the character. Not only is she not named, but she is also described as a flirty, promiscuous woman (Steinbeck 23). At the end of the novel, Lenny kills her. Steinbeck, with no regret, kills off a nameless, almost worthless, character (83). Curley's wife is looked down upon by society, similar to the women at this time. She represents the view that men have of women in this particular setting, time and place.

In addition to Curley's wife, Aunt Clara is the second woman of the total two women in the novel. The only detail about Aunt Clara described by Steinbeck is that she used to give Lenny mice to pet (43). Aunt Clara is also described as the enemy towards the end of the book. When Lenny recalls his nice aunt, he blames her for his addiction to soft things (101). Once again, we see another female looked down upon by someone, in this case, blamed for something that causes a prominent climax, the killing of Curley's wife and the killing of a girl in Weed, the last town the two men lived in. In addition to blaming Aunt Clara for the accident, she is also actively portrayed as a very motherly figure, a stereotype that references the common view that women were supposed to keep to the home to “ care for children and do such tasks as milking cows and washing clothes” (DaMetz 15). Aunt Clara represents the motherly figure expected of many women at the time when this book takes place.

Whenever women are mentioned in the plot of the novel, they are usually in the context of a sexual nature. The ranch hands, including Lenny and George, frequently visit the local whorehouse (Steinbeck 11). This is an example of how women in the novel are associated with promiscuous behavior. In addition, none of the main characters ever mention wives or when they do mention wanting beautiful girls, they don't want to be committed to her. After reading the detailed account of Curley and his wife, one gets the feeling that the relationship is more physical than an emotional attachment (53). Throughout the novel, the men never mention any type of healthy relationship with women like marriage or any other type of formal relationship. This biased stereotypical information that Steinbeck floods the plot with references yet another common stereotype from men towards women. The belief that women were property for sexual pleasure and that they were worthless was prominent in this time.

Anti-feminism and unfair women's rights still exist in the present day world. Even though much advancement for women's rights have been made since the time in the book, women today still suffer from unfair disadvantages in the government and jobs. Steinbeck's view on anti-feminism is very discrete, yet many people can still refer passages to present day culture. Steinbeck gives the reader a small sample of the thoughts that he has, and lets the reader take the course of mystical interpretation.

Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs

Father Christmas was published in 1979. The education department of Holland, Michigan, removed the text from all elementary schools after some parents made a complaint. They claimed that the book portrayed Santa Claus as having a negative attitude towards Christmas and the spirit of Christmas.

The Bible

In 1980, Columbus County Library stopped children from checking out The Bible without the permission of their parents to bring home and read adult books. The library claimed that the book is classified as adult because it is too difficult for children to read.

Encyclopedia Britannica

In 1986 Encyclopaedia Britannica was banned in Turkey because it was claimed that it contained articles which spread 'separatist propaganda'.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

In 1985 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was banned from school libraries in London. The educational department accused the classic of being both racist and sexist.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling

Schools in Zeeland, Michigan, removed all Harry Potter books from their libraries after parental complaints. It was claimed that the books could lead to violence like the shooting at Columbine High School in 1998. A year later the ban was reversed and the libraries could stock them again, however, there was still a ban in place on them being read in the classroom.

These are not historical book banning sprees as they have all happened in recent years. Other famous books that were banned for varying reasons, during the 1990's, include: 'Of Mice And Men' and 'The Grapes Of Wrath' by John Steinbeck, Roald Dahl's 'James and The Giant Peach', and Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'.

It is at her place that Pepe becomes drunk and stabs a drunken stranger. Since the beginning of the story, Pepe is constantly berated by his mother about being too lazy and not being near a man like his father. Evidence of this includes mama Torres saying “Some lazy cow must have got into thy father's family, else how could I have a son like thee." His laziness comes as a result of spending all day practicing with a knife that his father gave him shortly before he died. The scene is set fifteen miles away from Monterrey, Mexico, at the Torres family farm which is owned by Mama Torres. It happens to be a little shack standing next to another rotting barn. Pepe is introduced in the story as a cocky, and impetuous individual as proof by Harold Bloom's analysis “Pepe is a cocky and impetuous but mentally limited young man who is destroyed when a social situation places him responsibilities that he is unequipped to assume.” One thing that Pepe continuously struggles with is being a man like his father once was. It's an internal struggle that later on, causes his demise. It is a problem that stems from his Mother who repeatedly tells her son that he is too lazy to be a man. The plot summary of this short story starts off with a complication with being a man. With Pepe's size and laziness, his mama continues to literally berate him by calling him names. At one point in the beginning she insults Pepe by say “Thou a man? Thou is a peanut.”

At the same time, he struggles with an external complication when he is sent to buy medicine for the family, which is considered to be a man's job. While on his trip, he ends up stabbing a guy and is later pursued by the man's friends. The climax of the story takes place when his horse is shot and he looses his tools, resulting in an even bigger disadvantage for him in the wilderness. The end comes when Pepe finally gets up to his feet and realizes at that point, that his journey towards manhood has concluded with him reaching his goal. Unable to speak or walk, his pursuers finally get a lock on him and shoots him, resulting in an avalanche which eventually causes his death.

The migrant workers also did not usually have any companions to travel with so were often lonely. For example the old swamper at the bunkhouse had no companions except for a dog which he cherished. He made up stories to George and Lennie in the attempt to persuade them to stay at the ranch. He mentioned that a really "clean" person slept in the bed that George was about to get to make it sound more hygienic to stay in. However the workers never seem to worry about companions, no on seems to give a "damn about nobody". They are just focused on coming into the ranch and getting a bunk, working for a month then just leaving alone with their earnings.

The migrant workers are depicted as people who only care for themselves and to protect themselves. This is proved by Slim when he admits there is nothing wrong with two companions traveling together. He thinks that "maybe everybody in the whole damn world is scared of each other" only caring for their own health and safety. All they want to do is make their money, move on without damaging their reputation or health. Their lives are also shown as a life spent alone which is emphasized with the characters and some of the games they play. With the cards on the table some of the characters play solitaire as one of their only form of entertainment. They choose to play alone even though cards is usually a quite sociable game.

During the novel Steinbeck gives many clues that their dream is futile as many tedious obstacles present themselves. The rabbits sit like "grey, sculptured stones," which then run for cover at the forthcoming footsteps; this represents the calm before the storm of Lennie and George's world.

Candy's dog was “a dragfooted sheep dog, grey of muzzle” which Candy had raised from a puppy. The dog eventually gets shot mercifully by Carlson, another ranch hand who cannot stand the smell and says that it's Candy who is not being kind keeping him alive. During the exchange of views Candy looks for alternatives, he looks to Slim who is the most respected ranch hand, due to his talents to help him. Despite this, Slim takes Carlson's point of view and offers Candy one of his puppies to raise up. "Candy looked about unhappily." "No" he said softly. "No, I couldn"t do that. I had "im too long." It is clear from this that no one understands the bond that Candy shares with his dog as the majority of the other ranch workers travel alone, not including Lennie and George who are also misinterpreted, especially by the boss.

Curley's wife is married to the boss' son Curley as of 2 weeks. She is quite often misunderstood by the other ranch workers and considered a "tart" and a "looloo." Some would argue that she was just lonely, being the only woman on the ranch. She couldn't freely talk to the other workers as they thought she would get them "canned", being the boss' son's wife.

Curley's wife, throughout the novel was portrayed as, very well made up "She had full, rouged lips", with fine clothes "She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers". This sort of attire is inappropriate for on a ranch which shows that she still longs for the "movie star" life she was told she could have by an admirer. She represents the failed dreams of many women stuck in loveless marriages. Throughout the novel Steinbeck never named Curley's wife as she was seen as a possession, not a person. Curley's wife was the only woman mentioned on the novel, aside from Lennie's Aunt Clara, ideally because in those days women were seen as a trap to ensnare and ruin men.

Slim is considered "the Prince of the ranch", which shows that the workers, even Curley respect him, and what he does. Slim is a "jerkline" skinner, very skilled in his work, "He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler"s butt'. He is also one of a very few that understood the bond Lennie and George shared, himself and Candy are the only people that show compassion to George in his loss at the end of the novel.