Of Mice and Men Part 4

When a book becomes adapted into a film, changes are bound to happen. There’s no perfect adaption of any one media to another. The same can be said for the movie version of the book Of Mice and Men. While the changes in this adaption aren’t as wild as some other adaptions out there, they are still there. First of all, the movie begins not at the clearing where the book begins, but back in Weed, when Lennie and George have to evade the law. This begins the story at a more exciting point, but robs it of its bookending nature. It also seems to be a way to pad out the movie a little bit, which is why it seems so strange that we never hear the full story about Lennie and George’s Place.

In addition, the scene in Crook’s room cuts out Curley’s Wife and Candy. This gives us a more time to develop Lennie and Crook’s characters, moving character development for Candy and Curley’s Wife to other scenes. The film also makes Curley’s Wife a more sympathetic character than in the books. This makes her eventual death seem more tragic than satisfying. Finally, the film ends a lot sooner than the book. George shoots Lennie a lot sooner than in the book, and the book’s last few pages aren’t even in here, with the movie pretty much just ending once Lennie kicks the bucket.

Dear George

First of all, I am very sorry for what you had to do. Yes, I said "had". You were justified in Mercy Killing Lenny at the end of your book-I mean, uh, adventure at the ranch. I know as well as you do that Lenny didn't mean that woman no harm, "I didn't mean no harm George, she was just so little..." but the other guys wouldn't have understood, and you know what Slim said: "Curly...hates big guys. He's always pickin' scraps with big guys." Naturally, once word got out that a big guy killed his wife, there's nothing that could've stopped him 'sides a bullet to the brain...actually, that could've worked too...nah, then you just get into more trouble and it's just not worth it. Anyway, regarding Lennie...

Lennie was doomed the instant he snapped that poor girl's neck, and you knew that there were only two ways he could go; he could die after being hurt, tortured, and humiliated, all without his best friend there to comfort him, or he could die happy, hopeful, and with his best friend. Clearly, you made the right choice in picking the latter for him. And while Curley's killing would have been done in meanness and spite, yours was more like a Mercy Angel, coming from the sky to put poor Lennie out of his Misery. And did it need to be you? Absolutely. You were the person closest to Lennie. You were the one that knew him best. You were his only friend, so it's fitting that you were the one to do the deed. Just like Slim said when his dog was euthanized, "It shoulda been me, George. I shoulda been the one to do it."

And don't feel bad about Lennie...









He's prob'ly up there in Heaven right now tendin' the Rabbits.

Of Mice and Men Part 2

Lennie is afraid of the ranch because he's not used to this kind of treatment. He's not used to being hated, "He hates big guys. He's always pickin' scraps wit' big guys..." he's not used to being flirted with, "Nobody can't blame a person for lookin'..." and he's just uncomfortable with how the people here treat him. He's only used to the vitriolic treatment he gets from George and the caring he used to get from his Aunt. He's also uncomfortable with all these new things he's having to take in all at once. New bed, new people, new job, it's all a lot for a guy like Lennie. Sadly for him, Lennie will just have to try and deal with all of these new circumstances.

Of Mice and Men Part 1

1. Lennie is dependent on George because he is so slow. The guy can't even remember anything for more than a couple seconds! Living all alone smack dab in the middle of  the Great Depression would just be impossible for him. He can't think for himself, he can't make normal conversation, he can't even handle a mouse without killing it! Without George, Lennie would be doomed. Plus, I think Lennie likes George. Even if he could live on his own, I don't think he would.

2. I think that the reason George does not abandon Lennie is because he kind of feels sorry for him. He's seen the Lennie can't handle himself out there, and doesn't want him to get hurt. He may be a bit of a jerk, but he's not heartless. It looks like they have a bit of a history together, so that may also play a part in it. George may not even be planning to stick around with Lennie forever. He may just be trying to find a good place for him before he sets out on his own.

Speak Partner Interview

Interviewees Name: Kirk

What do you predict will be the symbolism between Melinda and the tree?

   I predict that she will grow in both her social position and how she interacts with people as her tree grows. I have read type of thing this in other books, and I'm sure that either this was inspired by those stories, or inspired those stories.

Are schools really this place that is isolating or is it just the student that isolates him/herself?

  Well that depends on how the students act. Sometimes a student will isolate him/herself, but other times it will be his/her peers that isolate them. It's not the school's fault, but it's not always the student's fault.

If Melinda's parents were more involved, do you think her relationship and feelings toward them would be different? Also, would her attitude in life be more positive?

   Possibly. I doubt it would have much impact if they currently started to be better parents than if they were always good parents. However, this doesn't mean they shouldn't try. 

What do you think of the book so far? Even though it may be a bit dramatic, is it far from reality?

  I don't like the book so far, and I don't think it's overly dramatic. It's not really the kind of book I like to read, although it is fairly realistic because this kind of thing happens all the time, mostly because teens aren't being given the support they need from parents and school systems.

I'm College Bound

When I discovered what my Grade Point Average was, I was disappointed. My original anticipation was about a 3.9-4.0, but it turned out much lower than that. At first I was shocked, considering my straight-A average just a few weeks ago. But as I looked through my Powerschool page I discovered a few major points that contributed to my lower-than-expected grade. First was the “Show Don’t Tell” paper. I couldn’t really do much about this one because everyone got an F on this assignment. Next was the Sound blog post and the Touch blog post that I for some reason both got B’s on, without any criticism. I wasn’t even reviewed by the person at my table that was supposed to. In addition, there were some small parts in Chris’ class that I let slip.

The first school I’m considering is the University of Southern California, which my mom went to. I hear that it has a great academic program and a great film production program. To get into the school, you have to submit an Application Essay, Letters of Recommendation, Standardized Test Scores, SAT Scores, and your

Academic GPA. The average GPA most students submit to the school is 3.75 or higher. The average SAT scores are between 1270 and1470.

Next is the California Institute of the Arts, an art school set up by Walt Disney. It is a very well known and popular Art School; it is the Alma Mater for many current Pixar employees, and has many great animation and film production classes. When considering admission, the school looks mostly at the admission essay and the applicant’s talent. Since the school does not look at GPAs or SAT scores during admission, neither of these are listed.

 

Finally, there’s the Art Institute of San Francisco. This is another great art school, and this one is in one of my favorite cities of all time. I would love the opportunity to spend my college years in San Francisco. Admission requires an essay, an interview, a review of talent, and Letters of Recommendation. Like CalArts above, Grade Point Averages and SAT scores are not recorded.

 

Despite knowing that many of the schools I want to go to do not take Grade Point Average into account, I will still attempt to boost my grade up in the following months. First of all, I will pay special attention to the Electrical Problems in Physics class. I have been neglecting to check my answers with a friend and this is causing my grade in Chris' class to slip. I need to make sure that I check every answer to keep my grade at a steady pace.  In addition, I need to work on my sensory writing in Diana’s class.

Sensory Writing: Touch

The anticipation grabs at me like a Psychotic Serial Killer trying to tear my ribs out. I wait and wait, and the waiting is harassing me, tempting me with the gratification of discovery, only to pull it away from me at the last second. Finally, I feel my hand grabbed and forced into the jar and the sludge that resides inside it. The first thing I notice is that the stuff is cool, like toilet water clean from a flush. The next thing I notice: It’s Sticky. I feel like my hand has been engulfed in the flesh of a decomposing whale washed up on shore. As I move my hand through the intestine-like material, I wonder what it could be: Gelatin? Cold Vomit? Pureed Meerkat? The stuff sticks to my hands like a small child clinging to its mother. I rest my hand in there, pondering what this material could possibly be. Eventually, I draw it out, and let the cool water wash off the sticky stuff.

Sound is Art

Link

The sound has a strange rhythm, like an otherworldly techno song. It clicks and chirps like an enormous insect making its was across the world. Faint whistles echo in the distance. An indistinct tune crawls slowly over the rest of the sound, almost as if coming from a dying radio. A pulsating electronic tone occasionally rises up like the excited squeals of a robot hoping to sing along the odd tune. The pace is zippy, never resting too much on one sound or another. A tapping noise, like the frantic typing of Morse code, is always present in the sound. A short piano tune occasionally escapes over the clamor of other noises. The way every sound works together (or in some cases, don’t) is what makes this work. Taken all together, the sounds could be interpreted as many different things; an enormous computer efficiently typing out messages to all of its clients; a platoon of soldiers attempting to decode a password and escape the enemy fortress as sirens blare at them; a group of astronauts communicating with an alien race as their vessel floats around in the vast space around them; a rat attempting to force its way through a futuristic laboratory. This sound is a beautiful hodgepodge of taps, whistles, squeaks, and many other sounds.

Mexican White Boy Part 3

Luckily, I tend to always find some small group or clique where I fit in wherever I go, but I remember one time where I didn't really fit in. My cousin is a really cool guy, but he is incredibly sports oriented while I couldn't care less about that kind of thing. Normally we're cool about this, and able to meet each other halfway. However, when I went to his birthday a couple years back, it was very uncomfortable for me. I didn't know any of his friends (the only people I even knew the were him and my brother) and all of them were into sports like he was. While they were shooting hoops or playing hockey in the yard, I would just sit by the sidelines. In addition, the party took place at my cousin's dad's place, which is really strange. There are all sorts of trippy sculptures and weird furniture everywhere, and it's all incredibly surreal. Plus, this was a sleepover party, so I had to spend the entire night with a bunch of people I didn't know in a house that is EXTREMELY messed up. All in all, it was an experience where I just didn't fit in.

Mexican White Boy Part 2 Response

1. I think that Uno realizes that he acted rashly, after mulling over it in his head and after the conversation with his dad. He knows that what he did is wrong, but he’s not sure if he is ready to admit it. Uno will probably be a little nervous around Danny from now on until he can finally make amends with him.Until then, things will be awkward between him and Danny.

2. Danny always freezes up a Leucadia Prep because he feels like a fish out of water. He's the only non-white kid in the school, which he feels makes him stick out. He's always a bit nervous around the Leucadia Prep kids, and this makes him completely unable to focus on pitching. In National City, he's beginning to feel like he belongs, and so he feels much more comfortable in sports.

Mexican White Boy Part 1 Response

In today's reading of Mexican White Boy, Danny, while attempting to take on one of Uno's impossible fastballs, accidentally loses control of his bat, which hits Uno's little brother in the face, severely injuring him. Uno immediately and impulsively lashes out violently at Danny. I think there were many reasons Uno lashed out so much at Danny. First and foremost, Uno is protective of his little brother Manuel, especially because Manuel is mentally unstable. Uno seems to have a real connection to Manuel, and is furious when something like this happens to him. In addition, Uno may have a distrust of Danny, due to him being the new kid on the block, and he may be jealous of his athletic ability. His anger slowly builds as Danny comes in and starts destroying at the local Stickball derby, and finally the injury of Manuel sets him off. Finally, I suspect that Uno's extremely impulsive behavior may be due to something similar to this incident happening in the past. Perhaps something happened to Manuel or someone else close to Uno that he wasn't able to stop, and he wants to prevent something like that ever happening again.

Who Am I?

I am difficult to explain. To put it into its simplest terms, I am a left-handed, anosmic, animal-loving, mainstream-rap-hating, pastry-obsessive cartoonist/animator/geek/gamer who is a fan of cult classics, cartoons, and anything written by Joss Whedon. In longer terms, I live with my Mom, my Dad, my sadistic Little Brother, a dog, and three rats. I love creative writing, drawing, film making, and anything that involves these things. I am currently writing two series of comics, one about a sociopathic yellow dog, and one about the Grim Reaper and his Janitor. I am constantly on the web, though I avoid all Social Networking sites like the plague. I try to live my life according to Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues to Live By (yes, that's a real thing. Google it!). I love geekdom and all that accompanies it, and am proud to admit it.

That's all I can think of right now...