Veerendra

• In Of Mice and Men, how does George feel about Lennie and the mouse?
• Does George hate Lennie petting the mouse?
• Does George like Lennie being happy with petting the mouse?

George takes the dead mouse away from Lennie and says, “You ain’t petting no mice while you walk with me.” At first, then, we think that George disapproves of Lennie’s petting mice. After Lennie retrieves the mouse, however, and George throws it away again, Lennie breaks down and cries.

George explains, “I ain’t takin’ it away jus’ for meanness. That mouse ain’t fresh…and you’ve broke it pettin’ it. You get another mouse that’s fresh and I’ll let you kept it a little while.”

George understands that Lennie likes to touch soft things, which are a comfort somehow to Lennie; however, because Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, he typically kills small animals. That the mouse is dead is what disturbs George, I think, because it could carry disease and make Lennie sick. George is willing for Lennie to have another mouse so he doesn’t disapprove of Lennie’s having mice.

What is the major theme in the Outsiders?

One of the most dominant themes in The Outsiders is that of class conflict. The beginning of the novel strongly introduces this theme as a group of Socs, the West Side rich kids, jump and terrorize Ponyboy, a young boy from the East Side:

“Hey, grease,” one said in an over-friendly voice. “We’re gonna do you a favor, greaser. We’re gonna cut all that long greasy hair off” (5).

The Socs target Ponyboy because of his social status as a greaser; the differences between the values and socio-economic status of the greasers and Socs in The Outsiders have turned the two groups against each other in animosity. Each group targets the other as an enemy, and because of their different lifestyles and the resulting stereotypes, each side despises the other.

The greasers are seen as hoods and juvenile delinquents by the Socs while the greasers perceive the Socs as the group that “has all the breaks” with their “tuff” mustangs and madras shirts. The class conflict between Socs and greasers drives the plotline of the novel, becoming one of the most important themes in The Outsiders.

What source does Douglass rely on to learn how to read and write as explained in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave?

In Chapter VII, Douglass shows his determination to read and write by pursuing both through a variety of means. His mistress, Mrs. Auld, first teaches him his letters and the rudiments of reading until she realizes that it is dangerous to teach a slave to read and begins to actively prevent Douglass from reading. For instance, if she sees him with a newspaper, one method he used to practice reading, she takes it from him, and if he is in his room, she questions what he is doing there, fearing that he is reading.

Being forbidden to read only whets Frederick’s appetite for it. With reading at home now a problem, he turns to the poor white boys on the streets of Baltimore, who will help him learn in exchange for bread. Douglass is also able to get hold of books such as The Columbian Orator, which was a popular set of excerpts from writers as diverse as George Washington and Cicero. Douglass goes through a period when he realizes that reading has inflamed him with outrage over being a slave, and he wishes to go back to the time when he had not yet learned to read. Better to be like a “beast,” he thinks, then to know how he is being wronged.

He learns to write by copying the letters sailors write on boards to label them, copying out of books, and challenging boys to write letters so he can copy them. He explains to the reader that he is fortunate to be a slave in the city at this time, as it gives him more freedom of movement and because most masters are ashamed to abuse slaves where neighbors can overhear the screams. His role running errands offers him opportunities to meet people and to learn.

Frederick Douglass was initially taught how to read by his master’s wife, Mrs. Auld. Mrs. Auld taught Frederick the alphabet and small words before her husband forbade her from teaching Frederick. Frederick then realized that reading could be his path to freedom and decided to learn to read at any cost.

When Frederick would run his errands, he would always take a book and a piece of bread with him. Frederick would then exchange the bread for reading lessons from the poor white children. Frederick recalls reading The Columbian Orator and being profoundly affected by a dialogue between a slave and his master in which the slave argues for and wins his freedom. Frederick also recalls reading one of Sheridan’s influential speeches on behalf of Catholic emancipation.

Frederick learned to write by copying letters from pieces of timber at the shipyard, which were used to identify the location of the planks on the ship. He would then challenge literate boys to write as well as him and watch as they wrote articulate letters. Frederick then began copying the Italics in Webster’s Spelling Book until he had expert penmanship.

Declamation Piece – Short Declamation Piece For High School

A wonderful candidate for an easy-to-learn, yet, powerful declamation is the 1895 poem “If” by British Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling. It is a tribute to colonial politician and activist Leander Starr Jameson.

This is a good choice for a teenager, because the language is simple, direct, and still relevant to issues in the 21st century. It is made of only 4 stanzas and the words carry a very powerful, active voice.

It is also a heartfelt piece, in which paternal advice is given to a son. It teaches many good lessons on behavior, self-control, humility, and common sense; the poem is perfect for times like these, times of dissension and turmoil that cause people to be disrespectful and heartless to one another.

As we live in a society that has opted to attack, rather than rationalize, the thoughts of others, this poem is even more relevant today. Also, as we witness people who are supposed to be role models ignoring principles once taught to previous generations, one may see “If” as what it actually is: a masterpiece that can persist through time and that carries lessons that can be applied everywhere.

You can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:

“If” is also a great piece because it has rhyme in it, which makes it easy to remember. Moreover, it is a poem that entices readers to consider both sides of an argument, to be humble, to learn to mold their public persona, and to learn to be temperate in times of adversity. These are fundamental teachings that not many men or women have been raised to understand. Yet, they are just that: fundamentals for an agreeable and healthy social existence.

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise

Finally, this poem fits well in a world that expresses itself and lends its reputation to social media and internet influence. It is perfect for this particular generation because it brings them back to the fundamental blocks of coexistence:

• mutual respect
• tolerance
• acceptance
• understanding
• objectivity
• forgiveness
• hope

‘If” will inspire the audience and will teach very much needed lessons. The audience will be put back in touch with topics that are basic for survival, both moral and physical.

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
. . . treat those two impostors just the same

For more insight on Rudyard Kipling, check out his study guide here on Enotes. Also, check out the analysis of “If” right here, too.

Justinian’s Code – What is the significance of Justinian’s Code?

There are at least two ways to answer this question.

First, we can say that the Code of Justinian was significant for the Byzantine Empire. The creation of the Code ensured that the Byzantine Empire would have a coherent set of laws that could be easily understood.
The Code came into use around the year 530 and continued to be used as the basis of Byzantine law until the fall of the empire in 1453. Thus, the Code was significant simply because it was the basis of law for an empire for more than 900 years.

Second, we can say that the Code is significant to Western Europe as well. The Code never applied to this region because Western Europe was not part of the Byzantine Empire. Even so, the Code had a major effect in the West.
It was written in Latin so it was easy for scholars in the West to use it.
In the 11th century, scholars in Italy started to study the code. Before long, the Code was used to create a system of canon law. It was then used as the basis for secular legal codes. It eventually became the foundation of legal codes across all of Europe.