John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men Journal Prompts Adapted from http://www.scribd.com/doc/36679441/Of-Mice-and-Men-Journal-Prompts and http://nadabs.tripod.com/unitp-of-mice-and-men.htm

Dreams and Goals In Chapter 1 we learn about George and Lennie’s dream. Describe a dream that you have for your future. What do you need to do to make this dream come true?

Status How do you recognize the status of people within a group? How do you know who is popular, unpopular, new, or well established? Why might this knowledge be valuable?

Good Listener What qualities make someone a good listener? What qualifies someone as a person to confide in? Have you ever confided in someone who betrayed you confidence? How did you feel? Have others ever confided in you? How did you handle that person’s trust?

Foolish Behavior Have you or someone who you know ever been in a situation in which you/he acted foolishly out of pride or hurt feelings? What was the outcome of the situation? Is “saving face” a justifiable human reaction? Or is it a sign of cowardice?

Reality and Dreams Is it important for people to have dreams for the future? What happens when others doubt those dreams? If dreams go unfulfilled for long periods, what happens? When might it be better to hold onto an unrealizable dream rather than face reality?

Outsider Recall a time when you were an outsider or in the minority. How did you feel about being an outsider or minority member? Were you treated any differently from the others? How did this experience make you feel about the group in control?

Powerless Recall a situation where you felt powerless. Were you truly powerless, or did you really have some options? Was it frustrating to be powerless or a relief not to have to make a choice?

Circumstances What kinds of circumstances are truly beyond an individual’s control and what options are truly within the realm of personal choice? 

Society’s Responsibility As a society, what is our responsibility to people whose circumstances are beyond their control? What about individuals, like Lennie, who cannot make choices for themselves? What about individuals who are friendless, less fortunate, or less able?

Murder and Mercy Killing Can murder ever be justified? What’s the difference between murder and mercy-killing? Who decides?

Best Laid Plans Do the best-laid plans often go awry?

Most Important Relationship What is the most important relationship in your life? What makes this relationship important to you? How would your life be different if the relationship had not occurred and how would you be affected if the relationship ended? How does the relationship affect your decisions and actions? Does it interfere with your freedom?