Friese1

JuliaFriese
Mrs.House/Ms.Smart
English2H,Period2
16December2015
Prompt3
Inthenovella,
OfMiceandMen
writtenbyJohnSteinbeck,thetextisdirectedtowards
migrantworkers,displayingthatgoalsareeasiertodreamofthantoachieve.
Forexample,
whenthecharactersLennieandGeorgediscusstheirdreamsofhavingafarmtogether,they
say,Anliveoffthefattathelan!Iaintgottimefornomore(Steinbeck14).
Georgerealizes
thattheirdiscussionisjustspeculationbysayingthatheaintgottimefornomore,becauseat
thattimetheydidnothavenearlyenoughmoneytoevenbuyafarm.Migrantworkerscould
speculatethattheyalsodonothavethefundstochaseaftertheirdreams,butyettheystillhad
hopeforabetterfuture
.AnotherexampleiswhenCrooksfindsoutabouttheplansforafarm,
hesays,
Youguysisjustkiddinyourself.Youlltalkaboutitahellofalot,butyouwontgetno
land.Youllbeaswamperheretilltheytakeyououtinabox(Steinbeck75).
Hesaysthis
becausetheyaredreamingofaparadise,yettheyarentactuallyworkingforit.Thisimpliesthat
migrantworkerswouldtalkofdoingbetterinlife,butyetnottakeactiontofulfilltheirdreams.
Migrantworkersmayhaverealizedthattheytoowerejusttalkingaboutachievingtheirgoals,
butyetnotgoingthroughwiththeirwordsbynottakingaction.

The Prompts

Prompt
1

How does John Steinbecks

Of Mice and Men
consider traditionally marginalized populations?
Analyze how these people (women, people of color, the elderly, or poor) are represented within
the novella and
compare how Steinbecks representation of these people differs from how these
people were actually perceived within the time period. What can be inferred from the treatment
of these groups (or their absence) in the novel?
TS:
State Argument/Restate Prompt(How are the marginalized characterized what can be
inferred from the treatment of these groups?)
S:
Lead in, evidence of Steinbecks representation
M:
Interpretation of evidence (optional do 2 matters if your lead-in is really strong)
Ma:
Significance, connect back to topic sentence.
S:
Transition away from Steinbecks representation to a comparison with history using a
primary source.
M:
Interpretation of evidence (optional do 2 matters if your lead-in is really strong)
Ma:
Significance, connect back to topic sentence.
CS:
Ultimately, what can be inferred from the treatment or absence of this group in the novel?

Prompt
2

What impact would the fact that Steinbeck wrote this during the Depression have on its
reception by the two audiences it portrays: the migrant workers and the ranch owners?
Analyze
how
either
the migrant workers
or
the ranch owners are represented in the novella (
pick one)
and assess how
either group
would have responded to his or her characterization within the
novella.
TS:
State Argument/Restate Prompt (How are migrant workers/ranch owners represented, and
how would this affect their reception of the novel?)
S:
Lead in, evidence of Steinbecks representation.
M:
Interpretation of Steinbecks representation (optional do 2 matters if your lead-in is really
strong)
Ma:
Significance, connect back to topic sentence.
S:
Transition away from Steinbecks representation to the audiences response using a primary
source (another quotation from
Of Mice and Men
would also work here).
M:
Interpretation of evidence
Ma:
Significance, connect back to topic sentence.
CS:
Ultimately, what can be inferred about the audience response to Steinbecks novella?

Prompt
3

Who was Steinbecks intended audience, and what was he trying to say to them?
Identify the
intended audience of Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men
and discuss what Steinbecks intended

message to this audience may have been.

TS:
State Argument/Restate Prompt (Identify the message and to whom the message was
intended)
S:
Lead in, evidence of Steinbecks message.
M:
Interpretation of Steinbecks message.
Ma:
Significance, connect back to topic sentence.
S:
Transition away from Steinbecks message to Steinbecks intended audience. Use a primary
source to indicate how this audience may have responded (another quotation from
Of Mice and
Men
would also work here).
M:
Interpretation of evidence.
Ma:
Significance, connect back to TS.
CS:
Ultimately, how may this audience have responded to Steinbecks message?

Rubricratingsubmittedon:12/23/2015,9:26:01AMbyc.smart@ggusd.net

Topic
Sentence
5

Thetopic
sentence
demonstrate
smasterful
understandi
ngof
breadth:the
topic
sentenceis
general
enoughto
expressthe
paragraphs
overall
subject,but
specific
enoughthat
thereader
can
understand
the
paragraphs
mainsubject
andpoint
WITHOUT
reading
ahead.
Thetopic
sentence
addresses
theprompt.

Thetopic
sentence
demonstrate
sskilled
understandi
ngof
breadth:the
topic
sentenceis
general
enoughto
expressthe
paragraphs
overall
subject,but
specific
enoughthat
thereader
can
understand
the
paragraphs
mainsubject
andpoint
WITHOUT
reading
ahead.The
topic
sentence
addresses
theprompt.

Thetopic
sentence
demonstrate
sproficient
understandi
ngof
breadth:the
topic
sentenceis
general
enoughto
expressthe
paragraphs
overall
subject,but
specific
enoughthat
thereader
can
understand
the
paragraphs
mainsubject
andpoint
WITHOUT
reading
ahead.The
topic
sentence
addresses
theprompt.

Thetopic
sentence
demonstrate
sdeveloping
understandi
ngof
breadth:the
topic
sentence
maybetoo
generalor
specific.The
readermay
not
understand
the
paragraphs
mainsubject
andpoint.
Thetopic
sentence
mayormay
notaddress
theprompt.

Thetopic
Notopic
sentence
sentenceis
demonstrate present.
s
inadequate
understandi
ngof
breadth:the
topic
sentenceis
betoo
generalor
specific.The
reader
cannot
easily
understand
the
paragraphs
mainsubject
andpoint.
Thetopic
sentence
mayormay
notaddress
theprompt.

Says
5

Content:
TEsquote
isrelevant
and
thoroughly
provesthe
TS.
Format:
Quotations
arecited
usingMLA
formatting.
Leadin:The
writers

Content:TE
isarelevant
quotethat
effectively
provesthe
TSsclaim.
Format:
Quotations
arecited
usingMLA
formatting.
Leadin:
Leadins
briefly

Content:TE
(paraphrase
dorquoted)
provesthe
TS
however,
thechosen
TEis
somewhat
vague.
Format:
Quotations
mayormay
notbecited

Content:TE
(paraphrase
dorquoted)
attemptsto
provethe
TS
however,
thechosen
TEisnot
completely
relevantor
effective.
Format:Quot
ationsmay

Content:TE
iseithernot
presentoris
notrelevant
totheTS.

Format:Quot
ationsmay
ormaynot
becited
usingMLA
formatting.

Leadin:

Content:No
textual
evidenceis
present.

Format:No
MLA
citationsare
present.

Leadin:
Leadinsare
notused
andquotes

Means/Matt
ers
4

Comments:
5

Greatwork!

argumentis
improvedas
aresultof
theleadins
used.

provide
relevant
background
information
aboutthe
content,
subject,
and/or
speaker.

usingMLA
formatting.
Leadin:
Leadins
provide
background
infothatis
slightly
irrelevantor
unnecessar
y

ormaynot
becited
usingMLA
formatting.
Leadin:
Leadinsare
attempted
butare
awkwardly
writtenand
maycause
confusion

Leadinsare
attempted
bydomore
harmthan
good&
obscure
meaning

are
plopped
intothe
paragraph.

Thereisa
clearand
thorough
explanation
ofbothwhat
theTEis
sayingand
alsoaclear
explanation
ofhowit
provesthe
TS.The
matters
offers
indepth
analysis&
thoughtprov
oking
insight.

Thereisa
clear
explanation
ofnotonly
whatthatTE
issaying,
butalsohow
itprovesthe
TS.Both
meansand
matters
relateback
totheTE&
TS.

The
explanation
(M/M)is
present,but
thewayitis
explainedis
overly
simple
and/orlacks
clarity.

Thereisan
attemptat
an
explanation
oftheTE,
buttheway
itis
explained
sounds
repetitiveor
somewhat
unclearoris
under
developed.
Theanalysis
mayalso
getoff
topic/lose
focus.

Thereisan
insufficient
amountof
means/matt
erswhich
causesthe
chunkto
feelmore
likea
summary
andlessof
ananalysis.

No
interpretatio
nofthe
quotationis
present.No
analysisis
present.