Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Ending

Do you agree or disagree with George's actions and the outcome of the novel? What is your opinion of the ending? What evidence would you cite to defend or criticize George's actions? Use your best writing skills, and do not forget to number your responses so that it is clear that you are responding to all three questions. Also because this is a published piece, you need to pay close attention to your spelling. You will lose 10 points for even one spelling error, and your response(s) will not be published.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hector C. Period 1

Morally I do not agree with George's actions but his intent is much accepted. I believe he did it to help Lennie from his own self. Just like the foreshadowing done earlier in the novel with Candy's dog, Lennie meant no harm, but was doing doing harm onto others.

Anonymous said...

D.Sampson Period 1- I agree with George's decision because he had to do that so that Lennie would not hurt himself or anyone else. My opinion of the end was that it was sad the way George killed Lennie by getting him happy and then shooting him. George has support for what he did by what Lennie did in his past when he touches soft things.

Anonymous said...

M. Cole
Period 2

1. I agree with George’s actions and the outcome of the novel. George killed Lennie in order to prevent him from hurting others and himself. George knew that Lennie did not understand what he was doing and his mental state did not allow him to see the complete consequences of his actions. George wanted to end Lennies’s emotional struggle and suffering, and he knew that if he was found, Lennie would either be locked up or killed. He saw no other way out.

2. I believe the ending was perfect for the story. There did not seem to be another way to end the story realistically. It also leaves the reader wondering if George’s actions were morally right.

3. George knew that if Lennie was captured, he would most likely be locked up somewhere, where he would be mistreated. He also knew that Curley might have killed Lennie and he would have no mercy on him. The only way that George saw that he could give Lennie a nice, peaceful death was to kill him while telling him the story of their dream.

Anonymous said...

L.M period 2

1. I agree with George's actions because he did not want Carlson or Curley to shoot Lennie. He did what any friend would do so he decided to shoot Lennie himself by making his death quick and as painless as possible. The outcome of the novel was unexpected and surprising.

2. In my opinion of the ending was I thought that there would be more to the ending and the story would continue on. I assumed that George would try to escape with Lennie without the other guys knowing about it. The ending was a unfortunate twist of events.

3. I would site that George was just in his actions because he really loved Lennie and he always was willing to get him out of any tight fix Lennie gets himself into. When he shot Lennie I think he was forlorn and he knew that dream they shared together was now in ruins. But despite all that, I think he would have accomplished their dream on his own for Lennie's' sake.

Anonymous said...

H.Le Period 2- 1) I agree with George's action because he did it with good intentions. 2)I was a little surprised at the ending. I believe George did what he thought was best. His intentions were good and he would rather Lennie get hurt by someone that loved him than strangers killing him. 3) One example is when they were in the barn trying to figure out what to do, George told Candy that he would never let anyone hurt Lennie.

Anonymous said...

M Bohn Period 1:

1. I agree with his actions.

2. Although I may agree with George's decision, there is no way not to find the ending sad. Especially how the book is written, as you can connect with the characters in a way. The way the characters are portrayed at the end definitely transfer the emotions going through everyone, and it is hard not to be empathize with the characters.

3. There are many different reasons to defend George's actions at the end of the novel. If he would have helped Lennie, they would have had to go somewhere else, and the basic pattern of events probably would have happened again. In addition, he killed him himself. If he had let anyone else do it, he would have regretted it, and also probably had figured that the others wouldn't be nice to Lennie. Finally, he probably didn't want to have Lennie be in a state of fear when he died. So, he was being as nice as he could in that instance by still protecting Lennie from the others.

Anonymous said...

S.Slaughter

1) I totally disagree with George's actions at the end of the novel. to mean once he did that it felt like all he was saying to Lennie was really just a lie.

2) My opinion of the ending is that George was not reasonable in what he did. That's like shooting one of your family members, because they did a bad thing by mistake. George was selfish and only thought of what was better for him and how he could live his life.

3) Throughout the novel George sits with Lennie and actually talks about their plans in the future and how they will have their own land, chose when they want to work. Seeing stuff like this throughout the novel like that shows me that they have a close bond together and nothing will pull them apart. But what at the end someone makes a mistake and your only choice is to kill. I was really upset over this.

Anonymous said...

K.Johnson Period 1

1.I disagree because even though he probably would have gotten killed anyways, he shouldn't have shot him so sudden. It's a shame that it had to happen that way and Lennie really looked up to George. Lennie didn't mean to do what he did.

2.My opinion of the ending is that it could have ended in a different way. Lennie didn't have to get killed, they could have ran away. I think it would have been better if they would have ran away.

3. The evidence that i could cite is when they are by the river and George just shoots him while Lennie is telling him about his plans. Lennie wanted to move and and not be killed. I kind of feel bad for Lennie.

Anonymous said...

N.Carrier Period 1

1) I do not agree with George's actions through out the novel.
2)The ending could have went a lot better if George and Lennie would have just left the ranch like they did at the beginning of the novel, and start fresh. The first time should have made him more careful and not carefree about Lennie.
3)If George chooses to take care of Lennie he must take more responsibility and watch him carefully like a child. George told Lennie,"To go down by the river where they were if he was to do something bad again". George foreshadowed that something was going to happen and he should have paid more attention to Lennie to prevent anything from happening.

Anonymous said...

Nate Grover
1: I do agree, albeit a little hesitantly, with George's actions.
2: I feel that the ending of the novel was an excellent ending. It was appropriately tragic and symbolic to end such an incredible story.
3: George made the right decision in what he did with Lennie. Slim was right in telling George that keeping Lennie locked up wouldn't do any good for him, and George had learned from Candy that it was better to do something so unpleasant yourself than to let some stranger who didn't even care do it.

Anonymous said...

T.Bates Period 1

1)I would have to say that I disagree with George's choice to kill Lennie at the end of the story because I feel he is not keeping the promise he made to Lennie. Another reason why I disagree is because I do not believe that you should kill unless you are in a situation of self- defense.
2)The ending of the book was okay, I would have liked for it to be a little longer. I think it would have been better if we would have seen what happen to Lennie if Curly found him.
#3) Even though I do not agree with George's actions I can understand why he did what he did. In his mind it was they only way he could protect Lennie and ensure that he could live a worry free life. George has done a lot for Lennie and if you think about it, it is unfair how much of George's life was determined on the actions of Lennie.

Anonymous said...

C. Lay Period 1

1. With the outcome of the novel, I would agree with George's actions.

2. When I was reading the book, I think that it was harsh that George shot Lennie but I did understand George's perspective of the situation. He shot Lennie before anyone else could get to him so it would make more sense if George shot him rather than the other guys. Plus, it was good that Lennie died happy instead of having to worry about anything or anyone else.

3. In chapter three, Candy had a dog that was old. Many of the guys were trying to get through to Candy that the dogs needs to go. Carson then stated, "Look, Candy. This ol' dog jus' siffers hisself all the time... why he'd never know what hit him". This quote relates to the death of Lennie.

Anonymous said...

Jelani Splawn

(1)As crazy as it seems, I have to agree with George's actions with killing Lennie and the total outcome of the novel.(2)I think it was a very tragic ending to begin with and I was very despondent with Lennie's death.(3) There was a reason why George killed Lennie. Times were tough during the Great Depression and the only justice that seemed available was vigilante justice which had no mercy on anyone epically the mentally ill like Lennie. George knew what was going to happen if Curley and the gang caught up to Lennie and as a last act of true friendship George killed Lennie.

Anonymous said...

Brandon.B Period.1

1). I do agree with George's actions and the outcome of the novel. What he did was the right thing to do.

2). My opinion of the ending was that what George to Lennie was good for him and everyone else around him.

3). The part in the novel where Lennie killed Curley's wife said it all.

Anonymous said...

B.Mack Period 1- I do agree with George's actions and the outcome of the novel because I felt as though George should have been the one person that should have save Lennie from harm of others. I think George felt that he was respondsible for Lennie and it was the best to keep Lennie out of trouble for good and end his suffering. The outcome was sad but I had a relieved feeling because now George can focus and not be in any trouble. I was very relieved when I knew that Lennie did not have to suffer and was in a better place. The evidence that I would cite to defend George's actions is when he was talking to Lennie for the last time it seemed like he was crying and very depressed. I believe that deep down inside George's heart that he truly loved Lennie like a little brother. It took much strength and it was very hard on his heart to take Lennie's life away,however; it was the best for Lennie and George at the same time.

Anonymous said...

M.R.S Period 1:
1. In the novel I actually do agree with George's actions because he did not seem to have another choice.

2. My opinion on the novel at the end was that it was better for George to shoot Lennie instead of having Curley torture him to death. I feel like it is better that George took the shot and did not have to watch a close friend of his die painfully.

3. Some evidence that I have from the novel that proves why George killing Lennie was the best decision was because slim had told George that when Curley would find Lennie that he was going to kill him painfully. Therefore, George had a good reason for taking his friend's life instead of someone else doing so.

Anonymous said...

K. Buckner:Period 2
1. Personally I agree with
George's actions and the outcome
of the novel. I feel as though he
did what he had to do because
Lennie was becoming too much
trouble.
2. My opinion of the ending book was
very surprising because I would
have never figured that George
would kill Lennie.
3. Evidence to defend George's
actions was that if George had
not did what he did, Lennie
would have been tortured by
Curley and his men. George saved
Lennie from a heinous death.

Anonymous said...

L. Riley Period 1

1.I agree with George's actions.
2. I thought that the ending was very heartbreaking. the reason being George shot someone who was very close to him. Someone that was always there.
3. George always had to put up with Lennie's mess. After all the times he put up with it George did not want to anymore. Even though he felt this way George did not want Lennie to be by himself so he shot Lennie in the back of his head to help Lennie out.

Anonymous said...

A.Ortiz Period 2:

1.) I disagree with George's actions and the outcome of the novel.

2.) My opinion about the ending was that George should have never resolved it by shooting Lennie, Lennie did not understand what he was doing at the time. I was kind of upset during that scene, because Lennie was a good person.

3.) Evidence that I would choose was is that George always had to get Lennie out of a bad situation that he was in. I criticized George at the end of the novel because instead of shooting him, he should have got him out of the situation like he had did before.

Anonymous said...

M.Bellamy Period 2-
Answer #1). I agree with George's actions because if he did not kill him, and they would have worked somewhere else, Lennie may have hurt or killed many more things or people.

Answer #2). I personally feel that George is and should be much justified with his decision. Yes he killed his best friend, yes he made the ultimate sacrifice, but you have to think about the principle of it all. He saved other living things around them. It was very sad, but what was done, had to be done. Also he saved Lennie from a more painful death at the hands of Curley.

Answer #3). I would only need to use one piece of evidence; and that's when Steinbeck even writes that George had pretty much saved Lennie from something that he had coming to him. He can't control what he does, but he murdered somebody, and there are laws and consequences for doing things of that nature. Justice in these terms was not of all that wanted from George but it was definitely needed.

Anonymous said...

Shawn J.
Period 2

1.) I do agree with George's actions. Lennie would have been killed anyway, so it would be best for him to be killed peacefully by a friend than for a mob to lynch him.

2.) I think it was a nice ending. Even though it was sad, it showed the great lengths George would go to to protect Lennie.

3.) To defend his actions, I would cite the part of chapter five where George told Lennie he was never mad at him.

Anonymous said...

T.Banks Period 2

1. I agree strongly with George's actions at the end of the novel. I agree because if they would have went on the run they would have just moved to another place and Lennie might have hurt another person. There is also the possibility that they could ave been caught. I think that George saved Lennie from a gruesome death.

2.I think the ending was very sad. Although I think it was the right thing to do, I still think that it was a very tragic ending.

3. The evidence I would use to defend George is when Curley said he would kill Lennie and that he wanted to shoot him in the guts. Also Slim talked about how Curley would want Lennie lynched or worse. I also think he had to because the incident in Weeds which proves that wherever they go Lennie will hurt someone, not on purpose, and cause trouble.

Anonymous said...

A.Ramos
Period 2
1)I believe it was the right thing because even though Lennie was always doing the wrong things he went too far this time.George probably thought that killing him himself would be better like that the others would not be able to say they killed him. In addition he probably felt there was no way of escaping this time and killing him was the only option.
2)I believe they should have at least tried to go away.Then if they weren't able to, George could have done what he did.To me that seemed like it would have been fair.
3)To prove my point I could cite when George was saying that he didn't know what to do. At this point is where I believed he felt that he didn't have many options.

Anonymous said...

A.Ramos
Period 2
1)I believe it was the right thing because even though Lennie was always doing the wrong things he went too far this time.George probably thought that killing him himself would be better like that the others would not be able to say they killed him. In addition he probably felt there was no way of escaping this time and killing him was the only option.
2)I believe they should have at least tried to go away.Then if they weren't able to, George could have done what he did.To me that seemed like it would have been fair.
3)To prove my point I could cite when George was saying that he didn't know what to do. At this point is where I believed he felt that he didn't have many options.

Anonymous said...

B.Jones period 2:

1.)No I do not agree with George at the end of the story. I think he should have made an attempt to free Lennie.

2.)I think that George should not have killed Lennie, He didn't know what he was doing at the time. I think George was just tired on dealing with Lennie.

3.)George has always been there for Lennie for example in the beginning when Lennie touched that ladies dress George helped Lennie get away

buttercup said...
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Anonymous said...

JHargrove Period 2
I agree with the reasons of what George did and understand that he had to do kill Lennie.
1. If George would have never killed Lennie someone else would have.
2. I think Candy having his dog killed by Carlson was a foreshadow of George having to kill Lennie.
3. When Carlson killed Candy's dog. Candy was upset that he didn't do it, the person he knew best. I think that was also how George felt, so in a way he had to kill Lennie.

Anonymous said...

JHargrove Period 2
My opinion of the ending.
1. I think the ending was sad and was a shock to me. George and Lennie have been together for a long time and it must have been hard for George have to kill his best friend, his partner.

Anonymous said...

R.Rivas Period 2
1.) I agree with George's actions and the outcome of the novel. It may seem unjust to some people, but it would have been worse if it was someone else to have punished Lennie. Lennie died a happy man, and by his best friend who only wanted the best for him.
2.) I believe that it was bound to happen sooner or later. I predicted that George and Lennie would have gotten their land, but it did not turn out the way.
3.) When George said, "The poor bastard's nuts. Don't shoot 'im. He di'nt know what he was doin'"(O.M.A.M,98). This quote is what I would use to defend George because he was trying to make the situation a little better for Lennie.

Anonymous said...

N. Pharris Period 2

1.) I do not agree with the way that the book ended.


2.) Lennie was like his brother so no matter what he shouldn't have shot him.

3)In the beginning of the book, he explained how him and George would go everywhere together and he got Lennie out of trouble before, so when did he give up on him this time?

Anonymous said...

S. Proctor Period 2-
1.) I agree with George's actions and the outcome of the story because Lennie, in my opinion, would be harmful to people. I think that Lennie is kind of a burden to George, but George did not seem to mind. I think by killing him it makes life much more easier for him.
2.) My opinion of the end of the novel is that I think that George was right for killing Lennie, but it also makes me feel kind of bad that Lennie was killed because he is mentally unstable.
3.)The evidence that I would use to defend George's actions would be because when Curley said that that he would shoot Lennie, and if he was not killed by George he would have suffered from the torturing of Curley. So I think that it was better for George to just kill him in one shot.

Anonymous said...

S.Banks Period 2-

1. I do agree with George's actions. I feel he in a way was helping Lennie out.

2. In my opinion, George was trying to take Lennie out of this unfair world. Many people did not understand the type of person that Lennie truly was. He was not exactly accepted by society. I feel George wasn't trying to harm him but to only help him. Lennie needed to be in a better place.

3. George always had Lennie's back. He was always there defend Lennie for everything. He tried to get people to understand that Lennie was a little different but there's nothing wrong with that. George rather him take Lennie out of the world then to have someone else to kill Lennie because of an accidental killing that wasn't really intended.

Anonymous said...

Kenny K Period 2
1. I think I do agree with George's action of killing Lennie because I think that Lennie was suffering or was just in George's way.
2. My opinion for the ending was really surprising because I never expected George to kill Lennie because Lennie was really close to him.
3. I think the part when Lennie was trying to pet the girl in the red dress and George tries to help him out by escaping to Soledad would be good evidence because this shows that George really cares for Lennie.

Anonymous said...

K.Walker - Period 2

1.In my opinion George had no other options in this situation that weren't risky.Slim tells George "Curley's gonna want to shoot 'im. Curley's still mad about his hand." In this case George should have done it himself before Curley found Lennie and tortured him. If George would have ran away with Lennie they both probably would have died out of suspicion. George killed Lennie while he was happy and unexpecting.
2. The ending was not how I had anticipated it to be. I thought they would get in trouble but in the end they'd get their farm and live peacefully. The most shocking part to me was that Lennie actually killed someone! With his friendly, child-like personality, I would have never expected him to take another person's life.

Anonymous said...

K.Walker - Period 2

1.In my opinion George had no other options in this situation that weren't risky.Slim tells George "Curley's gonna want to shoot 'im. Curley's still mad about his hand." In this case George should have done it himself before Curley found Lennie and tortured him. If George would have ran away with Lennie they both probably would have died out of suspicion. George killed Lennie while he was happy and unexpecting.
2. The ending was not how I had anticipated it to be. I thought they would get in trouble but in the end they'd get their farm and live peacefully. The most shocking part to me was that Lennie actually killed someone! With his friendly, child-like personality, I would have never expected him to take another person's life.