Sophomores Present Eulogies from “Of Mice and Men”

Sophomore year English class means reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The classic brings joy to some, hate to others. The sophomores will learn to realize how hard it was to live during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl when hearing the story of George and Lennie. While I do not intend to spoil the novel, I am writing about the eulogy of a main character, so take it as you will. Is it too late to say ‘spoiler alert’?

To sum up the situation, George and Lennie travel from ranch to ranch seeking work during hard economic times. However, they cannot find a lasting home since Lennie always manages to mess something up. In the story, they encounter a new ranch and meet Curley, Candy, and Slim. Things go awry and like in most novels we read, someone (okay- multiple characters) dies.

This brings us to the project presentation assigned by Mrs. Gribbin to her sophomore English classes. At the end of the book, they were asked to present a eulogy from the standpoint of one of the novel’s characters (they were allowed to choose). Many of the presentations were flamboyant and unique. The presenters would dress in costume to play their role best. Mark Warner would wear an Indiana Jones-esque hat, while Nick Short presented in a costume that looked more like one a mob boss than a California farmer.

The content of the two-minute presentation corresponded to each person’s character choice. Those who took the standpoint of George offered much grief, but also a sense of relief. On the other hand, Greg Lyon’s presentation as Curley offered the opposite. Continuing, others played their characters to perfection. For instance, Sean Carey talked and moved slowly as he played an old man, Candy, and Eric Rhines used very simple language reflecting the illiteracy of the time.

After the presentations, all of the students wanted to know their grades, but Mrs. Gribbin responded by saying, “You can have the rubrics at the end of class. You know me – I wish to torture you.” However, the most influential quote was said by Kevin dePoortere, then again repeated by Nick Short: “[Lennie’s] heart was too big. He wasn’t ready for the world, and it wasn’t ready for him.”