Critical Lens Sample Beginnings 2 
English “Critical Lens” Samples and assignments
Often in life and in literature, people find themselves in overpowering situations. This is what Herodotus was referring to when he wrote, “Men are at the mercy of events and cannot control them.” In other words, people suffer not because of their own actions, but because of the situation in which they find themselves. This is true in considering Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because George and Lennie, the two protagonists, and other minor characters suffer due to events beyond their control. Herodotus’ quotation is also true in considering William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, because the protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, are also overpowered by the forces that surround them. Herodotus’ quote proves particularly true in considering the setting of both novels, the conflicts within the two texts, and the characterization of the protagonists and even the minor characters within the novels.
George and Lennie, and some of the other characters in the novella Of Mice and Men are “at the mercy of events” and as a result their own lives are largely out of their control. The book is set during the Great Depression during when it is impossible for George and Lennie to find a stable job. The book opens as the protagonists move from one job to the next, in desperate need of money and a place to live; they are essentially homeless when the book starts. They are poor and unemployed in large part because of situations beyond their control. This is clear because all the men in the novel share their desperation, living a hand-to-mouth existence. The characters are clearly poor carrying all their possessions in a sac from ranch to ranch. The book’s theme focuses over and over on their desire to try and save up just a little bit of money so they can stop living day to day. They want to own a piece of land and live off the “fatta the land.” But instead, they are at the mercy of the ranch that pays them, feeds them, and shelters
Often in life and in literature, people find themselves in overpowering situations. This is what Herodotus was referring to when he wrote, “Men are at the mercy of events and cannot control them.” In other words, people suffer not because of their own actions, but because of the situation in which they find themselves. This is true in considering Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because George and Lennie, the two protagonists, and other minor characters suffer due to events beyond their control. Herodotus’ quotation is also true in considering William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, because the protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, are also overpowered by the forces that surround them. Herodotus’ quote proves particularly true in considering the setting of both novels, the conflicts within the two texts, and the characterization of the protagonists and even the minor characters within the novels.
George and Lennie, and some of the other characters in the novella Of Mice and Men are “at the mercy of events” and as a result their own lives are largely out of their control. The book is set during the Great Depression during when it is impossible for George and Lennie to find a stable job. The book opens as the protagonists move from one job to the next, in desperate need of money and a place to live; they are essentially homeless when the book starts. They are poor and unemployed in large part because of situations beyond their control. This is clear because all the men in the novel share their desperation, living a hand-to-mouth existence. The characters are clearly poor carrying all their possessions in a sac from ranch to ranch. The book’s theme focuses over and over on their desire to try and save up just a little bit of money so they can stop living day to day. They want to own a piece of land and live off the “fatta the land.” But instead, they are at the mercy of the ranch that pays them, feeds them, and shelters