Classic Literature in the Modern Classroom -A literary analysis of "Of Mice and Men" from a historical and a pedagogical perspective

Abstract

The literature in focus in this essay is "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck which was written during The Great Depression in America. The aspects of the novel concentrated on is firstly the historical aspect of it and secondly the message of the story and how it is significant to the modern student. My literary analysis suggests that since the issues raised in the story (gender, age and race discrimination, psychological instability and an overall generalization of human beings) are issues which still exist today, the characters and the issues raised alleviates the students’ ability to relate and connect to the story. This essay also discusses and presents teaching techniques for how literature can be used in the language classroom. It is meant to function as an aid for teachers and teacher trainees searching for guidance when using literature in their classroom education. When searching for the best suitable teaching methods I have referred to and found help and inspiration from Tricia Hedge, Joanne Collie and Stephen Slater. The final discussion in this work is a summary of the entire essay with a combination of my personal opinions and experiences.