Itamara

Hey everyone... My name is Itamar. That is all you need to know.. The picture below (left) is a picture of one of my favorite musicians of all times, Chet Atkins. He is said to be the most versatile blues guitarists of all times. Chet Atkins music has influenced me in many ways, and one of the many goals that i have in life is to be able to play the guitar like him. The second picture (right), is a picture of yet another famous blues guitarist called Buddy Guy, and he as well, has been very influential for me, and his music really moves me.

Below is an essay i have written a couple of months ago in response to the novel "Of Mice And Men" by John Steinbeck. This essay's title (with help from my teacher Mr.Charles Chalmers) is : __**"A Mercy Killing"**__

Most people who have read the novel "Of Mice And Men", have probably asked themselves at the end of the book, "Why did George kill Lenny?" This question may have not been directly answered in the novel; however, the author has provided us several clues throughout the story to try to explain George's logic behind his actions. Perhaps the whole novel is just one big explanation as to why things ended the way they did. Regardless of what the outcome of the story was, many questions arise at the end of the story, such as 'Could Lennie have escaped with George to another ranch?', and 'Was killing Lennie really the best choice?' Looking more deeply into the novel, we can start to find answers to these questions. John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing and other clues to help us develop answers. For example, we may not have immediately thought that Lennie would be killed, but it was very clear in the story that the two men would get into some kind of trouble, which added a strong feeling of suspense to the story. George continually warned Lennie about certain people at the ranch, and even showed him where he should go to hide in case of trouble. Also, it is almost obvious that Lennie would repeat the same innocent mistake he did in Weed, with the lady in the red dress. This is why George got angry when he saw Lennie looking at Curley's wife with desire. These clues lead us to knowing that a problem will occur at the ranch, perhaps even to knowing that Curley's wife would be the cause of the problem. Yet the questions remain unanswered. One of the biggest clues in the story that will answer our question, is the scene in which Candy's dog walks into the bunk, and the men decide that it's best to shoot the old miserable dog in the head. The dog is to Candy what Lennie is to George. Candy has had the dog for a very long time, and without a doubt, has loved him very deeply, just like George loves Lennie. But Candy's dog and Lennie share something in common, they are both beginning to be, (or already are) useless to their "owners", and bring more trouble than they do happiness. Also, they are both in a state where they are miserable or unhappy most of the time. "Got no teeth... He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself." Says Carlson to Candy, hoping to convince the poor man to get rid of his dog. "This ol' dog jus' suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head, why he'd never know what hit him." He continues, "You ain't bein' kind to him keepin' him alive." Carlson ends. Candy understands that it is the right thing to do, but is having a hard time letting go. Eventually the dog does get killed, as does Lennie and not coincidentally in the same way too. After Lennie killed Curley's wife, and goes to his assigned hiding place, George finds himself in a dilemma slightly similar to that of Candy. He can let Lennie live and run somewhere else with him, risking that Lennie might repeat the mistake again wherever they go. George can also just leave this dirty deed to Curley and his men who are after Lennie. But this way Lennie will be killed in a painful way, as promised by Curley. So the best solution George has is to kill Lennie himself. Put him out of his misery with a little more pride, and a little less pain. George surely does not want to kill Lennie out of anger, because George is one of the only people who can see the innocence hidden in Lennie, and that can be as tolerant as he was in the beginning of the story towards Lennie's actions. George follows the same instructions Candy was given by Carlson, knowing that it is the right thing to do. And though it may not have been easy to do, George probably does not regret doing so. He had to sacrifice the life of his friend for his own good, as well as for the safety of others around. It is somewhat ironic, but true, that George killed Lennie simply out of love.

//Great essay, Itamar. It is concise, well thought-out and organized, your conclusion is sound, and the evidence you bring to bear is solid. Good use of quotations.// //Perhaps, you could next ask if George's decision was ethical; if he should not have done more to rescue Lennie from the vigilante justice. --CC oh, and by the way, I am listening to Chet Atkins now. Thanks for the recommendation.//