Of Mice and Men: part 3

What stuck out most to me in this story was the ending, it was most definitely not what I was expecting. I was actually in shock when I read the ending because George killed Lennie so that none of the others would be able to, but he still killed Lennie. Lennie didn't know what he was doing, he had no control over himself, he was an innocent guy with no control or awareness of his own strength, but at the same time he was guilty of killing Curley's wife. The ending was very thought provoking, because I liked Lennie and we readers are shown his innocence, but he killed a woman. Then George Kills Lennie and I momentarily hated George, but then I felt sorry for him, he really had no choice, it was either kill Lennie or watch others kill him. Either way was a hopeless situation, and I cannot even begin to imagine how George will feel, having to live with the fact that he killed his one and only companion, the one that he was supposed to look after and protect. I do admire Steinbeck for showing that the world can be a cruel place and that the outcome is not always what we want it to be, he showed the reality of life and it's not always rainbows and sunshine.

Radical: Part 3

The most difficult part of the Radical Experiment for me would be to pray for the whole world. I am the type of person who judges some things based off of my feelings, so when a person does something wrong to me or to anyone that I care about, I find it hard to truly forgive them.  Or if there is someone that I do not and cannot respect, I tend to leave them out in my prayers. As a flawed human being we categorize sins, to us there are degrees of sins. To God sin is sin. So in God's eyes my dishonesty is just as bad as someone else's homicide because if God's spirit is not in you, it is not in you and that is that. Unfortunately I have selective memory, so I can remember that when I have no conflict, when something arises however, I have no recollection of that fact whatsoever. There have been times when I have purposely excluded people from my prayers, and I literally have to pray to want to pray for those people. In all honesty all five components would be extremely difficult for me, because I am not yet at the stage where I am willing to make a ton of sacrifices, and I need and want to be considering what God gave up for me. So until I build a strong relationship with God, this challenge is near impossible for me to do completely.

Of Mice and Men: Part 2

How is the theme of loneliness shown in the story so far?

George and Lennie are inseparable, and that is what makes them stand out. Slim is the one who asks George why they are always together, because the rest of the ranchers do their own thing and don't really seem to care about what others do. Loneliness seems to be the way of life, but it is also not desired by most. George, for example would talk about leaving and pursuing his dream on his own without Lennie, but then he realized that he needed and wanted Lennie's company. Curley's wife came into the barn because she just wanted company, and she complained about Curley never spending time with her, Crooks at first shooed Lennie away, but eventually let him stay, and he even let Candy join him as well. Loneliness also drives some of the Characters to act a certain way, Lennie when threatened with loneliness becomes afraid and dangerous and threatening, showing that although the loneliness is a way of life it is by no means a desired way of life, but that doesn't change the way things are.

Radical: Part 2

On page 104 Platt says, "Our version of the American Dream ends up disinfecting Christians from the world more than discipling Christians in the world." Explain what you think that means,

Platt says, "Disinfecting Christians from the world involves isolating followers of Christ in a spiritual safe-deposit box called the church building and teaching them to be good." The American Dream creates people who are comfortable and content where they are, going to church once a week and then returning to their "normal" lives. It has people thinking that the church is only the physical building, and that people will be drawn to the church (the goal of the American Dream is to attract people to the church in order to have a big church). People begin to forget that God has commanded that we go out and share the gospel, and instead hole themselves up in a building. Discipling Christians means preparing Christians to do God's will and bring more people to him. Platt mentions the Cuban churches that planted other churches, they live in a world where they realize how important it is ti share God's word, they want more people because they know that more people need God, the American Dream wants more people for status, and that is the main difference between disinfecting Christians and discipling Christians. The latter group is aware of the fact that people need God and that God has chosen us, his people to spread his word.

Of Mice and Men - Part 1

The relationship between George and Lennie is a very interesting one. At first glace it seems like your typical "he's the brains, he's the brute" type deal, and while that may be true it is much more complex than that. George is the "mastermind" of the duo, he is the leader and the spokesperson for the two of them. Lennie does not have the ability to think or care for himself, he is not able to be an independent being, and it is quite obvious that he needs George, he imitates and listens to George, who always takes the reigns. George takes care of Lennie, he complains about him, but he does care about Lennie. We see George constantly scolding Lennie over something, but it is only because George sees how Lennie's behavior can and will be a danger to him. George is the only person who understands Lennie and is able to see his true innocence, and he makes an effort to ensure that Lennie's accidental brutality does not cost him greatly. The two have a sort of Father-son relationship where they also balance each other out. George is a rather quick-tempered man who tend to be rather harsh with his words, while Lennie is this sweet, good-natured man who is just misunderstood.