McGuire Conley
Ms. Allen
Honors English, Period 6
October 9th, 2015 Fear
Fear can transform a situation that can be easily handled, into a situation that will end in chaos. Fear can paralyze a person's reasoning. It can cause them to do things they would never think they could possibly do. It filters their view of the world, so that they can only see the negatives, and if they stay afraid they will become accustomed to these negatives. Fear overtakes an individual's judgement, and when afraid, the decisions they make will only end in grief. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two friends, George, and Lennie, and how George has to kill Lennie, because fear caused Lennie to make a bad decision, and that decision in the end, resulted in his own death. Once Upon a Time, by Nadine Gordimer, is about a family who is so afraid of the outside world, and so obsessed of the security of their home, that they forget about the true meaning of life; and how to live it. Their own son is actually killed by the razor sharp, prison like fences they have around the length of their home. The family was so caught up in the fear of the outside world, that they didn't see that the biggest danger was right in their in their own home. Steinbeck and Gordimer, through the events that take place in these stories, show that fear inevitably causes both loss of reasoning, and destruction, resulting in unnecessary chaos. The events leading up to the boy's death, in ¨Once Upon a Time,¨ show that fear causes reasoning to blur, and that fear causes chaos that could have been avoided. ¨When the man and wife and little boy took the pet dog for its walk around the neighborhood streets they no longer paused to admire this show of roses or that perfect lawn; these were hidden behind an array of different varieties of security fences, walls and devices.¨(Gordimer 15) This quote expresses what Gordimer was trying to demonstrate, that the family was so absorbed with fear of …show more content…
¨Oh! Please don't do none of that,´¨ he begged.¨´George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits. Now don't, he said. She continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. ¨´Don't you go yelling´,¨ he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish.¨ (Steinbeck 73) Steinbeck demonstrates that no matter what situation, fear, and chaos will almost always lead to death. When Curley's wife becomes frightened, Lennie becomes fearful that he will get in trouble, and that George won't let him tend the rabbits. This fear pushes him to make poorly thought out decisions. He starts shaking her, which only makes things more chaotic. This chaos causes not only her death, but the death of Lennie as well. Steinbeck also shows that George has a great fear of Lennie getting himself into something he won't be able to get himself out of. In the end of this story, George's greatest fear becomes a reality, and he has to end Lennie's life. Steinbeck shows that Lennie, and George are both fearful, and because they are fearful, chaos, and death are
Ms. Allen
Honors English, Period 6
October 9th, 2015 Fear
Fear can transform a situation that can be easily handled, into a situation that will end in chaos. Fear can paralyze a person's reasoning. It can cause them to do things they would never think they could possibly do. It filters their view of the world, so that they can only see the negatives, and if they stay afraid they will become accustomed to these negatives. Fear overtakes an individual's judgement, and when afraid, the decisions they make will only end in grief. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two friends, George, and Lennie, and how George has to kill Lennie, because fear caused Lennie to make a bad decision, and that decision in the end, resulted in his own death. Once Upon a Time, by Nadine Gordimer, is about a family who is so afraid of the outside world, and so obsessed of the security of their home, that they forget about the true meaning of life; and how to live it. Their own son is actually killed by the razor sharp, prison like fences they have around the length of their home. The family was so caught up in the fear of the outside world, that they didn't see that the biggest danger was right in their in their own home. Steinbeck and Gordimer, through the events that take place in these stories, show that fear inevitably causes both loss of reasoning, and destruction, resulting in unnecessary chaos. The events leading up to the boy's death, in ¨Once Upon a Time,¨ show that fear causes reasoning to blur, and that fear causes chaos that could have been avoided. ¨When the man and wife and little boy took the pet dog for its walk around the neighborhood streets they no longer paused to admire this show of roses or that perfect lawn; these were hidden behind an array of different varieties of security fences, walls and devices.¨(Gordimer 15) This quote expresses what Gordimer was trying to demonstrate, that the family was so absorbed with fear of …show more content…
¨Oh! Please don't do none of that,´¨ he begged.¨´George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits. Now don't, he said. She continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. ¨´Don't you go yelling´,¨ he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish.¨ (Steinbeck 73) Steinbeck demonstrates that no matter what situation, fear, and chaos will almost always lead to death. When Curley's wife becomes frightened, Lennie becomes fearful that he will get in trouble, and that George won't let him tend the rabbits. This fear pushes him to make poorly thought out decisions. He starts shaking her, which only makes things more chaotic. This chaos causes not only her death, but the death of Lennie as well. Steinbeck also shows that George has a great fear of Lennie getting himself into something he won't be able to get himself out of. In the end of this story, George's greatest fear becomes a reality, and he has to end Lennie's life. Steinbeck shows that Lennie, and George are both fearful, and because they are fearful, chaos, and death are