pre-reading
Prompt:
This book presents many of the same themes that we have already been discussing this year. Knowing these themes will help you develop text-to-text responses throughout the novel. Themes to explore:
- Secrets and secret lives
- coming of age
- search for identity
- relationships with parents
- resilience of the human spirit
- man's inhumanity to man
- discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure (social class)
- literacy--the role of writing
- how death gives way to life
Response Required: Cover all parts of the question.
- Choose two themes from the list above. Explain how each has been found in Heroes, Anne Frank, and/or Of Mice and Men.
Secrets are a very big theme in Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men. In Heroes, Francis keeps his identity a secret. He doesn’t want anyone to know who he is while he lives a new, anonymous life. Nicole also keeps Larry’s actions towards her a secret, because she was afraid, and maybe a little embarrassed. In Anne Frank, Anne, her family, and the others living in the Secret Annex keep their whereabouts a secret. They can’t be found, or else they face life and probably death in a concentration camp. They are supposedly living their lives in Zurich, while they are really still living in Amsterdam. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George keep their past in Weed a secret. They don’t tell anyone what the girl accused Lennie of, for fear that they will be forced to leave, or turned in to the police. They are trying to start a new life for themselves outside of Weed. There are many secrets kept in all three of these books.
ReplyDeleteMan’s inhumanity to man is another big theme in the books Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men. In Heroes, there is a whole war going on, which is a huge example of people hating each other. Francis also hates Larry, for he acted inhumanely towards Nicole. In Anne Frank, Hitler is trying to create an “elite race,” and kill all the Jews. This is, by far, the biggest example of man’s inhumanity to man in any of these books. In Of Mice and Men, Crooks is treated inhumanely for being black, and Curley treats George and Lennie inhumanely. There are many examples of people hating each other in all three of these books.
Anne Frank’s relationship with her parents was okay. She adored her father but did not talk to her mother so often. While Francis in Heroes mother died giving birth to his little brother and Father died of a heart attack when he was thirteen.
ReplyDeleteAnne Frank was very discriminated during World War II for big a Jewish Girl in a word fighting to kill Jewish people. In Mice and Men many people were discriminated for being different. Lennie was not as smart as every, Curly’s Wife was a girl and was ignore by him, and Crocks because he was black.
Secrets and secret lives:
ReplyDeleteFrancis lived a secret life after the war. He was secretly going to kill larry lasalle, while nobody knew who francis was, because he was disguised with his new face.
Relationships with parents:
Francis never knew his parents because they both died when he was very young. He sort of grew up without having that love from his parents. His mom had died giving birth to francis’ sibling, who unfortunately died 5 hours after coming out the womb.
Secrets and secret lives relates to Anne Frank, because they had many secrets and also had a secret life. Nobody knew that they lived in the annex of Mr. Frank’s office building. The Franks could not do any outdoor activities all because of a secret. They always had to be quite and they couldn’t even eat or wash themselves when they wanted. It’s funny how a secret can change somebody’s life.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that can be related to Anne Frank is relationship with parents. Anne had to spend so much time with her parents in the secret annex, so they should make their peace now, instead of fighting all of the time. They should get along, because it doesn’t look like they are going anywhere soon!
This is my response. In Heroes, Francis has all different identities when he is meeting new people. He will use his dead brother’s name or just makes up a name. No one really knows who he is because half of his face is covered up all the time. In the novel Of Mice and Men, some of the people who worked with Lennie and George would make fun of Lennie. They would make fun of him because he was bigger than all of them and he wasn’t as bright as all of the other men. There was one man who despised Lennie because he was bigger than him. Curley, the man who did not like Lennnie, was very small compared to him, and he would yell at him all the time. That man wanted Lennie small to be killed.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of coming of age is something associated with most of all the books we read this year. In Heroes coming of age is a big part of the book because Francis has flashbacks of when he was younger and it shows the hard times he went through when he was younger and how he dealt with those problems throughout the years. Secret and secret lives are associated with the story of Anne Frank we read because most of her life she spent hiding in the secret annex with the Van Daans and the rest of the Frank’s family. She lived a secret life hiding from the Nazis, just because of her religion.
ReplyDeleteTwo of these themes that relate to the stories we have read are secrets and secret lives and search for identity. Secrets and secret lives relates to Heroes because Francis is living a secret life when he doesn’t tell anyone who he is. Also search for identity relates to Anne Frank because nobody really knew who they were because everyone was stuck inside of an annex. And what could somebody do to find out who they are because they couldn’t experiment with themselves. This also applies to Of Mice And Men because Lennie, unlike George, doesn’t really have any identity other than being stupid.
ReplyDeleteTwo of these themes above have been present in the novels Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men. One of the themes that we have already talked about is the search for identity. This theme was mainly shown in the novel Heroes because the main character Francis was searching for his identity the whole story. Francis was trying to hide his identity from everyone after he got home from the war. This theme was also shown in Anne Frank. Anne Frank and her family were hiding their identities from all of the Nazi’s when they were hiding in the Secret Annex. Another theme was the theme of discrimination. Lennie was discriminated because he was very big but also very dumb in the novel Of Mice and Men. Discrimination was also I very big factor in the novel Anne Frank. During the Holocaust Jews were discriminated by the Nazi’s. There really was no reason for this but Anne and her family were discriminated.
ReplyDeleteThis year, our curriculum is based on the theme of humanity. Since this is Language Arts class and we cover reading and writing, I’ll choose to start with how writing influences our lives. Take Anne Frank. She was stuck in the Secret Annex with her family, the Van Daans, and Mr. Dussel for 18 months. In order to cope with the stress of growing up, Anne kept her journal. That journal chronicled all the goings-ons in the Secret Annex. Anne did not—could not—have another outlet to express her stress and frustration. No running around, no visiting friends, no screaming. Writing WAS her life during hiding. This lasting legacy she left for us leaves many stories, lessons, and inspiration. For Francis Cassavant in HEROES, he liked to write as a child. When Francis met up with Nicole at the end of the book, she encouraged him to write about his war experiences and other heroes. Just like Anne, this could have helped Francis cope with his experiences. It would help him to move on.
ReplyDeleteIn anyone’s life, relationships with parents are also important. In class we talked about the reasons why Francis latched onto Nicole so quickly and so fervently. One of the reasons we thought he may have loved Nicole so much was because he had no real family. His parents and brother had died; therefore, he was left alone (though he did have his uncle). Francis’ relationship with Nicole led to so many problems—the Wreck Center, possible suicide, the grenade, and the return home to seek revenge and forgiveness.
I wonder what sort of parents Lennie had as a child before his aunt took him in…. any ideas??
THIS IS NOT DONE!!!
ReplyDeleteThe theme discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure fits into the book Anne frank in almost every way. The whole reason why they were in hiding was because they were in the middle of WWII, and they were killing and sending all the Jews to concentration camps around the world. The way it fits into the book Of Mice and Men is because this was in the 1920’s-1930 and anyone colored had no rights. They called the black man on the ranch stable buck, also known as crooks. They didn’t give Curley’s wife a name, because of the woman’s rights movement and they had no care and rights for them. The last book that was prejudice against people was heroes. When people saw Francis with all the bandages on his face and his ugliness, they assumed that he was an un-spirited mean man. They didn’t know how nice and truly kind and spirited he was.
The theme “search for identity” is in Heroes by Francis not telling
The theme secrets and secret lives relate to Heroes and Anne Frank. The frank family went into hiding for a really long time to hide from getting caught by the Nazis. They hid a place called the Secret Annex. During the day time, they couldn’t talk at all, they had to be completely quiet or someone could hear them and they would be taken away to a concentration camp. Their close friend Meip helped them survive and brought them food and books. Their lives were secret from everyone, until a robber came in and tried to rob the cash register in the building they were hiding in. They think that, to get out of getting in trouble he told the officers that there were people upstairs. The people that stayed in the annex were isolated from everyone and no one knew where they went.
ReplyDeleteThis theme also relates to Heroes. Larry LaSale was a great man to all of the kids at the wreck center. He taught them how do dance, sing, act, and play sports. He even helped Francis gain self confidence and learn how to play table tennis, a sport that Francis was naturally good at. Even though he was nice to all of the kids at the wreck center, he had a background that no one knew about, and if people did know about him and what he did, they probably wouldn’t trust him with anything. Everyone knew that he had done something wrong when he lived in New York because he came here and stopped a great career. Not many people paid too much attention to what he did. Larry always really liked Nicole, a girl that Francis really liked. He thought she was a great dancer and student. He asker her to stay one day after everyone left to dance with him. Nicole knew something was wrong so she really wanted Francis to stay, but he didn’t. That night, Larry raped Nicole. I think that that is why he left New York, because he got into some kind of trouble from doing the same thing he did to Nicole.
Of mice and men has the theme of discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure. Crooks was a black man that worked on the ranch. He was never treated equally. While all of the men slept in bunks, in small cabins, Crooks slept in the barn with the horses. Also, in Anne Frank, people were taken away and put into camps because of their religion. Nazis took jewish people or people that helped jewish people to camps that killed them.
Search for identity.
ReplyDeleteAll of these books have the same thing in common. Heros, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men all have characters that need help finding their identity. In Heros Francis creates a whole new identity for himself because his face was destroyed by the grenade. In Anne Frank Anne is Jewish and she try’s to hide her identity from the Nazis. In the book Of Mice and Men Lennie needs help finding his identity. Lennie doesn’t know what to do with his life because he has problems. However, he doesn’t know it so he just does what he thinks is correct. This makes it harder for him to do the right thing because he thinks that everything he does is correct.
Secrets and secret lives
Many people today have secret lives that nobody except them may know about. Anne Frank is one of these people. She has a secret life of hiding from the Nazis. Anne’s secret life is like her hiding and the people that don’t know about her secret life are the Nazis. This tremendously helps Anne, but not always does this help people. If u have a secret life of something bad that you have done and somebody finds out then this obviously will not help you. An example of having a secret that may be a bad thing is in the book Heros. Francis hides his identity, if he had told someone about his secret they might have hated him because they wouldn’t have liked him for lying to them.
This is not Finished
ReplyDeleteThe theme of secrets and secret lives has been found in Heroes by Francis keeping his identity a secret from everybody. Francis kept his identity a secret, so he could reach Larry LaSalle and kill him, for what he did to Nicole. It was also a secret of what Larry had done to Nicole, but Francis had found out. Another secret is that Francis was going to kill Larry, so he had to keep his identity a secret to everybody. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family and the Van Daans had to keep a secret about being hidden in the secret Annex. They kept this secret hidden for a long time, but in the end someone had figured out that they were hidden in the secret Annexe. In Mice and Men, George and Lenny had kept a secret about Lenny being disabled and unfortunately Lenny was killed at the end. This is how secrets and secret lives have been found in Heroes, Anne Frank, and Mice and Men.
The theme how death gives way to life have been found in Heroes was when Francis was planning to kill Larry, but ended up not killing him and Larry had committed suicide. This shows that once Francis knew that Larry was dead, Francis could continue in living with his own life. In Anne Frank, the Franks and Van Daans knew that some of their friends had might died. This had encouraged most of them to continue living for themselves and for their friends and family. In Mice and Men, George ended up killing his best friend in the world, Lenny. Although this must have been very hard to do, but George knew that Lenny was dangerous and had to kill Lenny.
The two themes from Anne Frank, Heroes, and Of Mice and Men are discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure, and how death gives way to life. In Heroes, Francis wanted to die for all the guilt that he has done. He almost threw himself off a building, but instead, fell on a grenade for his comrades, but blew his face off. Francis has been discriminated because of his face. He says Dr. Abram will help him by giving him cosmetic surgery, but until then, he has to wear gauges and bandages. He got a silver star just for jumping on a grenade for his bravery. In Anne Frank, Jews were discriminated by the German Nazis. They were taken to camps and were badly treated. Anne gave her life away for her family because the Frank family was taken to camp. Anne’s mom told her to be strong through out the concentration camp, where Anne Frank died.
ReplyDeleteSearch for Identity
ReplyDeleteIn life people want to know who they really are or going to be. Some people might know right a way, but for others it might take a while. They can not figure out who they are and some might go on a quest to find out. People will go on a long journeys figuring out who they are. Usually the people that do that do not have parents or don’t know what they want to do in their future. After their journey is over they will figure it out. Like in Heroes Francis goes on journey himself trying to figure out what to do with his life. After he is done, he knows what to do.
I prefer the second cover because the story is called the “The Secret Life of Bees” and the second choice seems like it has more to do with the title. The first cover seems like it has nothing to do with bees or being secret. It is just a little girl staring at a whole bunch of weird things that have nothing to do with bees. The girl is staring at a house and I do not understand how that is fascinating. The second cover makes more sense because there are bees and honey. It is more eye catching than the first cover too because the first is almost all white. The second cover has a bee floating around the honey so it probably symbolizes something in the story. Usually a lot of bees go to the honey but in the cover there is only one bee.
ReplyDeleteI can predict that the bees are probably symbolic in the story because most people don’t like reading stories about bees, including me. It is also probably about a curious little girl because on the first cover there is a girl looking at different things. She is looking at a house, a picture of a car, a twig, and some grapes. I do not find that interesting at all so I can predict that the girl is observant. I have a feeling I will not enjoy the story.
Though at the surface, Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men appear very different, they are all inter-related through various themes buried within them. Some characters within each of these books have all had to come of age in unexpected ways.
ReplyDeleteLiving in World War II Europe, as a Jewish girl, was a hard way to grow up for Anne Frank. She had a normal childhood until she was 11, playing with friends, riding bicycles, and going to the movies. When the Germans started to occupy her country, she lost all that. Slowly her life was being sucked away. When the Germans started to round up the Jews, the Franks, and friends, went into hiding. Living in seclusion, falling in love, and facing danger at every minute caused Anne to grow up faster then she ever should have had to. She was brave until her very end, and she brought hope to others. She accomplished what fully grown women cannot, she accepted death, and hoped to make it positive for others.
In Heroes, Francis’ parents died when he was just a young kid. He started to mature faster then he ever would have, as he lacked a true role model until Larry came along, even though he lived with his uncle. Francis went to war at fifteen. He saw things that no one ever wants to see, and it burdened him. He lived with a huge weight on his shoulders until he talked to Larry, and eventually Nicole, years after the incident. At 18, his heart, body, and soul had been broken, at a time where most boys are still in school, hanging out with their friends.
Lennie, as a slow but gentle giant, had to grow up really fast to live in the world, and he couldn’t. His mental disability prevented him from even getting a chance at living a real life. George, his caretaker also had to mature faster than he would have normally. George, as a young man, was taking care of a another man, where without Lennie, he would be going to bars, hanging out in cat houses, and would never have had the pressure of killing his best friend in an attempt to help him.
In addition to growing up too fast, characters in these books have either experienced or learned that death gives way to life.
Anne Frank was killed by gas chamber in a Nazi death camp. She hid her diary in the Annex, knowing that she would probably never see it again. She gave her life up, in part so others could experience the life of a girl in hiding, and know the horrors of genocide. Her death, along with millions of others, allowed Jews to eventually come out of hiding and start to rebuild their lives.
Never judge a book by its cover. While Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men seem different, their themes are interrelated.
The theme of secrets and secret lives has been found numerous times in Heroes. Francis lived a secret life after he returned from the war. He had lost his facial features because he jumped on a grenade. He earned a silver star but did not find comfort when he was called a hero. He had secretly been trying to kill himself and he found that jumping on the grenade would be the perfect way to do so. He was not successful in his attempt to commit suicide. He returned to his hometown of Frenchtown. No one could possibly notice him because of his severe lack of a face and because he was covering it up under bandages, a scarf, and a red sox cap. He still knew all of the people there and all of the buildings. The owner of the tenement that he was living in didn’t remember him but he still made sure that she never would. He used the name of his deceased brother as an alibi. He also said that he was from Canada so she would not expect his true reason for being there. He was back in Frenchtown for one reason only, to kill Larry LaSalle. Larry raped young girls and nobody knew because he seemed like such a nice guy when he helped children reach their goals.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of man’s inhumanity to man is found in Of Mice and Men. It is found in the way that Curley treated Lenny. Curley treated Lenny with disrespect constantly
In Heroes, Francis didn’t have a family. He could not build a relationship with his parents because they died when he was very young. His dad had a heart attack when he was little. His mother died giving birth to his brother Ramon .However Ramon didn’t make it either. All his family died. He could never have a relationship with his parents because they weren’t around. They were somewhere else and he would never know. The possibilities were amazing where they could be and since he didn’t know them, it was hard to find himself. He went to war to hide his suicidal thoughts. Being distracted kept him sane inside because he knew he had nothing. Everything he ever had was gone. He lost it in the war and he was fighting for his life. But even if he did die, he believed he had nothing to lose because he has no one and nothing. Having no one to depend on and ask questions about his life, he didn’t know who he was. Ever find yourself in one of your best friends or through your life? Francis didn’t have any of this. He couldn’t really trust anyone. And living empty did not give him the strength to find himself. He’s confused about who he is. He abused his own mind with all the feelings about death and him always doubting he could never have someone like Nicole, his love of his soul. But it’s so hard to find yourself when you can’t look into your self because the one you once were, isn’t you anymore. Francis didn’t know what to do.
ReplyDeleteResponse: In the book Anne Frank, there were many different moods. In the beginning of the book, everyone was fine and doing well, every day life. But then when the Germans came to town, they ruined everything and right away had to go hiding and that initially caused everything to go hectic and ended up ruining their life. This event took many lives. Everything happened due to discrimination and racism. Thanks to Adolf Hitler actions, this still scares people today and hurts people to this day.
ReplyDeleteIn Anne Frank there were many different themes; two themes that were involved in this story were secrets and relationships with parents. Anne Frank took place during World War 11, when Jewish people had to hide from Adof Hitler. This had to do with many secrets, they had to hide there identity, hide themselves from outside world, and stay quiet. This made things very difficult for many people and families; at this time there were many different kinds of discrimination. The last theme is relationships with parents, during this time they had to hide and many families were split up. Anne Frank had okay relationships with her parents; she was closer to her father then her mother. For example when Anne would get into trouble her father would always be on her side, she was a daddy’s girl. Those were two themes that were involved with the novel Anne Frank.
ReplyDeleteSearch for Identity-
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Heros there is always the search for identity. Francis is the one character you notice the most about this topic. After the war Francis came back to his home town in Boston with no face and a ‘new’ identity. At first no one notices Francis. Many people were disturbed about his destroyed face and his weird set up of cloths. Francis throughout the book went around town slowly gaining his popularity. When he starts hanging out with Nicole he feels happy for once in his life. Yet that doesn’t help him find who he once was. When the bad thing happens to Nicole he found one trait about his real self. He is afraid.
NOT FINISHED.
Death gives ways to life because in each ok there is death. Each book a character realizes the importance of life and than they see how they can live their lives through a different and less challenging road of life. In Of Mice and Men, Lenny was shot by his best friend George who was in reality really just protecting Lenny from having a very painful
ReplyDeleteIn Heroes, Francis was hiding his identity so no one in Frenchtown could identify him. Even though only a few people recognized him, he managed to hide himself. Sooner after Francis found his own identity, that he was in reality a hero even though he always said he did not feel like one.
NOT FINISHED!!
Response: In the extremely entertaining book Anne Frank, the Frank family has to live a life of lies. The Frank family lived in the secret Annex, where know one knew they were present. They had to be quiet from day to night, not able to bathe themselves and unable to move. If they did any of these ordinary things the Frank family’s secret would be demolished. The whole reason for the mishap in the Frank’s lives is because of discrimination. The German soldiers would take all of the Jewish citizens and bring them to concentration camps, where they would be put to work. These concentration camps were extremely harsh and unbelievable for the way they treated the Jewish people. The Frank family was smart to hide, for as long as they did, and well remembered today.
ReplyDeleteResponse: In Anne Frank relationships with parents play a huge role in the story. Considering that they are stuck in a small annex with their families. Since they had no one but each other they needed to keep a good relationship with each other. Anne was having trouble keeping a solid relationship with her mom. For some reason Anne didn’t trust her mom and always went to her dad for advice instead. This insulted her mother and she talked to her about it. After they talked Anne was much closer to her mother and she appreciated the fact that she was there for her. Just like her Dad. Growing up without friends she went to her parents a lot more for advice and the relationship was much stronger. NOT FINISHED.
ReplyDeleteAnswer: 1.In the book Heroes there were many secrets and secret lives. For example when Francis came back to Frenchtown, he made up the fake identity of Raymond B. and few people in the town knew who he really was. Also Nicole hid the truth about being assaulted by Larry LaSalle. Not only that, but the secret behind why Francis went to war, was because he wanted to die.
ReplyDeleteNOT FINISHED
Relationships with parents-
ReplyDeleteAnne and her relationship to her parents are good. How Anne’s parents takes care of her, and how her parents tell Anne how much they love her but Anne doesn’t really like her mother for some reason. And also about Peter, Peter really hates his father how he is always selfish to what he is eating, how he steals food every night and eats it in his room. Mr. Dussel is a really lazy man how he always sleep in Anne’s room. Anne doesn’t really have her time by herself.
Search for identity-
The search for identity in Heroes is to most of the people is hard, but to some people it is easy. How Arnold recognized that Francis was a war veteran due to his jacket and maybe saw part of his face. Arnold recognized Francis to that book that the bartender has, and Francis told him that his identity should not be revealed to other people since he is trying to hunt down Larry for what he did to Nicole. Mrs. Belander didn’t even recognized Francis because of the damage that the grenade did to him.
There are two themes that are found in the books Heroes, Anne Frank, And Of Mice and Men. The first theme is secrets and secret lives. This theme could go for the book Heroes and Anne Frank. In the book Heroes Francis has a secret identity because he does not have a face. He came back from war with no face because he jumped in front of a grenade hoping he would die. He didn’t die instead he lost his face. He went back to Frenchtown for revenge so he had to keep his identity safe. This theme can also be found in Anne Frank. The Franks, Van Daans, and Mr. Dussel were hiding out at Miep’s house. They had secret lives because no one knows that they are hiding out and no one knows where they are in Miep’s house.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that can go for the books is discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure. In the book Of Mice and Men Lenny was not smart. People judged Lenny because he still had the mind of a child compared to everyone else. He was one that stand out. In the book Anne Frank all the Germans discriminate all the Jews. Adolf Hitler wanted to get rid of all of them because he thought they weren’t good enough and since he was German he loved all the Germans. German soldiers went around everywhere searching for Jews and those Jews were taken to a concentration camp.
Write your response:
ReplyDeleteBeing a Hero, could be described as many different actions and words. You could even look in the mirror and see a hero. The book Heroes was about Francis finding who he really was. Throughout the book Francis has been named A Silver Star Hero, Ping Pong Champion, and he even disguised himself as Raymond B. Seeking his own identity was hard because he wasn’t sure where he placed him self in life. The path that he was interested in was killing himself. Francis whole family basically died around the same time. All he had was his uncle, but was very close to Nicole. He wasn’t very happy about that, and decided to go to war. Francis had a special plan to report into a new life. This was death to him. Maybe he figured that since he’s family has suffered death; it was he’s time too. Having a lot of important people in your life die, gives you a wake up call. It could mean many things to a person, and their life style. For Francis, he wanted to die because he didn’t feel comfortable with many people in the world. The book heroes
NOT FINISHED.
Secrets and secret lives play a very prominent role in the novel, Heroes. In this novel, Francis Cassavant keeps most of his life a secret. He tries to keep his identity a secret from everyone because he’s back in town from war for a reason. He is back to kill an old enemy of his—Larry LaSalle. Larry LaSalle sexually harassed Francis’ one and only love, who was Nicole Renard. Therefore, ever since that incident occurred, Francis became frustrated and angry and decided that he wanted to kill Larry. So, Francis kept his identity a secret so that no one can find out that it was him who killed Larry. He even made up a name for himself when he was talking to Mrs. Belander. He told her a lie. He said that his name was Raymond, when it really wasn’t. Francis really did not want anyone one to find out his real identity. Also, Larry is another person in this novel who kept his life a secret. In the public’s eyes, LaSalle was an inspiration and he was the one who all the little kids in Frenchtown looked up to. He was their role model, but only to Francis and Nicole did Larry reveal who he truly was. He was really a man who did terrible things to females and did bad things in general. Only Nicole and Francis knew that truth. Larry and Francis hid who they truly were and kept it inside.
ReplyDeleteIn the excellent novel, Anne Frank, which took place during the Holocaust, showed the relationship that Anne Frank had with her parents. Anne Frank had a mother and a father who were very caring and loved Anne dearly. Anne was extremely close to her father and told
NOT FINISHED.
In heroes Francis, tries keep his identify a secret. He keeps his identity a secret by hiding what is left of his face under his clothing. He even keeps his identity from the lady who he is leaving with that he knew since he was a young boy. So why did Francis not want anyone to no who he was? I think he was ashamed to show his face in public because one time when Francis was walking on the streets of Frenchtown and his face got revealed, a little child started to cry when his face got revealed.
ReplyDeleteIn Of Mice and Men, George keeps Lennie happy by telling Lennie that they will soon have there own house that Lennie would raise bunnies and George would manage the farm. Lennie tries to be nice to animals and people but he doesn’t know what to do with them when they start to panic he doesn't know what to do and kills them.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, there are tons of inhumanity to man. Lennie was a larger man that had a mental disability. He was larger than a normal man, but he had the mind of a small child. Workers and other people would walk away in fear of this man or turn around. He also wouldn’t get a job because nobody though he was useful. Although, he is a very strong man and also a very kind man. A man named George was the only man to take Lennie in with him. George always did what’s best for him, from helping him get a job, to treating him like a brother. They would always act as brothers and both of them had each others backs. George was the only person that didn’t fear Lennie or didn’t want anything to do with him. Many men saw Lennie and wouldn’t let him have a job because of his disability. I disagree with this greatly because everyone should be treated as an equal. Do you agree or disagree with this inhumane act that most men commit?
ReplyDeleteNot Finished
Anne Frank’s relationship with her parents reminds me of mine with my parents in many ways. She tends to fight with them at times and be embarrassed of them, but also calls for comfort when it is most needed. My mom can be really good at embarrassing me and yelling at me, but also helps me out when I need it. For example, when studying for a test or quiz, we get along well and she helps me out to the fullest. When my mom and I fight, it can get ugly but sometimes the way we solve it is just by talking it out or going out to dinner or something. Anne and her mother don’t get along as well as her and her father. When I go to my dad’s house, we usually get along really well and relate to each other a lot. It scares me how many things we have in common sometimes like our feelings or what we like. Although Anne usually goes to her dad to talk about things, which is where I choose to go to my mom. I just feel like talking about it with my dad isn’t the same and wouldn’t be as comfortable no matter what it may be. Everyone has issues at times and need to go to someone for help, no matter who it may be.
ReplyDeleteThe coming of age for Anne Frank must have been extremely hard since she spent most of her teenage life in the Secret Annex, where they hid from the Germans, and the Concentration camps. When thinking about this, I feel so lucky to be living where I am with no Nazis around trying to hunt me down, even though I am not Jewish.
NOT FINISHED
Throughout history, prejudice came in many different forms. In Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men, bigotry and discrimination are prevalent themes. For example, in Heroes, although Francis had lost his face in a “heroic” war sacrifice, people on the street were frightened by his injury. While other veterans respected him, others tried to avoid him or try not to have eye contact. This may be considered prejudice, as instead being looked at as a human being, he was seen as some kind of spectacle or freak.
ReplyDeleteOf Mice and Men showed a different form of discrimination. Lennie, a fully-grown man with the mental capacity of a child, didn’t have many chances at all. If not for his caretaker George’s secrecy, Lennie would most likely be sent to a mental institution instead of living a regular life. Also, Crooks, a black man, was disrespected and left alone because of his race. He lived a lonely, desolate life, just wanting to be able to talk to someone. Unfortunately, these characters continue to be victims of discrimination until the end of the book.
Lastly, in Anne Frank, a more extreme example of prejudice can be seen. Taking place in Nazi Germany, Anne and her family were to be killed for something they could not control—just simply being Jewish. The Franks and many other Jews had to hide or be sent to a concentration camp, which meant almost certain death. Their attempts were shown as futile, as they were found by Nazis, but Anne’s father survived. Today, her diary educates people today about what horrible things racial hatred can do to society.
Also, another theme that relates to the three books is resilience of the human spirit. Francis had lived an unfortunate life—everything he had ever loved was taken away or ruined. His spirit had been broken countless times, and he had even wanted to end it all. But after meeting his long lost love Nicole again, he had hope. He knew he could rebuild his life. Francis’s spirit was rejuvenated. And in Anne Frank, Anne may have known there wasn’t much hope for survival while hiding in the Annex Room. She knew other Jewish people were being taken away. But she remained optimistic. These books show how resilient the human spirit could be.
Answer: 1.In the book Heroes there were many secrets and secret lives. For example when Francis came back to Frenchtown, he made up the fake identity of Raymond B. and few people in the town knew who he really was. Also Nicole hid the truth about being assaulted by Larry LaSalle. Not only that, but the secret behind why Francis went to war, was because he wanted to die.
ReplyDeleteNOT FINISHED
In Heroes , there are many, many themes, all of them important. One theme is secrets. Francis, the protagonist, constantly lies and hides his true identity. Larry LaSalle, the antagonist, keeps his sins a secret, locked in his head. Another theme in Heroes is the search for identity. Francis doesn’t really know who he is—is he a coward? A hero? A monster? A man? He frequently wonders who he is and what he is meant to do in life. Nicole Renards, after “the incident” with Larry LaSalle, searches for healing and peace, and when Francis comes to see her, she’s changed. Nicole is finding out who she really is, underneath all of the anger and hurt and sadness. Lastly, another theme is coming of age. In Heroes, everyone wants to fight in the war. For Francis, his coming of age is when he goes to war, at least to the people of the time. Everyone cheers for him and for Larry—going to war was a sign of upmost patriotism, bravery, and sacrifice. It meant that you were a man.
ReplyDeleteFrancis went to war because he wanted to die.
When I first looked at the book covers, I was immediately drawn to the first one. The first one I would have to say is my favorite just because of the fact that it pulled me in. The colors and illustrations are more updated and reveal more about the book which is nice. The lime green color popping in the background helped me notice it more, rather then the dreary images of the second one. The other cover below is nice too, but if I saw it in the store I would think that it looked old and not as exciting. When I walk into a book store my eye is drawn to the brightest and most fun covers. Even if I see a book with a good title that I think would appeal to the books I like to read, but it has a bad cover, I will admittedly not pick it up and by it. The cover I picked also shows me a ton of hints about what the book may be like. There is a little girl, by a house that isn’t too large, and bugs flutter around the entire cover. By seeing the house you can tell that the family that lives there isn’t too wealthy, and maybe they have a love of bees and insects? Or they have a farm? I doubt the illustrator would put insects on the book cover if there wasn’t a good reason.
ReplyDeleteHow death gives a way to life- death as been an important role in the popular novel/diary Anne Frank. Anne was a young girl who was in hiding because of Holocaust. Her and her family had to go into hiding. They hid in a secret Annex and lived there for two years. Every day Anne wrote in her diary about what went on that day and what she predicted for the future. She wanted to be known as somebody who made a difference and it wasn’t until death until that had happened. Years Anne Frank died of Typhus, she began famous and he diary was published for all to read. Anne Frank proved how death gives a way of new life.
ReplyDeleteRelationships with parents- Francis from the novels Heroes had no true family. His mother father and brother all died when Francis was a young boy. He went to war and had nothing to come back to. Nobody could hold him and tell them they loved him and that they were proud of him, and even if somebody did, it wouldn’t have been the same as coming from his own parents. Francis had an extremely hard life, and having no parents was a trigger for many other things that went on the novel. I don’t see how Francis could possibly have a relationship with anybody else, if he wasn’t even permitted to have one with his own parents.
The theme secret and secret lives relates a lot to heroes. Francis is living a secret life after his incident. He is keeping his life a secret because of his mission of killing LaSalle. Francis describes a secret life. Relationships with parents are described nicely in Anne Frank. Anne has a great relationship with her dad he listens to him and asks him for advice. She doesn’t like her mom that much even though she is very supported. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents they still show you that way.
ReplyDeleteSecrets and secret lives I believe apply the most to all the books that we read. In Heroes, Larry la Salle lives a type of secret life. He pretends to be this wonderful person and grows to be almost a parental figure for all the children that look up to him, but then he shatters that all when he lets his other life comes through. His other life is this mean cruel person whose only want was to bring harm to Nicole and Francis not help him like the fatherly man he was thought up to be. This would also apply to mans inhumanity to man, because Larry should know that doing something as despicable as he did to Nicole is inhumane. Also what applies even more to being inhumane is the death of Lenny in Of Mice and Men.
ReplyDeleteNOT FINISHED
ReplyDeleteThe theme of secrets and secret lives is shown in both Anne Frank and Heroes. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family and friends have to go into hiding to prevent from being captured by the Nazis. They were Jewish, and were going against the law by hiding. Anne had to live a secret life where nobody knew where she was. Neighbors believed she moved to Switzerland when she was really at her fathers’ old office building. This theme was also expressed in Heroes. Nobody knew who Francis really was. After his face was blown off, nobody recognized him, and he could make a new life with anyone he meant. He could essentially be anybody he wanted to. He was living a secret life.
The theme of how death gives way to life is shown in Heroes and Of Mice and Men. In Heroes, Francis wanted to take away his life because he was so guilty and alone. If he had succeeded, he would have
In the novel Heros there is always the search for identity. Francis is the one character you notice the most about this topic. After the war Francis came back to his home town in Boston with no face and a ‘new’ identity. At first no one notices Francis. Many people were disturbed about his destroyed face and his weird set up of cloths. Francis throughout the book went around town slowly gaining his popularity. When he starts hanging out with Nicole he feels happy for once in his life. Yet that doesn’t help him find who he once was. When the bad thing happens to Nicole he found one trait about his real self. He is afraid.
ReplyDeleteNOT FINISHED.
One theme that is described in Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men is discrimination. This is one of the themes because in Heroes, Francis is discriminated because his face is practically destroyed and no one sees him as a normal looking person so they treat him differently. In Anne Frank the Jews are discriminated because of their religion and have to go into hiding. In Of Mice and Men, Lenny is discriminated because of how big he is and because he is stupid. He doesn’t even realize people avoid him because of his stupidity. Another theme is search for identity. In Heroes the whole story is Francis searching for his identity because he doesn’t know who is he is anymore because of what he saw the night with Nicole and Larry. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family try to change who they really are and change their identity. In Of Mice and Men George has to try and find out who he really is without Lenny following him all the time. If Lenny wasn’t there George could figure out who he really is. All of these books have people looking for who they really are.
ReplyDeleteBlogger8 theme 3-3-10
ReplyDeleteI choose the coming of age and the search for identity. The coming of age is showed in heroes. It is showed when Francis gets older and realizes he doesn’t have to kill Larry to get revenge because he could have known that Larry would kill himself. In Anne frank the coming of age is shown by Anne getting older and becoming more mature and not the crazy immature self she was. In mice of men the coming of age would be shown by Lennie getting older but still the same age inside. The search for identity is shown in heroes by Francis trying to find him and what he should do with his life. In Anne frank the search for identity is when Anne gets bored in the annex she starts to find out who she really is. In mice and men Lennie has to search for his identity because he thinks no one likes him because he’s mentally retarded.
My response
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination has relation to of mice and men, Heroes, and Anne Frank. The have relation because Lennie is discriminated because he is a little slow compared to every one else. And back is the great depression the people were very judgmental back then. Also in Anne Frank had the hide and if she was found she would have been brought to a death camp. She would have been held there until she was killed or until the end of the war and the chances were that she was going to die. This also has relation to heroes. People also didn’t see Francis as who he is. If he can feel comfortable in is own skin then he can’t expect other people to except him for who he is.
Also search for identity has relation to of mice and me and Heroes. Lennie and George are trying to find their place in the world. They have a plan to raise as much money as they can to buy a house to live. And to find out whom they really are. And in heroes Francis is trying to discover if he is really is a hero or if he really is not a hero. I think that at the end Francis starts to understand his whole life. That is how searching for ones identity has relation to Of Mice and Men and Heroes.
In all the novels we’ve read so far, certain themes remain constant through out the year. One theme that is prominent is man’s inhumanity to man. In Anne Frank, Anne spends years suffering from the inhuman actions of Adolph Hitler and Nazis. After spending most of her time in hiding, Anne is sent to a concentration camp and dies of disease. Some of the many inhuman acts were discrimination, murder, and sending Jews off to Concentration Camps to die. All the troubles during World War II, including Anne’s, revolve around the inhumanity of other people. Meanwhile in Heroes, Francis is struggling with his identity, plans to kill Larry LaSalle, and tries twice to end his life because of this theme. The whole plot line revolves around Larry LaSalle’s inhumanity towards Nicole, when he hurt her. This one event caused a series of events in which Heroes is all about. In Of Mice and Men, people’s cruelty to other people was there in how Curly picked on Lennie and so on, but didn’t play a major role.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme is how death gives way to life. In Heroes, Larry LaSalle suicide helps Francis let go of his guilt from that night in the Wreck Center, in which Nicole was hurt. Francis’s guilt drove him to drastic measures such as attempting to take his own life twice, and didn’t allow him to move on. Larry’s death subsided Francis’s guilt allowing him to move on and live his life. On the other hand, in Of Mice and Men, Lennie’s death put him out of his misery and George was forced to move on. George spent most of his time looking out after Lennie and after Lennie’s death, George was free. Also, the death of Curley’s wife gave way to how Lennie died and everyone else was forced to move on. Ironically, in Anne Frank, Anne’s death gave way to her life through her diary. In essence, even though Anne died, she lived on in her diary. In the end, death and life are so close together and death can give life a way to go.
The theme of “Secret and secret lives” has been found in the book Heroes various times. When Francis got back from the war he lived a very secretive and lonely life. His face was all torn up, he had no family, and the one person that he loved was gone. Francis had also attempted to commit suicide numerous times, but never worked. One of the ways that he had tried was jumping in front of a grenade in the war which caused him 2 ways. This decision had caused him in two ways, because of this choice, parts of his face are torn off, and he had earned a silver star. (Which he believes he does not deserve.) Another way that the theme “Secret and secret lives” ties in the book Heroes is when Larry “secretly” rapes Nicole which caused her to move back to Albany.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of “relationships with parents” has a bog part in the book Anne Frank because this book is based on the time of World War ll which means what many Jewish people went into hiding and many family’s split up. Some children may have been killed or some parents may have even been killed. Anne Frank was lucky in the first few years of hiding because she got to stay with her family/parents. Anne was much closer with her father than her mother. Mostly every time Anne would get in trouble, her father would be there for her, right by her side. I personally don’t think that that is that fair because I believe that a girl/child should have some rules and get into trouble, because you may get caught and get killed.
The theme secrets and secret lives is a huge theme in Anne Frank, Heroes, and of Mice and Men. Someone always had something to hide. For example, in the novel, Of Mice and Men, they had to keep their past in Weed a secret. George also has to keep the fact that Lennie is mental because he is afraid it will cost him the job. Also, if anyone found out about Lennie’s incident with the woman in the red dress, they would be forced to leave, or worse-turned in to the police. In the novel, Heroes, Francis is keeping his identity a secret. When he comes back from the war, he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is since he was on a mission. Nicole, the love of Francis’s life, had a secret of her own. She never told anyone about her night alone with Larry. Larry LaSalle also kept his sick troubles in New York a secret and portrayed himself as a good person to the kids of the Wreck Center. In the novel, Anne Frank, Anne and her family had to go into hiding. They hid in a secret room called the Secret Annex. Her family made sure to keep their whereabouts a secret so he tried to throw the Nazis off by saying they were going to Zurich, Switzerland. If their secret was to get out, they would face life in a concentration camp in which they would most likely perish.
ReplyDeleteAnother common theme in Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men was man’s inhumanity to man. I believe that means how people expressed hate and were cruel to others in some form. In Heroes, there had been a war going on. Francis killing those young men shows the hate and cruelty that took place. Also, Francis had his hatred toward Larry LaSalle and made it his goal to kill him at all costs. In Anne Frank, Adolf Hitler created his army to terminate all Jews. His hatred toward a certain race was expressed in this novel. Crooks, Lennie, and Curly’s wife are an example of this theme in the novel Of Mice and Men. Crooks was mocked for his skin color and his appearance due to his crooked back. Lennie was mocked for not being the smartest guy in the world as well as for his size. Curly’s wife was mocked for being a w3oman and because she went near the men on the ranch.
Themes such as prejudice and how death gives way to life are presented in the book “Of mice and men”. As Lenny (having a mental disability) suffered neglect from his peers and fellow workers because he was a bit different as he was larger than average yet had the mind of a child. Only people who knew Lennie (such as George who had traveled
ReplyDeletearound with him since they were younger) well knew his true potential and how Lennie really wasn’t such a bad man. The theme how death gives way to life is shown by how George killed Lennie for his own well-being and knew first hand that that time Lennie wasn’t going to get away from his crime. In the end Lennie and George were both able to lead better, new lives.
All of the above themes relate to the stories we have read so far this year in class. How death gives way to life is translated most into The Diary of Anne Frank. I think this because when Anne and her family died, it was a tragic ending to the book. However, her death gave us her diary. From her diary we can find out a lot about what it was like living during the Holocaust and it gave everyone in class a totally new perspective on how the many people suffering during that time felt like. Another theme that really has to do with the novella Heroes is man’s inhumanity to man. When Larry raped Nicole, it totally twisted the story and how we perceived Nicole and Francis’s relationship. It showed us that Francis was actually more devoted to Larry than Nicole (who he claimed was the love of his life). He looked up to Larry and trusted him 100%, because Larry was what Francis was truly looking for- a father figure and role model. The rape totally changed Nicole’s role in the story and ruined not only most of her life and dreams but her pride. It also showed us that Larry really wasn’t Mr. Nice Guy and proved the authority he had over everyone. These themes helped the readers to further connect with the novels and understand them.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of a search for identity is shown through out the book Heroes. The main character Francis needs to find his identity. He does not know whether he is a hero or not. He tries to figure that out in the book. When he tries to find a purpose he replaces that with revenge. He wants to kill his former role model for ruining his life. Francis did not live by forgive and forget until the end of the book. In the end he figures out that his identity is not the most important thing in life. The hero looks forward and then finds what he can actually do with his life.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination is a theme that is shown in The Diary of Anne Frank while she is hiding from the Nazi’s. Aldof Hitler was very prejudice against Jews and he believed he needed to kill them all. That was a horrible time in history called the holocaust. Anne Frank hid from these people for she was Jewish. She was caught and put into a concentration camp due to this discrimination. This theme basically is the reason for the majority of the hate in the world. It was best shown in this book because it showed the true hardships of being discriminated.
One of the themes that would relate to Anne Frank and several other novels is having secrets and secret lives. During World War II, Anne Frank, her family, the Van Daans, and Mr. Dussel had to hide in the Secret Annex in order to not get captured by the Green Police or Gestapo. Anne and company had to live in secret with no one outside of the building knowing where they were. Their very existence was secret to others. Another novel that could relate to this theme is Heroes. Larry LaSalle had a secret, which was how he loved to sexually assault young girls. After the war, Francis lived a secret life with no one knowing who he was, keeping his identity anonymous. He had a secret about the reason he went to war, which was because he wanted to die. He also kept his mission to kill Larry secret. Nicole had to live with Larry’s secret as well and not tell anyone the truth. There were secrets in Of Mice and Men too. George and Lennie didn’t tell anyone at the Tyler Ranch about Lennie raping a woman at the previous ranch. They also kept their dream about owning an estate secret and unknown to others. Everyone has a secret or two, even fictional ones.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and social class structure intertwines with the novels. In Of Mice and Men, Crooks, the stable buck, is discriminated because he’s African American, and Lennie is prejudiced for his mentality. In Anne Frank, Jews were discriminated, captured, and killed all over Europe. Anne was not exactly prejudiced but rather not taken seriously by her companions because of her childish and rude behavior.
In the novel Heros there is always the search for identity. Francis is the one character you notice the most about this topic. After the war Francis came back to his home town in Boston with no face and a ‘new’ identity. At first no one notices Francis. Many people were disturbed about his destroyed face and his weird set up of cloths. Francis throughout the book went around town slowly gaining his popularity. When he starts hanging out with Nicole he feels happy for once in his life. Yet that doesn’t help him find who he once was. When the bad thing happens to Nicole he found one trait about his real self. He is afraid. Francis has no choice but to forget about the pass and try to start a new life. That is the reason why he joined the army, either to start a new life or finish an old one.
ReplyDeleteSecrets and secret lives and how death gives way for life are the two biggest themes in the novels Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men. In the novel Heroes, the main character, Francis lives a secret life because nobody knows who he is. He lies to the tenement lady, Mrs. Belander. Francis tells her that his name is the name of his deceased brother and that he is from Canada. Since he tells her that he is from Canada she has no idea that he has just returned from the war and he actually lived in Frenchtown before. He continues this pattern for all of the people that try to talk to him but not a lot of people talk to him because he stays away from other people and other people are a little unsure whether to approach Francis due to the fact that he hides his face under bandages, scarves and a Red Sox baseball cap. The only person who knows his true identity is Arthur. He keeps his identity a secret because he is on a mission to kill Larry LaSalle and he doesn’t want anybody to recognize him. In Anne Frank the members of the Secret Annex are all living in secret. Nobody except Miep Gies and Mr. Krawler know of Anne Frank’s family whereabouts. Anne Frank is hiding from the German Nazi’s because they are out to destroy all of the Jews and Anne Frank’s is Jewish. If the Nazi’s find them then they will be taken to concentration camps and then probably die. Their whole existence is a secret. In Of Mice and Men when Lennie kills Curley’s wife George at first tries to keep it a secret. He then realizes that he needs to put Lennie out of his misery because eventually he will get caught so George honorably kills Lennie.
ReplyDeleteHow death gives way to life is a major theme in Heroes and Of Mice and Men. In Heroes after Francis confronts Larry, Larry kills himself and Francis’s whole mindset about life changes. He then thinks positive instead of pessimistic and suicidal. Basically once Larry dies Francis is born once again and Francis tells himself that he should try to be a writer and get his face fixed up. In Of Mice and Men once George kills Lennie he then releases a large burden that he has been carrying on his back for a long time. Lennie always gets the two of them in trouble for doing childish things that grown men like them do not do. He rips a girls skirt and the people think that he raped her. Lennie also kills Curleys’s wife and numerous mice. Theses are all accidental but they are still crimes. When Larry does these things they both get in trouble because they are so attached. So, when George kill Lennie he puts Lennie out of his misery and opens a path for himself so he can live a normal peaceful life.
Throughout all the stories we have read so far, two themes that keep reoccurring are secrets and discrimination. In Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men, there were lots and lots of secrets. In Heroes, Francis keeps his identity a secret. He does this because he is ashamed to show his face, even to his friends. I’m sure that his friends would understand and still respect him, but Francis had low self-esteem and refused to give up his identity. Another reason that Francis wouldn’t give away his identity was because that he had come to Frenchtown to kill his childhood hero, Larry LeSalle. This was another secret because Francis obviously didn’t want anyone to know about it. Another secret that Francis kept was that Larry had sexually harassed the loves of his life, Nicole. All these secrets were found in just one book. In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne and her family had one HUGE secret. They were hiding from the Nazis during World War II. They had said that they escaped to Zurich, while they were secretly still in Amsterdam. There were secrets even in Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie kept their past in Weed a secret because they desperately needed jobs, and they couldn’t risk being caught by the police. All three novels had some sort of secret in them.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that showed up in all the stories was discrimination. In Heroes, Francis was sometimes discriminated against for being a war veteran and for having no face. However, this problem did not arise too much because Francis never gave up his identity. Whatever discrimination Francis went through was nothing compared to what Anne endured. In The Diary of Anne Frank, Jews were being killed just because of their ethnicity. This is why the Franks, Van Daans, and Mr. Dussel had to go into hiding. Discrimination also came up in Of Mice and Men. Lennie Small had some mental problems, and because of that, people treated his differently. All of these forms of prejudice are unacceptable and mean, but unfortunately, they were in all the books, just like secrets were.
In Heroes two themes really were common to me. These two themes are man’s inhumanity to man, and prejudice. Man’s inhumanity to man shows up many times in this book and it always took different forms and was use by different people. The first example was when Francis shot down the two German soldiers. He was just too quick for them, and they didn’t even have a chance to fire. What was inhumane about this was the way they died. One of their heads blew up and the other was cut in half. This was also inhumane because these soldiers were just children and probably forged their ages to become soldiers. Another act of inhumanity one character committed against another. was what Larry LaSalle did to Nicole. Not to get into to detail, he “attacked” her while they were “alone” in the Wreck Center. This was an act of inhumanity as it definitely ruined her life.
ReplyDeletePrejudice was mostly against Francis in the book Heroes. One instance was when some people saw his face they thought he was a “monster”. While not at all fair or true, I would probably be guilty of the same thoughts. This is not fair because it is not his choice that he looks like this. Another prejudice against Francis was him being a hero. While it wouldn’t be bad to be felt of as a hero, Francis doesn’t think he deserves it. He thinks that even though he saved a bunch of people, the actions of his past and future do not define him as a hero.
Two distinct themes that are significant in Of Mice and Men and Anne Frank are discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure and relationship with parents. Discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure is substantial in both Of Mice and Men and Anne Frank. The occurrence of discrimination and things in that category are how Crooks in Of Mice of Men has to cope with constant racist comments since he is of different color. Crooks was ultimately isolated in a single room without any rights. The fact that Crooks was discriminated by the ranch workers furthermore formulates the theme of discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure as dominant in the novel. In Anne Frank the act of discrimination or racism occurred when Adolf Hitler came to power. This brought on tension when he concluded with his “Final Solution.” Adolf wanted a mass killing or genocide of Jews all over Europe. The theme of discrimination is very repetitive in both novels.
ReplyDeleteThe second substantial theme that occurs in Anne Frank is relationships with parents. Anne Frank was highly dependent on Anne Frank’s father, Mr. Frank, who is the only person who cared for Anne. The fact that Anne hadn’t developed a strong relationship with her mom merely marred her relationship with her mom in general. Anne had to establish a relationship with a majority of the people living in the Secret Annex such as the Van Daans’ The theme of relationship with parents is enveloped in Anne Frank.
One theme that i have found very out there is the search for identity. This forms best with "Heros" because Francis' life ever since losing his parents was a search for an identity. He was always known as "Leftys son" , but that did not define HIM. From that day, it all started. When he became a late teen, he joined the army which really hit hard on his identity. Because of his sacrifice or attempt at suicide, he changed his facial identity, and who he is internally, and externally.
ReplyDeleteNow, secrets and secret lives. Francis held a secret of what happened to Nicole, and also witnessed it. Causing him to have a bit of a secret life. He thought what Larry did was wrong, who wouldn't? So he decided to change who he was, and kill Larry LaSalle. Sort of in a sad way he didn't get his revenge, but still killing is wrong, but i think its better that Larry killed himself, then Francis being a murderer. But neither should have had a gun in a first place.
DONE :)
The two themes that I have chosen from the bulleted list of themes, I chose 'secrets and secret lives' in addition to 'discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure'.
ReplyDeleteSecret lives play huge rolls in the three books we've previously read. Heroes, Francis insisted on keeping his identity secretive until his looks became more human. He was very sensitive about how he looked, apparently, and didn't even tell his previous landlord who he was. He could pull it off because of how beat-up he got in the war he entered, to kill himself.
In Anne Frank, her family (and company) had to live in the attic of her father's work place. They had to live a secret life, a life unknown to the Nazis. They all had to keep quiet, not leave, and not live in humanly conditions. They were locked in one attic for about two years; I know I would freak out if I had to stay in my house for even a week, and don't forget about the living quarters. They had to not get on each other's nerves, by keeping quiet, and keep themselves as if they were not even there. Their stars may have been torn off, but they had to make it believed that it was never there.
Of Mice and Men was a story all about starting a-new. You know, Lennie was the one who always messed up. Before they left, he refused to let go of an attractive woman's dress. He had a great obsession to be frazzled when people yelled, and when it came to her yelling, he did nothing but grab on tighter. Lennie and George ended up leaving their old, hard to forget life, and devised a new life, doing work, what Lennie does best.
Everyone is discriminated in two of these books. For example, in Anne Frank, the Nazis were discriminating against the Jewish people. The whole journal was written around the Nazis, putting Jews all around Germany, turning them to concentration camps, to death, to fear. Anne had to deal with Adolf Hitler and his minions by hiding from the Gestapo, hiding from the death that follows.
In Of Mice and Men, Lennie was discriminated; let us just say his brain wasn't in the right place at all times. People manipulated him through games Lennie just couldn't bear understanding to play. That's most of the reason George stayed with Lennie, to keep him out of harm's way, because, you know, Lennie would just rip their heart out, if need be. It was also a reason why he killed Lennie, to keep him out of harm's way, indefinitely.
Answer: 1.In the book Heroes there were many secrets and secret lives. For example when Francis came back to Frenchtown, he made up the fake identity of Raymond B. and few people in the town knew who he really was. With this secret he not only hid from people because of his face, he hid from himself. Also Nicole hid the truth about being assaulted by Larry LaSalle. If Nicole told someone about it she would feel better and get Larry in jail. Not only that, but the secret behind why Francis went to war, was because he wanted to die. This is a secret that if revealed to other people (in the book) they would be shocked, since everyone in town (who recognize Francis) sees him as a hero (he was awarded a Silver Star in the war for heroism by falling on a grenade). Also I’m sure Larry LaSalle has a whole secret life because it was surprising what he did to Nicole. Basically the book Heroes is filled with secrets and secret lives which is not a good thing. Secrets will lead to lies, which utterly lead to distrust where in the end just makes a very bad situation. If some secrets are shared people will not have to lie and most likely will feel better when they get something off their chest. That is how secrets and secret lives are related to the book Heroes.
ReplyDelete2. There is a huge search for identity in the book Heroes. The main character Francis lost his true identity growing up and now has an uncertain one. When Francis was a boy he was happy, had a job, was going out with the girl of his dreams, and becoming the table tennis champion. Back then Franc’s identity was basically a happy boy, who looked forwarded to having fun with friends and enjoyed reading and writing. But after Larry LaSalle assaulted Nicole, Francis’s girlfriend, his whole identity fell apart and a new one formed. Francis thought that it was his fault because when he had a chance to save Nicole he didn’t do anything. Now Francis’s old identity changed to unhappy, depressed, and never saw the good in anything. Then Francis joined the army because he was so depressed he hoped to be die honorably in the heat of battle. At war he ended up losing most of his face and when he returned to Frenchtown, he had no identity. At home he lied about who he was, hid from everybody, and the only thing he planned to do was to kill Larry LaSalle. So for most of the book Francis looks at his past and his future to try to give himself an identity. Finally when his plan to kill Larry changes dramatically, he talks to Nicole and starts thinking of a way to give himself an identity. That is how the book Heroes is related to a search for an identity.
Answer: 1.In the book Heroes there were many secrets and secret lives. For example when Francis came back to Frenchtown, he made up the fake identity of Raymond B. and few people in the town knew who he really was. With this secret he not only hid from people because of his face, he hid from himself. Also Nicole hid the truth about being assaulted by Larry LaSalle. If Nicole told someone about it she would feel better and get Larry in jail. Not only that, but the secret behind why Francis went to war, was because he wanted to die. This is a secret that if revealed to other people (in the book) they would be shocked, since everyone in town (who recognize Francis) sees him as a hero (he was awarded a Silver Star in the war for heroism by falling on a grenade). Also I’m sure Larry LaSalle has a whole secret life because it was surprising what he did to Nicole. Basically the book Heroes is filled with secrets and secret lives which is not a good thing. Secrets will lead to lies, which utterly lead to distrust where in the end just makes a very bad situation. If some secrets are shared people will not have to lie and most likely will feel better when they get something off their chest. That is how secrets and secret lives are related to the book Heroes.
ReplyDelete2. There is a huge search for identity in the book Heroes. The main character Francis lost his true identity growing up and now has an uncertain one. When Francis was a boy he was happy, had a job, was going out with the girl of his dreams, and becoming the table tennis champion. Back then Franc’s identity was basically a happy boy, who looked forwarded to having fun with friends and enjoyed reading and writing. But after Larry LaSalle assaulted Nicole, Francis’s girlfriend, his whole identity fell apart and a new one formed. Francis thought that it was his fault because when he had a chance to save Nicole he didn’t do anything. Now Francis’s old identity changed to unhappy, depressed, and never saw the good in anything. Then Francis joined the army because he was so depressed he hoped to be die honorably in the heat of battle. At war he ended up losing most of his face and when he returned to Frenchtown, he had no identity. At home he lied about who he was, hid from everybody, and the only thing he planned to do was to kill Larry LaSalle. So for most of the book Francis looks at his past and his future to try to give himself an identity. Finally when his plan to kill Larry changes dramatically, he talks to Nicole and starts thinking of a way to give himself an identity. That is how the book Heroes is related to a search for an identity.
Write your response: Death is a major part of life. When you know someone close who dies, it is very hard to overcome the fact that the person is never going to come back. This happens in the book, Heroes. When Francis’s parents and brother die when Francis was very young, and he felt like he was alone. He had then found Nicole. Even though Francis had a crush on Nicole, he had felt like she was family, just like he looked at Larry LaSalle as a father. When Larry had raped Nicole, Francis had lost all respect for Larry, as Nicole did for Larry AND Francis, and when he died, the whole theme of death came back. This ties into the theme of a search for identity. When Francis came back from the war, he had used a completely different Francis came back from the war, he had used a completely different identity, so Larry wouldn't know Francis was back in town to kill him. Another way identity played a role in this story is when Nicole had first met Francis and at her final meeting with Francis. When Francis had first met Nicole, he thought she was beautiful, but at their final meeting, she wasn't as beautiful as before, and she went to an all-girls school. This was probably because she didn't want anything to do with relationships. As you can see, these two themes have a big part in the story.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, Anne Frank the topic of secrets and secret lives comes up often. The lives of Anne, her family, Peters family, and Mr. Dussle were lived out in secret since they were facing prosecution by the Nazis. Most of the diary was written while they were in the secret annex. Even the name of the place hints to the secrecy of their stay there. The theme also comes up in heroes since Francis spends most of the book with his scarf over his face and giving people false or fake names. Francis keeps himself secret until he can find Larry and kill him and/or until he finds Nicole and can talk to her.
ReplyDeleteIn the book of Mice and Men, death gives way to life in a few ways. The big way was when George kills Lenny. When this happens, it is sad but now it gives George a chance to finally live his life without Lenny hanging over his shoulder. Also earlier in the book when Lennie finds the mouse and kills it, George says that he will give Lenny a puppy if he gets rid of it. This also plays a role in heroes after Larry kills himself Francis can then go on with his life and find Nicole instead of always worring about Larry.
In the three books we have read so far (Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men) there have been many themes incorporated into the books. Two shared themes were secrets/secret lives, and relationships with parents. The theme secrets and secret lives was incorporated in Heroes by Francis hiding his identity, and his purpose for returning to Frenchtown. When Francis returned to Frenchtown his face was barely a face at all due to his war injuries. He decided to keep it that way and not tell anyone who he really was. The reason he returned to Frenchtown was to murder Larry LaSalle because of what he did to Nicole. In Anne Frank, the Franks’ entire lives were a secret. The fact that they were living in Amsterdam right under everyone’s noses was the secret in Anne Frank. No one knew they were hiding in the Secret Annex except for Miep, and Mr. Kraler. In Of Mice and Men the secret was why Lennie and George quit their job in Weed. The truth was they were on the run from the men in that town because Lennie had grabbed a girl’s shirt and she got the wrong idea. Another secret in Of Mice and Men was that Lennie and George weren’t really related. This is a minor secret, but the theme of secrets and secret lives was portrayed in all three books. I predict it will come up in The Secret Life of Bees because it is included in the title.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of relationships with parents is also portrayed in all three books. In Heroes Francis had no parents. He had a good relationship with his parents. He was able to think of them even when he wanted to commit suicide. He didn’t commit suicide for his parents; they must have been a big influence on him. Also Larry was like a parent/best friend to Francis and Nicole. He was always there for them and gave them advice. In Of Mice and Men the relationship with parents was more theoretical than literal. George was like a father to Lennie. He was always looking out for him, caring for him, and taking care of him. Without George, Lennie would not have survived in the real world. He was there to guide him and be a father to him, even though they weren’t blood relatives. Last, but not least, there was the parental relationship in Anne Frank. Anne was always a daddy’s girl. She adored her father and didn’t care for her mother as much. Her relationship with her mother soon improved because she was forced to, after all they weren’t going anywhere soon because they were stuck in the Annex. In Anne Frank, Peter had a poor relationship with his parents. His parents fought and his mother was jealous of his relationship with Anne because Anne and Peter were closer than Peter and his mother. All of these relationships played a huge roll in each of these books. Without parents the lives of each character wouldn’t have been difficult, but then they wouldn’t have had as smooth of a ride in life as well.
The theme of secrets and secret lives is shown in both Anne Frank and Heroes. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family and friends have to go into hiding to prevent from being captured by the Nazis. They were Jewish, and were going against the law by hiding. Anne had to live a secret life where nobody knew where she was. Neighbors believed she moved to Switzerland when she was really at her fathers’ old office building. This theme was also expressed in Heroes. Nobody knew who Francis really was. After his face was blown off, nobody recognized him, and he could make a new life with anyone he meant. He could essentially be anybody he wanted to. He was living a secret life.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of how death gives way to life is shown in Heroes and Of Mice and Men. In Heroes, Francis wanted to take away his life because he was so guilty and alone. If he had succeeded, he would have never been able to see Nicole again, stand up to Larry, or be able to move on and recognize himself as a hero. In Of Mice and Men, George had to essentially ruin his and his friend’s life for his friend’s safety. George had to kill Lenny for his benefit. If he didn’t kill him painlessly, the ranch workers would have killed him painfully. This will be forever on George’s conscience.
Answer: 1.In the book Heroes there were many secrets and secret lives. For example when Francis came back to Frenchtown, he made up the fake identity of Raymond B. and few people in the town knew who he really was. With this secret he not only hid from people because of his face, he hid from himself. Also Nicole hid the truth about being assaulted by Larry LaSalle. If Nicole told someone about it she would feel better and get Larry in jail. Not only that, but the secret behind why Francis went to war, was because he wanted to die. This is a secret that if revealed to other people (in the book) they would be shocked, since everyone in town (who recognize Francis) sees him as a hero (he was awarded a Silver Star in the war for heroism by falling on a grenade). Also I’m sure Larry LaSalle has a whole secret life because it was surprising what he did to Nicole. Basically the book Heroes is filled with secrets and secret lives which is not a good thing. Secrets will lead to lies, which utterly lead to distrust where in the end just makes a very bad situation. If some secrets are shared people will not have to lie and most likely will feel better when they get something off their chest. That is how secrets and secret lives are related to the book Heroes.
ReplyDelete2. There is a huge search for identity in the book Heroes. The main character Francis lost his true identity growing up and now has an uncertain one. When Francis was a boy he was happy, had a job, was going out with the girl of his dreams, and becoming the table tennis champion. Back then Franc’s identity was basically a happy boy, who looked forwarded to having fun with friends and enjoyed reading and writing. But after Larry LaSalle assaulted Nicole, Francis’s girlfriend, his whole identity fell apart and a new one formed. Francis thought that it was his fault because when he had a chance to save Nicole he didn’t do anything. Now Francis’s old identity changed to unhappy, depressed, and never saw the good in anything. Then Francis joined the army because he was so depressed he hoped to be die honorably in the heat of battle. At war he ended up losing most of his face and when he returned to Frenchtown, he had no identity. At home he lied about who he was, hid from everybody, and the only thing he planned to do was to kill Larry LaSalle. So for most of the book Francis looks at his past and his future to try to give himself an identity. Finally when his plan to kill Larry changes dramatically, he talks to Nicole and starts thinking of a way to give himself an identity. That is how the book Heroes is related to a search for an identity.
Even though the stories we’ve read take place in so many different settings and time periods, they all have recurring themes in them. These are the themes that connect an environment as taciturn as the Secret Annex in the midst of World War II to the antiquated farm where George and Lennie attempted to accomplish their dream. In sixth grade our novels had the theme of searching for acceptance, in seventh grade it was a search for identity, and finally in eight grade the themes in our novels are discrimination and how death gives way to life.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, in the majority of novels that we have read, the theme of discrimination rears its ugly head. Even in our present times, people still have stereotypes and first-impressions, there’s no denying it. In Of Mice and Men discrimination can be found throughout the novel, which is why it’s on the list of most banned books from schools. There is sexual discrimination against Curley’s wife by simply not giving her a name or identity in the entire novel. Also, there is discrimination based on size. Curley instantaneously picks Lennie out of all the men in on the ranch because of his quietness and unwieldy height. In Anne Frank one cold-hearted man branded hundreds of thousands of Jews and kept them in horrid camps. That despicable man is Hitler. His passionate discrimination for the Jews caused the Franks and Van Dans/Pels to go into hiding in the first place. If not for his stereotype, they would’ve been able to live normal lives. Lastly, in Heroes Francis actually has a positive stereotype set on him. Due to the fact that he is a veteran, people treat him with reverence and respect, such as Mrs. Belander.
Also, another recurring theme in our novels is that death paves the way for life. For example, in Of Mice and Men George was living a life of running from town to town, being a drifter. But when he decided to mercifully shoot his best friend, Lennie, he now has the ability to live his life to the fullest. This theme is shown again in Heroes when Larry LaSalle takes his own life, it leads to a few positive events in Francis’ life. In the beginning of the novel Francis tells us about how his duffel back with the gun in it made him feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, in the end of the novel, before Francis gets back on the train, he tells the readers about how his duffel bag slides comfortably onto his shoulders, because he knows that Larry can no longer cause harm to anyone else, so Francis can forget about ending that life, and focus on starting his. These are the themes that guide the novels that we read and relate them together.
Secret Life: In the book Heroes, Francis had a secret life which meant he had another identity. He was the old Francis who everyone knew because he grew up in French town, where everyone knew each other. But once he came out of the war no one knew who he was because he face was blown off because of the grenade.
ReplyDeleteComing of Age: In the book Diary of Anne Frank, Anne grew more mature as she got older and as she grew with older people. But if she stayed in hiding for a bit longer than she would be even more mature. Maybe Peter helped her with her “ageing” process.
~Secretflower1~
I think I like the bottom cover better than the top cover. It is a very nice painting and is much more mature and sophisticated. It has the jar by the window with the bee floating around it. It says “the secret life of bees” and it makes you wonder what’s going on and what could the bee be doing and what’s so secret about it. I also find it interesting that the Black Madonna of Czestochowa is on the honey jar and I would like to know what that is all about. The top cover is very complicated and there’s a lot of stuff going on and the pictures but I think the second cover, which is much simpler, gives more information about the story. The picture is great and in the blue it says that it is a wonderful novel about mothers and daughters. So that gives a sort of preview of what it will be about. The way the title is written and the yellow thing it’s in also look interesting. I think this will be a good story and I am looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteSecrets and secret lives an discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure. Secrets played a big role in the novels we have read so far. The Anne Frank novel was all about secrets and hiding from the Nazis. The Franks whole lives were a secret for a few years. They were not even allowed to leave the building. In Heroes, Francis kept himself a secret after the war. He did not tell anybody who he was or what he was doing back in Frenchtown. George had too keep the secret of what happened to Lennie.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination and bigotry are also a big theme in the books. The only reason the Franks were in hiding was because of racism. The Jewish people were thought of as lesser than everyone else and were not treated right. Lennie was also discriminated because of his mental disability. He was picked on and bullied because of that. These are the most important themes in the stories and how they relate to them.
Secrets and secret lives play a very prominent role in the novel, Heroes. In this novel, Francis Cassavant keeps his identity a secret. He tries to keep his identity a secret from everyone because he’s back in town from war for a reason. He is back to kill an old enemy of his—Larry LaSalle. Larry LaSalle sexually harassed Francis’ one and only love, Nicole Renard. Ever since that incident occurred, Francis became frustrated and angry and decided that he wanted to kill Larry. Therefore, Francis kept his identity a secret so that no one can find out that it was him who killed Larry. Also, Francis kept his mission a secret too. He was on a mission and his mission was to kill LaSalle. In addition, Larry, Nicole, and Francis kept what happened to Nicole a huge secret, too. They didn’t let a single person know what a horrible and tragic thing Larry had done to Nicole Renard that night. It remained a mystery even after they all split and went their own ways. Also, Larry is another character in this novel who kept his life a secret. In the public’s eyes, LaSalle was an inspiration and he was the one who all the little kids in Frenchtown looked up to. He was their role model, but only to Francis and Nicole did Larry reveal who he truly was. He was really a man who did terrible things to females and did bad things in general. He betrayed everyone, especially Nicole and Francis. Larry had a secret life because he wasn’t someone who did nice things; he was someone who got into significant trouble because he committed horrible crimes. Unfortunately, only Nicole and Francis knew that truth.
ReplyDeleteIn Anne Frank, the relationship that Anne had with her parents was strange. Anne Frank had a mother and a father who were very caring and loved Anne dearly. Although Anne was not too close to her mother, she still loved her. Anne felt that her mother loved and favored her older sister, Margot, more just because she was smarter and quieter than Anne. Thus, Anne was a daddy’s girl and had a much distant relationship with her mother. Anne having a better relationship with her father, Otto Frank, upset Anne’s mother, Edith Frank. As a result, Mrs. Frank began to shower most of her love to Margot. Eventually, Anne and her mother began to grow closer and had just as good of a relationship as Anne and her father. As it was stated before, Anne really loved her dad and had a better relationship with him than she had with her mom. Not only were they just “father and daughter”, but they were best friends. They acted like friends to one another and Anne’s dad even gave her a diary in which she recorded all that was happening outside and in the secret annex, where the Frank’s and the Van Daan’s had hid.
SECOND ENTRY CONTINUED WITH BEGINNING ATTACHED
ReplyDeleteThe coming of age for Anne Frank must have been extremely hard since she spent most of her teenage life in the Secret Annex, where they hid from the Germans, and the Concentration camps. When thinking about this, I feel so lucky to be living where I am with no Nazis around trying to hunt me down, even though I am not Jewish. Growing up in such invasive areas must have been very difficult; I don't know if I'd be able to survive. While her time in the Secret Annex, Anne grew a relationship with Peter Van Pel who also stayed in the Annex. This was extremely awkward for them since there wasn't much area for them to spend time together and no matter where they chose to go, someone would see them heading there and soon everyone knew they were together. This hasn't been able to relate to me especially since I don't live in such a tight area with a whole other family and not being able to take a step outside, nether less, downstairs. When Anne and Peter were parted because of being caught and getting sent to different concentration camps, it must have been hard for them to get through things since they started getting pretty close. I know if I were seperated form one that I had feelings for it wouldn't make me happy and would keep me wondering if he was even still alive. Having such a fustrating and depressing like like Anne must have been extremely hard especially for her age. It's sad to think about how short some peoples' lives are.
The theme of secrets is very big in The Diary of Anne Frank, Heroes, and Of Mice and Men. This is a big theme in the Diary of Anne Frank because the Frank family has to live a chunk of the life using a secret. This secret is where they are hiding. They were in hiding from the Nazis so that they would not be taken to concentration camps and maybe even killed. In Heroes this theme is a big part because Francis keeps his identity secret because he wants to start a fresh and new life. Also, it was all part of his master plan in killing Larry LaSalle. Not only this, but Larry keeps it a secret of all the bad things he did in New York and also about what he did to Nicole so he doesn’t get caught and put in jail. In Of Mice and Men secrets are a big part because of Lennie especially. George keeps it a secret about what Lennie did to the young girl in Weed because he does not want the two of them to get into trouble. Also, Lennie wanted to keep it a secret when he killed the boxer’s wife because he would have most likely been killed by the boxer or someone else working there on the farm. That is how the theme of secrets plays a big part in the three books.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of discrimination also played a big part in the three stories. In the Diary of Anne Frank, discrimination takes place against Anne’s family and all of the other Jews living in Europe during WWII. Since this happened, they had to go into hiding in the Secret Annex, but in the end their plan failed and they were captured by Nazis. In Heroes discrimination took place because of Francis’ face. After he was hit with a grenade during the war, his face was destroyed. Since this happened, people discriminated him and he lived an extremely unhappy life. In Of Mice and Men, discrimination takes place because people discriminated Lennie because he had mental problems and a learning disability. Most places didn’t allow them to work there because of him and it made the life of George and Lennie very hard. Also when they were on the ranch, some of the workers hated and discriminated Lennie so problems were caused which included him breaking the boxer’s arm in a fight. This is how discrimination plays a big role in the three stories.
All the books Anne Frank, Heroes, and Of Mice and Men all involve secrets and secret lives. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family along with additional friends have to hide out in their secret annex above Mr. Frank's job. Since they are Jewish and it's in the time of World War II, no one could of known they were hiding there from the German Nazis. The family would of been taken to concentration camps and death camps where they would of spent the rest of their lives away from each other, alone. They lived in secret, until the day of August 4th, 1944, where the Nazis arrived outside of the office and went directly to where the Franks, Vann Daans and Mr. Dusel were in hiding. Anne had a secret relationship with Peter when everyone else occupying the annex thought it was a love hate relationship and foolish of both of them.
ReplyDeleteIn Heroes, Francis, because of his face being so disoriented he lived in secret of his true identity. There were rags and scarf's coving everything hut his eyes. He also wore a baseball cap so he could walk around in shadow being unseen and unidentified. Only one person new who Francis really was, as the hero Arthur thought Francis to be. Francis also was on a very secret mission he desired to complete during his time in Frenchtown. He wished to kill Larry LaSalle, the rapist of Nicole, Francis's first and only love. Nicole knew what Larry was doing to her, but know whole else did beside herself and Larry. It was a secret till Francis discovered the truth.
In Of Mice and Men, Lennie was very mysterious to the other workers of the ranch. They didn't know George and Lennie where running from trouble and didn't know the true side of Lennie, and how he was sometime violent and ad the power to kill a woman. Also the boss of the ranch wasn't sure what the deal was with Lennie and George, he only knew they wanted a job.
In Anne Frank, Anne experienced growing up and becoming more of an adult. She was rushed into it because of the circumstances but she was glad she was finally considered an adult, with more adult responsibilities. She was in a serious relationship with Peter, which was unlike at her young age. More importantly during her time at the annex, Anne grew up as a person. She found out who she really was in the annex and she figured out was life really was, and what's worth living. It wasn't the fancy high heel shoes or the makeup it was being with the ones you love and not waiting but living on edge and not in the shadows.
Search for Identity & Discrimination
ReplyDeleteIn of mice and men Lenny has a hard time around the barn. Weather it’s with other people or not understanding. Everyone always gives him a hard time because he’s slow and Lenny doesn’t like what people are saying about him because he has feelings too just like every other person in the world. Just like the time when Lenny first went to the barn and Curly tried to pick a fight with Lenny just because he didn’t answer him the first time.
Lenny also some times has no idea who he is. George tries to help out as much as possible but some times he gets frustrated. But Lenny can’t help it, All he wants to know is who he really is. In some ways he’s just like those little animals that he none intently killed.
All the books Anne Frank, Heroes, and Of Mice and Men all involve secrets and secret lives. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family along with additional friends have to hide out in their secret annex above Mr. Frank's job. Since they are Jewish and it's in the time of World War II, no one could of known they were hiding there from the German Nazis. The family would of been taken to concentration camps and death camps where they would of spent the rest of their lives away from each other, alone. They lived in secret, until the day of August 4th, 1944, where the Nazis arrived outside of the office and went directly to where the Franks, Vann Daans and Mr. Dusel were in hiding. Anne had a secret relationship with Peter when everyone else occupying the annex thought it was a love hate relationship and foolish of both of them.
ReplyDeleteIn Heroes, Francis, because of his face being so disoriented he lived in secret of his true identity. There were rags and scarf's coving everything hut his eyes. He also wore a baseball cap so he could walk around in shadow being unseen and unidentified. Only one person new who Francis really was, as the hero Arthur thought Francis to be. Francis also was on a very secret mission he desired to complete during his time in Frenchtown. He wished to kill Larry LaSalle, the rapist of Nicole, Francis's first and only love. Nicole knew what Larry was doing to her, but know whole else did beside herself and Larry. It was a secret till Francis discovered the truth.
In Of Mice and Men, Lennie was very mysterious to the other workers of the ranch. They didn't know George and Lennie where running from trouble and didn't know the true side of Lennie, and how he was sometime violent and ad the power to kill a woman. Also the boss of the ranch wasn't sure what the deal was with Lennie and George, he only knew they wanted a job.
In Anne Frank, Anne experienced growing up and becoming more of an adult. She was rushed into it because of the circumstances but she was glad she was finally considered an adult, with more adult responsibilities. She was in a serious relationship with Peter, which was unlike at her young age. More importantly during her time at the annex, Anne grew up as a person. She found out who she really was in the annex and she figured out was life really was, and what's worth living. It wasn't the fancy high heel shoes or the makeup it was being with the ones you love and not waiting but living on edge and not in the shadows.
relations with parents:
ReplyDeleteif your relation with your parents is bad your life will be bad.in the novel HEROOES Francis had baely even seen his parents in life. they had died when he was young.this lead to Francis wanting to kill himself and partly the reason was from that. his relation with his parents started it all. he didnt have a normal life. the only thing in the book that showed he had respect for his parents is when he said i didnt want to die of suicide for the reason of his parents. he didnt want people thinking that his parents where failures for the way he was, so he wanted to die with honor.that is why relation with parents is very important.
how death gives a way to life:
This theme relates both to anne frank and heroes. it relates to anne frank by how there are periods of time when death just does really give way to life. during the time of the holocaust this was the way of every jews life.this also relates to heroes because sometimes the way people have to deal with things are just to rough and they make the wrong decision like heroes, but at the end he quickly resolves and makes his life a good life.
As I was reading the list of themes, the first one- secrets and secret lives- automatically caught my attention. I had a direct flashback to Heros, and Larry LaSalle. He kept his life secret throughout the whole story, and never told anybody his feelings towards Nicole. He kept it all to himself, and then the situation happened with him and Nicole, causing his feeling towards Nicole to be revealed to Francis without Larry even knowing. Anne Frank also dealt with a secret life. When the Frank family had to go into hiding, they had to remain secret for two years. They couldn’t let anybody know they were in the Secret Annex; otherwise they would be taken to concentration camps with the rest of the Jews. Anne couldn’t live her childhood life like all other kids because she had to live a secret life.
ReplyDeleteDeath giving way to life relates to Of Mice and Men. After George kills Lenny, it releases a huge load off of his back. Lenny was like a little child that George got stuck taking care of. He could have just left him to savage for himself, but George felt obligated to take care of him. Also, the death of Curley’s wife gave way to life. Curley’s wife hated being watched over by Curley like a slave, and she wanted to get out of his control, but she didn’t have the guts to stand up to him. Being killed in a way gave her freedom away from Curley and his dictatorship. In Heros, the death of Larry LaSalle gives way to life for Francis. Francis wanted for Larry to die before he could move on with the rest of his life, still remembering what happened with Nicole. After Larry killed himself, Francis tried to reconnect with Nicole. After he talked to her and cleared up many questions he had, he was going to go try to get his face fixed and continue on with his life. Death, in these situations, did give way to new life.
Response: In Anne Frank relationships with parents play a huge role in the story. Considering that they are stuck in a small annex with their families. Since they had no one but each other they needed to keep a good relationship with each other. Anne was having trouble keeping a solid relationship with her mom. For some reason Anne didn’t trust her mom and always went to her dad for advice instead. This insulted her mother and she talked to her about it. After they talked Anne was much closer to her mother and she appreciated the fact that she was there for her. Just like her Dad. Growing up without friends she went to her parents a lot more for advice and the relationship was much stronger.
ReplyDeleteIn Of Mice and Men many people showed disrespect and inhumanity to Lennie. Lennie was mentally challenged and got a lot of attention. Lennie always screwed up and didn’t know his own strength. Because of his disability many others that he met mistreated him. The only person that truly showed respect was George. George treated him like a brother. Although he may have yelled at him at times George was the best thing that had ever happened to Lennie everyone else thought that he was just a stupid big guy that was Georges cousin. Lennie got in a lot of fights and got in a lot of trouble because he was being treated inhumanely.
Obviously, the book “The Secret Life of Bee’s” is going to have, any secrets in it just because of the title. The theme of secrecy and the act of keeping something secret is apparent in all of the novels that we have read this year so far. This theme has been found in Hero’s because of Francis keeping his identity a secret. He also keeps the fact that he is going to kill Larry to himself and no one suspects that of him. This is very important throughout the story because of how large of an impact these two things have on it. Francis would have had to keep his identity a secret because after he would kill Larry, someone might recognize him and would realize it was him. Also, you can tell that if he told someone that he was planning on killing the “town hero” then they would alert the police and he would get arrested. The theme of secrecy also comes up in Of Mice and Men. In this novel, the largest and most prominent secret is the plan to get enough money to have a farm of their own, just George and Lennie. They were planning on buying their own piece of land and making a huge profit off it and living there alone. But soon, the plans slipped and other people on the farm heard about it. They thought this was a great idea and asked them to come with them, and how do you say no when they offered all of the money to go towards there lifelong dream? But eventually it never happened. Secrecy was probably the biggest theme in Anne Frank though because they went into hiding for almost 2 years! They constantly had to watch how much noise they made and had to make sure that no one who was below suspected people living there. Their lives were based around this one concept that could kill them all if they weren’t careful. So the secret was kept very well until they were caught. Relationships with parents however is very different. The relationship with parents in Hero’s is inevitably horrible, because Francis is parentless throughout the novel, as well as Nicole whose parents aren’t very understanding of her situation. But this was mostly because she didn’t tell them what had happened that day. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie was the one who had no parents, only his Aunt to take care of him. There also was nothing mentioned about George’s parents and his relationship with them, which was probably bad because it was unmentioned. The parental situation with Anne Frank isn’t very good also, because her parents don’t understand her like they understand Margot. She feels a lot of tension between them because of their differences. Also, Peter feels the same thing because his parents and him have a lot of problems. As you can tell, all of these books share very similar themes.
ReplyDeleteHow could death possibly bring anything but pain and loss? That’s what I thought before eighth grade, before I’ve read Mice and Men. This book opened my eyes to a whole new side of death: how it could bring life as well. How could something so depressing and dark eventually bring happiness and light? Well, if you think back to Lennie’s death then you would know. George, for Lennie’s own good, had to kill his dear friend after he accidently murdered Curly’s wife. Before, it was always George and Lennie. They went everywhere together. Job after job, home after home, they were two peas in a pod. Lennie wasn’t the smartest man though, and he was very strong. That caused problems. The job they had before they went to the ranch ended in disaster. The two men were chased out of town after Lennie wouldn’t let go of a girl. She claimed he raped her. So as you would imagine, this wasn’t the life George would have chosen to lead. They were constantly switching jobs since this took place during the Great Depression. I know this sounds selfish, but with Lennie dead George could enjoy a regular life. He didn’t have to take care of Lennie like he was a child anymore. He could spend his money however and whenever he wanted. George only had to look after himself. He was finally living. That is how death gives way to life.
ReplyDeleteOne book we read this year was extremely touching. It explored one of mankind’s most dangerous flaws, prejudice. Anne Frank followed a Jewish girl who lived during World War II. Her family as well as others were forced into hiding during this time. This was because that was a very dangerous time for Jewish people. It was during the Holocaust when Jews as well as other races were being gathered up and put into concentration camps. Germans blamed the Jews for their loss in World War I. They became the lowest social class in society. Forced to wear gold stars on their clothing to let people know of their religion. Rules were passed against them. Children weren’t permitted to ride their bikes because they were Jewish! In other words, they were the scapegoats because they were different. The book explained how discrimination changed Anne’s life forever. For over the course of about two years, they lived in the Secret Annex. No one in there could ever go outside, they couldn’t make noises or use the bathroom during the day. Anne was deprived of a normal childhood because, according to some, she was different. Do you think it’s fair to judge someone by their beliefs or even appearance? Us humans can be so blinded by prejudice and hatred we don’t realize how uncivilized it is. That theme is very big in Anne Frank.
The theme of discrimination is shown in Anne Frank and Of Mice and Men. In Anne Frank, the Jews are discriminated against because of their religion. Anne Frank and her family have to hide only because they’re Jewish. The Nazis discriminated against the Jews, hating them for a reason that didn’t really make any sense. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife was discriminated against because of her gender. She was a woman on a farm where there were only other men. She was the odd one out and didn’t fit in with the others. Lennie was also discriminated against because of his mind. He had a mental disability, which caused him to behave rather childish. He was also extremely tall and bigger than anyone else on the farm. This made others afraid of him, and so they discriminated against him because of his mind and size.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of secrets and secret lives is shown in Heroes and in Anne Frank. In Heroes, Francis keeps many secrets from the people of Frenchtown. He lies about his identity and his past because of his wanting to kill Larry. The lust to kill was all caused from a secret, a secret that both Francis and Nicole refuse to reveal. Francis lived a secret life because he didn’t tell of his true identity to anyone. He was basking in lies and living in secrecy, pretending to be an average war veteran and not the real Francis Cassavant. In Anne Frank, Anne and her family were living secret lives. They were in hiding as to not be found by the Nazis and facing the unfair consequences that were in store. The Franks had secrets about where they were, in the Annexe, and led people to believe that they had escaped the country. They left behind their old lives and adapted to a new one of secrecy and hiding, creating their secret lives.
Secrets and secret lives of people played a big role in various novels we have read in the past like heroes, Anne Frank and Of mice and men. Secret was a big part of Anne Frank’s life. Anne Frank’s and her family lived in hiding for two years. They had to live the last two years of their life with secrets of where they were. Secrets and secret lives also played big roles in heroes. Francis kept a secret about who he really was after he came back from war. He didn’t want to be recognized by anyone he knew.
ReplyDeleteMan’s inhumanity to man was a huge part of, of mice and men. Since, Lennie was mentally challenged but was a big, strong guy; he was always made fun of. People would take advantage of him because maybe sometimes he didn’t know was he was doing. He killed many animals and humans because he was so strong. People shouldn’t judge others on how smart they are or how independent they are. Everyone should be treated equally and it wasn’t like this in of mice and men. Man’s inhumanity to man also played a big role in Anne Frank. Anne Frank had to go into hiding because the Nazis were after people who practiced the Jewish religion and Anne Frank was one herself. The Nazis treated Jews like animals. They would be sent to concentration camps where they would suffer. This is an extreme example of inhumanity because humans should be treated like humans not animals.
The first theme I choose is Secret and Secret lives. I think this would go with how Larry acting in the book Hero’s. The reason I think this is because Larry acted all nice to the kids and to Francis and to Nicole but inside him there was also a bad side to him. The bad side was when he came back from war and was acting like a big shot and then he raped Nicole. This shows that he defiantly had a bad side and it wasn’t just only a good side. Another way it was shown was Francis living a secret life because of how his face was messed up and how deformed it was he would hide and not show it to anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe next theme I would like to talk about is about discrimination, prejudice, and class structure. This was shown in the book Of Mice and Men. The way this was showed was how Lennie got treated in the book. He was treated unfairly just because he was mentally challenged. The reason they treated him differently was because of his disabilities.
In Of Mice and Men People do not respect Lenny because he is different than other people. In those days there was a lot of prejudice around and people did not accept others who weren’t considered normal. Lenny was special and he could not control that. The other guys on the farm would not let Lenny Play Cards with them because they could not stand that he was retarded. In the end Lenny died because of his disability. Now in this time Lenny would be accepted by everybody. Its is actually pretty sad because nobody understood Lenny and the pain that he went through. I feel sorry for George because he lost his best friend and he was the one who had to put him down. But now Lenny is at Peace.
ReplyDeleteRelationships with parents-
ReplyDeleteIn Anne Frank, Anne doesn’t have a strong relationship with her parents. Anne says that her parents do not know what she is going through. Although her parents been at her age and experienced what she is going through. When she is cooped up in the Annex her relationship has gotten worse. Getting anxious to go outside, she takes her anger out on her parents. The only thing that keeps her somewhat calm is Peter. He acted as a friend, a brother and a boyfriend to Anne. After time goes by in the Annex, Anne has become calmer and less wild. She slowly started to strengthen her relationship with her parents. When it became the highest point she had no time to love her parents. The Nazi’s captured the Franks and put them into concentration camps. They slowly perished.
There are several themes displayed throughout the book Secret Life of Bees that is also shown in the novel Anne Frank. Two of those themes are, secrets and secret lives, and discrimination. Secret and secret lives played a huge role in the novel Anne Frank. Pretty much all of Anne’s life after she went into hiding was a secret. No one was allowed to know who she was or where she was hidden. If anyone did find out that could mean big trouble for Anne and her family. She had to keep it a secret because she was hiding from the Nazis since she was a Jew during the time of WW1. Anne had to be really quiet all the time in her secret hiding place. She and many other Jews during this time had to keep their lives a secret just to keep their lives.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination was also a huge part of the book Anne Frank. This is so because, the time that this book took place was during WW1. World War 1 was pretty much a war against people with different religious views, mostly Jewish people, which Anne and her family were. This war was all about discrimination it was prejudice and judgmental. Hitler and his Nazis didn’t care about the families of these people they were taking, all they knew was that they were different and in their eyes different was a bad thing. Discrimination was one of the main concepts in Anne Frank.
I believe all of these topics listed have related to all of the books we have read in a big way. However discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure along with literacy-the role of writing was the complete basis of Anne Frank. In the novel Anne is in hiding along with another family and an individual known as Dussel. The reason she is hiding is because Adolf Hitler decided to eliminate all other races besides his own. The Jews were blamed for everything in Europe and were completely discriminated against even if they weren’t the problem. They were a scapegoat and people thought getting rid of them would fix all of their problems. The Jews had everything taken away from them; their homes, their jobs, their schooling: basically their whole life. When they were found they were taken to concentration camps and death camps. Where they were basically worked to death and if they couldn’t work they were killed. All of this terror was happening right outside the Franks hiding place and at the end of the book they saw the terror first hand.
ReplyDeleteYou may wonder how a teenage girl could be a world renowned author. Your answer; by writing simply how she felt and how everyone else felt being in hiding during the holocaust. Anne often turned to writing as a form of support, she was able to vent out her feelings by describing her life to this diary. She was able to say things she would never say out loud or to anyone and she was never critizied for what she wrote as she was often critizied for what she said in the novel. It’s amazing how important writing can be to an individual and how much it can mean to a book.
The two topics that relate to all three of these books are secret lives and discrimination. In Heroes, Francis keeps his identity a hidden, so that he could carry out his secret mission of killing Larry LaSalle, who raped his true love Nicole. Also, because she doesn’t want anyone to know about how ashamed and humiliated she is, Nicole keeps what happened between her and Larry a secret. In both of these instances, only one other person knew. In The Diary of Anne Frank, the Frank family has to keep their hiding place a secret, in fear of being captured by the Nazis and taken to concentration camps to slowly die a long and painful death. Mr. Frank carefully left hints in their house leading whoever wanted to know where they were to Zurich, when they were really in Amsterdam, hiding in the Secret Annex. Another thing is that Anne kept her writing in her journal private, except occasionally to Peter. One day, when Mrs. Vandaan wanted to know what Anne had written, she hastily put away her diary so Mrs. Vandaan wouldn’t try and persuade her to read it. In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie kept their past from Weed a secret so that they could keep a job for a longer time without people judging them. Considering all of these people had secrets, it makes you wonder what kind of secrets your friends or other people you know are keeping from you.
ReplyDeleteThe second theme is prejudice and discrimination. In Heroes, people always treat Francis differently. One example is when Francis had just gotten out of the hospital, and he didn’t realize how bad he looked, until he saw a little boy, who started crying when he looked at Francis. Also, people tended to avoid Francis and give him strange looks on the street, just because he looked different on the outside. They didn’t take the time to find out what was on the inside. In the Diary of Anne Frank, discrimination basically made the whole book. The whole reason that the Holocaust started was being Hitler didn’t appreciate the Jewish people. He didn’t think that Jews were as important as his religion. It all started when his mother was in the hospital, and the doctor was Jewish. When the Jewish doctor failed, he blamed it on the Jewish race entirely. In Of Mice and Men, people discriminated against Crooks, just because he was African American. Also, people discriminated against Lennie because he had mental problems. One example is in Weed, he was attracted to this woman’s soft dress, so as he started grabbing onto it, the woman automatically assumed that he was trying to rape her. It’s actually sad how many people who are ‘different’ get treated so badly.
All the themes listed above can be found in all the novels we have read this year. The theme of secrets and secret lives especially sticks out in the novel Heroes. One secret life was Francis’ life. His life was made up of secrets. One secret of his is the fact that he joined the army to die and not because he wanted to serve his country. When he fell on the grenade he wanted to kill himself, not safe his comrades like everyone thought he wanted. When Francis came back from the war he kept his identity a secret because he didn’t want anyone to know who he was so he could continue his mission of murdering Larry LaSalle. Another secret in this novel is Nicole’s secret. She never told anyone what Larry did to her the night at the Wreck Center. There were also secrets in Anne Frank. Anne and her family lived a secret life in the Annex. To protect themselves from the Nazis, they had to hide and depend on a few close friends to bring them food and information. The quiet life they lived in the Annex stayed a secret until a robber came and heard them upstairs. Once the secret was let out, the Nazis knew where they were hiding. They came and took everyone living in the Annex to concentration camps which ended the Franks’ secret life.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme is the relationship with parents. For example, in Heroes, you can tell that Nicole really cares about her parents. She never told them what happened to her because she knew it would destroy them forever. Francis never got the chance to fully know his parents since they both died when he was very young, but the lack of a relationship with parents may have caused his life to be what it was. If Francis had parents that cared for him, he may never have joined the army to try to kill himself and things may have been very different for him. This theme is also shown a lot in Anne Frank. When Anne was in hiding, the relationship she had with her mother was not as good as it should have been. Anne was very close to her dad, and she called on him for everything, but this hurt her mother’s feelings. Anne claimed that her mother just didn’t understand her well enough. Eventually, they created a better mother-daughter relationship and that caused less tension in the Annex. In Of Mice And Men, Lennie and George’s parents weren’t mentioned, but you could tell that George was like a father to Lennie. Before Lennie’s aunt died, she took care of him and she was like a mother to him so Lennie has been well shaped by the people around him who cared.
March 3, 2010
ReplyDeleteThere have been many examples of searching for identities in the books that we have read so far. In the book Heroes Francis tries to find his identity throughout the book and cannot find it. He played Ping Pong, he went to the Wreck center, and he dated Nicole but no matter what he tried he couldn’t find his identity. Also in the book Anne Frank they hid in a cellar to hide from the Nazis during the holocaust in the 1940s. They didn’t have an identity because their friends kept them hidden from the Nazis. Anne wanted to be able to go outside and enjoy nature but that was taken away from her when they went into hiding. In the book Of Mice and Men Lennie is treated much differently because he was huge but dumb and could easily hurt someone without even knowing it. He meant no harm but didn’t know right from wrong. He didn’t have an identity either because people did their best to stay away from him. In every book we have read thus far a search for an identity was a popular theme.
GentleGiant8
There are many themes in which could take part of these three books which are Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men. The first theme that really stood out with me, which is secrets and secret lives. In Heroes there are many ways of secret lives and there are many secrets. First of all, Francis hides his whole life. He was hiding under a scarf and bandages and he was hiding the real him. He was hiding the hero inside. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was a Silver Star hero because he didn’t want anyone finding out the real reason he enlisted. Well, the real reason was that he wanted to die. He thought that he was selfish in joining so he didn’t tell anyone. Instead of dying, he actually saved many GI’s lives and he was known as a hero from that day and on. He kept the whole hero thing a secret and he changed his name so no one knew who he was. Secondly, in Anne Frank, the whole family had to keep their life a secret. They were all Jews and they had to hide from the Nazis. This meant no going outside, no talking to anyone, and they had to keep it a secret that they left their house. Everything was kept a secret throughout the whole book until the final day came and the secret was out…there always is a secret out, no matter what it is. Even Francis’ secret came out. Arthur figured it out and that’s when things started changing for Francis. Thirdly, there were some secrets and secret lives in Of Mice and Men. In this amazing book Lennie and George needed to find a job. To do this they had to be on their best behavior. To accomplish this goal, in which they did, they couldn’t tell their boss about what happened in Weed. If they told him that Lennie was harmful they would’ve never gotten the job. Of course the secret gets out but, luckily, not to everyone. Only one person knew and it was kept a secret. George and Lennie made a big mistake from telling the one guy. They obviously trusted this man and if they didn’t than a whole mess would form and George and Lennie would be fired. This theme of secrets and secret lives was shown very well throughout all three of these books and I hope to see it shown the Secret Life of Bees.
ReplyDeleteThe second theme that strongly relates to these three books and reality is relationships with parents. In Heroes, There is no relationship between Francis and his parents because they are dead. Actually, Francis doesn’t have a relationship with anyone. He barely has a stable one with his Uncle but that is the closest he could get. He was like a son to Larry LaSalle in his younger years and Larry acted like a father to Francis. Everything changed when Larry came back from the war. Before his enlistment everything was great, Larry was like a superstar but after he enlisted everything was just chaos and nobody liked anyone anymore. In, Anne Frank, there really was a stable relationship between Anne and her father. They were like best friends and they acted the best around each other. He supported her and they talked all the time. He did everything with her and kind of acted like her new mother. On the other hand, Anne and her mother didn’t really get along. Anne thought that her mother called her a child too many times and Anne hated hearing that. Towards the end though Anne started to respect her mother more and more and their relationship became stronger and closer. In Of Mice and Men, there was really no relationship with the parents because Lennie lived with his Aunt. They respected each other, which was good. George was more like a father/care taker of Lennie because Lennie was a little slow. I believe that George was really nice to Lennie and loved him like a brother. These two themes really were shown very well throughout these three stories and maybe the girl can have a great relationship with her parents.
I prefer the second cover over the first one because it is more colorful and looks more like an educational book in stead of a children’s book. Also, the pictures on the top cover pictures don’t make any sense, for example it has a picture of a girl’s head which has nothing to do with bees. But on the second cover it has a picture of a bee which is at least relevant to the title. Also there is a picture of a honey jar which attracts bees. Some other words that stood out to me are that it was a New York number one best seller.
ReplyDeleteI predict that this book will be about bees. I predict this because both of the book covers had bees as pictures and the title is also about “The secret life of BEES.” The second cover also has a picture of a honey jar. I’m also thinking that this book will be about a girl because on the top cover it has a picture about a girl looking at other object and I don’t think that they would put those pictures there for no reason.
The theme discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure fits into the book Anne frank in almost every way. The whole reason why they were in hiding was because they were in the middle of WWII, and they were killing and sending all the Jews to concentration camps around the world. The way it fits into the book Of Mice and Men is because this was in the 1920’s-1930 and anyone colored had no rights. They called the black man on the ranch stable buck, also known as crooks. They didn’t give Curley’s wife a name, because of the woman’s rights movement and they had no care and rights for them. The last book that was prejudice against people was heroes. When people saw Francis with all the bandages on his face and his ugliness, they assumed that he was an un-spirited mean man. They didn’t know how nice and truly kind and spirited he was.
ReplyDeleteThe theme “search for identity” is in Heroes by Francis not telling anyone his real name, like the landlord that asked for his name. he was hiding who he was, and use his dead brothers name. This applies to Of Mice and Men by George and Lennie running away from there old town, onto the new ranch. In Anne Frank, they hide their jewish identities fro the whole world, and the nazis. they dont want anyone to figure out they're hiding.
The themes I have chosen were the search for identity and relationships with parents. These two themes relate to the three novels, Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men in many ways. The theme of the search for identity played a huge role in the novel heroes, but also in the other novels. In the novel the Heroes, Francis was always searching for his identity. After he came home from war, he didn’t have an identity. Francis wanted to keep his identity a secret, and he did a very good job doing so. But, later on in the novel, he found his identity and wanted to become a writer and he wanted to get his face fixed. This theme goes with the novel Of Mice and Men also. Lennie was always searching for his identity. Every new place him and George went it seemed like Lennie had a new identity to cover up his past one. Lennie problem felt confused because he didn’t know what his true identity really was, he kept looking, but couldn’t find it. In Anne Frank, they all tried to hide their identities from the Nazis.
ReplyDeleteThe Second theme I chose was relationships with parents. In the novel Heroes, Francis’ parents died when he was very young. He probably doesn’t know a lot about his parents or have any memories about them. This is maybe why he fell in love with Nicole, and never let her go, because he finally had a person who loved him just as parents would. In the novel Anne Frank, Anne was pretty close to her parents. She was more open with her dad than she was to her mom, but after being in hiding for about two years, she became more open to her mom as well. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Lennie never had parents. His aunt took him in when he was a little boy. She fed him and watched over him just as parents do, but I don’t think it was the same. Therefore I think that Lennie always had a missing piece in his heart.
Man’s Inhumanity to Man
ReplyDeleteThough history man has always been mean to man. For whatever reasons men have judged other men. Men could judge other men on how they look, act, or what they believe in. It has happen since the beginning of mankind and has kept. It’s just like how the sun rises every day. It’s just natural. That’s how its been and still is. In the book Belle Teal, Belle’s school is being segregated and there were a lot of racial items. Man always judged man just because they are a little different. I think that is wrong and should do that. I think man should change into what they say in Philly “Brotherly love”.
There are many themes and key words in the books Heroes, Anne Frank, and Of Mice and Men, and the themes connect from each story. One major theme is search for identity. In the book Heroes, Francis is not sure what his identity is anymore. After the grenade blew his face away, he says he doesn’t see himself in the mirror anymore. He says he sees a stranger instead. For most of the story Francis keeps his true identity a secret. He only reveals his name to a nun at his old school and Larry Lasalle. I think, when Francis locates Nicole and talks to her at the end of the book, Francis finds his identity as an author. Francis discusses to himself about how he could write about his experiences in the war after Nicole brings up the idea. This theme also connects to Anne Frank. Anne, her family, and the other fugitives that stayed with her in the Annex room all kept their identities hidden from the Nazis. They didn’t want to be sent to death camps, or worse, be put to death. Anne and her family stay hidden for two years until their identities are finally revealed and they were taken away separated from there friends and family in the Annex.
ReplyDeleteSecrets connect to Heroes and Of Mice and Men. Lenny, George and the Swamper keep the idea of getting there own farm and living of the fat of the land from the rest of the people on the ranch for the whole book. They didn’t want any interference with any other workers on the ranch. The secret farm idea was never George and Lennie’s intention to reveal to the Swamper in the first place. Lennie just screamed it out. The theme relates to Heroes because Francis keeps his identity a secret from almost everyone.
In the book 'Heroes' Larry LaSalle has a secret life that is kept from the reader until the end of the book (although it does give us subtle hints. Towards the middle of the book there was a section about what Larry did to Nicole when they said in the book that when they danced they would dance so close they would almost be kissing. And then he would let her slide down his leg. That is a sign of a hidden agenda if I ever saw one.) He has been secretly abusing Nicole Renards when they dance together. Also, she hides this information about her being abused as well, so they both have secrets and secret lives. In the same book, the character Francis lives a secret life when he comes back to Frenchtown after the war. He did this for many reasons, mainly because he barely has a face after jumping on a grenade to save his platoon. In the book we read about Anne Frank, her and her family, along with the Van Daan's, had to live secret lives because they where Jewish and if they lived out in the open like they did when Hitler wasn't in power, they would of been sent off to a concentration camp which almost guaranteed death. The biggest, most obvious secret from this story would be that they had to stay in the Secret Annex and those who kept them in the back of their store had to keep it a secret. In the story that we read in the begging of the year, "Of Mice and Men" had plenty secrets and secret lives' of its own. In the story George had to keep a secret from the owner that Lenny was normal and that he would be any trouble (although Lenny later strangled and killed the bosses son's wife). Another secret that this story holds is when Lenny crushed Curley's hand, George had to lie to Curley's wife saying that it got caught in a machine and that Lenny had nothing to do with it. What these three books have in common with 'secrets' are that each person lied for someone's own good; whether it was themselves or another person.
ReplyDeleteIn the story 'The Diary of Anne Frank' the main character, Anne, has a coming of age when she has to step up and leave behind her childhood and become a woman, living as a hide-a-way behind a bookshelf in an office building. She had to grow up, and the book shows us how much she matured through her 3 years living in the Secret Annex. In 'Heroes' Francis had a coming of age when he found out that he left Nicole to be 'assaulted' by Larry LaSalle. Knowing this, he can no longer look back on a happy childhood. All he would ever see would be the look on Nicole's face. So that's why he almost killed himself and then joined the army. That was Francis's coming of age. They both relate to each other because they both involve to normal pre-teens who must step up to the plate and go through a 'comeing of age'.
In the book heroes, it shows a theme known as a search for humanity. Francis never really has a family. At a very young age, Francis' parents died. His mother died after giving birth to his brother, which the little brother also died soon after. Francis' dad died of a heart attack a little while after. The rest of Francis' life, he had to live with his uncle. Since all of this happened to him at a young age, Francis was always searching for his true identity. When Francis was in middle school, he found his true passion with the help from Larry LaSalle. Larry had a special individual relationship with most people from the rec center, but had a better relationship with his friend Francis'. Larry told Francis that he should try to play ping-pong, or table tennis. Francis' tried his difficult sport, and became a champion of the rec center table tennis. Francis' next search for his identity would be after he came back from the war. A grenade blew up his face, and when he came back to Frenchtown, he tried to find his true identify. Francis didn't want anyone to see whom he was when he was back in his hometown. However, a couple people eventually found out because he won a silver star, and was a know hero in the " book" of heroes from Frenchtown. Even though Francis was always searching for a special identity, he found out that he didn't really need an identity to have a successful life. Francis found this out after he came back from war, and it suited him for he rest of his wonderful life as an adult.
ReplyDeleteIn the book Anne Frank, there is also a similar theme used throughout the entire story. This theme would have to be the theme of relationships of parents. Throughout this entire story, Anne had to live with her family and Parents. Her parents could be very annoying at times, but they will always love each other. Anne had to live with them for about two years. Even though Anne didn’t have a great relationship with them before, I’m sure it got better while they were in the attic. Anne was basically forced to talk to her parents, because they were locked up and couldn’t do much. I know that Anne and her mother fought a lot, and that she had a much better relationship with her father. Over all though, I know that no matter what had happened, Anne’s relationships became very well during the time period of them being in the attic. Both of Anne’s parents as well as Anne talked a lot, and probably learned a lot more than they did before the annex
The theme ‘relationships with parents’ relates to The Diary of Anne Frank in many ways. Anne has many problems with her mom in the beginning of the story and she tended to favor her dad. Towards the end of the book she realized that she really did love her mom and she became nicer. Another theme shown in The Diary of Anne Frank is ‘discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and class structure.’ The whole book revolves around the Holocaust and that the families had to go into hiding to protect themselves. At the time, Hitler wanted to get rid of all the people that weren’t German or that didn’t look germen. That meant that the Jewish population, as well as others, where at risk of arrest. No one did anything wrong, but the country couldn’t do anything to stop Hitler. It was very discriminating, but the Jewish had to go into hiding or brave the wrath of the Nazi’s.
ReplyDeleteTo find the identity Francis wanted to get a new face. Because his face was blown up in the war. Now he needs a transplants. He always is looking for who he is. He feels he needs to find Nicole to be forgive. The life that Lonnie died. That gave way to a new beginning to George and the life of he olds dyeing was such a tragedies. In Anne frank all of her family died. Hes also been hiding for years and seeing people die
ReplyDeleteTwo themes from the list that apply to all three novels are relationships with parents, and search for identity. This is because in all of the books the characters all have problems with there parents even if they are dead. In Heroes Francis lost his parents and it made his relationships with other people difficult. I know if I didn’t have my parents it would be hard for me to meet other people. In Anne Frank her relationship with her parents was tough, but she managed to try to love them more and more each day. She knew that soon they would be killed and so would she so she made the best of their relationship. In the novel Of Mice and Men Lenny and George are by themselves without parents. When Lenny was little his parents died and George has been taking care of him since. George is kind of like a fatherly friend to Lenny, because Lenny would have it tough without someone to watch over him.
ReplyDeleteAll the novels have a character that’s trying to find them selves. Their identity is hard to find. In Heroes Francis tries to find his identity, after he tries to kill himself he starts his life over again but differently. He also tries to get a new face so that could be him trying to find a new identity also. In the book Anne Frank, Anne hides secrets in her journal that she has. There not just secrets also but they do have things she keeps to herself. It’s like she hides her identity in the book. In the last book Of Mice and Men Lenny and George try to make an identity, by finding jobs and a place to live. Before that they didn’t have any friends besides them selves. Since they go to get a job and meet people there recognized and know people, which means they created there own identity!