Of Mice and Men Group

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terrilljessica13
terrilljessi...
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Where did the title "Of Mice and Men" come from?

 

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Posted by terrilljessica13 on Monday October 26, 2009 at 11:40 AM and tagged with john steinbeck, lennie small. george milton, literature.

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  1. pohnpei397 Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    The title for John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" comes from a poem written in 1785 by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.  The poem is entitled "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, with the Plough.

    Perhaps the most famous line from that poem is "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley."  Which means something like "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

    The Steinbeck novel focuses on the problems faced by Depression-era farmers hoping to own their own land, but having their hopes shattered.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/of-mice-and-men/overview
    http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/554.htm

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    Posted by pohnpei397 on Monday October 26, 2009 at 12:07 PM


  2. jben1 Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    Steinbeck took his title from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The narrator of the poem has destroyed a mouse's home while plowing his fields, and is filled with regret. In a famous line, he reflects that the "best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley [go often awry]." 

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    Posted by jben1 on Monday October 26, 2009 at 11:06 PM