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Original poster

I cannot believe that Of Mice and Men is still studied at GCSE!

70 replies

upatdawn · 07/09/2011 13:07

Does anyone else have a DC studying this text? My twin sons (currently in year 11) are doing it, my 20 year old son did it at gcse level, I even did it for my GCSEs (okay well my O levels!). How do they have any questions left to answer on it? I remember when I did it really not enjoying it, neither have any of my boys. So why is it still on the curriculum? There are so many other fabulous texts that schools could use!

Sorry for the rant people, I just wondered if anyone else feels this or if I just have an unnecessary hatred for Of Mice and Men Blush

OP posts:
2shoes · 07/09/2011 17:18

ds did it(he is 19) I was so pleased as it is a good book

suburbandream · 07/09/2011 17:24

I did that for O level in 1986! Can't remember if it was also for O level but we did Animal Farm, Pigmalion (sp??) Lord of the Flies, The Crucible... all the old classics Smile Oh just remembered we did Catcher in the Rye too.

tallulah · 07/09/2011 17:31

My GCSE classes did it when I was a TA in 1997. My DSs then all did it. I took DS1 to London to see it and it was a fantastic production. We then bought the DVD.

iklboo · 07/09/2011 17:52

The film is fab too. Gary Sinise & John Malkovich. Wow.

MrsChemist · 07/09/2011 18:00

I fucking hated Of Mice and Men. We did Animal Farm as well though, which made up for it. I love Animal Farm, it's one of my favourites.

Did everyone but my class study Lord of the Flies? I've never read it and seemingly everyone studied it for GCSE. Is it worth a read?

LunarRose · 07/09/2011 18:14

Mice and men is superb. I didn't like it at first, after studying it I realised what I wonderfully haunting book it is. The themes and ideas have stayed with me so strongly and despite having gone on to do A level and Degree english lit. It also has some superb sections of writing, despite being accessible.

Lenny especially stays with me. I think it's so important that it's studied, if only for its examination into attitudes to disability

pot39 · 07/09/2011 18:21

My DS is in yr 11 and Yes they do and To Kill a Mocking Bird ( that I did 34 yrs ago) and they have to watch the movie ( no hardship). I tried to help by reading but lazy goop not interested in my help.
The not so bright lot do Animal Farm ( which my older niece assures me a s a dyslexic in the bottom set she did too)

Abra1d · 07/09/2011 18:31

Thanks for clarifying, bushy.

Original poster
upatdawn · 07/09/2011 18:42

Hmm maybe it is me who has an irrational hatred for studying it! We did it along with the crucible, pride and prejudice and a shakespeare that I can't remember Hmm and I much prefered the other texts. In my day it was the second set that did Of Mice and Men as it was seen to be easier to pick out the main themes. Top set at my DS's school did it and my boys found the language just wasn't as challenging as it was in their Shakespeare and in P&P and just didn't enjoy it. The list of texts to chose from is so long but it just seems that everyone in the country is studying the same thing!

OP posts:
Moulesfrites · 07/09/2011 18:49

I think it is popular because it is short, there is a good film version of it, it has a manageable range of characters, you can write a whole coursework essay on Crooks or curley's wife for example, and its themes are still engaging and relevant.

I do think that more challenging texts can and should be chosen for higher sets though. Also bear in mind that schools have limited resources and it would be very expensive to buy whole new sets of books every few years, even though I agree that there are some great alternatives or contemporary novels that would be fun to study.

doigthebountyeater · 07/09/2011 19:00

Of Mice and Men is a great book and all levels of kids can get a lot out of it. I used to teach in a predominantly Muslim school (all boys) and there were some er... 'interesting' conversations about Curley's wife!

MaureenMLove · 07/09/2011 19:17

I hated it in 1984, when I did it at O level, but having read it and discussed it with dozens of yr 10 classes in the last 5 years, I have come to love it again! Grin

I can't wait for the term to start proper again and get stuck in with a whole new set of yr 10's!

Oh, it makes helping with homework a hell of a lot easier if you know the book your lo is studying already!

cricketballs · 07/09/2011 19:21

I hated Mice and Men when I had to study it, but whilst DS was doing his GCSEs (last year) I brought the DVD and truly forgot what a fantastic story it is; fully agree with the poster that said they are too young to appreciate it

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 07/09/2011 19:25

I'm an English teacher and love teaching Of Mice And Men. I have only ever known one pupil not enjoy it and the silence you get in a class on reading the final chapter is just amazing, as they all process what has happened and the decision that George has felt forced to take. It can be read on so many levels and there are so many layers in it. Its beauty is that it appears so simple but is actually a really good example of a writer using the idea of microcosm and allegory to make statements about the human condition and the context the novel is written in. I hope to teach it for many more years!

Lord Of The Flies is another wonderful novel. I taught both to my yr 11 last year and they loved both but overall preferred LOTF to M&M.

dreamer79 · 07/09/2011 19:28

I too did Of Mice and Men for my O levels. We never got to read it as a class and I doubt many people read the whole novel. It was a shame as because of that we couldn't really explore it into the depth needed. With the right teacher it can be fantastic and it really does show what difference and inspiring teacher makes.

Curiousmama · 07/09/2011 19:29

We had to do Journey's End and that was it!! Awful.

Will have to read Of Mice and Men now or cheat and get dvd Blush

Tortu · 07/09/2011 19:34

I can't stand it. I would rather eat my own leg than ever teach it again. But what book do my year 11s want to study this year? You guessed it (mutter, mutter).

Chaps, the exam boards have changed some of their texts and there is a huge, huge range that can be studied. Of Mice and Men falls into one of the categories only. In that category there are also To Kill a Mockingbird (gah. Another one I've taught more times than I'd like to think about) and........(trumpets blaring)......Mr Pip and Purple Hibiscus.

I'm very excited about the change represented by the final two (and no, this is not dumbing down. There are other categories in which classics are studied).

Curiousmama · 07/09/2011 19:34

Shock Just ordered dvd for £2.99 free delivery at Amazon.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 07/09/2011 20:51

The DVD is excellent. Both Gary and S and John M are brilliant in it. It makes me sob every time I see it.

I wouldn't see Mr Pip or Purple Hibiscus as dumbing down - they are both quite challenging in terms of content.

Moulesfrites · 07/09/2011 20:59

I loved reading Purple Hibiscus and Mr Pip. Would say they are both more challenging than Of Mice and Men.

However, I recommended Mr Pip to my friend, a fellow English teacher, and she was so traumatised by it that she refuses to read anything recommended by me ever again!

Talker2010 · 07/09/2011 21:20

In 1979 I read Mocking Bird

This year my Daughter read Mice & Men so I read it for the first time ... good story ... amazing depth

quirrelquarrel · 07/09/2011 22:09

I did GCSE a year and a bit ago. What we did was not analysis of any depth...it was a top set. The teacher just told us what to write. A supply teacher came in one day and tried to start a discussion on the book and everyone stared at him blankly. He got the message and handed out that chapter's notes for us to ignore for the rest of the lesson.

Voidka · 07/09/2011 22:18

We did 'Of Mice and Men' too. I still have my copy with all my pencil notes inside.

My brother has just done his GCSE's and studied it too. If I had known before he started he could have had my copy. He might then have got an A like me, rather than the E he came out with

Cleverything · 07/09/2011 22:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

swingingcat · 07/09/2011 22:21

Love this book, studied at O level back in 1982 and 3 DC have studied for GCSE. A timeless classic IMO.
DC1 & 2 also covered An Inspector Calls and Great Expectations.

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