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Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 532 Location: Philly, PA

Ok so i need serious help on my book reports. Has anyone read Inherit the Wind or Of Mice and Men??? I read inherit the wind but idk how to write the summary...i dont think anything really happened haha.

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Fraid I haven't read those two, but from what I've read about them it sounds like they're very typical of the stuff they force kids to read in schools, so I can't say I'm sorry I missed those two lol. But nope, sorry, can't help there I'm afraid. Currently reading Robert Bloch's "Psycho" novels Smile

Inherit the Wind -

Originally a play, the book is based off of the Scopes vs Tennesse trials (I think thats the trial, correct me if I'm wrong). Its basically because this teacher named Scopes was teaching evolution (best damn pair of Heelys out there) and Tenn. had a law that you can only teach about creationism. There's a movie that was released back in like the 60's about it...

Mice and Men -

One of my favorite books as a kid. Basically, its two field workers in the depression era in California. The travel to a few different farms, and Lennie (the big dude) gets accused of rape because he touched a woman's dress (he likes soft things, often threatened to have the right of petting bunnies taken away from him). This is important for the next major part.

They move to a different farm where they meet a one handed chick and they almost have the funds to by their own farm (the dream of the pair). Thats when Lennie kills the owner's son accidently and a mob is built to kill him. George (the other main character) then kills Lennie to save his friend of a painful death and comes to realize that he will have to live a life of lonliness.

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Either way, if you have time, read Of Mice and Men first. It is an excellent book and very entertaining. Inherit the Wind is OK, more of a political book and the characters could be better.

If you need the time to actually get a report on both of the books, cliffnotes are available online for both of the books (cliffnotes highlight the main parts) and you can also get a pretty good explanation of what the book is about by searching for it on the web.

Good Luck

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 532 Location: Philly, PA

wow thnx mav! everyone ive asked said of mice and men was the best of the books. Ill definatly begin to work on it Very Happy

Yeah, Inherit the Wind is a history lesson...

Mice and Men is epic... Same with Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and War and Piece lol

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 532 Location: Philly, PA

i just finished reading of mice and men...did george shoot lennie???

Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 532 Location: Philly, PA

sorry for double postage Very Happy

But does this summary cover of mice and men...i dont like writeing or in this case typing summaries...

Lennie Small and George Milton have recently escaped from from a farm near Weed where Lennie touched a girls dress because it was soft. When they both reach the ranch where they will be woking at, a man named Candy tells them that the boss was angry that they didn't arrive the night before. The boss questions George and Lennie and finds them suspicious because George speaks for Lennie. Later that night Curley, the bosses son, comes into their bunkhouse looking for his wife but instead tries to start a fight. After that day of work they go back to their bunkhouse where Slim gives Lennies one of his puppies from his dogs litter. George then begins to talk about the house they will soon have and that makes Lennie happy because George says he can have rabbits if he is good. Curley then returns to the room looking for his wife and see's Lennie smiling and thinks he is laughing at him. He then gets into a fist fight with Lennie and Lennie crushes Curleys hand. the next day while everyone is away Lennie goes to visit Crooks, the black stable buck. Crooks begins to make Lennie imagine life without George. Curleys wife then shows up and tells them that they are useless. The next morning, when Lennie is playing with his new puppy, he accidentally kills it. Curleys wife then walks in on him with the dead puppy and she sits next to him. She allows Lennie to feel he soft hair but when he feels it he don't want to let go and she begins to scream. Lennie then covers her mouth and when she struggles to get away she snaps her neck and dies. Lennie then runs and when Curley finds out he wants Lennie dead. When George finds out he points everyone in the wrong direction. When he finds Lennie he begins telling him the plans for the house again and shoots Lennie in the back of the head.

Its a pretty good summary. I would consiter putting it in a spell check/grammar check before you officially put it in. Also some of the sentences are run ons, but you captured a good percentage of what the book is about.

The thing I learned when I was in school (ages ago lol jk) was that when it came to writing a summary, the teacher didn't want you to read the book and write what happened. They know what happened. They want you to interpret why something happened. So why was Crooks trying to turn Lennie against George? Wht did George shoot Lennie at the end of the book. Why was Lennie attracted to soft things?

Do you get what I'm saying?

So overall, its a nice little summary that explains what happens, but if I was writing it I would try to go a little deeper... But thats just me

Team Heelys - SoCal Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: -123845

sort of off-topic, but yes, mav, animal farm was a great book. along with to kill a mockingbird and a seperate peace.