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Steinbeck Comparitive Essay

5/21/2015

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Cara Burchell
February 25, 2014
English 7Y
Steinbeck Comparative Essay


          The Pearl and Of Mice and Men, both parables by John Steinbeck, are two different books with several similarities. The two books are stories with comparable themes and characters. The Pearl is about an underprivileged man who finds fortune in a pearl and then his greed cheats him out of the fortune. It teaches him a lesson that money isn’t always the key to happiness. In the other novella, Of Mice and Men, two migrant farmers dream of owning land and living a better life, until one accidentally kills a girl and everything goes downhill for the two of them. There is  resemblance between the characters traits, themes, and the author’s styles in the two stories.

            The two characters that are going to be compared are Lennie and Coyotito. One example of how they are similar is that the two characters start the action in the story. For Coyotito it was the scorpion sting, and for Lennie it was the incident in Weed. That is one way these two characters are similar. A second way is that they both want to see them succeed. Kino dreams of getting the chance to send Coyotito to school one day. That is like George dreaming of Lennie tending the rabbits.The third similarity found between the two is that they cannot take care of themselves. Coyotito is a child so he must rely on Juana and Kino, while Lennie has a mental disability which makes it hard for him to look after himself. That’s why he has George. The last resemblance between the two is that they both get shot in the end. Sadly, George had to shoot Lennie because he knew if he didn’t Curley would because of the incident. So, George wanted him to die peacefully and he thought it would be better if he did it himself. For Kino, he didn’t know if Coyotito would live or not. He had to take the risk of leaving them to save them in order to get the rifle. However, Coyotito was shot before he could get to it. From these examples we can see how similar the characters are.

           Steinbeck uses many different themes in his novels. One of which is Fate.  Fate is a big theme in the two books that start off the story. The one moment that changed Kino and his families life was the scorpion sting. If that didn’t happen Kino would never have to go to the doctor who he couldn’t afford to then having to find a pearl which changed his life forever. In Of Mice and Men when Lennie “raped” the girl in the red dress they had to leave Weed. If they never had to leave Weed they wouldn’t have ever met Curley or his wife so Lennie wouldn’t have killed her which later caused his death. Fate changed both of these characters lives greatly.

            Another important theme is powerlessness.  An example of powerlessness is that that Coyotito is helpless because of his age. He is a baby and if something happens to him that he cannot do anything about he needs his parents to help, such as when the scorpion stung him. Lennie is helpless because of his physical abilities, he cannot control his strength. Another type of powerlessness is wealth. The men on the ranch are paid so little that it is difficult to save enough to make a dream like that come true. For Kino, he and his family has always been poor and the only way of getting rich and living a wealthier life is finding a pearl big enough for its worth. When a miracle happens and he finds a big pearl everything goes wrong because he gets greedy and wants more than the value that people are willing to pay for the pearl. Then terrible things happen to him and his family because of the pearl. Kino then realizes that money isn’t as important as family. This was one example of a theme.

            Another theme is the essence of dreams. In Of Mice and Men Lennie, George, and Candy all want to own a plot of land. As one can see, they lost that dream because of Lennie being unable to control his strength. We learn that their dream of owning a farm cannot happen because they are far from attaining it because Lennie’s actions and they do not have enough money to pay for it. In The Pearl, Kino has a dream of becoming rich and wealthy some day even though he and his family seem very happy. When he finds the pearl he is determined to get as much money out of its worth. He soon is to realize that money doesn't always bring happiness. This is an example of another theme.

            Foreshadowing is a specific style Steinbeck chooses to use in the two stories and all of his novels. An example of foreshadowing in The Pearl is how Juana was always suspicious of the pearl. She claimed it would bring danger to their son in the end it does. In Of Mice and Men there are many examples of foreshadowing. Lennie petting the dead mouse, Lennie having to leave Weed for the incident with the girl in the red dress, and Lennie killing his puppy. Those events all anticipate Lennie accidentally killing Curley’s wife and the death of Candy’s dog which then foresee the death of Lennie. Candy regrets that he didn’t kill his old dog himself, which anticipates George’s decision to shoot Lennie.

            In conclusion, it is through John Steinbeck's characters, themes, and his ways of writing that makes these books similar. He demonstrates using parables that the characters lives are affected by their actions and desires. The themes show the challenges about human desire for success, pursuing their dreams, and how they are powerless. He illustrates the similarities in his stories also through different lessons, morals, and choices. From all the resemblances between Of Mice and Men and The Pearl we can now see how similar they are.
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My Neighborhood

5/8/2015

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Cara Burchell
4/1/15
English 7F
My Neighborhood

    Los Angeles is a big city. It is a well known city all around the country. There are 3.884 million people living in LA. There are so many luxuries about living in Los Angeles. Anyone can go to the beach and lie in sun. Not all places in the US have beaches and 80 degree weather every day. It’s so big and fascinating. It’s big enough that it’s not only one big county, also but it has 88 little cities inside it. And one is my home.


The city of Santa Monica isn’t as well known as some cities, but it’s fun to live in. There are palm trees and grass everywhere. The days start early and end late because people always are doing things. There are so many places to go and things to do. The pier is a well known place where many people go. Its a long wooden pier with rides, restaurants, and the ocean waiting for you at the end. It’s so alive because everyone is so happy winning prizes and riding rides. The people in Santa Monica are always nice and spirited. Everyone can talk easily to them. Santa Monica is a great place to be.


    People are everywhere lying in the sun, splashing in the waves, having a great time. The beach is where fun times can never end. Anyone can play in the sand or in the water. Sip on ice cold lemonade under an umbrella laughing with friends. Building sand castles and listening to music. Everyone is happy and having a blast in Santa Monica.
Cara Burchell
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Allelua Project

2/25/2015

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I am grateful for everything in my life

The house I live in

A family I get to see everyday

The clothes that keep me warm

And food to stay healthy

I am grateful for my education that people dream of getting

All the friends I get to spend time and make memories with

All the people who are there for me when I need them

I am grateful for this wonderful life I get to live everyday and


By: Cara Burchell


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Novel Peace Prize Essay

11/13/2014

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Cara Burchell
11/12/14
English 7F
Nobel Peace Prize Essay

      Ebola is a worldwide issue. It is a disease that isn't in every country but is deathly, so people are concerned that it could hit their city. Doctors are doing all they can, but it's not really enough. Thousands of people have dies from it in the past. I think we need to really protect people who don't have Ebola and make sure they are safe and not contaminated from it. They should try to creat a vaccine or medicine so people can't get it or get rid of it. If everyone gets it they can't cure all of us and it will eventually kill all of us.
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Historical Event Memoir: Boston Bombing

11/13/2014

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Cara Burchell
11/06/14
7F English
Historical Memoir

       It Christmas in 1999 and my mother had been celebrating the holiday with her family. She left her sister's house to drive to Malibu to see some friends. When she was about to pass the Santa Monica Pier she stopped at a red light next to a silver convertible with a big package in the back. She drove on and had to stop again for two more lights and ended up being next to the same car. They both rolled down their window at the same time and said Merry Christmas to each other. My dad was also in the way to visit some friends however, he told her to pull over and asked her her out to get some coffee. They went to get a drink and decided to go to a movie later that day. My mom thought he wouldn't show up to the movie because they were basically complete strangers and they have never really met before. He did and they had a very memorable Christmas.   
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Holiday Memoir

11/13/2014

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Cara Burchell
11/06/14
7F English
Holiday Memoir

        It Christmas in 1999 and my mother had been celebrating the holiday with her family. She left her sister's house to drive to Malibu to see some friends. When she was about to pass the Santa Monica Pier she stopped at a red light next to a silver convertible with a big package in the back. She drove on and had to stop again for two more lights and ended up being next to the same car. They both rolled down their window at the same time and said Merry Christmas to each other. My dad was also in the way to visit some friends however, he told her to pull over and asked her her out to get some coffee. They went to get a drink and decided to go to a movie later that day. My mom thought he wouldn't show up to the movie because they were basically complete strangers and they have never really met before. He did and they had a very memorable Christmas.   
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Personal Memoir

11/13/2014

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Cara Burchell
11/13/14
English 7F
Personal Memoir

       Usually cousins aren't as close as I am with mine. We spend so much time together. In summer 2013 we spent almost everyday together. My cousin, Alyssa, is only one year older than me so we have a tight bond. My cousin lives in Manhattan beach so one day we though we should go to the beach. We had to pack so we got our bathing suits on, towels, and put on sunscreen. We spent all day swimming, walking up and down the pier, going on the lifeguard towers, taking pictures everywhere, and laying on our towels in the sun. We went to boardwalk cafe and get lunch there everyday. We stayed up and watched the sun rise at 6:30 AM. Then we took a walk and went to bed until 8. After that we went to the beach again and again until the summer ended. This helped strengthen our bond.


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