http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/blog/2008/12/20/musings-on-of-mice-and-men/ To Blog or Not to Blog... Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:09:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/blog/2008/12/20/musings-on-of-mice-and-men/comment-page-1/#comment-144 MarkThompson Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:29:18 +0000 http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/blog/?p=285#comment-144 I would have to disagree with Adam Blair. It's the role of all art frms to engage with the world and life and to show it is it really can be, not to sugar coat it and pretend life is fair and lovely. Artists also have the luxury of using metaphor and symbolism in their work that we don't have in life. In these financially troubled times, where people have been sold dreams of easy credit and the many things that can be bought with these endless riches, it would be remiss to pretend that with these shattered dreams comes a reckoning. I think the fact that young people engage with Of Mice and Men so readily and passionately, and then go on to lead lives as rich and varied as any of us, shows that rather than shield young people from this kind of work we should be encouraging them to engage so that they are ready for the real world. I would have to disagree with Adam Blair. It’s the role of all art frms to engage with the world and life and to show it is it really can be, not to sugar coat it and pretend life is fair and lovely. Artists also have the luxury of using metaphor and symbolism in their work that we don’t have in life. In these financially troubled times, where people have been sold dreams of easy credit and the many things that can be bought with these endless riches, it would be remiss to pretend that with these shattered dreams comes a reckoning. I think the fact that young people engage with Of Mice and Men so readily and passionately, and then go on to lead lives as rich and varied as any of us, shows that rather than shield young people from this kind of work we should be encouraging them to engage so that they are ready for the real world.

]]> http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/blog/2008/12/20/musings-on-of-mice-and-men/comment-page-1/#comment-136 Adam Blair Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:00:42 +0000 http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/blog/?p=285#comment-136 I do not like the message that Of Mice and Men portrays for our youth. Over and over again all of the dreams the two friends have are crushed. This just shows our children that no matter how hard they try to obtain what they want in life, that it just will not happen for them. Some situational factor will prohibit them from achieving their dreams. The it has a tragic ending where one friend must kill the other. Is merciful killing what we want to demonstrate to our children? That after all their dreams got crushed that one friend had to kill the other? No, it is despicable that the story has no positive resolution and that we are having impressionable children read it. I do not like the message that Of Mice and Men portrays for our youth. Over and over again all of the dreams the two friends have are crushed. This just shows our children that no matter how hard they try to obtain what they want in life, that it just will not happen for them. Some situational factor will prohibit them from achieving their dreams. The it has a tragic ending where one friend must kill the other. Is merciful killing what we want to demonstrate to our children? That after all their dreams got crushed that one friend had to kill the other? No, it is despicable that the story has no positive resolution and that we are having impressionable children read it.

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