Do Rate My Voice Websites Help or Hurt Singers

Do “Rate My Voice” Websites Help or Hurt Singers Sign up successful You’ll be getting unbiased opinions from people whom youve never met before and therefore are likely to be more honest than your best friend or a family member! It’s good experience to get out there and test the waters if you dont have much experience performing, recording, or making videos (especially if you live somewhere where those opportunities are difficult to find). With these websites, you can upload a video and have an immediate, brand-new audience right in front of you. Some singers may be shy performing live, but this is a way to get comfortable with putting your own voice out there and hearing the reactions you might receive. Cons Many of the people who rate these websites do not have formal vocal training. They may be able to offer you advice on presentation, performance, or song choice, but I would not upload a video to one of these sites looking for instruction on proper vocal technique. Many of these websites advertise “$1,000 Cash Prize” or “Instant Recording Contract”. Make sure you do your research before putting your music on one of these websites to make sure they are legitimate. If they are asking you to put down any money, I would not suggest doing so. Rather, spend your money on proper voice lessons with an instructor who can teach you about vocal technique and performance. So, all in all, I would recommend a rate my voice website if you are looking to grow a fan base, promote a video, network with other young singers, or get a feel for the general publics taste or critique in music. However, I would not use such sites for professional vocal training or guidance. If youre asking yourself, Am I a good singer?, I would recommend studying with a voice teacher who has had training in technique and who has professional performance credits to assist you in your own technique and performance skills. Just as if you were sick and thinking about seeing a doctor to diagnosis you, the same applies to singing! Remember, everyone has his or her own opinion, and you don’t have to listen to everyone’s advice. Still, be open, and remember that you, yourself, are the best judge of your vocal performance! Liz T. teaches singing, acting, and music lessons in Brooklyn, NY, as well as online.  She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M in Vocal performance and currently performs/teaches all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, RB, and Country.  Learn more about Liz here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Felipe Neves

The Importance Of Private Tutoring for Educational Support

The Importance Of Private Tutoring for Educational Support The Pros And Cons Of Private Tuition For School Help Chapters6 Signs To Spot A Child in Need of Extra School SupportThe Pros And Cons Of Home TutoringIt is never easy to find out that your child is struggling to do well in their education; It can be challenging to know how to solve the situation to help them to achieve their best. Thankfully there are many options available which can help with improving the qualifications of struggling students. Using these solutions can guide your child, from not achieving the required grades, to creating their own successful outcomes.Private tuition can be a great solution to have a tailored and engaging educational experience. Tutors near me are available on a flexible schedule and can also work outside of the school year, which means you can make the most of the summer to catch up or prepare for the coming term.A private tutor can help with your child’s development all the way from preschool and kindergarten right up to primary school and through to university. Tutors can integrate with homeschoo ling or give 1 to 1 support in private education or an independent school, they can also provide support to mainstream students who attend private school or public school at secondary school, college or university level.Personal tutors can specialise in a wide variety of subjects to cater to a growing interest in a wide range of subjects. Academic subjects like Maths, chemistry, physics, English, geography or humanities to name a few. Also, tutors can successfully support you with test prep and exam preparation like GCSE exams, enrollment or entrance exams.Of course, tutors also work with learner lead interests and hobbies, personal and professional improvement tutors might help with cooking classes or public speaking, language tutors support learners to speak their desired languages such as an ESL English tutor, French tutor or Arabic tutor. Even extracurricular activities can be tutored like playing football. The options are really endless.Private tuition is one of the many and mo st flexible options available to your child when they are struggling. A good quality tutor will be your child’s personal guide to help them circumnavigate the difficulties that they are struggling with and locate their strength. The tutor will create an individualized curriculum and work hard to make sure that syllabus topics are understandable to your child. When you find your tutor they will be dedicated to supporting your child in achieving their very best.How to support your child to help them to achieve their best. Photo Source: UnsplashIt is good to bear in mind that online tutoring can be substantially cheaper than one to one tutoring. Online tutoring also has many of the same benefits as face to face tutoring so if you are thinking “I need help to pay for my child’s tutoring”. Then this could be a good compromise.There are also a lot of other alternatives available to you and your child. If you have serious financial need and still want you, child, to have some extra help. You can get in touch with your local council, local church and your child’s school. Make some enquires to see if you might be eligible to qualify for some help or if anyone has any advice about tutoring for a more reasonable cost.You can also contact the citizens advice bureaux hotline you might find that there is a new government grant for financial aid or a bursary that you could apply for. Although it is expensive, it could be the best investment that you can make for your struggling child. We would like to strongly advise you against using credit cards or getting in debt that you cannot afford to pay back.Children Must Make A Dedicated ContributionYour child must be willing to actually put in the time and effort to reap the rewards of success. A tutor is not there to give the answers, they are there to guide and support your child to become the best they can be.Find out what your learner has to do to derive the most benefit from their tutoring experience...You can decid e where you would like to meet. Photo Source: UnsplashFree Time SuffersWhen a child is struggling with their education, it can be very tempting to fill all of their spare time with solutions to get them back on track. But children also need time to de-stress, blow of some steam and just be kids. A full-time education plus a part-time tutoring program can leave the child with much less time to be able to enjoy their childhood. It is essential to try to maintain some balance and give the child time to relax as well. The child preference may be to keep going in an aim to achieve the best and make you proud but there must be a happy and progressive middle ground.Having a private home tutor has many benefits, its importance for a struggling child and as a mechanism to support and guide them towards a better outcome is very clear. A student’s private tuition can be the difference between success and failure for many children.Even school teachers are signing up for tutoring jobs part tim e which means that private school tuition could now become available for your child at school.You had better sign up fast as it appears that the secret is out. Tutoring both online and offline have become hugely popular with adults and children alike. With more people enrolling on courses to learn new things, get help to understand things they are struggling with and just to enjoy education. Only one question remains, what will you choose to learn?Now read this complete guide to personal tutoring...

Atoms Basics! Learn Protons, Electrons And Neutrons

Atoms Basics! Learn Protons, Electrons And Neutrons 0SHARESShare Atoms are building blocks. If you want to build molecules, you will need atoms of different elements. Each element is a slightly different from the other. Why do we need to learn about the elements? How do they relate to our lives? You may have many questions in your mind. In a classroom session it is not feasible for a tutor to answer all your questions. At times you may even hesitate to open up and convey your doubts. You look for a dependable platform to resolve your queries. TutorPace, an online tutoring website offers highly experienced chemistry experts to meet all your queries. They will use interesting diagrams to explain that ‘Atoms’ are the general term used to describe pieces of matter. You may only find about 40 elements inside of your body; but you are made up of billions and billions of atoms. Understanding hydrogen (H) atoms, oxygen (O) atoms, and a bunch of others get very easily. The online chemistry tutors are available 24/7 and you can attain session anytime as per your convenience. These experts provide online chemistry help to give you a clear idea of the subject. The atoms may have different masses; they are all built with the same parts. Electrons, protons, and neutrons make the Universe the way it is, but understanding these concepts without proper guidance may be difficult. If you depend only on reading a book, you will find a cluster of words on a page. If you have exam in school and looking for someone to guide you; you can simply sign up in our website and choose a chemistry expert as per your requirement. The online chemistry test preparation sessions will help you to understand the subject well and achieve your expected grade. If you want to have a proper understanding of the subject, start with the online tutoring websites. Get answers to all your doubts and enjoy the subject. Happy Learning! [starbox id=admin]

A Guide to American English

A Guide to American English How to Speak American English ChaptersThe Origins of American EnglishThe Specificities of American EnglishThe Differences Between American English and British EnglishResources for Learning American English“Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that despite all the progress that has been made in the past 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages.”Ah, America! One of the biggest countries in the world and where the English language reigns supreme. All 50 states have different ways of speaking English. However, there is a lot of common ground in the way people speak across the country.We need to stop thinking that the only way to speak English in the United States is how they speak in TV shows, Hollywood Blockbusters, and in fashion magazines.85% of films shown around the world are American. These figures definitely thrust America into the limelight.Who hasn’t heard of Star Wars, Sex and the City, or the New York Times?All of these use the American En glish that we’re going to have a look at. In this article, we're going to have a look at where American English came from, what makes American English different to other varieties of English, and how you can learn to speak American English. JulianESOL (English) Teacher 4.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EugeneESOL (English) Teacher 4.90 (58) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HelenESOL (English) Teacher 5.00 (20) £32/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SuzanneESOL (English) Teacher 5.00 (2) £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaESOL (English) Teacher 5.00 (8) £55/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamuelESOL (English) Teacher 4.83 (41) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoanneESOL (English) Teacher 5.00 (43) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Origins of American English“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America â€" there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America â€" there's the United States of America.” - Barack ObamaIn the grand scheme of things, the United States of America is a relatively young country. Its language is also rather young.American English, much like America, has changed a lot over the years. (Source: Free-Photos)English was first spoken in America during the 17th century. However, at this time in history, there were plenty of speakers of other languages on the continent who spoke French, Spanish, Dutch, Welsh, Irish, and the indigenous languages, of course!Over time, English evolved and started playing an important role on the continent. The phonology, vocabulary, and grammar of American English diverged from its British roots over time.It wasn’t until after the colonisation of the Americas that American English really diverged from that of British English.  There were d ifferences in pronunciation and vocabulary, just as you’d find in Australian, Scottish, and Irish English. In fact, no matter where you go in the world, there’ll be a different version of English.So are you ready to find out exactly what American English is and how to learn it?Check out more about the Australian accent.You’ll have the answers to your questions soon enough!The Specificities of American EnglishDo the terms “’sup” or “y’all” mean anything to you?These are typically American terms! The first is the contraction of “What’s up?” and the other means “You all”. There’s your first example of how American English differs from the other variants of English.English dialects are different everywhere and the American English is no exception. (Source: jarmoluk)The English spoken in the United States of America is often considered a simpler version of English.Why?This is usually because most people are already quite familiar with it having heard it on T V and in films.  Without even noticing, most people already have a pretty good understanding of American English. Similarly, you can probably get by in New York with the basics. After having heard it so much throughout your life, American English is pretty much already your second language!Check out the best  English lessons online.You also need to know the grammar, which is also simpler than other forms of English. Obviously, you still need to follow the grammatical rules, but they’re usually simpler in American English.The same is true for the accent. Since you’ll have heard it so often, it’s much easier to understand the American English accent over a regional British dialect or Scottish English. That should clear a few things up!So while American English started as various British dialects, it has since diverged from roots. A common example is the letter “r”, which is almost always pronounced in American English, unlike in English dialects which tend to drop the “r† when it follows a vowel.There are also new terms that America gave the English language both inside the United States and around the world. All of these terms, from various domains, originated in the US:TeenagerCaucusCompact carBelittleWaterfrontGet the hang ofAnd many more!As you’ll have understood, it’s quite difficult to talk about what makes American English special without comparing it to other English dialects, especially British English. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do!Would you like to learn English online? Check the best  ESOL courses.The Differences Between American English and British EnglishAs we said before, American English originated as British English and a mix of various English dialects from around the United Kingdom. However, over the course of the centuries, American English became its own dialect and grew up with American culture.While American English and British English are the same language, there are a lot of differences. (Source: Free-Pho tos)Since most people all over the world learn to speak English in school, English classes are becoming increasingly specialised, to the point where students are watching in English (without subtitles in some cases) by the time they’re leaving school.The main difference you’ll notice between the UK and the US is how words are spelt. In fact, American English changed the spelling of quite a few words in the English language.This is the quickest and easiest way to tell whether you’re reading British English or American English. However, the vocabulary is also another way to work out which country the language is from. Since language is inherently related to culture, and there are a number of differences between British and American culture, it’s hardly surprising that there’s also a linguistic difference between the two countries.In the United States of America, they often use the past simple for describing events that happened not too long ago. In England, on the other hand , they tend to use the present perfect.  For example, an American would say “I went to store” whereas someone from England would say “I’ve been to the shop”. The difference may be slight, but you can see that there are even alterations to the simplest sentences.Even the verb “get” is different. In America, “get-got-gotten” is the preferred conjugations for the present and past while in the UK, they use “get-got-got”. After a few exercises, you’ll get the hang of it.Once again, practice makes perfect and you can get plenty of practice by immersing yourself in American culture. There are plenty of useful resources for learning American English, helping you to think in American English, and working on your pronunciation.Would you like to know more about Irish English?Which sites can you use to learn English online?Resources for Learning American English“England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”The United States of America is a co nstantly-changing country whose culture is constantly making its way to other countries. From Beyoncé to the Statue of Liberty via Ernest Hemingway, everyone knows something about American culture.The American linguistic landscape is as fascinating as the physical one. (Source: skeeze)Whether you use audio resources, audiovisual resources, or literary resources, they can be hugely useful in helping you to understand American English, American culture, and immerse yourself in both.Watching American films with the subtitles on is a great way to learn American English. Everyone watches them, after all.What about American TV shows?There’s surely one you like! Whether it’s Forrest Gump, Breaking Bad, or the Walking Dead, films and TV shows are much better in their mother tongue and a great way to learn about language and culture.Books are another source of inspiration. If you want to improve your American English vocabulary, there’s not much better than a book. Immersing yourself in a new world, a certain point of view, and a new country is more than possible with the help of a book.This is your chance to learn from the greats like William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, and Toni Morrison. In addition to helping you gain new perspectives, these resources will also help you in your new language.Of course, you can improve your English vocabulary from any type of media. Radio stations, TV channels, and the press are all freely accessible and useful tools for learning not just general American English, but specific vocabulary like business English.Watching CNN, listening to online radio stations, or flicking through The Wall Street Journal are all useful ways to improve your knowledge of the language, country, and culture.This is a language that continues to evolve and change. If you need to find a tutor to help you, look no further than Superprof!

The Guide to Visiting Venice

The Guide to Visiting Venice How To Prepare for a Trip to Venice ChaptersWhen and For How Long Should You Visit Venice?The Different Neighbourhoods of VeniceWhere to Stay in Venice?Top Things to do in Venice“In the glare of the day there is little poetry about Venice, but under the charitable moon her stained palaces are white again…” - Mark TwainWhen you go to Venice, you have to plan your trip according to how long you’ll be there for, the sites and monuments you want to visit, and the time of the year you’ll be there. Whether you’re there for 3 days or a week, which neighbourhood you’re staying in, and the weather can all affect your trip.Over 20 million tourists visit Venice each year and the numbers visiting the city have increased 5% each year in recent decades.Thus, the number of tourists visiting Venice doubles every 14 years. While the city centre attracts 30,000 tourists a day, an estimated 80,000 people visit daily during the summer.Despite all this, do you still have your heart set on Venice?Here’s our mini guide to vis iting the city. DanielaItalian Teacher 5.00 (9) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuciaItalian Teacher 5.00 (4) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarilùItalian Teacher 5.00 (8) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarcoItalian Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GiusyItalian Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EnricoItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FedericaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhen and For How Long Should You Visit Venice?Most travellers don’t stay anywhere near a week in Venice. Visiting Venice in the summer is nothing like visiting it in the winter. Plan accordingly! (Source: Free-Photos)Of the 25 million visitors to the city each year, 12 million of them only spend a single day there.More and more tourists are opting for free tours of the city, which does nothing for the local government’s coffers.Despite all this tourism, the city only received around £3 in taxes per tourist.Venice is the most powerful and influential city in the former Republic of Venice of which it was the capital for over 1,000 years between 697 and 1797.Most of the city and the Venetian Lagoon are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the amount of cultural and historical heritage is incredible.There are plenty of reasons to visit Venice throughout the year:Carnival of VeniceThe canals and streets in the centre of VeniceGondola ridesThe restaurantsVisiting the islands Giudecca, Murano, Burano, Torcello, and the Lido.The San Marco neighbourhood (Saint Mark’s Square, Saint Mark’s Basil ica, the Palace of the Doge).The magnificent Venetian architecture and art.In addition to all these things, there are also incredible monuments and attractions to see: the Bridge of Sighs, the museums (Museum of Glass, Natural History Museum), the Rialto Bridge, Teatro la Fenice, Gallerie dell’Accademia, and the Cannaregio, San Marco, Castello, Dorsoduro, and Santa Croce neighbourhoods.So when are you going to Venice?Venice is home to a warm and humid continental climate. Temperatures can often exceed 35 °C, it gets muggy, and there are often violent storms. Similarly, during the high season, prices go up.If you want to visit in autumn, the weather’s much more agreeable: it’s regularly sunny and it remains warm until the beginning of October.Then it starts to get grey and rainy. In winter, it can get really cold and even snow. However, this is a great time to visit because there are much fewer tourists. Of course, not during carnival.The best time is to visit during spring (be tween May and June) and autumn. You need at least between 3 days and a week to see everything Venice has to offer.This will give you enough time to visit the different monuments, neighbourhoods, the Venetian Lagoon, and the Grand Canal.Find out more about how long you should spend in Venice.The Different Neighbourhoods of VeniceSo in the city of the canals and bridges, where can you stay? If you're sick of tourists, head to Venice's other islands. (Source: Alois_Wonaschuetz)There are six neighbourhoods in Venice:San MarcoDorsoduroSan PoloCannaregioCastelloGiudeccaSan Marco is the most popular neighbourhood as it’s home to the most historic monuments. It’s also the political, economic, and religious centre of the Republic of Venice.If you’re not a fan of historic relics, you’ve seen it all, or you want to avoid the crowds, you might want to head to the Dorsoduro neighbourhood.  This is the artistic and bohemian side of town, with plenty of bars, restaurants, trattorias, osterias, and places to drink Aperol Spritz.  It’s far more relaxed than San Marco.If you cross the Rialto Bridge, you’ll end up in San Polo, the city’s oldest neighbourhood.On the other side, there’s the Cannaregio region.  This is the area where the Jewish population were forced to live from 1516 until 1797 when the city came under Napoleonic occupation.  This is the least regularly vi sited neighbourhood in Venice, making it rather relaxing.In the southeast of Venice, there’s Castello, home to the Santi Giovanni e Paolo Basilica, the city’s biggest church.The Napoleonic Gardens provide a welcome green space and home for the Biennale di Venezia, a music, dance, architecture, and cinema festival.That’s not all: Venice is an archipelago consisting of 121 islands.The taxi boat (the Vaporetto) is a great way to get to the other islands like Burano, home to San Martino Church, the Venice Lace Museum, and the fish market, Murano, home to the Glass Museum, and Torcello.  The Lido is home to beaches on the Adriatic Sea where you can bathe in warm water.Are the neighbourhoods in Venice too busy?You can always go to Mestre on the mainland. This is also a good place to get accommodation.Find out more about the different parts of Venice.Where to Stay in Venice?Got your boarding card and ready for a trip to Venice?  Where are you going to stay in Venice? If you want accommodation in the best parts of Venice, you're going to have to pay for it. (Source: martaposemuckel)Venice can be quite expensive. Especially considering that the city is home to 261,905 inhabitants but welcomes nearly 30 million tourists looking for accommodation.Your budget will determine which neighbourhood you’ll stay in and whether you’ll get a hotel room or private accommodation.  You can look for hotels and holiday flats near Saint Mark’s Square if you have the budget. You can also look for somewhere a few minutes from a gondola ride or a Vaporetto stop. In any case, we recommend booking ahead of time to get the best offers.For short stays, you have a few options:AirbnbHomeAwayBooking.comOn HomeAway, you can get accommodation for anywhere between £100 and £3,000 per night in the centre of Venice.  By booking on Airbnb you can find accommodation for between £60 and £100 per night in the historic centre and between £40 and £60 per night in Mestre. The latter is cheaper but you’ll need to use public transport.Keep in mind that the cost of renting will depend on the type of accommodation you get, the neighbourhood, and the season.Find out more about accommodation in Venice.Top Things to do in VeniceLet’s have a closer look at exactly what you can do in Venice. There’s something to do for all types of travellers. The Rialto Bridge is one of Venice's most famous sights. (Source: huebistar)What can you do when visiting Venice?Here are a few things worth seeing and doing:Saint Mark’s SquareSaint Mark’s BasilicaThe Doge's PalaceThe Grand Canal, VeniceCarnival of VeniceCannaregio, Europe’s first Jewish ghettoBasilica of Santa Maria Della SaluteThe Venetian BridgesThe islands in the Venetian LagoonA gondola rideThe city’s museumsMost of these monuments are a testament to Venice’s power in Europe and date back to as early as the 13th and 14th centuries. The San Marco neighbourhood should be top of everyone’s list. Of course, it’ll depend on what you want to see.Saint Mark’s Square is without a doubt the most visited part of the city. However, you might want to avoid it if you don’t like crowds.For tourist attractions, you might want to get queue-jumps!On the square, you can find Saint Mark’s Basilica, Saint Mark’s Campanile, and the Doge’s Palace, the official residence of th e Doges of the Republic of Venice.  The museum is now home to works from famous Venetian painters like Titien, Bellini, Veronese, and Tintoretto.While a gondola ride may seem a little cliché, romantics will appreciate it and you can admire the city’s 435 bridges.  The most famous bridges include the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs, which connects the interrogation rooms of the Doge’s Palace.  Sadly, the Bridge of Sighs is famous for being the place where prisoners caught their last glimpses of freedom before being imprisoned for life.What can you do during your holidays in Venice?If you want to avoid the crowds, you can always stay on one of the lagoon’s islands. Venice is a great place for out-of-the-ordinary holidays despite all the tourists.Torcello, for example, is one of the quieter of Venice’s 121 islands.In terms of museums, you can find the Naval History Museum, the Gallerie dell’Accademia, home to renaissance art, and the Peggy Guggenheim, home to modern ar t.You’ll come home with plenty of great holiday snaps!

How does your phone know where you are

How does your phone know where you are This English listening exercise looks at something that has always fascinated me that  scientists are able to solve incredibly complex problems with crazy solutions.So, how do you make a phone that knows where you are on earth? With clocks, of course!To find out how clocks help you know your location, and to improve you English listening skills, watch the TED-ED video below, and try the exercise.The answer lies 12,000 miles over your head, in an orbiting satellite that ____ ____ to the ___ ___ an atomic clock.What does the above sentence mean?Woo! Lets ____ that ____.What does the above phrasal verb mean?What is the problem with using the speed of light to measure distance?How precise are some atomic clocks?Lets ____ ___ ___ that youre almost definitely on earth.

GCSE Analysis Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

GCSE Analysis Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck English Literature GCSE Analysis: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Overview This novella was first published in 1937, shortly after John Steinbeck had become a full-time writer, supporting himself by his pen.   It concerns two friends, itinerant farmhands in Southern California, Lennie and George.   Lenny is large, strong and mentally underdeveloped, while George is quick-witted and small.   Their relationship is the heart of the story, as the reader observes their tenderness towards one another expressed in the rough language of working men.   As the story winds to a tragic close, George has to make an awful decision so that he has some hope of a life of his own. Language Steinbeck writes the novella featuring closely on the spoken voice, like much of his fiction.   He was an acute observer of everyday people and took pride in his ability to recreate their voices on the page.   Chief among his tools are non-standard verb forms â€" ‘he done’ to replace ‘he has done’ or ‘he did’ â€" and contractions â€" ‘’em’ to replace ‘them’ and ‘di’n’t’ to replace didn’t.   Together these tricks help the reader hear the speech as much as read them. Much of Lennie’s speech uses repetitive phrases â€" when he is first introduced we hear him say ‘You drink some, George.   You take a good big drink.’   This cyclical mannerism seems at once natural and abnormal.   What makes Lennie stand out is not that he repeats himself â€" all of Steinbeck’s characters do â€" but that he does it so much.   In fact, Lennie also repeats what George does, mimicking him in a pathetic attempt to do the right thing.   When he relaxes, he crosses his hands under his head like George before ‘raising his head to see whether he were doing it right.’ As men who work outside, Lennie and George live in an agricultural world.   The animals who fill the book â€" wild, domesticated, imaginary â€" each have a reality given to them by Steinbeck’s precise descriptions.   Whether it is rabbits sitting ‘as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones’ or a heron ‘laboring up into the air’, the writer takes time to show the natural world with a fresh eye.   This sets his story in a deeply visual, realised world, even though the setting is a very small area of Southern California, and even though the length of time the events take is only a few days. Anger George is a simple man with an admirable concern and love for his friend â€" but what makes him so real is the limit he repeatedly comes up against.   When Lennie wants ketchup for his beans, George explodes into a tirade, saying ‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want.’   His anger might seem disproportionate until we consider how long he has been looking after Lennie, and how desperate he is to have some respite.   In some ways this anger is a symptom of his own loneliness, quite plain when he talks about the life he ‘could live so easy’.   Crooks diagnoses it as a ‘loneliness for land’, something Steinbeck would write about time and time again, but when George, and Lennie paint their most detailed picture of the ‘fatta the lan’’ it is in the company of Candy â€" and the prospect of more company adds fuel to their fire.   The men are desperate for a community, however small, where they are valued. Curley is so dangerous because of his own pent-up anger.   We can see it when he unwisely challenges Lennie to a fight, needing some sort of punchbag so that he can work out his frustrations at his wife’s behaviour.   Lennie has frustrations that echo these, but of a more childish nature.   He shouts at the dead puppy, ‘Why do you got to get killed?   You ain’t so little as mice.’   Each character in the story is struggling with their own weaknesses, and without the means to help one another. Forgiveness George’s attitude towards Lennie’s accidental killing is truly remarkable.   Admittedly, neither he nor Candy had any liking for Curley’s wife, but they both focus on how they can best help Lennie.   And George notes that ‘Lennie never done it in meanness.’   He continues, surely thinking back to all the accidents and mistakes he has seen: ‘All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.’   Although George will become Lennie’s executioner, we realise that he considers his friend entirely innocent, and will willingly forgive him for all the ‘trouble’ he has made for George.   However, there’s no victory in this, for in killing Lennie, George loses his own best friend, destroys his own dream and throws away the one thing that made him different to the other swampers: his pity and his desire to provide for others. Memory ‘Jesus Christ, Lennie!   You can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say’.   Lennie’s memory, including the rote-learnt ‘fatta the lan’’ recitation and the words of Aunt Clara, is a confusing obstacle to both him and George.   Without the ability to think for himself, Lennie is utterly dependent on George’s guidance.   We never really know what happened in Weed, but George remembers it and Lennie remembers the results: ‘We was run off’.   He also inconveniently remembers much of George’s monologuing, his conversation the girls ‘on Howard Street’ and anything else that will prick George’s conscience.   And without these reminders, perhaps George is right to be hopeless, and he will sink into an alcoholic cycle of work and waste. Steinbeck has really written a domestic tragedy in the novella, although the household is an unconventional one.   The scale of the emotions involved is really dictated by the little world he creates: we know what Lennie’s death means to George, and we know that Slim and Candy have a little sorrow, but other than that, his passing will be unmourned, meaning that the reader has an obligation to be moved and to act differently in response to what Steinbeck has shown us. Need an extra hand with some English? Why not book a GCSE English tutor to come to your home from the Tutorfair website? More GCSE analyses: Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies

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