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Overview
John Steinbeck’s famous hobos, George and Lennie,
bring the migrant farm experience of the Great Depression
to life in the celebrated classic of American literature,
Of Mice and Men. Part of the huge grain growing
industry of the American west, Depression Era itinerant
farm workers like George and Lennie, mostly single men,
traveled by boxcar from farm to farm in search of work
and ever since have populated the landscape of the American
cultural milieu. Depictions of these hobos are found
in many varieties of art, from paintings, photography,
music, and literature. This lesson explores the various
representations of depression era migrant farm workers
and compares them to migrant farm workers of today.
This lesson should take about three class periods.
Objectives
1. Students will be able to identify and understand
the lifestyle of migrant farm workers during the Great
Depression.
2. Students will be able to understand common characteristics
of the hobo experience from various depictions of migrant
farm workers in art.
3. Students will be able to use primary and secondary
sources to explain the migrant worker’s lifestyle.
4. Students will be able to compare the lifestyle of
depression era migrant farm workers to the lifestyle
of today’s migrant farm workers.
Beginning
After having read Of Mice and Men, explain
that migrant farm workers like George and Lennie have
been depicted in many varieties of art, and were known
by many nicknames like hobos, bindle stiffs, and boxcar
Willies. Tell the students we are going to listen to
one such depiction in song. Distribute the lyrics to
“The Hobo’s Lullaby” by Woodie Guthrie,
found here:
http://www.digihitch.com/road-culture/music-lyrics/1086
Listen to the song at least once. Audio found here:
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=211907&song=Hobo%27s+Lullaby
Have students compare the hobo lifestyle depicted in
the song to George and Lennie. Write the comparisons
on the board, which should include but is not limited
to A) drifting from town to town, B) worn clothing,
C) not thinking about the future but living month to
month, and D) worrying about being in trouble with the
law.
Development
Divide students into groups of about four students.
Each group will use the Internet to research the lifestyle
of migrant farm workers, and will create an aesthetically
appealing poster on large sheets of easel paper. Each
group’s visual must include the following:
1. Three unique facts about the lifestyle of a hobo
during the Great Depression.
2. An interesting quotation from Of Mice and Men
that demonstrates the typical migrant worker’s
lifestyle.
3. An image of a hobo found on the Internet. This could
be a photo, a painting, a cartoon, etc.
4. Three interesting facts about migrant farm workers
in America today.
Each group should have access to the Internet, a large
sheet of easel paper, markers, tape, and scissors. Each
student in the group should be responsible for finding
one of the four requirements for the visual.
Culmination
Have each group present its visual to the class. Each
student in the group needs to participate in the presentation.
During each presentation, ensure that a range of ideas
about hobo lifestyle is discussed, as well as several
pertinent quotations from Of Mice and Men.
Most importantly, have each group compare today’s
migrant farm workers to the Great Depression’s
hobos and to George and Lennie.
Extension Activities
1. Write a compare/contrast essay on migrant farm workers
of today, during the Great Depression, and in Of
Mice and Men.
2. Bring in audio and lyrics to several more “hobo
songs” from artists such as Woody Guthrie, Hank
Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and Johnny Cash.
3. Analyze other passages of literature depicting hobo
or migrant farm worker lifestyle, such as Jack Kerouac’s
On the Road and John Steinbeck’s The
Grapes of Wrath.
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