Comparative Analysis
How can friendships protect us and give meaning to our lives? There are many responses to that question. Some may think that friends protect us by making us feel calm and happy. Some may feel that friends give us meaning by knowing that encouragement will help us find and achieve our dreams. I believe that friendships can protect us and bring meaning to our lives by knowing that loneliness will not occur and by learning to follow our dreams to succeed.
Consider the relationship between George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men. Their relationship can be defined as a symbiosis relationship; which is defined as “the living together in close association of two dissimilar organisms.” Their relationship is defined in that way because when comparing them they are completely different. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man and is really big/tall. Lennie is child-like and has to depend on George for help. George is a small man who cares for Lennie. George is devoted to helped Lennie. They both are always with each other and care for each other. The author’s purpose for showing the symbiosis relationship between George and Lennie is by having examples that show that they are truly different from each other and live in close association to each other.
In the relationship of George and Lennie, they both knew that they wouldn't be alone if they had each other. They also knew that they had to stick with each other. George was always there for Lennie. George was a fatherly figure towards Lennie. In the beginning of the book Lennie was drinking/gulping from a green pond. George didn’t want Lennie to get sick so he said “Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.” George wanted to keep Lennie safe and protected.
Lennie always looked up to George like he was his father. At times Lennie copied George and tried to impress George. In one part of the story, “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George's hat was.” They were always with each other; they traveled together to the ranch. Lennie wanted to be like George and make George happy.
George and Lennie hating the feeling and idea of being alone. George said to Lennie "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place.” George and Lennie didn’t want to be alone, so it was great for them to have each other. They made a good connection with each other.
Consider the relationship between Sonny and Quentin in October Sky. Their relationship can be defined as a mutualism relationship; which is defined as a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms involved benefit. Their relationship is defined as mutualism because both Sonny and Quentin worked together to benefit each other’s needs and wants. Sonny and Quentin worked together to build rockets. Their relationship began to grow when they built rockets together. Their wants were benefited when they followed their dream to build the best rocket. The author’s purpose for showing the mutualism relationship between Sonny and Quentin is to show examples of them benefiting of being together.
In the relationship between Sonny and Quentin, they learned to follow their dreams to succeed. They learned that sticking together will help them to achieve their dreams. Both Sonny and Quentin needed each other to build the rockets. Sonny was considered street-smart because he was capable of building the rockets. Quentin was considered book-smart because he knew the science of building the rockets. They both learned how to make the rockets go faster and farther in the sky when they worked together. Near the end of the book, they needed to learn calculus to know how far the rocket went up the sky. They were determined to get calculus as a class in the school. They achieved that goal, but Sonny couldn’t take it because his grades weren't acceptable for being in the class. Did he quit? No, he was still determined to learn calculus on his own. There were many subjects that they had to learn to improve the rockets. When working together, they achieved their goals.
When Sonny and Quentin worked together they started to believe in each other. In improving the rockets, Sonny and Quentin were determined to enter the science fair and win. Quentin believed that Sonny could bring the trophy home. Quentin felt that Sonny would be the only rocket boy to go to college and get the job that he wants. Knowing that his best friend believed in him, Sonny felt better about himself and knew that his dreams would lead to success. Sonny learned what his dream was and said “I had discovered that learning something, no matter how complex, wasn't hard when I had a reason to want to know it.” Sonny and Quentin had the feeling of “wanting” to achieve their goals and that made them have a great connection.
Relationships can help us in many ways. Many times relationships make an impact in our lives. Friends can help us to feel better about life knowing that being alone will not happen. Friends can help us to follow our dreams by them believing in us. Relationships are needed for everyone to have a meaningful life.
Consider the relationship between George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men. Their relationship can be defined as a symbiosis relationship; which is defined as “the living together in close association of two dissimilar organisms.” Their relationship is defined in that way because when comparing them they are completely different. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man and is really big/tall. Lennie is child-like and has to depend on George for help. George is a small man who cares for Lennie. George is devoted to helped Lennie. They both are always with each other and care for each other. The author’s purpose for showing the symbiosis relationship between George and Lennie is by having examples that show that they are truly different from each other and live in close association to each other.
In the relationship of George and Lennie, they both knew that they wouldn't be alone if they had each other. They also knew that they had to stick with each other. George was always there for Lennie. George was a fatherly figure towards Lennie. In the beginning of the book Lennie was drinking/gulping from a green pond. George didn’t want Lennie to get sick so he said “Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.” George wanted to keep Lennie safe and protected.
Lennie always looked up to George like he was his father. At times Lennie copied George and tried to impress George. In one part of the story, “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George's hat was.” They were always with each other; they traveled together to the ranch. Lennie wanted to be like George and make George happy.
George and Lennie hating the feeling and idea of being alone. George said to Lennie "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place.” George and Lennie didn’t want to be alone, so it was great for them to have each other. They made a good connection with each other.
Consider the relationship between Sonny and Quentin in October Sky. Their relationship can be defined as a mutualism relationship; which is defined as a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms involved benefit. Their relationship is defined as mutualism because both Sonny and Quentin worked together to benefit each other’s needs and wants. Sonny and Quentin worked together to build rockets. Their relationship began to grow when they built rockets together. Their wants were benefited when they followed their dream to build the best rocket. The author’s purpose for showing the mutualism relationship between Sonny and Quentin is to show examples of them benefiting of being together.
In the relationship between Sonny and Quentin, they learned to follow their dreams to succeed. They learned that sticking together will help them to achieve their dreams. Both Sonny and Quentin needed each other to build the rockets. Sonny was considered street-smart because he was capable of building the rockets. Quentin was considered book-smart because he knew the science of building the rockets. They both learned how to make the rockets go faster and farther in the sky when they worked together. Near the end of the book, they needed to learn calculus to know how far the rocket went up the sky. They were determined to get calculus as a class in the school. They achieved that goal, but Sonny couldn’t take it because his grades weren't acceptable for being in the class. Did he quit? No, he was still determined to learn calculus on his own. There were many subjects that they had to learn to improve the rockets. When working together, they achieved their goals.
When Sonny and Quentin worked together they started to believe in each other. In improving the rockets, Sonny and Quentin were determined to enter the science fair and win. Quentin believed that Sonny could bring the trophy home. Quentin felt that Sonny would be the only rocket boy to go to college and get the job that he wants. Knowing that his best friend believed in him, Sonny felt better about himself and knew that his dreams would lead to success. Sonny learned what his dream was and said “I had discovered that learning something, no matter how complex, wasn't hard when I had a reason to want to know it.” Sonny and Quentin had the feeling of “wanting” to achieve their goals and that made them have a great connection.
Relationships can help us in many ways. Many times relationships make an impact in our lives. Friends can help us to feel better about life knowing that being alone will not happen. Friends can help us to follow our dreams by them believing in us. Relationships are needed for everyone to have a meaningful life.