English II CP
Of Mice and Men Euthanasia Synthesis Essay

As you should know by now, Of Mice and Men ends with George killing Lennie. One justification hinted at in the novel centers on mercy: George kills his friend in order to spare Lennie a more gruesome and painful death at the hands of Curley and the other ranchers.

In other words, Lennies death is a form of euthanasia, or mercy killing. But euthanasia, like abortion and global warming, is a controversial and contestable issue.

So, while we, as readers, cannot change Georges decision, we can argue for the morality of that decision. We canand have todecide whether George was right to kill Lennie.

In order to do this, you will examine some of the arguments for and against euthanasia and construct an essay that uses those argumentsas well as textual evidence from Of Mice and Mento condemn or confirm Georges decision to kill Lennie.

Essential Question of Essay:

Is George justified in killing Lennie, or does his decision amount to murder?

Essay Content Requirements:
Introduction with a clear, arguable thesis statement
Cited, analyzed evidence from Of Mice and Men (one quote)  and two different sources in this packet
Conclusion must include an opposing view sentence

Essay Format Requirements:
2-2.5 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins on all sides
MLA Header on first page
MLA format for in-text citations