Part 2: Poem related to Of Mice and Men.
Eldorado
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old,
This knight so bold,
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow;
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be,
This land of Eldorado?”
“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied,
“If you seek for Eldorado!”
By: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
I chose this poem for Of Mice and Men because it reminded me about George’s goals and dreams. I know that Eldorado was a legendary city of gold, so the knight and George were both searching for the same thing; wealth. George never reaches his “Eldorado”, or his goal. I also know that “Valley of the Shadow” is sometimes used to symbolize death, and at the end, George has to kill Lennie.
