What are some good Nikon/Canon lenses for beginners and what do they do?

I'm debating getting a Canon Rebel EOS or a Nikon D3100 as an entry-level photographer.
What are the benefits of each? The negatives? What about the lenses?

Added (1). Thanks you guys! Much appreciated.

Either camera will work just fine. Both are sold with 18-55mm kit lenses that really can cover up to 90% of what most people would want to shoot from groups to portraits. Beyond that, consider adding the 55-200mm telephoto zoom lenses for more distant subjects or things that you want to isolate more than is possible with the 18-55mm lens. That's your cheapest route to get good results over the widest range. In time however, you'll learn what focal lengths are important to you and whether or not you need/want faster lenses. By that time however, you'll be able to make your own decisions about what lenses you want/need.

Buy Canon T2i (also known as 550D) with 18-55mm lens and 55-250mm lens also. But if you do not want to change the lens, you may buy 18-135mm lens or 18-200mm lens. In AF mode the both lenses do well. The 18-55mm kit lens is enough for most of the common shooting conditions you will encounter.

Telephoto lenses have a narrower angle of view than normal lenses. They usually start at 75mm up to 150mm. Subjects appear bigger to fill up the picture more easily. Lenses like these are good for closeup shots where you focus more on detail.So, 55-250mm or 18-200mm is a good buy.

Standard zoom lenses like the 18-55mm or 28-75mm, telephoto zooms like the 80-200mm and 100-300mm are very helpful for capturing distant objects.

For indoor low-light photo or portrait, you may buy a cheap lens canon EF50mmf/1.8 lens. This lens will be an additional collection.

One could argue pros and cons all day but in the end it all comes down to user preferences. While one may look better on paper you might find it confusing or uncomfortable in your hands and if you are either while out shooting you picked the wrong camera.

however you asked for a list so here it is (assessment on all nikons and canons, not just the 2 models you listed, because they are too similar) There are no drastic ones so I'm listing the most obvious problems.

Nikon

Better Ergonomics for most,
More accurate Autofocus
Slightly more lenses you can use (but there's a catch)
More durable
Better in low light
Better kit lenses
Better prime lenses

Canon

More Magapixels
Faster autofocus
Many more AF lenses to choose from'
Lighter pro lenses
Better Video

You really need to try both to make a final decision though.