Of Mice and Menn †this novel is all about The American Dream Essay

The Novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written in 1937 by John Steinbeck. It is the most touching tale about the relationship of two men, George and Lennie who are faced with difficult situations at times which are Steinbeck’s aspects of his life seeing as there are the main characters of the novel. On the other hand Steinbeck highlights in the novel the social conflicts of the time period, such as the climate change cause by drought and the financial collapse of 1929, which had affected the increase of unemployment and poverty throughout the United States of America. Of mice and men is a novel set on a ranch in the Salinas valet in California during the great depression of the 1930s. The main characters of the novel are Lennie and George. Lennie is described as a large guy who doesn’t know his own strength, but also unable to gauge other people’s weaknesses. Lennie is best described as childlike; he embodies the best characteristics of a childish mentality. He is trustworthy and a nice guy although he is mentally disabled, Lennie is simplistic and docile. He gets distracted very easily and is obsessed over simple sensory pleasures, finding great joy in touching soft things, whether a cotton dress or a soft puppy. Although he lacks in capacity on controlling himself physically, he has a great protective instinct, especially when it comes to his friend, George. George is a bright and healthy looking guy who isn’t suffering from any diseases like Lennie is. George is like a guardian to Lennie by always look down to him making sure he is well and happy. George is small, wiry, quick-witted man, however a loving and caring person, he struggles at times as Lennie has ruined everything but he still stays with him. It’s not normal for two people to work together travelling ranch to ranch as they do; this shows how strong their relationship really is. George promotes moral responsibility unlike Lennie or Curley’s wife. He also has interesting physical characteristics such as restless eyes, strong small hands, thin arms, and a bony nose. His need in a companion (Lennie) exceeds the generally accepted traditional remedies for loneliness. Throughout the story, George isn’t very lonely since he has got Lennie with him but in the end, when Lennie dies, he becomes lonely as he does not have anyone with him anymore. This novel is all about â€Å"The American Dream† you’ve noticed that no one in the book is truly happy. Everyone’s missing something. Except the boss, none of them own there own land or home. The only thing that anyone in the ranch has is a dream. People who work on the ranches have a low chance of going anywhere in life as it is tough with the low income they receive. In theory, anyone could become successful. Trouble is, in practice, most people need to be born rich to make it but George and Lennie dream of a better life and are different to everyone else as they got hope in themselves that they don’t want to work on ranches every day until they die. George and Lennie both have interesting and exciting dreams about how successful there futures will be. Lennie dreams with George of having a small piece of land; he is obsessed with one aspect of this dream: having a small rabbit hutch where he can tend rabbits. Lennie is incapable of making decisions by himself which is why he relies on George entirely. But truthfully it was never going to happen! Steinbeck says â€Å"each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.† This shows that it’s all in a pretend future. The quote â€Å"I got to thinking maybe we would†, George says to Lennie because he might of liked hearing it not realizing the truth with his childish mentality. You could spot a sign of loneliness which exists in George’s mind. He knows that there is no future for them and he doesn’t want Lennie to feel sad or upset, so by telling Lennie this lie, it will keep him happy and motivated on moving on. Steinbeck is trying to show us that there is no meaning of life if you fall into working in ranches and travelling. One of the main aspects that are attached with most of the characters of the novel is loneliness. Steinbeck has purposely named the town ‘Soledad’ because in Spanish, ‘Soledad’ means loneliness. This relates to the town being lonely and how the people living in it are also lonely and it also gives us a clue that the novel is mainly about loneliness. Loneliness encourages characters to seek an alternate way of life. You can notice how most of the important characters from the start end up being separated from each other, such as Candy and his dog, George and Lennie and Curley and his wife. There is much confusion and difficult situations where things don’t go as well or mistakes are made. There have been over one thousand migrant workers who came from different locations in America such as California. The men who decided to travel alone migrated from ranch to ranch in short-term. They were paid very little and there weren’t many options as no one would take them in. Lennie and George were the type who migrate from ranch to ranch together looking for work and this wasn’t very easy for them as they both were in difficult situations at times and had to leave for many reasons such as Lennie would do something wrong in a place as he is not as bright and gets distracted easily. This made both George and Lennie run away and come to Soledad from the town Weed where Lennie had petted a girl’s dress which made them lose their job. The bunkhouse was described as a rectangular building, which was dark and dull from the inside. Every man’s bunk was identical to each others (8 bunks in total). All of the bunks had a little shelf to put there belongings on. They also had a square table in the middle of the room were everyone had played cards. Everyone on the ranch was lonely because all the men in the bunkhouse were single and they had no companion to share there feelings with like George and Lennie did. When George says â€Å"they got no family† this explains that they are like orphans who have nobody in life but themselves. This shows a sign of loneliness and isolation from others because all this time he hasn’t really known the real meaning of life until he met Lennie. The men in the bunkhouse have nothing to look forward to except working on ranches for the rest of their lives. People like Slim and others find it strange how George and Lennie’s relationship is really strong and how they travel together working as a team. This is because most of the ranch hands tend to travel alone. This also shows that having company is unusual and being lonely is now seen as normal for the people living on the ranches. Curley’s wife is a young loving person who is fed up and wants some recognition, attention, her own identity and her own life. She is a very lonely character as she has nobody except her husband who she doesn’t love and also doesn’t receive love from him as well. Really she doesn’t have her own identity as she is seen as just someone’s wife, this is because Steinbeck has not given her an actual name by calling her â€Å"Curley’s wife† to show us that she doesn’t really have an identity. Also without Curley, she would be nothing as her life would have been so much different and harder with the social conflicts at the time period. Steinbeck purposely had done this which shows a sign of loneliness in her character. Curley doesn’t spend enough time with his wife, leading failure to satisfy her, either emotionally or physically. The lack of communication has pushed her into continuously looking for companionship, the quote â€Å"Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?† shows a sign of loneliness. She is isolated from the other ranch workers because they try avoiding her and not speaking with her as a fear of upsetting the boss’s son (Curley), this clearly explains that Curley does not give her the attention she craves and desires. Her relationship isn’t going really well as she has been looking for pleasure and flirting with other men. Curley isn’t someone who is always there for her nor loving. Another character who is very lonely is Candy. The old Handyman, aging away and is reduced to cleaning the Bunkhouse after losing his hand in an accident at work. Occasionally, Candy worries that the boss will soon declare him useless and demand that he leave the ranch. He was the person who welcomed George and Lennie to the farm, showing them where there beds were. He also has a similar dream to Lennie and George to share his own land and animals also some economic values. He offers them all his compensation money in return for a share in his and Lennie’s dream. Only meeting them on the first day shows how desperate he was. His life is the total opposite of his name because the name ‘Candy’ gives us an impression of sweet things but the character Candy is the total opposite. Finally, the most important thing in his life was his dog which was his best friend, who kept Candy company and has been in his life for a very long time. The quote â€Å"I had him ever since he was a pup,† shows that that the dog was someone he was able to care for which provided him with more than just friendship but family. The death of Candy’s Dog made a big impact in the reflection of attitudes to his life, being isolated and insecure as he loses the only thing that mattered to him in his life. He has no family or friends, resulting in failure to understand the human attachments and relationships with others. Also the character â€Å"Carlson† tries to pressure candy into shooting the struggling old dog. Candy had very strong, loving feelings for him and couldn’t preside. In the end because of peer pressure he agrees to let Carlson shoot the dog. You can see from the quote â€Å"Why’nt you shoot him Candy?† This shows that Carlson isn’t very sympathetic and he can’t understand how strong the bond is between Candy and his dog because he has a lack of understanding human attachm ents and relationships. The most unequal character in the novel is Crooks. He is isolated due to the colour of his skin because people look at him differently and give him no respect. He is the only black man in the book and at that time, America was a very racist, unpleasant place as Crooks were victimized. Crooks is a black stable-hand who is lively, sharp-witted and proud. He got his name from his crooked back. He also admits that he is extremely lonely, like most of the characters in the novel. He was referred to as â€Å"stable buck†, â€Å"nigger† or â€Å"crooks† and he was never referred to by his actual name which suggests that no one actually is bothered to get to know him. Crooks lives alone away from everybody else. He is isolated in his own room in the barn, instead of being with the other hands in the bunkroom. Isolating him from the other ranch workers purely because colour of his skin. The quote â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody† suggests that he had literally gone insane from loneliness and low self esteem. On the other hand, it is clear that he craves companionship from the shocking reaction when Lennie comes over to his room. At first he rejected him hoping to prove a point, as why should a black man welcome a white man when he who isn’t welcome in a white man’s house. Lastly he couldn’t take it from his desire for company so he invites him over to sit with him. Crooks doesn’t stop talking, showing us that he yearns for company as he is terribly lonely. In his room Crooks has the California code which is meant to protect his rights of black people in America, but in reality the symbol means nothing as for men like crooks, who is unable to socialise or be accepted as who he is just because of the colour of his skin. The character Curley is the boss’s son and is rather a two-dimensional villain. He gains his respect from others by picking fights with larger men. He is a little, mean and bitter bloke who is very aggressive and boastful to others. Rumours been said that Curley is a champion prize-fighter. Candy says that he is â€Å"handy† quoting that he fights well. He came in the finals for the Golden Glove boxing competition, this shows us that he likes fighting and is committed to it. No one likes Curley because he doesn’t deserve the respect with how he treats people. He is a married man and his wife isn’t very happy with him as she thinks that he has missed many opportunities to spend some time with her and bond together like couples do. The only time Curley shows up with his wife is when his wife was found dead. He doesn’t realize the fact he needs to think about others then just himself. In Conclusion, Steinbeck has successfully presented all the characters to some degree of loneliness, which was the main theme. He has perfectly explained the different aspects of how their lives on the ranches can be very lonely even if you’re still around each other. The way Steinbeck’s style of writing makes you feel sympathy for the characters. Also you experience the people’s lives were like at that time. The novel goes full circles, the situation ending basically the same as it began, at the same place. I really think the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is a really interesting story and have enjoyed it, I really recommend reading it!

An Assessment on the Benefits of Higher Education Essay

Higher education can be defined as the education that can be gained by an individual through studying at universities, colleges and other collegial institutions. This post-secondary or tertiary education is a non-compulsory education after graduating from high school or any other secondary school. An academic reward usually accompanied the graduation that distinguishes the skills and knowledge of an individual among others with his own field of specialization. These can be in the form of certificates, diplomas or academic degrees. Higher education usually appears to be in the form of teaching, researches and social services. These activities are usually provided by the universities and colleges in the realm of teaching. It also includes both the undergraduate level and post-graduate level which includes Ph. D. and master’s degrees. In the case of United Kingdom, the type of education that falls under the level of higher education but can also be classified as a post-secondary education is termed as further education. They usually include working skills with the level of degree that one may attain and thereby, making them a foundation degree qualification. There are mainly two classifications of higher education as it is dictated in the United Kingdom, the higher general education and the higher vocational education. In United States, higher education simply refers to as education offered by several institutions including the associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees and Ph. D. degrees. These institutions may also grant non-degree certificates which may prove the acquisition of knowledge and skills that can be useful for specific jobs. The right to acquire a degree from higher education institutions started on 1950 when Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights imposed the right of all individual to acquire proper education. United Nations also supported this law by providing the Article 13 of 1966 which states the accessibility of higher education to all, making it a standard goal on the basis of wealth and capacity through legal means. This law further supported the introduction of higher education to all by supporting the progressive implementation of free education. Higher education provides many advantages for a person as he takes his step towards employment and success. Some of the primary reasons why higher education should globally encourage are: (1) it can lead to higher salaries and more benefits for the employee; (2) it can encourage more employment options and reduce unemployment; (3) to promote higher saving levels; (4) to increase the personal learning as well as the professional mobility of the worker; (5) to improve life style and quality living that will lead to improved life expectancy and quality life for his offspring. One good example of these positive effects is the state of North Dakota. Some benefits brought by the implementation of higher education that are commonly noticed in the place are having 70 percent increase in the level of income of the residents and unemployment are reduced into five times less than before resulting into less amount of assistance that are needed to be offered by the government among its people. The state of Utah is another good example of this implementation of higher education. The number of enrollees in Utah have grown into significant amount during 1982 and 1983 which eventually lead to good results. The succeeding years have been very helpful for Utah as its education rates and level had increased to a desirable level. Utah showed great success during those succeeding years in terms of education level and economy. Utah became also a top performer on Measuring Up 2004 as it promotes the higher education for he students. It is definitely very advantageous to promote and encourage the students to pursue their studies and to be able to gain degrees on their own specialization. This will enable them to help themselves as individuals and promote a better economy for their state as they become part of the working class. Reference: Hill, Kent, Dennis Hoffman & T. R. Rex. 2005. The Value of Higher Education: Individual and Societal Benefits. Arizona State University http://wpcarey. asu. edu/seid/upload/Value%20Full%20Report_final_october %202005a. pdf

Philosophy of Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Philosophy of Science - Coursework Example ve knowledge about things and are capable of even discovering others including those which make up the fundamental truth of the structure of reality supports the underdetermination arguments. This therefore implies that both weak and strong underdetermination are critical aspects in the understanding of philosophy of science. It is however worth noting that his call for more epistemic  resources like the ampliative principles of beliefs which are meant to help in narrowing down merely logical possibilities to come up with those that are rationally defensible is very problematic. Despite the fact that underdetermination is known to pose a threat to the rationality of scientific enterprise, Laudan argued that the significance of underdetermination is often exaggerated in a variety of contexts and claims. To him, underdetermination comes with a variety of strengths2. However, the known or seen strengths primarily depends on what is being said or asserted about a given character, the rational defensibility of the competing hypothesis and the ways through which people revise their beliefs on different evidences which are available to

Crude Oil Alternatives and The Future of the Transportation industry Research Paper

Crude Oil Alternatives and The Future of the Transportation industry (Trucking, Rail and Air) - Research Paper Example Historically transport has depended on animal power and then fossil fuels. The use of fossil fuels has been the human tradition for more than a century and a half now so there is little surprise that calls for change are gathering lingering discontent. The move to alternative energy systems may be slow but it is certainly steady. A number of avenues have been explored in regards to generating energy for the transportation industry. Ideas have ranged from the use of solar panels to the use of batteries in vehicles to power motion. These technologies can be seen as replacing the current transportation infrastructure altogether. However, certain other technologies such as the use of hydrogen will mean that the transportation infrastructure and principles will change but will not be replaced altogether. Another option is the merger between existing systems and newly introduced alternative technologies to create hybrid systems. These hybrid systems are currently the most viable option for changes in the transport industry. At this point in time, the transportation industry depends on one thing – an engine. All kinds of vehicles possess an engine to provide driving energy whether you talk of road vehicles, aquatic vehicles, air vehicles or space vehicles. The engine is fundamentally driven using materials that combust and in doing so provide energy. This applies equally across the board to all forms of conventionally powered vehicles. As far as changes to road vehicles are concerned, the industry has taken a large shift. In the early years of alternative energy development, the center focus remained the development of vehicles that utilized hydrogen as a fuel. This move was widely researched by leading manufacturers such as General Motors (GM), Ford, Honda, Toyota and BMW but a sustainable solution could not be found (BMW). One primary cause for the failure of this system was the need to replace the existing apparatus for fuelling while keeping costs to a mini mum. The oil based road vehicle took decades to come to a discernible form. Furthermore, a number of auxiliaries supports the oil based road vehicle in its operation. These include things such as manufacturing expertise, fuelling systems, maintenance systems etc. It was never practicable enough to realize a change in a few short years that would somehow replace the existing setup (Ghirardi, Togasaki and Seibert). Instead, the industry looked to other alternatives such as using the current hybrid systems. A hybrid system is essentially a combination of a conventional gasoline engine with a battery powered motor. The motor tends to operate in the lower driving speeds while the gasoline engine kicks in when more power is required. The road to change for road vehicles is expected to be the optimal path followed by other modes of transportation such as rail and air travel. Current attempts at alternative energy in air travel are looking at liquid hydrogen as the fuel of choice (Robertson ). However, rail transport alternative energy development is more advanced as hybrid solutions are being looked into. The rising costs of oil around the world are forcing manufacturers, retailers and operators to look for alternatives although the changes are not highly radical. In a few short years the price of crude oil has increased many fold. This trend is expected to continue as oil rich countries will control production

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Portfolio - Essay Example Japan has become one of the industrialised countries to some extent (Cusumano, 2013). The pillar Japanese industries like housing and the auto industry are developing in leaps and bounds. The main exported products in Japan are electric and machinery equipment and the most imported products are the raw materials used in industries. Because of economic extroversion, the industry of Japan has internationally competed in the recent years and as a result, the industrial development in the country is highly influenced by global economic environments (Cusumano, 2006). The price of exports in Japan keeps on declining thus making it more challenging than other sectors. Foreign-invested enterprises and products’ market share, on the other hand, keep on increasing. These two factors increase the challenges that the domestic industry of Japan faces based on production and selling (Krafcik, 2008).For instance, the domestic enterprises are affected particularly. In addition, industries such as light and textile have decreased their growth rate since the year 1990. Additionally, the production rate of products such as durable consumption goods has drastically decreased.The main dominant sector in the economic status of Japan remains its industries and manufacturing sectors. Despite decreasing the nation’s GDP by 5% percent, industrialization still remains the leading sector and has contributed to 55 percent of the country’s GDP in the year 2012 (Lieberman, Lau & Williams, 2000). This cemented the position of Japan as among the leadin g country in terms of industrial output. The industrial sector in Japan has not only increased the economic growth of the country, but also increased the rate of employment opportunities. More factories are being opened day by day in Japan, thus creating both professional and non-professional employment opportunities. Industrial development

Business Administration Capstone class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Administration Capstone class - Essay Example Factors influencing organizations or businesses can be broadly classified into two i.e. external and internal environmental factors. The internal environment of an organization defines the actual working mechanism of the organization. It encompasses factors such as the organizational culture, employees’ policy, and in a nut-shell the factors which are internal to the organization that is the strengths and weaknesses of an organization (Dess, Lumpkin & Eisner, 2010). This is in contrast to the external factors. The external factors constitute the opportunities and the threats that are present in the external environment for the organization. At all times an organization is faced by either Opportunities or threats, or both. These two factors not only present challenges to an organization, but also a long-term strategy that may assist an organization grow or prosper (SWOT Analysis, n.d.). For example, Technological changes, consumer culture and the state policies present both opportunities and threats to organizations. Generally, opportunities present for a firm may also present similar threats. This is because at any instance they influence both external and internal environmental reactions. This reaction is what actually dictates the definition of a threat or an opportunity to a business. For example, government policy may be a threat or opportunity depending whether it favors or threatens an organization’s objectives. The value chain analysis of the Stilsim company indicates that the company is surrounded by a number of threats and opportunities that are likely to affect the productivity and hence the future of the organization. StilSim Company has numerous opportunities to better its services, however, the number of threats facing the company far out way the current opportunities available for the company survive the harsh

The impact of University Center Cesar Ritz students expenditure on the Essay

The impact of University Center Cesar Ritz students expenditure on the local community of Brig - Essay Example This mini â€Å"United Nations" truly represents the international aspect of the hospitality industry. The faculty and staff of UCCR are here to assist the students and guide them to achieve academic excellence. This environment may also help the educators in hospitality management to enhance their professional abilities and knowledge to guide and educate future professionals â€Å"who are mentally equipped to face current and future challenges with regards to the internationalization of hotels† (Velo & Mittaz, abstract, 2006). In turn, they aid the students by giving them the capital to implement transformational leadership methods and techniques to face the new challenges (Gil, Flaschner & Shachar, abstract, 2006). Unlike other hotel schools, UCCR focuses on the management aspects of the hotel & tourism industry, and prepares the students for supervisory and managerial positions. It is an objective, which Ricci and Tesone (2006) describe in their abstract as the importance of certain knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes, as well as their competencies. University Center Cesar Ritz was originally founded in Switzerland in 1982 under the name Hotelconsult SHCC, which represented a hotel chain management. By 1986, after the death of Cesar, under the management of his wife, the Hotelconsult, transformed the hotel into Cesar Ritz Foundation which operates and manages a chain Ritz hotel and an education institution to teach young people the hospitality management and trade. The name Cesar Ritz was adopted as a legacy of one of the founders of the hotel industry and the owner of the Hotelconsult SHCC. In the section of â€Å"Founders of the Hotel Industry,† Cesar Ritz is described as â€Å"a hotelier at the Grand National Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland. Because of his management abilities, â€Å"the hotel became one of the most popular in Europe and Cesar Ritz