Sex Offenders has to be related to criminal justice Essay

Sex Offenders has to be related to criminal justice - Essay Example An attempt will be made to establish the extent to which criminal justice can be leveled against sexual offenders. A conclusion summarizing the main points discussed in the essay will be given at the end of the essay. In order to get a clear understanding about the topic, it is imperative to begin by defining the term sexual offence. A sex offence can be loosely defined as abuse of another person which mainly involves deriving sexual pleasure from that person without consent. For instance, research has shown that rape within marriage, which has not always been recognized as a crime, is a growing area of concern in American criminal justice, and many laws have been enacted during the past few decades to deter it. â€Å"Similarly even though UCR/NIBRS Program statistics officially report only the rape or attempted rape of females, some states statutes criminalize the rape. In 2007, for example, sixth-grade Wilmington, Delaware, science teacher Rachel L. Holt, a 34-year-old divorcee, w as sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree rape. She had initially been charged with 28 counts of first-degree rape---which prosecutors said was based on the number of times she had had sex with a 13 year-old male student whom she had supplied with alcohol and let drive her car,† ( Frank Schmalleger, p. 49). ... ibes certain norms of conduct that bind all members of the state upon which it has a jurisdiction to punish a person who transgresses against these norms. As far as criminal law is concerned, the state is there to act against the defendant and criminal justice is seen as an effective tool of dealing with particular acts by the members of the society that are considered to be in violation of the prescribed norms. For partners to engage in sexual activities, there must be common understanding between them and they should first reach an agreement so that no one will feel betrayed or abused. It can be noted that there are many different forms of sexual offences and these range from rape, fondling, juvenile prostitution and sexual exploitation through child pornography. Basically, rape and child sexual abuse are more rampant forms of sexual offenses during the contemporary period. A closer look at the trends of sexual offences reveals that rape cases are on the rise in different states an d these often take different forms but all the same, this will constitute a criminal offence. A crime involving sexual abuse without consent is in violation of the societal norms and values which are protected under the public law. Criminal justice has to be effected in such scenarios. Cases involving rape within marriages have significantly gained prominence during the contemporary period especially in the US as noted above. This type of offence used to be treated lightly but some of the sexual aggression displayed to another partner can be classified as a criminal offense. Indeed, married people form the union out of love and common understanding but in some cases, when it comes to the subject of conjugal rights, there may be no common understanding between the married partners. If a

Good and Evil in Billy Budd Essay Example for Free

Good and Evil in Billy Budd Essay Contrast Between Good and Evil in Billy Bud Since the beginning of time, there has always been a tenacious struggle between good and evil. In a particular famous book, The Bible, the continuous clash between good and evil remains evident throughout the work. In Herman Melvilles novel, Billy Budd, symbolism, characterization, and irony are put to use to develop the dramatic contrast between good and evil. Symbolism is used to directly contrast good and evil. The night before Billys hanging, through the rose-tan of his complexion no pallor could have shown. Billy portrays a very pure Christ-like character before his demise. His white garb, and natural glowing of light makes his death seem symbolic for good. Claggort whos brow was of the sort phrenologically associated with more than average intellect symbolically manipulated Billy Budd as did the wisdom of the serpent manipulate Adam. Evil always tries to antagonize what is good. Therefore, Claggort was Billys antagonist throughout Billy Budd. Also symbolic to the novel is the actual demise of both Claggort and Billy Budd. Claggorts death is very short and appropriate to his navel grade. In contrast, Billys death occurs during the dawn where Billy ascended; and ascending took the full rose of the dawn. Claggorts death completely contrasts with the pure death of Billy Budd. Billys death is portrayed as good, conquering, and symbolic, which directly foils that of Claggorts. Not only using symbolism, Melville also uses characterization to contrast good and evil. Characterization is used to contrast the concepts of good and evil. Billy Budd is like a young horse fresh from the pasture suddenly inhaling a vile whiff from some chemical factory. Billys innocence and purity is exterminated at the hands of his main enemy, John Claggort, much such as Adam presumably might have been ere the urbane Serpent wriggled himself into his company. Claggorts silken jet curls and pallor tinged with a faint shade of amber skin even denote evil. Dark traits are often used to express evil, as light and beauty to express good. In contrast to Claggort, Billy Budds welkin-eyes, blonde hair, and tan complexion ultimately portray good. Besides from the use of characterization and symbolism, Melville uses irony to portray the battle of good versus evil. Irony is used to contrast the concepts of good and evil. Billy, the fighting peacemaker kills John Claggort with a blow quick as the flame from a discharged cannon. It is ironic that Billy, this innocent Christ like character loses his composure and ultimately does something evil. Through out the novel Billy Budd is never aware of Claggorts ill will towards him. Even when warned, Jemmy legs is down on you, Billy still can not grasp the concept that evil can happen to him, so when it does he doesnt know how to react. It is ironic that right before Billys hanging, he shouts God Bless Captain Vere even though Vere was the main advocate in the prosecuting of him. It is overall ironic that evil prevails in this novel. Claggort unfortunately got the last laugh. He is able to adulterate Billys purity and innocence in such a way that even the newspapers consider Billy as the criminal [who] paid the penalty for his crime In the end Claggort is portrayed as this martyr who is killed by this evil, and bad person, Billy Budd. This assumption is a major mistake. To develop the dramatic contrast between good and evil in the novel, Billy Budd, Herman Melville uses symbolism, characterization, and irony. Good and evil are a flip of a coin, and separated by a very thin line. The innocent martyr, Billy crossed this line once in the novel, to cause his downfall. After reading Billy Budd the reader ultimately realizes good and evil with out a problem.

Explain the formation and the break down of the First Triumvirate :: Ancient Rome Roman History

Explain the formation and the break down of the First Triumvirate The formation of the First Triumvirate took place because of the political motives and the personal motives of the three ruthlessly ambitious power brokers in Rome. These men required the co-operation of the other two in order to further their political careers. During the time of the First Triumvirate many extraordinary powers where obtained and in some cases these where unprecedented. There are some key factors that have to be considered towards the break down of the Triumvirate. The most powerful and influential people, the Optimates became increasingly dis empowered, and a sense of desperation to regain power is felt with the use of Pompey in an a final attempt to restore power to the Senate. "By uncompromising refusal to meet the demands of Pompey, Caesar and Crassus the senate naturally drove them into each others arms. The three men agreed to form a political amicitia ....." Pompey upon return from his successful campaign in the East, disbanded his army probably to diffuse tension in Rome and prove to the Optimates in Rome he had no intention of over throwing the Government. This suggests Pompey's political naivety and the fact that Pompey thought he had done enough in order to get recognition and acceptance from the Optimates to gain land for his veterans and to have his innumerable arrangements in the East ratified. Cato also refused Pompey's offer of marriage to one of his nieces. According to Bradley "Cato was a staunch conservative, and distrusted Pompey's motives" Crassus had a problem with his supporters. He supported a request from a company of tax gatherers (Equites), that after realizing Asia had been economically raped, and virtually un-taxable due to the Mithradatic campaign, could not possibly make money from taxes, so the request he supported is that the Senate should adjust the bad bargain to on a third rebate which they had made in contracting for the taxes of Asia. This request according to Scullard was rejected under Cato's leadership which had led to the stagnation of Crassus' political career. Thus Crassus needed some support of Pompey and Caesar to kick start his career and eventually lead to the formation of the First Triumvirate. Caesar, who had been Propraetor in Spain during, 61BC, hoped to return to Rome in 60BC and stand for the consulship for the following year.

DBQ apush Essay

To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American society? In your answer be sure to address the political, social, and economic effects of the Revolution in the period from 1775 to 1800.  Notes from Mr. Williams: This essay was given to 2 nd  period APUSH on their first in – class essay. Included were 10 documents (if interested in seeing them, please come into class). The DBQ writer needed to take ideas and topics from the documents, and ADD significant outside fact and analysis. Notice that this writer does a complete job. He/she  deals with the entire question (deals with extent) and answers the question from economic, political and social points of view. Additionally, he/she used a significant amount of documents and included o  utside knowledge. After the American Revolution, Americans, who were free of British control, started to reevaluate politics, the economy and society. After breaking away from what they thought was a corrupt and evil government, Americans changed how the y wanted to  govern their society, even though they ultimately reverted to a more centralized government similar to Britain. The uneducated masses, as viewed by the elite, didn’t experience a lot of change though the ideals from the revolution still guided some to seek  better financial opportunities. Women, slaves, and loyalist experienced a considerable amount of change in society as women experienced more freedoms, some slaves were set free, and loyalist left America. Overall, America didn’t experience a l ot of economic  change, but it did experience, to varying degrees, political and social  change.

Animal Farm: a Communist Manifesto

George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is subtitled â€Å"a Fairy Story†, a label that may make the book seem innocent and appropriate for children and classroom settings. However, the title is misleading. Animal Farm is a work of Communist propaganda. It outlines and even encourages the overthrow of the government, and explains how to set up and maintain a communist state. It portrays government as corrupt and the public as stupid and easily manipulated. Orwell himself wavered between being a socialist and an anarchist.Considering communist China's recent increased aggression, and deteriorating relations between them and the United States, the dangers of this novel must be weighed carefully. It is often taught in schools, despite the fact that it promotes un-American and anti-capitalist views. With today's political tension, do we really want our youth exposed to literature that encourages them to mistrust the government and supports a communist revolution? Animal Farm is indeed c ommunist propaganda. It describes how the animals overthrow the farmer and drive all humans from the farm.The animals create a set of laws, designed to eradicate all hints of humanity; humanity, of course, represents the capitalist government. The animals call each other â€Å"comrade†, a clear reference to communism, and after the revolution the animals are described as being â€Å"happy as they had never conceived it possible to be† (Orwell 46). The novel describes much of the procedure of running a communist state. It includes the organization of committees, and the indoctrination of the public in the form of the sheep.Snowball, one of the two pigs who leads the animals after the revolution, teaches the sheep to repeat the maxim â€Å"Four legs good, two legs bad,† which, he feels, sums up the laws of their new system – completely against humans. Methods of propaganda are also explored. Carrier pigeons are sent to neighboring farms to deliver heroic ta les of the revolution and convert other farms to ‘Animalism' – the domino effect in action. Internal propaganda is the responsibility of a pig named Squealer, whose primary function is to convince the animals that the actions taken by the pigs are for their own good.This is a clear description of how to keep a communist regime in power: as long as the pubic is convinced that all actions are for their own good, they will go along with anything. The public is constantly told that they are doing better than ever before; Squealer always tells the animals that they are producing more food more efficiently than when they were under human rule, no matter what the reality of the situation. The novel portrays government in general in an extremely negative manner, and one that is certainly intended to inspire mistrust and encourage rebellion.The government officials are represented by pigs, and are portrayed as sneaky and greedy, with only their own best interests at heart. They take the best of the food, and live in the farmhouse in luxury. Impressionable minds could take this to mean that all governments are greedy and corrupt, and again encourages rebellion. The public, too, is portrayed in an extremely negative light. The vast majority of the animals, who represent the general public, are not even intelligent enough to learn the alphabet.Most of the public is represented by the sheep, who â€Å"could get no further than the letter A† (Orwell 50). Violence is portrayed as both noble and desirable. In the beginning of the novel, the animals turn on their human keepers and attack them, driving them off the farm. This is portrayed as a noble action, and one to be proud of. It is also promotes violence against the government, and explains that the only way to put a communist regime in place is to eliminate the current government by force.When the humans are driven off the farm a second time in the novel, this time with even more violence than the firs t, the animals are jubilant. They are described as having â€Å"reassembled in the wildest excitement, each recounting his own exploits in the battle at the top of his voice† (Orwell 59). This is not a mere glorification of violence; it is a call for violence against the government, an act that is clearly unlawful. â€Å"Advocacy aimed at promoting the forceful overthrow of the government†¦ an be punished without violating the first amendment† (Choper 139). Religion, too, is portrayed as undesirable in Animal Farm. Religion is represented by a raven named Moses who is described as â€Å"a spy, and a tale-bearer†, and who is hated by the other animals because he â€Å"told tales and did no work† (Orwell 37). Moses is later driven off the farm, much as religion was driven from communist countries. Not only is this factor of the book anti-religious, it also explains to readers that for a communist regime to remain in power, religion must be eliminated.O rwell himself alternated between being an anarchist and a socialist; are the values of a man with no respect for capitalism or democracy views that we want taught to our children in schools (Storgaard 5)? Our schools should be teaching children how to be good Americans, not feeding them communist propaganda in the form of fables. Animal Farm is dangerous and inflammatory. It contains instructions for staging a revolution and putting a communist regime in place, and encourages the overthrow of the government. Young minds should not be exposed to this manner of propaganda in school.

Compare and contrast Ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilisations Essays

Compare and contrast Ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilisations Essays Compare and contrast Ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilisations Paper Compare and contrast Ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilisations Paper To the eyes of a 21st century westerner, the developments of the ancient Egyptians seem manifestly more impressive that those of the Mayans over two thousand years later. Yet it is important to note the fact that there is no real benefit in dating the achievements of these peoples, as there is no reason that they should have developed earlier or later than one another, the date is relative to the region and environment in which the culture develops. In fact whilst Mayan agriculture is considered, compared with that of the Egyptians, relatively primitive; the fact that they managed to farm at all under those conditions is testament to a highly developed society. In fact, it has recently come to the fore that Mayan agriculture may have been more highly developed than archaeologists had expected, for example the argument put forward by Moreley in 1946 that agriculture in Maya cultures was a simple process of slash and burn has now been almost entirely rejected. It would seem that certain differences between cultures could be accounted for by faults in the archaeological process. The idea that Mayan agriculture was of a simple slash and burn nature is indeed a direct fault of archaeologists reluctance to let go of certain theses and theories. This idea of the primitive nature of Mayan agriculture is part of the Swidden theory; something which many who studied in the field clung to despite overwhelming evidence to suggest that Mayan agriculture was far more developed than the theory allowed for. In fact a study of the Mayan lowlands shows use of raised fields or bajos, whose use in other developed parts of Mesoamerica has been widely emphasised, whereas their existence in the Maya territories has been ignored. There is also evidence for the use of terraced farming in the region, and also complex irrigation networks, which was almost certainly omitted from archaeological reports, as they did not fit in with the widely accepted Swidden theory. It would seem that the conservative nature of a few archaeological studies is accountable for many of the differences that we see between the great ancient civilisations. It is however, necessary that the study of archaeology should be carried out in this particularly conservative fashion, for if we were to accept all theories as possibly correct then it would be almost impossible to carry out historical analysis of archaeological theses. It is for this reason that some of the apparent differences between Mayan and Egyptian cultures appear, the advancement of agriculture is just one of those domains. Yet this is not entirely surprising considering the conditions in which studies must be carried out, for the rainforests of Guatemala are considerably harder to study than the land of the Nile Valley. This causes more gaps to appear in the history and culture of the Maya, parts of Mayan life that are difficult to understand due to the tendency of the rainforest to swallow up what is left there. Therefore, studies on Egyptian agriculture could be carried out in the 1800s from the ground, and also from the study of papyrus texts preserved by the dry climate. Whereas the bajos and terracing of the Maya are unperceivable until one looks at an overview from the air. As these means were inaccessible to archaeologists in the late 1800s, certain incorrect views and theories were formed, and adopted as almost sacrosanct until recent studies proved them to be wrong. So it would seem that the nature and location of the site has a direct impact upon what we know and understand about ancient cultures. As a consequence of this, a comparative study of the two cultures involved only hopes to compare the different ideas of what these cultures may have been like. This is especially true of the Mayans, whose treasures are far more closely hidden and less accessible than those of the ancient Egyptians. These anomalies aside however, there are undoubtedly a remarkable amount of similarities between these two cultures which cannot be ignored. The first similarity I would like to talk about is that which immediately springs to mind, architecture. The question of the similarities of the architecture, and also the purpose for which they built in this fashion, is of great interest to archaeologists. The most notable examples of architectural similarities is in the early step pyramids of Egypt and the later Mayan temples. This is displayed when looking at the structure and purpose of the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque, and the step pyramid at Saqqara. Although built around 3,400 years apart, the buildings are outwardly similar in appearance and indeed both served as burial chambers for the Great Kings of their time. Although the discovery of the burial chamber inside the Temple of inscriptions was, in fact, hidden for quite some time after the temple was discovered. The temple was believed at first to be for the purpose of presenting propaganda to the nearby population. This was an important part of Mayan politics, where inscriptions on public buildings were often the only media for proving the Kings lineage to the ancient Olmec civilisation. Once the burial chamber was found, opinions changed over the similarities between the Mayas and the Egyptians as pyramids emerged from both cultures as a means of protecting the dead kings. Once again there is great controversy over the apparently bizarre coincidence of these two cultures developing such similar traits in environments. If we look at it in the most logical sense it would seem that the two cultures had the same environmental problems to overcome, therefore both cultures were forced to understand their surroundings extremely well. In turn this caused them to look further away from what they could actually physically come into contact with, and look to factors which could affect their fortunes. This led eventually to the study of the stars and of the movement of the sun and moon, the Egyptians looked more towards the sun and their god Ri. In fact it is accepted that these two aspects of life were of supreme importance to the ancient Egyptians, as outlined by Rosaline David: The relation of the Egyptian to his god and to the whol cosmic order was the corner stone of society. The way in which the pyramids of Egypt are aligned is for the purpose of sending the king on his journey around the world and underworld, this would follow the same course as the sun and as such exist on an East-West axis. The height and structure of the pyramids was such that the buildings would be symmetrical along their axes and also be clearly visible from their surroundings. It is also suggested that the Mayan pyramids are in celestial alignment, in accordance with the map of the sky at a certain point in the year. This theory is a little more tenuous, yet is attractive to those who wish to present a relation between the two cultures. We also see great similarities in the way in which the cultures used art, both in their glyphs and in their artwork. Both Egyptian and Mayan art is centred on anthropomorphisms, possibly testament to the fact that both had strong links to the land. Study of these drawings shows particular emphasis on the deadly animals which existed in their areas, serpents and large cats being strongly associated with anthropomorphic gods. To explain these similarities it is perhaps the task of not only archaeologists, but also zoologists, botanists and geologists. And it was a combination of these groups who unwillingly composed perhaps the most controversial of all the theories presented for the explanation of similarities between the two cultures. That is that there was once contact between the ancient Egyptian and early Mesoamerican civilisations. The theory stems from the presence of both nicotine and cocaine in the body of Henut Taui, and other mummified remains of Egyptian royalty. These drugs are only available from the lands of South and central America, and it has been suggested that there was some form of trades link between the two countries. This theory has been mostly rejected on the grounds that it implies a sort of cultural arrogance. Yet archaeology attempt to explain both the similarities and differences between the two civilisations. Where we see great diversity between the Egyptians and the Mayans however, is in the organisation of the societies. For example, in Mayan civilisation there was no room for social movement; whereas it was reasonably common for men of lowly birth to rise in the Egyptian social structure. Although it is also true that the Egyptians differed greatly from the Mayans in their organisation, having made almost a modern capital from Memphis, in which a bureaucracy operated outside of the Pharaohs appointment. The Mayans used a much more traditional system of feudalism that operated on a less bureaucratic level. Archaeologists have tried to account for this development in Egyptian culture by the claim that they were visited by what were known as newcomers around 3,400 B. C who brought new enlightened ideas which were incorporated into Egyptian thinking. This arrival is depicted on the ivory sword handle of Gebel el-Arak, which shows the arrival of a race similar to the Mesopotamians. It is inevitable that between to cultures in such differing parts of the world, there will exist certain differences and similarities. To look at the two cultures, it would appear that the Egyptians, by western standards were further developed than the Mayans who still practised sacrifices and blood letting even at the end of their period. Yet archaeologists have little difficulty in explaining the reasons for these differences, as there is no reason why the two cultures should emerge in a way that resembles the other. I believe that what causes the most controversy and the most interesting argument is the existence of deep similarities between these ancient and extinct peoples. It is more the archaeologists task to present an account for these similarities than it is to ponder on the differences. Bibliography Rise and Fall of Maya Civilisation J. Eric. S. Thompson University of Oklahoma press The Blood of Kings L. Schele M. E. Miller Thames and Hudson Printed in Great Britain The Ancient Egyptians Religious beliefs and practices A. R. David RKP Editor: John K. Hinnells Printed in Great Britain The Splendour that was Egypt M. A. Murray Sidgewick and Jackson Limited Printed in Great Britain Equinox-Chanel 4- 8 September 1996 The Mystery of the Cocaine Mummies A TF1 (France) and Channel 4 production.

The History of Samurai in Japan

The History of Samurai in Japan Samurai were a class of highly skilled warriors that arose in Japan after the Taika reforms of A.D. 646, which included land redistribution and heavy new taxes meant to support an elaborate Chinese-style empire. The reforms forced many small farmers to sell their land and work as tenant farmers. Over time, a few large landholders amassed power and wealth, creating a feudal system similar to that of  medieval Europe. To defend their riches, Japanese feudal lords hired the first samurai warriors, or bushi. Early Feudal Era Some samurai were relatives of the landowners they protected, while others were simply hired swords. The samurai code emphasized loyalty to ones master- even over family loyalty. History shows that the most loyal samurai were usually family members or financial dependents of their lords. During the 900s, the weak emperors of the Heian Era lost control of rural Japan and the country was torn apart by revolt. The emperors power was soon restricted to the capital, and across the country, the warrior class moved in to fill the power vacuum. After years of fighting, the samurai established a military government known as the shogunate. By the early 1100s, the warriors had both military and political power over much of Japan. The weak imperial line received a fatal blow to its power in 1156 when Emperor Toba died without a clear successor. His sons, Sutoku and Go-Shirakawa, fought for control in a civil war known as the Hogen Rebellion of 1156. In the end, both would-be emperors lost and the imperial office lost all its remaining power. During the civil war, the Minamoto and Taira samurai clans rose to prominence. They fought one another during the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. After their victory, the Taira established the first samurai-led government and the defeated Minamoto were banished from the capital of Kyoto. Kamakura and Early Muromachi (Ashikaga) Periods The two clans fought once more in the Genpei War of 1180 to 1185, which ended in victory for the Minamoto. Following their victory, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate, retaining the emperor as a figurehead. The Minamoto clan ruled much of Japan until 1333. In 1268, an external threat appeared. Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of Yuan China, demanded tribute from Japan, and when Kyoto refused to comply the Mongols invaded. Fortunately for Japan, a typhoon destroyed the Mongols 600 ships, and a second invasion fleet in 1281 met the same fate. Despite such incredible help from nature, the Mongol attacks cost the Kamakura dearly. Unable to offer land or riches to the samurai leaders who rallied to Japans defense, the weakened shogun faced a challenge from Emperor Go-Daigo in 1318. After being exiled in 1331, the emperor returned and overthrew the shogunate in 1333. The Kemmu Restoration of imperial power lasted only three years. In 1336, the Ashikaga shogunate under Ashikaga Takauji reasserted samurai rule, though this new shogunate was weaker than that of the Kamakura. Regional constables called daimyo developed considerable power and meddled with the shogunates line of succession. Later Muromachi Period and Restoration of Order By 1460, the daimyos  were ignoring orders from the shogun and backing different successors to the imperial throne. When the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, resigned in 1464, a dispute between backers of his younger brother and his son ignited even more intense fighting among the daimyo. In 1467, this squabbling erupted into the decade-long Onin War, in which thousands died and Kyoto was burned to the ground. The war led directly to Japans Warring States Period, or  Sengoku. Between 1467 and 1573, various daimyos led their clans in a fight for national dominance, and nearly all of the provinces were engulfed in the fighting. The Warring States Period drew to a close in 1568 when the warlord Oda Nobunaga defeated three powerful daimyos, marched into Kyoto, and had his preferred leader, Yoshiaki, installed as shogun. Nobunaga spent the next 14 years subduing other rival daimyos and quelling rebellions by fractious Buddhist monks. His grand Azuchi Castle, constructed between 1576 and 1579, became of symbol of Japanese reunification. In 1582, Nobunaga was assassinated by one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide. Hideyoshi, another general, finished the unification and ruled as kampaku,  or regent, invading  Korea in 1592 and 1597. The Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo Period Hideyoshi exiled the large Tokugawa clan from the area around Kyoto to the Kanto region in eastern Japan. By 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu had conquered the neighboring daimyo from his castle stronghold at Edo, which would one day become Tokyo. Ieyasus son, Hidetada, became shogun of the unified country in 1605, ushering in about 250 years of relative peace and stability for Japan. The strong Tokugawa shoguns domesticated the samurai, forcing them to either serve their lords in the cities or give up their swords and farm. This transformed the warriors into a class of cultured bureaucrats. The Meiji Restoration and the End of the Samurai In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the beginning of the end for the samurai. The Meiji system of constitutional monarchy included such democratic reforms as term limits for public officials and popular balloting. With public support, the Meiji Emperor did away with the samurai, reduced the power of the daimyo, and changed the capitals name from Edo to Tokyo. The new government created a conscripted army in 1873. Some of the officers were drawn from the ranks of former samurai, but more of the warriors found work as police officers. In 1877, angry ex-samurai revolted against the Meiji in the Satsuma Rebellion, but they later lost the Battle of Shiroyama, bringing the era of the samurai to an end. Culture and Weapons of the Samurai The culture of the samurai was grounded in the concept of bushido, or the way of the warrior, whose central tenets are honor and freedom from fear of death. A samurai was legally entitled to cut down any commoner who failed to honor him- or her- properly. The warrior was believed to be imbued with bushido spirit. He or she was expected to fight fearlessly and die honorably rather than surrender in defeat. Out of this disregard for death came the Japanese tradition of seppuku, in which defeated warriors- and disgraced government officials- would commit suicide with honor by disemboweling themselves with a short sword. Early samurai were archers, fighting on foot or horseback with extremely long bows (yumi), and used swords mainly for finishing off wounded enemies. After the Mongol invasions of 1272 and 1281, the samurai began to make greater use of swords, poles topped by curved blades called naginata, and spears. Samurai warriors wore two swords, the katana, and the wakizashi, which were banned from use by non-samurai in the late 16th century.

Is Making Friends After College a Struggle

Is Making Friends After College a Struggle Talk to the recently-graduated and you’ll soon discover that making friends after college can be difficult. There are many reasons for this, but, when examined, they all boil down to one inescapable factor: different goals. As much as you may beg to differ, college is a pretty homogenous environment. Before you go crying â€Å"Diversity,† allow us to explain. Regardless of the mix of race, culture, and a whole host of other variables, the general direction of everyone in your school is the same: graduation. This makes for a generally like-minded group of people; most choices are geared toward that ultimate goal. Life after college, though, is full of choices that lead you off in myriad directions never to return whence you came. In other words, you now have a number of goals on which you can focus: work (or not), marriage (or not), kids (or not). The list goes on and on. No longer are all the people around you striving for the same goal. Now, everyone has their own aim. What’s more, most of these goals are major life decisions that can isolate you socially from those who do not share your desire. If you’re single (or just married), have you ever tried to hang out with someone (or a couple) who has kids? Often times, it just doesn’t work. To help ease the process of making friends after college, you need to find places and activities where people share similar interests and goals. This is how you can meet people and cultivate friendships. Below are six ways to get your friend on. Take a Class It worked the first time around so why wouldn’t it work again? Continuing education courses are great places to make friends because, chances are, the people in those classes have the same interest you do. Use Your Pet And by pet, we mean ‘dog’. You can break the ice in the park when taking a walk. That cute thing your puppy did last week makes a great conversation starter and you can keep the talk going by discussing chew toys and food brands. Volunteer Do some work for a worthy cause – preferably something you’re interested in – and give your friend-making a boost at the same time. You’ll meet like-minded people who can become fast friends. Remember that the point of all of this is to meet new people (and work for a good cause, of course) who share your interests. If you’re really not interested in â€Å"Hats for the Homeless†, find somewhere else to volunteer. Both endeavors – friend-making and volunteering – will be good for you. Professional Organization After graduation, your career will become the next big focus of your time. And that’s fine. You can capitalize on your new-found drive to succeed by joining a professional organization associated with your line of work. You’ll be able to network with potential business interests and cultivate new friends at the same time. Make Old Friends Into New Ones This only works if you return to the area where you grew up or some old friends have moved to your area. Sure you may not have had that much in common in the old days but it’s been four years, hasn’t it? How much have you changed since graduating high school? Your friend has likely done the same. Go Digital Social networking (online) is everywhere these days so why not take advantage of it for something other than Twitter and Facebook? Sites like Groupon, Living Social, and Meetup are great ways to find experiences where you can meet new people. Groupon and Living Social can get you great deals on more than just clothing and coffee. Discounts abound for tours, athletic activities (where you can participate), wine tours, and classes. Meetup hosts everything from mixers to macramà © parties. Have fun and meet potential friends all at the same time. What could be better than that? Of course, finding people with similar interests and goals isn’t the end-all be-all solution to your problem (or any problem for that matter). A bit of diversity in life is a good thing. So don’t give up if making friends after college is a bit difficult. There are plenty of resources at your disposal to make the process just a bit more manageable. Take advantage of all the 21st century has to offer and you’ll be rolling in friends in no time.

Immigration law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Immigration law - Essay Example However, the blurring of the distinction between the need to legislate for immigration on the one hand and protection from terrorism on the other is further perpetuated by the patchwork of piecemeal immigration legislation in the UK, which is further compounded by the legal rights of asylum seekers. On the other side of the legal spectrum, the implementation of the Human Rights Act in 1998 (HRA) enshrines the fundamental rights and freedoms of the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. From an immigration policy perspective, the most important rights relied on in immigration cases have been the Article 5 right, which prohibits detention without trial and the right not to be subjected to degrading treatment under Article 3. Additionally, Article 14 guarantees rights under the ECHR. On the one hand, these fundamental freedoms are essential to the function of the UK as a democracy. On the other hand, the reliance on the ECHR rights through the HRA 1998 arguably undermines immigration rules and legislation, which enables the UK immigration system to be exploited1. However, it is precisely this paradox within the law that enables the changing Governmental policy from circumventing both entrenched immigration and asylum rules and human rights protection on grounds of â€Å"national security†2. This is particularly evidenced by the implementation of the controversial Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2003 (ACTSA), which permits derogation from the ECHR. The contradictory nature of UK immigration policy and compliance with human rights highlights the inherent flaw in enacting knee jerk legislative responses to socio-economic issues. This further highlighted by the dichotomy in protection afforded by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) 1950 and the Convention on the Status of Refugees 1951

Organizations' strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizations' strategies - Assignment Example This paper presents a case study exploration of the elements of real organizational change interventions based on the context of the six key qualities of a good leader. It provides an analysis of how leadership and management can influence the occurrence of â€Å"resistance to change† through creating authentic and open lines of communication within today’s complex organizations (Gardner, 2006). The case study focuses on today’s aggressive banking industry, exploring the leadership competencies Main Street Bank has demonstrated in its efforts to remain prosperous in a volatile and continually changing external environment. While customers are constantly reevaluating how to handle the economic challenges and opportunities in their lives, banks are evaluating new ways they can provide better support and services for their customers and communities. This situation has created a necessity to think about reorganizing the organizations’ structure and assess the need to effect changes in strategies and design approaches. This paper explores the steps followed at each level by organizations to implement these changes to address customer concerns effectively and preserve vision while keeping an excellent relationship with followers. Main Street Bank asked thousands of their customers what they wanted in a bank account. The answer was, â€Å"Simplicity† through open and transparent rules, accounts with no surprises or unreasonable fees, and products in which they understand the true value. This prompted the institution to make changes by giving its customers a review that shifts their thoughts using real changes that influence their thinking. (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). In this scenario, the bank was able to maintain consistency with its vision, pay attention to customers and employees, admit mistakes, and make suitable decisions while displaying a good understanding of the business and integrity. The bank demonstrated both ability to liste n to customers by conducting a research in which they presented their customers with several sets of product choices, with different combinations of features, benefits, price points, and ways to earn out of fees. The findings of the research indicated that customers do not need a long list of account benefits alone; instead they want straightforward account features where they see the true value, such as identity theft protection. Main Street Bank also found out that customers are willing to pay for the convenience of banking with a bank offering online bill payment, mobile banking and an extensive ATM and branch network. Customers preferred a single up-front monthly fee rather than separate per-usage fees and wanted the ability to earn out of fees in various ways. The input from the customers was able to show â€Å"others the need for change with a compelling object that they can actually see, touch, and feel† (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). The decisive quality of a good leader is display by Main Street Bank through the decisions it took to address customer needs. First, the bank decided to simplify the fee structure by eliminating the daily overdraft fees and â€Å"per-transaction† fees for excessive withdrawals from a savings account. It also created a lineup of core checking and savings accounts that include basic, clear monthly service charges, with opportunities to reduce or waive the service charge based on a customer’s direct deposit, minimum monthly balance, and overall relationship with the bank. This was meant to capture the full range of their customers’ banking needs and enable them choose what is right for them. These decisions display good understanding of the business which is another key quality of a good leader. The way the business operates also shows understanding of

Organisational leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organisational leadership - Essay Example The culture of leadership for many organizations has been that of isolated leadership, where the leaders are completely isolated from the team of the employees and other subordinates that they lead, interacting with them only through issuing orders on the tasks that such subordinates should undertake, and how they should be undertaken. However, while leadership requires being firm so as to realize the objectives set by any given organization, the isolation of leaders from their team does not serve to enable the organizations to enhance their performance, but to drag the pace at which search objectives are met (Bass & Riggio, 2006 p12). Therefore, the argument advanced by Henry Mintzberg is agreeable, and thus this discussion seeks to affirm this argument, through applying the concepts of two leadership and management theories, as well as enlisting the backing of two empirical case studies, to finally arrive at a well informed conclusion regarding the suitability of the argument advan ced by Henry Mintzberg. ... e employees with respect, dignity and rewards their efforts with good compensation, the organization is sure to receive commitment, loyalty and high productivity from the employees (Lester & Kickul, 2001 p17). The essence of the psychological contracts theory is that; it espouses a further mutual relationship between the employer and the employee, in a further manner than is stipulated in the employment contract. The principles of the psychological contract are not based on the written agreement between the employee and the employer, but rather based on the expectations of the rights, rewards and responsibilities owed to each party in the employment contract outside of what is defined in the contractual agreement. Therefore it is conclusively appropriate to say that the psychological contracts theory espoused a situation where the relationship between the employer and the employee will be based on a more humanitarian ground, as opposed to well written and defined rules of engagement (House, 1971 p322). Therefore, the psychological contract theory represents the notion that there ought to be relationships, trust and understanding between the employee and the employer, outside of the tangible paper document, that should vary from one employee to the other. The congruence of the psychological contract theory and the argument advanced by Mintzberg, stems from the fact that Mintzberg argues that open minded management approach is the most suitable for an organization to reach great levels of achievement, through supporting the initiatives developed by the employees and further providing direction, at the expense of setting the direction for the employee’s proposed project (Mintzberg, 2004 n.p). According to Mintzberg, allowing for the flexibility where the management of

Romanticism Art Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Romanticism Art Movement - Essay Example The artists of Romanticism considered imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth and these qualities were evident in their artistic creations. . It is significant to note that the Romantic Movement in art was a product of the movement in literature and philosophy which accentuated emotional, spontaneous and imaginative approaches. â€Å"In the visual arts, Romanticism came to signify the departure from classical forms and an emphasis on emotional and spiritual themes. Caused by the sudden social changes that occurred during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, Romanticism was formed as a revolt against Neoclassicism and its emphasis on order, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality.† (Romanticism) Thus, the movement stressed freedom, emotion, and imagination of individuals and was subjective in character. The artists of this group emphasized spontaneity and freedom and considered imagination as greater to reason and beauty. Therefo re, they depended greatly on personal spirit and creativity as against formal training. â€Å"Romantic techniques were developed to produce associations in the mind of the viewer. These foundations of the Romantic Movement were influential in the development of Symbolism and later Expressionism and Surrealism.† In conclusion, Romanticism has been a significant movement in the history of art and literature which tremendously influenced the artists of the period as well as the other movements of the time and the following age.

Social Disorganization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Disorganization - Research Paper Example The paper "Social Disorganization" examines how does social disorganization relate to organized crime and its evolution. The case of gang culture could remarkably deviate from the prevailing order within the society. Within the gang culture, it could be evident that in one way or another, there is a presence of leadership that is either organized or unorganized. There might be order within this culture, but from the point of view of the society, there is a deviation from the actual law enforced by the people. It is in this case that one could link the case of gang culture with social disorganization. It is important to understand how does social disorganization relate to organized crime and its evolution. One substantial case that could explicate this point is gang culture. Gangs have substantive culture that within it there is a great presence of shared values and beliefs. What makes this shared values and beliefs became a success is the point in which gangs have remarkably hired ne w set of members and flourish due to unsuccessful prosecution effort and even worst, becoming legitimate business. All of these could remarkably start within street gangs. The evolution is so tough, but the bottom line paves the way for organizing street gangs into something vibrant readily associated with business that could also interconnect with corrupt officials, which eventually strengthens them further to become established crime groups. Social disorganization could become established organized crime.... Eventually social disorganization meets the criteria of organized crime because just like the latter, it is completely against the prevailing values and set standard by the society through the prevailing law emancipated for the protection of everybody’s freedom or right. Law-breaking behavior is generally present within the context of social disorganization and ultimately street gangs could evolve as groups that would have fundamental association with corrupt officials leading to their social, economic and political power. Due to these fundamental reasons, there is not doubt that social disorganization such as in the case of gang culture eventually meets the criteria for organized crime. In fact, its evolution substantially completes the achievement of these criteria. Corrupt political machine and social disorganization As already stated, a full-pledged or grown up group of street gangs eventually make it a point to consider undertaking maximum gain through establishing a busi ness for the survival of the group and maximum benefits of each member. However, along the way, social disorganization such as in the case of street gangs and their evolution would try to make it a point to maximize the achievement of relevant gains for the benefits of their groups. In reality, they have close tie or connection with corrupt officials (Lyman & Porter, 2007). In other words, the more there will be corrupt officials, social disorganization continues to prevail and even continue to move in an upward spiral. It is due to the fact that the presence of these corrupt political machines creates the competitive advantage of social disorganization and

Summary of Chapter, Pricing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Summary of Chapter, Pricing Strategy - Assignment Example The percentage of profit that company deems fit is added to set the final cost. The cost price strategy becomes viable for product only when defined sale volumes are estimated and met through effective marketing. This is a flawed strategy as it relies on sales volumes and if they are not met, the cost goes up and adversely impacts the performance of the company. It also totally ignores the customers who are increasingly become the major part of business strategy and marketing. Competitor based pricing primarily believes in the price strategy of its main competitor and follows the same regardless of its repercussion on its profitability. This is wrong because each has its own constraints and inputs that need to be considered in the pricing strategy. It becomes fatal when the competitor’s strategy is based on selling the product irrespective of loss. The market-led strategy is best described by setting one’s pricing based on the pricing of its competitors. The pricing is either the same or lowered so that to gain market position. Sometimes, when value addition to the product provides it with unique features, firms can maintain their market position even when the price is raised. This is most prevalent in the contemporary environment of high competition. Glaxo’s Zantac had overtaken SmithKline Beecham’s Tagamet because it had fewer side effects in ulcer treatment. Thus, product pricing also influences customer’s perceived value of the product. Three techniques: tradeoff analysis; experimentation; and economic value to the customer or EVC are used for understanding customers’ perceived value of the products. The tradeoff analysis uses customer’s requirements for a product and adds or removes those properties within the product to make it attractive to the customers. Firms can raise the price despite heavy competition. Experimentation  tests the preferences of customers by placing the same product with varying prices at a different location.  

Social Disorganization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Disorganization - Research Paper Example The paper "Social Disorganization" examines how does social disorganization relate to organized crime and its evolution. The case of gang culture could remarkably deviate from the prevailing order within the society. Within the gang culture, it could be evident that in one way or another, there is a presence of leadership that is either organized or unorganized. There might be order within this culture, but from the point of view of the society, there is a deviation from the actual law enforced by the people. It is in this case that one could link the case of gang culture with social disorganization. It is important to understand how does social disorganization relate to organized crime and its evolution. One substantial case that could explicate this point is gang culture. Gangs have substantive culture that within it there is a great presence of shared values and beliefs. What makes this shared values and beliefs became a success is the point in which gangs have remarkably hired ne w set of members and flourish due to unsuccessful prosecution effort and even worst, becoming legitimate business. All of these could remarkably start within street gangs. The evolution is so tough, but the bottom line paves the way for organizing street gangs into something vibrant readily associated with business that could also interconnect with corrupt officials, which eventually strengthens them further to become established crime groups. Social disorganization could become established organized crime.... Eventually social disorganization meets the criteria of organized crime because just like the latter, it is completely against the prevailing values and set standard by the society through the prevailing law emancipated for the protection of everybody’s freedom or right. Law-breaking behavior is generally present within the context of social disorganization and ultimately street gangs could evolve as groups that would have fundamental association with corrupt officials leading to their social, economic and political power. Due to these fundamental reasons, there is not doubt that social disorganization such as in the case of gang culture eventually meets the criteria for organized crime. In fact, its evolution substantially completes the achievement of these criteria. Corrupt political machine and social disorganization As already stated, a full-pledged or grown up group of street gangs eventually make it a point to consider undertaking maximum gain through establishing a busi ness for the survival of the group and maximum benefits of each member. However, along the way, social disorganization such as in the case of street gangs and their evolution would try to make it a point to maximize the achievement of relevant gains for the benefits of their groups. In reality, they have close tie or connection with corrupt officials (Lyman & Porter, 2007). In other words, the more there will be corrupt officials, social disorganization continues to prevail and even continue to move in an upward spiral. It is due to the fact that the presence of these corrupt political machines creates the competitive advantage of social disorganization and

Effective hand hygiene in clinical settings Literature review

Effective hand hygiene in clinical settings - Literature review Example Hand hygiene is very important for the general public especially those who handle food and those who work in medical centers as poor hand hygiene may cause respiratory infections such as influenza and common cold according to the Joint Commission Resources (2008). The Joint Commission Resources (2008) and Mulder (1999) concur that in healthcare provisions, hand hygiene is the responsibility to all people involved. This is because when the health practitioners have contaminated hands, the patients are put at risk of developing infections. Therefore, to prevent infections, the healthcare practitioners must decontaminate their hands before and after each and every episode of direct contact or care with a patient (AORN, 1999; Lautenbach, Woeltje & Preeti 2010). Currently, hand hygiene is recognized to be important in providing quality care to the patients and is included in the standards for hospital accreditation. There have been new developments in the area of medical care and due to t hese developments most research bodies have reviewed the available literature and come up with new guidelines for hand hygiene. The guidelines are intended for use by all healthcare practitioners within the healthcare settings. Bacteria on the skin There are two main groups of microorganisms that are found on the skin, that is, resident flora and transient flora. Transient floras are bacteria that colonize the superficial layer of the skin. The transient floras are commonly associated with healthcare infections but can easily be removed by hand washing or social hand hygiene. An example of transient flora is staphylococcus aureus. The resident floras colonize the deeper layer of the skin and are difficult to remove. Examples include diphtheroids and coagulase negative staphylococci. The resident floras are usually not associated with healthcare infections according to CDC (2002) and Lindh, Pooler and Tamparo (2009). Hand hygiene is intended to reduce colonization with transient flor a. Removal of the transient flora can be achieved through hand washing or hand disinfection. Hand washing is the use of water alone or the use of water and unmedicated detergent to clean the hand according to Mulder (1999) and CDC (2002). The main objective of hand washing is to prevent cross transmission of disease causing organisms. Hygienic hand wash is also similar to hand washing except that instead of unmedicated detergent, an antiseptic agent is used. Hand disinfection refers to the use of antiseptic solution, either medicated soap or alcohol to clean the hand. Substances used in hand hygiene There are different types of substances used in hand hygiene for cleaning. The substances used include soap and detergents, antibacterial soap, hand antiseptic and water. These substances are used to clean different dirt. For example, water alone cannot be used to clean the skin because on its own it cannot remove fats, oils and pathogens; it has to be used together with soaps and deterg ents. The temperature of the water used in cleaning the hands also varies, for in some instances warm water is used and in some cold may be used. For instance, when cleaning oils or fats it is advisable to use war water (World Health Organization, 2006). Antibacterial soaps are those with antibacterial agents that help in fighting or cleaning the bacteria and the hand antiseptics are non water based hand hygiene agents. The hand antiseptic

David Foster Wallace Essay Example for Free

David Foster Wallace Essay In this essay I am going to do my best to give the reader the most informative explanation (within my constraints) of one of the most brilliant authors of the age, David Foster Wallace. He was the author of many great and insightful (at times, dark) works. Some of the more popular/well-known pieces being _The Broom of the System, Girl with Curious Hair, Infinite Jest, A Supposedly Fun Thing Ill Never Do Again, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Oblivion_, and finally his incomplete novel, _The Pale King_. In all honesty, to even scratch the surface of an individual with this amount of depth would require a work similar in size and time to his tree-killer of a novel, _Infinite Jest_. That being said, I hold the belief that every free-thinking individual should at least know-this mans name in hopes that it may show them the way to his works on what it means to be a fucking human being. Read more: Good people summary essay David Foster Wallace was born on 21 February 1962 and finally met his end 12 September 2008 at the age of 46. Wallace was born in Ithaca, New York, to his parents, James Wallace and Sally Foster. His father, a previous graduate student in philosophy at Cornell, was from a family of professionals. His mother, on the other hand, was an English major at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, with a more rural background with family residing in Maine and New Brunswick. She was also the first in her family to acquire a Bachelors Degree. At the age of 4, David moved with his family to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois for a better job opportunity. His home life was very structured (dinner at 5:45 p.m. and lights out at precisely 8:30 p.m.) and was very conducive for intellectual growth. It was a happy home. As he gets older, Wallace starts to realize many things. First, he had a love for tennis. With his logical and calculating mind, he could easily see the geometrical angles the ball could make as it bounced off the racket, leading him to become one of the top players in his region at that time. Other things start to surface as well; sadly, these were not among some of the happier things. He started to analyze his physical and mental self, picking at each and every flaw (compared it to sort of counting sheep), which did nothing to alleviate his problem at being socially awkward. He eventually  found his first love, Susan Perkins, who, at the time, already had a boyfriend. Its also important to note that this was the point when Wallace discovered the joys of smoking pot. After high school, Wallace planned to attend Amherst. He chose Amherst mostly because it meant he wouldnt have to go to another interview. His father was an alumni, so he was pretty much a shoo-in. By his sophomore year, he was developing a reputation for his intelligence. He was earning straight As and was actually opening up and making friends, until he returned from Christmas break at home. He was an entirely different person when the depression took him, as his college roommates described. After a few weeks of trying to tough it out, Wallace realized he was going to have to withdraw and go home. Something was clearly wrong. He returned in Fall 1984 for his senior year. Eventually, Wallace graduated and was awarded double summas for his two honors theses. _The Broom of the System_ would eventually be published and become his first serious fiction novel. This was the point when Wallace discovered his love of writing fiction. As an immature adult in an adult world, Wallace made the decision to start teaching to supplement his writing career and gain health insurance for his special needs. His first teaching job was at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He hated teaching. For him, he was just wasting time with kids who didnt even want to do their homework; when he could be spending valuable time on his career as a fiction author. Up to this point, Wallace has steadily been falling deeper and deeper in to his addictions. He had been smoking pot, cigarettes, and drinking almost every night as a way to cope with the depression that can so cripple who he is as a person. As his frustration with his inability to write worsens, so does his addiction. With his frustration and addiction worsening, Wallace again breaks down and must be hospitalized. The medical professionals said he must find a different path, or he would be dead by thirty. Wallace begins rehab, and for months, will live in nothing but rehabi litation centers and halfway homes. As part of these programs, he must attend 12-step AA meetings for recovery. These really hit home for Wallace; they work for him in ways he would never have thought possible. The meetings he would attend ended up becoming major plot  points in the greatest novel he ever wrote. Shortly after getting out of rehab, Wallace started working on his novel again, this time with renewed vigor. In a letter to his editor, he said he was going to finish it or die. Upon finishing the monster novel and the following editing, summarizing, and shortening pains, the greatest achievement in his literary career thus far was finished; 1079 pages, water-tight and ready for publishing. What followed were multiple interviews and readings, which Wallace had been signed up for in order to gain publicity and sell more books. All of which, Wallace summed up as whorish. He wasnt even sure most of the people coming had even read his book. With fame comes pleasure†¦ of a sort. The more famous he became, the more women seemed to flock to him. Considering how badly his relationships had been going, one night stands were just what he thought he needed. To put it another way, he wa s really bad about taking the 13th step (getting involved with a fellow recovery partner). These relationships would start out normal, maybe a little obsessive, but as time went on they would turn into violent and controlling relationships. Many of them ended terribly, which turned out to one good thing. He had found new companions. Dogs. He adopted a lab and called him Jeeves, and later adopted a stray whom he would later name The Drone. Once his fame started to settle, he no longer had book tours or things of that nature anymore. Now magazines and newspapers were going after him with nonfictions they wanted him to review, and he ended up making short stories out of them. For the most part though, these were just distractions from his real objective, The long thing. While he continued his progress on this novel, he was switching jobs and found a new and seemingly real relationship with a lovely woman named Karen. They would grow close over time, completing one another until they were finally married on 27 December 2004. Wallace would continue his work on the long thing un til the day he died, never really bringing it to the point where he was satisfied with it. David Foster Wallaces major works include _The Broom of the System, Girl with Curious Hair, Infinite Jest, A Supposedly Fun Thing Ill Never Do Again, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Oblivion_, and finally his incomplete novel, _The Pale King_. During these later years of his life, he was a writing professor at the Pomona College in Claremont, California. The  publications he worked on in his spare time numbered all of one. The long thing (The Pale King) had been his project for many years, and he could not see how to turn the idea of boredom in the story in to something intriguing. David Foster Wallace died 12 September 2008 in Claremont, California. His wife arrived home at 9:30pm, after a stint at her art show, to find that her husband had hanged himself with a garden hose on the patio. After a 20 year battle with severe depression, Wallace could no longer endure. To him, the unbearable and unending pain of his depression could only be cured by deaths sweet release. Upon announcement of this tragedy, various colleges held gatherings in remembrance of one of the most influential figures in literary history, giving the friends and family who attended, a chance to grieve and say goodbye. Karen keeps his ashes in a foil-wrapped box next to a picture of both of their mothers. _Infinite Jest_ was published 1 February 1996 by Little, Brown. It was well-received with minimal, negative reviews. It depicts our culture in the truest sense, and the fact that, beyond all the noise and false happiness, something real exists. Even though this book was released more than a decade ago, the steady continuing sales is a tribute to its realism and mesmerizing intrigue. When most of his major works were published, they werent really understood, and, to some degree, they still arent. Most of the understanding of his works was left to people of a similar caliber, and everyone else left by the wayside. I believe the works of David Foster Wallace should be standard for college education. As far as high school, to really grasp the man and his work, a student must delve into the realities of his life that, at times, can be surreal, even inappropriately grotesque. Hence, I believe his work is better suited for a mature audience. In conclusion, David Foster Wallaces Infinite Jest is one of the most profound books in recent history, one that every man and woman should read in their lifetime. (should probably read it twice) David Foster Wallace, was a broken, yet brilliant man who left this life with profound hope in his  works that we could learn to be human beings, with actual feelings and actual thoughts beyond the abyss that is our oppressive culture. Works Cited Brief Interview with a Five Draft Man. _Amherst Magazine_. Amherst College, 1999. Web. 13 April 2014. Max, D.T.. _Every Love Story is a Ghost Story_. New York. Penguin Group, 2012. Print. Max, D.T.. The Unfinished. _The New Yorker_. Conde Nast, 9 March 2009. Web.14 April 2014. McInerney, Jay. Infinite Jest._The New York Times_. The New York Times Company,3 March 1996.Wen.13 April 2014. Silverman, Jacob. The artful mediation of Karen Green, David Foster Wallaces widow. _Los Angeles Times_. Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2013. Web. 14 April 2014. Weber, Bruce. David Foster Wallace, Influential Writer Dies 46. _The New York Times_. The New York Times Company, 14 September 2008. Web. 13 April 2014.

Suicide :: essays research papers

In the sixth century before the Christian era, religion was forgotten in India. The lofty teachings of the Vedas were thrown into the background. There was much priest craft everywhere. The insincere priests traded on religion. They duped the people in a variety of ways and amassed wealth for themselves. They were irreligious to say the least. In the name of religion, people followed in the footsteps of these cruel priests and performed meaningless rituals. They killed animals and performed various sacrifices. The country was in great need of a reformer. At such a critical period, when there were cruelty, degeneration, and unrighteousness everywhere, a reformer was to be born to save the people, and disseminate the message of equality, unity and cosmic love everywhere. Buddha was born in 560 B.C. and died at the age of eighty in 480 B.C. . Buddha's father was Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas. Buddha's mother was named Maya. The place of his birth was a grove known as Lumbini, near the city of Kapilavastu, at the foot of Mount Palpa in the Himalayan ranges within Nepal. This small city Kapilavastu, stood on the bank of the little river Rohini, about a hundred miles north-east of the city of Varnasi. As the time grew near for Buddha to enter the world, the gods themselves prepared the way before him with celestial portents and signs. Flowers bloomed and gentle rains fell although out of season. Heavenly music was heard, and delicious scents filled the air. On the body of the child bore at birth, were thirty-two auspicious marks (Mahavyanjana) which indicated his future greatness, besides secondary marks (Anuvyanjana) in large numbers. Guatama’s mother Maya died seven days after her son's birth. He was brought up by his aunt Mahaprajapati, who b ecame his foster- mother. On the birth of the child Siddhartha, astrologers made predictions to his father Suddhodana. "The child, on attaining manhood, would become either a universal monarch (Chakravarti), or abandoning house and home, would assume the robe of a monk and become a Buddha, a perfectly enlightened soul, for the salvation of mankind". Then the king said: "What shall my son see to make him retire from the world?" The astrologer replied: "Four signs". "What four?" asked the king. "A decrepit old man, a diseased man, a dead man and a monk - these four will make the prince retire from the world" replied the astrologers.

is there too much reality tv? :: essays research papers

Is there too much reality TV? On the other hand shows like big brother only occur for a certain part of the year, however when big brother is on it is on for a long time therefore it consumes a lot of TV airtime. Even so a lot of the British public enjoy big brother and text in there votes every week. It might also be argued that people only watch reality TV because there is nothing else on TV at these times. On big brother alcohol is the most comely drunk beverage no one drinks water when there’s a bottle of wine to be had this influence young adults with access to alcohol Each year, students spend  £3 billion on alcohol that’s a lot more than they spend on soft-drinks, tea, milk, juice, and coffee. How ever alcohol in reality TV shows some young adults that if they get drunk bad things can happen and people can’t control them selves therefore it may put off some young adults from excessive drinking although youths may want to be like the new celebrities on the TV by drinking and copying there behaviour. Violence is a big issue and not only in reality TV many children see a large quantity of people being murdered on TV, on the contrary murders only occur on reality TV which is fiction e.g. Recreations of past times like the wars. It might also be argued that violence on reality TV is only shown after the watershed which means that parents are responsible for their kids if their children watch these violent shows. Therefore most parents complaining about violence on reality TV are the causes of children watching the violence and possibly copying what they see, and shouldn’t let their children watch the shows after nine o’clock. Television is making England fat. Harvard University researchers discovered that the odds of a child becoming obese have risen from 12 to 20% for each daily hour of television he/she watches. On the other hand reality TV is only a small cause of this on the other hand the snacks people consume while watching reality TV are overwhelmingly high in fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar, and low in vitamins and minerals. The U.S. Surgeon General has revealed "that 70% of food advertisements are for foods high in fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt, while only 3% are for fruits and vegetables.

Of Mice and Men English language Essay

Many of the characters in ‘of Mice and Men’ are lonely and some have dreams to sustain them. Write about 2-3 of them and explain why we feel sympathetic toward them. The book of Mice and Men was written by an American writer called John Steinbeck. He was born in Salinas, California and wrote this book from the theme ‘The Great Depression’. The title of this book got its name from a Scottish poet Rabbi Burns in one of his poems called â€Å"To a Mouse†; which means most plans from man or animal don’t work out in the end. When I say the Great Depression, this was a significant world event which started on 29 October 1929, this day was-from then on-nicknamed black Tuesday because on that very same day the stock markets crashed, which meant that the money in there lost its value. Due to this, 9 million banks closed, which meant that about 86,000 businesses failed; for 2 reasons: firstly the businesses didn’t have the money to keep them going. Secondly people didn’t have the money to buy the things the businesses were selling. Because businesses closed, unemployment rate increased, in 1929, the percentage of unemployment was 3%. However in 1934, the unemployment rate was 26%+. This shows that there was a big rise for people losing jobs. By saying this, you must be honoured to keep your job (most people lost their jobs), although if your job was secure, your wages would decrease by approximately 60%, if you walked out on that job, it would be hard for you to find another job, the employer wouldn’t have to worry much since there were lines of people queuing up for jobs. At 1 point, estimates say 34 million people had no income at all, thus meant that people lived in shanty towns. This not only was in the small cities, but developed in the major states such as New York and Washington D.C. People nicknamed these shanty towns as Hoovervilles, because it was nicknamed after the American president at that time, Herbert Hoover. So how would this recession affect people? Some people couldn’t cope with it so they committed suicide. Marriages broke down due to the financial pressure. People became itinery/migrant workers. This means travelling round the country looking for work, if they did find work, it would be short term, unskilled, insecure and labouring. Most jobs were in California (farming area), 1000s of families lost their homes due to failing to pay mortgages, so people had to live in shanty towns. So soup kitchens were set up, and there would be queues of 1000s (maybe more) of mixtures of people in dirty clothes to people in business suits. If these people were moving around they wouldn’t be able to stay with their families/friends. Because of this, people got lonely because they were looking for jobs, so they wouldn’t have any time for relationships, and as George says: â€Å"we ask no questions on the ranch† which means that you keep your self to yourself. No-one knows who you are or where you’ve come from, or what they’re planning to do next. If you knew these things about a specific person (or any person), they would tell you off for nosing around. All of the things I have mentioned all come in the theme of the Great Depression, which is the thing behind the story that John Steinbeck is trying to tell. For example, most characters in of Mice and Men were migrant workers and before Lennie and George came to the ranch in Soledad. Candy tells Lennie about a blacksmith called Whitey, who came, got his money and left, â€Å"why he just quit, just wanted to move, didn’t give no other reason but the food just say gimme my time, the way any guy would†. Although George and Lennie travel around together, it would have been highly unusual for this to happen in a time like this, most men travelled alone. We see this in the novel like Slim, Crooks, and Candy, but I must say it is highly unusual that men travel around together, Slim says this in section 2. This novel is set in California, which is situated in the southern state of the USA. If you were working in a place where Lennie and George were working- your friends and family is miles- maybe further- away. Your only alternative is to make friends otherwise you are walking a lonely road. Also a thing that you would have to take into consideration is the size of the place, the place that they (Lennie and George) were working was on a ranch. A ranch is the equivalent for a farm in England, but however, a ranch is much bigger than a farm that we refer to in England. The distance, as I’ve mentioned is pretty far- not to mention being cut off from your family and friends, they’d have to walk miles to the ranch, otherwise you’d have to hitch a ride from a passing truck. From the way they live that I learned from chapter 2, firstly I learn that they are violent, I know this from when they let crooks- the black person- come into the bunk house for Christmas, sounds nice doesn’t it? Letting the black man come into the bunk house on this festive occasion, but from what I learn they only let him in to batter him black and blue! And enjoy it! â€Å"Yes sir, we had fun. They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner the name of smitty took after the nigger.† I personally think that it’s horrible, but it’s true. Secondly I learn that they have very little privacy and basic living condition. For example, they have straws for mattresses and apple crates for bedside desks. They have little comfort- like the bunk house isn’t well presented, no paint on the walls, crates for chairs table in the middle and a deck of cards for daily entertainment, nothing compared to the entertainment that we have today, like PS3s and Xbox 360s etc. also, anonymity, the way people keep themselves to themselves, how people don’t know where you’re from. Finally, how migrant workers move from place to place- as this is what migrant workers do. We see this in the novel from the beginning when Lennie got in trouble and they had to flee when Lennie sexually harassed a girl in weed. Dreams help people achieve things in life, no matter what scenario you are in. they give people power and confidence. Although I state in the title of this essay â€Å"†¦ and have dreams to sustain them†; the dream that they are referring to is the American dream. Before John Steinbeck wrote this book, he was interested in finding out about power, ownership and control and what it did on normal people. Due to the Great Depression, most people didn’t have jobs, so they relied on bosses to permit them to a job; but they manage to put all that stress aside towards a dream that they have. Most of who dream of a dream called the American dream. These dreams tell us about the life people are living. Most characters in the novel have dreams to. But Lennie and George’s dream are the most important because they tell us about the culture that has been created. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, freedom, a place to live and most importantly, a new life. A place for wealth and a place for real possibilities, this was referred to as the American dream. Immigrants moved to over America because they believed in this dream. So how was America founded? In 1607, people from Britain went to America to find gold; these people were known as the Virginia colony. Because the island they first found they named after the Queen Elizabeth, who of course, was a Virgin Queen. But of instead finding gold, they found tobacco (which was known a â€Å"black gold† in Britain-very popular.) and brought it back to England to sell. In 1620 a group of English Protestants who detested against the Church of England moved to America looking for religious freedom, these were known as the Plymouth colony or Pilgrims. In the ‘Harsh Winter’ of 1620-1621, half of the Plymouth colony died due the coldness of the weather, when they arrived to America, it was full of wilderness and red Indians/Native Americans. In 1630 1000 more arrived to establish more colonies. In 1642, the Plymouth colony had 12000 settlers from Europe, again searching for religious freedom. By 1776, the colonies in America were fed up of the British monarchs ruling them and wanted their own independence, because the monarch of England was the monarch of America, and they had enough of this. In Britain the law was only set up for the landowners, if you wasn’t a landowner then you didn’t count. So 4th July 1776, the American colonies set up a universal declaration of independence. Here is an extract from it. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights. Rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.† The statue of liberty was a present from the French man Gustave Eiffel, due to the French revolution happening in France he set up the statue of liberty to symbolise this dream, because the American dream was similar in France. If you were an immigrant coming into America by boat, the statue of liberty would be the first thing that you saw. However, this American dream inspired many people. By 1929, the Great Depression spoilt these dreams for many people since they didn’t have the money to live happily. As stated in the novel, George and Lennie- and Candy aim to get a ranch to themselves and Lennie wants to pet the rabbits. Some elements of the dream include: material comforts and financial security- not being in debt and having everything you need. Being in control of your destiny- you making the choices in your own life, not people telling you what to do. Gaining the respect of others- living in a peaceful society. Companionship and sharing good fortune- having friends and keeping each other happy. And last but not least; making your mark-something to be proud of- achieving things in life; getting the best in life. The American dream today isn’t all about freedom; it’s about money and fame. For example, if you look at Hollywood; actors and actresses etc. When an author writes a book, they must make some important choices. For example, whether to base the story involving letters or e-mails or telling the story as a flash back/ flash forward. People write book for various reasons: to inform the reader- this might be something that has happened previously, or presently. Some people write books to persuade or entertain you-it might encourage you to change your life. John Steinbeck written this book to inform-recalling what life was like in the Great Depression for migrant workers. He also creates a description; he lets the action sink in for the reader, also he helps create a physical appearance in your mind, by using a wide range of onomatopoeia â€Å"and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them† skittering is the sound that is being made. Another thing that the writer must consider is to select whether to write in 1st or 3rd person. If you wrote in first person, you can fully understand what that person, what goes on in that particular persons mind. But the down side is that you can only see what is happening when that person is present. If John Steinbeck chose to write this novel in the 1st person, we wouldn’t see what would happen to George if Lennie wasn’t there etc. however if you chose to write in the 3rd person, you can see the minds of all the characters in the book. Unfortunately 3rd person isn’t always in the full depths of understanding- meaning that although you can read everybody’s mind, it doesn’t provide in depth detail. John Steinbeck chose 3rd person; this is a good choice because you can see in everybody’s mind and John Steinbeck described the novel in full understanding in 3rd person, also he has put the plot in Great detail and has used a lot of wide range of vocabulary â€Å"slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to his master, Lennie approached, drew back, and approached again.† Another interesting technique John Steinbeck has chosen to use is starting and ending the story in the same setting. He also set this novel in a rural location (in the countryside) and used adjectives, careful words and descriptions to this novel create an exact physical location. As well as this, the time scale of this novel is described for 1 week- this shows that George and Lennie haven’t moved very far in their lives, they haven’t moved forward. Finally one of the things that you need to consider is how much direct speech you use, not too much or you will slow down the plot, too less will not move the plot forward. So it is essential that you use the right amount. In this novel there is a lot of blasphemy â€Å"‘Jesus’ he said ‘he’s jes like a kid aint he†- and swearing â€Å"listen here you crazy bastard†- and racist comments â€Å"Jesus how that nigger can pitch shoes†- Steinbeck used a wide range of direct speech, thus helps us understand the characters more. This kind of language is found in most aspects of this novel- it is commonly asked why it’s studied in schools- racism, blasphemy and swearing is the kind of language that was used in the Great Depression, this was because the characters were migrant workers and they were uneducated, manual workers and non intellectual. Some of the characters in of Mice and Men are lonely; I am going to talk about 3 of them. The first character I am going to look at is Candy. Candy is an old swamper living at the ranch George and Lennie worked at. He is an old man with a missing wrist â€Å"the wooden hatch raised. The door opened and a tall, stoop shouldered man came in. he was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a push broom in his left hand and out of the sleeve came a round stick like wrist , but no hand.† Also he has a really old dog that evidently he has had since he was a pup â€Å"and at is heels there walked a drag footed sheep dog† he also has no relatives â€Å"cause I aint got no relatives or nothing† I find that Candy is lonely; he is lonely in several ways. Firstly his disability, he lost his hand â€Å"I aint much good with on’y one hand, I lost my hand right here on this ranch that’s why they give me a job swamping an’ they give me two hundred and fifty dollars ’cause I los’ my hand† this makes you think that it was their fault that Candy has lost his hand; because if it wasn’t then they wouldn’t give an old folk money if they could avoid it! Especially in a depression! So he cannot go out to ‘buck barley’ like the rest of the men because he hasn’t got the energy or strength like the other men have which means that he is lonely all day and has to wait for them to come back. He can’t go down to Soledad because he is too old â€Å"after that the guys went down to Soledad and raised hell, I didn’t go there, I aint got the poop no more† Candy was very close to that dog, he had him since he was a puppy, and so that dog is important to him. Firstly, he spends all of his day with that dog. Also that dog is a link to all the memories he has â€Å"yeah I had him since he was a pup, god he was a damn good sheep dog when he was younger. When the dog gets shot Candy is desperate to leave the ranch, he hasn’t got any body to keep him there (since his dog was his only companion) now the dog has been shot he hasn’t got a friend anymore, which is why he is so desperate to leave the ranch. And follow Lennie and George with this dream that they have. Candy has become so desperate to be part of Lennie and Georges’ dream that he is prepared to give all of his savings to them â€Å"s’pose I went in with you guys, that’s three hundred and fifty bucks I’d put in.† that is three hundred and fifty dollars that Candy is prepared to give- $50 a month- so he is prepared to give 7 months wages to two guys that he has met on that very same day! This shows that he is desperate. Candy sees no hope on the ranch â€Å"when they can me I wisht somebody’d shoot me† he’d rather be dead than stay on the ranch now his dog has been shot. He desperately wants something to look forward to, something to be happy about, and somewhere to belong to. The idea of this dream gives him hope. He wants to join the dream because his dog has been shot. Lennie and George accept him because he has got the money. Because Lennie and George have accepted Candy into this dream, he begins to change. Firstly Candy has gained the ability to be self critical. He can see that he should have shot his dog himself â€Å"I ought to have shot that dog myself, George, I shouldn’t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog† this shows that he has got over his dog being shot. Secondly Candy has gained the confidence to join in with the other men, like when he joins into the attack with Curley (â€Å"glove fulla Vaseline† Candy said disgustingly). This shows that he isn’t scared to join in when everybody is cheeking Candy. He wouldn’t have done this before because he would have been sacked, but now he fells more confident and feels more part of the group; he only used to say things behind peoples backs, not to their faces (the swamper stood up from his box â€Å"know what I think† George did not answer â€Å"well I think he’s married a tart†) he only used to say things like that behind peoples back. Now he feels more confident, he will say it to their faces. Thirdly, he starts to plan and look forward â€Å"I tell ya what Lennie, I’ve been figuring about them rabbits† he knows what his future going to be, he is looking forward to it. He wasn’t like this before because he couldn’t see any future, he had nothing to look forward to. His future seemed horrible â€Å"they’ll can me purty soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county† he tells Lennie and George that he’s going to a county, no friends, no family, no entertainment, simple life, horrible experience. Finally I found out that has got more confident when talking to Curleys’ wife when he backs up Crooks â€Å"if you was to do that, we’d tell† â€Å"we’d tell you up about you framing Crooks† he wouldn’t have done this before because it is the bosses sons wife that he is talking to and he would be sacked- and he cannot afford that to happen because he hasn’t got no place else to go, he had to rely on his boss to permit him to work on the ranch and he is quite confident that he his future is going to happen, so now he doesn’t care about being sacked, the fear of being sacked has left him. When Lennie kills Curleys’ wife the dream that Candy was looking forward to have come to an end, Candy was really relying on that dream, it’s made him more lively, it’s helped him join in with the other people (â€Å"glove fulla Vaseline†) now Curleys’ wife’s death has caused this dream to fail. I know this from when he says to Curleys’ wife’s corpse â€Å"you done it di’nt you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good, you ain’t no good now, you lousy tart† to say something like this to a dead body is highly disrespectful, like stealing candy from a baby it isn’t acceptable because it is impolite. But all of his anger has caused him to strengthen up; become more confident, when he says â€Å"if they was a circus or a baseball game†¦ we would of went to her†¦ jus’ said ta hell with work, an’ went to her. Never ast nobody say so. An’ they’d of been a pig and chickens†¦ an’ in the winter†¦ the little fat stove†¦ an’ the rain comin’†¦ and jus’ us settin’ there.† The dots between his speeches are called ellipses; these indicate that Candy is angry that his dream has been taken from him. And the ellipsis shows that Candy is trying to control his emotions, until he breaks down -â€Å"his eyes blinded with tears†. After this incident , Candy isn’t just back to how he was before, I think that he would be more broken than he was because hew has lost his dog. When the dream was mentioned to him-it was like giving a child a sweet and taking it from him- he had his hopes up, now it looked like it was all over as if it had never begun. So his future seems quite dull for an old man. I think that he would be worse off. The next person I would like to observe is Crooks. Crooks is a stable buck who also lives at the ranch where Lennie and George once worked. A stable buck is someone who looks after the horses and the mules; he is also a black man. He lives not in the bunk house where all the other guys live; he lives in a shed of a barn. The job of the stable buck is very important because it is vital for the horses and the mules to be kept in good condition due to that being the only transport, meaning that the horses and the mules must be kept well looked after. The reason why he is called Crooks is because he is disabled; this shows that he cannot work with the other men. He has a permanent Job looking after the mules and horses; this is a semi-skilled job because it requires skill to do this job. There are several reasons why Crooks is lonely. Firstly he is black, the only black on the ranch â€Å"and now there aint no coloured guy on the ranch† he grew up as the only black family in Soledad â€Å"there wasn’t another coloured family for miles around.† There is only one coloured family in Soledad â€Å"an’ there’s jus’ one family in Soledad†. This makes him lonely because he hasn’t got anybody like him, nobody black like him. He is the only one. Segregation means separation, separated from the others, this is what happens to Crooks. He isn’t allowed in the bunk house, he lives in a little shed led off the barn â€Å"a little shed led off the barn† since he been separated from the others, he feels that white people have no right in his room â€Å"you got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room; nobody got any right in here but me.† From this, Crooks feels rejected â€Å"I can’t play cards because I’m black. They say I stink, well, I tell you, you stink too† Crooks is a victim of institutional racism- this means that the law cannot protect him. I know this from when Curleys’ wife says to him â€Å"I can get you strung up so easy it ain’t even funny† The word â€Å"nigger† can be said in two ways-to describe â€Å"sure, ya see, the stable bucks a nigger† this shows ignorance, this shows that people do not know that it is an offensive word- and hurtful â€Å"then you keep your place then nigger, I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny† what she said was true backthen, if a black man looked at a white woman funny then (no matter what personality she is) she can get him strung up and the law cannot protect him. Crooks is isolated, no-one comes into his room except for Slim and the boss â€Å"guys like you don’t come into a coloured mans room very much. Nobody been in here but Slim, Slim and the boss.† Experts say that being isolated can affect your mental health, which evidently it has done to Crooks. He is quiet, aloof (keep yourself to yourself) and depressed. He was not always like this. In his youth he was part of a loving family â€Å"remember when I was a little kid on my old mans chicken ranch. Had two brothers, they was always with me, always there† this makes Crooks lonelier than he is now because he had a family, he had a life, he had a future, but now it has been taken from him. America was a far more racist community than it was now. I know this from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) this was (and still is) a white supremacist organisation, which has an aim of striking fear and intimidation into black people. The KKK believed that blacks were like animals and had little rights due to the fact that they are black-terrible, but true- black people were routinely dragged out of their homes and beaten, raped, castrated (cutting off penis and testicles) or possibly murdered. Slavery was abolished in America; it was very strong in the southern states. This is why Crooks says that he isn’t a southern Negro â€Å"I ain’t a southern negro† this shows that Crooks was born a free black. Crooks (as far as we know) hasn’t suffered from the KKK but it could still effect him because he know in theory what will happen to him. Being isolated is not good for people. As I’ve said earlier, isolation can affect your mental health. He is also the only character in this novel that knows what loneliness does to you- Steinbeck’s message has been put into Crooks’s mouth â€Å"a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†. From suffering from isolation Crooks begins to get his own back and scare Lennie â€Å"want me ta tell ya what’ll happen? They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog†. From this he has become cynical (this means that you believe things will always go wrong, what ever the scenario) and pessimistic (always looking on the down side of things â€Å"you’ll talk abut it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land†. Yet he may be black, but he is brighter than all the other men in the novel â€Å"And he had a book too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905† he hasn’t got the right to fulfil his intelligence, this shows what racism was like and what it did. When Lennie and Candy mention the dream to Crooks he offers to join it immediately â€Å"if you†¦guys would want to work for nothing-just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch when I want to†. The way he asked it was to hint to them, try not to give them an excuse to punish him. He really wants to be part of the dream, we never hear Crooks speak of his dreams, when Lennie and Candy talk about their dream, Crooks springs up and wants to become part of it. Crooks has the same dream, but he never shows it, because he’s black. In the ellipsis he is trying to hint to them for them to accept him. We want Crooks to be accepted because it would be a better life, possibly a better ending. When Crooks wants to be part of Lennie and Candy’s dream, he has his hopes up, but when Curleys’ wife enters the scene and threatens him â€Å"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny† he changes his mind- not as if he wants to- but for protection. What Curleys’ wife said was true, so Crooks loses all of his confidence, and backs out of this dream. So what will happen to him is that he will be exactly how he was before lonely, aloof, intimidated. We will feel sorry for him because now he has ended up worse than he was before, now he knows that things will always go wrong for him In a Depression everybody suffers. If you were black or disabled you suffer even more because nobody would want to employ you. Employers want white, fit and young workers, if they were fit to get that job, it would be low payed, you would suffer either way, but if you was black or disabled you would be less likely to get that job, Candy only got that job because he lost his hand under their behalf. Crooks only got that job because he’s been there a long time and he’s got skill. If Crooks and Candy were kicked and had to start again, it wouldn’t be easy for them to get another job. The final character I am going to look at is Curleys’ wife. Curleys’ wife is the recent bosses sons wife on the ranch lennie and George worked at- so the men on the ranc will look at her as the â€Å"new kid†. â€Å"whit picked uphis cards and examined them â€Å"seen the new kid yet†. She looks probally 16-17 years old. I know this from when an actor said she could go with them. She says that she is only 15. â€Å"he says I could gowith him on that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. She says because I was on’y 15†. Also she is pretty but in an artificial way- this means that she pretends to be beautiful â€Å"a girl was standing there looking in. she had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red.her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages. She wore a cotton house dressand red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquettes of red ostrich feathers† back then respectable women didn’t wear make up how she does, this is why the men refer her to as a tart â€Å"I think Curley’s married†¦ a tart† she is never refered to as a name- just an individual. Also she can provokes strong feelings in both readers and characters (sympathy and hostility) to lennie, who thinks she’s georgeous- â€Å"she’s purty†- and George- who thinks discustingly of her- â€Å"don’t you even take a look at that bitch†- the readers feel the same more-or-less. Steinbeck had a more sympathetic view of the character of Curleys’ wife- I know this from the Miss Luce letter. When Steinbeck adapted this novel into a play, the actor playing Curleys’ wife wrote to him because he did not know how to play her. So Steinbeck wrote a sympathetic letter back to Miss Luce explaining that her character in more detail. There are a number of reasons why Curleys’ wife is lonely. A womans role at that time was far different than today. Women those days had to stay in the home; cook meals and look after the kids- Curleys’ wife can’t do this because she is living with Curleys’ father, she can’t cook there is a cook that cooks all the meals on the ranch. Today women own companies, go to work etc. Curleys’ wife cannot get a job because in a depression, all the jobs would go to the men, plus women weren’t seen as workers, their job was to stay in the home. Also respectable women didn’t wear make up, if you did then the men would think bad of you. Yet also there isn’t another woman on the ranch for or nearby-so she hasn’t got any support, girls and boys like the company of people their age, girls share make up, clothes, talk to each other, and chat about life. Curleys’ wife can’t chat with other girls since there isn’t anybody; Curleys’ mother seems evidently dead or doesn’t live with them, so she can’t talk to her. She cannot go into town to meet other girls because she cannot travel alone, if she does then society will disrespect her. She is treated by Curley as a sex object, as a possession- a perfect example of this is when she dies, Curleys’ reaction to her death, there is no weeping, no remorse, Curley goes straight for revenge â€Å"I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot him in the guts. Come on, you guys† he only goes for revenge for Lennie because he hates big guys. Curley sees his wife as a sex object from when he brags about his ‘glove fulla Vaseline’ Curley says this because when the men ask him why he is wearing a glove full of Vaseline, he says he is keeping it soft for his wife. He only says this to make the other guys jealous. As for the other men on the ranch, they see her as someone who is dangerous, she is judged by her first appearance â€Å"well ain’t she a looloo?† they say this because she doesn’t fit into the men’s category as normal, respectable women didn’t wear make up- she wears make up- respectable women didn’t leave the house- she’s in their faces. When Whit says â€Å"I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye† when he says this, it is a major insult to a woman. For a woman to sleep with a black man is seen as the taboo, it just wasn’t right back then. They refer her to a tart (prostitute); however they talk about the actual tarts at the cathouse with real warmth and pleasure â€Å"we go to old susy’s place. Hell of a nice place. Old susy’s a laugh- always cracking jokes.† They talk about tarts as if they like them. But they don’t like Curleys’ wife and call her a tart, when she isn’t o ne. It seems as if she cannot win. When you are a married man, you work and look after your wife. Curley has only been married for two weeks and he’s going to the cathouse! Curleys’ wife hasn’t done anything. This does not pass unnoticed; Curleys’ wife tells Lennie how she feels about it â€Å"I get lonely† she said â€Å"you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† So what has loneliness done to her? It’s made her desperate; she ignores the voice inside her head that something is wrong. â€Å"She took Lennie’s hand and put it on her head†. This shows that she is desperate for company. She also has become cruel â€Å"listen nigger† she said â€Å"you know what I can do to you if you open your trap† this shows that she feels as if she can get her own back on them, she feels as if- for the first time in a long time I suppose- she can take control. Eventually it kills her. She got that desperate for company that she stayed in that room with Lennie; and got herself killed. Many people have dreams, Curleys’ wife has a dream, and this dream means a lot to her. Curleys’ wife wants to be a movie star; this was because the film industry was just starting. This was a dream for most young girls back then. Like of how girls of 16-17 want to become models. Evidently this was a realistic dream for young girls back then. She got this dream from when she was 15; an actor said that she could be in the movies â€Å"‘nother time I met a guy an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the riverside dance palace with him. He says he was going to put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was going to write to me about it† what this man really wanted to was to sleep with her. I don’t think he was in the movies at all, I think he was just claiming, it would be highly unnatural for a Hollywood film producer to turn up in a small place like Soledad, like a famous person turning up in Bloxwitch, it wouldn’t happen on an everyday basis. This is why her mother wouldn’t let her â€Å"my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me† her mother wouldn’t let her go with him because he wanted to protect her. This shows that Curleys’ wife is shallow- cares about her appearance, gullible- believes everything that she is told, and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve- meaning that she is too trusting to people. She hasn’t got any real talent because we haven’t really seen her act out before, so the probability of this dream becoming true is highly unlikely. But she doesn’t want to be in the movies to act. No, she wants to be famous; she wants to be admired and to wear flashy clothes. The affect of this is that she wants to be like how the actresses are, trying to impress the men- just the sad thing is that the men don’t refer her as an actresses, they refer her to as a tart and vow to keep a distance form her. The effect of this is the total opposite of what she wants (of how they look at her as a tart) she doesn’t want that, she wants to be respected by them. She wants to make something of herself â€Å"well I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself† this ties up with the American Dream. This is great proof that the dream actually exists. When Curleys’ wife dies, Steinbeck presents her death in a sympathetic and descriptive manner- â€Å"now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when he presents her death, we- us and the characters- see the real woman. We see her no more than a tool to be polished and maimed, never to be respected nor confided in. And when she described her dream beforehand, this is a sympathetic ending to her life. For the final part of this essay I will talk about who I personally think is the loneliest. I think that the loneliest character is Curleys’ wife because she is the only woman on the ranch and everybody looks down upon her as something disgustingly on a lavatory seat. She is also the loneliest because even her own husband doesn’t particularly respect her. I think this text of Mice and Men was an interesting and mind bending book with a gripping and plot. There are some things that I know now that I didn’t now before, for instance the Great Depression, I knew roughly what it was but I never knew that this book had the theme of it. Also, loneliness, the other theme, also happens today. Like how it drives people crazy. Like the message John Steinbeck is trying to put out.