A Review of ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in 1939, during the Great American Depression. It tells the story of two men striving to understand their own unique place in the world. Traveling in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and the dream they share: to one day settle down in a farm of their own and count out their days. Eventually they find work on a ranch, their hopes are doomed as Lennie becomes a victim of his own strength leaving their dream to be crushed. Much of Of Mice and Men is based upon Steinbeck’s life and experiences. He highlights many social issues which he experienced first hand. For example, the climatic changes in the West of America resulting in destruction of fertile land, this had supported the homesteaders represented in the novel by the ‘promised joy’ dreamt of by the workers in the story. Another problem shown in the novel is the great financial collapse of 1929 which heralded the Depression that increased unemployment and poverty through the United States. Because of these problems intinerant American workers were exploited by farm owners on low pay and appalling conditions. They were only in demand for short periods of time causing them to have to save enough from seasonal work to support for the rest of the year and their extreme mobile lifestyles. Most of the characters in the book face many of these problems or are suffering from them especially the main characters, George and Lennie. George is a small, intelligent man. He is very strong-minded but also like most of the characters in the book very dreamy. He is very keen to change the monotomy of his present situation. Lennie, is a huge, lumbering, kind but child-like man. Although he has a terror of violence he is a man of great physical strength, something he is quite unaware of causing him to be clumsy. Lennie has an obsession with petting small animals that occurs throughout the book. He is very passive it is for this reason, in my opnion that George and Lennie are the incomplete halves of one whole person. George keeps Lennie by his side partly for comfort and friendship, but mainly as he is very strong and can work on a farm better than most people. Lennie is both an advantage and hindrance to George. George also supports Lennie, helps him and puts ideas in his head, wh ich keep him motivated but mainly acts as a fatherly figure. On arrival at the ranch one of the first characters George and Lennie meet is Candy, the oldest ranch worker who is coming to the end of his life. Candy is a very warm character in my opnion. He shares the dream that George and Lennie do, and therefore they become attractive ‘friends’ to him. He is a gossip and tells the newcomers of the ranch workers and owners. He tells George and Lennie about Curley and his newly wed wife. Curley is a small man, because of his height disadvantage he dislikes tall men. He is continually agressive and always trying to show his masculanity. He is humilated by his wife’s disastifaction and needs to boost his confidence. Curley’s wife’s name is never mentioned in the book it is for this reason she comes across as Curley’s possession. She is portrayed in the book as a tarty, flirtatious woman, who is ‘friendly’ to the men who work on the ranch. She claims not being understood in the book. Curley†™s wife has often been caught by other members of the ranch giving Slim and Carlson the eye. Slim is a friendly and gentle character compared to the others. He is a dignified master craftsman. Slim in my opnion is descibed by Steinbeck as an idealised character, however, his words and actions are quite realistic. Carlson is the more agressive character, we do not know that much about him but he usually appears in violent scenes. He is not a very sensative man. One of my favourite characters is Crooks. Crooks is a literate black cripple who tends horses. He interests me because his natural personality has been taken away from him by years of racism which I am very against. He is a very lonely character and has been automatically rejected in the novel by the other characters. My other favourite character is Lennie because of his unusual personality and need for a father figure despite being a fully grown man. In my opnion one cannot help but to feel sorry for Lennie. Within the story their are many themes, important ideas that run through the book. One of my favourites is dreams, each character has their own dream which is used throughout the book. The majority involve the ‘American Dream’, to be able to ‘live off the fatta the lan’. Curley’s wife’s dream revolves around Hollywood and being a moviestar but her dream she believes was ruined by her mother. She is also lonely just like many of the other characters, this is another theme in the book. Each of the workers is an induvidual and works for themselves. They all seek comfort in different things such as Candy in his dog. However, quite early on in the book Candy’s dog is killed, this is the first mention of violence. Throughout the book the world of the men is filled with unneccesary violence. The killing of the dog is quite similar to that of Lennie at the end of the book. Alot of authority is shown within the book aswell such as the condition of the worker’s living area and the Boss’s clothes, black and severe. However I feel the book is centred on the idea of mutual dependence. Each of the main two characters depends on each other hugely. But this relationship, at the end of the book, is breached and George takes advantage of Lennie who trusts him, and kills him, so that his dream is secured. The book is written in an easy to read form, it is not in the country language they would of spoken, but in proper English the majority of the book. The story is out of date of course, but the actual language and style used in the book is quite modern. I really like the way that Steinbeck at the beginning of each chapter gives you a vivid description of the surrondings. It is for this reason that although there have been many films made of this book nothing can compare to the pictures the pages of this book generates inside your mind’s eye and as you turn the final page these pictures stay with you. At first glance the story was not very enthralling but as I got deeper into the plot I started to really enjoy it. As I got more into the book I started to think more about the themes and characters of the book which drew me in to it even more. It is the kind of book that is not only a story but also holds an interesting background behind it and applies to the history of America and the Great Depression. It is for this reason I feel it deserves its title as a classic and I would recommend it to any reader.

Goals

Write down one of your SMART goals as a college student. Date: 25 July 2014 Proof. Aid Alfalfa My SMART goal as a college student is to finish college and graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering. The reason for choosing this course is that I particularly like Chemistry and would like to work in the fields involving Chemistry. Furthermore, to study Chemical Engineering at M. I. T. Ill be do a tremendous amount of help to me. 2. Explain how this goal can be made: a) Specific To be specific about my goal, I want to fully graduate at M.I. T. With a degree in Chemical Engineering. As I have mentioned earlier, I have taken a liking to Chemistry, and furthermore, I achieved good grades in Chemistry during High school. If I do graduate, I will be able to get a Job in such a diverse field of work. B) Measurable To measure the progress of this goal, it will be accomplished within 4 to 5 years. Within the course of each year, it will obviously become harder to achieve this goal, due to g rowing amount of subjects, projects, assignments and the like. To put certain points to check on the progress would be, finishing each year's load of subjects. ) Achievable To achieve this goal, I have to study. As simple as it sounds, it is not simple in action, as I would need to be persistent & hardworking towards my studies. This will be very hard to achieve but it is worthwhile. D) Realistic Reason being for this goal to be very rewarding, is the widely open and diverse field of work I can be able to get into. Furthermore, in today's day and age, there is a great need of engineers, and a greater need for Chemical Engineers. This suits me Just fine, as I often think that I have an aptitude for Science. E) Time bound As fore mentioned, this goal will be achieved in 4 to 5 years.Even though this course is usually done within 5 years, M. I. T. Is able to produce engineers within 4 years. Within this timeshare, I will be able to learn and achieve many other things along the way. 3. Write a plan of action Goal To graduate at M. I. T. With a degree in Chemical Engineering. Specific Actions to be taken -To study with persistence and hard work -To persevere in the following years -Be able to make friends and get along with many other students Timeshare Within this timeshare, I would need to accomplish many subjects to graduate, major subjects such as Science and Mathematics, and other subjects, such as NSP and Humanities.

About Peter S. Essay

Father-relationship Describe his father He is different to his father Contentment a sense of belonging home a place of happiness Peter feels he is disconnecting to his heritage His garden was his pride and garden†¦ father has strong sense of belonging to his garden and home Hyperbole From the soil he turned and the tobacco he rolled†¦ juxtapositions of hard work and pleasure†¦father loves smoking, as it is part of tradition and culture Stanza 3 he’s describing gestures that are associated with polish culture. Australians are more casual and â€Å"he didn’t get used to it† He’s describing life in Poland Blue eyes represent purity Stanza 4 – optimistic, Positive, father always focus on positive Stanza 5 – picked up polish while he was a child †¦ negative†¦clash of cultures Stanza 6 – after negative tone this stanza comes more positive Imagery – As he was struggling with complex English he forgot his connection to the polish language..becoming australianised .. and he repeated it so I never forgot† sense if guilt Using one of the scenes listed and your knowledge of the film as a whole Techniques, structures effect//what do we learn about from Explain how relationships lead to a deeper understanding of the world in Peter Weir’s film Witness *Raising the barn *The chicken pen scene *The police invade the Amish community *The attack in the town Introduction: Through close analysis of Peter Weir’s film â€Å"Witness† a deeper understanding of the world can be achieved through the relationships between characters. In the film â€Å"Witness† Peter Weir uses effective language and film techniques to offer a deeper understanding of the world. This is made evident through the close analysis of the relationships within the film. Body Paragraph: Topic sentence: (identify a key relationship in the film) Evidence in film/elaboration: (refer to a key scene where this relationship is presented) Examples including techniques: (identify film/language techniques within the scene) Explain what we learn from the above example/ the effect: (what do we learn about the relationship in the examples) Think findings back to the Q using key words (what do you learn from the relationships about the world)

Vancouver Aquarium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Vancouver Aquarium - Essay Example The about 9,000 square meters aquarium has different galleries for its (Vancouver Aquarium, 2014). Officially referred to as the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, this public aquarium is renowned for marine animal rehabilitation, conservation and research. It is credited for being among the first facilities that incorporated professionalism in its galleries for the interpretation of animal behaviors. Vancouver Aquarium is open to visitors all year round. Tourists from around the world tour the facility to see the aquatic life. Other than tourists, the aquarium has been a key attraction site for environmentalists seeking to study the aquatic life. In 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency designated Vancouver Aquarium as its coastal learning center, aimed at strengthening the US/Canadian partnership in restoring and also protecting the shared ocean resources. According to the Vancouver Aquarium (2014), since the inception of the aquarium in 1956, over 35 million visitors have been to the aquarium. The City of Vancouver, which owns Vancouver Aquarium, rents it out for $40,000 per year. This public aquarium is self-supporting and non-profit making as indicated in its mission statement (Vancouver Aquarium, 2014). Retail operations, food services, membership, admissions and various community programs contribute to about 81% of Vancouver Aquarium’s operating budget. The facility draws the remainder of its financing from donations, charitable contributions, and restricted grants. For instance, in 2010, Premier Gordon Campbell and Prime Minister Stephen Harper together donated $15 million for the expansion of the facility and upgrade of its infrastructure. In 2012, its lead community partner, Teck, donated $12 million to the facility.

DQ7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DQ7 - Essay Example For example, it is a common practice in business that the quotations or estimates submitted for a project tapped by the competitors using false means. They will utilize the information in the tapped documents for their advantages while submitting their quotations for the same project. In a highly professional business world such things may not be considered as a sin. But ethically it is not a good practice since such practices may result in unhealthy competition which will be harmful to the overall business activities. A company which follows strong ethical standards in their business will never go after such undercutting methods and we can conclude that normal decisions and moral decisions are entirely different in the current world in general and in the business world in specific. Morality is a social invention which is essential for the sustainability of a society. We cannot think of a society which is filled with immoral activities, survive for a long period. For example, if robbery is legally allowed in a society to tackle poverty, what will happen? Thus moral decisions are always different from the rational decisions. Information is one of the main segments of an organization. It is often said that man, material, machine and money (4M’s) are the four major components required for the smooth functioning of an organization. In fact information is equally important with the above mentioned 4M’s of business. Like all the other resources of an organization, information of a company needs to be protected well for the business growth. It is easy for the competitors to devise strategies well in advance to counter the innovative and challenging business strategies of an organization, if the secret information of the company leaked via the managers or some other employees of the organization. The managers have a variety of the information regarding the future plans of an organization. It is necessary to keep such information as secrets for the well

Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Life - Essay Example This particular speech reverses the pride and confidence that the young black girl had felt about her as the speaker constantly reminds her of her â€Å"unfortunate† place in the hierarchy of things within the white supremacist state of things. However, the speech of Mr Reeds serves to restore this pride as the young girl is made once again to believe in herself (Angelou 74). This poem marks a journey for the young girl from the point of innocence to that of truth. She is confronted by the hard reality of racism as it represents itself in the external world. From this point, the girl is then empowered to appreciate her identity and not accept any systems or discourses that are designed to diminish the girl’s self-identity. As such, the awakening experience helps her to live a better life. Similarly, Malcolm X’s story, â€Å"A Homemade Education† brings out the positive tone of the civil rights movement’s leader who taught himself a great deal about reading while in prison (Malcolm 56). It is a story that narrates the triumph of the human spirit amid the difficult and trying conditions of prison life. The ability to progress in reading and education outside the guidance of the formal system is a task that requires motivation and sacrifice. In essence, this story is meant to motivate the reader in a manner that would make him aspire to the kind of inner drive, which helped Malcolm X ascend to higher levels of knowledge. As such, the main themes of motivation, strength, and will power, which seem to inform the course of this story, are brought out as consequences of ambition and focus. Some qualities enabled Malcolm X to transform his life from that of a miscreant in the society to one of motivation, positive personality, and high levels of influenc e. Zora Hurston’s story â€Å"How it Feels to be Coloured Me† confronts the subject of racism in a forthright and creative manner. This story tells of how a young woman learns to come to terms with

Rail Transportation system analysis report Case Study

Rail Transportation system analysis report - Case Study Example These elements are framed and designed by the extreme effort of civil and mechanical engineering to build the system for electrical equipment and efficiency of the rail network. Rail Transport System plays a major role in the transportation system in railways. The system assists in developing an important link in the transportation chain for connecting communities and states. It ensures in delivering transportation services with consistency in quality and time. The infrastructure of the system comprises different elements that include wagons, rail tracks, engines, sheds and stations. The system is classed as an Engineering system, as the whole system is based on different structural and architectural designs. Different types of wagons, rail tracks, engines and stations are essential to deliver rail transport services are used in the Australian based system. The system is developed on complex structural design and technology, which requires support of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering. Civil and mechanical engineering works assisted in building the framework of graphical and solid design of rail equipment and vehicles. Similarly, electrical engine ering structures the electronic equipment and materials needed in various rail engines and rail stations (Australian Government, 2013). Australian Rail Transport System is incorporated and supported with excellent performance of various elements that include tracks, trains, stations, power, consumer, government and technology. Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is the largest owner in rail network, which operates and manages standard gauge track in an area of more than 8,500 kilometres in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. The system with the assistance of the ARTC is able to perform core business works such as access