Of Mice and Men: Journey to their American Dream Essay

Achieving the American dream is possible, but the price to get there may be more than most can handle. In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck shows threw different choices of settings the difficulties of achieving such a dream. George and Lenny, long time friends since childhood have the dream of owning and working there own land. They travel from town to town looking for labor trying to save up enough money. Yet everywhere they go it seems trouble either follows or finds them. The American dream is known by most but achieved by few. Gradually over the years the American dream has become the main staple for up and coming families. Both men and woman strive to have the white picket fence in a private town, near work, and with a good school district. Though many live from paycheck to paycheck portraying as if they have the american dream when in reality its all just an illusion. Young people are greatly influenced by family, friends, and the media. At a young age many are told to go to college, get a good job, and to become successful. It is drilled into the young that owning property and making life as comfortable as possible is the way to go. So this is what we work so hard for, never stopping on our quest to achieve the almost unachievable. Lennie and George’s vision of the American dream is simply owning their very own land. Threw out the book it is implied that you are a respected member of society if you own land and stay in one place. Yet Lennie and George go from town to town working hard trying to make enough money to buy land but never actually stay in one place for enough time to actually settle in one spot and buy it. If they were to have land ownership they would have the pride and respect they always wanted. In their eyes the dream means â€Å"independence and self-sufficiancy, the freedom that comes from owning land. which in turn means enjoying the fruits of one’s own labor.†-( Johnson[->0] 140) Society plays a big role in achieving the dream. Being on the outskirts of society is hard enough along with Lennie always sturring up accidental trouble, society brands them outsiders, unusual, and not safe. Usually they are run out of town by the towns people and not given a chance to save up enough money to be able to by land let alone find land to purchase. After a few times of this happening moral goes down and the dream seems farther and farther away. The migrant life and its effects can take a toll. They searched for casual work wherever they can find it. George and Lennie are known as † seasonal or casual workers, who went from job to job in africulture, industry, or construction.†- (Johnson[->1] 100). Usually they do hard labor that pays very little and don’t stay long enough to get comfortable. This leaves them feeling unwanted and mistreated. Many of the people they work with treat them like they are inconsequential. They are only wanted to do they hard labor no one else would do. Seen to be too weak to even come close to the American dream. Curly’s wife looks at them and rudely says † they left all the weak ones here.†- (Steinbeck). Curly’s wife has some dreams of her own as well. She wished to be a Hollywood actress but can’t beome one because Curly is so protective of her and doesn’t allow her to do anything. If she wants to make her dream come true she would have to leave Curly and all that she is familiar with behind. This would be a difficult and life changing decision not to be taken lightly (â€Å"Mice†). Discrimination is shown often throughout this book, against anyone who is different. Many times they are discriminated against because of their being drifters an not of a certain social standing. Lennie is mentally handicapped and most times his curious and playful side can become dangerous. He likes to touch pretty and soft things but in doing this without thinking others become frightened and disturbed by such a large burly man approaching them and not letting go. Because of this Lennie is constantly called stupid or a fool even by George at times. George is looked at as a fool for befriending someone like that. This deprives them of the hope they need to continue to work hard and reach their goals. George expresses this when he says, â€Å"I seen the guys that go around on the †¦ ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time.†(Steinbeck.17) A black man’s perspective can be much the same as a migrants. Even Curly, a black worker, wants to make it for himself but is constantly put down and disparaged because he is black and handicapped. With the mindset of being dumb, stupid and not good enough no one can move forward or accomplish anything. In the beginning and ending of the book Steinbeck uses symbolism in the largeness of the mountains compared to the smallness of George and Lennie showing the contrast between them and their dream (J.Hinds 152). Many ask the question can the American dream really be had? George is not very optimistic about starting up new in another town and in that mindset finds that the worst does happen. George is forced to kill Lennie, in this he possibly realizes this is the only way to achieve his dream of owning land even if it hurts him to do this. George had always felt a certain obligation to sticking with Lennie shown when he says, â€Å"I ain’t got no people†¦. ‘Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him.† (Steinbeck 45). In this case George killing Lennie was the only way for either of them to obtain their American dream. â€Å"Of Mice and Men and The American Dream.† 123HelpMe.com. 16 May 2012 . [->0] – /Claudia-Durst-Johnson/e/B000APX61U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/187-0392986-1780919 [->1] – /Claudia-Durst-Johnson/e/B000APX61U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/187-0392986-1780919

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

Ani Aivazova Ms. Gharibian Literacy for Success 7 December, 2009 A Day No Pigs Would Die The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, is a classic novel for young adults that signifies the importance of life, family, and traditions. The author of the book, Robert Peck, who is also the main character in the story, wrote about the hardships and happiness of his life. The book has a lot of lessons and advises from Roberts life experience. Even thought he is just a thirteen year old teenager, he has gone through a lot.The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader, has important lessons, and is age appropriate. A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader. Robert is a thirteen year old teenager who is going through hardships of teenage years. Since the readers of the book are also high school students, it is most likely that they wil l relate to Robs situation. Some of the students may also be going through the same or similar situations.The way Robert takes out of his problems will help the students resolve their own problems. As well as complementing the reader, the book also gives lessons in life. The book A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned because it teaches important lessons. Robert has a lot of challenging situations in life. By solving his problems, he gives other teenagers ideas about resolving their problems. For example, when Robert kills pinky he sets and example for every boy out there. Even though Pinky was the only beloved thing he owned, he sacrificed it for his family’s need.Robert did what was necessary, not what he wanted to do. In addition to setting examples, the book should also be kept because it is age appropriate. A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned from school because its content is appropriate for any high school student. Some say that the book has too much vio lence, especially in the birth and death of animals. However, that can be interpreted as natural events that happen in everyday life. There is nothing wrong in knowing the surrounding world and how life happens.In the book, the main character Robert tells the story of his life. He shares the happy and the challenging times that he had to go though as a teenager. The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader, has important lessons, and is age appropriate. The book should not be banned because it does not have a bad influence on the reader. Furthermore reading the book helps some students cope with their own life situations.

Creativity in Critical Thinking Essay

In the health care profession, the skills, and abilities to think critically are an essential component of professional accountability and quality care. In order to manage the complexity of the work environment, and patient care issues, critical thinking will enable nurses think more effectively, and work through challenges to achieve the best possible results. There are many ways critical thinking can be used in nursing profession. Critical thinkers in nursing, demonstrate habits of the mind include flexibility, creativity, inquisitiveness, intellectual integrity, intuition, open-mindedness, perseverance, and reflection to manage complex matters in the health care arena (Rubenfeld, Scheffer, 2010). Nurses use creativity, one of the habits of mind in critical thinking to educate their patients. Example of Creative Thinking in Patient Education To provide safe care to the patients, nurses must utilize critical thinking abilities in the assessment of patient issues, the planning of care, and the implementation of care. Careful examination of all the aspects of patient care helps the nurse to reach a better outcome imparting education for the patient. When providing education or information to a patient, the nurses apply creative thinking, by using the counseling dialogues help the patient raise questions of why, how, and who. The nurses guide patients through identifying, and exploring the problem, consider the patient’s choices, choose a plan of action, and evaluate the results (Ranklin, 2005). For example, reducing falls in the inpatient unit. Fall risk assessment is a key safety issue in many inpatients. Identifying the risk for fall on patient admission, and implementing measures and reevaluate the patient is essential to prevent falls on the unit. Moreover educating the patient and families is a necessary step in preventing patient falls. Evaluation of an Example of Creative Thinking The presented example is a way of creative thinking to impart education to the patients. Firstly, visual observation of the at-risk patients helps the staff, patients, and families to prevent falls. Identification tools on the doors, at the bedside, yellow socks, and falls band on the arms enable the health care professionals to target implementation of fall prevention to the patients. The sign at the bedside which says, â€Å"Please call, do not fall†, and the bed alarm reminds the patients and their families that, they are at risk for falling. Participating communication with other health care personals regarding fall risk in a regular shift report, and creating visual cues in the patients’ rooms, alarm the nurses and other health care professionals to prevent patients getting harm from falling. Justification of Creativity in Critical Thinking Creative thinking helps the nursing professionals identify biological, behavioral and environmental risk factors. Patient fall is preventable by implementing effective, and creative fall prevention programs, and thus help the patients live better. Creative thinkers must have knowledge of the clinical problem. They should have the ability of assessing the present problem, and be knowledgeable about the underlying cause, and be able to overcome the situation. Creativity in critical thinking boosts the nurse’s ability to modify, and expand the existing knowledge in patient related situations. In creative thinking, health care professionals take initiative, examine strategies to use, and recognize the consequences of strategies, and make the decision. Creative thinking remains a key ingredient for individualized client care. In that nurse identifies the specific need of each patient, and makes interventions specific to those needs. Without creative thinking, nursing care would become consistent and routine. There is a strong relationship between critical and creative thinking. In order to provide education to the needy clients, nurses’ needs to utilize critical intelligence and to be a critical thinker (Daniels, 2004). Hence, hospitalized patients need an individual assessment when educating them. It is important that, nurse must learn to utilize critical thinking skills natural way when providing care to the patients.

Fairytales May Convey a Hidden Message

As innocent as they seem, from the cute fairytales of Cinderella and her submissive character to the passionate story of Beauty and the Beast, a maiden who falls in love with a beast, the true meaning that lies beneath the pretty shell delivers a different message to children. The idea of the â€Å"traditional† role of women is constantly portrayed in many fairytales. Fairytales, although fantasy-like, still resemble aspects of the world and throughout history, women were considered inferior to men. †¦it is a fair assumption that in a world dominated by men, the fairy tale reflects the world as defined and organized by men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Oliver 86). Stories such as The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, Cinderella and Snow White by the Grimm’s Brothers, and Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete) by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbet de Villeneuve, emphasize the different inequalities between men and women. â€Å"Girls in Fairyland do not triumph over male s; they obey. † (Oliver 86). An envious step-mother, a mistreated heroine, and a granted wish to go to the ball may not be the only meanings presented in the fairytale of Cinderella. A dangerous message sent to children, especially for young girls, is to be passive till a rescuer (in this case, Cinderella’s mother) to arrive and grant their wishes. Although obedience is a valuable lesson to be learned, Cinderella continues to be submissive to the extent which she is relentlessly abused by her step- mother. Yet, eventually, her passive role is rewarded and as a result, she lives happily ever after with her noble prince. †¦toying with the Cinderella motif, Gardner explodes the notion that every woman is simply waiting for a prince to come along and save her. † (Zipes A32). However, this message taught can be subconsciously embedded into children’s minds and during the periods of maturation, children will have the thought that suffering quietly will ultimately be rewarded. â€Å"While it m ay be true that fairytales offer metaphors for the unconscious (an argument as difficult to prove as to disprove) it is clear that they can affect cognition and belief. As the child absorbs environmental data, learns language, and develops cognition, she begins to say something to herself and about the world and her place in it. † (Oliver 86). Cinderella not only presents the idea of passiveness and femininity, but a message that step – mothers are evil. Throughout many fairytales, step – mothers, old, wise women are wicked and are meant to be overthrown or be rid of. â€Å"â€Å"Cinderella† is the supreme statement of the devastating nature of a parent’s [mother’s] unresolved and destructively acted out oedipal jealousy of a child. (Bettelheim 307). The oedipal mother acts out to destroy the daughter, but later, the daughter is rescued by a man from the evil. Everywhere in â€Å"Fairyland†, the domineering mother is set out to demolish the offspring. Eventually, the step-mother loses her power when trying to intimidate and becomes â€Å"silly†. (Bettelheim 307). Although many fairytales, inclu ding Cinderella, portray the mother in charge as tyrannical, it’s also common to see children having good relationships with their fathers as in Beauty and the Beast. Belle, the main character, has a close bond with her father unlike Cinderella, who poses as a threat to her step-mother. Not only does Belle share a good relationship with her father, but there is no mother figure in the fairytale. (Bettelheim 307). â€Å"†¦the girl’s oedipal father is the gentle, protective, loving man who hands her over to an acceptable suitor at the appropriate time. † (Oliver 87). Many fairytales other than Beauty and the Beast show the father as a caring man, while, on the other hand, mothers tend to have jealous, destructive feelings towards their children. Oliver 87). With the â€Å"loving father† and the â€Å"envious mother†, the message sent to children can be misleading and one-sided. Another example of the â€Å"wicked step-mother† is illustrated in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The innocent beauty, Snow White, and her feminine charms are similar to the common house wife by doing chores around the house while mai ntaining a certain image of perfection and beauty. Her step-mother is in â€Å"competition† with Snow White; activeness and power versus submissiveness and obedience. The competition between Snow white and the queen turns into a struggle for survival between two halves of a single personality: passivity and tractability as opposed to inventive and subversive activism. † (Barzilai 520). Once again, another fairytale shows the rivalry which the mother figure is set to destroy the daughter. The over-assertive woman (in this case, the queen) is represented as an envious monster. â€Å"The queen is characterized throughout in unremittingly negative terms: she is most often deemed â€Å"wicked†, but she is also proud, overbearing, and envious. (Barzilai 520). There are many examples in â€Å"Fairyland† which give a bad reputation towards the step-mother or the mother figure. Beauty and the Beast is a popular fairytale about a girl who falls in love with a beast and in return the beast becomes her prince. Luckily, for Belle, the beast’s true nature was a compassionate, kind- hearted man. However, it may not be the situation in the average lives of women who are constantly abused by their spouses. Young girls receive from this romantic love story that love will eventually change their partners. (Mangan 10). Beauty and the Beast, for example, is said to foster the notion that love can alter the nature of a man and make early absorbers of the information more inclined to stay with a violent partner in the hope that she can change his behaviour. † (Mangan 10). Fairytales deliver unrealistic ideas to young children, which send false hopes that can be hazardous. Little Mermaid, a young mermaid who risks all for her prince but suffers tragically in the end, conveys a message to young girls that in order to gain the love of a prince, one must sacrifice all and expect love in return. Still, any cursory sweep through childhood stories w ill reveal further examples of submissive women who were implicitly or explicitly offered up as role models during our formative years†¦The little mermaid who sacrifices her home, family and fishy tail for a crack at the oxygen-breathing prince. † (Mangan 10). In the fairytale, the young mermaid’s tail was traded for a pair of legs, but whenever she would walk, it struck her pain. She suffers throughout the story whenever she was asked to dance for the prince. Although the prince did not love her in return, the little mermaid continued to love him and was granted a soul. However, consequently, she became one with the sea or sea foam as punishment for not wedding the prince on time. Another example of inequality between the genders, why must the heroine suffer for the one she loves. There are many examples in â€Å"Fairyland† that convey the inequalities between genders. The step – mothers and the old witches are viewed as evil, overly- jealous women seeking destruction while the fathers and wise men are caring and compassionate. Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast illustrate the different relationships between the heroine and her parents. Not only were women â€Å"evil† but the good ones were meant to be submissive and obedient. Cinderella’s passive example is later on rewarded which can deliver a misleading message to young girls. The Little Mermaid clearly points that she had to sacrifice all for her love. Beauty and the Beast is very dangerous for young girls that love will change their spouses. The innocent story which children for ages grew up to may not be innocent after all. Works Cited Barzilai, Shuli. Reading â€Å"Snow White†: The Mother’s Story. † Signs 15. 3 (1977): 274-300. Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Random House, Inc. 1976. Mangan, Lucy. â€Å"G2: Women: Happily never after: Comatose princesses, submissive floor-scrubbers and evil stepmothers may not be the best of role models. à ¢â‚¬  The Guardian 2 May 2005: 10. Oliver, Rose. â€Å"Whatever Became of Goldilocks? † Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 2. 3 (1977): 85-93. Zipes, Jack. â€Å"Children’s Books; Kissing Off Snow White. † The New York Times 22 Mar. 1987: A32. ———————– 1 2

Shipping Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shipping Industry - Case Study Example Once this is approved by the commission, the bookbuilding process begins, in which the company is introduced to potential investors, who then explicitly express their interest in the venture. At this point, the investment bank proposes a price to the company, and later the trading begins (Ljungqvist, 2005). This process is often very complicated and very costly. The costs are generated by auditing and underwriting, plus legal fees. Ongoing costs are also associated with public offerings, such as those connected with supplying information and dividends to investors (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). Another cost related to going public may come from underpricing, which is a risk that grants initial investors less than the market value of the securities through offering it at too low a price (Clementi, 2005; Ljungqvist 2005; Ritter, 1998). The theories that explain why a firm might do this are several. They include the desire of entrepreneurs and/or investors to lower capital cost and to broaden the firm's ownership base (Brau et al., 2005, p. 5). Other theories suggest that firms decide to go public for reasons of legitimacy and growth (Cohen, 2002). Still others posit the theory that initial public offerings usually occur as a normal stage in a firm's lifecycle (Brau et al., 2005, p. 13; Maug, 2001, p. 1; Ritter, 1998, p. 18). Small firms are usually run by a limited amount of capital. ... argue that the rationale for choosing this is strengthened by the fact that the benefits of liquidity is more desirable for entrepreneurs than compensating investors for the non-liquidity that usually exists in privately owned firms (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). This might be viewed in terms of the desire to reduce a firm's capital costs. A major part of capital costs comes from debt. This is concretised roughly by the interest rate payable on the amount of debt incurred in the financing of the firm. When liquidity is necessary, rather than incur this (or additional) debt, firms might choose to raise capital by selling is equity in the form of securities to the public (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). The same might be done to its debt via an initial public debt offering (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). The life-cycle theory has been propounded by several financial theorists. It states that the IPO occurs within the normal process of a firm's evolution and maturity (Ritter, 1998, p. 1; Brau, 2005, p. 13). The small business is usually at first financed by the owners' limited capital. When growth beyond this capacity is necessary, and all other private avenues (friends and family) have been exhausted, capital is sought from non-affiliated financial sources, such as banks and venture capitalists. However, entrepreneurs and investors will likely not agree on all decisions to be made within the firm. At this point firms consider it desirable to offer its securities to a highly diversified public (Ritter, 1998, p. 18; Boehmer & Ljungqvist, 2004, p. 28). Firms are interested obtaining financing at the cheapest cost. The cost of capital theory can be invoked here as well, since equity does generate a cost (though one much more difficult to calculate than that of debt). When a firm offers i ts shares to

The british education system and it's effects on british business Essay

The british education system and it's effects on british business culture - Essay Example raditional forms of education while the development of technology and science have led to the need for the reform of the curriculum throughout the country. In accordance with the study of Koshy et al. (1998, 253) ‘over the past half-century, the British education system has undergone three major changes: an extension of opportunity for very able working class children to attend selective, state-funded grammar schools; a leveling out of opportunities within state-funded schools by abolishing the 11-plus examination and the introduction of a National Curriculum’. Extensive efforts have been made by the British government in order to align the country’s educational system with the relevant systems of other countries around the world at the level that such a decision could support the improvement of the British educational system in the long term. Of course, the educational system of Britain should be primarily based on the local social and cultural ethics as well as on the country’s educational facilities and the funds available for the realization of the relevant projects. Most important, the curriculum deliver ed in the country’s school should represent the British social values and ethics targeting mostly at the personal development of pupils/ students rather than their preparation for the workplace (a target that is included in any case among the priorities of the British government). Under these terms the British educational system is normally expected to affect the business culture within the specific country. The particular relationship between the British educational system and the British business culture will be clearer through the issues developed below. British business culture is based on a series of principles. Most of them are common among all entrepreneurial activities; there are also others that can be observed only in enterprises operating within a specific industrial sector (as an example, financial institutions are expected to have

United States History - Great Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

United States History - Great Depression - Essay Example This essay focuses on the Great Depression that mostly unnerved African Americans in south. Faced with the double burden of racism and Depression - induced poverty, black people struggled to survive. Because blacks were disproportionately employed in the service sector, they were particularly vulnerable to the economic crisis that forced even well-to-do residents to scale back on luxuries like keeping servants, dining out, and traveling by rail. Blacks dared to hope for progress not perfection and the intermixture of symbolic and substantive assistance, of rhetoric and recognition, swelled further hope in the formerly disheartened. Despite the fact that little had changed for the better in the concrete aspects of life for most black southerners, a belief that "we are on our way" took root. Blacks associated the New Deal with it, and idolized Franklin D. Roosevelt for it. Given the heritage of racism they credited the New Deal with establishing government precedents favorable to black s, with making civil rights a part of the national liberal agenda, with generating reform and, as never before in our nation's history, propounding the federal government's responsibility in race relations. These changes that were analyzed in the essay did little to ameliorate the continuity of racism staining the New Deal, but they would help transform the despair, the discouragement, the dreadful apathy of black southerners into a fighting conviction of a better world that could soon and surely be achieved.