Of Mice and Men by John Ernst Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men by John Ernst Steinbeck Essay Of Mice and Men was written by John Ernst Steinbeck. This book was published in 1937. This is a tale about an extraordinary friendship between two migrant labourers during the Great Depression who shared the same dream of having their own ranch living on their own land. They moved on to a new job after they ran away from their previous job in a hurry, following an incident involving the larger of the two men. Here they met new people as well as trouble along their job in the ranch with the boss son who greatly dislikes big people, and his wife who likes flirting with the boys a lot. In a fight Lennie tried to defend himself against Curley but he still kept punching Lennie, he decided he had enough so he fought back and when he saw the opportunity he grabbed Curleys hands and crushed it. He also accidentally killed his wife while stroking her hair in the barn which George was really crossed about and decided to kill him for their own good. The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s (year when this book was published) when the American Stock Market on Wall Street crashed catastrophically and led to a massive economic depression, which greatly affected America and some parts of the world that resulted to workers migrated all over the country to find jobs. Lennie George were migrant farm worker who moved from one place to another to find work. They became migrant workers because of the trouble that they caused at their old place, which urged them to get on the run and find a new job. George is small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes (might be a bit worried) and having sharp, strong features Lennie is his complete opposite a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and walks heavily dragging his feet a little, like the way a bear drags its paws and with arms hanging loosely. This shows us how animal-like Lennie is. Workers in the ranch live in a bunk house a long rectangular, building which could accommodate up to 8 people in their own bunks. Georges first thoughts about the bunk house was dirty and unhygienic infested with tiny bugs; which came into his mind when he found a small yellow can on the box shelf which was supposed to kill tiny bugs and insects. The bunk house, which they were living in, was quiet big but without privacy as there were no individual rooms, an infested bunk house with an old dog going in and out which we dont know what kind of insect it might be carrying. The overall condition in this bunk house depends mainly on its occupiers of being clean and hygienic. Migrant workers like Lennie and George havent got stability; they go to the ranch mainly to work and get paid then get on with their lives. Most of their work placement isnt permanent they havent got stability at all, it mainly depends with the contract they have, which often wouldnt last that long because of different factors thats why they couldnt make any long-term plans. Migrant workers are the loneliest guys in the world theyve got no friends. They have no family and dont belong to no place. Theyve got no one to talk to, and no one cares about them. Its difficult for a migrant worker to have friend to accompany each other. Hardly none of the guys ever travel together unlike Lennie and George that gives them an extraordinary friendship. Guys in the ranch just come in the bunk, work for a month and go out alone. Lennie and George are different because they got each other to look after themselves that makes them quiet unusual. I would find it rather difficult to make friends if I work as a migrant worker. I would feel uneasy with myself going to a strange place and meeting and befriending new people. As what Slim said its a bit odd two people coming together, usually a person come and go with no one to look up to. Lennie and George shares a common dream the ambition of having a little house and a piece of land of their own an live off the fatta the lan; they dreamed of having a better life with their land having a garden, a little win mill, a rabbit cage, an a chicken run. In which they could grow different sorts of crops and raise some farm animals ranging from chickens to cows and specially rabbits that Lennie is so keen about. This dream means a lot to them saving up all their monthly stakes for this to materialise, their dream gives them hope and determination and most importantly this means their future. In the novel not only George and Lennie have dream but also Curleys wife who regrettably married Curley when she could have gone with someone richer and famous guys. She imagined herself acting and living in luxury if she had run away with the other guys instead of Curley, she coulda been in the movies, and had a nice clothes, with pictures taken of her. She could be sittin in them big hotels and it wouldnt even cost her a cent because she was in the picture. This was her once in a lifetime chance, which she deeply regrets; if only she had run away with the guys she could be rich by now. Everyone in during the depression dreamed of having their own land, thinking that they could live better off with themselves. Most of them shared a common goal the American Dream. People in the ranch has nowhere to go to so they spend most of their time dreaming of their own place but even if they worked hard enough they wont be able to save enough to move on in life. Even George was tempted to go with them to the cat-house leaving Lennie behind and spending money on their account. Even if they got their own place they were always doomed to failure of history repeating itself about Lennie, which was their huge pitfall. These people had dreams thinking they could live much better on their own life with no one controlling them. These ambitions are good for them giving them something to look forward to, to give them hope and determination that one day they would be able to achieve their dream. But somehow it would be bad to have these dreams and living on a fantasy world that some how we know, doesnt exist. Most of the people in the ranch are victims of prejudice because of their incapabilities, race or physical appearance. Prejudice means to pre-judge someone, it is an attitude of mind on any topic which encourages us to prejudge those who differ from us in some way. Racism, Discrimination, Scapegoating and Stereotyping are some forms of applied prejudice. Candy is the only oldest person in the ranch thats why he is treated with prejudice adding to the fact to that he had lost his hand, which makes him feel very useless. His dog was shot because he was powerless to stop them because he was just an old man and most of the people wants his dog dead; he was depending on how Slim would react to help him save his dog but Slim turned him down. He was the only chance he had to stop his dog from being executed. He also has the least respected job being the cleaner or swamper as its called. Curleys wife is treated with prejudice from the fact she is the Boss daughter-in-law. Her flirtatious attitude contributes to the way she is treated. She not only wants some one to talk to, she wants someone to open-up with to share her loneliness and to express her feelings. Some men have different feelings for her like Whit and Lennie are attracted to her but George and Candy despise her. But shes well aware of the power she holds over men even though shed just been there for a few weeks. She doesnt let anybody step on her and treats her like dust, she annoys them even more if she knows the person doesnt like her. Crooks is the worst victim of prejudice to the extent that he is treated in a different way being segregated from other guys because he is black. Being a black man he is the subject of verbal and physical degradation. He is sole survivor; he shows us that he is a fighter who doesnt easily get degraded. Even though he is segregated he has his own room, which not all of them have, and he has the most numerous belongings. Even though he is the victim he also shows us his manipulative way because he knows he could be dominate over Lennie in which he saw h over Lennie but Lennie quickly got off of the bait and showed him that he is still the lowest of all ranks in the ranch. Surely no one would like to be treated in such manner of Prejudging others without knowing the reasons behind it. It is usually were evil starts. Most of the time it results to discrimination and racism that, are often accompanied by either physical or verbal aggression; this is a form of prejudice in action. I strongly disagree to someone treating anyone with prejudice. Prejudice is such an evil way of thinking; only people with a clear evil intention and malicious mind would do that. I dont think their lives are appealing. I dont want to live like migrant workers moving from one place to another, I would like a permanent job and permanent place where I can have stability. They also have to understand the people around them and adjust to their new environment. They also got to bare the loneliness; people like them got no one to talk to, no families, and no place to live. They have no directions in life; in the ranch people are going nowhere. They come in to work then come out, spend all their monthly stakes and come back to work again. They migrate from their town because there is no work to be found around it. So they spent most of their time migrating depending on their contract.

A Case study of j boats

A Case study of j boats Objective: The objective of this essay is to look at the issue of organizational tensions and basics for successful strategy via the case study of J Boats. This essay introduces the case study of J Boats and the key players, details the five forces analysis, looks at resources and capabilities, tensions, the 4 Ps of strategy and finally comes up with the future recommendations to management and strategic risks faced by J Boats. J Boats and Key players: J Boats is Americas most successful and famous boat-builder. Over the period has won many awards. J Boats operates its business in eight countries Argentina, Australia, Italy, France, England, Japan, Brazil and South Africa. Each year, over 100,000 people around the world sailed on one of their boats. It is operated by only five individuals of a single family. Rod who is the founder of J boats made his first boat Ragtime in 1974. Bob is the co-founder of the company and elder brother of Rod and he made the strategy of business. Jeffery, son of Rod became president of the company in 1987. Stuart and Drake sons of Bob became vice-president and sales manager in the same year 1987. Alan, son of Rod became product development manager. In 1993 Drake left his position and Jim (nephew of Rod and Bob) became sales coordinator. Tillotson Pearson International (TPI) is the major supplier of the company. J Boats has a network of 65 independent of dealers around the world . Five Forces Analysis: The five forces analysis provides a useful framework and checklist for analyzing the competition dynamics of any given industry (Simons 2000, pg 19). The five forces that determine the degree and nature of competition in boating industry are: industry 1. Threat of new entrants Easy to set up for example boat manufacturing can take place in home garage. High investment in research and development and product innovation required. J Boats has created professional dealer network distribution. J Boats have a long history of heavy advertising and this has earned brand equity and loyal customers all over the world. 2. Suppliers All the Boats of J boats are building by TPI and this gives supplier, TPI, a lot of bargaining power. On other hand there is mutual agreement between TPI and J Boats where TPI is exclusive manufacture for J boats. 3. Substitutes Large numbers of recreational activities available e.g. skiing, swimming and outdoor sports such soccer etc. 4. Buyers Buyers are price sensitive. Buyers can easily switch to different suppliers. Dealer earn industry standard margin. 5. Industry rivalry High fixed cost increases the firms willingness to discount to utilize capacity, increasing rivalry. Firms Resources and Capabilities: Resource is more broadly defined as strength of the business embodied in the tangible or intangible assets that are tied semi permanently to the firm (Simons 2000, pg 21). Capabilities refer to the special resources and know-how possessed by a firm that gives it competitive advantage in the market place (Simons 2000, pg 23). J Boats has strengths in the major functional areas of a business, such as research and development and marketing and sales. It has ability to respond quickly and effectively to market needs. J Boats capabilities are also created by being first at creating new design- a first mover and locking out competitors. Tension in organization: Organizations are complex entities in which managers must balance a variety of forces (Simons 2000, pg 7). J Boats needs to balance opportunities and attention. It has three projects in production J/160, J/32 and J/100 that absorbs time and money. It is hard for a company to decide which project to continue with for next years. The managers must ration their time and attention wisely. Secondly, J boats are attempting to grow it business however an excessive emphasis on growth can lead to danger without consideration to profitability. J boats need to balance profit, growth and control. J boats need to make strong financial planning. Only when a business is profitable can managers focus on growing the business (Simons 2000, pg 8). The 4Ps of Strategy: These are Perspective Mission, Position in Industry, Patterns of Action and Plans Goal. These are explained below. Mission statement: A mission statement is a formal commitment to stakeholders that the companys strategy incorporates and recognizes their claims on the organization (Hill 2007 p 34). J Boats mission is to become one of Americas most successful and famous boat- builders. Position in Industry: Means what industry position it wants to achieve through its strategies? (Hubbard, Jaynes, Clowes, Winter, Samuel, Pg. 3.7, 2009). J Boats wants to build best performance sailboats, thus creating value by offering quality products. Patterns of Action: To succeed over the long term, managers must keep their eyes focused on customers and competitors and their ears to the ground. They must listen and learn (Simons 2000, pg 37). J Boats is a best performing brand because of product innovation, advanced research and development and networks and relationships with suppliers and buyers. J Boat is very creative and fast moving with a new idea and currently its moving in low cost boat. Plan Goals: Goals are the ends or results that management desires to achieve in implementing the business strategy. Plans and goals can be used to communicate strategies and coordinate actions (Simons 2000, pg 32). From management perspective greater success of company is to handover J Boats successfully to next generation. Recommendation: These are a few recommendations that could support company to perform in more effective and efficient manner in future. These are explained below. Effective planning system: Effective financial planning means the development and implementation of co-ordinate plans for the achievement of a clients overall financial objectives (Leimberg 2007, p 3). J boats need to make strong financial planning. These will tell the J boats that whether the company is running as efficiently as possible or not. It will also help management to analysis cash flow position, further investment objective and goals. Quality and performance: By being the first mover (means first to create a new performance boat design) in the niche product segment ( i.e. quality and performance) alone is not sufficient to ensure this advantage is maintained, and J Boats must continue to innovate in product development, maintain good supplier and dealer network and stay one step ahead of its competitors. Expansion: To create long-term strategic advantage, J Boats really needs to look to expansion options that ensure strong growth and profitability. On this basis, expansion of new low cost boat and different supplier bases will provide a good foundation. Strategic Risk: The process of overseeing the management of all the firms risks is strategic risk management (Hubbard, Jaynes, Clowes, Winter, Samuel, 2009). However, it is vital that the risk attached to any options is carefully considered by J Boats before embarking on these options. They will significantly change the underlying business model of J Boats, increasing the level of complexity and uncertainty associated with revenue streams generated from new products and markets. In order to successfully integrate any expansion into the existing business, J Boats must ensure that risk management becomes an essential component of the business planning cycle. Conclusion: Future growth and development are clearly important factors in the J Boats business model. The development of brands loyalty and consistency of product innovation and expansion into low cost boat is likely to be the way to success. J Boats ensured that one of the Johnstons was represented on the class association executive board to monitor closely any proposed changes in racing rules that might affect specifications and allowable equipment when racing, this a good example of how the company is ensuring its well placed for the future and has strong capabilities that are able to meet the strategic goals of the company. Company should understand running a business on one supplier base is much more risky in term of long future plan thus its vital to have more than one supplier. Finally we recommend J Boats to consider rotation of duties for fear that if misfortune happen to a family member the business will continue in future without major interruption.

Government systems Essay -- essays research papers

An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007 Government systems Essay -- essays research papers An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace :: Workplace Harassment Essays

According to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) the definition of sexual harassment is â€Å"Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.† Regardless of position in company or type of candidate it is against the law to make passes or harass one because of their sex or gender. In order to harass a person it does not have to necessarily be physical contact but this regulation also includes any offensive verbal context that anyone may say towards a person’s sex and/or gender. Also, a lot of times sexual harassment is based on personal opinion, meaning what may come off as offensive to one person another may be fine with working. A good example is if a woman is wearing a blue dress and makes a random comment of saying â€Å"I really do love the color blue on women.† All depending how the woman wearing a blue dress perceives the comment will depend on whether or not she feel the person was looking at her and how the comment was said in her eyes. Sex and/ or Gender play absolutely no role in whether or not you can be sexually harassed any side of sexual harassment can be played by any sex and/or gender. A third party of someone that heard or saw the sexual harassment also has the right to file sexual harassment charges, so technically that person does not have to be involved in the situation directly. With sexual harassment there is a very gray area because unfortunately it does not allow teasing, general comments and minuet one on one problem. Harassment is so serious it is a criminal offense, but it also creates a terrible environment for productivity and plays a vital role many times in position movement in the company or organization. Sexual harassment is a form of sexual bigotry and is written into law with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. To be specific this title only extends to that employer of 15 or more workers and is included for everyone from federal governments to employment agencies. Sexual harassment cases are inspected by the EEOC on a case-by-case basis usually after the victim has told or made it obvious that the harasser should stop.

Reflective Writing - My Development as a Writer Essay -- Bilingual Eng

A Nomad Writer America is a place full of immigrants with no single ethnicity or race. America can also be referred to as the ?Melting Pot? because it consists ingredients of multicultural backgrounds. There are cultures such as French American, Asian American, Italian American and African American. I am Mexican American. My culture has helped me to become the writer I am today. My bicultural background and constant moving back and forth from Mexico to America has both influenced and weakened my writing. Although I was born in America, my Mexican culture has always been a part of my life. I have spent the majority of my life in Mexico, and Spanish is my first language. After I turned one, my family moved to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Raised there, I developed a routine of speaking Spanish throughout the day with my mother, and speaking English in the evening with my father when he arrived home from work. Speaking two languages at home was completely normal to me and easy for me to adjust. However, th e school I attended as a young kid was much more difficult. The small kindergarten and elementary school I went to over packed their classrooms with twenty more kids than the set limit. The teachers did not have a lot of physical materials to teach with; they only had two pieces of chalk, a board and stamps. Ciudad Juarez is a highly populated and dangerous city in terms of first-degree crimes such as rape and murder. They have a poor education system offered in both public and private schools, which weakened my first experiences with learning. As a child, I felt unsafe learning in such a poor environment and wanted to leave school and go home early everyday. Af... ... but sometimes I still struggle just as many other foreign speakers do. Regardless of the culture, literature allows for people to express themselves. Because of my bicultural background, I am a person who understands literature as a form of communication for every culture. My experience with two different languages allowed me to become the writer I am today with strong ideas. My writings at the University of Arizona, related to the importance of my culture and how it affects my life. I have become a successful student due to the fact to that great importance I see. My classmates in the required class for my Hispanic Alumni Scholarship have also become successful writers and students. One of the students in my class, Jordan Garcia, has had three of her essays published for the newspaper. Culture makes one a successful person, and motivates one to write.

Plains Indians

The destruction of the Plains Indians' cultures connected with the technological developments and government actions in the United States. During the period of struggle between Indians and Whites in the late 19th century, Indian leaders often traveled east to plead their case before the federal government, with few results. The building of the transcontinental railroads and all their branches was an inevitable part of the Industrial Revolution that drove America following the Civil War. The Indians were repressed due to the railroad, which cut through their territory in the West, the declining population of the buffalo, wars, and the loss of their land to White settlement. The federal government tried to quiet the Indians' protests by signing treaties with the chiefs of the tribes. However, the treaties failed because those who signed didn’t necessarily represent groups of people in Indian culture, and in most cases, the Indians didn’t recognize the authority chiefs outside of their own tribes. In the 1860s, the U. S. government made new efforts to relocate Indians into even smaller reservations than before. Indians were often promised that they wouldn’t be bothered further if they would just move out of their ancestral lands, and often, Indian agents were corrupt and sold off cheap food and products to their own fellow Indians. White men often ignored the treaties, though, and frequently scammed the Indians. In frustration, many Native American tribes attempted to fight back. After the Civil War, the U. S. Army’s new mission became to move the Indians out of the West so the White settlers could move in. A couple of Indians and Whites battled between 1860s to 1890s in a series known as the Indian Wars. Many times though, the Indians were better equipped than the federal troops sent to stop their revolts because arrows could be fired more rapidly than their rifles. However, the invention of the Colt . 45 revolver and Winchester repeating rifle put the Indians at a disadvantage. During this period, there was much violence among the Indians and Whites. Generals Sherman, Sheridan, and Custer all battled Indians in battles such as Little Big Horn. The building of the railroads is connected with the settlement of the West and the steady destruction of Indian cultures. The main food source for Plains Indians were the bison. In the early days, millions of bison populated the American prairie, and by the end of the Civil War, there were still 15 million buffalo. Many people killed buffalo for their meat and their skin but many people killed the bison for sport and just left the rest of the carcass to rot. However, it was the expansion of the railroad that really started the bison massacre. Railroads enhanced the value of the land enormously, but made farmers dependent on railroads. The need for open land led them to kill off the bison for railroad land. Railroad construction led to further settlement of the West, which in turn complicated conditions for the Indian tribes. The Plains Indians were driven out of their territory and into too small reservations. With the expansion of the railroad, down came their number one food source, the bison. Inventions such as the Winchester, led to the disadvantage of Indians during battles when protecting their land. The wars, overall, also affected the Indians. The government actions, building of the railroad and other inventions, contributed to the steady decline in the Plains Indians' population.

Is It Important to Question the Ideas and Decisions of People in Positions of Authority? Essay

Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority? I believe it is. While rules are meant to be followed, there should always be a reason behind that rule. There are instances where the rule is deemed by society as â€Å"unfair† or â€Å"bias.† There are other instances where the rules can be detrimental to the people following them. Let’s take a trip back to the 60’s. Remember Rosa Parks? She was arrested for refusing to give up her seat. Remember Ruby Bridges? She, a black child, was tormented because she attened an Elementary school for white students only. Now these may seem like trivial things, but if these two, along with many other Civil Rights Activists never challenged authority, segregation in the United States may have continued up to this day. When thinking about rules that can be detrimental to society, I can’t help but remember two books that represent this idea perfectly: Battle Royale, and The Hunger Games. In both books, The government forces civilians to fight to the death in an arena, and only one contestant may live. In both books, more than one contestant broke the rules and survived the game. Had they followed the rules and â€Å"played the game†, one can only imagine the physical and mental injuries they would have endured. Disobeying authority and rebelling actually saved their lives, along with many other potentially endangered lives as well. I do believe that rules are meant to be followed, but I also believe that there should always be a reason behind them. I always question authority if I think that its decisions and intentions aren’t beneficial to me – whether those decisions or intentions are trivial or extreme.