Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Essay John Steinbeck, the American author of this emotional novel, was bought up in Salinas. His family owned a lot of land, therefore meaning he was quite rich. He went to university to study writing and left without a degree as he dropped out half way through the course. However he took up work as a labourer and a journalist. I noticed how Steinbecks background really inspired him to write a book like Of Mice and Men. It shows how he wants to let out all his emotions as a child into this book. He, George and Lennie have a lot in common. The American Dream is belief in the freedom that allows all citizens and residents of the United States to achieve their goals in life through hard work. Everyone has a dream that they want to achieve somewhere in their lifetime. There are two different types of The American Dream. The first is the entitlement of land- freedom, just like George and Lennies dream. The other is luck, fame and money just like Curleys wifes dream in the book. In 1929 the Wall Street Crash was introduced which led to on going recession. This also led to failed businesses, harsh poverty and long term unemployment. At this point men couldnt afford to have families so therefore men travelled alone just like George and Lennie. There was no heath care so the only hope left was dreams. The book is called Of Mice and Men but is that what it has always been called? The actual title was Something that happened. This suggests something that you as the reader were not involved in. Steinbeck also wrote this book as a detached narrator, so he as well was not involved in the action. He began writing it in early 1936 and it was published in 1937. The book was immediately successful. Even now this book shows so much meaning of how The American Dream was so important to the people in the 1930s. This was because dreams were the only thing American people had to depend on. Dreams can take you away from the real world. A dream can sometimes make a person be very selfish. Sometimes you need to come away from your dream and think about others. Throughout the first chapter of Of Mice and Men is just setting the scene. The first time we saw George and Lennie was in an open pool. They soon find a bunk house with lots of other men to share with. The ranch where both men worked was in Salinas, where Steinbeck himself was brought up. Steinbeck was showing that the settings were slowly closing in so you feel more isolated. Steinbeck produces two very different characters which are most like him. That is the reason why both characters have such a major roll to play. George and Lennie have the most unique bond throughout Of Mice and Men. Both have gone though very hard times with Lennie being retarded and George having to keep a constant eye on him and not being able to pursue his dream alone. We start to get an image that Lennie has a disability in the early stages of the book, just the way he behaves. Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all. Look George. Look what I done. This shows us that Lennie has a child-like mind and wants to impress and please George. It is very enigmatic that two men are travelling together, alone. However this was very typical to do this at the time because of societys pressure. What is very astonishing about Lennie and George is that they are both very different from each other. Lennie is a big man who has a disability because he got hit by a horse when he was younger. George is a complete contrast to Lennie as he is a small man always aware of what is going on around him and conscious of what is happening. George and Lennie both have a dream but are not necessarily the same. Steinbeck represents this by describing in such detail what they want together. We could live offa the fatta the lan. The irony is about the countryside they are in, it is rich. They are living of the bounty of nature. Money and family are not mentioned in the dream. It provides them with everything they need. We could have a few pigs. When the fruit come in we could can it. Every Sunday wed kill a chicken or a rabbit. Steinbeck uses we a lot in the dream. It shows that the dreamed is shared between Lennie and George. The repetition emphasises this. Steinbeck creates the dream mainly by using dialogue. By having George and Lennie discuss their dream together allows the reader to have a sense that they have been planning this dream together and not alone. George and Lennies interpretation of the dream is slightly different. Lennie wants to tend the rabbits as he likes feeling soft things. George also has a dream of his own. He could get a job, eat at any place he likes, stay in a hotel, and get a gallon of whisky. However Lennie is stopping him from doing all of this. George needs Lennie and Lennie needs George. All George wants is love and affection and he knows he cant get that, because after everything that has gone on, it is hard. George is still with Lennie because Lennie himself is a big man so he can protect George from other people. Lennie is stopping George from achieving many dreams, but the reason why George is still with him is because Lennie is the only person George has got. George has no family nor does he have friends. He only has Lennie. George has a short temper and lashes out at Lennie very often verbally. Lennie is a fragile man who doesnt like seeing his comrade like this. You can tell that they both care about each other an awful lot. Another way that Steinbeck represents the American Dream is how Candy lost his companion. Candy had a lot of dreams when his dog was alive. This is because the dog had been through everything with him, but now that he and his dog was getting old there was only one thing left for Carlson to do. A shot sounded. Candys dream had just been killed. The second that bullet hit that dog, Candys dreams were shattered. His dog was a part of Candys dreams A dream could be in the in the past or the future. In Candys case it was all in the past. His dog had been through everything with him. This is a similarity between George and Lennie who have also been through everything with each other. Candy knows that nobody could ever replace his dog. Slim offers him any of the pups but Candy just remained silent. Candy feels that he cant achieve anything without his dog anymore. That is why he he lays in his bed silent for a long time. He treats the dog like a human, as part of his family, someone really close. That is what makes Candy be so silent for a long period of time. As Candy lays there silent on his bed he overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream. Again Steinbeck reveals the dream by dialogue. They talk about how one day they are going to get out of the ranch and live offa the fatta the lan. As Candy listens to their dream in such detail he asks if he can be a part of it. An old dream has ended but a new one is just beginning. Dreams are pacific to an individual however sometimes a dream could be a part of a team. This is exactly what Candy wants to do with George and Lennie. He wants to share their dream and be a part of it. After all shared dreams are much stronger than individual ones. Steinbeck now introduces and individual character that defines him from the rest of the ranchers. Crooks is the only black man on the ranch therefore he is excluded from society. He is separated by being pushed into a disassociated room. He is not allowed to socialise with the other ranchers because of his race. In the 1930s Americans were against anyone who were coloured. These people would not get treated fairly and would usually get beaten up just for the colour of their skin. Crooks father did not want him socialising with white people because he knew that they will abuse him. The American Dream is about equality of all men. This is where Crooks rights come in. The irony here is that segregation leads to a better life. A very unusual thing about Crooks is that he is the only one who can read; hence conveying that he is very well educated. We know that Crooks has already had his dream just by the way in which he speaks to Lennie. Crooks and Lennie both have a disability. Although he feels appreciated that Lennie is around him, Crooks speaks in a very negative manner about Lennies dream. An never a God damn one of em ever gets it. Crooks is contradicting to Lennie that dreams can never be achieved. However if you dont try to achieve your dream, it will never come true. Crooks suddenly changes his mind about the dream and hesitates as he asks Lennie if he could be a part of the dream too. Crooks dream is about having those long dark nights alone change by having people talk to him and communicate with him. His dream is all about regaining sense of belonging with others. Crooks heart wants the dream but his mind is not allowing him achieve it because his background has knocked his courage. We know from the American Dream, his experiences in the past have made him so brittle and angry. However Crooks can be very venerable to people that are more powerful than him, such as Curleys wife. Steinbeck introduces another unique character into Of Mice and Men. Curleys wife is the only girl on the ranch therefore she is also excluded from society. Even though she is more powerful than Crooks, she is not all that different from him. Both are very lonely and want someone to talk to. Both are at a disadvantage, Crooks with his race and Curleys wife with her gender. Curleys wife does not know what to do in life. We know her dream was to be an actress, but was crushed by her very own mother. Now her dream is to be more grown up. She dresses like an adult with make-up, her hair done up and a stylish dress. However she is still described by Steinbeck as a girl. A girl was standing there. She wants to be respected from the men all around her. Being the only woman in the ranch can be intimidating. In the 1930s woman were less valued than men. They had fewer rights. The reason why she married Curley is to get some attention and be more respected because he was the ranchers son. Curleys wife is a mercenary; she married him for his money and as a rebound for her loss as an actress. Curley is very much respected by all the men so Curleys wife married him so all the men could look up to her just as they do to Curley. Curleys wife unexpectedly lets her true feelings out to Lennie. I dont like Curley. He aint a nice fella. This shows that she is using him but at the same time Curley is using his wife. However Curleys wife moved to the countryside to get a better life but after two weeks she found out that she had made a mistake. She already hasnt got a good reputation. All the men think she is a bit of a tart. Two weeks married, and got the eye. This shows that she hasnt been married to Curley for a short period of time and yet she is being judged already just the by the way she looks and dresses. Curley says he keepin that hand soft for his wife. We instantly know that Curley himself is an abuser. We know this because his dream was to become a boxer. Having not achieved this dream he converts it into abusing women. Curleys wife is a lot more than what she looks. There is always a person inside who has a dream. The death of Curleys wife is very significant of Steinbecks treatment of the theme of the American Dream. We know this because Lennie was the one who shook her, shook her so much that he broke her neck, and killed her. Lennies character is very timid, so expectedly her runs away, trying to hide from society. We as the reader know Lennies dreams are going to come to an end, but we dont know how. That is how Steinbeck creates the atmosphere which makes the reader what to carry on. Lennie was the one who killed Curleys wifes dreams, so now Curley is going to kill his. When Lennie dies, the whole dream dies. We know that both Lennie and George do not have a family. They have each other instead. They care about one another which makes them so unique. I want you to stay with me here. This shows that even know Lennie thinks George is going to give him hell, he isnt. He cares about Lennie and he knows that if he doesnt kill Lennie himself now that the other ranch men will kill him, brutally. George slowly but in a clever way kills Lennie. He has made the choice of how Lennie is going to die. This is a complete contrast of how Candys dog died. George keeps the American Dream alive so it is the last thing that Lennie remembers. Steinbeck describes the dream in such detail so we can actually picture it ourselves. Lennie remembers that one day they could live offa the fatta the lan. Lennie has no idea of what George is building up to do. However we as readers know what is going to happen. Steinbeck builds up suspense of how George gradually kills Lennie. George describes how they are going to live with pigs and chickens. This is typical of the American Dream, a chance to get rich and have land. However that dream was collapsing all around them as they live in a poor barn house where all the men share the same room. Lennie is very reluctant about why George has forgiven him. Lennie says that he might as well just go away to show that after George said if I was alone I could live so easy. Lennie thinks by doing this it would make George happy. We know that if George kills Lennie, he could no longer for fill his dreams without his companion. Gradually Lennie gets very excited about their dream. Lets get that place now. That is when George pulls the trigger and lets Lennie go, for good. George made this choice of killing his best friend. Of what looks horrific, he is actually doing Lennie a massive favour. He was going to be killed anyway so why not do it with a blissful memory rather than a bloody one.

Free Glass Menagerie Essays: You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide :: Glass Menagerie essays

You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie, a play written by Tennessee Williams, takes place in a dingy apartment in St. Louis. The theme of the play could be summarized as â€Å"waiting for better times†. Across the street from the dingy apartment is a club called Paradise Dance Hall. The family’s apartment could be considered the the exact opposite of Paradise. The family who occupies the apartment is not wealthy, and the members of the family all want to be somewhere else. The main characters in the play are the elderly woman Amanda, and her grown-up children Tom and Laura. Amanda's husband, Mr. Wingfield, left his family many years ago. The family still got a picture of him hanging on the wall. Tom is working at a warehouse. He hates his job, but has to earn money to support his mother and sister. He's not happy with his life, and would rather do something completely different. Tom doesn't like to stay at home. He goes out every night, drinking, and going to the movies. Tom doesn't like the way Amanda always tells him what to do. All he wants is for his mother to leave him alone.He'd like to run away and leave his family behind, just like his father did, but he's not sure how to do it. Laura is a very shy young woman. She hardly ever talks to anyone besides her family. She's disabled, and because of that, she has no self- confidence. She can't see how any decent man would like to marry her. The most important things in Laura's life are some old records that belonged to her father, and her collection of glass figures. Amanda is not happy about the way her life turned out to be. When she was young, she had gentleman callers coming over every day. She loves to tell stories from her youth. Then she was a prosperous young woman who believed she'd live happily for the rest of her life. But fate wanted it different. The man she chose, left her, and she had to take care of the children all by herself. Now the only thing she wants, is for her daughter to get married. Amanda wants Laura to get married. But no gentleman caller seem to arrive. Amanda therefore talks Tom into inviting one of his colleagues home for dinner.

Language and its relation with apes Essay

When we talk about language it means the language that we use for communication. Humans have used different types of language in past for communication and the language that we speak today has been eventually achieved after lots of changes. It has been said that using language for communication has differentiated humans from other animals on this earth. Talking about language includes sign language, spoken language and other languages used for communication. Language should be differentiated with speech because speech involves production of sound from the voice box whereas anguage means a way commonly used for communication and to express one with each other in society. All animals use some form of communication or other but researchers don’t classify it as language. But it has been seen that some of the animals like dolphins, apes, chimpanzees etc. can communicate using the language used by humans. Dolphins are even found calling each other by names. As far as apes are concerned great ape language has even evolved by the researchers while teaching gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees. It is seen that they communicate with each other using sign language or physical tokens. These usages of different types of tools to communicate indicate their ability to use language. When we go back into the past we find that in the beginning the language was not related to speech and can be said to be a type of sign language. Many researchers have made studies and have come to the conclusion that apes can understand sign language and can easily communicate with humans if trained to do so. A chimpanzee was caught in the wild and was named Washoe. When she was ten months old, she was handed over to a husband and wife involved with the researcher’s team. It is a fact that chimpanzees are fully dependent till two years of age and semi dependent up to four years of age. They made the environment like a deaf parent would make for their child and then started experiment on Washoe. There was at least one of the researchers with her when she was awake and tried a lot of techniques in order to teach her sign language and how to communicate with humans. Before project Washoe, attempts to teach animals the voice language had failed so the researchers tried to teach her the American Sign language in which they succeeded to a far extent. While teaching Washoe, when she used to learn any language properly she was rewarded so that it encouraged her and initially she was even taught to bring her hands together and touch her fingertips. Then the couple started teaching her to be more precise with her hands’ movements. In the first couple of years the couple were not sure whether she was really catching the language or not because sometimes she did not react to that but when she was shown the object she would make the correct sign for that. It was also seen that some of the things she used to name in her own way and continuously did the same. This also shows that chimpanzees applied their own wish and brain and not just copied what they were taught. It was concluded by the researchers that when humans started to communicate with the help of speech, their vocal tract developed and it eventually brought changes in the human brain too. The language that we use today to communicate can be found back 200,000 years ago where we find similarities in the language. But it was almost 50,000 years back from when sophistication of language started. The first step must have been the use of grammar in the language and the basis of today’s language must have eveloped. But it is still a matter of debate whether it developed gradually or suddenly because researchers have no proof for any of the two. Language is said to be unique human quality and researchers have found evidence that suggests that a sudden change took place somewhere in Africa around 50,000 years back. This brought some changes in human brain and some of the scientists have concluded that a group of Africans left and proceeded to colonize other parts of the world. This way similar language pattern spread and is now found in most parts of the world. There are ome researchers who believe that the language of today has eventually been achieved and has gone through different stages and the modern linguistics must have evolved since late eighteenth century. It depends upon the circumstances and surroundings and it has been proved by the researchers that chimpanzees when kept in supporting environment can learn and communicate in sign language with humans. The richness of our language for communication is considered as distinctive achievement because it provides us with the ways to express our feelings and emotions to others. Each and every achievement of umans can be credited to language because without it nothing could have been possible in the field of science and technology, philosophy, art and culture or any of the fields. There is language diversity found in this world and even market of language technology is also growing. Language has helped a lot in expanding different types of businesses throughout the world. Exchange of ideas and views become very important when it comes to business or any field that is concerned with the whole world. The use of computer and Internet has also brought the whole world quite close and even the diversity f languages can be bridged with the help of latest technology. Translations are done with the help of software and although they are less accurate than the work done by humans, they are cheap and easily accessible. It can almost be considered as revolution and this has been spreading widely through the help of computer. Initially language was thought to be a unique human quality and that must be because it gave every human to articulate and communicate easily with each other. Understand each other in a better way, which was a great achievement for humans and this helped them to ravel and know about different cultures and livings. Language is the base of all the developments and achievements in this world. If there were no collectiveness due to common language, there would have been nothing possible. All the developments either technical or in the art world are seen and enjoyed today just because a group of people were able to communicate and discuss on some point and then after a lot of studies and experiments were able to reach where we are today. Communication has also helped to pass on the ideas of one generation to other and in this way development has eventually eached and is further heading in future. The most important thing needed for communication is language as it is the base and without which it would have not been possible to communicate. It happens at many levels and in various ways but need of language is must. Language becomes the means that helps to communicate within the working team and thus helps achieve targets and success. Man is a social animal and he needs to communicate in order to remain attached to the society and every member of the society has his or her share in its development. Many scholars have given instances and tried to explain the importance of communication and its relation with language. Just to prove the significance of language there had been so many projects to teach languages to animals and men have succeeded in it. Some of the animals can understand and communicate in sign languages if taught in perfect age like chimpanzees and some can even speak too like parrots if taught at an early age can communicate with vocal expressions. Dolphins are found to call each other by names and they also communicate with their human companions and understand their instructions. Dolphins are found to respond to music too. Language is an organized form of communication, which can be conveyed through voice, signals, and gestures or written symbols. But just communication or its ways are not considered as language and this is the reason why the communication of animals is not considered as language. Humans speak and write language as a system of symbols and grammars or rules with the help of which the symbols are manipulated. Most of humans use sounds or gestures as communication tools and language is considered to be exclusively as mode of communication for humans only.

The Pros And Cons Of Mass Shootings - 772 Words

As of October, there have been 350 mass shootings in the United States in 2017 alone. With data from the Mass shooter tracker, it shows that from 2013-2017 2,592 people were killed and another 7,305 people were left wounded. The federal Bureau of investigators defines a mass shooting as â€Å"the murdering of four or more people with no ‘cooling off’ period between murders.† Mass shootings are at the center of most debates when it comes to cum control laws. A mass shooting can take place anywhere from an airport, office building, or even school. Why do people commit mass shootings? What can people do to help prevent mass shootings? On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded nearly 500 others from the thirty-second†¦show more content†¦The shooter was Adam Lanza who killed his mother then went to her job, Sandy Hook Elementary. Once Lanza arrived at the school, he shoots his way through the security door and kill the principal, schoo l psychologist and injured the vice principal. Next, he moves classroom to classroom killing students and teachers before killing himself. Tragic events like Columbine and Sandy Hook are at the center of topics such as gun control and gun laws, along with school safety policies. Mass shootings are not easy to predict or prevent. There are many theories on how we can stop these senseless acts from happening such as stricter gun laws. Laws that would make it a lot harder for the average person to buy guns and parts such as automatic weapons or extended magazines. While there are many laws around the sale of guns in the United States to try to prevent just anyone from getting a gun, according to MSMBC â€Å" More than 80% of guns used in mass shootings are obtained legally.† That means most of the people committing these acts bought their guns legally and a license for the gun as well. A mass shooting is an unpredictable event that can not be prevented, but you can prepare for i t. Homeland security has created a guide to serving an active shooter situation. The method that was created is called the: Run, hide, fight. If someone is ever in an active shooter situation the first thing one is advised to do is run. Try to get out as fast and quietlyShow MoreRelatedThe Pros And Cons Of Mass Shootings1462 Words   |  6 Pagesmany people are kneeling now that it would ruin their business to fire all of them. This article talks about the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. It discusses the rise in mass shootings and how they are getting deadlier. 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