English Essay: “On the Lake”

The definition of a good parent: Is it being the sensible grownup that is the perfect example of how to act properly, or does this interpretation of a good parent also include a â€Å"wild† site which allows breaking the rules from time to time for the fun of it? â€Å"On the Lake†, by Loaf Alfonse 2008, he reviews the problem of being a responsible adult and a good role model, and yet being able to be an interesting and fun person to be with. It is a typical novel genre text, by the in medias-rest, the short period of time the story trenches on, the few characters and by the â€Å"open† ending of the story.The main theme in the short story is being a good parent. By this not meaning doing what is the safest and the right thing to do, but doing what is fun and exciting for your children. This is being expressed in the act of wild cruising on the lake. This is neither a safe nor a responsible thing to do, but it is fun for the son, although the cruise almost took a fatal turn, by capsizing. Afterwards it is about whether or not Oscar is to blame for this accident, which he tries to avoid at his very best by blaming Whelm (p. 4, II. 5-36) whenever he mentions the episode, serving scotch or by offering a game of cards. It the story, it seems as if Margaret is very overprotecting towards Oscar. She sits with him till he fall asleep, and constantly checks on him while he is sleeping, listening to his breath takes, and if she can not hear it, she puts her ear to his mouth and nose (p. 2, II. 2-6). This persistently surveillance is caused by the near drowning experience her son Just had. Oscar is still very young, 6 years old, and is still not aware of what s best for him, and is not capable of estimating the risks and dangers by his actions.He saw how Whelm was sailing, and wanted to do the same, unaware of the danger by doing so. Whelm plays a crucial in the outcome of this story. Not only he is responsible for the rescue of Jonas and Oscar, but he is also partly the reason of the hazard sailing by Oscar. While Whelm making tight turns and wild sailing on the lake, Jonas would watch enthralled and fascinated. This later on result in Jonas wants to do the same thing in his boat, but is disappointed of his father's boring cruising. â€Å"†¦ You never do anything fun like the man in the white boat† (p. , II. 10-11), Jonas stated towards his father. Oscar became rather irritated, and wanted to go home. He gave the boat full throttle, and tried his best to impress his son doing tight turns on the lake. The urge to impress Jonas, and the safety violations, culminated in the boat capsizing. Whelm was watching Oscar and Jonas cruise, as his barbeques was heating up (p. 4, l. 36), and saw them overturn, and him and his friend, Bicorn, sailed out to save them from drowning. Happen next, a typical novel genre feature called a â€Å"cliffhanger†.It ends with Oscar suspecting an evolving sexual relationship between M argaret and Vilely, while being out for scotch and the binoculars with Boson (p. 6, II. 12-15). He checks to see if they are visible through the binoculars, but he is unable to see them in the living room. He runs up to the house, and finds them in the living room, having a suspicion about they had Just sat down again. As he steps in, Whelm says that it is late, and decides to leave with Bicorn. Margaret had found out that Oscar let go of Jonas' hand and that he was saved before Jonas. This was very upsetting for Margaret to find out Oscar left his son.There is not a universal definition of a good father, but I believe there are certain clichà ©s for the father figure, such as he is a strong, care-taking, encouraging and inspiring role model whom you can rely on. These features it not entirely adjectives that fits the father in the novel, such as he let's Jonas down, and afterwards is trying to blame others for his mistake, although he is trying as hard as possible to become a good parent. This story can be related to the movie which also is about an Indian father who wants the best for his sons, but in the end has caused more harm than good.

Hoe reading report Essay

Between the devil and the deep sea. To choose between two equally bad alternatives in a serious dilemma. Where there’s a will there’s a way When a person really wants to do something, he will find a way of doing it. A burnt child dreads fire. A bad experience or a horrifying incident may scar one’s attitude or thinking for a lifetime. First come, first served. The first in line will be attended to first. A friend in need is a friend indeed. A friend who helps when one is in trouble is a real friend. Discretion is the better part of valor. If you say discretion is the better part of valor, you mean that avoiding a dangerous or unpleasant situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to do. A hungry man is an angry man| | A person who does not get what he wants or needs is a frustrated person and will be easily provoked to rage.Empty vessels make the most noise| | Those people who have a little knowledge usually talk the most and make the greatest fuss. A man is as old as he feels. A person’s age is immaterial – it is only when he thinks and feels that he is ageing that he actually becomes old. Great talkers are little doers   Those people who talk a lot and are always teaching others usually do not do much work. Poems A Little Daughter By: Miroslava Odalovic She drew Mother and father Brother and sister And a rainbow She drew A tree and a root A stone and a brook†¦ [continues]

Response Sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Response Sheet - Essay Example The watch house is crusty with peeling paint and is filled with clustered tools, fishing books and kerosene lanterns. She is only provided with little amenities that she appreciates. Their tour guide plans their days visit and prepares for them a wonderful lunch. Later in the day, they visit the white sand bitches of Cobb Island. Her photographer and the tour guide opt to enjoy a ride on a speed powerboat, and she enjoys the rhythm of the salt marsh and the soft splash by the boat paddles as they cut into the muddy water (Burnett, Retrieved from ). She also describes other sounds around the place. The writer says that Bill shows them the diamond terrapins and the beautiful scenery carries her away. They later return to the island, and they walk around the shore looking for shells. Dave explains to them the geography behind the shape of the island. They enjoy the scenery at the end of the shore as they listen to the sounds from the breaking waves and shells. The writer asks about the presence of sharks, and the guide assures the that they are rare on the island They return to their boat and being afraid of the coming tides they paddle back to the watch house. They enjoy a delicious dinner cooked by a local caterer. By this time, the writer and her photographer have collected many times from the shores. Evening comes, and the writer enjoys the glow from the planets and stars. The  next  morning they wake up to a set of beautiful sunrays, which reflects the water surface prompting them to take photographs (Burnett, retrieved from ). Later, they pack up their belongings and take a boat to the mainland. She still enjoys the views of the island and does not want to leave  the place. The writer enjoys her visit and promises herself to come back

American Governemnt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Governemnt - Essay Example On the other hand, the Federalists were comprised of people who were quite well educated and resided in the regions alongside the eastern coastline. Moreover, they were also quite wealthy, and it is possible that their main motivation was to protect their newfound leadership of the federation at all costs. On the other hand, the Anti–federalists represented the people who were not so well off as well as those who lived in the interior, away from the seaboard; these were campaigners for the ascendancy of the individual states over the federal administration. When one considers the different arguments put forward by these two factions, one realizes that the arguments made by the Federalists are much more convincing than those made by the Anti– federalists are. Therefore, in this paper we shall discuss some of the ideas proposed by the Federalists as opposed to those presented by their opponents. The Federalists believed that the power of the confederation was too weak to function effectively either domestically or when dealing with foreign powers. They felt that a strong federal government would be able to take care of the needs of all the states in matters of foreign policy and would be able to control the states from taking steps, which were deemed excessive. It can be argued that the stance of the Federalists was exceedingly much aware of the advantages that could be brought to the United States if it indeed had a strong national government. One of the benefits that happened in later years was when President Jefferson ordered the United States navy to deal with the Barbary pirates. Not only did the navy do so, but it also managed to break the power of these pirates, hence ensuring that the American trade in the Mediterranean was secured. The Anti vehemently opposed the proposal for a strong federal government – federalists who believed that the Federalists, who were made up of the propertied class, wanted to monopolize power in the new nat ion. Instead, they proposed that the power of the federal government be kept weak and that state power was to remain supreme (Howe 1383). If such proposals had been implemented then the United States would have been just a loose federation, without a single military force to defend it, and a leader who was not decisive because he would have been at the mercy of the state governments. Among the proposals made by the Federalists, concerning the new state was that it was to be governed by men who had talent and experience. They felt that if the government were to be placed in the hands of just anyone, then it would jeopardize the security of the state as well as the lives and property of those within it. Men with experience in governance would be more appropriate because they would know how to handle different situations as they occurred. It would therefore, be better that the government remained in the hands of the educated and propertied class because they had the experience to lead the nation wisely. This turned out to be a true assessment of the situation as the first presidents of the United States came from this class. The success of this young nation can be attributed to them for it is because of their strict management of its affairs that the foundation was set for its

PDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PDP - Essay Example wledge and skills in business management, accounting and financial management, human resources management, strategic management, marketing management, change management, and social communication skills among others (UWBS 2012). Furthermore, I also expect this course to improve my analytical thinking and basic research skills. After taking this course, my long-term goal is to pursue a financial management career in the government’s Ministry of Finance. My personal and career ambition is to hold the highest possible position in a government financial institution. When working for a government institution, the culture of corruption and red tape is quite common and is very difficult to control. With regards to this matter, Tanzi and Davoodi (2000, pp. 3 – 4) revealed that there is â€Å"a negative association between corruption perception indexes and levels of economic development which is measured by the real per capita GDP†. Not all students who are enrolled are currently employed in a business organization. In order to help fight corruption within the public sector, I expect this MBA course to give me the opportunity to reflect upon the role and responsibilities of internal and external auditors including the importance of corporate governance within the practice of accounting and finance (Moeller 2009). Among the basic subjects that I have taken up at UWBS, the most applicable to my chosen profession is accounting and finance management. Before taking up the Masters studies, my personal and interpersonal skills were not quite developed. Although I worked for a government institution back in our country, it was quite unusual for me to be able to be exposed and mingle with a diverse group of people. With regards to my academic skills, areas that needs improvement includes doing research work. Although I was already familiar with regards to some of the theories related to marketing, human resource management, operations management, and basic accounting and

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Corporate governance - Essay Example Many efforts were made to facilitate governance mechanisms. These are introduced by the law â€Å"relating to directors’ duties, supervision via non-executive directors, executive compensation agreements, managerial labour markets that respond to past performance, the market for corporate control, discipline exercised by creditors, and competitive product markets†. (Armour, Deakin & Konzelmann, 2003) The mutual result of the Report of Cadbury Committee (1992), the Greenbury Committee (1995) and the Hampel Committee (1997) was the Combined Code. The Code is voluntary. However companies are required to report compliance with the code or explain the reason why this compliance is not possible. The Code includes a number of principles which serve the ground for the measurement of governance practices of companies. The principles highlight the importance of non-executive directors and independent directors for supervision of executives. Other principle recommendations are separation of chairman and CEO positions with the board chairman monitoring the performance of management; functioning of audit committee with each board. (Black et.al., 1994) Along with these principles the code highlighted the importance of automatic re-election of directors at least every three years, remuneration and audit with a major role in each case for non-executive and independent directors and the disclosure to shareholders of policy concerning remuneration and of service contracts. (Armour, Deakin & Konzelmann, 2003) Committees recommendations are supported by key institutions - the Bank of England, the Confederation of British Industry, and the London Stock Exchange. That’s why the Combined Code proved to be effective in provision of high level of compliance. For example, in 1999 PIRC found that 87% of their sample of listed UK companies had separated the roles of Chairman and CEO, and 93% had

The implications of erecting additional Transmissions Lines in New Assignment

The implications of erecting additional Transmissions Lines in New Zealand by Transporter - Assignment Example The act took effect from the year 2011. The NZ government has authority to review the electricity pricing every five years. The government authorized Transpower to carry out the business to improve on the efficiency of power supply in NZ. Revenue collection by Transpower has control by the government for it not to exceed Maximum Allowance Revenue (MAR) (Sankaran, 2006). Transpower Company, however, negotiates with the NZ government for it to finance its operations including expansion of the national grid. The electricity company used its outstanding capital proposal as one of strategies to seek for the government approval to its revenue collection plan. The national grid of New Zealand This refers to the NZ main transmission line for electricity. The grid, owned by Transpower New Zealand Limited covers 11,803 kilometers carrying high voltage lines. The distribution of electricity takes place through 178 substations built by Transpower at different strategic locations all over the cou ntry. The main source of electricity in NZ is hydroelectric. The generating stations lie along large lakes and rivers in the southern region of NZ. The sitting of the stations depends on water availability and the head of water. Reaction turbines and impulse turbines perform well in power generation using water head (Sankaran, 2006). In NZ, most of power demand is in the Northern Island. This means that power transmission over a long distance is crucial hence the necessity of the grid. The grid, therefore, runs across Cook Strait, through the two Islands. Setting out a grid over such a long distance is a costly investment and; therefore, NZ commercial commission has to work in collaboration with the company. After negotiations, between NZ and Transpower, planning of grid expansion and upgrading of the necessary infrastructure took place. The project is to cost $5 billion over the duration of 10 years (Iyer, 2010). Typical power supply system Large generating station Step up transfor mer- Super grid Step down transformer-Grid substation Step down transformer- Grid transmission line (grid switching substation) Primary distribution- for heavy industries Step down transformer- high voltage sub station Step down transformer- for local distribution A map showing National Electricity transmission grid in NZ Source: Best, 2012 History The first hydroelectric power station in NZ was in Bullendale, which lie in Otago. The main purpose of the plant was to provide power at the phoenix-mining centre located about two miles away from the station. This was back in the year 1885. A transmission line linking the generation point and the mining site was necessary making the first ever power grid in the country. The development of other discoveries requiring electricity led to construction of more transmission lines with the first principal grid constructed between 1913 and 1914. The supply voltage in the first transmission lines was 3.3 kv but, as the transmission distance incre ased, transmission voltage increased (Sankaran, 2006). New Zealand has divided electricity business in various stages and assigned each stage to different companies. The stages include, authorized generators, distributors which include the electricity lines companies, retailers who sell the power to consumers, and transmission companies in this case the Transpower. Transpower, therefore, deal with high voltages

Managing and leading people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Managing and leading people - Essay Example Failure to examine the wellbeing of the employees impacts directly on the profitability and profitability of the organisation. Also, failure by the management to support the wellbeing of the employees has various effects on the business such as increased operation costs and poor public relations (Rees and French, 2013). There are different descriptions of well being of employees in various employment contexts. According to research, the workers’ wellbeing should balance their needs with those of the company. In this case, the concept of wellbeing refers to the creation of an environment for the promotion of a state of satisfaction among the workers as well as achieves their maximum potential for personal and organization’s benefit (Anjum, 2010). The wellbeing of the workers entails more than the aspect of preventing sickness at the workplace. It involves a wider bio-psycho-social structure that includes mental, physical and social health. Normally, employees are mentally and physically capable of contributing at the workplace and become more engaged to their work under good working conditions. Well-being at the workplace, therefore, does not involve the management of the cultural and physical environment with the aim of safeguarding workers from harm. However, it requires corporations to assist individuals to maximise their mental and physical health. The approach for wellbeing benefits individuals both inside and outside the work environment (Jibeen, 2013). In addition, it promotes various aspects of the workplace such as productivity, morale and commitment. Positive wellbeing at the workplace can also benefit the community that is essential for enhancing the public relations of the organisation. It is important for the ma nagement and leadership of various organisations to support the wellbeing of the employees because of various reasons such as promotion of employees’ morale, commitment, transparency, productivity, public relations and efficiency

International Production and Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International Production and Trade - Essay Example As a result of this shift, the United States and much of Western Europe aligned itself with a free market capitalist system whereas the Soviet Union and many parts of the remainder of the world aligned themselves with socialist communism. As a result of this bipolar powershift, the capitalist nations throughout the world realize that one of the only ways to ensure that wealth generation and sustained growth could proliferate was by engaging in a system of capitalism that prized reductions in trade barriers and liberalize nations in trade. The authors further specify the fact that this desire to reduce trade barriers and liberalize trade was ultimately the impetus which helps to give rise to such global entities as GATT, WTO, and the World Bank. Yet rather than each and every nation throughout the world integrating their economies and seeking to provide goods and services with little to no trade barriers, a somewhat different dynamic has been realized. As such, the difference between theory and practice is denoted by the authors with respect to the way in which different trade blocs and trade alliances have developed between the regions and entities throughout the globe. As such, whereas the world might have been previously defined based upon religion and/or ideology, nationality, ethnicity, or any other litany of different qualifiers, the modern world has largely been defined with regards to which nations agreed to a level of unimpeded trade. What this has ultimately affected is a situation through which the world has come to be redefined based upon trade and not based upon many of the other qualifications that had previously constrained and defined the way in which nations have interacted historically. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this particular trend has only been increasing as more and more nations throughout the globe seek to develop their own trade blocs and alliances in something of a macro form of protectionism. Evidence of this can of course be seen with regards to the way in which the EU, NAFTA, and ASEAN treaties now exists which helped to promote trans regional trade and block the advances of true international liberalism that might otherwise helped to differentiate and grow these respective economies. As a result of this particular approach, the authors discuss the way in which this dynamic shift has encouraged specialization with regards to different industries and regions/economies. Moreover, as well has been generated and regions of the world have come to supply the raw material for finished goods and services in other parts of the world, the authors note the fact that many individuals view this as something of a neo-mercantilist system. Although this is not quite the case, the comparisons are nonetheless existence and should not be dismissed out of hand. As the more wealthy nations, represented by powerful trade alliances and blocs are able to outsource their unskilled labor and raw material extraction to poore r nations, the benefits of these inputs are realized on both entities. Whereas the neo-mercantilist would point to the fact that these nations are being taken advantage

Dead Poets Society Essay Example for Free

Dead Poets Society Essay Both The Mosquito Coast and Weir’s next feature, Dead Poets Society (1989), foreground fathers myopically invested in misguided personal aspirations. A significant critical and commercial success, Dead Poets Society is a period piece set in the 1950s in Welton College, a private boys school, at the heart of New England’s establishment. It is a study in the mechanisms with which the ruling class absorbs and expels rebellious influences before proceeding undeterred in its primary mission of reproducing itself. As in Picnic, Weir introduces eager young lives both oozing potential and straining under expectation. In both period pieces Weir deftly establishes the restrictive weight of the institution’s traditions through repeated interior, constricted compositions. Here, however, the challenge to the status quo, far from being a mysterious force, is an enthusiastic, unconventional teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), who nevertheless will play a role in leading the boys to a traumatic awakening. Keating’s passion for literature moves his students to personal quests of self-expression: â€Å"Make your lives extraordinary†, he pleads. The film evokes the American spirit of democratic self-actualisation, as epitomised by the poet Walt Whitman, a portrait of whom Keating displays in his classroom and gestures toward when inciting the boys to emulate his free spirit. Inspired by Keating, the boys re-establish the â€Å"Dead Poets Society†, a club that Keating himself had participated in when a student at Welton. They convene at night in the romantic setting of a nearby cave and share poetry. Keating’s encouragement proves most successful with one of the â€Å"Dead Poets†, Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a teenager so neglected by his parents that he is fearful of human interaction, and petrified of public speaking. Weir subtly conveys the evolving effect Keating’s presence has on Todd, through dexterous camera placement in a series of scenes. In the initial scene, Todd chases his roommate, Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), around their dorm room, trying to retrieve a poem he was composing as an assignment for Keating, which Neil is now playfully reciting aloud. The camera captures the action in a continuous spiralling, pan shot of the boys running in circles within their confined space, creating a spirited, flowing sense of movement. Later, in a long take (28 seconds), the static camera observes Todd, again in his room, as he reads his poem to himself while walking in circles. He is initially pacing at a steady rhythm and smiling to himself, animated by his work, but he then gradually slows and begins to look less sure, before ultimately stopping and despondently tearing up his poem. A cut transfers us to the boys’ classroom the next day, where they are reading their compositions. Todd cowers, insisting he did not prepare a poem, but is encouraged by Keating to usher forth inspiration from Whitman’s portrait for an improvised composition in front of the class. As Keating covers Todd’s eyes, eliciting poetry from the student, the two walk around in continuous circles, followed by the camera, which in turn circles around them in a continuous shot. The effect is a vertiginous one of dizzying movement, which captures the moment of release and rupture for Todd, as he overcomes his inhibitions and spontaneously recites a heartfelt creation, eliciting impressed silence, followed by applause from his classmates. This series of circular movemen ts, suggesting Todd’s burgeoning capacity for self-expression, represents Weir at his most subtle and sophisticated. Todd’s ability to spontaneously compose and recite is rendered all the more persuasive by the almost subliminal referencing of the previous moments of circular movement. Keating’s influence holds different consequences for Todd’s roommate, the kind and charming Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard). When Neil’s father learns that his son has discovered a passion for theatre, he forbids him from performing in the local production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Neil defies him, only to be informed after the performance that his father is removing him from Welton the next day and sending him instead to military academy, after which he will attend medical school. The news constitutes a ten-year sentence for the artistically inclined teenager, who cannot bear the prospect. That night, in a haunting sequence of elisions, we learn through his parent’s distraught, slow motion reactions that Neil has killed himself. John Keating is indirectly blamed for Neil’s death and the school authorities coax some of the boys Keating had taken into his trust into condemning his unconventional teaching. Rather than presenting a facile depiction of a repressive establishment’s collapse against the ultimately victorious seekers of self-expression (a favourite American tale), Weir explores the scapegoating mechanism through which the establishment responds to a challenge to its symbolic order. As Keating’s class sits sheepishly, listening to droll instruction from the school principal who orchestrated Keating’s dismissal and who is now teaching his poetry class, their former teacher enters the room to collect his belongings. Before Keating leaves, Todd, previously unable to talk in front of a group, boldly stands on his desk (a position Keating had occasionally encouraged them to assume in order to â€Å"change their perspective†) and turns in one last circular motion, this time to face Keating and address him with the teacher’s favourite Whitman address, â€Å"Oh Captain, my Captain†. Rousing music builds to a crescendo as the school principal repeatedly orders Todd to get down or risk expulsion. The boy stands firm, looking more composed than ever before, as various other students follow his lead. A high angle point of view shot reveals Keating, with eyes watering, from Todd’s vantage point. With this final scene of defiance, Weir suggests that the seeds of discontent that will usher in the counter-culture of the 1960s have been sown.

Effect of Earnings Decline on Crime Levels

Effect of Earnings Decline on Crime Levels Module: Contemporary Issues in the UK Economy Use an appropriate supply and demand framework to explain how a decline in earnings from legitimate work would be expected to affect the level of crime. To what extent does evidence from the UK support this theoretical prediction? The idea that low earnings affect crime is not a new idea; Aristotle (350 B.C.) himself said â€Å"poverty is the parent of revolution and crime† (pg. 32). Since then, there has been much research in the field since policymakers require this information to create effective crime-reducing policies. In recent years, falling real wages has been a significant issue since the UK is in the longest period of pay stagnation since 1855 (The Economist, 25th Oct 2014). I will discuss the impact of falling wages on the crime rate by using an economic supply and demand framework and comparing my findings to real evidence from UK data. Both Becker (1968) and Freeman’s (1999) work make the assumption that criminals are rational economic agents and hence criminal activity can be modelled using a supply and demand framework in the same way one could a goods or services market. Economic theory states that the supply of crime depends on four components: potential earnings from committing a successful crime (Wc), probability of being caught (p), level of punishment (S) and wages earned from legitimate work (W). This can be shown in the following inequality: (1-p)U(Wc)-pU(S)>U(W) The left hand side represents the potential net benefit gained from committing the crime and the right hand side shows the utility of legitimate earnings. So the individual will commit a crime if the net benefits of committing the crime exceed the benefits of legitimate work. These factors which influence whether an individual decides to commit a crime or not can be aggregated to create the following function for Criminal Participation (CP): CP=f (Wc, P, S, W). The demand function of crime describes how the level of crime in society falls as individuals take increasing preventative measures (Cook, 1986) and therefore, the demand curve is downward sloping. However, the level of demand for committing crimes varies depending on the type of criminal activity undertaken. Freeman (1999) differentiates between â€Å"victimless† and â€Å"victims† crime suggesting that â€Å"victimless† crime carries obvious economic gain, e.g. dealing drugs, whereas â€Å"victims† crime has no obvious economic benefit e.g. violent crime. However, the downward sloping demand curve for â€Å"victims† crime is less intuitive so most work focusses on â€Å"victimless† crime. It is worth noting that one of the limitations of this supply and demand model in analysing crime rates is that it does not take into account non-economic incentives i.e. the feeling of doing wrong versus earning an honest living. Having discussed how to model crime using supply and demand analysis, I will now use these economic tools to illustrate a situation where wages are falling. If wages from legitimate work (W) fall, the supply curve will shift outwards since the opportunity cost of crime has fallen. Using the inequality previously discussed ((1-p) U(Wc)-pU(S)>U(W)), if legitimate earnings (W) fall, assuming ceteris paribus, the benefits of committing the crime are relatively higher. Hence more people will be willing to commit crimes. This is shown in Figure 1 as the shift from CP1 to CP2. Cantor and Land (1985) call this the motivation effect. As shown here, the outward shift of â€Å"supply† of crime (CP1 to CP2) results in an increase in the amount of crime committed (Q1 to Q2). However, there is also a fall in potential earnings from crime (Wc1 to Wc2); if wages fall, the value of consumer goods being bought is likely to fall so there are fewer valuable goods available to steal. This is the Opportunity Effect (Cantor and Land, 1985). So the fall in wages could actually reduce the crime level. It is difficult to gauge which effect, Opportunity or Motivation, is stronger. One factor which could affect this is whether low or high wages are falling. Machin and Meghir (2004) make this distinction by analysing the 25th wage percentile to capture lower skilled workers whose opportunity cost of committing is lower (Freeman, 1999). Machin and Meghir use data from England and Wales (1975-1996) and focus on vehicle and property crime as these are more likely to be driven by economic incentives than e.g. violent crimes. Figure 2 shows the relationship between the level of wage growth in an economy and the level of crime. The close proximity of the points on the graph to the regression line (calculated using a weighted least squares regression) shows a relatively strong negative correlation between the variables and the slope of the regression line gave a value of -1.580; hence, as the 25th percentile wage rises by 1%, the property crime rate is expected to fall by 1.580%. Machin and Meghir’s work supports the theoretical analysis that falling wages leads to higher crime rates for low paid workers. Therefore if low wages fall, the Motivation effect exceeds the Opportunity effect. We can also look at more recent wage and crime data from the UK to see if it supports the conclusion, that falling wages leads to higher crime rates, drawn from supply and demand analysis. As shown in Figure 3, there has been a downward trend in the real wage rate in the UK since the financial crash in 2007, real wage growth was around 10% but this has fallen to -9% by 2014. Using economic theory, it is evident that if real wages fall, then tax revenue earned by the government is likely to decrease through e.g. lower income tax revenue. Moreover, if people have lower earnings, government’s spending in transfer payments e.g. benefits is likely to rise. The situation of falling tax revenue and higher demand for public services has led to a worsening budget balance so the Coalition government adopted austerity measures. This has affected many areas of public sector spending, including the police force where there have been  £2.5bn in budget cuts since 2011, and an estimated 70% of these cuts have been in officer cuts (BBC News, 22nd July 2014). This leads to a fall in the probability of being caught (P) and severity of punishment (S), since severe punishments are typically more expensive. The effects on P and S are â€Å"second round† effects derived from falling wages. Using the CP function, one would expect that if P and S fall there is a rise in crime. However, national crime statistics demonstrate a reduction in the level of crime in the UK (figure 4): So it is evident that crime has been falling since around 1995 as shown by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) data estimate. Since the financial crash, crime has fallen from around 10.5 million in 2008/2009 to 8.5 million in 2012/2013. This contradicts the conclusion made using supply/demand analysis that falling wages leads to higher crime rates. However, David Cameron argues that remaining policemen have been asked â€Å"to do more with less resources [and they] have performed magnificently (Gill, 2013). However, critics argue that there are other factors which have reduced crime statistics. Gill (2013) points towards technological advancements as a significant reason for a falling crime rates. Firstly, car manufacturers are able to include central locking systems which makes it more difficult for criminals to break in. Secondly, car break-ins are typically a â€Å"starter crime† leading onto more serious crimes such as drug dealing; if fewer people are getting involved in crime at this lower level then there will be less crime overall. Thirdly, Gill (2013) highlights the way crime is reported as being a problem since there has been growth in online and high tech crime, for example, online credit card fraud, which is not taken into account in the CSEW crime statistics. Therefore, the â€Å"second round† effects, that falling wages/tax revenue force governments to cut police funding results in more crime, may not be felt since technological advancements have resulted in less (reported) crime. That said, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) made a statement (2010) explaining how it planned to stabilise the number of prisoners until 2014/2015 and after this it would look at reducing the number by 3000 fewer than the figure as of 19th November 2010 (85,393). So while austerity measures have been implemented by the government, the severity of punishments has yet to fall significantly; this may be another reason why the crime rate did not increase whilst wages have been falling. It will be interesting to see whether going forward now crime rates increase since the MoJ is aiming to reduce the number of prisoners. In conclusion, it is evident that a supply and demand framework to model the effect of falling wages on crime cannot fully explain the situation we are currently in. In all fairness, Machin and Meghir’s work did support these findings, however more recent wage and crime data has contradicted the expected outcome. Therefore, although using a supply and demand framework can explain the impact of falling wages on crime to an extent, other factors, such as technological developments, may also influence the crime rate and policymakers who are trying to tackle crime need to ensure these other factors are also taken into account. Bibliography Aristotle (350 B.C.E.) Politics. Translated by B. Jowett. 1999. Kitchener: Batoche Books. Becker, G. (1968) Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach. Journal of Political Economy, 76 (2): 169-217. Becker, G. (1992) The Economic Way of Looking at Life. Nobel Prize [transcript], Wednesday 9th December, Available from: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/1992/becker-lecture.pdf [Accessed 18th November 2014]. Blunt, C. (2010) Imprisonment for Public Protection. House of Commons Debate [transcript], Tuesday 23rd November, Available from: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101123/debtext/101123-0001.htm [Accessed on 20th November 2010]. Cantor, D. and Land, K. C. (1985) Unemployment and crime rates in the post-World War 2 United States: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. American Sociological Review, 50 (3): 317–332. Cook, P. J. (1986) The Demand and Supply of Criminal Opportunities. Crime and Justice, 7: 1-27. Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Bulletin. The Office of National Statistics [online], 19th July 2012. Available from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_273169.pdf [Accessed 16th November 2014]. Dolphin, T. (2014) Bleak figures show a relentless slide towards a low-pay Britain. The Observer [online], Sunday 19th October. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/18/economy-bleak-british-workers-technology [Accessed 18th November 2014]. Ehrlich, I. (1996) Crime, Punishment and Market for Offenses. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10 (1): 43-67. Freeman, R. (1999) â€Å"The Economics of Crime.† In Ashenfelter, O. and Card, D. (ed.) Handbook of Labour Economics, 3. Amsterdam, Netherlands: North Holland Publishers. pp. 3530-3571. Gill, M. (2013) David Cameron is wrong: falling crime rates are not because of the magnificent police. New Statesman [online], Thursday 18th July. Available from: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/07/no-david-cameron-falling-crime-rates-are-not-because-magnificent-police [Accessed on: 17th November 2014]. Machin, S. and Meghir, C. (2004) Crime and Economic Incentives. The Journal of Human Resources, 49 (4): 958-979. Police forces in England and Wales ’rise to the cuts challenge’. BBC News [online], 22nd July 2014. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28415123 [Accessed 18th November 2014]. Real Wages: What Recovery?. The Economist [online], 25th Oct 2014. Available from: http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21627665-workers-continue-feel-pinch-what-recovery [Accessed 18th November 2014].

Essay --

HN 377: Studies in Child & Adolescent Development Unit 6 Assignment- Bullying Among Children and Adolescents Caren Nicole Glover 12/15/2013 Studies in Child & Adolescent Development: Bullying The article, â€Å"Bullies and Their Victims†, by Berk (2010) gives an analysis of how bullies and their victims develop, what makes them persistent and how they and their victims can be assisted. Bullying is an activity that thrives mostly in a school setting because of peers and the various cultures and diversities among them. Interactions are inevitable among children, but bullying is destructive because it aims at peer victimisation. Both boys and girls have the ability to become bullies but the majority of them are boys who use physical and verbal attacks on their victims. In the more recent generations, the means of bullying is amplified in the adolescent stage by using electronic means like cyber bullying. Students will rarely like bullies but if they do, it is because of their leadership abilities or influential personalities. Their peers may join or stand by to watch as the victims are bullied. Victims of bullying will eventually show the effects of bullying by being passive or secluding themselves from other individuals. The background or culture of a victim will most likely determine how they progress or react in a bullying experience. A victim may retaliate to the bully's attacks depending on the level of aggressiveness used. Parenting affects the decisions made by both victims and bullies in the peer interactions. Intervention approaches to this social vice will include changing the victims’ opinions about themselves through encouragement and teaching them how to effectively respond to attackers... ... the bullying activities (Farmer et al, 2011). The majority of these strategies should not affect a limited school budget, as many schools are not able to provide certain services due to budget cuts or limitations. These strategies are possible because they mainly require community involvement, awareness and communication. Bullying is a worldwide problem and it requires immediate attention because it psychologically affects both the victims and the bullies. Victims may ultimately have suicidal thoughts and bullies will have uncontrolled behaviors that carry on through school and after school, but they can be helped. Although cyber bullying is a big obstacle due to the large-scale usage of internet and the ability to conceal identities, technological advancements and child supervision help to single out these individuals to reduce the amount of bullying that occurs.

Treatment and Management of Shyness in Children Essay -- Papers Person

Treatment and Management of Shyness in Children Research and studies have found that shyness in children could be due to genetic, temperamental, and environmental influences (Jaffe, 1991, p. 270, & Zimbardo 1995, p. 56). This paper aims to discuss the types of shyness, the influences on shyness, the difference between normal and problematic shyness. Lastly, strategies will be presented to help the shy child. The basic feeling of shyness is a common problem not only among children but also among adults. According to Zimbardo (1995, p.56-57) and Jaffe (1995, p. 270), shyness is a mix of emotions, including fear and interest, tension and pleasantness. A shy child may display in his/her behaviour a downward gaze, physical, and verbal reticence. That is he/she will try to avoid eye contact or withdraw slightly or totally when being touched or talked to. The speech is often soft, almost inaudible, and at times, very hesitant. Shyness is very often a mistaken and misunderstood emotion. It ought to be distinguished from two related behaviour patterns: wariness and social disengagement. It is very normal that young infants are very wary of strangers as it is a time that attachment to familiar faces of caregivers are very important during this period of growing and trusting in the surrounding physical and human environment (Gonzalez-Mena, & Widmeyer Eyer, 2001, p. 77). For older children who may prefer solitary play and appear to have low needs for social interaction, would usually not experience the emotional tensions of the genuinely shy child (Van Hoorn et al, 2003, p. 242-243, & Cohen et al, 1987, p. 80). Children ... ...docId=5000962656&offset=1. (July 12, 2004). Feldman, R.S.(2003). Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 5th ed. USA: McGraw Hill. Gonzalez-Mena, J. & Widmeyer Eyer, D. (2001). Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers. 5th ed. USA: Mayfield Publishing Company. Hendrick, J. (1992). The Whole Child. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Jaffe, M.L. (1997). Understanding Parenting. 2nd ed. USA: Allyn & Bacon. Reid, B., & Vans, S. (1989). In J. Valsiner, (Ed.). Child development in cultural context (pp.199-218). Toronto: Hogrefe Inc. Van Hoorn, J., P.M. Nourot, Scales, B., & Alward, K. R. (2003). Play at the Center of the Curriculum. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Zimbardo, P.G. (1995). Shyness: What it is? What to Do about it? USA: Perseus Publishing.

How Can the Different Ways of Knowing Help Us to Distinguish Between Something That Is True and Something That Is Believed to Be True

How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true? By using different ways of knowing, we can distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true. In order to express these distinctions, personal experiences, their implications, and their counterclaims are needed to be stated. For something to be â€Å"true† it must be public, eternal, and independent. If the â€Å"truth† does not follow these guidelines then it can not be â€Å"true. The ways of knowing that something is â€Å"true† is comprehended by one’s own perception, language, reason and emotion. With these â€Å"ways of knowing† than the â€Å"truth† can, in theory, be understood. Perception is one of the most broad and vague ways of knowing. It is hard for someone and another to have the same â€Å"perception† of an object or event. Take example that Jimmy, a y oung yet intellectual boy who wears glasses, has just seen the biggest bully Bob assault the youngest and smallest kid in school Fred. Their teacher comes over and asks the three boys what happened. According to Bob, Fred fell and received the bruises that way; Fred says that he was attacked by Bob; and Jimmy states that, due to his glasses fogging up, that Bob had inflicted the pain to himself. This vagueness is why the judicial system takes so much time to resolve problems between one party and another. This has implication due our ability to not ever â€Å"know† the whole â€Å"truth†. The cause of not â€Å"knowing,† due to inability to not see â€Å"everything,† leads to the effect of problems between us and our kin based solely on our perception of the events that took place. According to the definition of â€Å"truth† is that it must be public, eternal and independent and thus begins the problems of â€Å"knowing† between Jimmy, Bob, and Fred. The fact that there was a fight and Jimmy watch is public and everyone â€Å"knows† thus the first part of â€Å"truth† is correct. Eternal works as well due to that point in time there was an incident between those three boys. Lastly it was independent from all outside sources, however the problem arises with what is â€Å"true† and who believes that their story is â€Å"true. Bob believes it was not his fault; Fred believes that he was attacked by Bob; and Jimmy believes that Fred did it all to himself. This causes the problem of who â€Å"knows† the â€Å"truth. † The teacher, being unbiased of course, has no real way of â€Å"knowing† who the culprit is based off what the children believe to be â€Å"true†. This has global implications as well for cultures perceive things differently than that of another culture. Take example the United States and Japan; the United States shakes each other hands when greeting someone politely were as in Japan they would bow to each other first. This could cause a massive global conflict if for example the United States offends the Japanese Councilor at the United Nations due to not bowing when greeting. As a counterclaim, someone could say that just using perception as a tool for â€Å"knowing† is simple not enough. Also perception just is not solely based off the ability of someone to see something but the usage of all five senses. The ability to use the five senses would be the correct way in order to learn the â€Å"true. There is no real way of â€Å"knowing† something solely off the assumption of our perception and there is no real â€Å"truth,† rather just a collection of â€Å"believed truths† that we choose to be the â€Å"truth. † Vladimir Lenin stated that â€Å"a lie told often enough become the truth. † We want to believe that we have found the â€Å"truth† and we will not stop look for that â€Å"truth. † Yet how can we communicate this â€Å"knowledge? † Thus we need the usage of language and its imprecations in â€Å"truth. † Language plays an important role in our lives. We created this tool to pass on the â€Å"knowledge† of others, empirical, and thru this we â€Å"learn. † With Vladimir Lenin’s previous quote can be applied to language as well. The winners of wars are the one’s that create the history. It happens to every culture and every civilization that every existed with the ability to record their history. This has global implications that can be recognized off the fact that if a war were to be started and ended than the victory most like would right about how â€Å"morally righteous† their country was and how their opposition, the losing country, was. Now as a counter argument to that claim would be that maybe the country was â€Å"telling the truth† but then we are right back to the beginning in where â€Å"how do we really know what we know? † Can that country account for every action that each one of its civilians, and, or army infantry did during the course of the war? Most likely neither county could. Therefore they can not â€Å"truly know† based off their beliefs or their â€Å"truths. † This in conjecture with perception is adequate but not 100 per cent sufficient in â€Å"knowing† something. We add a third way of knowing: reason. Reasoning skills are a hard thing to explain about it terms of how we â€Å"know† something. Some things can be taught and thus learned by reasoning: putting your hand down on a hot pan thus teaches us to not do it again because it hurts. However when it comes to reasoning skills with moral can be hard to comprehend. One person may see that killing a human is wrong, were as a military general may see the killing of a human a necessity. Bishop Beilby Porteus states that â€Å"one murder made a villain; millions a hero. † Is he telling the â€Å"truth? Do we glorify war? The implication of reasoning is of the greatest importance because it literally comes down to our inner instincts. In contrast how should we let our animalistic emotions control us or should we have a higher level of â€Å"knowledge? † Can any creature or object ever obtain such a thing? Do we or will we ever â€Å"know? † In my option, I believe not; then again what do I â€Å"know? † Emotion is the final piece to the puzzle of knowledge. With the raw passion with what emotion is cannot be simply summed up or described with words along. How can we describe what an emotion is between people? Take for example the emotion of â€Å"love. † One passionate couple may explain there definition of what â€Å"love† is, however if a restaurant owner was asked the same question he or she may say that their â€Å"love† is their restaurant. Hence this gives us the emotion of sympathy towards dictionary writers. Describing such a raw and passionate feeling is incredible. Globally how can one culture translate the emotion of â€Å"love† from one culture to another? Our love could not possibly be the same as someone in Russia or India. Is emotion something that we are born with, or grow into? We will never â€Å"know,† yet this is the final piece of ways of knowing and thus while using all four pieces of â€Å"knowledge† stills leaves us with the belief that we will never â€Å"truly know. † The difference between truth and believed truth can only be answered thru the ways of knowing. The problem is that there is more than one answer. By assuming that there is a finite answer undermines the whole idea of our â€Å"ways of knowing. † The age old question of the creation of life has been the greatest battle between science and religion. Who is to say that one side is â€Å"right† and one side is â€Å"wrong† when we ourselves do not even â€Å"know. † There is no â€Å"obtainable truth†, only the â€Å"truth† that we â€Å"believe to be true. † â€Å"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. † -Marcus Aurelius How can the ways of knowing help us distinguish between what ‘is true' and what ‘is believed to be true'? â€Å"? i need examples from real life and how you can tell the difference between truth and the believed truth. Best Answer – Chosen by Voters It seems to me that what is true can also be what is believed to be true. Example: the world is not flat. To answer your question, though, look for scientific evidence. For example, some people believe that the earth is only a few thousand years old. Age dating techniques and the fossil record indicate an age of several billion years. 1) Truth is simply the statement of a fact. A fact is something real, whether an object or an occurrence. Consider the following: I say to you â€Å"I ran a marathon,† but you didn't see me run it. Thus the FACT – the ‘truth' – is that I did SAY it; you know that because you were right there. Whether I actually DID run the marathon or not is another question entirely. Did I lie? Did I exaggerate? You can't be sure. And then you go check the records and see that I was registered to run this marathon. You now know that it's true that I was registered, but you still don't know if I actually ran. You might also find witnesses that SAY they saw me running (catching on yet? lol); so you know it's true that those witnesses SAID that they saw me, because you watched them physically speak the words, but you didn't SEE them seeing me, so you still can't be sure I ran. You could, by now, BELIEVE that I ran, but you still don't KNOW it to be true. Now a time-stamped video that clearly shows me running, that might be about the only thing that could convince you that I truly did run†¦ although that could be doctored†¦ It all comes down to the level of evidence you're personally willing to trust. Do you trust a scientist's data? Do you trust a priest's truthfulness? (And don't get me started on God and faith lol) (And don't get me started on your textbooks, either) The difference between what ‘is true' and what is ‘believed to be true' in the Arts? This could be in painting, art, or english I have an essay to wrote about: â€Å"How can the ways of knowing (language, perception, reason, emotion) help us distinguish between what ‘is true' and what ‘is believed to be true'? † apply this question with examples in the Arts 1) I see art as a representation of reality or a mimic or mirror and the representaitons set at different levels, standards or views depending on who is presenting in whatever form. I see truth as having different levels as well. What we call something is indeed what we call it like a flower is red or whatever. Then there are all sorts of cause and effect relatinships that are indirect or direct cause and effect. One thing can be caused by many things acting together to cause it or a sequence of events and it can make it tough to find the true or the first or most significant root cause (to solve the problem). Mostly, one has to see something to its conclusion to find out what is true vs. what is false, what is consistant vs. hat is inconsistant. Sometimes what is believed is actually true and sometimes what is believed is actually false. Experience is such a great teacher! I guess these ideas can be represented in the arts in various ways in colors, masks, shadows, inconsistancies, demeanor, etc. Some of it left open to interpretation just as art imitates life. We all have the need to believe things we think are true and might also turn out to be true. It is wh at life is about mostly, faith. I don't know if I answered your question or not, but that is what I think so far. ) the difference between what ‘is true' and what is ‘believed to be true' in the arts is the same as that of what is true and what is believed to be true in any other field. you will apply the value ‘true' to that which you can empirically evidence (the type of oil the artist used in a particular painting or the economy of words of a certain novel) and you will apply ‘believed to be true' to that which may or may not be true (evidenced) depending on the individual involved (the feeling of melancholy the particular painting evokes). guess my feeling is that anything highly susceptible to subjectivity isn't really there to help us to distinguish but will serve greatly to enhance our experience of the thing (the objet d'art) itself. Source(s): i don't know a great deal about the philosophy of art nor about the art of philosophy but your question stru ck me as interesting. †¢ Read Karl Popper â€Å"take' on this. He correctly identified the â€Å"arts from â€Å"science†,and in doing so realised that all our knowledge ,in Both(! ), was really â€Å"Suspect†. Hence he became famous for the modern way-of-using and deciphering just how real(or knowledge based) â€Å"criticism† can enable all the mistakes-within Science and even the Arts-†¦. to †¦.. be†¦. learned†¦. from ! (and if you study his work,you should quite easily see that serious-and-dangerous mistakes SHOULD NOT BE MADE. So†¦ this is almost the sole â€Å"point† to our -all our-traditions. That we CAN learn from our mistakes(E. g. in the Arts as well as in the sciences), and even gain a glimmer of good,critical knowledge from those previously,dangerous and deadly ones,too. And†¦. after rereading the above†¦ i think its a virtual responsibility of the arts, to HELP IN THIS; and one obvious modern way is for artists everywhere to â€Å"look† at the current serious and dangerous mistake(s) being made with our environment- and this is just one ONE example that i can think of here;(and although works-of-art should,i think be direc ted to show awarness of this type-of-real-complex problem;i do NOT think that the Arts should promote the breaking-of-laws,ecetera. Rather,the Arts should â€Å"take-our-minds† to new places,to new and better ideas,especially so when in search-of better solutions to the above problem-and other critical problems,too! ). Source(s): The work of the late scholar,teacher and philosopher; Sir Karl. R. Popper, et al. Are Some Ways Of Knowing More Likely Than Others To Lead To Truth? In this essay I will discuss whether some ways of knowing are more like than others to lead to the truth. There is no single definition of the truth where every philosopher agrees with. What we can say is that the truth is ne of the most important elements in our society which extends from â€Å"honesty, good faith and sincerity in general to agreement with fact or reality in particular†. Instead of just concentrating on the four ways of knowing, language, perception, reason and emotion, I will also look at the areas of knowledge, such as sciences and mathematics to help finding which of the four ways of knowing is the most lik ely to lead to the truth. To answer the research question, we first have to look at the truth itself. In a dictionary is said that truth is â€Å"The degree to which a statement corresponds with reality and logic †. Every human being defines truth in a different way. Truth can be what one is prepared to accept as truth, as well as something which is proved by a study for being true or what for example the media, books, government and yourself name to be true. In the first area of knowledge I will discuss, the sciences, truth will always change during the time. A good example is Isaac Newton’s theory of mechanics and universal gravitation. In this time everyone believed his theory describing the universe as being â€Å"true† and there was no evidence for it being not the truth. Than after some centuries some scientist discovered things where Newton’s theory didn’t account for. Therefore his theory was than called â€Å"untrue† and Albert Einstein’s evidence which fitted more into these discoveries was named as being true. This is evidence therefore, that science is a process, the truth will always change in time, but in this particular time period the truth cannot be named as â€Å"untrue† because it cannot be disproved by knowledge or technology. On the other hand in mathematics, one has these principles like â€Å"1 + 1 = 2† or â€Å"2 + 2 = 4†. People do not†¦ ‘ All Of The Other Ways Of Knowing Are Controlled By Language. What Does This Statement Mean And Do You Think It Is A Fair Representation Of The Relationship Between Perception, Emotion, Reason And Language? Language is such a universal phenomenon in human society. Whenever we write or speak, we use it; whenever we make a promise or ask a question, we use it. In the statement ?  §All of the other ways of knowing are controlled by language , language is defined as ?  §words and this ?  §control can be defined as ?  §dominate. Then this saying seems not so fair to represent the relationship between the four ways of knowing. It is more sensible to say language gives some support or limit to our reason? Aperception and emotion. It may influence them, but not only one way ? V the four ways of knowing interact with each other. The function of language is particularly relevant in reason. We should believe our application of reason is within our mind before we express it into words. Most natural science is called logic facts and we often use the name of theories to represent our reason instead of explaining the essence in details. For example, if your hand pushes against the edge of a desk, the desk pushes against your hand. Probably we will tell others this phenomenon is because ?  §Newton?  ¦s third law of motion but won?  ¦t explain the content of this theory word by word. In this case, language has no meaning itself, but it is more like a symbol to represent reason. Another example is ?  §Chaos Theory. Ten years ago, Chaos is just a simple English word, but as Chaos theory become part of modern science, people easily associate the idea of finding the order in random data? when they see the word ?  §Chaos. However, reason requires precision. Scientists use scientific language to give strict definition of a theory before they name it. Newton?  ¦s third law of motion states: ?  §Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second exerts an equal and opposite force on the first. (Isaac Newton 1687) People must have the sense of reaction before this theory is built, but it needs a m edium to become verbalized and communicated in order to evaluate its validity†¦. Best Answer – Chosen by Voters The â€Å"how† of something that is believed true is called â€Å"justified true belief. † (Google it) On the other hand, another way of knowing â€Å"how† something is true or not is called the â€Å"correspondence theory of truth,† wherein everything is true or false according to the context in which you are using the word, phrase, or premise. The correspondence theory can be described this way: â€Å"The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live. † http://www. importanceofphilosophy. com/Me†¦ http://www. iep. utm. edu/truth/#H3 How Can The Different Ways Of Knowing Help Us To Distinguish Between Something That Is True And Something That Is Believed To Be True? 4. How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true? â€Å"We create knowledge ourselves, through the four ways of knowing;† (Dombrowski, 91-92) sense perception, language, reasoning and emotion. These ways of knowing are also the means by which knowledge claims are judged for their credibility, validity and most importantly, their likelihood to be true. When a knowledge claim is made, three scenarios are presented with the least problematic being that the claim is false based on the four ways of knowing coupled with past experiences. A claim is not said to be true just because it is false. The aim of this essay will be to illuminate how certainty, confidence and the convincing nature of claims distinguish between claims believed to be true and claims that are known to be true. True† and â€Å"false†, in simplicity, can be viewed as divisors for separating knowledge claims or beliefs but in reality, we view â€Å"true† and â€Å"false† as the extreme boundaries of a scale that determines with reason whether or not claims should be accepted as true or not. In history, where we make value claims, â€Å"Claims that embed evaluations on a scale that is not calibrated in measurable units† (Dombrowski, 106), there seems to be a lot of subjectivity as these claims themselves are subjective. They hold some truth because they are actually made from observational claims. In the story of Nazi Anschluss with Austria, where a plebiscite was held to ask whether Austria wanted to become a part of Nazi Germany and the Nazi’s â€Å"claim to have received 99. 73% of the vote† (â€Å"Anschluss†), two value claims that could come out will be that the Austrians loved Nazis and wanted to be a part of it or that the Austrians feared Nazi Germany and did not have any other option than to be part of Nazis. These two opinions show the subjective nature of such areas but these statements cannot be taken as false. The fact that there is†¦ 1. No comments Join Now For Free

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 39. TheHappily EverAfter

â€Å"So it was a combination of things there at the end, but what it really boiled down to was†¦ Bella,† Edward was explaining. Our family and our two remaining guests sat in the Cullens' great room while the forest turned black outside the tall windows. Vladimir and Stefan had vanished before we'd stopped celebrating. They were extremely disappointed in the way things had turned out, but Edward said that they'd enjoyed the Volturi's cowardice almost enough to make up for their frustration. Benjamin and Tia were quick to follow after Amun and Kebi, anxious to let them know the outcome of the conflict; I was sure we would see them again – Benjamin and Tia, at least. None of the nomads lingered. Peter and Charlotte had a short conversation with Jasper, and then they were gone, too. The reunited Amazons had been anxious to return home as well – they had a difficult time being away from their beloved rain forest – though they were more reluctant to leave than some of the others. â€Å"You must bring the child to see me,† Zafrina had insisted. â€Å"Promise me, young one.† Nessie had pressed her hand to my neck, pleading as well. â€Å"Of course, Zafrina,† I'd agreed. â€Å"We shall be great friends, my Nessie,† the wild woman had declared before leaving with her sisters. The Irish coven continued the exodus. â€Å"Well done, Siobhan,† Carlisle complimented her as they said goodbye. â€Å"Ah, the power of wishful thinking,† she answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. And then she was serious. â€Å"Of course, this isn't over. The Volturi won't forgive what happened here.† Edward was the one to answer that. â€Å"They've been seriously shaken; their confidence is shattered. But, yes, I'm sure they'll recover from the blow someday. And then . . .† His eyes tightened. â€Å"I imagine they'll try to pick us off separately.† â€Å"Alice will warn us when they intend to strike,† Siobhan said in a sure voice. â€Å"And we'll gather again. Perhaps the time will come when our world is ready to be free of the Volturi altogether.† â€Å"That time may come,† Carlisle replied. â€Å"If it does, we'll stand together.† â€Å"Yes, my friend, we will,† Siobhan agreed. â€Å"And how can we fail, when /will it otherwise?† She let out a great peal of laughter. â€Å"Exactly,† Carlisle said. He and Siobhan embraced, and then he shook Liam's hand. â€Å"Try to find Alistair and tell him what happened. I'd hate to think of him hiding under a rock for the next decade.† Siobhan laughed again. Maggie hugged both Nessie and me, and then the Irish coven was gone. The Denalis were the last to leave, Garrett with them – as he would be from now on, I was fairly sure. The atmosphere of celebration was too much for Tanya and Kate. They needed time to grieve for their lost sister. Huilen and Nahuel were the ones who stayed, though I had expected those last two to go back with the Amazons. Carlisle was deep in fascinated conversation with Huilen; Nahuel sat close beside her, listening while Edward told the rest of us the story of the conflict as only he knew it. â€Å"Alice gave Aro the excuse he needed to get out of the fight. If he hadn't been so terrified of Bella, he probably would have gone ahead with their original plan.† â€Å"Terrified?† I said skeptically. â€Å"Of me?† He smiled at me with a look I didn't entirely recognize – it was tender, but also awed and even exasperated. â€Å"When will you ever see yourself clearly?† he said softly. Then he spoke louder, to the others as well as to me. â€Å"The Volturi haven't fought a fair fight in about twenty-five hundred years. And they've never, never fought one where they were at a disadvantage. Especially since they gained Jane and Alec, they've only been involved with unopposed slaughterings. â€Å"You should have seen how we looked to them! Usually, Alec cuts off all sense and feeling from their victims while they go through the charade of a counsel. That way, no one can run when the verdict is given. But there we stood, ready, waiting, outnumbering them, with gifts of our own while their gifts were rendered useless by Bella. Aro knew that with Zafrina on our side, they would be the blind ones when the battle commenced. I'm sure our numbers would have been pretty severely decimated, but they were sure that theirs would be, too. There was even a good possibility that they would lose. They've never dealt with that possibility before. They didn't deal with it well today.† â€Å"Hard to feel confident when you're surrounded by horse-sized wolves,† Emmett laughed, poking Jacob's arm. Jacob flashed a grin at him. â€Å"It was the wolves that stopped them in the first place,† I said. â€Å"Sure was,† Jacob agreed. â€Å"Absolutely,† Edward agreed. â€Å"That was another sight they've never seen. The true Children of the Moon rarely move in packs, and they are never much in control of themselves. Sixteen enormous regimented wolves was a surprise they weren't prepared for. Caius is actually terrified of werewolves. He almost lost a fight with one a few thousand years ago and never got over it.† â€Å"So there are real werewolves?† I asked. â€Å"With the full moon and silver bullets and all that?† Jacob snorted. â€Å"Real. Does that make me imaginary?† â€Å"You know what I mean.† â€Å"Full moon, yes,† Edward said. â€Å"Silver bullets, no – that was just another one of those myths to make humans feel like they had a sporting chance. There aren't very many of them left. Caius has had them hunted into near extinction.† â€Å"And you never mentioned this because†¦ ?† â€Å"It never came up.† I rolled my eyes, and Alice laughed, leaning forward – she was tucked under Edward's other arm – to wink at me. I glared back. I loved her insanely, of course. But now that I'd had a chance to realize that she was really home, that her defection was only a ruse because Edward had to believe that she'd abandoned us, I was beginning to feel pretty irritated with her. Alice had some explaining to do. Alice sighed. â€Å"Just get it off your chest, Bella.† â€Å"How could you do that to me, Alice?† â€Å"It was necessary.† â€Å"Necessary!† I exploded. â€Å"You had me totally convinced that we were all going to die! I've been a wreck for weeks.† â€Å"It might have gone that way,† she said calmly. â€Å"In which case you needed to be prepared to save Nessie.† Instinctively, I held Nessie – asleep now on my lap – tighter in my arms. â€Å"But you knew there were other ways, too,† I accused. â€Å"You knew there was hope. Did it ever occur to you that you could have told me everything? I know Edward had to think we were at a dead end for Aro's sake, but you could have told me.† She looked at me speculatively for a moment. â€Å"I don't think so,† she said. â€Å"You're just not that good an actress.† â€Å"This was about my acting skills?† â€Å"Oh, take it down an octave, Bella. Do you have any idea how complicated Ms was to set up? I couldn't even be sure that someone like Nahuel existed – all I knew was that I would be looking for something I couldn't see! Try to imagine searching for a blind spot – not the easiest thing I've ever done. Plus we had to send back the key witnesses, like we weren't in enough of a hurry. And then keeping my eyes open all the time in case you decided to throw me any more instructions. At some point you're going to have to tell me what exactly is in Rio. Before any of that, I had to try to see every trick the Volturi might come in with and give you what few clues I could so you would be ready for their strategy, and I only had just a few hours to trace out all the possibilities. Most of all, I had to make sure you'd all believe that I was ditching out on you, because Aro had to be positive that you had nothing left up your sleeves or he never would have committed to an out the way he did. And if you think I didn't feel like a schmuck – â€Å" â€Å"Okay, okay!† I interrupted. â€Å"Sorry! I know it was rough for you, too. It's just that†¦ well, I missed you like crazy, Alice. Don't do that to me again.† Alice's trilling laugh rang through the room, and we all smiled to hear that music once more. â€Å"I missed you, too, Bella. So forgive me, and try to be satisfied with being the superhero of the day.† Everyone else laughed now, and I ducked my face into Nessie's hair, embarrassed. Edward went back to analyzing every shift of intention and control that had happened in the meadow today, declaring that it was my shield that had made the Volturi run away with their tails between their legs. The way everyone looked at me made me uncomfortable. Even Edward. It was like I had grown a hundred feet during the course of the morning. I tried to ignore the impressed looks, mostly keeping my eyes on Nessie's sleeping face and Jacob's unchanged expression. I would always be just Bella to him, and that was a relief. The hardest stare to ignore was also the most confusing one. It wasn't like this half-human, half-vampire Nahuel was used to thinking of me in a certain way. For all he knew, I went around routing attacking vampires every day and the scene in the meadow had been nothing unusual at all. But the boy never took his eyes off me. Or maybe he was looking at Nessie. That made me uncomfortable, too. He couldn't be oblivious to the fact that Nessie was the only female of his kind that wasn't his half-sister. I didn't think this idea had occurred to Jacob yet. I kind of hoped it wouldn't soon. I'd had enough fighting to last me for a while. Eventually, the others ran out of questions for Edward, and the discussion dissolved into a bunch of smaller conversations. I felt oddly tired. Not sleepy, of course, but just like the day had been long enough. I wanted some peace, some normality. I wanted Nessie in her own bed; I wanted the walls of my own little home around me. I looked at Edward and felt for a moment like I could read his mind. I could see he felt exactly the same way. Ready for some peace. â€Å"Should we take Nessie †¦Ã¢â‚¬  ‘That's probably a good idea,† he agreed quickly. â€Å"I'm sure she didn't sleep soundly last night, what with all the snoring.† He grinned at Jacob. Jacob rolled his eyes and then yawned. â€Å"It's been a while since I slept in a bed. I bet my dad would get a kick out of having me under his roof again.† I touched his cheek. â€Å"Thank you, Jacob.† â€Å"Anytime, Bella. But you already know that.† He got up, stretched, kissed the top of Nessie's head, and then the top of mine. Finally, he punched Edward's shoulder. â€Å"See you guys tomorrow. I guess things are going to be kind of boring now, aren't they?† â€Å"I fervently hope so,† Edward said. We got up when he was gone; I shifted my weight carefully so that Nessie was never jostled. I was deeply grateful to see her getting a sound sleep. So much weight had been on her tiny shoulders. It was time she got to be a child again – protected and secure. A few more years of childhood. The idea of peace and security reminded me of someone who didn't have those feelings all the time. â€Å"Oh, Jasper?† I asked as we turned for the door. Jasper was sandwiched tight in between Alice and Esme, somehow seeming more central to the family picture than usual. â€Å"Yes, Bella?† Tm curious – why is J. Jenks scared stiff by just the sound of your name?† Jasper chuckled.†It's just been my experience that some kinds of working relationships are better motivated by fear than by monetary gain.† I frowned, promising myself that I would take over that working relationship from now on and spare J the heart attack that was surely on the way. We were kissed and hugged and wished a good night to our family. The only off note was Nahuel again, who looked intently after us, as if he wished he could follow. Once we were across the river, we walked barely faster than human speed, in no hurry, holding hands. I was sick of being under a deadline, and I just wanted to take my time. Edward must have felt the same. â€Å"I have to say, I'm thoroughly impressed with Jacob right now,† Edward told me. â€Å"Thewolves make quite an impact, don't they?† â€Å"That's not what I mean. Not once today did he think about the fact that, according to Nahuel,Nessie will befully matured in just six and a half years.† I considered that for a minute. â€Å"He doesn't see her that way. He's not in a hurry for her to grow up.He just wants her to be happy.† â€Å"I know. Like I said, impressive. It goes against the grain to say so, but she could do worse.† I frowned. â€Å"I'm not going to think about that for approximately six and a half more years.† Edward laughed and then sighed. â€Å"Of course, itlooks like he'll have some competition to worry about when the time comes.† My frown deepened. â€Å"I noticed. I'm grateful to Nahuel for today, but all the staring was a little weird. I don't care if she is the only half-vampire he's not related to.† â€Å"Oh, he wasn't staring at her – he was staring at you.† That's what it had seemed like†¦ but that didn't make any sense. â€Å"Why would he do that?† â€Å"Because you're alive,† he said quietly. â€Å"You lost me.† â€Å"All his life,† he explained,† – and he's fifty years older than I am – â€Å" â€Å"Decrepit,† I interjected. Heignored me. â€Å"He's always thought of himself as an evil creation, a murderer by nature. His sistersall killed their mothers as well, but they thought nothing of it. Joham raised them to think of the humans as animals, while they were gods. But Nahuel was taught by Huilen, and Huilen loved her sister more than anyone else. It shaped his whole perspective. And, in some ways, he truly hated himself.† â€Å"That'sso sad,†I murmured. â€Å"And then he saw the three of us – and realized for the first time that just because he ishalf immortal, it doesn't mean he is inherently evil. He looks at me and sees†¦ what his father should have been.† â€Å"You are fairly ideal in every way,† I agreed. He snorted and then was serious again. â€Å"He looks at you and sees the life his mother should have had.† â€Å"Poor Nahuel,† Imurmured, and then sighed because I knew I would never be able to think badly of him after this, no matter how uncomfortable his stare made me. â€Å"Don't be sad for him. He's happy now. Today, he's finally begun to forgive himself.† I smiled for Nahuel's happiness and then thought that today belonged to happiness. Though Irina's sacrifice wasa dark shadow against the white light, keeping the moment from perfection, the joy was impossible to deny. The life I'd fought for was safe again. My family was reunited. My daughter had a beautiful future stretching out endlessly in front of her. Tomorrow I would go see my father; he would see that the fear in my eyes had been replaced with joy, and he would be happy, too. Suddenly, I was sure that I wouldn't find him there alone. I hadn't been as observant as I might have been in the last few weeks, but in this moment it was like I'd known all along. Sue would be with Charlie – thewerewolves' mom with the vampire's dad – and he wouldn't be alone anymore. I smiled widely at this new insight. But most significant in this tidal wave of happiness was the surest fact ofall: I was with Edward. Forever. Not that I'd want to repeat the last several weeks, but I had to admit they'd made me appreciate what I had more than ever. The cottage was a place of perfect peace in the silver-blue night. We carried Nessie to her bed and gently tucked her in. She smiled as she slept. I took Aro's gift from around my neck and tossed it lightly into the corner of her room. She could play with it if she wished; she liked sparkly things. Edward and I walked slowly to our room, swinging our arms between us. â€Å"A night for celebrations,† he murmured, and he put his hand under my chin to lift my lips to his. â€Å"Wait,† I hesitated, pulling away. He looked at me in confusion. As a general rule, I didn't pull away. Okay, it was more than a general rule. This was a first. â€Å"I want to try something,† I informed him, smiling slightly at his bewildered expression. I put my hands on both sides of his face and closed my eyes in concentration. I hadn't done very well with this when Zafrina had tried to teach me before, but I knew my shield better now. I understood the part that fought against separation from me, the automatic instinct to preserve self aboveall else. Itstill wasn't anywhere near as easy as shielding other people along with myself. I felt the elastic recoil again as my shield fought to protect me. I had to strain to push it entirely away from me; it took all of my focus. â€Å"Bella!† Edward whispered in shock. I knew it was working then, so I concentrated even harder, dredging up the specific memories I'd saved for this moment, letting them flood my mind, and hopefully his as well. Some of the memories were not clear – dim human memories, seen through weak eyes and heard through weak ears: the first time I'd seen his face†¦ the way it felt when he'd held me in the meadow†¦ the sound of his voice through the darkness of my faltering consciousness when he'd saved me from James†¦ his face as he waited under a canopy of flowers to marry me†¦ every precious moment from the island†¦ his cold hands touching our baby through my skin†¦ And the sharp memories, perfectly recalled: his face when I'd opened my eyes to my new life, to the endless dawn of immortality†¦ that first kiss†¦ that first night†¦ His lips, suddenly fierce against mine, broke my concentration. With a gasp, I lost my grip on the struggling weight I was holding away from myself. It snapped back like stressed elastic, protecting my thoughts once again. â€Å"Oops, lost it!† I sighed. â€Å"I heard you,† he breathed. â€Å"How? How did you do that?† â€Å"Zafrina's idea. We practiced with it a few times.† He was dazed. He blinked twice and shook his head. â€Å"Now you know,† I said lightly, and shrugged. â€Å"No one's ever loved anyone as much as I love you.† â€Å"You're almost right.† He smiled, his eyes still a little wider than usual. â€Å"I know of just one exception.† â€Å"Liar.† He started to kiss me again, but then stopped abruptly. â€Å"Can you do it again?† he wondered. I grimaced. â€Å"It's very difficult.† He waited, his expression eager. â€Å"I can't keep it up if I'm even the slightest bit distracted,† I warned him. â€Å"I'll be good,† he promised. I pursed my lips, my eyes narrowing. Then I smiled. I pressed my hands to his face again, hefted the shield right out of my mind, and then started in where I'd left off – with the crystal-clear memory of the first night of my new life†¦ lingering on the details. I laughed breathlessly when his urgent kiss interrupted my efforts again. â€Å"Damn it,† he growled, kissing hungrily down the edge of my jaw. â€Å"We have plenty of time to work on it,† I reminded him. â€Å"Forever and forever and forever,† he murmured. â€Å"That sounds exactly right to me.† And then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever. the end

“Cat’s eye” by Margaret Atwood Essay

This passage from Cats Eye by Margaret Atwood, illustrates the alikeness between Elaine and Cordelia by comparing the girls and the old ladies in the streetcar. Detailed descriptions of the characters contribute to highlighting different themes like friendship, disguising ones true identity and the notion of time. These are highlighted through various literary features such as metaphor and imagery. The passage shows a relationship between two girls, Cordelia and the narrator. They seem to be friends in the passage as it is mentioned by the narrator that [they] think [they] are friends. The phrase we think reflects the narrators uncertainty about her friendship with Cordelia. Yet, there are many references to them being almost twin-like and identical in the way they dress and act. Were impervious, we scintillate, we are thirteen- the use and repetition of the inclusive pronoun we further highlights their alikeness. Even though they are friends, the reader is able to sense the narrators inferiority to Cordelia through her tone of voice. It is shown through her comments such as I am almost as good or that Cordelia is opaque and glinting that the narrator admires or wants to be like Cordelia. The detailed descriptions of the appearance of the old ladies on the streetcar highlights the theme of superficiality. The descriptions show that the narrators bias on people stems from their outer appearances, as shown in her observations such as some are respectably dressed and others are poorer and foreign looking. Further, her comment that Cordelia can tell cheap cloth at a glance once again reinforces Cordelias superiority and her attitude towards superficiality. These attitudes of young girls like the narrator and Cordelia convey how prejudices are deeply embedded in our society. Metaphors like costumes and stage props, were used to describe peoples willingness to disguise their true identity; costumes are normally worn by actors who are impersonating someone else. Description of the old ladies make-up further highlights the theme of hiding a true identity of one. The ladies on the streetcar dye their hair straw-blonde or baby-blue and their lipstick mouths are too big around their mouths, their rouge blotchy, [and] their eyes drawn screw-jiggy around their real eyes. Their costume-like  clothes and thick make-up like actors on a stage allow them to disguise themselves from others. They reflect some members of the society who do not wish to reveal who they really are because they are afraid of what other people would think about them. These descriptive language and colour imagery invite readers to engage the narrators experiences; bright colours to distract peoples attention to their outer appearance. Anything other than white is suggestive. Also, the two girls wearing mens work socks inside their boots and wearing [their coats with] collars turned up to look like those of movie stars shows their desire for glamour and outer beauty which form societys expectation of girls. The notion of time is another significant factor in the passage, as can be seen through its structure. The first part recounts the narrators childhood and the second is set in her adulthood, when she herself has become like the old ladies, having that [eye problems]now too. However, both the present and the past are written in the present tense, indicating that the memories of the narrator when she was thirteen still take an important part in her life. It is also mentioned at the start of the passage that time is not a line. This suggests that experiences that we had are not just past, but stays within us to build up what we are now. This passage from Cats Eye by Margaret Atwood explores the themes of friendship, self identity and notion of time through various literary techniques. Friendship, in conjunction with the notion of time, is valued as a very big part of life of the narrator; not only the friendship, but also ones memories of childhood are important in a persons life as well. The passage also reflects prejudices in our society and how deeply they are rooted in us through illustrating people who wish to disguise their true identity. By allowing us to explore the narrators experiences, the author allows us to think about the values of relationships and how we can solve the problems of prejudice.

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay

The two books have one clear element in common. The two authors, Steinbeck and Hardy, give us a great outlook on loneliness in its many forms. They communicate their ideas and thoughts to us in a very similar manner, despite being from very different times and walks of life. Of Mice and Men, is set and was written during the Great Depression of the United States of America in the early 1930’s, in the Salinas Valley of California, tells us the story of George Milton and Lennie Small. The two migrant workers, bound together by an unusual and sure friendship, are in pursuit together of the â€Å"Great† American Dream – their dream. They will have their own land, be their own masters and no longer have to answer to anyone, and finally live in peace. On the other hand we have The Withered Arm, set in the early 19th Century as one of Hardy’s Wessex Tales, where he lived all his life. Hardy tells us the tale of a young woman, Gertrude Lodge, as she begins her new life. However, things are not what they should have been as Gertrude is afflicted with an unknown blight, her happiness both threatened and later destroyed. She is not completely alone – her plight is intertwined with that of Rhoda Brook, who carries a great pain in her heart and a great power, or perhaps a curse, that not even she realises. The two texts are each set in the same rural environment as that of their authors, both bringing us the tale of so many people struggling through their lives as best they can. In Of Mice and Men we see that every man, and woman, has their own dreams, their own obsessions to pine away for, to imagine and envisage when they are so often so lonely – each has their own thoughts, their method, of escapism from the reality they live in. The Withered Arm, again, in a different manner shows characters angry, obsessed, with lives they could have had and the possibilities that they have lost or had taken away from them. Each are victims of circumstance, each yearn for lives that are no longer theirs, each for a chance now gone. In each difficulty we can see a parallel, and in both books we can see characters sharing the same basic challenges to overcome, and obstacles in their path. Both show us some of the many facets and characteristics of loneliness and trouble in this world – no matter how little they look for difficulty and dilemmas, people will always manage to find them, no matter how hard they strive against it. â€Å"The best laid schemes o’ mice and men Gang aft agley [Often go wrong] And leave us nought but pain For promised joy† Robert Burns As Of Mice and Men begins, we are shown the two migrant farm workers, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job, a new start, â€Å"bucking† barley at a Californian ranch; fleeing much undue upset in their last town, mostly thanks, despite his original intentions, to Lennie. It is late evening and they both spend the night by the Salinas River before continuing on to their new place of work the next morning. It is here that we first discover some of the main personality differences, and conflicts, between the two characters, and learn of their aspirations and their future. We immediately see much of their natures and that of their friendship as Lennie â€Å"flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool†¦snorting into the water like a horse.† Lennie dives headlong, dunking his head into the murky waters of the Salinas like an animal, all for a drink of water; George restrains him, attempting to keep him in line and to keep him safe. George and Lennie have struggled their way through life together, as an inseparable pair, not like all the other hopefuls out there, â€Å"Because I got you an’ you got me† – together they might just get somewhere. The way this particular phrase is repeated so much tells us a lot about their friendship and how they both so desperately need it to survive. â€Å"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features†¦every part of him was defined.† We see George as the sharp and able leader who gives Lennie his direction, blunt and bitter when it comes to his frustrations. All too often feeling taunted by the world, his life, and the problems they each throw at him – no matter how hard he tries and how much he accounts for it. Despite his quick temper and scathing reprisals, he holds a great care and affection for his travel-partner and the companionship he brings him – much more than is at first apparent. George feels responsible for Lennie, he has been Lennie’s guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he always, and always will, feel that Lennie’s troubles, Lennie’s mistakes and faults are his own and that which he must resolve and reconcile – however much they may cause him yet more problems of his own. George feels a great loneliness inside, believing in his heart himself to be as worthless as every other like him, and as a result of this he gains his purpose – to become somebody, and he knows that is something he and Lennie must do and can only do together. Without Lennie he would be nothing, no more than every other man like him – alone and without hope. â€Å"Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders†¦he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws†¦his arms did not swing but hung loosely at his sides.† Lennie, we can already see if very different to George, a slow simpleton, likened to an animal on two counts now, expressing his simple personality and impulsive nature. It is thanks to the pair’s great bond and need that we see Lennie as such a vital character in the book, for George is not the only man to whom Lennie brings a purpose, it is around him that so much of the story unfolds and revolves about. Despite the simplicity in his manner and unsure path throughout the story, Lennie brings certainty to all those around him. They are drawn to the raw and basic companionship that his presence brings – he is both consort and confidant for all their thoughts and feelings. He neither understands nor takes in much of what they say but, rather than wasting their breath, it seems even more a boon unto them. Lennie is like a wandering sheep and it is George that gives him his direction and his purpose, and as he takes his lead from George, Lennie in turn gains his own shape and dream. Lennie’s simple, cumbersome shape walks always in George’s shadow, always behind him wherever he may go, no matter what. For Lennie life is as simple as he is – it is that which seems to create so many problems for them both, in turn presenting the answers to so many others, and it is this which gives Lennie such a lasting effect on all those around him. The two are together in the pursuit of their own dreams, each finding both a purpose and the means in the other. George dreams of his own land, his own life, and it is much the same for Lennie, on his own basic level. Lennie wishes to care for his own creatures, his rabbits. He loves to hear every word of them that he can get, and George loves to tell them to him – so obsessed and incensed are they with merely the thought of what lies ahead for them with the success of their great plan. This form of â€Å"dreaming† and hoping that many of the characters of this story holds shows how everyone of them wishes to escape from the present world that they live in, where society demands everything of them when they have nothing to hold as their own, and nothing to give. Together these two continue their journey, their unique bond always apparent as they cross upon the lives of many others, all showing the properties of loneliness and all for different reasons, giving us an outlook on how so many in this world are alone and isolated, and how what George and Lennie have is so valuable. â€Å"Ain’t many guys travel together†¦maybe everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other.† The pressure of the â€Å"American Dream† and the demands of that society’s doctrines and social structure to achieve are imposed upon everyone and anyone and this is why it becomes such a great feature and driving force behind so much of the loneliness of this book. Every common man goes to America to succeed and achieve something, but society inflicts quite the opposite upon them – projecting, forcing upon them, an image of how people should think and most certainly be resulting in loneliness and isolation, a dissatisfaction of themselves and those around them and the ongoing fear of amounting to absolutely nothing. It is ironic that this very society which sets out to have everyone achieve and succeed does quite the opposite, causing so many problems along the way. The nature of the â€Å"American Dream† that so many in this story hold in their minds is that very thing which isolates every one of them from each other, and dooms them to failure. Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his now old and scrawny dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch, first showing them around and then, as the story progresses, introducing the personalities of the other ranch hands to them. We learn much about Candy himself and who he is, seeing in the second chapter Candy caught listening in on George and Lennie’s words together, as George attempts to keep Lennie in check and keep him safe. Candy was listening simply to feel as a part of their conversation, to feel involved in something, for Candy craves conversation in any form, so alone does he feel. It can be seen that now for so much of his life Candy has been separated from the other men, isolated from all others. Since Candy lost his hand in an accident upon the farm he has been unable to work with the others, condemned to the menial tasks and solitary life during the day, and now thanks to his advancing years he is even more isolated. His only companion throughout all this time has been his pet dog, a source of consternation for the other men as it nears the end of its days, its presence being an eyesore to them all and odour a cause of much dismay. The animal had been his companion since its birth, and now old and suffering from rheumatism, the men convince Candy to allow them to put it out of its misery for him. As Candy grudgingly agrees, against a great sadness, he loses his oldest and closest friend, and again he feels truly alone. Having no one, he attaches himself to Lennie and George and to the dream they both share and makes himself a part of it, willing to offer all he has, his life’s work and savings, for it to be so. However, as that dream is again jeopardised, perhaps fatally, he still wishes to carry on and fulfil the dream – for it is all he has left. It this desperation of Candy’s to make his new dream, their dream, become so, that yet another man becomes tied up in the illusion and the hope that it brings. Crooks is a fellow worker upon the ranch, a stable buck, working to repair saddles, tools and to look after the horses, unable to do other work since he was crippled, kicked in the back by one of the horses he was working with. We have never heard much of Crooks, only chance phrases from the other men, snatches of comments in the middle of a conversation; he is not often talked about, and never talked to – Crooks is a Negro. We do not see him for the majority of the book for he is never with the other men, always separated from everyone, simply because of the discrimination, the ignorance and the prejudices of that time. As the only Negro in the area, he is completely alone, without anyone but himself for so much of his life, but it was not always so. Crooks used to have someone – he used to live with his family, they owned a farm, he was with his brothers, his parents – his family, and he was counted as someone; now he isn’t even counted. The â€Å"American Dream† tells us of equality, of everyone having a chance to attain their dreams, to have something to hold, be proud of and call their own – in America everyone and anyone can have just this and be somebody unless, of course, if they are black. â€Å"This is just a nigger talkin’†¦so it don’t mean nothing, see?† This contradiction and hypocrisy intermittent throughout the dream is that which causes Crooks to be just who he is – alone and isolated, helpless and unable to anything about it. When Lennie wanders into Crooks’ living area simply looking for company as the other men are all away in the town, Crooks shows outrage and indignation that a white man would presume it his right to simply walk into his room without leave. However, Lennie’s innocence wins through, despite Crooks’ irritation, â€Å"Crooks scowled, but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.† As Crooks begins to talk to Lennie, and discover the nature of his relationship with George, we see his jealousy that another man could have someone so easy to talk to, such a simple and easy friendship. Such is his bitterness and jealousy over the pair’s companionship that Crooks goes on to taunt and tease Lennie with the possibility that George is injured and is no longer going to be there. He tells Lennie that he too is alone and must look after himself and continue life knowing he had someone, had something, and lost it as Crooks did. Crooks wants Lennie to feel what his pain is every day, every hour, and make someone else feel how he does – and, in doing so, make himself feel less alone. â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†¦a guy gets lonely and he gets sick†. As Lennie’s anger flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isn’t so malicious after all, for he placates Lennie – he wants him to stay, despite him being a white man, one who took his life away from him, an enemy. So alone is he that any company will do, black or white – it doesn’t matter any more; and so â€Å"It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger,† as Candy joins Lennie. He only has himself and what little company that he can find; he has been separated from others, alone for so long, simply because of the colour of his skin, so isolated thanks to an ignorant and naive prejudice, so much for a dream – when Crooks came to America he found an ongoing nightmare. There should be equality, and this is what America shouted aloud to the world – everyone in America has a dream to live out, and everyone who comes to America has a chance. However, this is not the case for Crooks – despite what people claimed, despite what the â€Å"American Dream† told them, he has nothing but material possessions, and to him they re nothing. Reading books is his only source of company, but â€Å"Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody – to be near him.† When Crooks first learns of their dream, not quite as they intended for it was their dream and nobody else’s’, he scoffs for has heard this kind of a story all before – he has seen hundreds of other hopefuls come through the ranch and continue on into nothing. He tells them this mockingly, and also to end their hopes for they too are going nowhere. However, as Candy justifies their hopes in defence, he subsides for he sees the possibilities himself, gets caught up in the trio’s aspirations and dreams, as Candy did, and pleads to be taken along, to join them – simply to be somewhere with others who might accept him for who he is and not for what. Crooks begins to open up, he finally believes himself to be an equal and to be counted, and he has been given back both his hope and a real chance. However, things are not to be as they hoped as the wife of Curley, the boss’ son, enters. As always the men are wary and bid her leave and in response her bitter temper rises. Crooks stands up to her, thinking outside his place in his newfound happiness, and she drills into him, makes him again realise just who he is, how little all he says and thinks is valued and how much power she holds over him. For a moment Crooks had become a man again and believed in his own freedom, but Curley’s wife put an end to that, to his open thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again. â€Å"Crooks stared hopelessly at her, sat down†¦and drew into himself†¦Crooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no ego†¦Everything that might be hurt drawn in†¦into the indomitable pride of the Negro.† Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curley’s wife, to cap all the isolation and rejection from every other person on the ranch. So enraged is she that we see the malicious and bitter side of her nature born out of the oppression, the distress and torment of countless similar situations where no one ever listens, where she is always alone. She gives him no quarter as her scathing, bitter anger lashes into him. This conflict amongst and between the oppressed and repressed – first between Candy and Crooks, Crooks believing their dream to be as hopeless as all the rest, so demoralised has he become thanks to the life that American society has put him through, and then between Crooks and Curley’s wife, simply leads them in a circle, and right back to square one. Both are without freedom and hold little control over their own rights, and still they are brought into conflict by the ways in which society portrays the world and treats each of them, one putting the other’s hopes and liberty again into doubt, painting a wholly despondent and bleak future -all the more separated from each other, all the more isolated and alone. Curley’s wife always appears as a woman up to no good, spoken of hurriedly in whispered conversations. She is always out looking for trouble with the other men, always holding apparent bad intentions as she flaunts herself in a vain attempt to attract them to her, willing to do anything for companionship, and as a result getting quite the opposite. George had always recognised her danger, but Lennie is blind to every bit of it. However, we begin to see that she isn’t up to such wickedness as we are first led to believe, and her bitter tongue is simply born of a life of loneliness. The men always shy away from her fearing blackmail from a work mate or Curley’s wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another man’s wife. This fear of the bosses’ authority and their abuse of it is yet another barrier that stands between ever establishing some true ideals of equality. She has been alone and isolated by everyone for so long, not even her husband listens to her, simply telling her what he wants to say and never waiting for a response. Lennie, never vigilant nor wary for he has no reason to be, is the first person that hasn’t looked at her with fear in his eyes, for he is different; she has tried everything and seems doomed to failure – everyone is repulsed, everyone resists her, everyone bar Lennie, and she latches onto him because of this. One day she catches him on his own and without George always looking over his shoulder. He is like an open book to her, and instantly accepts her for exactly what she is. She delights in finally finding someone who is such a perfect companion, who no longer draws back away from her in fear, but talks to her as he would anyone else. Despite what is first apparent, she simply wants to be with someone who listens. We learn that she once had a life, once had a chance and could have been somebody, been somewhere and just perhaps have got somewhere in life, but had it taken away from her through no fault of her own, but the unjust and unreasonable actions of another – her own mother. To escape that, to escape a dead end and lonely life where one that should be so close to her takes her chances and dreams away from her, she married Curley and inadvertently runs into something much worse. She had a dream, found a chance and lost it thanks to a situation entirely out of her control, and things only go down hill from there. She is alone unable to do anything to escape the life that she now leads, no one is willing to talk to her, she is confined to the ranch and no longer has any chance of happiness, or simply of finding a friend. Yet again, a pursuer of the â€Å"American Dream† finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennie’s companionship, temporarily feeling as if she were no longer alone in the world as Crooks did, and so tells him things that she has told no other, opening herself to him and finding that he accepts all that she says without doubt or uncertainty. However, as she learns of Lennie’s love for the touch and feel of soft things, she lets him closer without restraint or forethought, lets him touch and hold her hair. As she draws away in worry that her hair (and subsequently her looks) are being dishevelled, the one thing she believes herself to truly hold is mishandled, and so she pulls away, expressing her distress. Lennie panics and does the only thing that his simple mind can think of – resist, and so he grips hold of her tighter, unwilling to let go, he is confused and frightened and understands nought of what is happening. He fears that if George were to find out that he had made someone unhappy and done wrong by them he would abandon and discard him, fearing disapproval if his actions were ever discovered; and so he clamps his hand over her mouth, hoping that none would hear the noise. He grips even tighter as she struggles all the more desperately in the pain that his awesome strength is causing her, and he jerks and shakes her body in response, in an attempt to silence her. In this he succeeds, but to an extent that he never intended – he unwittingly breaks her neck. Yet again Lennie has caused great harm without ever realising it possible, and this time the outcome is greatly worse. She was always alone, always without somebody, even those closest to her appear to have wished against her happiness; John Steinbeck signifies this to us by never naming Curley’s wife – she was never important to the person, and the people, that she should have been. As soon as she finds someone that was conceivably different, perhaps wasn’t like all the others, she takes it all too far too soon, without thinking of the consequences. As a result she loses everything. The story ends in the pursuit of Lennie, George goes after him with the other men for he cannot let them get to him first and it is here that we are reminded of Candy’s words upon his own companion, his pet dog, â€Å"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t have let no stranger shoot my dog.† George finally catches up with Lennie at their meeting point where they stayed that first night before making their way onto the ranch. Lennie has been plagued by images and hallucinations from his past and his imagination, so distraught has he become over doing something so wrong and upsetting George in such a huge way, without ever intending to he managed to take away every hope the two had of achieving their dream all thanks to the pressure put upon him to do right by everyone, make no mistakes and allow none to hear of the rest, which leads to him causing more problems than ever before. George has Lennie imagine their dream once more, for that was always how Lennie was happiest – imagining his future, escaping from the present. It is in this moment that George puts the gun to the back of Lennie’s head, and, fighting off his shaking hand, pulls down upon the trigger. He never wanted to, but he had to – this was the only possible choice George could have made for the ultimately innocent Lennie, nothing he could do would have been easier, or better, for Lennie. George in doing so loses his one and only companion, every hope he ever had of being somebody and every hope of those around him that became a part of their dream – all in that instant every hope was lost. Such is the despair that Candy finds it difficult to let go, he wants to continue the dream and to finish it, despite all which has happened, but he knows that is never possible now. Lennie was the one that held everything, everyone, together and gave them all hope and a chance, and now he was gone. The Withered Arm tells us a story of the ordeal of Rhoda Brook, her son, Farmer Lodge and his newly married wife, Gertrude, as Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly switch your attention, not concentrating on single character’s loneliness and hardships, but that of four. We first meet Rhoda Brook working in the cow sheds, a milkmaid, and we instantly recognise how emotionally isolated and detached from others she is. As the other characters about her chat among themselves she chooses to remain apart, and uninvolved, from them all. We see how alone and different from the other simple farm hands she is, â€Å"He hasn’t spoken to her for years,† whilst they talk about her and the notorious love affair she had with the Farmer Lodge – and his recent marriage to a young lady not from nearby, but the city. She is one apart from the rest, not like them, and no longer does she care or worry over their words and thoughts of her. She remains impassive throughout the conversation and the others comments about her, â€Å"She knew she had slyly been called a witch.† Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as â€Å"She milked slightly apart from the rest,† as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, â€Å"their course lay apart from the rest†. The truth about Rhoda and Farmer Lodge’s affair, now many years in the past, is widely known in the area. Long ago they were together and for unexplained reasons she was abandoned – perhaps upon the realisation of Rhoda’s pregnancy. The very thing meant to bring a couple closer together and bring with it happiness and companionship may have brought completely the opposite for Rhoda. However, Farmer Lodge has developed very materialistic views, adhering and conforming to those of the society he lives in. Rhoda was below his class, below him, and he could never have been seen in a permanent relationship with her because of that – society would never have accepted him. Another possible reason is that of Rhoda’s advancing years and waning beauty – her age is closer to that of Lodge’s and so his materialism again pushes him away from her as he chooses to marry a young and still beautiful girl not long out of her teen.This is what he feels he must have – the best. With the arrival of Gertrude Lodge the final brick is laid in the wall standing between Rhoda and her happiness, between her and Lodge and both of them and their son. We recognise instantly that Gertrude is neither country-born nor country-bred, and knows little of her new life and what lies ahead. From the beginning she is almost completely alone – she is a young lady, highborn, and not long out of her teens, lady-like and beautiful, and there are none like her that she can communicate with. Gertrude worries much over others’ opinions of her, as she desires so much to be readily accepted into her new community. However, things are not to be all she could hope for, as she soon realises how alone she is to be as society separates her from the majority of those around her, thanks to the strict taboos on cross-class relationships and of a lady socialising with those of the lower class. When Rhoda learns of Gertrude’s arrival she has her son discover ever detail and feature of the girl, sizing her up and comparing herself to Gertrude in her jealousy, for she believes that it should be she, not Gertrude, that Farmer Lodge should have married and is bitterly angry that he refuses to acknowledge their son and even what they both had between each other as anything but insignificant and irrelevant. The son that Rhoda and Lodge both had together is yet another great example of the loneliness that this story portrays as his mother’s loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curley’s wife, emphasising how unimportant and worthless he is in the eyes of those that he should mean so much to. His father rejects him outright – barely ever acknowledging his presence, â€Å"He took no outward notice of the boy whatsoever,† and when he does it is only as an inferior and one of no consequence as the boy is described as â€Å"Just one of the neighbourhood.† Even his own mother, with whom he has lived for all his years, is unconcerned with him, so obsessed and incensed with her own dilemma that she simply uses him as ammunition, and justification, of her right over others to Lodge. He is used as a spy upon Gertrude and Lodge by his mother, if not that then he is always at work upon one household duty or another, and despite all that he does none of it seems to satisfy his mother. He is barely ever given any affection at all, seemingly only useful for errands and chores that Rhoda cannot bring herself to do. Despite her anger over Farmer Lodge’s total lack of acceptance of their son, she too does much the same, and never realises the frustrations that he hides underneath as a result of this all, â€Å"His mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket knife into the beech-backed chair.† The son has no father figure to follow, but certainly not a good example, and his mother tries to set him one no better – she doesn’t even make the effort. Rhoda develops an obsession with Gertrude whom she has neither met nor even seen. Such is her fixation that one night she is visited in a troubled dream by an image, the distorted and repulsive impression of Gertrude that Rhoda has built up in her mind through her bitter jealousy. â€Å"The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhoda’s eyes.† This thing that Rhoda believes Gertrude to be taunts her, thrusting the proof of her marriage to Farmer Lodge before her very eyes – the thing that Rhoda herself so covets and desires for herself. As the creature draws closer, Rhoda grips its arm in fright and hurls it to the floor. One day Gertrude visits Rhoda in her small house upon the hill, and Rhoda sees her for what she really is. Gertrude, in her loneliness in Lodge’s great manor house, comes to Rhoda for companionship, and in her she finds a friend. At first Rhoda is unresponsive, but slowly she begins to come round, to see through all the lies she has told herself all too often in her resentment at being alone. However, all is not to be so perfectly resolved, as we learn of Gertrude’s arm – the strange marks, like as that of fingers’, upon the flesh and over time they gradually worsen and deteriorate. â€Å"It looks almost like finger marks†¦as if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh.† Gertrude’s other sorrow becomes apparent as she too has realised the faith that the farmer puts into face value and beauty – for she believes that he will begin to love her less if the arm does not heal as it should. As a result, over time, Gertrude begins to preoccupy herself and obsess about her arm as Rhoda did over Farmer Lodge and it continues to worsen. No one understands its nature, no one knows of a cure and Gertrude, stricken with worry and concern, turns again to Rhoda, following perhaps a maid’s, or a worker’s, advice, and the irony in this is how many would believe Rhoda to be the guilty party, the witch, cursing upon Gertrude and that she of all people would know her adversary best. Rhoda meanwhile says nothing upon the matter of the arm, merely inquiring upon it, hoping that it might recover. For Rhoda neither understands what effect she has had upon Gertrude, nor knows how she caused it – much of the time she vainly tells herself that it is nothing but a coincidence. All the same, Rhoda apprehensively leads Gertrude across the hills and fields one day to Conjuror Trendle, a man renowned for powers that other people believe in more than he. â€Å"He affected not to believe largely in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappear†¦he would say lightly, ‘Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon ’em†¦perhaps its all chance’, and immediately turn the subject.† Trendle lives many miles apart from other men, separated by their views and taboos of that society upon witchcraft and anything related. He has been cast away by their prejudices all because he has a talent that they neither possess nor understand, and they fear him for this. He merely uses what he has to help people as best he can, getting nothing but fear and aversion in return, and this he does for Gertrude too. Despite the rumours and whispers that people speak behind his back, he does what he knows to be best all the same – rejecting the constraints of society for his own freedom, and in turn having much of it taken away. He shows to Gertrude the image of an enemy, the only one capable of causing such a blight, and Rhoda’s fears are to be realised as, despite Gertrude never telling her who the image she saw was, she never spoke to Rhoda again, never mentioned the arm and never called around her house, simply looking for a companion, again – for now her unsee n assailant had a face, that of Rhoda. Over a very short period their friendship began to break down very quickly, almost instantly as realisation had dawned upon Gertrude, and so she never saw anything of Rhoda, or her son, again for many years and eventually the two both slipped out of the community and were never seen again – they were forced out by the fears of others, by Rhoda’s desires of things that were no longer hers to covet and by the entire community, for none really cared. Gertrude was now truly alone and without a single companion- her husband no longer even looked at her, such was his revulsion of the withering of her arm and displeasure at the fact that she had not even managed to produce him an heir in all their time together. Gertrude’s beauty was waning as the full anguish of the arm and being so alone in the world assailed her. She became obsessed with the arm and the search for cures, attempting every crackpot remedy that she could find in her maddened struggle – but none ever worked or had any effect. Driven into desperation by her husband’s and society’s demands for young ladies to be beautiful and perfect always, for Gertrude fears the rejection of her husband as Rhoda was rejected many years ago. In many ways this despair and incensed search for a cure drove even larger a void between Gertrude and her husband, for in the end it was both she and the arm driving him away, so obsessed did she become – much thanks to the pressures and expectations of the world around her. Again she goes to visit Trendle in the vain hope that perhaps he will be able to cure her at last, however, this time she makes the journey alone – showing just how much more lonely and separated from others she has become. Upon arriving she sees Trendle, now an old man and barely able to even leave his house – he has lost even that little bit of freedom that life had allowed him and has absolutely no one but himself to rely on, and no one to be there when he dies. In his last days, Trendle tells her simply what had to be done – he was too old to help now, she would have to cope alone with this task as always, but he could point her in the right direction. She agrees to all that he tells her, whatever it may be, such is her desire to again be beautiful for her husband again and to allow her to again conform to the views of those around her – much the opposite choice to that of Conjuror Trendle. Gertrude must touch the body of an executed man just cut down from a hanging – not dead for more than an instant so as to turn the blood of Gertrude and cure the withering of the arm. Finally, after many weeks wait the chance arrives and Gertrude’s prayers, driven to wishing upon the death of a fellow man, are answered and she strikes up a deal with the old, isolated hangman, separated from others by the nature of his trade, who was not wholly unused to requests of her sort. The condemned that is to become Gertrude’s saviour is a young man, charged of arson – the burning down of an old warehouse. The young man was apparently simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an example had to be made to satisfy the people. On the allotted night, Gertrude goes to the hangman as planned, and he then leads her to the open casket and she pulls back the covering and touches the figure beneath. To her horror she sees it to be Rhoda’s own son – the son of Farmer Lodge. Gertrude backs off in dismay and turns to discover both Rhoda and Lodge standing behind her. Rhoda shouts in anger and pushes Gertrude away from them both, for even now she still stands between the Farmer Lodge and their son once again – as always Gertrude comes between Rhoda and Lodge, always in the way of Rhoda’s hopes, desires and always keeping her completely alone. Gertrude screams in fear and falls to the floor, for the shock and extreme stress, together with the draining nature of the arm finally get the best of her, for she has died. Her blood had been turned, but all too far. Here the story concludes, as Rhoda moves farther away and separates herself from the local community entirely yet again, totally alone thanks to her own bitterness. Even after her son is lost still nobody goes to pay their respects or offer their company – she becomes even more alone than ever, all thanks to her own negligence. Farmer Lodge is also alone now, perhaps as he deserved, for his uncaring and selfish ways led to the grief of many and his dishonesty to the death of his wife for he broke his marriage vows that he made before God – â€Å"In sickness and in health.† His wife is dead and his son is lost forever and with him any chance of ever having an heir to all his estate. In his despair Lodge sells all his farm and land and moves away – only now do we realise how truly alone he has become, and all thanks to him, his materialism and conforming to what society dictates as to how he should live his life. He offers Rhoda an annual income, as an attempt at a final reconciliation but she never accepts it and none see her again. He loses everything and is doomed to die alone, leaving us later to discover that he has left all that is his to a reformatory for boys, showing how he did have thoughts and feelings regarding his son, but never had the strength to show them which is perhaps his greatest sin. Both Lodge and Rhoda isolated themselves from others and both are now even lonelier as a result of this. Gertrude’s vanity may have played a part in her own undoing, represented by the extremes to which she was willing to go as she even wished for the death of a fellow man, guilty or innocent alike, but it was Lodge, and those around her, that drove her to such desperation and in the end she dies alone, above all emotionally, as her husband stands apart from her with Rhoda. The young son meanwhile, brought to his end by Gertrude’s desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardy’s novel as the innocent throughout, trapped between his two parents never being truly loved or cared for – always alone and always innocent. Towards the end we assume that perhaps he has got involved in a youth gang. This leads to his later arrest at the crime scene showing that no father figure and role model at all would have perhaps been better than that of a bad and unloving one who rejects him outright, he may have been innocent but he never had anyone who would stand up for him. This rejection by his father and ignorant negligence on his mother’s part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candy’s wife – who also remains unnamed as they are never important to those that they should be, leaving both of them completely alone and hopeless. The unfortunate tragedy that we see at the end of each novel is but one of the many similarities between these two novels. As we begin, each story features two central characters, George and Lennie, Rhoda and Gertrude, around which the story unfolds. As they live their lives we are introduced to many others, each with their own individual problems and dilemmas besetting them. These unlikely friendships between our central characters ultimately end in a tragedy, first with one unknowingly causing great problems for the other and finally one must put the other out of their misery, and at the same time condemn themselves to loneliness and hopelessness yet again. In Of Mice and Men we see at the root of everyones’ problems the desperation to achieve and become somebody – to find the American Dream. The society in which they have lived tells them that they are nothing without achievement, and they all agree for much of their sadness originates from this feeling of worthlessness. In George and Lennie’s case it drives them onwards, in search of their dream, but the others do not have the friendship that they each possess and have no hope of getting anywhere. Candy is old, crippled, with no hope of being able to work for something anymore and no hope of ever actually finding a companion as everyone deserts him each day. Crooks has nobody, he lost everything thanks to American society and the fact that the dream doesn’t work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time. Curley’s wife, a seemingly dangerous character of this story is isolated for just that. She has nobody bar her husband, who neither loves her nor listens, separated from others by both him and other peoples’ fear of the stigma that would ensure should they become her friend. She had her one chance at achieving something taken away from her many years ago. For Lennie the necessity to conform and do right by people is too much for him – he can never understand and in the end this leads to his death. His fear of disapproval forces him to take a life without ever intending to. It is upon George’s shoulders to end the story, for there is only one possibility – he must end all his hopes, condemn himself to being alone with his guilt, every chance that they had together and those around them found upon their arrival for he must take Lennie’s life to save him from misery. This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldn’t be causes so much dissatisfaction and unrest, leaving everyone feeling hopeless and alone, that they have been brought up to believe. They thought they had a chance, and they found nothing. The Withered Arm, on the other hand, is set in a world of tradition, of British society and its harsh social structure. In everyone’s mind there is desperation to conform to the rules and agree that unless you are upper class, or in the case of the women – married, you are no one. Rhoda isolates herself from all others in her desperation to become someone, Farmer Lodge’s wife, and be counted and in doing so sentences herself to a life of loneliness, and starts much more for many others. For Gertrude there is a desperation to be what the materialistic views of those around her tell her to be, and in her search for this she ends up isolating her self even more than before. The young son, who nobody ever really looks to care for, there is isolation of a different kind and through no fault of his own. His parents never truly acknowledge him as their son and this ultimately ends in his tragic death. For Farmer Lodge, it is his materialistic conformism that causes many problems, and he isolates himself from all others in this story until the end, where it is he and Rhoda left and doomed to each be utterly alone for their sins.