Archduke Ferdinand essays

Archduke Ferdinand essays The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand No other political murder in modern history has had such momentous consequences as the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was the heir to the Habsburg empire, and the first to fall victim to political homicide. Unlike some constitutional monarchies in Western Europe, the Habsburgs had failed to modernize their multinational state. They used force to defend their institutions, and they were faced with a mass of revolutionary movements in Italy and Hungary. Although the Sarajevo assassins were Bosnians and thus Austro-Hungarian citizens, and although they had plotted against the Habsburg dignitaries for years, three leading members of the conspiracy, Princip, Cabrinovic, and Grebez, came to Sarajevo from Belgrade. They were armed with pistols and bombs, which they had obtained through some Bosnian youth from Major Voljislav Tankosic, one of the leaders of the Black Hand. Despite the common goal of national liberation shared by the Young Bosnians and the Black Hand alike they differed in their approach to internal problems in the South Slav society. The civilian authorities at the border informed the Serbian government that some members of the Black Hand were smuggling arms into Austro-Hungarian territory. An investigation was at once opened. They questioned Colonel Apis, the leader of the Black Hand, but he denied that his men were involved in these operations. There is a theory that there was a power struggle between Apis and Pasic, the Prime Minister who thought Apis was threatening the whole political system of Serbia. The struggle led Apis to approve the delivery of the arms to the Sarajevo assassins. It seems that Apis did not expect that Princip and his accomplices would succeed in killing the archduke. Colonel also thought that their efforts would provoke a greater strain in relations between Pasic and the Vienna government. These complications woul...

Eritrea Today

Eritrea Today In the 1990s, great things were expected of Eritrea, then a brand new country, but today Eritrea is most often referenced in the news for the flood of refugees fleeing its authoritarian government, and the government has discouraged foreign travelers from visiting. What is the news out of Eritrea and how did it get to this point? Rise of an Authoritarian State: Eritreas recent history After a 30-year war of independence, Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia in 1991 and began the difficult process of state building. By 1994, the new country had held its first - and only - national elections, and Isaias Afwerki was chosen as the President of Ethiopia. Hopes for the new nation were high. Foreign governments dubbed it one of the renaissance countries of Africa expected to chart a new path away from the corruption and state failures that seemed endemic in the 1980s and 90s.   This image collapsed though by 2001, when a promised constitution and national elections both failed to materialize and the government, still under the leadership of Afwerki, began to crack down on Eritreans. Development in a Command Economy The shift to authoritarianism came during a border dispute with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 into a two-year war. The government has cited the ongoing stalemate over the border and the need to build the state as justifications for its authoritarian policies, particularly  the much-hated national service requirement. The  border war and droughts reversed many of Eritreas earlier economic gains, and while the economy - under the governments strict controls - has grown since, its growth has been below that of sub-Saharan Africa as a whole (with the notable exceptions of 2011 and 2012, when mining boosted Eritreas growth to higher levels). That growth has not been felt equally either, and the poor economic outlook is another contributing factor to Eritreas high emigration rate. Health Improvements There are positive indicators. Eritrea is one of the few states in Africa to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, and 6. According to the UN, they have drastically reduced infant and young child mortality (having cut mortality of children under 5 by 67%) as well as maternal mortality. Exponentially more children are getting important vaccines (a shift from 10 to 98% of children between 1990 and 2013) and more women are receiving medical care during and after delivery. There have also been reductions in HIV and TB. All of this has made Eritrea an important case study in how to implement successful change, though there are continued concerns about neonatal care and the prevalence of TB. National Service: forced labor? Since 1995, all Eritreans (men and women) are forced to enter national service when they turn 16. Initially, they were expected to serve for 18 months, but the government stopped releasing conscripts in 1998 and in 2002, made the term of service indefinite.   New recruits receive military training and education, and afterwards are tested. The select few who score well enter coveted positions, but still have no choice about their occupations or wages. Everyone else is sent into what are described as menial and degrading jobs with extremely low pay, as part of an economic development plan named  Warsai-Yikealo. Punishments for infractions and evasions are also extreme; some say they are torture.   According to Gaim Kibreab the involuntary, indefinite nature of service, coerced through threat of punishment, qualifies as forced labor, and therefore is, according to international conventions, a modern form of slavery, as many in the news have described it. Eritrea in the News: Refugees (and cyclists) Events in Eritrea have gained international attention largely due to the large numbers of Eritrean refugees seeking asylum in neighboring countries and Europe. Eritrean emigrants and youth have also at high risk of human trafficking. Those who manage to escape and establish themselves elsewhere send back much-needed remittances and have sought to raise awareness about and concern for the plight of Eritreans. While refugees by nature represent the disaffected within a country, their claims have been borne out by third party studies. In a very different note, in July 2015, Eritrean cyclists strong performance in the  Tour de France  brought positive media coverage to the country, highlighting its strong cycling culture. The Future While it is believed that opposition to Aswerkis government is high, there is no clear alternative in place and analysts do not see change coming in the near future. Sources: Kibreab, Gaim. Forced Labour in Eritrea.  Journal of Modern African Studies  47.1 (March 2009): 41-72. United Nations Development Project, Eritrea Abridged MDG Report, Abridged Version, September 2014. Woldemikael, Tekle M. Introduction: postliberation Eritrea. Africa Today 60.2 (2013)

Performance of Saudi Stock Market Research Paper

Performance of Saudi Stock Market - Research Paper Example According to Alshogeathri (2011), the Saudi stock market has experienced six major market collapses since it was formalized in 1984. During these collapses several million worth of investments was lost by the investors and the substantial debts accrued by the investors (Alshogeathri, 2011). This in return has turned major investment funds and mutual funds out of the market due to volatility. This is the main reason why the Saudi stock market continues to be dominated by individual, and mostly retail, investors. In comparison to other developing markets, Saudi Arabia’s stock market is grown in tandem with those economies. In particular with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), the Saudi market has enjoyed more liberalized trading environment after the restructuring of the bourse in 2005. Most legal restrictions that had been imposed on the bourse were lifted, paving the way for a more integrated market (Marashdeh & Shrestha, 2010). Though Saudi Arabia’s stock market con trols approximately 35%-40% of the total traded volumes in the GCC, its market continues to face challenges that require it to have a more integrated approach to its neighbors.Marashdeh and Shrestha (2010) argue that the liberalization of the economies in the GCC markets has contributed to the increasing number of foreign investors in the GCC stock markets. Saudi Arabia’s market has benefited from this new wave. The number of foreign corporate investors in the market is increasing, though still the market is largely dominated by retail traders... Marashdeh and Shrestha (2010) argue that the liberalization of the economies in the GCC markets has contributed to the increasing number of foreign investors in the GCC stock markets. Saudi Arabia’s market has benefited from this new wave. The number of foreign corporate investors in the market is increasing, though still the market is largely dominated by retail traders. The fact that the market is susceptible to huge collapses has kept foreign corporate investors away from the market. This is steadily changing with changes in the governance structure of the market and the investment environment. Seeking further market integration with other GCC economies strengthens the Saudi market. The major downside of the Saudi market is the restriction on investment avenues by foreign investors. Foreign investors can only participate in the market through mutual funds managed by Saudi banks (Marashdeh & Shrestha, 2010). In comparison with other markets in the GCC, a Saudi investment cei ling of 25% foreign investment is a barrier to growth of the market. Other researchers that have done much of work in the area of performance of the Saudi stock market, such as Fama (1991) and Al-Saleh and Al-Ajmi (2012), are in agreement that efficient allocation of ownership of the economy across various sectors is the prime objective of a capital market. This means that the Saudi economy, with all other external factors remaining constant, should grow at the rate of the stock market growth. This is not the case in Saudi Arabia as shown by the many stock market collapses while the economy was growing. In this paper the researcher will review the existing literature on the performance of the Saudi stock market,

Reducing Incidences of Child Obesity Research Proposal

Reducing Incidences of Child Obesity - Research Proposal Example The imbalance leads to such weight differences and redefines the way children will develop later in life. Genetic factors also form a huge part of the obesity trends. Many children are seen to be susceptible to obesity-conducive genes, which makes it easier to develop such weight problems if the parents do not offer a chance to capitalize on retaining a healthy lifestyle always. Â  The important thing is to generate new understanding of what obesity is all about. The case involving the utility of the resources available for the sake of intervening in the very early years as a way of preventing the obesity from taking shape and allowing the society to move from a rational way of dealing with the issue to an emotional one. Many of the parents fear that keeping their children from the junk they are used to may be a way of keeping them away from themselves (Rippe, 2013). This means that they do not offer them any guidance that could provide them with a chance of dealing with the issue when it is still in its early stages (Gorard, 2013). Evidence from difference sources highlights the impact that lifestyle choices could have in tracking obesity and allowing adults to lose weight and keep fit, as well as allow the children to choose better lifestyles. The purpose of introducing the changes from a tender age is the fact that they are easily receptive at this age ( Rippe, 2013). Preventing its occurrence is essential as a way of managing the weight issues amongst the children. Â  Obesity amongst children has in many developed countries reached epidemic levels. This means that so many children are falling into this trap when they are much younger than they should be. At least 25% of the children in the US alone are in the overweight category with 11% of these falling into the obese category (Ahima, 2013).

Fishers narrative paradigm Essay Example for Free

Fishers narrative paradigm Essay One could argue, for instance, that the narrative of Translators without Borders ultimately sustains and justifies an ethics of consumerism through the commoditization of human grief. By blurring the boundaries between commercial and humanitarian agendas, the narrative accommodates itself to the established cosmetic use of good causes by big business to improve its image and deflect attention from its less savory practices. Finally, the Translators Without Borders story feeds into hegemonic cultural narratives of social responsibility that are ultimately designed to make the donors feel good about themselves rather than directly address the needs of the recipients. This is evident in Lori Thicke s article, published in Multilingual Computing and Technology, where she explains the attraction of the humanitarian exercise as follows: Giving away translations for Ð ° worthy cause is Ð ° win-win scenario. Eurotexte feels good about it. The translators feel good about it, and they see Eurotexte as an agency that really cares which we do. And last but not least, our customers consider this to be Ð ° point of distinction. (2oo3:4) In the final analysis, as Hinchman and Hinchman point out, we extend or withhold allegiance to communities depending on our rational judgments concerning the narratives on which they are based (1997:238) Fishers narrative paradigm, as І have tried to demonstrate with the narrative of Translators Without Borders, offers us Ð ° framework not only for making rational judgments but also for assessing narratives in terms of fidelity and, thus, their ethical import. Gumperz (1982) demonstrated that speakers in Ð ° conversation are engaged in an ongoing and immediate process of assessing others intentions and producing responses based on the assessment of those intentions. He calls this situated or context-bound process of interpreting meaning conversational inference and the meanings themselves are flexible and evolve as conversations proceed (Gumperz 1977). To talk back and forth-to speak as well as listen-entails both sending and receiving multiple levels of meaning. In numerous examples, he illustrates how meanings are conveyed from multiple levels of language consisting of, but not limited to, lexical or phonological choice, syntactic patterns, use of formulaic expressions, code-switching, prosodic cues (intonation and stress), and paralinguistic (e. g. , pitch, register, rhythm, and volume). Meaning is not only determined by features of language, but also, as Gumperz demonstrates, by background expectations, prior knowledge or relationships, roles, cultural knowledge, and other social knowledge. According to Gumperz, interpreting meaning is Ð ° process of contextualization in which Ð ° listener associates certain kinds of cues within the language, called contextualization cues, with information content on the one hand and with background expectations, or social knowledge, on the other ( Gumperz 1978; 1982). Contextualization cues refer to any aspect of the surface form of utterances that, when attached to message content, function as Ð ° way of signaling how to understand what is said. These cues signal to listeners when speakers have made their points, which information is foreground and which is background, what the relationship is between comments, how what is said should be heard (whether anger or joking is meant), and many other kinds of information. Adopting Ð ° cross-cultural perspective, Gumperz developed Ð ° method for investigating the process of contextualization cues by examining situations where they fail to work. When speakers share similar cultural backgrounds, then contextualization cues are also shared and speakers rarely misunderstand. However, when cues are not shared, misunderstandings prevail. Schiffrin ( 1994) interprets his main contribution as emanating from his studies of the way people within Ð ° larger culture, who are members of smaller, distinct cultures, may share grammatical knowledge of Ð ° common language (such as English) but may also contextualize what is said differently than Ð ° member of the larger culture. In this way, messages are produced that are understood perhaps partially, but not completely, such that people take away different interpretations of what was said and done. The following is Ð ° well known example from Gumperz (1982: 3o) cited by Schiffrin (1994: 7): Following an informal graduate seminar at Ð ° major university, Ð ° black student approached the instructor, who was about to leave the room accompanied by several other black and white students, and said: Could І talk to you for Ð ° minute? І am gonna apply for Ð ° fellowship and І was wondering if І could get Ð ° recommendation? The instructor replied: oK. Come along to the office and tell me what you want to do. As the instructor and the rest of the group left the room, the black student said, turning his head ever so slightly to the other students: Ahma git me Ð ° gig! (Rough gloss: І am going to get myself some support. ) Before exploring how different interpretations were made by listeners, this example can serve to illustrate what interactional sociolinguistic data is and how its analysis proceeds. First, Ð ° sociolinguist analyzes actual utterances that have been written down immediately or recorded on tape by an investigator. Significant to sociolinguistics is that these are not data generated from the analysts mind or experience but rather have been actually uttered by Ð ° human being in Ð ° natural context. Second, examples from data are always accompanied by Ð ° brief explanation of the contextthe physical setting, social roles, relationships of other participants, and other information. Any utterance can be the focus of analysis by asking, how was this utterance understood by the people who heard it, and how did these participants arrive at their interpretation? For the sociolinguist, this entails describing the grammatical knowledge of participants and the socio-cultural knowledge that listeners rely on to understand the messages conveyed. Specifically, such an analysis accounts for the way explicit linguistic signs, such as word choice, intonation, rhythm, stress, and lexical and phonetic choices indicate speaker intent and also how social knowledge influenced Ð ° listeners interpretation. When these cues are tacitly shared by speakers, interpretive processes tend to go un-remarked. However, when Ð ° listener does not react to Ð ° cue or is unaware of its function, interpretations vary, misunderstandings occur, and judgments are made.

Ingerno 8: The passage Across The Styx :: Dante Divine Comedy

Ingerno 8: The passage Across The Styx In the summer of 1373 the Florentine Commune commissioned Giovanni Boccaccio to deliver a series of public lectures on Dante's Divine Comedy, and these readings and commentaries on individual cantos which were presented in the church of Santo Stefano di Badia between October 1373 and April 1374 are the first in a tradition which continues vigorously in many parts of the world in our own day.1 We do not know exactly when Boccaccio gave his lectures on the eighth canto of the Inferno, but in retrospect we may note that they fall roughly at the midpoint of his series, which was regrettably interrupted at the beginning of canto 17. Boccaccio begins his reading of Inferno 8 by remarking its unusual opening:2 [Dante] says therefore in the first part:  «I say, continuing ». We may be somewhat perplexed by these words since everyone readily understands that the poet perforce continues the subject matter already begun and needs not note this fact; and we are even more perplexed because up to this point he has not employed this technique to continue his narrative. And, therefore, in order to dispel this state of perplexity, it must be made known that Dante had a sister, who was married to one of our fellow citizens.... True to his reputation as a master racconteur, Boccaccio tells how, after Dante had left his native city of Florence in exile, his wife, Gemma, fearful that harm would come to their property, placed certain valuable items in several strongboxes for safe keeping, and among these were copies of some of her husband's writings, including the first seven cantos of the Inferno. As Boccaccio reports, these cantos eventually came to light and were read by several people who, appreciating their excellence, recommended that they be sent to their author so that he might continue and complete this wonderful undertaking. And so, learning that Dante was then residing with Moroello Malaspina in Lunigiana, these interlopers forwarded him the seven cantos, and, as Boccaccio tells the story, Dante, having received such encouragement, set himself about his task and began the eighth canto with the words  «Io dico seguitando... » __ or, as we might say today,  «Well, as I was saying... ». While providing an interesting though less than satisfactory

Progressive Movement Essay

The period from 1890 to 1917 in the history of United States is known as Progressive era. This period is marked by an all-encompassing and intensive change in all spheres of American life viz. political, economic and social. According to Nevin and Commager, this period was â€Å"marked by revolt and reform in almost every department of American life. Old political leaders were ousted and new one enlisted; political machinery was overhauled and modernized; political practices were subject to critical scrutiny and those which failed to square with the ideals of democracy were rejected.† (p. 382) These leaders from middle class pleaded for government regulation of big businesses to prevent exploitations pf the weaker sections. Stressing on the needs for reforms, Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"†No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to the way in which such work [reform] must be done; but most certainly every man, whatever his position, should strive to do it in some way and to some degree.† (Roosevelt) Most of the problems that Progressives wanted to tackle was an outcome of the industrial expansion and the political-industrial coalitions of the Gilded Age. During the Progressive almost every department of American life was overhauled and modernized. Thus Progressivism was a movement with â€Å"predominantly middle class objectives and viewpoint, deriving much of its support from small businessmen, farmers and professional people.† ( Parkes, p.544) At the federal level, the Progressive movement set in with the inauguration of the President Roosevelt curtailed the powers of the large organizations was epitomized through the suite against The Northern Securities Company in 1903. He introduced other legislative measures to breakdown the monopoly of the large corporations. Trust-Busting was the first radical step taken by Roosevelt that was aimed at the breaking of monopolies in any form and its abuses. Second major proponent of Progressivism at the Federal level was President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) who accomplished more progressive legislation than the Roosevelt. He introduced and enacted law to check corrupt practices during the elections. He dissolved ninety trusts under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (these trusts were saving huge taxes in the name of charity and were involved in certain illegal activities). He strengthened the cause of democracy when he propagated the idea of direct elections for the senators and introduced 17th amendments in the U.S. constitution. Woodrow is the next in the row for progressive presidents. He introduced far-reaching economic reforms and adopted a number other progressive measure to capacitate the entire American spirit with purpose. Hs foremost priority was the revision of tariff and introduction of viable reforms. Secondly, he introduced another Act to reconstruct the monetary and banking sector. Although his program of more progressive reforms were cut short but the outbreak or WW II but two more constitutional amendment (18th and 19th) became effective in his presidency.[1] Progressives could not bring about the revolutionary transformation of the political and economic system. The evident disappointment of the Progressive movement was its disinclination to deal with racial discrimination. Although it had a national agenda but it was meant for Whites only. The Afro-American suffered from the victimization at the social and state level through disfranchisement, Jim Crow laws, and poverty.   Additionally, it failed to address the questions of class conflict and ended in despair for small owners and businessmen. Yet it cannot be denied that through their reforms they tried to revitalize democracy and made the rulers responsible and accountable to the public. â€Å"Perhaps the best known results of this era are the 18th and 19th Amendments, Prohibition and woman suffrage respectively. But this legislation really came at the tail end of the period that has come to be known as the â€Å"Age of Reform.† The amendments were actually the byproducts of an immense social and political upheaval which changed forever the expectations of the role government would play in American society.† (PBS) References Nevins, Allan& Commager, Henry S. 1966. A short history of the United States. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: A. Knopf. Parkes, Henry B. 1959. The United States of America—A History. New York: Knopf. PBS. The Progressive Era 1900-1918. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande08.html, accessed 23 March   2008. [1] 18th Amendment of U.S. Constitution the process of introduction of Prohibition was completed whereas 19th Amendments granted the right of vote to the women on equal terms with men.

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.

Letter of Recommendation Sample Close Colleague

Letter of Recommendation Sample Close Colleague SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You don't have to be somebody's boss to write her a recommendation letter. You might have a coworker ask you to write one when she applies for an internal promotion or a position outside the company. This sample letter's written by a colleague for someone applying to a leadership position at another company. As a coworker and friend to the candidate, the writer can speak both to her professional skills and to her personal interests. Read on to see how the writer supports his colleague's job application. Sample Recommendation Letter #7: Written by a Coworker Mr. Ernie SandersChief Marketing OfficerGlobex Tech55 Valley RoadPalo Alto, CA 95014 Dear Mr. Sanders, I’m very pleased to recommend Alice for the position of Editor-in-Chief with Globex Tech. As a fellow IT Content Editor at CloudArk, I’ve worked alongside Alice for the past five years. Not only has she been a key player on our team, but she’s also become a close personal friend. Alice’s skills and leadership qualities would make her an invaluable addition to your information technology content development team. While Alice has found success at CloudArk, helping increase our blog traffic from a few thousand to over one million monthly readers over her time here, she’s looking to maximize her skills as a leader within a larger company. Our small start-up doesn’t yet have the opportunities for leadership for which Alice is qualified. Alice is poised to step into a role of editorial management for a content program with the potential for global reach. Alice can plan, create, and market IT content and build a global presence for Globex Tech. She’s an excellent writer and editor with a facility for translating technical information into engaging content. She has used her knowledge of the tech world both to popularize CloudArk’s blog and to develop a platform for educational training, including IT-related certifications, workshops, and webinars. She has her finger on the pulse of technological trends and provides content that’s both useful and captivating to readers. Alice marries her writing skills with a working knowledge of digital and inbound marketing. She works across social media, email campaigns, and other public relations outreach to effect viral engagement. Her last three posts across our social media platforms generated an all time high of 20,000 shares and helped bring in many unique visitors. In a leading position with your company, Alice would use strategic tactics, like search engine optimization and social media metrics, to take your web presence to the next level. In addition to her professional qualifications, Alice has personal qualities that make her well-suited to leadership. She’s naturally fallen into the role of â€Å"point person† that many of us go to with questions. She’s not afraid to take risks and often suggests new directions to explore. Alice was instrumental in introducing our educational platform for training, for instance, a direction that has proven to be very fruitful. She’s committed to quality, growth, and progress, and she inspires her team members to strive for the same. In short, Alice is a person with vision. On a personal note, Alice has become a close friend over our years of working together at CloudArk. She organized several social events for the company, like bar meet-ups and 5k races, helping to facilitate team cohesion and allowing us to form a great friendship. In fact, we’re going trail running this Saturday. Alice’s fun and friendly personality are just icing on the cake of her many other qualifications. Alice has my highest recommendation for the position of Editor-in-Chief with Globex Tech. I’m excited to see the directions in which Globex Tech will grow under Alice’s leadership. Please feel free to contact me for any further information. Thanks very much for your time. Sincerely, Robert WordsworthIT Content EditorCloudArkrwordsworth@cloudark.com(866) 811-5546 Robert sounds confident that Alice has the editorial and social media skills to beEditor-in-Chief. Recommendation Letter #7: The Breakdown This recommendation letter sample is one written by a coworker for someone applying outside of the company. This coworker describes his personal friendship with the applicant while also pointing outthe applicant’s professional skillsand work performance. He starts with a statement of strong support, as well as an explanation of why Alice is looking to step into a leadership position at a larger company. Robert describes Alice’s past accomplishments and future potential. He shows how she contributed toCloudArk's growth, describing her skill in content creation and knowledge of technological trends. He also touches on her digital and content marketing abilities, both of which would be essential in her target job. In addition to discussing her experiences, Robert explains that Alice has the leadership capabilities and vision to move into an Editor-in-Chief position. He says she’s become the â€Å"point person† for her colleagues while also excelling at collaborative work. This former skill is further evidenced by virtue of the fact that the letter is written by a work colleague. As Alice’s friend, Robert’s also able to touch on some of her personal interests, providing an additional dimension to the letter. Overall, Robert states strong support for Alice’s application and gives examples as to why she’s ready to step into a position of editorial leadership. His letter presents Alice’s editorial and marketing qualifications and proves that she’s established positive relationships with her colleagues. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today: What's Next? Not everyone asks a coworker or manager to provide them with a letter of recommendation. People who are just out of college often ask a former professor. Check out this next recommendation letter sample to see how a professor supports a former student's job application! Are you looking for more rec letter samples? Refer to this complete reference letter guide to find more samples and learn more about the letter writing process.

Helen Pitts Douglass, Wife of Frederick Douglass

Helen Pitts Douglass, Wife of Frederick Douglass Born Helen Pitts (1838 - 1903), Helen Pitts Douglass was a suffragist and abolitionist in the 19th century. She is best known for marrying politician and abolitionist reformer Frederick Douglass, an interracial marriage considered surprising and scandalous at the time. Fast Facts: Helen Pitts Douglass Full Name:  Helen Pitts DouglassOccupation: Suffragist, reformer, and abolitionistBorn: 1838 in Honeoye, New YorkDied: 1903 in Washington, D.C.Known For: A white woman who married the mixed-race abolition leader Frederick Douglass, Helen Pitts Douglass was an advocate in her own right and pushed for abolition, suffrage, and her husbands legacy.Spouse: Frederick Douglass (m. 1884-1895) Early Life and Work Helen Pitts was born and raised in the small town of Honeoye, New York.  Her parents, Gideon and Jane Pitts, had abolitionist views and participated in anti-slavery work. She was the oldest of five children, and her ancestors included Priscilla Alden and John Alden, who had come to New England on the Mayflower. She was also a distant cousin of President John Adams and of President John Quincy Adams. Helen Pitts attended a female seminary Methodist seminary in nearby Lima, New York.  She then attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, founded by Mary Lyon in 1837, and graduated in 1859. A teacher, she taught at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, a school founded after the Civil War for the education of freedmen.  In poor health, and after a conflict in which she accused some local residents of harassing students, she moved back to the family home at Honeoye. In 1880, Helen Pitts moved to Washington, DC, to live with her uncle.  She worked with Caroline Winslow on The Alpha, a women’s rights publication, and began to be more outspoke in the suffrage movement. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass, the well-known abolitionist and civil rights leader and ex-slave, had attended and spoke at the 1848 Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention. He was an acquaintance of Helen Pitts’ father, whose home had been part of the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad.  In 1872 Douglass had been nominated – without his knowledge or consent – as the vice presidential candidate of the Equal Rights Party, with Victoria Woodhull nominated for president. Less than a month later, his home in Rochester burned down, possibly the result of arson.  Douglass moved his family, including his wife, Anna Murray Washington, from Rochester, NY, to Washington, DC. In 1881, President James A. Garfield appointed Douglass as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. Helen Pitts, living next door to Douglass, was hired by Douglass as a clerk in that office. He was often traveling and was also working on his autobiography; Helen Pitts helped him in that work. In August, 1882, Anne Murray Douglass died.  She had been ill for some time.  Douglass fell into a deep depression.  He began to work with Ida B. Wells on anti-lynching activism. Married Life On January 24, 1884, Frederick Douglass and Helen Pitts were married in a small ceremony officiated by the Rev. Francis J. Grimkà ©, at his home. Grimkà ©, a leading black minister of Washington, had also been born into slavery, also with a white father and a black slave mother. His father’s sisters, the famous women’s rights and abolitionist reformers Sarah Grimkà © and Angelina Grimkà ©, had taken in Francis and his brother Archibald when they discovered the existence of these mixed-race nephews, and had seen to their education.  The marriage seems to have taken their friends and families by surprise. The notice in the New York Times (January 25, 1884) highlighted what were likely to be seen as the scandalous details of the marriage: â€Å"Washington, January 24. Frederick Douglass, the colored leader, was married in this city this evening to Miss Helen M. Pitts, a white woman, formerly of Avon, N.Y.  The wedding, which took place at the house of Dr. Grimkà ©, of the Presbyterian church, was private, only two witnesses being present. The first wife of Mr. Douglass, who was a colored woman, died about a year ago. The woman he married to-day is about 35 years of age, and was employed as a copyist in his office. Mr. Douglass himself is about 73 years of age and has daughters as old as his present wife.† Helen’s parents opposed the marriage because of Douglasss mixed-race heritage (he was born to a black mother but a white father), and stopped speaking to her.  Frederick’s children were also opposed, believing it dishonored his marriage to their mother. (Douglass had five children with his first wife; one, Annie, died at age 10 in 1860.) Others, both white and black, expressed opposition and even outrage at the marriage. However, they had support from some corners.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, longtime friend of Douglass though at a key point a political opponent over the priority of women’s rights and black men’s rights, was among the defenders of the marriage.  Douglass responded with some humor, and was quoted as saying â€Å"This proves I am impartial. My first wife was the color of my mother and the second, the color of my father.†Ã‚  He also wrote, â€Å"People who had remained silent over the unlawful relations of white slave masters with their colored slave women loudly condemned me for marrying a wife a few shades lighter than myself. They would have had no objection to my marrying a person much darker in complexion than myself, but to marry one much lighter, and of the complexion of my father rather than of that of my mother, was, in the popular eye, a shocking offense, and one for which I was to be ostracized by white and black alike.† Helen was not the first relationship Douglass had had aside from his first wife. Beginning in 1857, Douglass had carried out an intimate relationship with Ottilie Assing, a writer who was a German Jewish immigrant. Assing apparently thought he would marry her, especially after the Civil War, and believed that his marriage to Anna was no longer meaningful to him. She left for Europe in 1876, and was disappointed that he never joined her there.  The August after he married Helen Pitts, she, apparently suffering from breast cancer, committed suicide in Paris, leaving money in her will to be delivered to him twice a year as long as he lived. Frederick Douglass’ Later Work and Travels From 1886 to 1887, Helen and Frederick Douglass traveled together to Europe and Egypt.  They returned to Washington, then from 1889 to 1891, Frederick Douglass served as the US minister to Haiti, and Helen lived with him there.  He resigned in 1891, and in 1892 to 1894, he traveled extensively, speaking against lynching.   In 1892, he began to work on establishing housing in Baltimore for black renters. The following year, Douglass was the only African American official (as a commissioner for Haiti) at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Radical to the end, he was asked in 1895 by a young man of color for advice, and he offered this: â€Å"Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!† Douglass returned to Washington from a lecture tour in February 1895 despite declining health. He attended a meeting of the National Council of Women on February 20, and spoke to a standing ovation. On returning home, he had a stroke and heart attack, and died that day. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the eulogy which Susan B. Anthony delivered. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Working to Memorialize Frederick Douglass After Douglass died, his will leaving Cedar Hill to Helen was ruled invalid, because it lacked enough witness signatures.  Douglass’ children wished to sell the estate, but Helen wanted it as a memorial to Frederick Douglass.  She worked to raise funds to establish it as a memorial, with the help of African American women including Hallie Quinn Brown. Helen Pitts Douglass lectured her husbands  history to bring in funds and raise public interest.  She was able to buy the house and adjoining acres, though it was heavily mortgaged. She also worked to have a bill passed that would incorporate the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association. The bill, as originally written, would have had Douglass’ remains moved from Mount Hope Cemetery to Cedar Hill. Douglass’ youngest son, Charles R. Douglass, protested, citing his fathers wish to be buried at Mount Hope - and insulting Helen as a mere companion for Douglasss later years as well. Despite this objection, Helen was able to get the bill passed through Congress to establish the memorial association. As a sign of respect, however, Frederick Douglass’ remains were not moved to Cedar Hill; Helen instead was buried at Mount Hope as well in 1903. Helen completed her memorial volume about Frederick Douglass in 1901. Near the end of her life, Helen Douglass became weakened, and was unable to continue her travels and lectures. She enlisted the Rev. Francis Grimkà © in the cause.  He convinced Helen Douglass to agree that if the mortgage had not been paid at her death, the money raised from the property being sold would go to college scholarships in Frederick Douglass’ name. The National Association of Colored Women was able, after Helen Douglass’ death, to purchase the property, and to keep the estate as a memorial, as Helen Douglass had envisioned.  Since 1962, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Home has been under the administration of the National Park Service.  In 1988, it became the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Sources Douglass, Frederick. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. 1881.Douglass, Helen Pitts. In Memoriam: Frederick Douglass. 1901.Harper, Michael S. â€Å"The love letters of Helen Pitts.† TriQuarterly. 1997.Marriage of Frederick Douglass. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 1884. https://www.nytimes.com/1884/01/25/archives/marriage-of-frederick-douglass.html

Discuss critically distinctions between Islamic finance regulation and Essay

Discuss critically distinctions between Islamic finance regulation and conventional financing of commercial credit - Essay Example Islamic financing was first introduced in the UK in 1990 and has since developed to such an extent that the UK hosts the largest share of Islamic assets (valued at US$18 billion) among all Western countries and is eight worldwide.6 As of 2008, there were five â€Å"stand-alone† Islamic banks in the UK and more than 20 conventional banks offering Islamic products.7 This paper provides a critical analysis of the distinctions between Islamic finance regulation and conventional financing of commercial credit. The modernized form of Islamic finance began in Egypt during 1963 when the Mitt Ghamr savings system was introduced as a â€Å"social banking initiative†.8 By 1975 the first commercial Islamic banks were established: Islamic Development Bank and the Dubai Islamic Bank. The Islamic banking sector grew at a steady pace and by the 1990s there was a growing demand for Islamic financial products in investments and loans. In more recent years, the growth in demand and supply of Islamic financial products has been more expansive. Between 2006 and 2008, Islamic financial assets experienced a growth rate of 30%. As a result, Sharia compliant banking products have been described as the worlds â€Å"fastest growing financial sector†.9 There are at least 614 â€Å"registered Islamic finance institutions† in 47 countries with Islamic assets increasing from US$150 billion during the 1990s to approximately US$700 billion by 2007.10 The growth and expansion of Islamic banking and financial products have been impressive. Holden reports that over the last thirty years or so, Muslims all over the world have demonstrated a propensity for withdrawing billions of dollars from conventional banking systems and transferring them to Islamic banking and financial systems. In addition, conventional banks have shown an increasing willingness to offer Islamic banking and financial products and services.11 Islamic banking is defined as a â€Å"system of

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

Marxist Analysis - Essay Example This is not the same case when it comes to the history of economic original sin; it reveals to us that there are people to whom the whole thing is by no means essential. It happened that those in power accumulated wealth, and the subjects had at last nothing to sell other than their skins. Thus, the majority of people are poor despite their labor which is the only thing they have remained with. The few rich are constantly accumulating wealth despite the fact that they stopped working long time ago. This is usually used in defense of their property because in actual history it’s the enslavement, robbery, murder and force that play greater roles. In the records of political economy this idea has been brought about by Karl Marx. In the analysis of the international trade by economists, the Robinson Crusoe figure is taken as the main starting point. He is pictured as a strong, intelligent and diligent individual who through reasoning masters nature. In addition, he is also portrayed as a promoter of slavery, murder, robbery and force. This is because idyllic existed earlier thus; political economy should not be ignored. The contrast between what actually happens in the international economy and the international trade myths in the economics textbooks is as a result of the contrast between the real Robinson Crusoe and the economist’s Robinson Crusoe. The model of a fisherman and a hunter who exchange their mutual profit under conditions of reciprocity, freedom and equality are paradigmatic to non-Marxist international trade theory. International trade should be based upon a division between equals; unfortunately, it is often based on a division between the subordinate and the superior. It’s more of a trade between the colonizer and the colonized, the hinterland and the center, the servant and the master. It’s based upon the division between lower and higher functions as in the relation of capital to labor; one party does the work while the