Explain how Steinbeck describes the differences in character between Lenny and George Essay

Explain how Steinbeck describes the differences in character between Lenny and George The author, John Steinbeck described Lenny as the opposite of George. Lenny and George are good friends but mostly have nothing in common except that they both share the same dream, the American dream. Steinbeck described what the characters are wearing at the beginning of the story. Then he started describing the difference in characters between George and Lenny. George is the smart one and Lenny is the one who’s childlike. Lenny always depends on George because George is the only friend he’s got and George is like the only family of Lenny. At the beginning of the story, Steinbeck first described what George and Lenny are wearing at the beginning of the story as â€Å"Both dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons†. Then he started describing the difference between George and Lenny. First he defined George as â€Å"small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose†. Then he described Lenny with no similarity to George as â€Å"a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders†. Steinbeck uses a simile to describe Lennie. He tells us how he walk by ‘dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws’, he described Lennie by comparing him to an animal. Steinbeck wants us to draw an image in our mind of how Lennie moves. In the next paragraph he compares Lennie to an animal again, when he ‘drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse’. The author described Lennie like an animal so that we’ll imagine it clearly by picturing Lennie like the way an animal move. The role of George in novel is like a parent to Lennie who’s a big guy but has a mind like a child. Since Lennie’s Aunt died, George is the one taking care of Lennie. ‘When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’, George said to Slim. Sometimes he tells Lennie the things to do and thing he’s not supposed to do. Lennie, for God’s sakes don’t drink so much’, George told him off like telling off a child. George acts as a parent to Lennie. Lennie imitates George sometimes. He copies George by the way he acts and the way he tells Lennie something to do, as if he’s also looking after George. ‘You drink some, George. You take a good big drink’, he told George. Steinbeck told us many things that describe how childish Lennie is. For example, when Lennie found out what Lennie had in his pocket. ‘It’s only a mouse George’, Lennie said nervously. He is afraid that George might take the mouse from him. Lennie love to pet animals like the way a child pets an animal, but Lennie doesn’t realise his strength. He accidentally kills the animals he pets because he’s stroking them to hard. George and Lennie argue sometimes. And when they did at the beginning of the story, George told Lennie about all the stuff he would do if Lennie was never with him. ‘if I was alone I could live so easy†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, George described what it would be like without Lennie because George always gets in trouble because of Lennie. George said to Lennie angrily, ‘You keep me in hot water all the time’. George would like to be alone, but he doesn’t know how it feels to be a loner, he imagines what it feels like to take care of nobody except himself and he wants to know how it feels without the trouble of Lennie. He also wants to know if he would be happy or he might be lonely without Lennie. This is the feeling of George that Steinbeck wants us to know. Although, George is not the only one who would like to have a feeling of being alone. Lennie is a very confused man that cannot think very well. However, Lennie sometimes feel that George hates him because George doesn’t want him by his side. ‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so and I’ll go off in those hills right there – right up in those hills and live by myself,’ Lennie talks like he’s defending himself. He’s acting strong and he’s trying to show George that he can live and he can take care by himself alone. But then George realises how mean he was when he talked about the things he would do if Lennie wasn’t with him. George changed his mind in the end. Then George replies, ‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself†¦.’ George replies to his thinking of living alone. George feels bad about what he said to Lennie. He is still worried about Lennie. He only imagines the bad things that might happen to Lennie if he was by himself. Steinbeck wants us to know that George don’t want Lennie to go, not only because Lennie can’t take care of himself alone, but it’s because George and Lennie are also best friends and have already known each other since childhood. Steinbeck tells us that George is the only that describes Lennie the way he is. George is the only one who knows him very well. ‘Hell of a nice fella, but he ain’t bright. I’ve knew him for a long time’ George described Lennie proudly. When he tells someone, like Slim, about Lennie, he doesn’t use the word â€Å"crazy† to describe Lennie because he already know what ways to describe Lennie. He even tells Slim that having Lennie isn’t so bad at all because they got each other to take care of. ‘I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun†¦.’ George was sincere when he was talking to Slim about them being friends. I think Steinbeck wants us to know that even though George and Lenny have nothing in common, they always had each other as friends. The author wants us to realise how strong George and Lennie’s bond. Their friendship can’t be broken by anyone, easily. The two characters played a good role to people to show how important friends are. Even though Lennie wasn’t bright, George accepted Lennie as he is because he is his friend. Both of them know that they have each other to take care of. Compare to other people who are alone, are the loneliest people. John Steinbeck described each of the character uniquely, unlike any other character in a novel. At the very beginning of the novel, Steinbeck described the surroundings of the Salinas River. He wants us to picture in our mind what the place looks like. He creates an image in our mind that relate to the senses, including sight and touch. ‘The Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He also uses a metaphor to describe things clearly. ‘the golden foothill’. He wants the reader to imagine what its like and because he knows that we’ll understand what it means because it’s just a metaphor. The writer did all this at the beginning of the novel to make the target audience want to read this novel. And once they become really interested in reading the beginning of the story, they’ll plan to read the whole book.

A Response to “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading” Essay

Summary: John Holt is a former teacher who shares personal anecdotes in his essay â€Å"How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading.† Holt remembers taking a traditional approach to teaching as a beginning elementary school teacher. He initially thought that quizzing students over assigned readings and requiring them to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words was a best practice. However, a conversation with his sister challenges him to think critically about the effectiveness of his style, and he realizes his â€Å"methods were foolish† (359). An avid reader, Holt recalls he never looked up words in a dictionary as a child, but the lack of a dictionary did not make him any less intelligent or appreciative of language. He, like many other literate people he met, developed his vocabulary by encountering the same words â€Å"over and over again, in different contexts† (359). Holt’s understanding of what it takes to nurture a love of reading in children from an early age evolves throughout the essay. He argues that reading would be a more enjoyable experience for children if parents and teachers allowed children to read stories that interest them and not expect them to understand every word or interpret every meaning behind it. Critique: I discovered several strengths and weaknesses in Holt’s argument. I agree with him that it is unrealistic to expect children to look up words in a dictionary to appreciate words. Holt is not against using a dictionary as long as the reader uses it practically to look up words that interest him or her. To look them up in order to fulfill an assignment, however, will not promise vocabulary development. It is possible that forcing words upon a beginning reader will do more harm than good. For most children, learning how to read is similar to learning a new language, and this skill set improves with practice and patience. I also agree when he says we must s careful not to embarrass students if they make mistakes; this method usually causes the student to give up altogether. However, Holt’s argument at times seems biased and over generalized. For example, he asserts â€Å"that for most children school was a place of danger, and their main business in school was staying out of danger as much as possible† (360). His implication that children hate reading because they fear making mistakes is valid, but I disagree that most of them view their teachers as literary predators. Children’s attitudes about reading and education in general are affected by a number of factors such as learning styles, personality, the acquired habits, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. To place the blame on â€Å"us† teachers in his inclusive comments about how we humiliate and shame children through our teaching methods is unfair because I can think of several examples where this is not always true or was not necessarily true during the time he wrote the essay. His suggestions about how teachers should assess and evaluate student writing contradicts many of the modern teaching guides I have read, which posit that holistic grading includes teacher and student feedback. Application: Holt’s essay allowed me to think critically about my own teaching methods and reflect on what has worked successfully in the classroom and what has not. Many college students take English because it is a requirement and their attitudes toward writing are much like the freshma n that Holt describes in the conclusion of the article. They are very anxious about their writing even if they are strong writers, and they seldom write for pleasure rather than for necessity. Holt discourages teachers from using reading as a tool for public humiliation and promotes student-centered learning, which I advocate. While I realize there are students who depend on being told exactly what to do for each assignment they are given, I have observed that most students thrive when they have control over what they learn and discover new ideas independently and collectively. This is type of learning is supported by positive reinforcement. Rather than settling on any one way to motivate students, I realize that effective learning comes from an array of different approaches, and sometimes old-school teaching methods still are useful. Works Cited Holt, John. â€Å"How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading.† The Norton Reader. Eds. Peterson, Linda et. al. 13th edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. pg. 358 – 366.

Small Family Owned Business

My assignment for the presentation on (small) family owned businesses was to research and share an organized piece on the international studies of the subject. After several days of searching the internet for appropriate studies, I had gathered enough data to put together a three part report. The three parts consisted first off of an intro, which I believed was enough to be considered its own part, just because of the extremely interesting point that family owned businesses are such a widespread commonality.Second came the bulk of my research, the description of small family owned businesses under the laws of different countries, specifically those belonging to countries in Europe. Last but not least, I followed up with the importance of small family owned businesses’ impact on the overall economy of Europe, and how they applied. When you think of a small family owned business, you usually think of at least one local business you have known and have used your whole life whethe r a gas station, kebab imbiss, cafe, restaurant, or car dealership, etc. However, think about if everyone in the world named at least one such business.Many people would name the some of the same enterprises, but now you can imagine just how many small family owned businesses there are across the world. Because there are so many, not many reports exist that can contain the entire scope of every kind in every country, therefore, my report covers information regarding largely to european studies. Across Europe and in the United States, there is no widely accepted definition or legal description of a â€Å"family business†, however there are many criteria that if met by a small business, can be used to classify a business as such.Although each country has its own list of indicators, some countries use â€Å"common knowledge† to decide what constitutes a family business. This means that most countries simply use perception to differentiate a family business from a non-fami ly business based on the interrelationship between family and enterprise that can obviously be observed like the active involvement of family members in the enterprise’s everyday activities.Few countries legal codes actually mention regulations in which small businesses are referred and partially defined, but can vary easily from each other such as the Austrian regional agricultural legislation stating â€Å"a family business defined as any autonomous economic entity regularly and sustainably providing for the farming family’s income† to the Italian Civil Code which describes family businesses as â€Å"enterprises in which members of the family unit work and have ownership.For most cases, instead looking for derelict, briefly mentioned bits of code referring to family business, a group of common â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† criteria has been identified(#3). Soft criteria includes: o family relations affect the assignment of the management o family indirectly runs the company o â€Å"major family influence/dominance† of the management (in terms of strategic decisions) o â€Å"significant proportion† of the enterprises’ senior management o â€Å"most important decision† made by the family o â€Å"family control† of the management of the enterprise at least 2 generations having had control over the enterprise Hard criteria includes more legitimate and quantifiable proof such as: o CEO has to be a family member o 1 family member is actively involved in the operative management of the company o More than 1 family member in the management o CEO and at least 1 management team member stems from the family o At least 2 directors/board members stem from the family o At least 3 board or staff members stem from the family o Majority of the management team stem from the familyOr, in the case of Denmark, a family has control over the company: †¢ if it has 50 % of the shares, or †¢ if it has 50 % of the shares and a member of the family is the CEO In regards to impact on economy, although small family owned businesses seem like only a small part of the world economy, they actually make up quite a large percent of all enterprises. It is estimated that about 70-80% of businesses across Europe are family businesses, and of those, about 50% are small family owned businesses.Over all, small family owned businesses also contribute to about 40-50% of employment in Europe(#3). The following table(#3) shows elements of the definition of family business by country, gathered by several international studies on family business. What the previous table shows, is cross-national (European) minimum criteria for the ownership, control, or management of a company by a family according to FBN International 2007, Les Henokiens, European Group of Owner managed and Family Enterprises (GEEF), and PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. 2007.Under FBN International 2007, and also according to the European Gro up of Owner managed and Family Enterprises, ownership is described as the direct or indirect majority of votes held by the founders, spouses, parents, children, heir, or persons having acquired the shares; control/management is described as at least one representative of family or kin present in the management. In contrast to those studies, Les Henokiens suggests that in order to hold ownership, a company must own the majority of shares for more than two hundred years; in regards to control/management the enterprise must be managed by a direct descendant of the founder.Another contrasting opinion to FBN International 2007 and the European Group of Owner managed and Family Enterprises, but perhaps not as extreme as Les Henokiens, is the study performed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. 2007 which defines ownership as simply at least fifty-one percent of shares held by a family or related families, and control/management as a majority of the senior management team and the owners having a day to day responsibility for the management of the business.In conclusion, we can see that (small) family owned businesses are a huge contributing factor to the economy worldwide, but still remain a mostly ignored topic by most countries and their legal systems, which is interesting because one would think something so important would be more tightly regulated. I would like to thank my hard working group, and Ms. Fink for the opportunity to present this topic. Works Cited (I have numbered my sources to make identification easier within the report) 1. D, Jamie. â€Å"Running a Family Business Within the Law | SBA. ov. † Running a Family Business Within the Law | SBA. gov. U. S. Small Business Administration, 4 May 2010. Web. 5 May 2012. . 2. Elliott, Larry, and Julia Kollewe. â€Å"Germany's Smaller Firms Emerge Intact from the Recession. † The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 5 May 2012. . 3. Mandl, Irene. â€Å"Overview of Family Business Relev ant Issues. † Ec. europa. eu. European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, 2008. Web. 5 May 2012. . 4. Winslow, CJ. â€Å"Welcome to FoodTronix. † Welcome to FoodTronix. Web. 5 May 2012. .

Improve Maternal Health Essay

The World Health Organization defines maternal health as â€Å"the health condition of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period that needs to be safeguarded to prevent death† (http://www. who. int/topics/maternal_health/en/). Improving maternal health is one of the concerns of the Millennium Development Goals with focus on reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health care by the year 2015. In 2008, sixty-eight (68) developing countries account for the majority of the maternal and child mortality. In the same year, the World Health Organization reported that some of the countries where maternal health is of prime importance and is given high importance include Norway, Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and other developed countries. On the other hand, many developing countries are left behind in terms of giving importance or even appreciation to maternal health such as Afghanistan, Yemen, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Congo and other Southeast Asian countries. Poor maternal health adversely affects women. The World Health Organization reported that almost 500,000 women die of childbirth and pregnancy every year due to complications brought about by childbearing. Most of these women die due to unavailability of maternal health services and emergency assistance. It is the woman and her child that is always at risk when maternal health is not of top priority of a government. A woman and her child will always be exposed to infection and other forms of diseases when they are not given proper knowledge and skills in maternal health.

Global war wine Essay

The global wine industry is being influenced by a number of factors including consumer demand and changes in the way wine is produced and sold. There has been a shift in the perception of wine in the past half-century as consumers and producers have migrated away from the Old World philosophies to the modern-thinking the New World has brought about. By the 1990’s the average consumer’s palate changed – especially here in the U.S. where consumers were more apt to look for the premium ($7-14) and super-premium ($14+) wines. By this time, there was a drop in consumption in countries that traditionally consumed a great deal (France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Chile) while demand in other countries increased (U.K., Canada, Belgium, and some Asian countries). Wine consumption was now becoming truly â€Å"global† and New World producers had the means to handle demand. Shipping overseas was now a cost-effective way to transport wine around the globe allowing consumers even more choices of quality wines. Therefore, one of the most important factors in how the wine industry is changing is in the education of the wine consumer. And consumers now can look at a bottle of wine and tell the type of wine and the region they came from along with the date bottled. 2. How did the French become the dominant competitors in the increasingly global wine industry for centuries? What sources of competitive advantage were they able to develop to support their exports? Where were they vulnerable? French wine producers became the dominant competitor as a result of four reasons. First, their geographic and climatic featuresplayed significant role. As France is in the middle of Europe culture with suitable climate and soilcondition for harvesting grape, had accrued first-mover advantage and established its place as thedominant competitor in the global wine industry. Second, they became the first high-quality winemarket and gained a lot experience. Especially, the negociantstraded wine between France and othercountries and this worked as word-of-mouth effect, increasing the reputation and dominance of Frenchwine. Third, they used the latest innovations such as mass production of glass bottles, the use of cork stoppers and pasteurization. These innovations increased the stability and longevity of wine whichallowed the transportation of wine to distant places, and birth of global wine market. Lastly, the government support made significant effect on the reputation and improvement of French wineindustry. The sources of competitive advantage that they were able to develop to support their exports is to keen to taste and tradition in the production of wine (strongly tight to the French culture), artistic and historical talent and expertise in wine making and well located as to the high demand markets such as England,.. The main vulnerable aspects of French wine industry were highly fragmented vineyard and wine production, increasing vineyard prices per acre, complex distribution and sales system, long multilevel value chain, risk of bad weather and disease; and poor roads and complex toll and tax system. Also, they lack of rational assessment of their place comparing to other countries and they do not have any marketing plan or strategy.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 performed in 1721 Essay

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 performed in 1721 - Essay Example Bach's musical education began with the violin followed by his growth into an authority on the organ and other keyboard instruments. He was a musician with a strong personality and intensity and was known to possess a desire to create a "richer, more complex" music score. Bach's concerts have known to be rich in complexity and this is what we get to understand in the Brandenburg Concerto which has been recognized as one of the best combinations of Bach's works, combining elements of church and orchestral music. "Baroque", a set of European classical music which existed from 1650 - 17501 originally meant an insult also describing an 'irregular' shape of no particular beauty which is often compared to an irregular pearl denoting its irregularity in shape. The "irregular pearl" is a strikingly fitting characterization of architecture often symbolized with that of 17th century. Over time though, this style of music came to be recognized as one with grandeur, stylishness, a sense of bravado and improvisation. Instruments that are particular in this era are hurdy gurdy, harpsichord, organ, bass viol, lute, violin and baroque guitar. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is considered to be a masterpiece in the Baroque style. This composition has a clear melody, with excellent and timely usage of instruments like the Lute, Organ all put together in a clever ensemble. The harp and organ invoke an uplifting feeling of happiness along with the lute. The concerto has a continuous line moving and extends with the addition of instruments as the composition progresses, which is peculiar to the Baroque style. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 displays the influence of the reformation on musical style when compared with the Renaissance era proving to be a masterpiece in its style and era. The concert begins with the lute, followed by introduction of the organ and the cello. The introduction of the 5th Concerto is impressive and demanding which was created with the combination of the violin, cello and the lute. As the concert progresses, the cello and lute are continuous with the organ providing the "melody", the violin depicts drama and intensity and the constant variations in instruments succeeds in invoking many emotions. The finale is depicted with the dramatic introduction of the violin and the cello. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is a brilliant composition that is captivating. References http://www.answers.com/baroque+musiccat=entertainment http://classicalplus.gmn.com/composers/composer.aspid=2 A History of Baroque Music (Book). By: McGee, Timothy J., 03630277, 5/15/2004, Vol. 129, Issue 9 http://www.mckeeth.org/wikilinks/bach1911.html Johann Sebastian Bach & the Art of Baroque Music (Book). By: Jones, Trevelyn E., Toth, Luann, Charnizon, Marlene, Grabarek, Daryl, Larkins, Jeanne, Steinberg, Renee, 03628930, Aug2004, Vol. 50, Issue

Creating imaginary character Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creating imaginary character - Research Paper Example The – comparatively – little land that we had was beautiful, all green and rolling hills with the scent of flowers wafting through the breeze. I, being his daughter, was not as well prepared to run such a large household that I do now even though my mother had given me as many helpful tips as possible as she had trained me to be the perfect lady of the manor. But as they say, with time you experience and, eventually, learn everything, and, indeed, I did do just that. It would be unforgivable and unchristian of me to say this but happily, both – my husband’s mother as well as father – had passed away when the Earl had been only twenty eight years old, he married me two years when he had just turned thirty. The former had died of problems of the lung. She had already been of weak health but because of the rise of industries and with it the smoke and the waste being dumped in the Thames, the air of London was affected. Seeing as she did not love the co untry and preferred to stay in the city, her lungs got damaged beyond repair due to the ever increasing pollution and it was only time before she died (Ross, 2008, p. 37). On the other hand, my father-in-law had had a quite a serious problem of gout. He drank too much due to certain problems which the Earl never spoke of and that led to his early death. He was a good friend of the Prince Regent, son of the current ruler King George III, and together, it was rumored, they had quite expensive habits and ways of entertainment despite the upheavals happening around the world, particularly in France. Our own brave men were fighting against Napolean’s army but the Regent had no interest in politics and/or military of the country that he was to officially rule in the future (Chancellor, 2007, p. 8). He did, however, order some great architecture like the Pavilion to be built and funded the making of many works of art (Grenville, 1856, pp. 408 - 409). My life before my marriage was s imple though it did not seem to be so to me then. Living with two brothers – both of them who were older than me – confirmed my belief that I had the worst siblings in the country. Other than the silly pranks that they played on me such as sneaking in to my room and hiding frogs under my bed covers, they – my eldest brother in particular – were also given more attention to by both of my parents. This, I learned as I grew older and became more aware of the world and how it ran, was because he was going to inherit the estate after my father passed away, thus, there were more things that he was to be taught. My younger brother was considered the â€Å"spare† which I only recently realized meant that by the off chance that my older brother met an early demise – due to a broken neck by falling off a horse or dying of some disease which the physician would not be able to cure him off – he would be the one taking over, be the heir. The estat e was entailed so only the males could inherit it and no chance was to be taken that a second cousin would take over what did not rightfully belong to them. My brothers had tutors at home whom they did their best to try to make them resign by being as mischievous as they possibly could until they were sent to Eton for further schooling. Over there they were taught literature and languages of the ancient