Lady Augusta Bracknell in the Importance of Being Ernest

Lady Augusta Bracknell In The Importance of Being Ernest The most memorable character and one who has a tremendous impact on the audience is Lady Augusta Bracknell. Wilde’s audience would have identified most with her titled position and bearing. Wilde humorously makes her the tool of the conflict, and much of the satire. She serves well the plot and the theme of the play. She is the strong hand who forces the whole play to move forward with a happy ending. . Generally, Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde’s opinion of Victorian upper-class†¦show more content†¦Such as, Marriage, class discrimination, manners and sincerity. Those themes are presented with the Lady Bracknell’s help. Wilde has created, with Augusta Bracknell, a memorable instrument of his satiric wit, questioning all he sees in Victorian upper-class society. With her power and weakness shown, she, as an upper class lady, connects and presents the themes in the play. Following Lines is a general view of Lady Bracknell’s importance for representing the upper class. The line is immaterial. Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to? As for the particular locality in which the hand-bag was found, a cloak-room at a railway station might serve to conceal a social indiscretion - has probably, indeed, been used for that purpose before now-but it could hardly be regarded as an assured basis for a recognised position in good society. Wilde packed into this speech Lady Bracknell’s basic social assumptions(‘the ordinary decencies of family life†¦.social indiscretion†¦a recognized positionShow MoreRelatedHw Oscar Wilde Pokes Fun at the Attitudes and Etiquette of the British Aristocracy1671 Words   |  7 Pagesvalues in The Importance of Being Earnest. The title itself represents the irony of the play. The word earnest works on two levels - first the name Ernest, which is the main focus of the play, and also it sounds like honest which is exactly what Jack and Algernon - the two main characters of the play - are not. There are four main themes which can be recognised in the play: social snobbery, money matters, appearance matters and false values and lastly, not being sincere.Read MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest: Wildes Wit in Use2173 Words   |  9 PagesIn researching the ideas and themes behind Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest, I stumbled upon numerous questions and underlying themes which I plan to dissect thoroughly in the following body of this paper treating each question individually and in an abstract manner. The questions I encountered ranged from the incestual tendencies of Lady Bracknell in relation to the gothic genre to Wildes use of food as a weapon and a means of demonstrating ones power. Before diving into theRead More Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest Essay3849 Words   |  16 PagesOscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest In the closing lines of the first act of Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon remarks, I love scrapes. They are the only things that are never serious, to which Jack responds, Oh, thats nonsense Algy. You never talk about anything but nonsense. Algernon caps off this exchange with a proclamation of the purpose of the whole work: Nobody ever does (1642). Wilde never allows anything in the work to conclude on a seriousRead MorePuns in the Importance of Being Ernest1768 Words   |  8 Pageswithin the title. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the pun, widely considered to be the lowest form of verbal wit, is rarely just a play on words. The title, - The Importance of Being Earnest,- insinuates the importance of being honest and truthful, while playing on the male name, Ernest. The pun in the title is a case in point. The earnest/Ernest joke strikes at the very heart of Victorian notions of respectability and duty. Gwendolen wants to marry a man called Ernest, and she doesn’t care whetherRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Wilde1427 Words   |  6 Pages‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, is utilised by Wilde to draw attention to the superficiality of the social facades predominantly maintained by the upper classes, through the physical depiction of Jack and Algernon’s aliases. Wilde further exemplifies his discontent with widespread social conventions at the time by satirising the arrogance of the aristocracy with a constant underlying representation of the lower classes as a more humble and less pretentious social division. Moreover, the playwrightRead More Oscar Wildes The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay4865 Words   |  20 PagesOscar Wildes The Importance Of Being Earnest Setting: Begins in a flat in London then proceeds to a manor house in the countryside in the late 1800s. Plot: Two men, John Jack Earnest Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, use the deception [a Bunbury] that both their names were Ernest, in order to secure marriage to the women they love, Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Then there is the ultimate unraveling of their lies, which still ends in their impending nuptials.Cast of Key CharactersJohnRead MoreMarriage Within The Victorian Century1030 Words   |  5 PagesCathylee Cueto Ms. Kitzie AP English Lit Comp 1 December 2016 Marriage Within The Victorian Contemporaries The Importance of Being Earnest has been referred to as â€Å"A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,† these â€Å"serious people† were those of the Victorian contemporaries. Wilde’s writings created this dimensional portal that allowed viewers to visualize and understand the actions that took place â€Å"behind doors† in this era. He suggested that these contemporaries should treat trivial matters with greaterRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest - Act 12163 Words   |  9 PagesThe Importance of Being Ernest – Act 1 Task 1 How are the characters of Algernon and Jack/Ernest created for the audience? They are presented to within a high class of society, with a lack of consideration or care for the lower classes. Both are bored by their high society lives and â€Å"stiff† lunches/meetings that they must attend, so have created alter egos which they use to have fun in a different place. Algernon has invented a sick friend called Bunbury, who he sometimes must spend long lengthsRead More General Structure of Comedy and the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde879 Words   |  4 PagesGeneral Structure of Comedy and the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde GeneralStructure of Comedy: * Things start out badly and end well * The deeper aim is broadly social: the kingdom or other city space is at first badly ruled or in turmoil for some reason--perhaps the values and institutions of the citizens and/or rulers are in need of some re-examination. * Next, the main characters leave (willingly or otherwise) the city setting and wind up in the countrysideRead More Oscar Wildes The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay3078 Words   |  13 PagesOscar Wildes The Importance Of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde is a legendary author who has composed many great plays including The Green Carnation and A Woman of No Importance, however, The Importance of Being Earnest was undoubtedly the most famous of his works. First published in 1930, yet acknowledged since the late 1800s, The Importance of Being Earnest helped to revive the theater tradition of Congreve and Sheridan. The story is a comedic view of romance and the emphasis we place on seemingly

Interning As The Financial Analyst At Terma North America...

Interning as the financial analyst at Terma North America Inc. (Terma) and as the accounting intern at Howard, Moore, and McDuffie (HMM) has been a great learning experience. This summer I have been able to apply theory and participate in real-world scenarios. At the beginning of my internships, I met with my supervisors to create goals that I would strive to achieve by the end of the summer. At Terma, my goal was to prepare and present summary financial status reports to management and customers. I was able to exceed this goal by working with the IT department to design and create a program management module for the program managers. With the guide, the managers will learn how to access reports and update them at any time without†¦show more content†¦At Terma, I have been able to expand my knowledge about not only accounting but finance as well. As a financial analyst intern I had the opportunity to work closely with the financial manager. The tasks I performed related to a ccounting, but included a variety of financial duties. I have always enjoyed accounting and finance; however, I believe a background in accounting will further assist me if I chose to work in the finance department of a company. While at Terma, I was able to experience working in administration, human resources, accounting and finance, and even engineering. HMM was different, and their focus and expertise is accounting. At HMM I have completed tasks that involved accounts payable, accounts receivable, and tax. These are topics I have read about in school, but have yet to have the opportunity to actually work on a real account. Through tutorials and many training sessions, I also learned new concepts that will prepare me for future accounting classes and employment. My internships this summer have amplified my knowledge of accounting, and have helped me realize that all of my hard work and dedication to my studies were well worth it. Mercer taught me the basics, and my internships a llowed me to apply concepts and gain the skills that many entry-level accounts do not have. In one year, I will be entering the accounting

Creating A Cyber security Concept Inventory -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Creating A Cyber Security Concept Inventory? Answer: Introduation Risk Assessment is a procedure by which the risks and threats associated with online activities can be well analyzed. Risk Assessment consists of procedures by which Gigantic Corporation can detect the issues beforehand. The procedures will help Gigantic Corporation to know the various levels of risks. Proper risk management process is divided into several stages- first of all, it includes the identification of risks, the detailed analysis of risks and the control measures to mitigate all those risks (Burley, Eisenberg Goodman, 2014). The identification of risks involves the analysis of all the risks that can attack the system and the database. The analysis of risks involves the harmful impact of all the risks to Gigantic Corporation system and the database. After appropriate accessing of risks, the control measures can help Gigantic Corporation to mitigate the risks. The control measures ensure that the data does not get lost from the database. The control measures can help Giganti c Corporation to ensure that the financial data and the confidential data of the clients remain safe (Glantz et al., 2016). The organization can safeguard their system from potential virus and malware attack. The online activities contain a large number of risks. The project analysis helps in identifying, analyzing and evaluation of risks. The primary objective of the project is to design a secure network for Gigantic Corporation that can help to ensure the security of the organization (Manuel, Cordeiro Silva, 2017). The project will make sure that the cybersecurity can protect the existing system of Gigantic Corporation from several threats and risks. Gigantic Corporation must have to take effective cybersecurity control measures so that Gigantic Corporation can carry out business activities over the cloud platform effectively. IT Risk Management report leads to the design of Risk Register, the risk register is helpful to provide details of the risks, their likelihood, their impact and their priority (Miller, 2016). The Risk Register can help Gigantic Corporation to find out the best solution. Risk Register Number Cyber threats Explanation of the risks and the threats Possibility Impact Priority 1. Threat Insider threats Threat insider attack leads to loss of confidential data (Keller, 2015) High Severe High 2. Phishing attack The users are directed to a malicious website which looks like a real website, but in reality, it is not. The attack is carried out sending emails to users or victims (McGettrick et al., 2014) High Severe High 3. Ransomware attack Encrypt all the files of the system, even it sabotage the entire system as well (Pusey, Gondree Peterson, 2016) High Severe High 4. BYOD threats Employees carry out business activities over their mobile phones. The mobile phones can act as a source of vulnerability Medium Severe High 5. Denial of Service attack Blocks the entire network, restrict the Admin of the computer system to gain access to their own system (Scott Trimarchi, 2017) Low Very low Low 6. Brute Force attack Hackers use specific software to guess the password of the users system, however, this guessing needs a lot of time (Shoemaker, Kohnke Sigler, 2016) Medium Medium Medium 7. Injection attack Hackers take control of the database of any individuals or any organisation (Van Vuuren, 2016) Medium High High 8. Malware attack Malware attack involves hijacking one system unethically and stealing, modifying and deleting confidential data of that system (Sherman et al., 2017) High Severe High 9. Lack of Recovery Planning Permanent data loss can occur due to lack of recovery planning (Datta, 2017) Low Medium Low 10. Lack of proper cybersecurity policy Chances of cyberattack increase if organisations do not follow security policies (Olesen, 2016) Low Low Low The risks that have illustrated above are some of the most common threat that Gigantic Corporation is facing. The risk matrix will be helpful to assess the risks that Gigantic Corporation faces while conducting business activities over the cloud. The priority of risks is explained and the risks that have high priority must be identified and Gigantic Corporation must take immediate actions to mitigate that risk. The medium and low priority risks must be identified and mitigated within the stipulated time. The report focuses on implementing a project for Gigantic Corporation that is capable to detect the malicious activities of the intruders and mitigate them (Redmiles, Malone Mazurek, 2015). The risk mitigation strategies have been illustrated in the report. The risk mitigation procedures will ensure that Gigantic Corporation can conduct their business activities securely and effectively. The report illustrates the use of intrusion detection system and antivirus program to safeguard the system and database of Gigantic Corporation. Gigantic Corporation faces two kinds of attacks, one is passive and the other one is active. The passive is pretty hard to identify as it denotes silent monitoring of the system. The passive attack involves silent monitoring of computer system and database. The risk matrix suggests that the risk is severe in case of passive attack. The attackers collect the confidential data from the database of the organization (Scott Trimarchi, 2017). The impact of the active attack is less compared to the passive attack; however, both active and passive attack can prove to be dangerous for Gigantic Corporation. The threat insider attack is the security threat that takes place within the organization. The employees of the organizations are responsible for this insider attack. The threat comes not only comes from the current employees end but also comes from the former employees end. The other stakeholder and other board members can be responsible for this attack (Malhotra, 2015). There are various types of an insider attack. The employees gain access to the financial information and steal that financial information. The employees make ally with a rival company and share information of the present company to that rival company. The organizations can be affected by Logic Bombs. This malicious software is left running on the computer system and this malicious activity is carried out generally by the former employees of the organizations. The insider threat can be both intentional and intentional. The employees those who conduct insider threats attack are not true employees. The insider threat c an only be minimized by limited usage of the confidential data of the organization. The employees should have access to only those portions of data for which they have been given the responsibility (Hinds Joinson, 2017). For instance, the customer care team of Gigantic Corporation should have access to the customers or the clients data and they should not have access to the database where the financial data is stored. Phishing is another kind of deadliest attack by which any organization can face severe loss. The hackers design malicious website to gain confidential information about the clients and the customers. A phishing attack is conducted mainly due to gain the login credentials. The clients fall into the trap of the attackers by providing all the credentials (Pan, Mishra Schwartz, 2017). The hackers direct customers to a malicious website which looks legitimate but actually it is a fraud website. The customers try to access those website providing all the login details and fall into the trap. Sometimes they send emails to the clients and customers posing as a trustworthy company and gain all the confidential data. Gigantic Corporation by installing a proper intrusion detection system can prevent the phishing attack. The organization should train their employees about how to safeguard the organizations data and system against the phishing attack. Gigantic Corporation must be aware that the major tool used in case of phishing attack is email. If the employees click on the link, the virus gets spread into the entire system. Thus the phishing attack can threaten ones privacy or any organizations privacy (Wood Dandin, 2017). Gigantic Corporation must be aware of this attack that is why they must configure the intrusion detection system on their premises. Ransomware attack is one of the attacks that is carried out to encrypt the files. The intruders keep a record of those encrypted files for a certain amount of time until the victim pays to the intruders. Ransomware generally enters into the system when any individually intentionally or unintentionally download the file into the system. Once the infected file gets executed, the virus gets spread out. It encrypts all the file of the system leaving a message that the files can only be recovered or decrypted if the victim is willing to pay money (Wu Irwin, 2016). There are certain scenarios where the victim pays the money but they fail to recover back their file. The victims have the opportunity to pay the money online only through Bitcoin. Cryptolocker, Cryptowall, Locky are some of the ransomware viri that can prove to threat for any organization and Gigantic Corporation is no exception. Again, the ransomware attack also leads to sabotage of the entire system, ransomware shut down and disrupt the operating system as well. Therefore, Gigantic Corporation can face severe loss due to this and they need to take initiatives to mitigate the threat (Sohal et al., 2017). Gigantic Corporation must keep backup of their files, in case of ransomware attack, they will not lose any data. If ransomware attack occurs then they should take the initiative to restore the operating system. Gigantic Corporation must update their system regularly. The ransomware is less effective in the updated system. They must disable the autorun for all the mounted devices. The employees should be trained so that they do not click any link and emails coming from unconfirmed sources. In this way, Gigantic Corporation can stay safe from the ransomware attack. The attack can be mitigated installing antivirus software. Denial of Service attack is responsible to shut down ones system and the network. The organization generally suffers two types of DoS attacks; one is the flooding service while the other one is the crashing services. The intruders send more and more data packets to a network address; a network address has a certain capability to handle data packets if the limit exceeds the buffer overflows lead to virus attack. The DoS attack can be minimized by limiting the rate of traffic a network can actually withhold within a given time frame (Shoemaker, Kohnke Sigler, 2016). The DoS attack is not responsible for data loss, so DoS attack can be mitigated. The brute force attack can be minimized via a strong password that is quite difficult to guess. There are several risks and threats associated with BYOD. The risks are local exposure, data leakage, data loss, public exposure, insecure usage and malicious apps. The organization data stored in the BYOD device can get hacked. The organizational data can get hacked due to the unsecured BYOD device. Again, confidential data of the organization can get hacked due to physical loss or theft from the BYOD device. The BYOD device can be used by any third party thus there is a chance for data loss or leakage or data as well. The BYOD risks can be mitigated by applying a password to the device. The password will save the data of the organization from getting lost. Also, Gigantic Corporation can protect the BYOD device by installing an antivirus program. The antivirus program will protect the Gigantic Corporations data stored in the BYOD device (Sherman et al., 2017). Firewall protection can assist in detecting the malicious activities conducted by intruders. The threat can be a threat of d eliberate threat as threat insider that is why the effect of the threat has been marked severe in the risk matrix. Injection attack is one of the attacks that have been marked severe in the risk matrix. Gigantic Corporation will have to consider the threat very seriously and must take necessary precautions. The injection attack is responsible to steal the sensitive information of the system. However, the injection threat can be mitigated by appropriate usage of the dynamic SQL. Gigantic Corporation can also mitigate the risk of injection attack with the appropriate usage of the firewall (Dark et al., 2015). It is necessary for Gigantic Corporation to install antivirus program in the system and they must update the antivirus regularly, this approach will ensure the safety of the organization. Also, Gigantic Corporation must scan the system with the antivirus program frequently as it will keep their system secure. Malware or malicious software can be disastrous for any individuals or organizations. The malware involves several malicious activities like stealing of confidential data, encryption and deletion of the sensitive data. The organizations get seriously affected by the malware, as the malware hijacks the financial data, clients' data and the other confidential data. The malware also attacks the core computing functions and even sabotage the computer system. Thus due to malware attack, the company's business operations get disrupted and the company faces huge loss for this reason. The malware installed in the system monitors individuals' computer activity without their permission. There are various types of malware, one is the virus, the virus is a type of malware that has the capability to execute itself and virus spreads by infecting other files. A worm is a type of malware that has the capability to replicate itself they do not require a host program. The worms typically do not requir e any human intervention. The trojan horse looks a legitimate program, after installation, it executes the malicious operations (Datta, 2017). Spyware is a type of malware that accumulates data from the users and monitors users activities without their permission. Ransomware attack is another type of malicious activity which involves encryption of files of the computer system. Cybercriminals promise to decrypt those files but in lieu of money. Remote Access Trojan (RAT) is one type of malware that takes control of an entire system by a remote connection and it seems that the computer system has been accessed physically. Gigantic Corporation has risks getting affected by all these malware programs (Dua Du, 2016). Gigantic Corporation can secure their system simply by installing an antivirus program. The usage of the firewall is an absolute necessity for Gigantic Corporation to mitigate the malware threats. Gigantic Corporation must have a disaster plan ready. The disaster recovery plan can help them to recover the confidential files. They must keep a backup of the important files if the cyber attack occurs Gigantic Corporation will not have to worry about losing any files. Protection mechanism Several risks and threats are related to the online activities and online websites and they must be properly mitigated. The mitigation of all those risks ensures that Gigantic Corporation can carry out the business activities normally without any safety concern. The hacking, identity theft and virus and malware attack are some forms of security threats which can disrupt the business operations of Gigantic Corporation. Hacking is one such malicious activities by which the intruders gain access to the website and attack the system and the database of the organization to steal the private data and the confidential data (Gordon et al., 2015). The confidential data involves the customers list of the company. The confidential data comprises of the employees lists, clients lists, and password of the employees. The confidential data consists of financial data of the organization as well. The hackers hack those confidential data for their own benefits. They sell those data to the rival. The o rganization can face heavy loss due to the intruders attack. Gigantic Corporation similarly can get affected due to the malware attack, they can lose the customer base, they can lose reputation, and they can lose clients. The entire business operations will get stopped due to the intruder attack. Gigantic Corporation can get affected due to the malware and the virus attack. Virus basically contains the code that can cause serious damage to the system and the database. The intruders basically use the keyloggers and specific software to steal the confidential data of the database of the organization. The attackers upload a virus to the cloud server with the help of input forms. The hackers also use the backdoor to attack system and database of the organization. Gigantic Corporation can get severely affected by the malware and the virus attack. The business operations can get disrupted due to all these malicious activities. The organization employees can surf the malicious website and can download the malicious file (Keller, 2015). The downloaded files can help to gain access to the confidential data stored in the system and the database. Gigantic Corporation is no exception. The insecure network and insecure database can prove to be a threat for Gigantic Corporation. The virus also gets transmitted to the other system connected to a single network. Due to the virus attack, Gigantic Corporation must adopt control measures to secure the data of the website. Identity theft is another risk associated with the website of the organization. In case of identity theft, the users data can get compromised. The intruders use the users data for criminal activities. Since, Gigantic Corporation conduct business activities over the cloud platform and website, they can be the victim of the identity theft (McGettrick et al., 2014). Hackers use this personal information for their own benefits and for this reason the clients, the employees of Gigantic Corporation can get threatened due to identity theft. The cybersecurity threats can be mitigated by adopting certain control measures. The standards adherence, firewall and secure socket layer can be useful in mitigating the threats residing within the system and the database. Firewall application installed on the server is helpful in checking the data communication and the data traffic that flows to and fro the server. The firewall blocks the malicious flow of data into the system. Thus Gigantic Corporation can conduct business activities over the cloud platform due to the configuration of the firewall into their system (Pan, Mishra Schwartz, 2017). The firewall assures that only the legitimate packets access the system. Secure socket layer has the capability to prevent the identity theft. The HTTPs usage assures a secure connection between server and client (Olesen, 2016). An information must be encrypted at first and then it should be transmitted between server and client in such a way that a third party fails to decrypt the information. The web server and the Website of Gigantic Corporation must follow the security policies to prevent the virus and malware attack. The policies and the guidelines will help Gigantic Corporation to conduct business activities over the cloud platform (Burley, Eisenberg Goodman, 2014). The employees and the clients of Gigantic Corporation must use a strong username and password in the server, it will help them from being compromised. References Burley, D. L., Eisenberg, J., Goodman, S. E. (2014). Would cybersecurity professionalization help address the cybersecurity crisis?.Communications of the ACM,57(2), 24-27. Dark, M., Bishop, M., Linger, R., Goldrich, L. (2015, May). Realism in teaching cybersecurity research: The agile research process. InIFIP World Conference on Information Security Education(pp. 3-14). Springer, Cham. Datta, S. P. A. (2017). Cybersecurity-Personal Security Agents for People, Process, Atoms Bits.Journal of Innovation Management,5(1), 4-13. Dua, S., Du, X. (2016).Data mining and machine learning in cybersecurity. CRC press. Glantz, C. S., McKinnon, A. D., Thorsen, D. E., Boyd, P. A., O'Neil, L. R., Henderson, J. W. (2016).Common Misconceptions Regarding Cybersecurity Requirements for Renewable Energy Generation Facilities Associated with Army Installations(No. PNNL--25451). Pacific Northwest National Lab.(PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Gordon, L. A., Loeb, M. P., Lucyshyn, W., Zhou, L. (2015). Increasing cybersecurity investments in private sector firms.Journal of Cybersecurity,1(1), 3-17. Hinds, J., Joinson, A. (2017, July). Radicalization, the Internet and Cybersecurity: Opportunities and Challenges for HCI. InInternational Conference on Human Aspects of Information Security, Privacy, and Trust(pp. 481-493). Springer, Cham. Hogan, M. D., Newton, E. M. (2015). Supplemental Information for the Interagency Report on Strategic US Government Engagement in International Standardization to Achieve US Objectives for Cybersecurity.NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)-8074 Volume 2. Keller, N. (2015). Cybersecurity Framework FAQs Relationship Between The Framework and Other Approaches and Initiatives. King, Z., Henshel, D., Flora, L., Cains, M. G., Hoffman, B., Sample, C. (2018). Characterizing and Measuring Maliciousness for Cybersecurity Risk Assessment.Frontiers in Psychology,9, 39. Malhotra, Y. (2015). Cybersecurity Cyber-Finance Risk Management: Strategies, Tactics, Operations, , Intelligence: Enterprise Risk Management to Model Risk Management: Understanding Vulnerabilities, Threats, Risk Mitigation (Presentation Slides). Manuel, J., Cordeiro, R., Silva, C. (2017, September). Between Data Mining and Predictive Analytics Techniques to Cybersecurity Protection on eLearning Environments. InProceedings of the Computational Methods in Systems and Software(pp. 185-194). Springer, Cham. McGettrick, A., Cassel, L. N., Dark, M., Hawthorne, E. K., Impagliazzo, J. (2014, March). Toward curricular guidelines for cybersecurity. InProceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education(pp. 81-82). ACM. Miller, K. L. (2016). What We Talk About When We Talk About Reasonable Cybersecurity: A Proactive and Adaptive Approach.FLA. BJ,90, 23-23. Nagurney, A., Daniele, P., Shukla, S. (2017). A supply chain network game theory model of cybersecurity investments with nonlinear budget constraints.Annals of Operations Research,248(1-2), 405-427. Olesen, N. (2016). European Public-Private Partnerships on Cybersecurity-An Instrument to Support the Fight accounting Cybercrime and Cyberterrorism. InCombatting Cybercrime and Cyberterrorism(pp. 259-278). Springer International Publishing. Pan, Y., Mishra, S., Schwartz, D. I. (2017, June). Board# 133: Gamifying Cybersecurity Course Content for Entry Level Students. In2017 ASEE Annual Conference Exposition. Pusey, P., Gondree, M., Peterson, Z. (2016). The Outcomes of Cybersecurity Competitions and Implications for Underrepresented Populations.IEEE Security Privacy,14(6), 90-95. Redmiles, E., Malone, A., Mazurek, M. L. (2015). How I Learned To Be Secure: Advice Sources and Personality Factors in Cybersecurity. InSymposium on Usable Privacy and Security Poster. Scott, B. I., Trimarchi, A. (2017). The Digital Aviation Industry: A Balancing Act Between Cybersecurity and European Consumer Protection.Air and Space Law,42(4), 443-462. Sherman, A. T., Oliva, L., DeLatte, D., Golaszewski, E., Neary, M., Patsourakos, K., ... Thompson, J. (2017). Creating a Cybersecurity Concept Inventory: A Status Report on the CATS Project.arXiv preprint arXiv:1706.05092. Shoemaker, D., Kohnke, A., Sigler, K. (2016).A Guide to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (2.0): A Guide to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework (2.0)(Vol. 3). CRC Press. Singer, P. W., Friedman, A. (2014).Cybersecurity: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. Smith, E., Corzine, S., Racey, D., Dunne, P., Hassett, C., Weiss, J. (2016). Going Beyond Cybersecurity Compliance: What Power and Utility Companies Really Need To Consider.IEEE Power and Energy Magazine,14(5), 48-56. Sohal, A. S., Sandhu, R., Sood, S. K., Chang, V. (2017). A cybersecurity framework to identify malicious edge device in fog computing and cloud-of-things environments.Computers Security. Van Vuuren, J. C. J. (2016).Methodology and Model to Establish Cybersecurity for National Security in Africa using South Africa as a Case Study(Doctoral dissertation). Wood, T. A., Dandin, M. (2017, May). Cybersecurity and the electric grid: Innovation and intellectual property. InCircuits and Systems (ISCAS), 2017 IEEE International Symposium on(pp. 1-1). IEEE. Wu, C. H. J., Irwin, J. D. (2016).Introduction to computer networks and cybersecurity. CRC Press.

Nature in the movie cast away free essay sample

Nature can be quite harsh and unpredictable. Many times in movies, nature is portrayed from one extreme to the other. Either directors portray nature as completely safe or extremely dangerous and deadly. An example of this is Cast away. Director Robert Zameckis developed the idea of nature being cruel and harsh. He managed to develop this though the use of strong conflict, Tom Hanks’ incredible acting and special effects. In the movie Cast away, the conflict enhanced the idea created by the director of nature being unpredictable, dangerous and deadly. One example of nature’s unpredictability is the plane crash that left Tom Hanks’ character cast away. The crash was caused by a lightning strike during a sudden violent storm. On many days, there were violent storms which made Chuck Noland’s life on the island even more difficult. As well as struggling to keep his life, Tom Hanks’ character struggled to keep his sanity. We will write a custom essay sample on Nature in the movie cast away or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His struggle is shown clearly by Tom Hanks’ acting. Tom Hanks’ acting was a show of the challenges Chuck Noland had to face. He went through many challenges physically and emotionally. Chuck Noland had to go from a fast-paced life in the city to an unpredictable island life and back again. He changed from workaholic who was obsessed with living by a tight schedule to someone a bit more carefree who learnt to live in the moment not for it. Tom Hanks showed the expressions and reactions you would expect for someone who had to go through what his character went through and that greatly enhanced the theme and the idea the director created. One thing that greatly enhanced the viewing experience and Chuck Noland’s reaction was the special effects. The storms, plane crash, injuries, blood and unpredictable intense weather were all a result of special effects. These all worked to enhance the film. Were there none of these effects, the film would have lost all intensity. The weather and the injuries Chuck sustained were all a part of his struggle. It was crucial to have these to enhance the idea of nature being harsh. They all made the film seem slightly more real and believable. Special effects such as those present in Cast Away were needed to make the movie more intense and interesting. The idea that director Robert Zameckis developed in Cast away around nature being harsh and cruel was enhanced using conflict, acting and special effects. The conflict showed the things that can happen in such an unknown environment. Tom Hanks’ acting showed the pain and the changes that a survivor of such an ordeal would face. The special effects worked to enhance the harshness of the situation. Overall, the movie castaway was a story of disaster, hope, change and survival.

Leadership reflection free essay sample

ThoughtLeading and managing is a vast process in nursing. Leadership is the process of engaged decision making linked with actions taken in the face of complex, unchartered or perilous circumstances present in clinical situations for which no standardized solution exists (Bleich, M. R. , 2011) Description: I would like to share an incident in my nursing experience where one of my colleagues played a leadership role. I was working in the cardio thoracic and vascular surgery intensive care unit (ICU) on an evening shift. It was a large unit in that hospital with 20 beds, and we had 1:1 ratio for nurse and patient. That was a busy day and the ICU was almost full with 18 post operative patients. We 18 nurses were posted in the ICU at that time except shift in-charge. As per the unit policy, there should have been one extra nurse for each shift. However, fortunately or unfortunately, no extra nurse was available on that day. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, all of us were taking care of patients assigned to each of us. Around 1700 hours, the shift in-charge received an urgent call from the operation theatre, informing that the patient who was arriving from the operation room needed immediate attention. Moreover, they were sending the patient within five minutes. Just after listening to the telephone call, the shift in-charge informed everyone in the unit in a loud voice to keep the emergency medications, emergency cart and the defibrillator ready. But half of the team members did not understand why she was shouting. So that, not everyone listen to the message. One of my colleagues and I were at the very end of the unit and so we could only hear that she was shouting for something. I heard some other nurses talking about the phone call, and then I reached the other end of the unit. By that time, the patient already had arrived in the unit. When I reached there, only one staff was standing nearby the patients bed and the rest ran together to take the emergency medicines. In fact, nothing was organized to deal with that emergency situation. Neither the emergency medicines, the cart, nor the defibrillator was ready at the bed side. We all became very nervous and could not concentrate on what we were doing, because of lack of co-ordination and leadership. The patients condition was deteriorating. He was on continuous ventricular tachycardia and was hemodynamically unstable. His ABG showed respiratory alkalosis. The patient was on full code. One of our staff called code team. So, they arrived along with the physician. After receiving the surgeons command, as a team, with the other junior doctors, other nurses, cardiac perfusionist, and the respiratory therapist sincerely tried to retain the life of the patient and somehow we could do that. The time ran away and reached the end of our shift. Till then, no one remembered to inform the family members of the patient. The next day following that incident, the patients wife came to visit the patient and asked about the current condition of the patient and then she came to know about the last days happenings. She got very angry because nobody informed her about the situation, and she complained about the occurrence to our chief surgeon. Due to all these reasons, we were scolded by our chief surgeon. This situation is managed poorly because of poor leadership skills, lack of collaboration, and lack of critical thinking skills. Reflection and Analysis: Initially, I felt I was going to pass out in front of our chief surgeon. Because he was shouting and was really aggressive. My nervousness and fear did not allow me to open my mouth to rationalize the situation. At that time, I was thinking about myself and how could I run away from that situation. I did not think about the patient. Later, I questioned myself about the patient. If we could not restore his life, what would have been happened? How would have his family members cope with the loss? Moreover, the situation might become a life-long stress for me. I might think about the situation till I die. Firstly, when I reflect upon this incident, I have learnt that leadership has an important role in nursing. For instance, if our senior nurse who played the leadership role was knowledgeable about the main components and qualities of a good leader, she would not have done such a mistake in an emergency situation like that. If she knew the basics of leadership, she would have divided the task to each of us in the team. Furthermore, I have learned that a leader should be knowledgeable, able to work within the team, confident and enthusiastic. When I reviewed the leadership styles, I found the democratic leadership style is the best to be applied in nursing. Hibberd Smith (2006) says, The effectiveness of the leadership style is determined by the appropriateness of that style to the environment in which it is being used. In my opinion, a leader in nursing must be an active listener, has the skill to deal with complex / conflicting situations, protective to clients as well as colleagues, be able to convey the correct message to the health care team, be organized in their decisions, be a motivator, and be responsible to their own actions and decisions. Also in an emergency situation, each nurse is a leader. An efficient nurse must have the knowledge, skill, and judgement to manage any emergency situation. Secondly, I realised that there was a lack of communication and collaboration between the team members and the delegation task was not properly arranged. If the team leader was able to communicate the whole message which she received over the phone, we might have overcome that challenging situation in a different way. Also, failure to collaborate added to the improper handling of the situation. Riley, J. B. , (2008) says, Collaboration ensures the benefits of two heads working on a health problem; this is essential because nursing cannot exist in a vacuum. (p. 35). The situation shows a lack of empowerment of the staff by providing the elements such as the correct information on what the situation was about, enough support in the situation, and resources, along with informal/formal power. Finally, critical thinking skill is an important component of good leadership. If our team leader or the staff used their critical thinking power, the outcome of that might have been different. Critical thinkers usually start with inquiring about the current situation. We would have asked our shift in-charge about What? How? When? questions to learn more about the telephone message. Critical thinkers approach problem solutions in a systematic, organized, and goal-directed way when making clinical decisions, Arnold Boggs, (2011). Conclusion and action plan: Having experienced with this situation, I have significantly developed an insight on how such events should be handled. I now feel, if I was in the position of my colleague who played the leadership role, I would have handled the same situation in a better way. I would have informed my colleagues about the telephone message clearly and clarified their doubts. Then, I would have assigned each nurse for each task, and asked for their opinion. Also I would have work with them to meet the goal of stabilizing the emergency situation. However, I have not sufficiently developed my skills in communicating with the health care team using SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) tool. This means that I have to learn more about the communication using SBAR tool in the context of Canadian Health care System. This skill is essential to me as a learner because, I have no experience as a nurse in the Canadian Health care System, and I know that it is totally different from where I have experienced as nurse. As a next step, I need develop a learning goal in order to meet the standards of College of Nurses of Ontario. To put it in a nutshell, a nurse leader has the skills of organizing actions and decisions, as well as their focus should be on the clients well-being. In future, if the same situation occurs in my career, I will be able to manage or handle the situation smoothly without blaming anyone. I am confident that, I can easily adapt to such emergency situations without being nervous. I believe in continuous learning.

Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Example

Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Example Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay 2.2 Stakeholder – Environmentalist 2.2.1 Introduction Environment refers to the surroundings in which living beings live or operate. The environment is thus affected by the operations and activities performed by human beings, directly or indirectly. These activities can be beneficial and/or harmful to the environment. Thus, in order to protect the environment from the activities that can negatively affect it, a special individual or a group that plays a role in protecting the environment is referred to as Environmentalist. The role of environmentalist is highly significant when it comes to the matter of construction of a tourism spot close to a marine body as it has a variety of effects on almost all elements of the environment. The Seaside Mall Construction will have direct and indirect repercussions on the environment of Dubai, which makes it a prime concern for the environmentalist bodies such as Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) and Emirates Environmental Group (EEG). 2.1.2 Impact and Evidence The construction industry will continue to impact the physical environment as long as the industry demands natural resources, and this will assume huge environmental significance with the rapid growth in population and the attendant implications for natural resources (Ebohon and Rwelamila, 2001; Ofori et al., 1999). The construction of a seaside mall can be considered as one of the most debatable scenario. It will be an economical success as it will be a project that will contribute to the economical growth of the nation. But there will be several other consequences of such a project on the environment, which will be a prime concern for the environmentalists and the government as a whole. The seaside construction will lead to negative outcomes like Water Pollution and will cause damage to marine life. There are a large number of sources of water pollution on such construction sites, including diesel and other fossil fuels, paints, and toxic chemicals. Even minor chemical spills can seep into the ground and may enter water bodies through which they can toxify the water and harm aquatic life. More importantly, the construction requirements will require drilling, which is a major contributor to Noise Pollution. This noise pollution will not only affect the residents, but will also affect the marine habitats. Other than the mentioned negative effects, construction can also be considered as a major cause of Air Pollution. Almost all major construction projects result in emitting carbon dioxide, methane and other harmful chemical substances that harm the air and contribute to global climate change. Other effects include operations of heavy machinery during the construction, which also lead to carbon dioxide emissions. Not only during construction, but also after the construction of such a mall, there will be various ways in which it would harm the environment. Sewerage waste, food waste, chemical waste can be dumped into the water bodies during regular running of the mall, thus affecting the water body and harming the marine life. Keeping in mind the â€Å"seaside construction project†, Emma Johnston comments that developments are also taking place in oceans and water bodies creating various problems such as destroying the coral reefs that nourish fisheries and protect the coastline from the harsher impact of the waves, and destabilizing many precious coastal ecosystems such as salt flats and mangroves in the context of Palm Jumeirah. This project will also possess a threat to the ecological chain and will create an imbalance in the ecosystem. This point can be connected to the noise pollution factor. Construction near a coastal location can lead to adverse effects of noise pollution on marine habitants. According to Peng, Zhao, and Liu (2015), â€Å"noise pollution will not only pose a great threat to individual marine organisms but also may affect the composition, and subsequently the health and service functions of the ecosystem. For instance, some studies have shown that anthropogenic noise caused a reduction in the catch rate of some commercial marine species indicating a decrease in the service function of the ecosystem for providing fishery products.† More importantly, building on, or near the sea can also cause natural damages. There are a few reports that highlight that Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah Island is actually sinking, though the government denied such claims. It poses a great threat to the reclaimed land situated in disaster-prone areas. The continuous shaking due to a calamity like earthquake can lead to a process called liquefaction, where the solid land sediments can liquefy. The earthquake in San Francisco of 1906 is a great instance of such a disaster caused by the same reason. 2.1.3 Discussion/Findings After conducting various studies and research, the claim that construction affects the environment negatively is true. There are numerous direct ways in which such a project can affect the environment and degrades it. According to Ivano Iannelli, CEO of the Dubai Carbon, â€Å"Dubai doesnt suffer from air pollution like some of the other metropolises do.† But projects such as construction of a seaside mall can directly contribute to polluting the environment. The government of UAE as a whole would not prefer to hamper the environment in any way. Thus, they will have to keep in mind the effects of such a construction on the environment and the residents. The claims of pollution and also the evidence of the process of liquefaction in San Francisco resulting in an earthquake will make the government consider the effect of such a project on the environment. 2.1.4 Conclusion and Recommendations As conclusion, it is clearly evident that the role of an environmentalist is significant. Based on the research and survey conducted, the construction project causes a huge environmental issue. It affects almost all elements of the environments such as water, air, land, soil and also the living creatures that constitute the surroundings where the construction is taking place. Therefore the municipality should take an action keeping in mind these consequences of such a project. Recommendations:- The Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) has published a number of regulations that have to be adhered in the UAE. These laws address the following areas:- Environmental impact assessments Protection of the marine environment Pollution from land sources Soil protection Protection of air from pollution Handling hazardous substances and wastes Also the municipalities and town planning departments also regulate certain areas including:- Waste management Building regulation Pollution control Water treatment The municipality must make sure that the project authorities adhere to the mentioned regulations and must impose appropriate fines if the project harms the environment in any way.

Naturalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Naturalism - Essay Example From the report it is clear the major theme in the literature of naturalism is that people are destined to any kind of life that the environment, inheritance and social circumstances have prepared for them. Another element that was recurring was the power of emotions which are primitive so as to negate human being’s reasoning. Naturalism takes the world the way it is, for good or sickness. As the study declares a novel for literature is often distinguished by the characteristics and life experiences of the people in the novel. Ironweed is a novel discussing the life of people who were homeless in the city of Albany, discussing about their lives under poverty and depression. The novel basically discusses one major protagonist who is known as Francis. He lived a troubled life full of violence but he longed for the day he will understand himself and change his life. The novel Ironweed is a literature novel which was written by William Kennedy. The setting of the book was during the era of the great depression. The novel talks of a man by the name Francis Phelan who was a drug addict and ended up killing his own son, though it was accidental. He also killed other people who had wronged him since he was filled with anger and could act with violence when a person does something wrong to him. Francis is the main character since the novel talks about his life as an alcohol add ict and the consequences that followed him.

Critical Response of Herzl and Pinsker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Response of Herzl and Pinsker - Essay Example He wanted a Jewish state for the Jews, as if it fell into the very same category. Indeed, the secular approach he championed cleared his ideals of any religious fervor, and left the idea of the Jewish people as something that could only be equated with race and ethnicity. Race also played an important role for Herzl because it defined who the Jews were not. A prime example of this is in the Dreyfus affair, which Herzl does not specifically mention but depends upon because of its historical importance to his audience. Dreyfus was an example of anti-semitism, which Herzl explained was a result of a variety of situations—these being assimilation, success of Jews, and other interactions with Western society. Herzl believed that there was no hope for Jewish assimilation, and this may have contributed to the importance of race in his thinking. Because assimilation was such a problem, race was not just an important factor for Jews, but also was important for non-Jews. The fact that J ews had trouble assimilating into French society, for example, showed that the French race was distinguished from the Jews and thus the religious group was not part of the French racial group. This led to the conclusion that the Jewish people were like a race, separate from European races. Without this establishment of the Jewish people as being racially excluded in Europe, it would be difficult to link the group with Jewish nationalist ideology. After establishing this difference, Herzl could then go on to develop Zionism as a specific nationalistic ideology that exclusively applies to Jews, yet has the same framework as other nationalistic movements that are based off of race and blood. Thus, with no use of religion or language to classify the Jews as a people and a minority, Herzl was left with the concept of race in order to define Jews and bring them together toward a nationalist agenda. In Herzl's writings, the idea of awakening from a sleep as pointed by Anderson in European nationalism is also present in Jewish nationalism. Herzl refers to the history of the Jewish people, and especially stresses that they have a history of weakness which is used a survival strategy. Herzl and Pinsker both discuss the history of the Jewish people, from ancient times to modern times, as one of expulsion and mistreatment. However, these recounts of Jewish history are seen as a point of contrast with what is happening in the modern era, beginning with the hope of Jewish emancipation in Western Europe. The French Revolution, while a great awakening for the Enlightenment movement and for the French people, also showed an example of the Jewish people awakening from not so much a great sleep but a great captivity where they were denied equal status under any governments. Later recognition of their equal status under other states seemed to point to the dawn of a new age. The development of the Jewish state as a solution to the problem of Jewish assimilation and discrimination ushered in a new atmosphere, where Jewish thought suddenly experienced the same sentiment that Anderson mentions. The Jews of Europe underwent an awakening from a deep sleep in their own sense as they began to understand the reason for all their woes and as they began to envision a solution that would bring them out of Europe and into a new land. As Herzl believed that the Jews must be a majority in their own land to finally be emancipated,

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

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 1930s, 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 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 Hardys 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. 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, 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 flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green poolsnorting 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, 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. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong featuresevery 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 Lennies guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he always, and always will, feel that Lennies troubles, Lennies 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. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shouldershe walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his pawshis 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 pairs 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. Lennies simple, cumbersome shape walks always in Georges 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 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. Aint many guys travel togethermaybe everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other. The pressure of the American Dream and the demands of that societys 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 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 Lennies 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 lifes 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 Candys 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 isnt even counted. The 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. This is just a nigger talkinso it dont 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, Lennies innocence wins through, despite Crooks irritation, Crooks scowled, but Lennies 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 pairs 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. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobodya guy gets lonely and he gets sick. As Lennies anger flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isnt 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 doesnt matter any more; and so 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 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 Books aint 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 elses, 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 trios 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 Curleys wife put an end to that, to his open thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again. Crooks stared hopelessly at her, sat downand drew into himselfCrooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no egoEverything that might be hurt drawn ininto the indomitable pride of the Negro. Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curleys 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 Curleys 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 others 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. Curleys 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 isnt 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 Curleys wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another mans 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 hasnt 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 American Dream finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennies 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 Lennies 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 Curleys 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 wasnt 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 Candys words upon his own companion, his pet dog, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt 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 Lennies 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 characters 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, He hasnt 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, She knew she had slyly been called a witch. Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as She milked slightly apart from the rest, as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, their course lay apart from the rest. The truth about Rhoda and Farmer Lodges 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 Rhodas 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 Rhodas advancing years and waning beauty her age is closer to that of Lodges 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 Gertrudes 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 mothers loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curleys 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, 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 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 Lodges 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, 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 doesnt 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. The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas 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 Lodges 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 Gertrudes arm the strange marks, like as that of fingers, upon the flesh and over time they gradually worsen and deteriorate. It looks almost like finger marksas if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh. Gertrudes 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 maids, or a workers, 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. He affected not to believe largely in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappearhe would say lightly, Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon emperhaps 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 Rhodas 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 unseen 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 Rhodas 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. Gertrudes 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 husbands and societys 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 Gertrudes 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 Gertrudes 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 Rhodas 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 Rhodas 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 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. Gertrudes 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 Gertrudes desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardys 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 mothers part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candys 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 Lennies 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 doesnt work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time. Curleys 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 Georges 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 Lennies life to save him from misery. This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldnt 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 everyones 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 Lodges 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.