Loneliness and Dreams in Mice of men Essay

John Steinbeck wrote the novel of Mice and Men during the great depression. During this time there were few jobs which meant people had to migrate in search of jobs. This meant they were constantly moving and could not establish lasting friendships or relationships. Steinbeck portrays the loneliness and hardship felt by people living through the 1930’s American depression. He shows how the dreams of the characters were what helped them survive through this period. In this essay I will discuss the dreams and loneliness of the characters in the novel and how Steinbeck reveals each characters loneliness and dreams. George and Lennie both experience loneliness. Even though they had each other George needed somebody on his wavelength, with his level of maturity because Lennie is like a child and does not think like an adult, he is mentally retarded. One almost gets the feeling that he doesn’t want Lennie for companionship at all when he is talking to Lennie about how he would live without him. † God a ‘mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy.† Page 11 As George carries on talking of his laid back carefree lifestyle he dreams of he progressively gets angrier. It makes the reader wonder why he even stays with Lennie if he feels so overwhelmed with the responsibility of looking out for Lennie. George is a thinker he sees how bitter other men on the ranch have become through their loneliness; George knows that staying with Lennie stops him from being truly lonely. He also has protection from Lennie because he knows he is safe when he has a big guy like Lennie as his friend. Looking out for Lennie gives him a purpose, a reason, a role in his life he gets the satisfaction of knowing he is needed. ‘George fell silent. He wanted to talk.’ Page 41 This quote is from when George talks to Slim. He is happy to have the chance to talk to someone on his level of maturity. As Slim is a good listener and tries to understand the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie doesn’t really experiences loneliness although he needs to pet something, to hold something. He always has George to look after him sees George as a father figure. George instructs him on how to behave and what to do in certain situations. ‘Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached,’ page 9 This quote is taken from when George wants to take a dead mouse away from Lennie who doesn’t want to give it up. It reveals how George has an authority over Lennie. George and Lennie’s dream is to one day own some land. They wish to live on this land and be their own boss. George no longer wants to comply with somebody else’s rules. He wants to have a purpose in working hard on the land because then he will benefit from his hard work. Whereas when working on a ranch he is working hard for somebody else’s profits. Lennie is only interested in tending to the rabbits. He just wants to be able to pet some animals. His dream fits in with George’s it doesn’t matter if he owns the land or not. Curley’s wife’s name is never mentioned she is always referred to as Curley’s wife. Steinbeck never uses her name because the other men see her as belonging to Curley, just another possession of his on the ranch Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch, she married Curley recently and she is still quite young. She is lonely because she has no one to confide in. When she wants to talk to the men she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley. ‘Any you boys seen Curley?’ Pg81 This quote is from when Lennie, Candy and Crooks are in Crook’s room and Curley’s wife comes in. In this chapter we know she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley as a way to talk to the men on the ranch. We know this because, after the men tell her he hasn’t been there she says ‘Think I don’t know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went. ‘ Page 81 She uses this excuse every time she wants to talk to the men but she has shown that she knew exactly where he was this time. She then calls them the weak ones the ‘bunch of bindle stiffs’ but even after that she wishes to talks to them. This is because she is desperate for some company anyone to talk to. She is seen to be a ‘tart’ and ‘jail bait’ by the other men on the ranch, but she still wants to have them for company. Curley’s wife also had dream, she still has, and when she was younger she wanted to be an actress. She says how she could have been famous, rich and happy. † I coulda made somethin’ of myself.’ She said darkly, â€Å"Maybe I will yet.† Pg 93 The fact that she still hopes to fulfil her dream is rather pathetic. Her dream is very unrealistic she will never break free from her unhappy marriage. She has this dream because it is a form of escapism, she can pretend that she is not lonely and that one-day she will not have to live the way she very much dislikes. † I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this.† Pg 93 She reveals her dreams to Lennie when he’s on his own she finds that the men only talk to her when they are on their own. Even when Lennie is on his own he is reluctant to talk to her because of what George has said about her. Crooks is a Negro in a society that considers non-whites as sub-human. He also is partially crippled which does not help when he is living in a society that value people by their ability to provide a service. Because of his race he does not sleep in the same room as the other workers, he lives in the room where he works in and ‘ a manure pile under the window.’ Because of this Crooks spends most of his time on his own leading to a great feeling of loneliness. His only companions are his books and as he has seen people come and go he has acquired more possessions than the others have. His loneliness is revealed when he is talking to Lennie. Lennie is talking to Crooks in his room, telling him about the land they will one day own. † A guy needs somebody-to be near him.† Pg 77 Crooks reads books but because of his colour he has no friend not even somebody on his wavelength. He is on his own every night whereas all the other men share their room in the bunkhouse. Crooks is so overcome with his loneliness that he cannot hope or dream anymore. He doesn’t take any notice of Lennie’s dream because he has heard it all before. â€Å"I seen hundreds of men come by on the road†¦ An’ every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a god-damn one of ’em ever gets it. Pg 78 Although after he hears how this dream could become a reality Crooks is influenced and wants to join in. He later retracts his statement because of the way Curley’s wife treats him. † Well you keep your place, then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† Pg 85 She’s racist and through her body language she shows that she has the authority over him. This is why he no longer wanted to join in with the plan of owning land. Candy is lonely because he has nobody; he only had one companion, which was his dog that he had since the dog was a puppy. Candy was very upset when his dog had to be killed. His loneliness is revealed when Carlson proposes that the dog should be shot. † Why’n’t you shoot him, candy? The old man squirmed uncomfortably.† Pg 47 The thought of Candy’s only companion being shot fills him with dread. The thought is uncomfortable. He tries many times to reason with Carlson and find a way that he can put off the death of his dog. â€Å"Candy said hopefully, ‘you ain’t got a gun.† Pg 50 The only reason he lets his dog die is because he cannot argue with Carlson. Also Slim agreed with Carlson and Slim word is the law in this play, the voice of reason. Candy is so desperate for companionship that he keeps a blind dog that is in pain from dying in a way this is an act of selfishness. Candy listens attentively while George and Lennie are talking about their dream. He offers to buy the land they need to fulfil their dream. â€Å"S’spose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in † Pg 62 Candy is very old, because of the great depression there is no job security and because of this he thinks he will be sacked soon. At this point the dream seems more real to them than it has ever been before. Before it was just a fantasy, some thing to find comfort in, but he could never actually let himself believe it. † They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing,† Pg 64 I think now their dream is more realistic but not realistic enough because George says if Lennie and he don’t spend anything they would have $450 but they are bound to spend something especially when George is interested in going to the cat house. Also the asking price is $600 it will take a lot longer for them to raise that amount of money. The great depression in America had its effect on many of the characters; money was hard to come by. Loneliness is a major theme in the novel Of Mice and Men because many of the characters suffer from this more than anything else. Loneliness kills Curley’s wife, embitters Crooks and candy although Lennie and George put it off through the fact that they have each other for companionship. â€Å"Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world’†¦. Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! Because †¦because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why’ Pg 14 Steinbeck doesn’t offer any answers to the character’s problem of loneliness. Showing the reader a graphic and moving portrayal of how loneliness affects people without providing an antidote or giving a happy ending makes the novel really sad. Lennie and George’s dream brought nothing but pain and grief instead of promised joy and happiness, which ties into the tittle of the book which was taken from a poem titled to a mouse by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. This poem was about how a mouse, which had planned for the winter by making a nest, had its nest ruined by a tractor. George and Lennie planned carefully how they were going to achieve their dream of being free and independent but forces beyond their control shattered their dream. Steinbeck never suggests that dreams should not be had, Lennie and George’s dream was so powerful that Candy was drawn in and for a short time so was the cynical Crooks. This dream was what comforted Lennie and helped George survive. The dreams the characters had had to be had they were what was needed to hold on to, to survive and to work for. This period of time made people bitter because they were lonely, the only person they had to look out for was themselves, kindness had no place on the ranch. They all cried out for love and care but only Lennie openly expressed his need for it through his constant talk of rabbits. Characters like Crooks had become cynical, he had lost hope and he couldn’t dream. At first when Lennie talked of his dream Crooks thought it was another pathetic dream he was beyond imagining how everything could be. Curley’s wife’s dream was rather pathetic and quite unrealistic but it was a form of escapism for her. So she fantasised about her dream coming true but it was her way of coping when she was in an unhappy marriage that she had no way out of. It is sad to think that the loneliness that she was trying to get away from killed her in the end.

Education Analysis Paper

â€Å"The popular notion of what it’s like to teach in urban America is dominated by two extremes† (Michie, 1999, p. xxi). Gregory Michie succeeds admirably in rendering his teaching experiences in the complicated reality between two extremes in his book Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students. Many people hear about the horror stories, portrayed by the media mainly, that schools in urban America are nothing short of chaos; uneducated and uninterested kids. Then there are other stories that are rarely heard of, about the one teacher who makes the difference in such a school. Michie’s account in his book skillfully avoids the simplification either extreme would demand. Holler if You Hear Me touches on a variety of the fundamental challenges of teaching: classroom discipline, teacher frustration, racial and ethnic differences, student apathy, relationships with students and with other teachers, and the list goes on. Throughout the book, Michie balances his tales of struggle with moments of joyous success. Not surprisingly, the successes are often related to the development of deeper connections between teacher and student. This aspect is so detrimental to the educational system. As teachers we need to make that connection with our students. To not do so would be taking away from their experience as a student as well as ours as teachers. Isn’t this why we teach to begin with? This goal may seem high considering you have to add on top of curriculum, standards, rowdy students, the personal connection of teacher and student. It may seem this way, but if it’s not set, then everything else does not seem worth the trouble at all. Esme Codell states my beliefs on this topic beautifully: â€Å"The goal is not necessarily to succeed but to keep trying, to be the kind of person who has ideas and sees them through† (Codell, 1999, p. 5). I may not succeed in reaching every student I teach, but if the effort is made on my part, if I set this goal and try to see it through, then at least I know I did not give up. There are so many situations that Michie was in where I felt he should just let it go, don’t try because it’s not going to work out, especially so in the story where Reggie was attacked by a local police officer, but he didn’t (Michie, 1999, p. 46). As I was thinking about this, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of seeing this man brought to justice, although in the end he wasn’t. Michie wasn’t even there, but he knew if something wasn’t done, this would affect the way Reggie grew up and viewed life. It is this kind of dedication that inspires me to keep going to classes and writing papers. I want to help students to see our world in a different light. Joel Spring stated in his book, American Education, â€Å"the school will continue to be used in efforts to solve social, political, and economic problems† (Spring, 2004). The purpose of public schooling is to prepare today’s children for tomorrow’s problems. It is important not only to teachers and students, but also to the community as a whole. If the communities where these children are being raised see the teachers that teach their kids really do care, the implications are endless. Things could change, especially so for urban American communities. I know these are high hopes, but again, if I don’t set them, how will I even begin to see them through. Being a teacher means I must strive to connect with my students. I have to see beyond my basic responsibilities as a teacher and bring the students to the fore-front of my life. It is the little moments of success that will bring such a connection to our relationships with our students. â€Å"It’s a teachable moment that got away, just one of many that I’ve knowingly let slip through my fingers† (Michie, 1999, p. 102). Michie presents his victories with a genuine modesty that comes from the experience of other, less effective teaching moments, but these moments are not always successful. Michie’s reported mistakes and difficulties are some of the most instructive parts of the book. As a prospective teacher, I have to understand the reality of life that not all teachable moments are going to be seen through. Sometimes they are lost and Michie has opened my eyes to such an existence. The only difference is that I hope I do not â€Å"knowingly† allow this to happen. At times, though, I wanted to hear even more introspection from the author about the reasoning behind his actions or why he thinks a particular moment worked well or did not work at all. It was frustrating when there was no follow up on something as important as â€Å"a teachable moment being lost† (Michie, 1999, p, 102). It is apathy such as this that makes going into the teaching field frustrating. The Corridor of Shame is a prime example of a cold detachment of interest. Nobody really cares for the students who live out there along the highway, but who is suffering? The students are. Do people even know what’s going on in our state? I didn’t until I watched this film. What kind of message is this sending to our nation? What’s behind the motives of leaving schools such as these left out to die? Politics? Hidden agendas? Who knows? What is important is that we ask these questions and put forth an effort to find the answers. We need to find out why teachers, administrators, parents, etc. allow schools to be lost. Essentially these schools are if you think about it. A school that is neglected is an entire lifetime of teachable moments being lost. Holler If You Hear Me contains powerful stories of Michie’s first years as a teacher in public elementary and middle schools on Chicago’s South Side. Each chapter begins with a story told by Michie, followed by the reflections of one of his former students who were at the fore-front of each story. Michie’s purpose in this alternating format is to â€Å"shed light on the education of a teacher† and â€Å"to allow space for my students to speak their minds, tell their stories, raise their voices† (Michie, 1999, p. xxi). I really enjoyed these first-person reflections because it made Michie’s students come alive for me regardless of how insightful and caring the author’s descriptions might be. It was different and refreshing. As I was reading this book, I was able to empathize as well as sympathize with both teacher and student. This type of narration allowed me to see past the words written and see the person behind the font. Since Michie’s book does not follow one classroom or group of students throughout its entirety, the student reflections serve to deepen my understanding of certain students but also to encourage me to wonder about the future lives of each student that Michie mentions. This part was actually where I was disappointed. I felt that I was ‘left hanging,’ there was no resolution. Some of the stories did not need this, but I felt that if he thought the student’s story was significant enough to be talked about, then he should have let us readers have a clue as to how they ended up. Michie’s concern for and commitment to his students shines in Holler If You Hear Me, and his questioning, wonderment, frustration, passion, and humor pulled me along this journey of embodied education. Michie was in fact the miracle-worker that no one hears about in a world where chaos is synonymous with life in general for those who went to school in urban Chicago. Although he lived in such extreme realities, his ability to clearly display his experiences in no way was diminished in his book. While many of the issues raised are familiar, Michie’s book is one of ordinary inspiration that will appeal to both teachers and students. Works Cited Codell, E. (1999). Educating esme: Diary of a teacher’s first years. In A. S. Canestrari & B. A. Marlowe (Eds. ) Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings (pp. 3-7). Sage Publications. Michie, G. (1999). Holler if you hear me: The education of a teacher & his students. New York: Teachers College Press. Documentary from class: Corridors of Shame Handout from class: Joel Spring: The Purposes of Public Schooling

Article Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article Summaries - Essay Example Although different nations have varying prices, measuring their GDPs require the use of same prices (Charles and Klenow 7-9). The authors used Rawls prowess in economics calculate life expectancy, inequality, and other welfare components (Charles and Klenow 10-11). In constructing welfare over time, Charles and Klenow compared how Rawls valued living in the same country but in different years. Using figure 4 and table 3, they correlated welfare and income growth, as well as, displaying a summary of statistics of the same. Between 1980 and 2000, the US has registered an income average growth of 2.04% (Charles and Klenow 23-25). The researchers had to make a number of a number of assumptions from the Rawls utility functions. They checked the robustness of their calculations using alternative specifications of utility and welfare measures. The alternatives they used held up well to account for the differences between income and welfare (Charles and Klenow 29-34) They used various sources of data to perform their calculations. Consumption, as well as, income data for macro calculations was sourced from the Penn World Tables and life expectancy data from the World Bank’s HNPStats database. In addition, the inequality data was sourced from the UNU-WIDER World Income Database (Charles and Klenow 12-15). The micro data was of immense importance because it analyzed working hours and consumption rate for adults and older children in households. The data collected from the Household Survey enabled the researchers to calculate consumption inequality rather than creating assumptions from the income inequality (Charles and Klenow 38-41). The researchers, in particular, found out that the living standards of Western European were 71% for income and 90% for welfare compared to the U.S. This is because people in these countries live long, have equal consumption

Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Conflict Management - Essay Example Individual conflict can also occur because of his different positions and roles with the organization. The individual can also create conflict within himself if there are too many ambiguities contained in his position. Therefore there are a number of reasons for conflicts, which an individual experiences within the confinement of his job duties. All conflicts are basically inter-personnel conflicts because most of the conflicts involve conflict between a person in one organization or a group and another person in other organization or a group. Inter-personnel conflict can be presented in terms of different levels of obstruction. Inter-personnel conflict may lead to delay in decision-making or may arise either due to distortion in the structure form or because of the complexity of individual needs. Inter-personnel conflict has the tendency to resolve itself because of the conflicting parties are not able to continue in a tense situation for a very long time. Time is the healing factor for interpersonal conflicts. It is the time factor, which normally helps to resolve interpersonal conflicts. In inter-organizational conflicts, the external environment like social institutions, group dynamism, and culture of the group and government policies plays an important role. Cont1icts are not evil but the art of the natural order. Conflicts are because of the generational gap. Managers must try to live with the conflict. If the conflict is properly handled, it can be constructive in achieving the results. It can act as a stimulus; it may be a challenge and motivational force to

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Mabeche Company - Term Paper Example Although with the tricky operating surroundings, particularly throughout the summer of the year 2013 and rising competition in the segment, the Mabeche Group was competent to attain remarkable financial outcomes that reflect positively on the company’s on-going revolution schemes and strong routine from our entire auxiliary in the region. The revolution plan initiated by the director’s board in the financial year is yielding incredibly fine results for the company’s dealings and transactions. The chief focal point of the plan is to amplify business yield, improve innovational activities, improve quality of clients’ service and raise the company’s market shareholding. The good results were anchored on multiplied market share, robust performance from all regional businesses and therefore the reduction in the company’s cost to the financial gain magnitude and attributable to improved efficiencies in our operations.The accountant and the bookkeep ers normally set up the annual and monthly financial reports and statements for distribution to the manager in charge of operations. The reports and statements include: income statement, balance sheet, and expenses budgeted report for every program in the company’s dealings, accounts receivable register, accounts owed register, cash flow projection, and other requested and related reports (Greuning, 2006). Periodic and annual financial reports will be delivered to the Committee of Finance and of Directors Board for review and endorsement.

Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment 2 - Essay Example This is the key to successful improvement. Consequently, this will call for integration of the arts in the curriculum. It was also found that the norms of interactions and communications in a classroom are very different from those to which students have been accustomed and this is why they may experience confusion and anxiety. Furthermore, they find it difficult in paying complete attention in the classroom. They also struggles to seek the teacher's attention or participate in discussions. Therefore, it is inherent to create culturally compatible learning environments. Moreover, there is also a need for encouragement of active participation of parents or guardians.   Strategies 1. Integrate the arts in the curriculum One of the important strategies is engaging students in arts activities which encourage dialogue in issues that are important to them. These make the students alive. Moreover, providing opportunities for students to express themselves through the visual and performing arts enable them to learn and develop their talents and multiple intelligences. Such intelligences are not only in verbal and mathematical form rather they are visual, spatial, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences (Gardner, 1983). Students benefit from being encouraged to make sense of their world and their relationships through drawing and painting graphic images. Students who are ‘encouraged’ are able to use their imaginations. They take time to elicit their interpretations of visual arts through open-ended questions and these are significantly valuable for them. These conversations enable students to understand, as they listen to other classmates and the multitude of interpretations that are possible when viewing the same work of art. DeMoss and Morris (2002) investigated the question of how the arts support cognitive growth in students. They interviewed 30 students from 10 classes in CAPE schools that are led by veteran teacher/artist partnership s. They found significant increases in the ability of the students to analytically assess the learning of their own. These students belong to different achievement levels and the results were found in case of arts-integrated units. However, in case of traditional instructional experiences, no such benefits were reported. (2002, p. 1). In addition, DeMoss and Morris documented these benefits of CAPE. â€Å"Observations of final performances in the arts-integrated units corroborated students' own assessments. Students who had difficulties controlling their behavior and staying on task performed their parts in final events with seriousness and competency. †¦ As students across the board indicated in their interviews, the kinds of activities that the arts provide do engage children more deeply in their learning by creating an intrinsic responsibility for the learning activities. This finding held particularly true for those children hardest to reach by traditional approaches.† (pp. 20–21) â€Å"In this case, the arts contributed to analytically deeper, experientially broader, and psychologically more rewarding learning. These developments could have significant positive effects on students' general cognitive growth over time, particularly if students experience arts-integrated learning in their classrooms on a regular basis.† (p. 24) A more recent study demonstrating the benefits of integrating visual arts in

Information about the wine region of bordeaux Essay

Information about the wine region of bordeaux - Essay Example This made Aquitaine property of England and gave rise to export of the wine to England for the pleasure of King Henry. This brought about the discovery of Bordeaux in Britain making the marriage a significant event to the history of the region as trade increased (â€Å"Bordeaux Wine History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Generally, Bordeaux refers to three things a French city where its name loosely translates to ‘edge of water’ and had a population of about 250,000 in 2008, a region estimated to be 1075 square kilometers and a class of wines. The vineyards within the area extend over 113,000 hectares of land. Wine production in the area was begun for consumption by the Roman soldiers that were posted at the banks of the Garonne River. There are two major group varieties of Bordeaux red and white where the red wine group includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec. The white wine group comprises Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon, where the first two are produced from the white Graves’ grapes. For the red category, Sauvignon Cabernet produced using the grapes of the Medoc or Graves and Merlot from the St Emilion. Whilst living in France between 1784 and 1789, Thomas Jefferson then Minister to France, went around Bordeaux collecting wines that included Medoc, Graves and Sauternes (Swaney and Limburg). The Bordeaux wines came into existence at a period when there were more well-known wines from Gaillac and Bergerac, eastern of Bordeaux. The local winemakers and merchants of the Bordeaux wine region made sure their wines on board of the ships headed to England before allowing those from the South West region that is Bergerac and Gaillac through. Another significant attribute of wine production in Bordeaux is that it was brought about by merchants, contrary to other regions in France where it was under the control of monks. Wines from areas such as Medoc were produced from the 17th century, as before that such

The Things They Carried Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

The Things They Carried - Essay Example The Vietnam War sparked off or gave birth to a burst of literary talent that ranged from fiction to non- fiction and which was mostly written by the very people who had served the country with their lives on the wars frontline. The stories that were written were cathartic in nature as it was more personal and contained pain and emotional outrage. One such touching story was penned by Tim O’Brien and was titled – â€Å"The Things They carried. The book mirrors a series of short stories gleaned from the lives of the soldiers, who were at the epicenter of this whirlpool of pain, disillusionment and war. O’Brien deftly moves in and out from the past to the present giving a vivid description of the misery of the people and the destruction that this war had caused. â€Å"The Things They carried† is a graphic representation of an emotionally charged scenario of the senseless and heartless war that took place in Vietnam of O’Brien was a part of and hence had first hand knowledge of the painful happenings. In the author’s own words - â€Å"I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why the story truth is truer sometimes than happening truth† (203). The main idea differently presented throughout the book, is that the real truth is sometimes vague to be represented literary. As an author the events are sometimes recreated, but that does not make them less true. In that matter, the truth of war is especially applied in this context. Though various excerpts from the text can be interpreted in a way that can contribute to that truth, a specific event repeatedly mentioned through the book is taken into consideration, which is the death of Kiowa whose story is related many times to emphasize the fact of truth.

Sophocles` Oedipus The King And Shakespeare`S Othello Essay Example for Free

Sophocles` Oedipus The King And Shakespeare`S Othello Essay Greek literature was rich in dramas and tragic heroes.  The main rules for defining the real tragic hero were summarized and sharply distinguished by Aristotle; he worked out six important characteristics for the true tragic hero: hamartia, hubris, anagnorisis, peripeteia, nemesis and catharsis; hamartia – a serious mistake, which is the main reason of downfall of the hero, this mistake is often made because of hubris – extreme pride, after the downfall the hero learns a lesson or makes a discovery this is defined by the notion anagnorisis, reversal of fortune is called peripeteia, nemesis means some circumstances, which the hero could not avoid, practically his fate. Aristotle, 13). The last one – catharsis – denotes the feeling of fear and pity experienced by the audience; in closing this should be a person who is â€Å"between these extremes . . . a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation (Aristotle, 18). Guided by the above-mentioned instructions we are going to analyze two famous plays: Sophocles’s Oedipus the king and Shakespeare’s Othello, namely their main heroes. Both Oedipus and Othello are tragic heroes. They both show signs of hubris, yet they have admirable qualities that have raised them to the position they have. In fact, their very strengths are also their weaknesses. Most critics consider Oedipus the perfect example of tragic hero. Indeed if to evaluate the correspondence of Oedipus to the characteristics of Aristotle he meets all the parameters. His nobility is out of question, as he was born in a royal family, although raised by adoptive parents, who were also the King and Queen of Corinth, and finally, when he managed to solve the riddle of Sphinx, he got the dominion over the city. Shakespeare’s Othello is also a tragic hero and also corresponds to the Aristotle’s characteristics. Othello, as well as Oedipus, had to come through pride, fatal mistake and self-destruction. Othello is a noble man and an outstanding military leader. But in reality his greatness was combined with his weakness: on the one hand he was brave and intelligent, on the other hand he was somewhat passive and fell under the influence and allowed Iago manipulate him. Oedipus’s hubris could be seen in his desire to prove to his city that he was able to solve the mystery and save the citizens from the plague. Besides he was rather self -assured, which can be confirmed by his own words in the opening lines of the prologue, when he states Here I am myselfyou all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. (Sophocles, 11). Oedipus had every reason to believe that he was a prominent personality and he wanted to support his high status for his subordinates, in this way his strength unexpectedly for him turned into his weak side. Hamartia of Oedipus is very important and sophisticated. His tragic flows rooted from his lack of knowledge about his true identity, but he could not be responsible for his flow as he was not able to change anything with his actions. In fact, Oedipus didn’t make any mistakes, he suffered the consequences of somebody else’s old mistake in the past. Actually the peripetea is closely related to hamartia of Oedipus, as the bad fortune followed the hero from his very birth. Othello’s hamartia or downfall, when she killed his beloved wife, was the result of his hubris – he was so much afraid that his pride could be hurt in case of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness that he didn’t even stop to think whether all the Iago’s arguments were correct or not – â€Å"Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago† (Shakespeare, 8). Moreover he preferred to trust Iago instead of listening to his wife. In this case such virtue as trust turned out to have a destructing force for the hero. In contrast to Oedipus Othello could avoid his tragic flow, if only his reaction to the words of Iago were different. Catharsis of the audience is characterized by very profound emotions and feelings of sympathy towards Oedipus, when he instead of committing suicide, chose terrible tortures for himself. When Oedipus realized what had happened to him in reality, he said: Oh, oh, then everything has come out true. Light, I shall not look on you Again. I have been born where I should not be born, I have been married where I should not marry, I have killed whom I should not kill; now all is clear (Sophocles, 32). Being blind he belonged neither to this word nor to the other word, thus his suffering was not finished even at the end of the play. No doubts, that the audience experienced sympathy and pity for Othello after his murder. The realization of his awful deed hurt Othello deeply, but as distinct from Oedipus he chose suicide. Overall, both heroes Othello and Oedipus could be referred to as classical examples of Aristotle’s tragic hero. They are both very strong and outstanding personalities, noble and fair; after getting their high positions they however developed such features as obstinacy, self-assurance, mightiness. Both of them took wrong decisions and became the victims of their fatal mistakes, which finally transformed their strengths into their weak points and led to tragic finals.

What Is Adaptation Essay Example for Free

What Is Adaptation Essay Adaptation in common sense is a system reaction of organism which provides possibility of all kinds of social activity and vital functions. In other sources we can find a definition that adaptation is totality of reactions of live system, which supports its functional stability in the process of changes in conditions of environment. It can be also called plastic accommodation of internal changes to external changes as well. Processes of adaptation are directed at supporting of stability inside of organism and between organism and environment and are connected with self-preservation of functional level of self-regulated system and with choice of functional strategy of achievement the aim. By psychical adaptation we understand continuous process of active adaptation for human psychics to conditions of physical and social environment which surrounds him, and also the result of this process. To describe the process of adaptation we use also term â€Å"adaptation abilities†. Psychical adaptation include level of factual adjustment of a person, level of his social status and self-feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction by himself and his life. Sensory adaptation is explained by change in ability to react at changes in environment with help of sensory system, basing at the average level of stimuli, which surrounds us. For example, we feel the temperature of water as cold for the first several minutes, and later we find it not so cold, although temperature didn’t change: it is at the same level, but our organism was adapted to this temperature and our receptors found this temperature as â€Å"normal†. It is adaptation. When we are in perfume shop and smelling different kinds of perfumes, our nose looses it sensitiveness after change of several smells – we actually feel odors but we are adapted to them and we are unable to tell the difference between them.   When we walk in the evening, our eyes are gradually adapt to darkness, and while the sun sets, we can see in the darkness – but when we go out from room with bright light into the darkness, it takes time to adapt to darkness after change of exposure. Sensory systems are nervous mechanisms, which serve as receivers of signals, informing about changes in environment, which surrounds the subject (extroreception) and in his organism (intrareception). We got used to distinguish five main external sensory systems, which receive sensory information: cutaneous sensitiveness (touch), sight, smell, taste, and hearing. These senses present out basis of knowledge about environment. In fact, we have more of these systems (only cutaneous sensitiveness causes sense of cold, pressure, hot, pain, etc). Sensory systems consist of receptors, nervous conductors and nerve centers. Each sensory system provides sensation which is peculiar to it only.