Still More Words That Turn on the Root Vert

Still More Words That Turn on the Root Vert Still More Words That Turn on the Root Vert Still More Words That Turn on the Root Vert By Mark Nichol Two recent posts (here and here) dealt with many of the English words based on the Latin verb vertere, meaning â€Å"turn,† focusing on those based on the root vert. This follow-up post defines some additional words in the vertere family: those with the root vers. Versus (abbreviated vs. or, in legal contexts, v.) comes directly from the Latin adverb meaning â€Å"so as to face† and means â€Å"against† or â€Å"in contrast to.† As a Latin noun, versus meant â€Å"furrow† or â€Å"row,† alluding to how a plow was turned at the end of each row, and later acquired the sense of a line and a line of writing, hence verse. That word pertains to a line of metrical writing, a poem in particular or poetry in general, a stanza (one of two or more sections of a poem) or a similar segment of a song, or a brief division of the Bible. Interestingly, an antonym of verse in the sense of â€Å"poetry,† prose, which refers to more loosely structured forms of writing that resemble speech- and to ordinary written and spoken language or, pejoratively, something dull or ordinary (described with the adjective prosaic and the adverb prosaically)- is a contraction of proversus, meaning â€Å"turned forward.† Prose itself functions also as an adjective (as in â€Å"prose poem,† referring to a hybrid form of writing) and as a verb. Verso (â€Å"the page being turned†) means â€Å"left-hand page† or â€Å"reverse side of a page.† (The opposite term is recto.) â€Å"Vice versa,† taken directly from Latin, means â€Å"with the order turned.† Versatile (from versatilis, meaning â€Å"able to or capable of turning† or â€Å"operated by turning†) usually describes being able to turn from one thing to another, such as two distinct skills, or having variability or various applications; such a quality is called versatility. In biology, it describes free movement of an appendage or segment of an animal or plant. Version, borrowed directly from the medieval Latin verb meaning â€Å"act of turning,† refers to a variation of a description of something or a type of something, and in medicine pertains to an organ of the body turned from its normal position or to the turning of a fetus during childbirth to facilitate delivery. Anniversary literally means â€Å"year turning† and describes a recurrence of a date, whether annual or on some other scale, or refers to a celebration of such a date. Adverse, which literally means â€Å"turn against,† refers to an action or attitude that is harmful, hostile, or unfavorable; an adversary is an enemy or opponent. Malversation, literally â€Å"bad turn,† pertains to corruption or a corrupt government administration. Obverse (literally, â€Å"turned toward†) means â€Å"facing† or â€Å"opposite† but also describes something wider at the top than at the base. Transverse means â€Å"placed across† or pertains to something so positioned, while traverse means â€Å"travel across or over,† â€Å"move or pass along or through,† â€Å"examine,† or â€Å"survey†; in legal contexts, it means â€Å"deny† or â€Å"oppose.† As a noun, it describes a course or crossing or other movement, or an obstacle or something that crosses. Universe, from universus, meaning â€Å"whole,† describes, in contexts ranging from astronomy to philosophy, the entirety of existence or experience, or something similarly comprehensive or of great quantity; the adjectival form is universal, and the noun describing the quality or state of comprehensiveness is universality. The related term university, derived from the Latin phrase universitas magistrorum et scholarium (essentially, â€Å"community of teachers and scholars†), refers to an institution of higher learning, often composed of several colleges, schools, or other divisions. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsCapitalization Rules for Names of Historical Periods and MovementsIs "Number" Singular or Plural?

Battle of Stoney Creek in the War of 1812

Battle of Stoney Creek in the War of 1812 The Battle of Stoney Creek was fought June 6, 1813, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Having conducted a successful amphibious landing on the Lake Ontario side of the Niagara Peninsula in late May, American forces succeeded in capturing Fort George. Slowly pushing west after the retreating British, U.S. troops encamped on the night of June 5-6, 1813. Seeking to regain the initiative, the British launched a night attack that resulted in the enemy retreating and the capture of two American commanders. The victory led Major General Henry Dearborn to consolidate his army around Fort George and largely ended the American threat on the peninsula. Background On May 27, 1813, American forces succeeded in capturing Fort George on the Niagara frontier. Having been defeated, the British commander, Brigadier General John Vincent, abandoned his posts along the Niagara River and withdrew west to Burlington Heights with around 1,600 men. As the British retreated, the American commander, Major General Henry Dearborn, consolidated his position around Fort George. A veteran of the American Revolution, Dearborn had become an inactive and ineffective commander in his old age. Ill, Dearborn was slow to pursue Vincent. Finally organizing his forces to chase Vincent, Dearborn delegated the task to Brigadier General William H. Winder, a political appointee from Maryland. Moving west with his brigade, Winder halted at Forty Mile Creek as he believed the British force was too strong to attack. Here was joined by an additional brigade commanded by Brigadier General John Chandler. Senior, Chandler assumed overall command of the American force which now numbered around 3,400 men. Pushing on, they reached Stoney Creek on June 5 and encamped. The two generals established their headquarters at the Gage Farm. Scouting the Americans Seeking information on the approaching American force, Vincent dispatched his deputy assistant adjutant general, Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey, to scout the camp at Stoney Creek. Returning from this mission, Harvey reported that the American camp was poorly guarded and that Chandlers men were badly positioned to support each other. As a result of this information, Vincent decided to move forward with a night attack against the American position at Stoney Creek. To execute the mission, Vincent formed a force of 700 men. Though he traveled with the column, Vincent delegated operational control to Harvey. Battle of Stoney Creek Conflict: War of 1812Date: June 6, 1813Armies Commanders:AmericansBrigadier General William H. WinderBrigadier General John Chandler1,328 men (engaged)BritishBrigadier General John VincentLieutenant Colonel John Harvey700 menCasualties:Americans: 17 killed, 38 wounded, 100 missingBritish: 23 killed, 136 wounded, 52 captured, 3 missing The British Move Departing Burlington Heights around 11:30 p.m. on June 5, the British force marched east through the darkness. In an effort to maintain the element of surprise, Harvey ordered his men to remove the flints from their muskets. Approaching the American outposts, the British had the advantage of knowing the American password for the day. Stories regarding how this was obtained vary from Harvey learning it to it being passed on the British by a local. In either case, the British succeeded in eliminating the first American outpost they encountered. Advancing, they approached the former camp of the U.S. 25th Infantry. Earlier in the day, the regiment had moved after deciding that the site was too exposed to attack. As a result, only its cooks remained at the campfires making meals for the following day. Around 2:00 a.m., the British were discovered as some of Major John Nortons Native American warriors attacked an American outpost and noise discipline was broken. As the American troops rushed to battle, Harveys men re-inserted their flints as the element of surprise had been lost. Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813. Public Domain Fighting in the Night Situated on high ground with their artillery on Smiths Knoll, the Americans were in a strong position once they had regained their poise from the initial surprise. Maintaining a steady fire, they inflicted heavy losses on the British and turned back several attacks. Despite this success, the situation began to quickly deteriorate as the darkness caused confusion on the battlefield. Learning of a threat to the American left, Winder ordered the U.S. 5th Infantry to that area. In doing so, he left the American artillery unsupported. As Winder was making this error, Chandler rode to investigate firing on the right. Riding through the darkness, he was temporarily removed from the battle when his horse fell (or was shot). Hitting the ground, he was knocked out for some time. Seeking to regain the momentum, Major Charles Plenderleath of the British 49th Regiment gathered 20-30 men for an attack on the American artillery. Charging up Gages Lane, they succeeded in overwhelming Captain Nathaniel Towsons artillerymen and turning the four guns on their former owners. Returning to his senses, Chandler heard fighting around the guns. Unaware of their capture, he approached the position and was quickly taken prisoner. A similar fate befell Winder a short time later. With both generals in enemy hands, command of the American forces fell to cavalryman Colonel James Burn. Seeking to turn the tide, he led his men forward but due to the darkness mistakenly attacked the U.S. 16th Infantry. After forty-five minutes of confused fighting, and believing the British to have more men, the Americans withdrew east. Aftermath Concerned that the Americans would learn the small size of his force, Harvey retreated west into the woods at dawn after carrying off two of the captured guns. The next morning, they watched as Burns men returned to their former camp. Burning excess provisions and equipment, the Americans then retreated to Forty Mile Creek. British losses in the fighting numbered 23 killed, 136 wounded, 52 captured, and three missing. American casualties numbered 17 killed, 38 wounded, and 100 captured, including both Winder and Chandler. Retreating to Forty Mile Creek, Burn encountered reinforcements from Fort George under Major General Morgan Lewis. Bombarded by British warships in Lake Ontario, Lewis became concerned about his supply lines and began retreating towards Fort George. Having been shaken by the defeat, Dearborn lost his nerve and consolidated his army into a tight perimeter around the fort. The situation worsened on June 24 when an American force was captured at the Battle of Beaver Dams. Angered by Dearborns repeated failures, Secretary of War John Armstrong removed him on July 6 and dispatched Major General James Wilkinson to take command. Winder would later be exchanged and commanded American troops at the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814. His defeat there allowed British troops to capture and burn Washington, DC.

Failed business innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Failed business innovation - Essay Example However, not all innovations are successful. Some of the innovations after their launch fail due to a number of reasons that are inherent to their development. When an innovation fails, the companies may quit innovating or revise its strategies. For most innovators, failure acts as a trigger to innovate further. These innovators get better ideas from their failed experiments and in most cases, the innovations come out successful (Dalal, n.d.). Failure and success occurs to both big and small businesses. How a business whether big or small deals with the outcome, determines how successful it can be in its innovation. An example of a failed business innovation is the COMET jet passenger liner. COMET jet passenger liner known as the de Havilland Comet 1 was the first jet airliner in the history of air transport. The jet airliner entered into service in the year 1952 on May 2. The jet airliner served the routes between London and Johannesburg. The launch and commercialization of de Havilland Comet was done in 1952. Before its launch, the Comet was put under extensive series of flight tests that included tropical operations, overseas flights and high altitude takeoffs. The test flights amounted to 500 hours of proving flights and flight crew training. Having satisfactorily completed the tests, the Comet jet airliner was given a go ahead to start its operations. The inauguration of the de Havilland Comet jet airliner commercial services between London and Johannesburg, and Singapore and Tokyo was done by the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The start of the commercial services was successful utilizing only 23.5 hours for the trip between London and Johannesburg instead of the normal 40 hours that a normal aircraft utilizes. The hours used were inclusive of the refueling stops in Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe and Livingstone. This was the start of the jet airline evolution and the

Strategic Initiatives Required of easyJet plc to maintain its Dominant Dissertation

Strategic Initiatives Required of easyJet plc to maintain its Dominant Market Share in the United Kingdom - Dissertation Example The venture failed, being squeezed out by the established airlines, but the concept remained and was revived in the 1980s, when deregulation in the airline industry in the U.S.A. witnessed Southwest airlines using this strategy to gain dominance in the domestic market. Liberalization in the airline market by the European Commission resulted in this concept reviving in the European sector in the 1990s. Consequently, â€Å"no frills airlines† sprung up by the mid-1990s in the United Kingdom and began dominating the European Market. easyJet came into being in 1995 as the brainchild of the Cypriot businessman Stelios Haji Ioannou, having a background steeped in the shipping industry. The early days of easyJet did not witness much success in proving to be a profitable venture. However, between the period 1998 to 2002 easyJet demonstrated the hunger and drive for larger market share and profitability through an impressive record of raising its 77 million pound turnover and 5.9 milli on pound profitability to 582 million pound turnover and 71.6 million pound profitability over this period. Strategic initiatives in the form of mergers and acquisitions of competitors and brand extension resulted in easyJet rising to a dominant market position in the United Kingdom market (Homer & Swarbrooke, 2004). ... Such a study would add to the body of knowledge of strategic management, providing insight into sustaining competitive advantage. 3. Literature Review easyJet has its headquarters in Luton England, providing direct employment to 7,300 people that include 1,900 pilots and 4,300 cabin crew. It has revolutionized the manner in which people in Europe travel for business or for pleasure. It has led the way in utilizing the Internet as means of providing convenience in ticketing and quick dissemination of information. It operates on more than 540 routes in Europe with its 196 aircraft. In 2010 it carried fifty million passengers. It has strong market positions in key markets in Europe. It holds the dominant position at Gatwick, Milan and Geneva and is a strong contender in Paris (easyJet plc, 2011). The business and financial highlights of easyJet for the year 2010 shows a total revenue of 2,973.1 million pounds, profit before tax of 154.0 million pounds, return on equity of 8.6% and retur n on capital of 8.8%. easyJet has demonstrated continuing growth, with passenger numbers up by 7.9% and total revenue per seat up by 5.1% (easyJet plc, 2011). With the passing of each year easyJet’s market position in the European short haul aviation sector has only grown stronger. In the first half of 2010 it increased its market share from 6.5% to 7.6% (easyJet plc, 2010). easyJet has demonstrated how to use the resource based model to attain competitive edge and success in the business world. In its initial days it imitated this business model used by Southwest Airlines of U.S.A. which was characterized by use of one type of aircraft, the Boeing 737; catering to short haul needs; no

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay I have completed a full investigation of your organization, The Lemon Tree, regarding issues that have arisen which have caused dissonance with the equal employment opportunity laws. To begin with, there have been specific incidents that have been properly documented that have clearly violated the Title VII laws of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Two of your managers from different departments of your corporation have infringed upon certain rights of the Title VII Civil Rights Act. To begin with, an infringement of the harassment policy under Title VII was violated by the heads of two distinct research departments. Firstly, it has been noted that the manager, Paul Peel, had harassed the employee, Peter Dragon, regarding the issue of drug use. During my investigation, I had come to realize that Mr. Peter Dragon did have past occurrences of drug use that your company had discovered via drug testing. However, I have also took into consideration that he had passed the majority of the drug tests and the ones in which he failed on were due to traces of various chemicals that Mr. Dragon was exposed to during his daily work tasks. Moreover, I have also considered the fact that your company had financially sponsored Mr. Dragon to spend time in a drug rehabilitation center to cure him of his drug addiction. Furthermore, the doctor in charge of Mr. Dragon at the rehabilitation center had advised that he had been fully cured from his addiction.

Murder for Hire Essay -- Abortion

Every year in January, protestors line the streets of Washington D.C. with signs that boldly exclaim, â€Å"Abortion is Murder†, â€Å"Right to Life†, and â€Å"Pro-Life.† The March for Life protest attracts approximately one quarter of a million people from across the country annually to demonstrate their disdain for abortion. Ever since the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade in 1973, Americans and lawmakers alike remain in constant dispute over the moral and legal issues of early pregnancy termination. Those opposed to abortion strongly believe that abortion negates the "Right to Life," and they consider it as morally reprehensible. On the other hand, pro-choice supporters debate that such statements merely embody religious beliefs and values. Pro-abortionists argue that the right to an abortion lies solely with the pregnant woman. Regardless of the endless tirades and diatribes from pro-choice defenders and their attempts to justify early pregnancy termination, I find abortion to be constitutionally illegal, immoral, and downright disgusting as many alternatives to the matter exist. The Constitution of the United States of America holds a logical case for life. The nature and premise of its body hold the roots to the basic fundamentals of human existence: survive and reproduce.The Fifth Amendment preserves the right to life: â€Å"No person shall†¦be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law† (U.S. Constitution). Those who are pro-choice often debate that the decision for early pregnancy termination falls under the category of women’s rights. The importance of safeguarding the freedom of all United States citizens surfaces multiple times in the Constitution, yet this freedom of choice cannot be so infinite that it has... ... Andre, C., and M. Velasquez."Forcing pregnant women to do as they’re told: Maternal vs. fetal rights. â€Å"Santa Clara University.(2010). . Babbel, S.. "Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?" Psychology today. Somatic Psychology, 2010. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Christian action for reformation and revival .Christian Action, 2003. Web. 27 Apr 2012. http://www.christianaction.org.za/articles/10rguments.htm M. Gissler et. al., â€Å"Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,† European J. Public Health 15(5):459-63 (2005). "PlanB One-Step - One Pill. One Step.." Plan b one-step. Teva Women, 2011. Web. 26 Apr 2012. . Murder for Hire Essay -- Abortion Every year in January, protestors line the streets of Washington D.C. with signs that boldly exclaim, â€Å"Abortion is Murder†, â€Å"Right to Life†, and â€Å"Pro-Life.† The March for Life protest attracts approximately one quarter of a million people from across the country annually to demonstrate their disdain for abortion. Ever since the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade in 1973, Americans and lawmakers alike remain in constant dispute over the moral and legal issues of early pregnancy termination. Those opposed to abortion strongly believe that abortion negates the "Right to Life," and they consider it as morally reprehensible. On the other hand, pro-choice supporters debate that such statements merely embody religious beliefs and values. Pro-abortionists argue that the right to an abortion lies solely with the pregnant woman. Regardless of the endless tirades and diatribes from pro-choice defenders and their attempts to justify early pregnancy termination, I find abortion to be constitutionally illegal, immoral, and downright disgusting as many alternatives to the matter exist. The Constitution of the United States of America holds a logical case for life. The nature and premise of its body hold the roots to the basic fundamentals of human existence: survive and reproduce.The Fifth Amendment preserves the right to life: â€Å"No person shall†¦be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law† (U.S. Constitution). Those who are pro-choice often debate that the decision for early pregnancy termination falls under the category of women’s rights. The importance of safeguarding the freedom of all United States citizens surfaces multiple times in the Constitution, yet this freedom of choice cannot be so infinite that it has... ... Andre, C., and M. Velasquez."Forcing pregnant women to do as they’re told: Maternal vs. fetal rights. â€Å"Santa Clara University.(2010). . Babbel, S.. "Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?" Psychology today. Somatic Psychology, 2010. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Christian action for reformation and revival .Christian Action, 2003. Web. 27 Apr 2012. http://www.christianaction.org.za/articles/10rguments.htm M. Gissler et. al., â€Å"Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,† European J. Public Health 15(5):459-63 (2005). "PlanB One-Step - One Pill. One Step.." Plan b one-step. Teva Women, 2011. Web. 26 Apr 2012. .

Of Mice and Men English language Essay

Many of the characters in ‘of Mice and Men’ are lonely and some have dreams to sustain them. Write about 2-3 of them and explain why we feel sympathetic toward them. The book of Mice and Men was written by an American writer called John Steinbeck. He was born in Salinas, California and wrote this book from the theme ‘The Great Depression’. The title of this book got its name from a Scottish poet Rabbi Burns in one of his poems called â€Å"To a Mouse†; which means most plans from man or animal don’t work out in the end. When I say the Great Depression, this was a significant world event which started on 29 October 1929, this day was-from then on-nicknamed black Tuesday because on that very same day the stock markets crashed, which meant that the money in there lost its value. Due to this, 9 million banks closed, which meant that about 86,000 businesses failed; for 2 reasons: firstly the businesses didn’t have the money to keep them going. Secondly people didn’t have the money to buy the things the businesses were selling. Because businesses closed, unemployment rate increased, in 1929, the percentage of unemployment was 3%. However in 1934, the unemployment rate was 26%+. This shows that there was a big rise for people losing jobs. By saying this, you must be honoured to keep your job (most people lost their jobs), although if your job was secure, your wages would decrease by approximately 60%, if you walked out on that job, it would be hard for you to find another job, the employer wouldn’t have to worry much since there were lines of people queuing up for jobs. At 1 point, estimates say 34 million people had no income at all, thus meant that people lived in shanty towns. This not only was in the small cities, but developed in the major states such as New York and Washington D.C. People nicknamed these shanty towns as Hoovervilles, because it was nicknamed after the American president at that time, Herbert Hoover. So how would this recession affect people? Some people couldn’t cope with it so they committed suicide. Marriages broke down due to the financial pressure. People became itinery/migrant workers. This means travelling round the country looking for work, if they did find work, it would be short term, unskilled, insecure and labouring. Most jobs were in California (farming area), 1000s of families lost their homes due to failing to pay mortgages, so people had to live in shanty towns. So soup kitchens were set up, and there would be queues of 1000s (maybe more) of mixtures of people in dirty clothes to people in business suits. If these people were moving around they wouldn’t be able to stay with their families/friends. Because of this, people got lonely because they were looking for jobs, so they wouldn’t have any time for relationships, and as George says: â€Å"we ask no questions on the ranch† which means that you keep your self to yourself. No-one knows who you are or where you’ve come from, or what they’re planning to do next. If you knew these things about a specific person (or any person), they would tell you off for nosing around. All of the things I have mentioned all come in the theme of the Great Depression, which is the thing behind the story that John Steinbeck is trying to tell. For example, most characters in of Mice and Men were migrant workers and before Lennie and George came to the ranch in Soledad. Candy tells Lennie about a blacksmith called Whitey, who came, got his money and left, â€Å"why he just quit, just wanted to move, didn’t give no other reason but the food just say gimme my time, the way any guy would†. Although George and Lennie travel around together, it would have been highly unusual for this to happen in a time like this, most men travelled alone. We see this in the novel like Slim, Crooks, and Candy, but I must say it is highly unusual that men travel around together, Slim says this in section 2. This novel is set in California, which is situated in the southern state of the USA. If you were working in a place where Lennie and George were working- your friends and family is miles- maybe further- away. Your only alternative is to make friends otherwise you are walking a lonely road. Also a thing that you would have to take into consideration is the size of the place, the place that they (Lennie and George) were working was on a ranch. A ranch is the equivalent for a farm in England, but however, a ranch is much bigger than a farm that we refer to in England. The distance, as I’ve mentioned is pretty far- not to mention being cut off from your family and friends, they’d have to walk miles to the ranch, otherwise you’d have to hitch a ride from a passing truck. From the way they live that I learned from chapter 2, firstly I learn that they are violent, I know this from when they let crooks- the black person- come into the bunk house for Christmas, sounds nice doesn’t it? Letting the black man come into the bunk house on this festive occasion, but from what I learn they only let him in to batter him black and blue! And enjoy it! â€Å"Yes sir, we had fun. They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner the name of smitty took after the nigger.† I personally think that it’s horrible, but it’s true. Secondly I learn that they have very little privacy and basic living condition. For example, they have straws for mattresses and apple crates for bedside desks. They have little comfort- like the bunk house isn’t well presented, no paint on the walls, crates for chairs table in the middle and a deck of cards for daily entertainment, nothing compared to the entertainment that we have today, like PS3s and Xbox 360s etc. also, anonymity, the way people keep themselves to themselves, how people don’t know where you’re from. Finally, how migrant workers move from place to place- as this is what migrant workers do. We see this in the novel from the beginning when Lennie got in trouble and they had to flee when Lennie sexually harassed a girl in weed. Dreams help people achieve things in life, no matter what scenario you are in. they give people power and confidence. Although I state in the title of this essay â€Å"†¦ and have dreams to sustain them†; the dream that they are referring to is the American dream. Before John Steinbeck wrote this book, he was interested in finding out about power, ownership and control and what it did on normal people. Due to the Great Depression, most people didn’t have jobs, so they relied on bosses to permit them to a job; but they manage to put all that stress aside towards a dream that they have. Most of who dream of a dream called the American dream. These dreams tell us about the life people are living. Most characters in the novel have dreams to. But Lennie and George’s dream are the most important because they tell us about the culture that has been created. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, freedom, a place to live and most importantly, a new life. A place for wealth and a place for real possibilities, this was referred to as the American dream. Immigrants moved to over America because they believed in this dream. So how was America founded? In 1607, people from Britain went to America to find gold; these people were known as the Virginia colony. Because the island they first found they named after the Queen Elizabeth, who of course, was a Virgin Queen. But of instead finding gold, they found tobacco (which was known a â€Å"black gold† in Britain-very popular.) and brought it back to England to sell. In 1620 a group of English Protestants who detested against the Church of England moved to America looking for religious freedom, these were known as the Plymouth colony or Pilgrims. In the ‘Harsh Winter’ of 1620-1621, half of the Plymouth colony died due the coldness of the weather, when they arrived to America, it was full of wilderness and red Indians/Native Americans. In 1630 1000 more arrived to establish more colonies. In 1642, the Plymouth colony had 12000 settlers from Europe, again searching for religious freedom. By 1776, the colonies in America were fed up of the British monarchs ruling them and wanted their own independence, because the monarch of England was the monarch of America, and they had enough of this. In Britain the law was only set up for the landowners, if you wasn’t a landowner then you didn’t count. So 4th July 1776, the American colonies set up a universal declaration of independence. Here is an extract from it. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights. Rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.† The statue of liberty was a present from the French man Gustave Eiffel, due to the French revolution happening in France he set up the statue of liberty to symbolise this dream, because the American dream was similar in France. If you were an immigrant coming into America by boat, the statue of liberty would be the first thing that you saw. However, this American dream inspired many people. By 1929, the Great Depression spoilt these dreams for many people since they didn’t have the money to live happily. As stated in the novel, George and Lennie- and Candy aim to get a ranch to themselves and Lennie wants to pet the rabbits. Some elements of the dream include: material comforts and financial security- not being in debt and having everything you need. Being in control of your destiny- you making the choices in your own life, not people telling you what to do. Gaining the respect of others- living in a peaceful society. Companionship and sharing good fortune- having friends and keeping each other happy. And last but not least; making your mark-something to be proud of- achieving things in life; getting the best in life. The American dream today isn’t all about freedom; it’s about money and fame. For example, if you look at Hollywood; actors and actresses etc. When an author writes a book, they must make some important choices. For example, whether to base the story involving letters or e-mails or telling the story as a flash back/ flash forward. People write book for various reasons: to inform the reader- this might be something that has happened previously, or presently. Some people write books to persuade or entertain you-it might encourage you to change your life. John Steinbeck written this book to inform-recalling what life was like in the Great Depression for migrant workers. He also creates a description; he lets the action sink in for the reader, also he helps create a physical appearance in your mind, by using a wide range of onomatopoeia â€Å"and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them† skittering is the sound that is being made. Another thing that the writer must consider is to select whether to write in 1st or 3rd person. If you wrote in first person, you can fully understand what that person, what goes on in that particular persons mind. But the down side is that you can only see what is happening when that person is present. If John Steinbeck chose to write this novel in the 1st person, we wouldn’t see what would happen to George if Lennie wasn’t there etc. however if you chose to write in the 3rd person, you can see the minds of all the characters in the book. Unfortunately 3rd person isn’t always in the full depths of understanding- meaning that although you can read everybody’s mind, it doesn’t provide in depth detail. John Steinbeck chose 3rd person; this is a good choice because you can see in everybody’s mind and John Steinbeck described the novel in full understanding in 3rd person, also he has put the plot in Great detail and has used a lot of wide range of vocabulary â€Å"slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to his master, Lennie approached, drew back, and approached again.† Another interesting technique John Steinbeck has chosen to use is starting and ending the story in the same setting. He also set this novel in a rural location (in the countryside) and used adjectives, careful words and descriptions to this novel create an exact physical location. As well as this, the time scale of this novel is described for 1 week- this shows that George and Lennie haven’t moved very far in their lives, they haven’t moved forward. Finally one of the things that you need to consider is how much direct speech you use, not too much or you will slow down the plot, too less will not move the plot forward. So it is essential that you use the right amount. In this novel there is a lot of blasphemy â€Å"‘Jesus’ he said ‘he’s jes like a kid aint he†- and swearing â€Å"listen here you crazy bastard†- and racist comments â€Å"Jesus how that nigger can pitch shoes†- Steinbeck used a wide range of direct speech, thus helps us understand the characters more. This kind of language is found in most aspects of this novel- it is commonly asked why it’s studied in schools- racism, blasphemy and swearing is the kind of language that was used in the Great Depression, this was because the characters were migrant workers and they were uneducated, manual workers and non intellectual. Some of the characters in of Mice and Men are lonely; I am going to talk about 3 of them. The first character I am going to look at is Candy. Candy is an old swamper living at the ranch George and Lennie worked at. He is an old man with a missing wrist â€Å"the wooden hatch raised. The door opened and a tall, stoop shouldered man came in. he was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a push broom in his left hand and out of the sleeve came a round stick like wrist , but no hand.† Also he has a really old dog that evidently he has had since he was a pup â€Å"and at is heels there walked a drag footed sheep dog† he also has no relatives â€Å"cause I aint got no relatives or nothing† I find that Candy is lonely; he is lonely in several ways. Firstly his disability, he lost his hand â€Å"I aint much good with on’y one hand, I lost my hand right here on this ranch that’s why they give me a job swamping an’ they give me two hundred and fifty dollars ’cause I los’ my hand† this makes you think that it was their fault that Candy has lost his hand; because if it wasn’t then they wouldn’t give an old folk money if they could avoid it! Especially in a depression! So he cannot go out to ‘buck barley’ like the rest of the men because he hasn’t got the energy or strength like the other men have which means that he is lonely all day and has to wait for them to come back. He can’t go down to Soledad because he is too old â€Å"after that the guys went down to Soledad and raised hell, I didn’t go there, I aint got the poop no more† Candy was very close to that dog, he had him since he was a puppy, and so that dog is important to him. Firstly, he spends all of his day with that dog. Also that dog is a link to all the memories he has â€Å"yeah I had him since he was a pup, god he was a damn good sheep dog when he was younger. When the dog gets shot Candy is desperate to leave the ranch, he hasn’t got any body to keep him there (since his dog was his only companion) now the dog has been shot he hasn’t got a friend anymore, which is why he is so desperate to leave the ranch. And follow Lennie and George with this dream that they have. Candy has become so desperate to be part of Lennie and Georges’ dream that he is prepared to give all of his savings to them â€Å"s’pose I went in with you guys, that’s three hundred and fifty bucks I’d put in.† that is three hundred and fifty dollars that Candy is prepared to give- $50 a month- so he is prepared to give 7 months wages to two guys that he has met on that very same day! This shows that he is desperate. Candy sees no hope on the ranch â€Å"when they can me I wisht somebody’d shoot me† he’d rather be dead than stay on the ranch now his dog has been shot. He desperately wants something to look forward to, something to be happy about, and somewhere to belong to. The idea of this dream gives him hope. He wants to join the dream because his dog has been shot. Lennie and George accept him because he has got the money. Because Lennie and George have accepted Candy into this dream, he begins to change. Firstly Candy has gained the ability to be self critical. He can see that he should have shot his dog himself â€Å"I ought to have shot that dog myself, George, I shouldn’t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog† this shows that he has got over his dog being shot. Secondly Candy has gained the confidence to join in with the other men, like when he joins into the attack with Curley (â€Å"glove fulla Vaseline† Candy said disgustingly). This shows that he isn’t scared to join in when everybody is cheeking Candy. He wouldn’t have done this before because he would have been sacked, but now he fells more confident and feels more part of the group; he only used to say things behind peoples backs, not to their faces (the swamper stood up from his box â€Å"know what I think† George did not answer â€Å"well I think he’s married a tart†) he only used to say things like that behind peoples back. Now he feels more confident, he will say it to their faces. Thirdly, he starts to plan and look forward â€Å"I tell ya what Lennie, I’ve been figuring about them rabbits† he knows what his future going to be, he is looking forward to it. He wasn’t like this before because he couldn’t see any future, he had nothing to look forward to. His future seemed horrible â€Å"they’ll can me purty soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county† he tells Lennie and George that he’s going to a county, no friends, no family, no entertainment, simple life, horrible experience. Finally I found out that has got more confident when talking to Curleys’ wife when he backs up Crooks â€Å"if you was to do that, we’d tell† â€Å"we’d tell you up about you framing Crooks† he wouldn’t have done this before because it is the bosses sons wife that he is talking to and he would be sacked- and he cannot afford that to happen because he hasn’t got no place else to go, he had to rely on his boss to permit him to work on the ranch and he is quite confident that he his future is going to happen, so now he doesn’t care about being sacked, the fear of being sacked has left him. When Lennie kills Curleys’ wife the dream that Candy was looking forward to have come to an end, Candy was really relying on that dream, it’s made him more lively, it’s helped him join in with the other people (â€Å"glove fulla Vaseline†) now Curleys’ wife’s death has caused this dream to fail. I know this from when he says to Curleys’ wife’s corpse â€Å"you done it di’nt you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good, you ain’t no good now, you lousy tart† to say something like this to a dead body is highly disrespectful, like stealing candy from a baby it isn’t acceptable because it is impolite. But all of his anger has caused him to strengthen up; become more confident, when he says â€Å"if they was a circus or a baseball game†¦ we would of went to her†¦ jus’ said ta hell with work, an’ went to her. Never ast nobody say so. An’ they’d of been a pig and chickens†¦ an’ in the winter†¦ the little fat stove†¦ an’ the rain comin’†¦ and jus’ us settin’ there.† The dots between his speeches are called ellipses; these indicate that Candy is angry that his dream has been taken from him. And the ellipsis shows that Candy is trying to control his emotions, until he breaks down -â€Å"his eyes blinded with tears†. After this incident , Candy isn’t just back to how he was before, I think that he would be more broken than he was because hew has lost his dog. When the dream was mentioned to him-it was like giving a child a sweet and taking it from him- he had his hopes up, now it looked like it was all over as if it had never begun. So his future seems quite dull for an old man. I think that he would be worse off. The next person I would like to observe is Crooks. Crooks is a stable buck who also lives at the ranch where Lennie and George once worked. A stable buck is someone who looks after the horses and the mules; he is also a black man. He lives not in the bunk house where all the other guys live; he lives in a shed of a barn. The job of the stable buck is very important because it is vital for the horses and the mules to be kept in good condition due to that being the only transport, meaning that the horses and the mules must be kept well looked after. The reason why he is called Crooks is because he is disabled; this shows that he cannot work with the other men. He has a permanent Job looking after the mules and horses; this is a semi-skilled job because it requires skill to do this job. There are several reasons why Crooks is lonely. Firstly he is black, the only black on the ranch â€Å"and now there aint no coloured guy on the ranch† he grew up as the only black family in Soledad â€Å"there wasn’t another coloured family for miles around.† There is only one coloured family in Soledad â€Å"an’ there’s jus’ one family in Soledad†. This makes him lonely because he hasn’t got anybody like him, nobody black like him. He is the only one. Segregation means separation, separated from the others, this is what happens to Crooks. He isn’t allowed in the bunk house, he lives in a little shed led off the barn â€Å"a little shed led off the barn† since he been separated from the others, he feels that white people have no right in his room â€Å"you got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room; nobody got any right in here but me.† From this, Crooks feels rejected â€Å"I can’t play cards because I’m black. They say I stink, well, I tell you, you stink too† Crooks is a victim of institutional racism- this means that the law cannot protect him. I know this from when Curleys’ wife says to him â€Å"I can get you strung up so easy it ain’t even funny† The word â€Å"nigger† can be said in two ways-to describe â€Å"sure, ya see, the stable bucks a nigger† this shows ignorance, this shows that people do not know that it is an offensive word- and hurtful â€Å"then you keep your place then nigger, I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny† what she said was true backthen, if a black man looked at a white woman funny then (no matter what personality she is) she can get him strung up and the law cannot protect him. Crooks is isolated, no-one comes into his room except for Slim and the boss â€Å"guys like you don’t come into a coloured mans room very much. Nobody been in here but Slim, Slim and the boss.† Experts say that being isolated can affect your mental health, which evidently it has done to Crooks. He is quiet, aloof (keep yourself to yourself) and depressed. He was not always like this. In his youth he was part of a loving family â€Å"remember when I was a little kid on my old mans chicken ranch. Had two brothers, they was always with me, always there† this makes Crooks lonelier than he is now because he had a family, he had a life, he had a future, but now it has been taken from him. America was a far more racist community than it was now. I know this from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) this was (and still is) a white supremacist organisation, which has an aim of striking fear and intimidation into black people. The KKK believed that blacks were like animals and had little rights due to the fact that they are black-terrible, but true- black people were routinely dragged out of their homes and beaten, raped, castrated (cutting off penis and testicles) or possibly murdered. Slavery was abolished in America; it was very strong in the southern states. This is why Crooks says that he isn’t a southern Negro â€Å"I ain’t a southern negro† this shows that Crooks was born a free black. Crooks (as far as we know) hasn’t suffered from the KKK but it could still effect him because he know in theory what will happen to him. Being isolated is not good for people. As I’ve said earlier, isolation can affect your mental health. He is also the only character in this novel that knows what loneliness does to you- Steinbeck’s message has been put into Crooks’s mouth â€Å"a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†. From suffering from isolation Crooks begins to get his own back and scare Lennie â€Å"want me ta tell ya what’ll happen? They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog†. From this he has become cynical (this means that you believe things will always go wrong, what ever the scenario) and pessimistic (always looking on the down side of things â€Å"you’ll talk abut it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land†. Yet he may be black, but he is brighter than all the other men in the novel â€Å"And he had a book too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905† he hasn’t got the right to fulfil his intelligence, this shows what racism was like and what it did. When Lennie and Candy mention the dream to Crooks he offers to join it immediately â€Å"if you†¦guys would want to work for nothing-just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch when I want to†. The way he asked it was to hint to them, try not to give them an excuse to punish him. He really wants to be part of the dream, we never hear Crooks speak of his dreams, when Lennie and Candy talk about their dream, Crooks springs up and wants to become part of it. Crooks has the same dream, but he never shows it, because he’s black. In the ellipsis he is trying to hint to them for them to accept him. We want Crooks to be accepted because it would be a better life, possibly a better ending. When Crooks wants to be part of Lennie and Candy’s dream, he has his hopes up, but when Curleys’ wife enters the scene and threatens him â€Å"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny† he changes his mind- not as if he wants to- but for protection. What Curleys’ wife said was true, so Crooks loses all of his confidence, and backs out of this dream. So what will happen to him is that he will be exactly how he was before lonely, aloof, intimidated. We will feel sorry for him because now he has ended up worse than he was before, now he knows that things will always go wrong for him In a Depression everybody suffers. If you were black or disabled you suffer even more because nobody would want to employ you. Employers want white, fit and young workers, if they were fit to get that job, it would be low payed, you would suffer either way, but if you was black or disabled you would be less likely to get that job, Candy only got that job because he lost his hand under their behalf. Crooks only got that job because he’s been there a long time and he’s got skill. If Crooks and Candy were kicked and had to start again, it wouldn’t be easy for them to get another job. The final character I am going to look at is Curleys’ wife. Curleys’ wife is the recent bosses sons wife on the ranch lennie and George worked at- so the men on the ranc will look at her as the â€Å"new kid†. â€Å"whit picked uphis cards and examined them â€Å"seen the new kid yet†. She looks probally 16-17 years old. I know this from when an actor said she could go with them. She says that she is only 15. â€Å"he says I could gowith him on that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. She says because I was on’y 15†. Also she is pretty but in an artificial way- this means that she pretends to be beautiful â€Å"a girl was standing there looking in. she had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red.her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages. She wore a cotton house dressand red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquettes of red ostrich feathers† back then respectable women didn’t wear make up how she does, this is why the men refer her to as a tart â€Å"I think Curley’s married†¦ a tart† she is never refered to as a name- just an individual. Also she can provokes strong feelings in both readers and characters (sympathy and hostility) to lennie, who thinks she’s georgeous- â€Å"she’s purty†- and George- who thinks discustingly of her- â€Å"don’t you even take a look at that bitch†- the readers feel the same more-or-less. Steinbeck had a more sympathetic view of the character of Curleys’ wife- I know this from the Miss Luce letter. When Steinbeck adapted this novel into a play, the actor playing Curleys’ wife wrote to him because he did not know how to play her. So Steinbeck wrote a sympathetic letter back to Miss Luce explaining that her character in more detail. There are a number of reasons why Curleys’ wife is lonely. A womans role at that time was far different than today. Women those days had to stay in the home; cook meals and look after the kids- Curleys’ wife can’t do this because she is living with Curleys’ father, she can’t cook there is a cook that cooks all the meals on the ranch. Today women own companies, go to work etc. Curleys’ wife cannot get a job because in a depression, all the jobs would go to the men, plus women weren’t seen as workers, their job was to stay in the home. Also respectable women didn’t wear make up, if you did then the men would think bad of you. Yet also there isn’t another woman on the ranch for or nearby-so she hasn’t got any support, girls and boys like the company of people their age, girls share make up, clothes, talk to each other, and chat about life. Curleys’ wife can’t chat with other girls since there isn’t anybody; Curleys’ mother seems evidently dead or doesn’t live with them, so she can’t talk to her. She cannot go into town to meet other girls because she cannot travel alone, if she does then society will disrespect her. She is treated by Curley as a sex object, as a possession- a perfect example of this is when she dies, Curleys’ reaction to her death, there is no weeping, no remorse, Curley goes straight for revenge â€Å"I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot him in the guts. Come on, you guys† he only goes for revenge for Lennie because he hates big guys. Curley sees his wife as a sex object from when he brags about his ‘glove fulla Vaseline’ Curley says this because when the men ask him why he is wearing a glove full of Vaseline, he says he is keeping it soft for his wife. He only says this to make the other guys jealous. As for the other men on the ranch, they see her as someone who is dangerous, she is judged by her first appearance â€Å"well ain’t she a looloo?† they say this because she doesn’t fit into the men’s category as normal, respectable women didn’t wear make up- she wears make up- respectable women didn’t leave the house- she’s in their faces. When Whit says â€Å"I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye† when he says this, it is a major insult to a woman. For a woman to sleep with a black man is seen as the taboo, it just wasn’t right back then. They refer her to a tart (prostitute); however they talk about the actual tarts at the cathouse with real warmth and pleasure â€Å"we go to old susy’s place. Hell of a nice place. Old susy’s a laugh- always cracking jokes.† They talk about tarts as if they like them. But they don’t like Curleys’ wife and call her a tart, when she isn’t o ne. It seems as if she cannot win. When you are a married man, you work and look after your wife. Curley has only been married for two weeks and he’s going to the cathouse! Curleys’ wife hasn’t done anything. This does not pass unnoticed; Curleys’ wife tells Lennie how she feels about it â€Å"I get lonely† she said â€Å"you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† So what has loneliness done to her? It’s made her desperate; she ignores the voice inside her head that something is wrong. â€Å"She took Lennie’s hand and put it on her head†. This shows that she is desperate for company. She also has become cruel â€Å"listen nigger† she said â€Å"you know what I can do to you if you open your trap† this shows that she feels as if she can get her own back on them, she feels as if- for the first time in a long time I suppose- she can take control. Eventually it kills her. She got that desperate for company that she stayed in that room with Lennie; and got herself killed. Many people have dreams, Curleys’ wife has a dream, and this dream means a lot to her. Curleys’ wife wants to be a movie star; this was because the film industry was just starting. This was a dream for most young girls back then. Like of how girls of 16-17 want to become models. Evidently this was a realistic dream for young girls back then. She got this dream from when she was 15; an actor said that she could be in the movies â€Å"‘nother time I met a guy an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the riverside dance palace with him. He says he was going to put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was going to write to me about it† what this man really wanted to was to sleep with her. I don’t think he was in the movies at all, I think he was just claiming, it would be highly unnatural for a Hollywood film producer to turn up in a small place like Soledad, like a famous person turning up in Bloxwitch, it wouldn’t happen on an everyday basis. This is why her mother wouldn’t let her â€Å"my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me† her mother wouldn’t let her go with him because he wanted to protect her. This shows that Curleys’ wife is shallow- cares about her appearance, gullible- believes everything that she is told, and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve- meaning that she is too trusting to people. She hasn’t got any real talent because we haven’t really seen her act out before, so the probability of this dream becoming true is highly unlikely. But she doesn’t want to be in the movies to act. No, she wants to be famous; she wants to be admired and to wear flashy clothes. The affect of this is that she wants to be like how the actresses are, trying to impress the men- just the sad thing is that the men don’t refer her as an actresses, they refer her to as a tart and vow to keep a distance form her. The effect of this is the total opposite of what she wants (of how they look at her as a tart) she doesn’t want that, she wants to be respected by them. She wants to make something of herself â€Å"well I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself† this ties up with the American Dream. This is great proof that the dream actually exists. When Curleys’ wife dies, Steinbeck presents her death in a sympathetic and descriptive manner- â€Å"now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when he presents her death, we- us and the characters- see the real woman. We see her no more than a tool to be polished and maimed, never to be respected nor confided in. And when she described her dream beforehand, this is a sympathetic ending to her life. For the final part of this essay I will talk about who I personally think is the loneliest. I think that the loneliest character is Curleys’ wife because she is the only woman on the ranch and everybody looks down upon her as something disgustingly on a lavatory seat. She is also the loneliest because even her own husband doesn’t particularly respect her. I think this text of Mice and Men was an interesting and mind bending book with a gripping and plot. There are some things that I know now that I didn’t now before, for instance the Great Depression, I knew roughly what it was but I never knew that this book had the theme of it. Also, loneliness, the other theme, also happens today. Like how it drives people crazy. Like the message John Steinbeck is trying to put out.

Family diversity in today’s society Essay

Examine the extend,of and the reasons for family diversity in today’s society. Many sociologists argue that the nuclear family is a universal and dominate institution however there has been an increase in diverse family types for various reasons. Examples of these diverse families are lone parents, reconstitutions and cohabitation families. Although most people experience life in a nuclear family, it represents only a stage in their life cycle. Social and demographic changes have meant that an increasing part of many people’s lives are spent in households that are not based on conventional nuclear families. Firstly the increase of single parents (lone parents) has tripled since 1970s in the UK. About 25% of all families with dependent children are single-parent families. There are various reasons which contribute to the increase of single parenthood but one main one is the demographical changes in the UK, is divorce. Divorce was legalised in the early 1970s and as a con sequences it is cheaper and easier to get a divorce and this one of the explanations for the growth in lone-parent families since the early 1970’s. Whereas in the past it would take years to get a divorce and even then the outcome was not always fair. Feminist argue that diversity is valued and liberal as it gives women a choice. They also argue that this not only benefits women but en as well as they can have more time with the child and care for their children, then in the past that was only seen as the women job. However these traditional values are stilled established by ethnic groups not so much. Another reason for the increase in single parent families is due to greater acceptance in society. There is no longer as stigma that you have conceives a child with in marriage. This is interlinked with secularisation, which means the decline in religious practice and thinking. Therefore religion has very little influence over people lives hence they have a wider option in regards to the type of family they chose. The media also contributes the greater acceptance of single-parents as it depicts them in a positive light today, whereas in the past were it was seen as ‘sinful’. The increase is in single parent families is also due to help of the welfare state. The welfare state provides the single pare nt finical support hence taking the position or the role of the father. As a result women no longer need to rely on men or marriage for support. The increase in never married single mother now accounts for about 40% of all lone parents. Although Britain has become more diverse single  parenthood is still not accepted by everyone. The new right thinker Charles Murray (1984) argues that the increase in lone-parents is due to the over generosity of the welfare state as they have provide for both the parent and their children. Murray argue that this creates ‘perverse incentive’, that is rewarding irresponsible behaviour hence creating a ‘dependency culture’ in which people assume that the state will support them. One of the consequences of the lone parent family is step families (often called reconstituted families) which accounts to about 10% of families with the dependent children in the UK. A reconstituted family is made up of an adult couple, living with at least one child from a previous relationship of one of the partners. However although there is an increase in diverse family types the stepfamily are more at risk of poverty because the stepfather would have to provide for his current step children and his children form a previous relationship. In addition a difference in sexuality has contributed to the increase in family diversity. Gay and lesbian households have become more common and more acceptable in society than in the past. As Jeffrey Weeks, Donovan and Heaphey did their study in 1999 they argue, ‘During the past generation the possibilities of living an openly lesbian and gay have been transformed’. According to Weeks et al (1999) the same sex families look upon their household and friendship network as a chosen family. Same sex families have more option than the conventional heterosexual family and others see these families and an alternative and continuous devolving. Weeks et al argues that this part of a wider social change which can be based on culture and ethnic difference. Another sociologist called Roseneil (2005) develops the idea of chosen your own family. She uses the term hetronorm to refer to the intimate relationship between a heterosexual couple is seen as normal. Cheal (2002) notes that many gays and lesbians are legally allowed to adopt nevertheless many want to retain status of difference because they may feel that by adopting a child they are being shaped or moulded to portray a heterosexual family. Another main reason in why same- sex families increase is the decline in secularisation because some religions condemn homosexuality and now less people are religious in the UK they are more acceptant of homosexuals. Another type of family is singletons; this means that when someone lives by themselves. About 3 in 10 household contains one person. The reasons for  these changes are the increase in separation and divorce has created more 1 person households especially with men under 65 because children are more likely to live with their mother. Also the decline in marriage and the trend in marrying later because people are living longer hence there are more people that are single. Stein (1976) argues the growing number of people choosing to be single is a deliberate choice. However, while many of these choose to remain single some are alone because e there are few partners available in their age group. Furthermore, another type of household is living apart together. It is often assumed that those living alone do not have a partner. However the researcher by Duncan and Phillips (2208) found that 1 in 10 adults are ‘living apart together’ and has become increasingly common. Living apart together is a significant relationship, but not married or cohabiting. Duncan and Phillips found that some couple cannot live together for finical reason and the minority actively chose to live apart may be because they want to keep their home as a security because if the relationship does not work then at least they have a home to go to. Nonetheless although there are various other families it does demolish the existence of the nuclear family as they are still common but it has changed hence becoming more modern. Perspectives like the functionalist and new right as described to be ‘modernist’ because they see modern society. The nuclear family has shaped and changed to fit society which helps maintain it by performing some essential functions. According to Chester (1985), there was little evidence that people were choosing to live on a long-term basis in alternatives to the nuclear family. However, he did accept that some changes were taking place in family life. In particular, many families were no longer ‘conventional’ in the sense that the husband was the sole breadwinner. He accepted more women are out working to finical support their family. He called this new family form, in which wives have got jobs, the neo-conventional family. Although many people are not part of the nuclear family at one time in the life is largely due to the life-cycle. Many people who are currently living alone i.e. widows, singleton or those who are yet to get married, were either part o f a nuclear family in the past or will be in the future. Chester argues that the statistics is misleading and does not portray that most people will spend a major part of their life in a nuclear family. The extended family is another type of family which is three  generations living together. The extended family was strongest in working-class families. It is less important today because of geographical mobility, but research by Finch and Mason (1993) shows that kinship ties are still important for most. They also receive finical help from extended family and they also found that the women are more actively involved with extended family. Wilmot (1988) did his study on the dispersed extended family and the beanpole family. Wilmot (1988) argues that there are four main types of extended family; extended family of residence where the members live in the same household, the local extended family – where 2 or 3 nuclear families live separately but in close proximity and see each other often, the dispersed extended family – nuclear families who see each other frequently but live further apart and do not see each other as regularly and the attenuated extended family – similar to the dispersed extended family but the contact is even less frequent. Brannen (2003) argues that there is a strong intergenerational links between generations mainly because people are living longer. However the links between the intragenerational links between siblings, cousins etc. were somewhat weaker. Therefore Brannen characteristic contemporary family structure as being long and thin and she compares it to the beanpole. A beanpole family is a nuclear family with one or two children who maintain regular contact with grandparents. Furthermore another concept which has contributed to the increase in diverse families is culture diversity. There’s is an increase of people with different ethnic background hence this means there alternative family forms and living arrangements. Ghazala Bhatti carries out her study in 1999 on Asian families living in the southern England. She found that the conflict between generations has created a new family type as the children may not marry someone with the same background. However Bhatti stresses that these families were not the norm. Within black families there is high rate of female-headed houses, lone-parent black families has someti mes been seen as evidence of disorganisation which link back to slavery. This is because under slavery when people were taken the children would stay with their mothers. Also due to high rate of unemployment among black men has meant that they cannot provide for their family which as a consequence lead to high rates of desertion or marital breakdown. Also among Asian families their household do contain three generation but most are in fact nuclear  rather than extended families. Larger Asian households also to some extent reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian cultures. These differences are likely to have resulted from the fact that many Asian immigrants have come from a traditional agricultural economy where family patterns are more like pre-industrial Britain. Thus, minority ethnic families have not just contributed to family diversity through each group having its own distinctive family pattern. They have also contributed to it through developing diverse family patterns within each ethnic group.

Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects The WritePass Journal

Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects Introduction Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects , p. 1) when it was pointed out that: â€Å"Studies have shown that online participation varies with income.† Hence, it was stressed that individuals of a higher income were more likely to blog. Whilst this may be due to a lack of internet connectivity it is evident that the ideologies of the minority are not being represented. In addition, even where the minority do blog, it is unlikely that their views will reach the mainstream, which again signifies how the media is being controlled by a certain type of person. Antonio Gramsci and Hegemony (Long, P. and Wall, T. 2009, p. 285). Long and Wall believe that ideology is no longer considered relevant in today’s society. Accordingly, they believe that despite media perceptions as to how individuals ought to live their life, the constant changes no longer make this possible. Therefore, the ideological theory no longer represents society as it once did: ideology is not static and is subject to change – how we live and what we believe is different from the society of Marx’s day† (Long and Wall, 2009, p. 287). In accordance with this, it is therefore believed by Long and Wall that the media can no longer influence societal values and beliefs in the way that they could. This is very important in order to eradicate gender, class and racial biases which the media appear to have created, yet whether this means that the media no longer have an influence on society is doubtful. This is because, mass communication products will continue to influence the ways in which we think about things whether consciously or subconsciously and as asserted by Kenix (2010, p. 1); â€Å"Media both perpetuate identities to the public and are receptors of an ideology created and sustained within society.† It was also added that; â€Å"Media do not only send ideological messages out to the public but media systems are also interwoven into the ideological framework of society. Media also have their greatest influence on individuals over time.† Consequently, provided that the media continue to expose certain ideologies, it will eventually become embedded into all societies regardless as to whether it was disapproved of or not. This is because, regardless as to whether the media are a desirable influencer, it is clear that they shape individuals values and beliefs within modern society. Whilst attitudes may have changed over the years, the media is still the most powerful product which ultimately controls ideology through the perceptions in which it creates. This leads to much inequality, though â€Å"there is a widespread recasting of the ideal role of the state† (Garland and Sparks, 2000; p. 186). In order to prevent the media from influencing society in a way that leads to inequality, it is vital that public bodies â€Å"have a crucial role in helping people fulfill their potential and removing the barriers that hold people back† (White Paper, 2009) in effect, social inequalities must therefore be eradicated in order to tackle such media inequality. Thus, whilst Long and Wall make it clear that the media does significantly influence popular culture, they are still of the belief that ideolog ies are no longer relevant in today’s society. If these contentions are accurate, it would seem as though the underlying issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality are simply the result of individual perceptions. Consequently, it is evident that the relationship between the mass media and popular culture is still pertinent in today’s society, though the media do not have the same influence over individual values as they may have had in the past. Although this is considered important in preventing inequality, it seems as though the mass media should have a broader perspective on life as prejudice is still being conveyed. Conclusion Overall, it is manifest that there are significant social, cultural and psychological effects of media content and use. This is widely due to the fact that modern society is largely influenced by the ideologies that are created by mass communication. In addition, whilst different ideologies continue to be promoted, only certain values reach mainstream society. This leads to a great deal of inequality and illustrates how the media are capable of dominating the social world by conveying their own views and opinions. In Horkeimer and Adorno’s text, it became apparent that popular culture is swayed by the production of standardised cultural goods and that societal values and beliefs are thereby manipulated as a result of this. It was also made clear that cultural industries are only created in order to generate income for those that are most likely to profit and that the true needs of society are not being provided for. Whilst many will disagree with these points, it is palpable t hat the media can influence and change the ways in which society thinks. This is also due to the fact that the owners and controllers of the media are usually white middle and upper class men who communicate their own beliefs and values into everyday settings. Hence, media content does not hold a broad perspective, which ultimately leads to inequality as only certain issues are being dealt with. Because of the constant changes in society, however, it is believed by Long and Wall that ideologies are no longer relevant, yet given that the relationship between the mass media and popular culture is still very much existent it is likely that ideologies will still influence society. References Croteau, D. and Hoynes, W. (2003) Media/Society: Industries, Images and Audiences, Pine Forge Press. Deveraux, E. (2007) Understanding the Media, Sage Publications, 2nd Edition. Fiske, J. (2010) Understanding Popular Culture, Taylor Francis, 2nd Edition. Fitts, M. (2008) Drop it Like its Hot: Culture Industry Labourers and Their Perspectives on Rap Music Video Production, Meidans: Feminism, Race, Transitionalism, vol. 8, no. 1. Garland, D., and Sparks, R., (2000). Criminology and Social Theory. OUP Oxford. Horkeimer, M and Adorno, T. W. (1944) Dialetic of Enlightenment, Vesro Books. Kenix, L. J. (2010) Alternative and Mainstream Media: The Converging Spectrum, [Online] Available: bloomsburyacademic.com/view/AlternativeMainstreamMedia_9781849665421/chapter-ba-9781849665421-chapter-008.xml?print [07 January 2013]. Long, P., and Wall, T., (2009) Media Studies: Texts, Production and Context, Longman, 1st Edition. Perse, E. M. (2001) Media Effects and Society, Psychology Press. Spears, A. K. (1999) Race and Ideology: Language, Symbolism and Popular Culture, Wayne State University Press. Thompson, J., (1995). The Media and Modernity. Cambridge: Polity. Whibey, J. (2012) The Trend of Class, Race and Ethnicity in Social Media Inequality, Journalists Resource, [Online] Available: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-race/the-trend-of-class-race-and-ethnicity-in-social-media-inequality [07 January 2013]. White Paper., (2009). New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future: The Guardian, Socialism in one Clause? The Government’s proposal to tackle inequality, [Online] Available: guardian.co.uk/society/blog/2009/jan/13/equality-socialexclusion [07 January 2013]. Young, J., (1999). The Exclusive Society: Social Exclusion, Crime and Difference in Late Modernity. Sage Publications Ltd.

Brief Biography of Sharpshooter Annie Oakley

Brief Biography of Sharpshooter Annie Oakley Blessed with a natural talent for sharp-shooting, Annie Oakley proved herself dominant in a sport that was long considered a mans domain. Oakley was a gifted entertainer as well; her performances with Buffalo Bill Codys Wild West Show brought international fame, making her one of the most celebrated female performers of her time. Annie Oakleys unique and adventurous life has inspired numerous books and films as well as a popular musical. Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Moses on August 13, 1860 in rural Darke County, Ohio, the fifth daughter of Jacob and Susan Moses. The Moses family had moved to Ohio from Pennsylvania after their business- a small inn- had burned to the ground in 1855. The family lived in a one-room log cabin, surviving on game they caught and crops they grew. Another daughter and a son were born after Phoebe. Annie, as Phoebe was called, was a tomboy who preferred spending time outdoors with her father over household chores and playing with dolls. When Annie was only five, her father died of pneumonia after being caught in a blizzard. Susan Moses struggled to keep her family fed. Annie supplemented their food supply with squirrels and birds that she trapped. At the age of eight, Annie began sneaking out with her fathers old rifle to practice shooting in the woods. She quickly became skilled at killing prey with one shot. By the time Annie was ten, her mother could no longer support the children. Some were sent to neighbors farms; Annie was sent to work at the county poor house. Soon afterward, a family hired her as live-in help in exchange for wages as well as room and board. But the family, who Annie later described as wolves, treated Annie as a slave. They refused to pay her wages and beat her, leaving scars on her back for life. After nearly two years, Annie was able to escape to the nearest train station. A generous stranger paid her train fare home. Annie was reunited with her mother, but only briefly. Because of her dire financial situation, Susan Moses was forced to send Annie back to the county poor house. Making a Living Annie worked at the county poor house for three more years; she then returned to her mothers home at the age of 15. Annie could now resume her favorite pastime- hunting. Some of the game she shot was used to feed her family, but the surplus was sold to general stores and restaurants. Many customers specifically requested Annie’s game because she shot so cleanly (through the head), which eliminated the problem of having to clean buckshot out of the meat. With money coming in regularly, Annie helped her mother pay off the mortgage on their house. For the rest of her life, Annie Oakley made her living with a gun. By the 1870s, target shooting had become a popular sport in the United States. Spectators attended competitions in which shooters fired at live birds, glass balls, or clay disks. Trick shooting, also popular, was usually performed in theaters and involved the risky practice of shooting items out of a colleagues hand or off the top of their head. In rural areas such as where Annie lived, game-shooting competitions were a common form of entertainment. Annie participated in some local turkey shoots but was eventually banned because she always won. Annie entered a pigeon-shooting match in 1881 against a single opponent, unaware that soon her life would change forever. Butler and Oakley Annies opponent in the match was Frank Butler, a sharp-shooter in the circus. He made the 80-mile trek from Cincinnati to rural Greenville, Ohio in the hopes of winning the $100 prize. Frank had been told only that he would be up against a local crack shot. Assuming that his competitor would be a farm boy, Frank was shocked to see the petite, attractive 20-year old Annie Moses. He was even more surprised that she beat him in the match. Frank, ten years older than Annie, was captivated by the quiet young woman. He returned to his tour and the two corresponded by mail for several months. They were married sometime in 1882, but the exact date has never been verified. Once married, Annie traveled with Frank on tour. One evening, Franks partner became ill and Annie took over for him at an indoor theater shoot. The audience loved watching the five-foot-tall woman who easily and expertly handled a heavy rifle. Annie and Frank became partners on the touring circuit, billed as Butler and Oakley. It is not known why Annie picked the name Oakley; possibly it came from the name of a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Annie Meets Sitting Bull Following a performance in St. Paul, Minnesota in March 1894, Annie met Sitting Bull who had been in the audience. The Lakota Sioux Indian chief was infamous as the warrior who had led his men into battle at Little Bighorn at Custers Last Stand in 1876. Although officially a prisoner of the U.S. government, Sitting Bull was allowed to travel and make appearances for money. Once reviled as a savage, he had become the object of fascination. Sitting Bull was impressed by Annies shooting skills, which included shooting the cork off a bottle and hitting the cigar her husband held in his mouth. When the chief met Annie, he reportedly asked if he could adopt her as his daughter. The adoption was not official, but the two became lifelong friends. It was Sitting Bull who bestowed upon Annie the Lakota name Watanya Cicilia, or Little Sure Shot. Buffalo Bill Cody and The Wild West Show In December 1884, Annie and Frank traveled with the circus to New Orleans. An unusually rainy winter forced the circus to close down until summer, leaving Annie and Frank in need of jobs. They approached Buffalo Bill Cody, whose Wild West Show (a combination of rodeo acts and western skits) was also in town. At first, Cody turned them down because he already had several shooting acts and most of them were more famous than Oakley and Butler. In March of 1885, Cody decided to give Annie a chance after his star shooter, world champion Adam Bogardus, quit the show. Cody would hire Annie on a trial basis following an audition in Louisville, Kentucky. Codys business manager arrived early at the park where Annie was practicing prior to the audition. He watched her from afar and was so impressed, he signed her on even before Cody showed up. Annie soon became a featured performer in a solo act. Frank, well aware that Annie was the star in the family, stepped aside and took on a managerial role in her career. Annie dazzled the audience, shooting with speed and precision at moving targets, often while riding a horse. For one of her most impressive stunts, Annie fired backward over her shoulder, using only a table knife to view the reflection of her target. In what became a trademark move, Annie skipped offstage at the end of each performance, ending with a little kick in the air. In 1885, Annies friend Sitting Bull joined the Wild West Show. He would stay one year. The Wild West Tours England In spring of 1887, the Wild West performers- along with horses, buffalo, and elk- set sail for London, England to participate in the celebration of Queen Victorias Golden Jubilee (the fiftieth anniversary of her coronation). The show was immensely popular, prompting even the reclusive queen to attend a special performance. Over a six-month period, the Wild West Show drew more than 2.5 million people to the London appearance alone; thousands more attended in cities outside of London. Annie was adored by the British public, who found her modest demeanor charming. She was showered with gifts- and even proposals- and was the guest of honor at parties and balls. True to her homespun values, Annie refused to wear ball gowns, preferring instead her homemade dresses. Leaving the Show In the meantime, Annies relationship with Cody was becoming increasingly strained, in part because Cody had hired Lillian Smith, a teenaged female sharpshooter. Without giving any explanation, Frank and Annie quit the Wild West Show and returned to New York in December 1887. Annie made a living by competing in shooting competitions, then later joined a newly-formed wild west show, the Pawnee Bill Show. The show was a scaled-down version of Codys show, but Frank and Annie werent happy there. They negotiated a deal with Cody to return to the Wild West Show, which no longer included Annies rival Lillian Smith. Cody’s show returned to Europe in 1889, this time for a three-year tour of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. During this trip, Annie was troubled by the poverty she saw in each country. It was the beginning of her lifelong commitment to donating money to charities and orphanages. Settling Down After years of living out of trunks, Frank and Annie were ready to settle down in a real home during the shows off-season (November through mid-March). They built a house in Nutley, New Jersey and moved into it in December 1893. The couple never had children, but it is unknown whether or not this was by choice. During the winter months, Frank and Annie took vacations in the southern states, where they usually did a lot of hunting. In 1894 Annie was invited by inventor Thomas Edison of nearby West Orange, New Jersey, to be filmed on his new invention, the kinetoscope (a forerunner of the movie camera). The brief film shows Annie Oakley expertly shooting out glass balls mounted on a board, then hitting coins thrown up in the air by her husband. In October 1901, as the Wild West train cars traveled through rural Virginia, troupe members were awakened by a sudden, violent crash. Their train had been hit head-on by another train. Miraculously, none of the people were killed, but about 100 of the shows horses died on impact. Annies hair turned white following the accident, reportedly from the shock. Annie and Frank decided it was time to leave the show. Scandal for Annie Oakley Annie and Frank found work after leaving the Wild West show. Annie, sporting a brown wig to cover her white hair, starred in a play written just for her. The Western Girl played in New Jersey and was well-received but never made it to Broadway. Frank became a salesman for an ammunition company. They were content in their new lives. Everything changed on August 11, 1903, when the Chicago Examiner printed a scandalous story about Annie. According to the story, Annie Oakley had been arrested for stealing to support a cocaine habit. Within days, the story had spread to other newspapers around the country. It was, in fact, a case of mistaken identity. The woman arrested was a performer who had gone by the stage name Any Oakley in a burlesque Wild West show. Anyone familiar with the real Annie Oakley knew that the stories were false, but Annie couldnt let it go. Her reputation had been tarnished. Annie demanded that each and every newspaper print a retraction; some of them did. But that wasnt enough. For the next six years, Annie testified at one trial after another as she sued 55 newspapers for libel. In the end, she won about $800,000, less than she had paid in legal expenses. The entire experience aged Annie greatly, but she felt vindicated. Final Years Annie and Frank kept busy, traveling together to advertise for Franks employer, a cartridge company. Annie participated in exhibitions and shooting tournaments and received offers to join several western shows. She re-entered show business in 1911, joining the Young Buffalo Wild West Show. Even in her 50s, Annie could still draw a crowd. She finally retired from show business for good in 1913. Annie and Frank bought a house in Maryland and spent winters in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where Annie gave free shooting lessons to local women. She also donated her time to raising funds for various charities and hospitals. In November 1922, Annie and Frank were involved in a car accident in which the car flipped over, landing on Annie and fracturing her hip and ankle. She never fully recovered from her injuries, which compelled her to use a cane and a leg brace. In 1924, Annie was diagnosed with pernicious anemia and became increasingly weak and frail. She died on November 3, 1926, at the age of 66. Some have suggested that Annie died from lead poisoning after years of handling lead bullets. Frank Butler, who had also been in poor health, died 18 days later.

Samsung Electronics Brand Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Samsung Electronics Brand - Coursework Example The objective of this paper is to evaluate the term 'brand' as it extends to cover the products in the electronics market in general and to examine the strategies followed by Samsung Electronics in building a powerful global brand. The study also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the electronic market to suggest more effective brand marketing strategies. On the basis of a survey conducted among the consumers of electronic products this study concludes that the branding has a large influence in promoting the sales of electronic products especially consumer electronic products in which segment Samsung is one of the major contenders. Extending the business on a global level has its own attractions as well as challenges a company or product has to face in achieving a global position. However it is a difficult proposition to achieve a completely global presence in all the markets with an identical core value. The decision of an organization to take its brand globally stems from the availability of many strategic opportunities like size and magnitude of market, displacement of potential competitors, and possible economies of scale, enlargement of revenue and margins and chances of enhancing innovations. However it must be remembered that each of these strategic opportunities has significant implications on the brand of a particular product that such implications are to be given full attention before setting out to explore newer markets. Failure to consider the brand implications may lead to utter failure of the marketing efforts in the alien soils. Market culture, buyer behaviour, current brand loyalties and many o ther considerations weigh with before any product is being

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Essay

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Essay Example Financial planning of the corporation would include building a plan to meet the expenses of the future through its holdings on assets after considering the predicted future cash flows and plans for withdrawal or allocation of funds. Financial planning help the corporations to understand the changes required in the areas of investment and allocation of assets in order to meet their financial goals. Thus financial planning ensures smooth transition of the financial position of the companies to attain the long term goals in future and also to meet the short term operational need. The process of financial planning is significant for the companies to attain sustainability in a competitive market (Baker and  Powell, 2009). Working capital of corporations is the difference between the current assets and current liabilities of the corporation. Working capital management involves maintenance of optimum levels of both the current liabilities and current assets of the corporation. Optimum lev el of current asset and current liabilities indicate maintenance of sufficient current assets and cash in hand in order to meet the short term liability and expenses for daily operation in an efficient manner. The important ratios that are useful for effective working capital management are inventory turnover, account payables and accounts receivables. The excess cash is parked by businesses through the marketable securities like debentures and bonds that could be converted into cash within a short period of time. The marketable securities for parking excess cash provide a source of high liquidity. The high liquidity requirement could be met by the corporations by use of marketable securities due to the presence of large number of buyers in the market. The financial instruments used to park excess cash are exposed to lesser market risk as these could be transformed into liquid cash at any point of time. 2. Assume that you are financial advisor to a business. Describe the advice that you would give to the client for raising business capital using both debt and equity options in today’s economy. The valuation of companies had become vulnerable from the period of economic recession which turned into a global financial meltdown. Although the situation has recovered to an extent since last year which was backed by performance of the emerging economies, the investors are still circumspect on investing in equities of the companies without doing adequate research. Thus the raising of business capital through a mix of debt and equity options would be suitable for the companies. The equity financing option of raising capital would involve issue of shares to the public for raising funds. The companies would have to share the profits with the increased number of shareholders. The risk of investments, however, would also be shared with investors. The ownership structure of the company would get diluted and the control over business decision making would be reduced. The funds raised through debt financing option are also painful for the companies over a period of time due to the regular interest payments to be done by them. The cost of debt financing, however, would be reduce due to the tax deductibility feature. Due to the tax shields, the companies are in a position to reduce their interest payments. Thus a debt-equity mix strategy for raising business capital is suitable for the