Of Mice and Men Themes Dreams, Weakness, Nature

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of two migrant farm workers in California. By exploring themes such as the nature of dreams, the relationship between strength and weakness, and the conflict between man and nature, the novella paints a compelling and often dark portrait of Great Depression-era American life. The Nature of Dreams George and Lennie share a dream: to own their own land, allowing them to live off the fatta the lan. This dream comes up repeatedly throughout the novella in conversations between George and Lennie as well as with other farm workers. However, the significance of this dream differs depending on which character is discussing it. To innocent Lennie, the dream is a concrete plan. He truly believes that he and George will someday have their own farm with plenty of alfalfa and rabbits. Whenever Lennie feels scared or worried, he asks George to tell him about the farm and the rabbits. Hearing George describe the imaginary farm comforts and reassures Lennie. The farm plan is supposed to be a secret, but Lennie accidentally lets it slip during a conversation with Crooks. Crooks rejects the dream immediately. He tells Lennie that people are always making big statements about getting land or going to heaven, but that [n]obody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head.† For Crooks, there is no point in dreaming—dreams dont offer solace because he is certain that they wont come true. George has yet another relationship to the dream. For most of the novella, it is unclear whether he truly believes that the farm dream will become a reality, or whether he simply talks about it to keep Lennie happy and to pass the time. At the storys end, however, it becomes clear that for George, the dream was never a potential reality. Up until the instant he shoots Lennie, George is telling him about the farm theyll have one day. In this moment, George knows that Lennie will never see the farm, but still uses the dream to keep Lennie calm; Lennie, on the other hand, truly believes that he will one day be tending rabbits on the farm that George describes. This moment perfectly symbolizes the conflict between Georges skepticism of the dream and Lennies innocent hopes about the dream, as well as the violent power of the former over the latter. Strength vs. Weakness Violence is never far away in  Of Mice and Mens hardscrabble world, and one of the most important themes is the uneasy relationship between strength and weakness. The theme plays out in the behavior of most of the characters. Curley, a physically diminutive man, uses his position of authority on the farm to assert his dominance over the others. Curleys wife silences Crooks through racial slurs and violent threats, despite being physically weaker than him. And Carlson, one of the ranch hands, shoots the elderly dog owned by Candy, who happens to be an aging handyman himself. The theme of strength vs. weakness is most apparent in the character of Lennie, a man who is himself both strong and weak. Physically, Lennie is by far the most powerful man on the farm. However, his demeanor is gentle and often fearful—he doesnt want to fight the other men—and he has a mental disability that leaves him dependent on George. This tension between strength and weakness is highlighted when Lennie, who adores delicate objects and small creatures, interacts with animals. When the novella begins, George and Lennie are sitting by the side of the road, and Lennie is petting a dead mouse (he loves to feel soft materials). Later, Lennie gets a puppy from one of the farm workers. He adores the small creature, but he accidentally kills it by stroking it too strongly. This situation is repeated—with graver consequences—when Lennie breaks Curleys wifes neck while stroking her hair. Because he fails to understand his own strength, Lennie kills physically weaker beings: the puppy and Curleys wife. These mistakes ultimately lead to Lennies own death, as George shoots him in an effort to protect him from Curleys wrathful mob. In the dog-eat-dog (or, perhaps more accurately, man-crush-dog) world of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, strength in the form of mental and emotional toughness is essential, and the weak cannot survive. Man vs. Nature The novella begins with a passage describing an idyllic riverbank, where the golden foothill slopes curve up to the mountains and the warm water slip[s] twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight. When humans enter the scene, however, the passages tone shifts: there is a path beaten hard by boys and an ash pile made by many fires. This early passage demonstrates the uncertain (and potentially harmful) relationship between the natural and human worlds that arises throughout the novella. The characters in Of Mice and Men work on a ranch—one of the most fundamental examples of humans exerting control over the natural world. Lennie and Georges desire to own land again reinforces this theme; their image of success and fulfillment involves dominance over nature. However, the relationship between man and nature is not as clear-cut as these examples might suggest. Sometimes, humans destroy nature unwittingly, like when Lennie kills the puppy. On other occasions, humans destroy nature for morally ambiguous (maybe even natural) reasons, like when Carlson shoots Candys old dog in order to put it out of his misery. Lennie himself reflects some aspects of the natural world, as he seems largely unaware of many social constructs of the human world. Ultimately, the moment that most blurs the line between the human and natural worlds is Lennies death at Georges hand. The scene asks us to consider whether it is natural for George to kill Lennie for his own protection (to put him out of his misery), or whether the killing is an act of societal intervention. The novellas conclusion suggests that the distinction between human society and nature—and between mice and men—is, perhaps, not so great after all.

Taking a Look at Wearable Technology - 580 Words

Wearable Technology Wearable technology is a broad term that encompasses many forms, these forms can include glasses, bracelets, watches, clothing or many other smart items. The potential for growth in this market is limitless. This technology allows individuals to re-shape how their tasks are completed by giving them a hands-free to heads-up option. The â€Å"Internet of things† refers to an explosion of devices with connectivity and potentially artificial intelligence. This could show in motors, clothes, thermostats or other appliances. The IOT is rapidly adding to the context that will amplify the impact wearable technology has on the world. No longer will laptops or smartphones be a required hindrance. Both consumers and businesses have a need for â€Å"wearables† and I’ll highlight some of the advantages of such technology [1]. We first started seeing wearable computing technology sometime in the 1960’s. Helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War wore head mounted display s for night missions and even office ID badges can be considered a type of wearable. The technology since that time has grown exponentially and the advancement of miniaturization as well battery life leaves us at the brink of a technology revolution. The term â€Å"wearable† is the name for these devices because they are worn on the body like normal items, such as watches, glasses and jewelry. These devices consist of three module components: sensors, displays and a computing architecture. Not all modules must beShow MoreRelatedThe Ethics Technique Of Wearable Technology1278 Words   |  6 Pages Assessment 1 – Doing Ethics Technique Wearable Technology Nagur Bhasha Shaik 11614204 ICT506 IT Ethics shaiknagurbhasha@gmail.com Wearable Technology We are as of now appended to (actually and metaphorically) various innovations that screen our practices. 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Creating own signature for use in web Essay Example For Students

Creating own signature for use in web Essay In this tutorial I will show you how to make a custom user bar. I will be making a Photshop CS user bar. 1) Make a new document with sizes widht: 350 height: 19 with a transparent background. 2) Make a suitable gradient and apply it. 3) Now get a logo, when I usually search for images i use Google Images, find your logo and open it up in Photoshop. 4) Now its time to remove your logo from the background, get the polygonal lasso tool and carefully cut it out. 5) Now go to Edit ; Copy, then open the user bar document (the one where you applied a gradient), then create a new layer and go to Edit ; Paste. 6) Now with this layer selected go to Edit ; Transform ; Scale and resize your logo or reposition it if you wish. 7) Now right click on the layer and select Blending Options and give it a little outer glow with these settings:8) Now make a new layer and get the Elliptical Marquee Tool and drag it from about point 1 to point 2. 9) Now get the Gradient Tool and use these settings:and now drag it vertical from point 1 to point 2:10) And now you have a nice light effect, create a new layer and fill it with a 45 degree scanline with opacity from 10% 15% if you dont have a 45 degree scanline make a new document with dimensions 33 with a transparent background and do a maximum zoom, now get the pen tool (make shure your color is set to black) and draw what Ive done in this picture:When you are done go to Edit ; Define Pattern and name it what you want and click ok. Now you can close this document because the pattern is permanently saved in Photoshop. Here is what you should have so far:11) Now its time to put some text, I will use font Visitor which you can get from this link: http://dafont.com/en/search.php?nq=1q=visitor type your text then right click on your layer and go to Blending Options and use these settings:Here is what I have so far:12) Now for the final step is to add a border, create a new layer and hold CTRL and click on the bottom layer. You should have the running ants around yor document, now go to Edit stroke and use these settings then click OK:And now you are done! Here is my final result: