Analyzing Loneliness In Of Mice And Men English Literature Essay

Analyzing Loneliness In Of Mice And Men English Literature Essay John Steinbeck portrays in his novella Of Mice and Men the theme of loneliness. In the novelette Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck writes about the Great Depression and how two friends, Lennie and George, stay together through this tough time. They go from town to town and work on ranches, always staying together. This new haven in California they stumble upon seems like a good fit, however Lennie creates problems and terminates their chances of survival there. George and Lennie have an interesting and strong relationship for the time period in which they live. Lennie and George have a parent to child type of relationship. Lennie, being the childlike of the two, does not have the mental capacity to make decisions for himself. George shows the parental attitude and creates the most safe conditions for the both of them to live and work. While this makes their friendship stronger, it also creates tension when big decisions come into play. George constantly sticks his neck out for Lennie and makes life easier on him by taking the blame for problems well as figuring out the tough situations they are put in. When Lennie crushes Curleys hand, they risk being fired. Slim negotiates with Curley after this accident to not tell anyone about what happened or else well tell everbody , an then will you get the laugh. (64). The people working alongside George and Lennie recognize this and end up sticking up for them when trouble comes along. The compassio n that George and Lennie express towards each other rubs off on the people that surround them and kept them out of trouble. George create a stable living environment for Lennie while he could not do so for himself. While George could have abandoned Lennie, gone on his way and become successful and not had many more problems, however he chooses to stay beside Lennie for the reason that Lennie needs George to survive. The love between the two creates a strong bond and a loyalty that does not end when George makes the ultimate sacrifice for his friend and saves him from the torture of lynching. Not everyone has a companion like Lennie throughout this story. In Steinbecks novel, Candy, an old, frail, crippled man who had worked on the ranch for years has only one companion, his dog. Candy and his dog share similar characteristics. They are both elderly, and neither of them very useful on the farm anymore due to age and deformity. Candy and his dogs relationship parallels that of George and Lennie; both have a dominant leader, and both have the compassion and love for each other. Candy finds himself emotionally broken once his only friend, and only real purpose in life dies. He cannot bring himself to shoot his dog since to him, it is his best friend. Carlson however, has no problem with killing the dog, Carlson shows a fierce attitude when he says If you want me to, Ill put the old devil out of his misery. Right now and get it over with. Aint nothing left for him. Cant eat, cant see, cant even walk without hurtin. (47). Carlson shows that he doesnt have a care in the world, and doesnt know what its like to care about someone enough to want them around. This scene is where the friendship of Lennie and George differs from Candy and his dog. Candy shows a more selfish look at friendship, where George sacrifices his best friend for the betterment of Lennie, Candy cannot bring himself to shoot his dog because he cannot bear to be alone. After his dog is gone however, he attaches himself to George and Lennies plan in order to gain some other companionship and meaning in his life. This part of the story ties into the theme of the American Dream and striving for something though it may seem out of said persons each. Having a friend along the way creates an easier path to go than going by themselves. Steinbeck stresses the need of meaningful friendship through this hardship we call life. Especially in the setting the novella is placed, where on ranches people have no one but themselves, its necessary to have a friend to not go crazy with loneliness. Crooks, an African American who works on the ranch, is essentially an outcast, proving this statement when he says, A guys goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no difference who the guy is, longs he with you (73). People, like Crooks says, need someone to talk to or else insanity sets in. Other men depicted in Of Mice and Men show a selfishness that comes with loneliness, as well as a lack of sensitivity. Steinbeck based the title off of a poem, which says The best-laid plans of mice and men/Gang aft agley (often go wrong)/And leave us naught but grief and pain/For promised joy. This statement is proved over and over again in the text, shown when George makes the hard decision to terminate Lennies life for the better, thought it was not part of their great American Dream and how Crooks has a strong desire for a friend, however has isolated himself because of common belief. Life altering decisions effect the future and peoples desires, leaving the people in this novella lonely, depressed, and in need of friendship, the small flicker of hope that George and Lennie bring when they come to the ranch discontinues the loneliness momentarily. Steinbeck demonstrates in his novel Of Mice and Men the struggle of maintaining a close friendship and how unusual companionships ultimately makes life easier. He proves that George and Lennies unusual friendship helped both Lennie and George maintain the idealistic thought of best friends. He shows that even the smallest of companions, such as a dog, can give a needed lapse in loneliness. But most of all, Steinbeck demonstrates how friendship gives hope in the future and optimism for what real friendship is. This idea relates not only to the Great Depression, but the need in every human being for some type of connection and companionship. It also shows the struggle that comes with friendship, and the sacrifices needed to be made for a true friend.

Factors Affecting the Grades of Freshmen Engineering Students Essay

INTRODUCTION This chapter is the input section of the paper. It includes the background of the study, the statement of the problem, hypotheses of the study, theory base (technical framework), its significance, as well as the scope and the limitation of the study, and its definition of terms. Background of the Study Academic performance according to the Cambridge University Reporter (2003) is frequently defined in terms of examination performance. College grading is an exceptionally complex phenomenon because it is subject to both external social forces and internal changes of the participants (for example, students, faculty) policies and practices (for example, grading policies) and other factors (Birnbaum, 1977)Ecoamists view grades as a reward for academic performance, which is assumed to be related to individual academic ability as well as the quantity and effort the student puts forth in educational activites (Becker, 1965; Hanushek 1979)Psychologist suggest that motivation, self-effacy and other psychological variables all make differences inindividual achievement and grades (Bandura, 1994; Marsh and Roche, 2000; McKeachie and others, 1990) Faculty members have the primary responsibility in assessing student academic performance and assigning grades to students. Faculty backgrounds appear to matter somewhat in assigning grades to students. adjunct faculty members tend to distributehigher grades than regular faculty. (Chen and Cheng, 1999;Sonner, 2000). Student academic ability and engagement in college are important determinants in academic performance. (Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991). There are many possible factors why the students able to get high or low grades. These factors are classified into four categories: student-related, teacher-related, environmental-related, and financial-related factors. Their grades based on their works throughout the semester. This study is subjected to the Freshmen Engineering Students of the University of Southeastern Philippines. It attempts to determine the correlation of the perceived factors that may or may at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. By conducting study, the result will provide exact information on what will be the effective ways to achieve and  maintain ideal grades for the students to pass their course. The study will also provide what are the basic problems encountered by the freshmen Engineering students of University of Southeastern Philippines that affect their misbehavior. (repository, 2011) Statement of the Problem The study aims to determine the Perceived Factors Affecting the Grades of Freshmen of College of Engineering of the University of Southeastern Philippines S.Y. 2012 – 2013 More specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions: 1. To what extent is the academic performance of the Freshmen Engineering students Hypotheses of the Study The following are the hypotheses of the study: 1.) Teacher-related factors: 1.1. There is a significant relationship between the modulation of voice of the teacher to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 1.2. There is a significant relationship between the teaching strategy of the teacher to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 1.3. There is a significant relationship between the mastery of the teacher’s subject matter to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 1.4. There is a significant relationship between the outputs given by the teacher to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 2.) Student-related factors: 2.1. There is a significant relationship between the students’ interest to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 2.2. There is a significant relationship between the students-professor relationship to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 2.3. There is a significant relationship between the student-parent relationship to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 2.4. There is a significant relationship between peer pressure to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 3.) Financial-related factors: 3.1. There is a significant relationship between financial assistance to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 3.2. There is a significant relationship between budget management to the grades of the  freshmen Engineering students. 3.3. There is a significant relationship between the demand of needs or requirements to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 4.) Environmental-related factors: 4.1. There is a significant relationship between the schools’ ambiance to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. 4.2. There is a significant relationship between the schools’ facilities to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. Theory Base This study is primarily anchored on John Riley & Sons, Inc. which states that the factors mentioned that affects the grades of the College students are: Economic View, Faculty, Institution, and the students’ self-interest. College grading is an exceptionally complex phenomenon because it is subject to both external social forces and internal changes of the participants (for example, students, faculty) policies and practices (for example, grading policies) and other factors (Birnbaum, 1977)Ecoamists view grades as a reward for academic performance, which is assumed to be related to individual academic ability as well as the quantity and effort the student puts forth in educational activites (Becker, 1965; Hanushek 1979) Psychologist suggest that motivation, self-effacy and other psychological variables all make differences inindividual achievement and grades (Bandura, 1994; Marsh and Roche, 2000; McKeachie and others, 1990) Faculty members have the primary responsibility in assessing student academic performance and assigning grades to students. Faculty backgrouds appear to matter somewhat in assigning grades to students. adjunct faculty members tend to distributehigher grades than regular faculty. (Chen and Cheng, 1999;Sonner, 2000). Institutional characteristics influence grading practices. Grades are not uniformly awarded across institutional types. Public institutions tend to award lower gradescompared with their private counterparts. Students at different Carnegie-type institutions receive different grades. Students at doctoral universities tend toreceive the highest grades compared with students enrolled in other types of schools. (Kuh and Hu, 1999) This theory suggests that self-interest (students’ performance), faculty, institution, and financial-based factors could affect the grades of the students. This  theory strongly supports the hypotheses of the study. Conceptual Framework Figure 1 shows the independent and dependent variables of the study. The study attempts to identify the relationship between the teacher-related, student-related, financial-related, and environmental-related factors to the grades of the freshmen Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philippines. Independent VariableDependent Variable Teacher- related factors: * Modulation of teacher’s voice. * Classroom management. * Teaching strategy. * Mastery of the subject/subject matter. * Outputs given to the students. Student-related factors: * Student-interest. * Student-professor relationship. * Student-parent relationship. * Peer pressure. Financial-related factors: * Financial assistance. * Budget management. * Demand of needs or requirements. Grades of the Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philippines Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study Variables of the study The independent variables (IV) of the study are the following classification of factors: teacher-related, student-related, financial-related, and environmental-related factors. Thus these factors could or could at affect the dependent variable (DV) which is the grades of the Freshmen Engineering Students of the University of Southeastern  Philippines. Teacher-related factors. The modulation of the teacher’s voice, classroom management, teaching strategy, mastery of the subject or subject matter, and the outputs given by the teacher could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. Student-Related factors. The students’ interest, student-professor relationship, student-parent relationship, and peer pressure could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. Environmental-Related factors. The financial assistance given to the student, budget management, and the demand of needs or requirements could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students. Significance of the Study The study was conducted mainly to provide information regarding The Perceived Factors Affecting the Failing Grades of Freshmen of College of Engineering of the University of Southeastern Philippines S.Y. 2012 – 2013.The feedback of this study would benefit the following: Teachers. This study informs the teachers to be aware for the cases of the students who’ve been involve in failing their subjects and help them motivate the students to listen properly during class hours and to fulfill their requirements given to them. Students. This study encourage the students to be more responsible and more serious of their studies. Parents. This study helps the parents to be aware of their students’ needs in school. That includes their financial assistance and parental guidance to their students. Future researchers. This study would serve as a reference to their studies and could be counted as a reliable source. Scope and Limitation of the Study The study focuses on the Perceived Factors Affecting the Failing Grades of Freshmen of College of Engineering of the University of Southeastern Philippines. Generated to a survey questionnaire is our primary data used which was also used in interview guide with the students. The respondents of the study were randomly picked ten (10) students of every section in the  said department. The study covers the first semester of the school year 2012-2013. Definition of Terms * Freshmen Engineering students. This refers to the participants of the study which are taking their college degree in the University of Southeastern Philppines, Barrio Obrero, Davao City. * Teacher-related factors. This refers to the factors in which the teacher is the one being subjected that could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philppines. In this study, the teacher-related factors are: modulation of teacher’s voice, classroom management, teaching strategy, mastery of the subject matter, and the outputs given to the students. * Student-related factors. This refers to the factors in which the student is the one being subjected that could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philppines. In this study, the student-related factors are: students’ interest, student-professor relationship, student-parent relationship, and peer pressure. * Environmental-related factors.This refers to the factors in which the environment is the one being subjected that could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philppines. In this study, the environmental-related factors are: school’s ambiance and the school’s facilities. * Financial-related factors.This refers to the factors in which money is the one being subjected that could or could at affect the grades of the freshmen Engineering students of the University of Southeastern Philppines. In this study, the financial-related factors are: financial assistance, budget management, demand of needs or requirements.

My Moment Of Epiphany At Upstate Medical University

My moment of epiphany came when I started working for Upstate Medical University’s Student Affair Department in their Student Success Center as an Office Manager. The Student Success Center focuses on underrepresented medical students through its CSTEP Program. As an Office Manager, I have had the pleasure with working with the medical students and upper faculty members. I have developed a camaraderie with a number of medical students. Many of the medical students come to me to converse about challenges or obstacles that they have had to encounter and/or hurdles they need to overcome. I truly believe my students come to me because I have a benevolent attitude and assiduously work ethic that they have observed. Although, I am not a counselor I appreciate that they feel comfortable to confide in me and these are extra responsibilities that I have embraced has a mentor and an advisor to my students. Then, I had this† aha moment,† that I should do more investment in myself and be a role model for these students as a Higher Education Administration Admission faculty member. While I was pondering about where to go for my Master’s Degree in Higher Educating Administration my options were limited. I needed a different atmosphere, I wanted a non-traditional setting. A master’s program that offered the classes entirely online, in the comfort of my home. Therefore, I can study at my convenience and also be a full time mother to my teenage daughter. While reviewing the Stony

Narrative Techniques in the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...

Narrative Techniques in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a novel by John Boyne. This novel is set during World War 2 and explores themes such as prejudice, racism, war, innocence and friendship. What sets it apart from other novels is that it uses a third person limited point of view, and mostly depicts events as they are seen by a young and naà ¯ve boy. This was one of the main narrative conventions that engaged me in this novel. The point of view is the most interesting and important narrative convention of this novel. It is written in third person limited mostly from Bruno, the young boys, perspective. This means it does not use ‘I’ or ‘we’ but we do get to find out what the main character is†¦show more content†¦He merely parrots back things that he has heard others say as he thinks this is normal and he has no way to know otherwise. One particularly poignant example is â€Å"‘Heil Hitler,’ he said, which, he presumed, was another way of saying, ‘Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon.’† p.54. This made me as a reader wonder wether I would be blind to the harsh reality if I had been raised in that way. I think that this is one of the most important things Boyne wants this novel to make us think about. In parts of the novel Bruno begins to actually lose his innocence and learn and understand more about the world around him. For example, when he is talking to Maria about his father and she starts to speak to him about her earlier life he â€Å"realized for the first time that he had never fully considered her to be a person with a life and a history of her own,† p.60. This process is not fast enough as this innocence still leads to his early death in a gas chamber. However, he thinks that he is just going on a march while he was trying to help his friend, and this means that he is not afraid. His innocence acts like courage, and shields him from fear while placing him in danger. There are also symbols and comparisons made in the novel. Mostly these are during interactions between Bruno and Shmuel, and often they are very unrealistic, and do not further the plot but instead are there just to make a point. ForShow MoreRelated Use of Narrative in John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas1012 Words   |  5 PagesNarrative is a rhetorical structure that distorts reality in order to reveal it. This is an eminently evident actuality in John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Through this distortion, Boyne is able to evoke the reader’s empathy, portray the horror of the Holocaust to a younger audience and convey human’s capacity for inhumanity and indifference. This is achieved by Boyne, primarily through the exaggeration of innocence throughout the novel, the content presented to the audience, and theRead MoreIts Not Finished,, , but My Speech on Reflect Upon How Your Understanding of Representation, History and Memory Has Been Shaped by This Elective1173 Words   |  5 Pageswide range of text types as well as our own knowledge of events represented in the text then we are able to more deeply and with more certainty, define what history and memory is. The poem â€Å"Requiem for the Croppies† by Seamus Heaney, â€Å"The Boy in Striped Pyjamas†, a novel written by John Boyne and the Smithsonian September 11 Website, â€Å"Bearing Witness to History†, enable us as readers to grasp the complexities that are represented between the interplay of history and memory. Representation refersRead MoreEssay on The Short Life of Anne Frank by Gerrit Netten2196 Words   |  9 Pagescinema dramatization of real events ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by Mark Herman. I will be focusing on how each director uses techniques to show true aspects of real life, and how this persuades the audience into believing that they are witnessing something accurate, and true to the directors intention. Gerrit Netten’s 2001 documentary ‘The Short Life of Anne Frank’ and Mark Herman’s 2008 historical drama based film ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, are both based on the innocence perceivedRead MoreEssay About Pajamas And The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas936 Words   |  4 Pages Imagine this! Becoming close friends with a boy that lives on the other side of a fence in a Nazi camp and only being able to talk to them through a fence never being able to run around together or just play a game of tag. Well that’s what happened to a little nine year old boy named Bruno that had to move very far away for his dads work. Bruno wondered beyond the fences when he met a little boy that seemed just like himself but yet his life and circumstances were extremely different then Bruno’s