Crooks and Curleys wife experience loneliness and isolation Essay Example for Free

Crooks and Curleys wife experience loneliness and isolation Essay In this essay I intend to write about why Crooks and Curleys wife experience loneliness and isolation and in what way they try to deal with these difficulties. Crooks is a nergro stable buck with a crooked spine. His eyes are described as the most noticeable feature on his face, brimming with knowledge of the injustice in life. His eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity. He is also slim with a lean face, en-lined with wrinkles. His lips are also described vividly as very thin and pain-tightened. He covers up his intense eyes with large gold rimmed spectacles. Curleys wife is, of course a complete contrast, and is extremely pretty, thought sometimes try too hard. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spade eyes, heavily made up. She has done her nails carefully which doesnt seem very suitable for life on a ranch. Her voice is another thing that is commented on, as have a nasal, brittle quality. Crooks personality is somewhat of a mystery. His real personality is hidden by the racism of the time. He is hurt and shocked by peoples opinions towards him and so he feels the only way to get through life is to push back the same disgust to the other mean on the ranch. This heres my room. Nobody got any right in here by meI aint wanted in the bunk-house, and you aint wanted in my room. Crooks doesnt see that all his is really doing is stopping to their level thought, he just continues to treat others in the way he has been treated, and if he has a choice he just stays away from them. His personality would have developed differently if he had been born white, because his true colours are stunted by the racism against him. He teases Lennie, and takes pleasure in it, as though at last he is being able to do to someone else what has been done to him for his whole life, Crooks face lights with pleasure in his torture. The basic word to describe the personality of Curleys wife is a flirt, although as we get to know more and more about her we discover that this is not completely true. In this essay I will try to explain why she behaves like this, and whether in fact she behaves like this just for attention and is concealing something. The personality of these characters is perhaps one of the keys to the book. However different these character are they are linked through their loneliness and the fact they conceal their true personality. The are both considered quite low on the social scale but deal with this in very different ways as I will explain. As I have said, Crooks is bitter about being made to live along above the stable. He expresses this bitterness, and tires to explain to Lennie how loneliness is so disturbed that it drives you mad Ill tell you a get guys too lonely and he gets sick.dont make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you. It must be a relief for Crooks to be able to share some of his problems with someone, and he must find it especially east with Lennie who probably will not understand, and will forget what he hears quickly. He is the only one who understands Lennie, besides George, and befriends him. He looks past Lennies mental handicap and Lennie looks past Crooks physical handicap. Curleys wife also finds it easy to talk to Curley. She is so overwhelmed by her loneliness, she seeks friendship from other men. She seeks out the friendship of Lennie for all of the others fear Curley and will have nothing to do with her. Think I dont like to talk to somebody ever once in a while? It is when she talks to Lennie that we discover a great deal about her past. She tells Lennie that she still dreams of what might have been, seeing herself as a potential film-star. However, in my opinion she has no acting talent, men (one from a travelling show, one who claimed to be in the movies) make her offers as a chat-up line. Her naivetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ shows in her belief that her mother has stolen a letter (from her contact in Hollywood) which was obviously never written; her immaturity appears in her instant reaction of marrying the loathsome Curley. It was a hasty marriage to Curley is just a failed attempt to escape from her own spiral of loneliness. When she chose to marry Curley it was all because of the wrong reasons and only to get away from her mother, one person who genuinely cared for her, Well I wasnt going to stay no place where I couldnt get nowhere. Now she find herself very line and she has no-one to talk to, I don like Curley. Desperate for companionship she does not find at home, she tries to find solace with the other men. They are uneasy about this, as they think her to be seriously promiscuous, and are fearful of Curleys reaction. Her inappropriate dress on the ranch and her manner brand her as a tart. She can not escape from this image and so she uses it so that she is noticed and can talk to people. Although in my opinion instead of being the mature and flirtatious female that the men see, she is in fact like a little girl yearning for her home. She even talks to people who she considers to be out of her league, but in a way this makes her a more tragic character, because unlike the others, even Lennie, she seems not to understand her limitations or she refuses to admit them. She treats those below her in an unnecessarily disdainful way. There is one point in the book when Curleys wife goes into Crooks room. Crook, as I have said, pretends that he wishes no one to come into his room seeing as he isnt allowed in the bunk house. However, when Lennie and then Candy come in we can tell that he was actually very pleased, It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger. Candy and Crooks reacts to Curleys wife primarily disgusted. On their faces they scowl at her and appear to wish that she wasnt there. However as Curleys wife points out it is doubtful whether they really feel this, for they would not doubt have acted very different if they were alone, If I catch one man alone, I get along fine with him. But just le two guys get together and you just wont talkyoure all scared of each other. Curleys wife is very rude to Crooks and says, Im standing here talking to a nigger. I think her reaction is like this because she feels very powerful to be talking to someone as sad and lonely as herself, but who is looked down upon by others. She likes to use this rare power and so when Crooks finally cracks and stands up to her she does everything with her capable possibility to make him feel small and unnecessary. Listen, Nigger, she said. You know what I can do to you if you open your trap? This immediately makes Crooks turn into a no one. Every trace of a personality disappears, and he just answers in a monotonous voice. After she leave Candy says, That bitch didnt ought to of said that to you. And Crooks replies by saying , It wasnt nothing, you guys coming in an setting made me forget. Crooks obviously was so happy by having the company of some men that he forgets his place (in those times) and stood up to her. He then realised what he had done and remembered how he should have behaved. For that one small part of the story we saw the real Crooks, the one who is not concerned with racism, because for that very small amount of time he believe himself to be normal. Curleys wife though doesnt have a very suprising reaction to Candy (the old-swamper) and Crooks. I believe that she is angry because she just realised how messy her life is. She tries to stay calm and talk to them as thought they are beneath her, but all the time she realises that she is just as sad and lonely as them. She sees that they are the only people she can have a proper conversation with are, as she describes them a nigger, an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheep. At one point in the conversation she says, Whatt ya think I am, a kid? and then she continues to talk about how she was nearly in the pictures. Of course, she is just a kid, who doesnt understand herself. He also wants to be part of George and Lennies dream. He said that he would work for free. He gives up on the farm dream when he realizes it isnt going to work out. Talk about this. Also say that crooks was nasty to lennie then nice. I would describe Curleys wife as a sympathetic figure. There is a very strong description towards the end of the book, just as she has been killed by Lennie, And the meanness and the planning and the discontented and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Curleys wife has had a very unfortunate life. She made some wrong decisions and has been punished for them, by dying unhappy at such as young age. To all the other people on the ranch she is only important because she is the wife of Curley, and that explains why she is given no other name. They are scared of getting involved with her because of what Curley might do to them. No-one is ever actually interesting in her. I feel sorry for her that someone who has the potential to be so sweet and calm has lives such as sad life and has died before anyone knows her true colours. Crook, like Curleys wife has had a sad life for the later part of his life at least. Nothing will ever get better for him, because of his colour. The war Steinbeck talks about him is very controversial nowadays and would not be accepted. At the time that this book was written this language would have been more in use and so perhaps it would have been more acceptable, meaning that Steinbeck was not ware of its full impact. The fact that he portrays crooks as a unhappy and meaningful character must indicate that the author believes racism to be unfair, or else he would have been portrayed as evil, someone deserving what he got. Many upon reading this book may believe that the key issue is George and Lennie, but in fact this novel raises many questions about discrimination and loneliness.

Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012) Comparison

Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012) Comparison Introduction In this essay I will compare the visual effects of two movies an older movie and It ´s prequel. As a fan of sci-fi movies, for this writing I decided to compare Alien (1979) and its prequel Prometheus (2012). The Prometheus movie was nominated for an Academy award for visual effects in 2013 whereas Alien won an Academy award for visual effects in 1980. Many scenes in this first movie were so good that they had appeared in Prometheus too. Even the trailer consists of the same scenes. Moreover the plot of the both movies in general is about crew on a space towing vessel. They end up on a distant moon then the crew realize that they are not alone on the spaceship when an alien stowaway is on the board. 1. Alien 1979 Director: Ridley Scott Visual effects supervisor: Brian Johnson What worked best on visual effects for this movie are mostly modellers and prop makers. Models of the ship were very detailed and huge, for example the largest one Nostromo was 17 feet long. The team couldn ´t use the cutting edge technology of motion control to capture the seventeen-foot model of Nostromo   because the budget did not allow the time for shooting stop-motion. This led the special effects team to develop a camera that moved slowly on a drive mechanism. Furthermore, shots of Nostromos were mostly close ups. Interior sets of a spaceship were all connected and real so actors felt like they are in a real place. For the xenomorph they created a suit and found a slander tall man who wore it. He had to attend thaichi lessons because of the moves. The head of the xenomorph had mechanical parts and was made out of car parts, silicone and jelly for spit. The designer of the xenomorph and its previous stages ( facehugger and   chestburster ) and ship was H. R. Giger. There are only a few shots of the alien in the movie because Ridley wanted to create fear in a viewer, many times using dark places so viewer would not know where the alien is and what to expect. These are the most famous scenes: chestbuster scene A chest which was fake was used for John Hurts character Kane for the scene. It appeared as if Hurts neck was connected to the fake chest when He was underneath the table. The director tried to make the scene very much authentic and one of the steps was to use real organs which were bought from a butcher shop and were stuffed in the fake chest cavity. Another idea was to use hoses to help pump and spray the blood as the creature would explode from the chest. The actors were not told about all the actions that would take place and they definitely did not expect to be sprayed with blood as the alien creature arose. facehugger scene The Facehugger as seen in the opened egg are bits of cow innards and probably other animals. The tail of the Facehugger is an intestine and a blast of air is being pumped through it. The Facehugger dissection scene involved raw oysters in a plastic mold of the creature. Revelation of Ash scene In the scene where Ash is revealed to be a robot and has his head knocked off,   they   created a puppet of the Ashs torso and upper body which was operated from underneath by a small puppeteer.   The following scene of the surviving crew interacting with Ashs remains used both his actor, kneeling under the table with his head coming up through a hole cut in its top, and an animatronic head, made using a face cast of   Ash ´s actor. Unfortunately, the whipped latex made the head shrank as it was drying and therefore, the final item bore little resemblance to the real Holm. Ash ´s inner workings and fluids were made of   milk, caviar, pasta and glass marbles. Personally I didnt notice that the fake head is smaller than the actor ´s and I think that this shot was made really realistic. 2. Prometheus 2012 Director: Ridley Scott Visual effects supervisor: Richard Stammers Ridley created many elements and shots similar to ones in the Alien movie such as space suits, similar ship design, kept the original look of alien ship, the space jockey, similar interior of the ship, basic elements like hypersleep chamber, medical scanner, strong female leading role, breakfast scene, in alien the on-board ship computer is called mother and in promeheus they call it maam. There is also a humanoid robot on the board. Environment A lot of the final environment work is a combination of real photography and 3d set extensions. Real aerial plates are pictures of Iceland and Wadi Rum. Ridley wanted the amazing landscape feel believable. They analyzed the area using Google Maps and DEM satellite maps which give displacements, they put that into Maya and combined all that information and built up a rough 20 mile landscape. The pinnacles on the ground were taken from real rock in Iceland. They scanned and textured the shot and from that created CG variations. They used a program to randomly scatter them across the landscape based on manually painted intensity maps.   NASA helped with recreation of the environment by providing photos of ice being expulsed into the atmosphere of Saturns moon Enceladus and information about the potential look of different exo-planets. For the sandstorm in the movie they used Flowline to simulate natural looking pluming dust, then their own volumetric tool for visualizing and Renderman rendering.   In comparison in the original Alien the ship was covered in darkness and a storm with zero visibility. The set was created from motorcycle parts and matte paintings. Pretty much all of the sets in Prometheus were built practically and also modelled in 3D. And that includes the weird caverns and chambers on the moon, as well as the interiors of the ship Prometheus. Concept artists firstly built up sets in 3D so they would know right off the bat that it was achievable. Surgery scene I think this scene is somehow an recreation of the chestbuster scene from Alien but this time it is even more disturbing than the one from alien because Dr. Shaw finds out that she is infected and pregnant and has no choice but to perform a C-section on herself using the MedPod. The Med Pod was built and function in real life to make this scene looks realistic. Actress was filming this scene for 4 days then creature was added in post-production. They had to cover her belly with tracking markers as they had to matchmove as closely as possible to make the effect work in physical space. Conclusion In general, I really like both movies the making of them but also the plot. I highly appreciate that Ridley Scott in Prometheus stuck with creating real scene sets and did not just leave everything on post-production. The real sets added the feeling of realism into the movie also the fact that they cooperated with NASA in the effort of creating realistic environment.   Regarding to the Alien movie I really like the ideas that they came up with such as   camera on mechanism to create slow motion footage, using of real animal viscera to make creatures look real and disgusting and I highly admire the work of one of my favourite artist   H. R. Giger   in creating designs for the movie. I think I would be able to achieve some shots in the Alien but also in the Prometheus. In the Alien movie there are many shots in which mechanical parts had to be   included for instance   like in chestbuster   scene they had to create a pump for exploding of the chest so these kind of shots would be hard for me to achieve if I had to create them using the same technique but I would be able to create a model of the Nostromo and also the facehugger model .   Prometheus also used real size models but there was also SGI included. In order to SGI I think I would be able to create an eviroment like 3D set extensions ( create ground extension and 3d pinnacles and texture them). After all I think that both of these movies are made   really good, they have the same scary, mysterious feeling , the same visual look and   creative ideas were included not to mention the amazing plot. Bibliography Seymour, M. (2012). Prometheus: rebuilding hallowed vfx space. [online] fxguide. Available at: https://www.fxguide.com/featured/prometheus-rebuilding-hallowed-vfx-space/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Anders, C. (2012). Cite a Website Cite This For Me. [online] Io9.gizmodo.com. Available at: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5917639/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-design-of-prometheus [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Watkins, A. (2014). Behind-the-Scenes: Making of the Chestburster scene from Alien. [online] Cinemablography. Available at: http://www.cinemablography.org/blog/behind-the-scenes-making-of-the-chestburster-scene-from-alien [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017].   Ash. [online] avp.wikia. Available at: http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Ash [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017]. Jacob, J. (2016). The Making of Alien Documentary. [image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHjNWzn73k [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017].

Popular Culture In Singapore

Popular Culture In Singapore Number the question: Question 3. With reference to at least two types of popular culture, discuss and evaluate the role and impact of popular culture in Singapore between the end of the Second World War and Singapores independence in 1965? Popular culture is defined as a cultural artifact or events by which large numbers of people are voluntarily attracted to through the dissemination of mass media. The study of popular culture helps us to understand the society that embraced it as it developed over time. Popular culture also tackles the everyday life and lived experiences that are often neglected. It is argued that popular culture plays a role in shaping the values and identity of a society when the general masses consumes and embraces it. In this paper, the author will look into the role and impact of popular culture in the form of Shaw Cinema films and the mass visiting of amusement parks between post war and independence of Singapore. Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945 and the British returned on the island on 5 September 1945. Britains failure in defending Singapore had undermined her credibility as a governor of the island. In addition, post-war Singapore was plagued with poverty, unemployment and economical uncertainty. These gave rise to political awakening and nationalist identity amongst the Singaporeans.  [1]  This period of uncertainty and anxiety shaped the identity and popular culture of post-war Singapore. Shortly after the return of the British to Singapore and Malaya, the Shaw cinemas started afresh and business began to boom. On the return of the British to Singapore and Malaya, we started afresh and business became prosperous because the public hungered for the opportunity to see British and American films. Theatres were crowded especially during the first few months with the main draw being war movies. With such overwhelming response, we had to plan for expansion.  [2]   Cinemas owned by the Shaw stretches from Sembawang to Balestier and prior to the Lido, Shaw had the Pavilion on Orchard Road. By 1965, the number of cinema halls owned by Shaw in Singapore totaled 19. The independent halls in Singapore which were contracted to play only Shaw distributed films numbered 30. With cinemas scattered throughout the island, the Shaws had the widest exhibition circuit in Singapore. Cinemas during the post war period were avenues where new modern technology and culture converge. In addition, cinema films also had a role in shaping political awareness and nationalist sensations just after the war amongst the community in Singapore and Malaya. These could be seen from the popular demand for war themed British and American films. On one hand, the reasons were partly due to Singaporeans losing confidence in them as an infallible ruler and on the other hand, the British government was also gradually preparing to grant self-governance to Singapore and Malaya. Secondly, the post war films by the Shaw Brothers played an important role in shaping the identity of the Chinese in Singapore. The film, The Song of Singapore, highlighted Nanyang Style and Nanyang atmosphere, the identity of being a Chinese national was still predominant in the movie. The term huaqiao denotes an overseas Chinese residing in a foreign country and will ultimately return to their homeland China.  [3]   By the mid 1950s, the Chinese films from Shaw studio in Hong Kong and Shaw Malay films began to gain popularity over the American Hollywood. The first Malay film of the Shaw Brothers, Singapore at Night (Singapura di Waktu Malam) was made after the war. The emphasis of post- war movies were local style, local flavor, and local character. At that time, the major selling points of the movies were that it conveyed a totally Nanyang style and a fully Nanyang atmosphere.  [4]   During the post-war period, films in cinemas not only had the role of evoking nationalism, the impact of the cinemas were so huge that they became the representations of mass entertainment consumption and voluntarily participation. Patronizing the cinemas had also become a new form of sensation and indulgence where patrons were eager to experience. As mentioned above, cinemas during the post-war periods were avenues where audiences could catch a glimpse of technological innovations. With increasing popularity and competition from other post-war exhibitors and other forms of mass entertainment, the Shaw cinemas imported the latest in cinematograph and theatre equipments, sound systems, furnishings, air-conditioning and chairs. Over the years, other than the improvements in colour and sound there were also other innovative methods for enhancing the cinema experience constantly being launched from Hollywood.  [5]  Although many of these special format films were shortlived, but they renewed excitement in cinema during the various periods they were launched. Cinemas were also avenues of cultural convergence where patronizing audiences could experience a new form of modern culture. One example was the dual purpose halls in which the Shaw cinemas not only screened movies; there were also held live shows and events. Some of these were meant for promoting films and others were purely for entertainment. Imported live shows and performance from Malaya and the region made its way into Shaw cinemas as early as 1951. Visiting magicians and illusionists never failed to draw crowds with their exciting performances which not only provide entertainment; it also drew a form of mysterious sensation amongst the audiences. Dances by visiting dance troupes from all over the world were also popular demands amongst patrons then.  [6]   By the 1950s, the advertising campaigns during the post war period became more sophisticated and creative. The impact of the film industry on the locals was so great that promotional and advertising materials sent from major studios abroad had to take on a local context. Furthermore, the Shaw Cinemas went on to involve public participation in order to achieve success in film promotion events. You must advertise, put up the posters, put it in the newpapers you must think what are the kind of people, what kind of advertisements to attract the people  [7]   Daily newspaper ads, cinema standees poster displays and movie trailers provided the mainstays of Shaw promotions. Posters were not only hung outside of the cinemas but also on poster boards along road junctions and overhead bridges. They were also hanged in other major locations such as shopping centres, supermarkets, fairgrounds, schools, coffeeshops and even the Singapore Turf Club. To further engage larger crowds, billboard trucks travelled all over the island to broadcast coming attractions and distribute handbills. Promotions for blockbusters were even more elaborated as it involved all forms of public transportations and even armoured trucks and airplanes. These vehicles were outfitted with advertising banners and billboards. Apart from mere screening of films and performances, Shaw cinemas went further to entice and involve their audiences and patrons in their business. For example, Movie theme marketing was another effective method at drawing attention. Within the cinema itself, the Shaw marketing team would organise theme screenings with audiences dressed up in movie themes. Another was the red head promotion at the Capitol in 1956 for the premiere of Slightly Scarlet. Girls who flaunted the loveliest red hair were given a spray of flowers and a voucher for free hairdo with a leading hairstylist. As a source of publicity, personal appearances by stars created maximum impact for their films wherever they went. Touring stars from Hollywood or Shaw Studios added glamour to movie premieres, cinema openings, festivals, charities as well as other events in Singapore and all over Malaysia. Autograph signing sessions never failed to draw crowds as well as interest from the press. These events and contests were considered new and exciting to Singaporeans during the post war periods. The Shaw cinemas at its peak during this period not only created a platform that united community from different ethnicity and languages; it further created a form of lifestyle and mass culture amongst the community that indulged in mass consumption of entertainment. The impact was far-reaching that it even introduced to the community the first time the idea of star chasing and the glamour to be a successful celebrity. Amusement parks operated by the Shaw Brothers during post-war Singapore were also familiar sights. Since 1930s, it had always been an unforgettable experience for populace of Singapore to visit these amusement parks.  [8]  These amusement parks resumed business shortly after the war; continued to offer variety and non-stop offerings which could not be found in traditional culture and entertainment venues. It was a crucible of new culture forms, as old contents transformed to meet changing popular taste, and new ones were introduced to suit the diverse crowds. Popular live stage shows featuring all forms of dances, game contests, magic shows, comedy shows, fashion parades as well as band performances before the screening of movies. Some stage shows featured local or visiting celebrities, but most of the time they were performed by amateurs or semi-professionals. Then there were the contests based on fads. In addition, depending on what was popular at the time, dance contests were held regularly. In 1956, with rock and roll sweeping the film world, a rock and roll contest was held at the Great World Caberet to promote Rock around the Clock. In 1957, the same venue was used for the cha cha cha contest to promote the film Cha Cha Cha Boom. In 1963, with twisting films increasingly popular, a twisting contest was held at Sky.  [9]   One of the highlights in the amusement parks was the bangsawan which was a travelling commercial theatre meant to generate profits. Although the main language used was Malay, the bangsawan as a cultural form was effectively multicultural.  [10]  Bangsawan was a popular culture that transcends all boundaries; ethnicity, linguistic and cultural. Not only was the profile of the audience cut across class distinction, it was also multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. In the amusement parks, there were also other forms of popular culture such as the Chinese Wayang, band performances, open air cinema, and Malay social dances. Consequently, this process of assimilating traditional performance groups, and especially travelling theatres in the amusement parks inevitably resulted in the transformation of different cultural forms.  [11]  When bangsawan was assimilated into the urban amusement parks, it featured an improbable variety of shows. To fill in time between acts, or before and after each play, there would be musical and dance interludes. Until mid 1960s, Singapore was largely socially stratified and each person was kept to exclusive clubs and clan associations. Amusement parks on the other hand were accessible to any social groups. The various cultural forms which were adapted allowed for different degrees of participation in the show, depending only on the amount of money one could spare. This loosening of boundaries of the urban amusement parks hence provided everyone a glimpse into the different cultures, practices, and leisure life of the diverse community living in Singapore.  [12]  Such opportunities during post war or prior independence were rare. The urban amusement parks were then a different world to the visitors where they could participate in leisure activities and cultural performances of the various communities, all at once, within a single community. Both Shaw Cinema and amusement parks played a major role in attracting multiethnic groups under one roof and consuming the diverse forms of entertainment, culture and technological advancements which never failed to evoke strong sensations and excitement amongst the patrons. The cinema films also played a role in evoking nationalism and shaping of the Nanyang identity during the post-war period. Perhaps, it could be argued that these avenues to a certain extent provided refuge from reality and the harshness of life during post-war Singapore. The impact of publicity and marketing was so far-reaching amongst the local community that the culture of star chasing then mirrored the image and glamour pop and movie stars enjoy in contemporary Singapore. Blibiography Barbara Leitch Lepoer, ed. Singapore: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989. Sai-Shing Yung, Territorialization and the Entertainment Industry of the Shaw Brothers in Southeast Asia, China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema, ed. Poshek Fu, pp. 133-153. Tan Sooi Beng, From Popular to Traditional Theater: The Dynamics of Change in Bangsawan of Malaysia, Ethnomusicology, vol.33, no.2, Spring-Summer 1989, pp.229-237 Wong Yunn Chii and Tan Kar Lin, Emergence of a cosmopolitan space for culture and consumption: the New World Amusement Park- Singapore(1923-70) in the inter-war years, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Volume 5, Number 2, 2004, pp. 279-304

German Immigration to the Midwest :: American America History

German Immigration to the Midwest German Immigration: A story told by the ghosts of the past "The day I left home, my mother came with me to the railroad station.When we said goodbye, she said it was just like seeing me go into my casket, I never saw her again." So is the story of Julia B. from Germany and many others who left their life and love for a chance of happiness in a new country. This is the story of the German immigrants in 1880-1930 who risked everything on a dream of better things. What caused the German immigration to Ameica between 1870-1930? In this paper I'll answer that question plus: what caused the movement, what happined to them when they arrived, and how did they adapt. I'll also tell some of the more gritty stuff by using intimate and detailed quotes used by many real immigrants who came to America anywhere from 1880 to 1930. As you read this, be prepared to learn what really happened to these immigrants and why the streets were paved with anything but gold. Today, many Germans live throughout the U.S.; especially in the mid-west. More likely then not, they came here in the late 1800's- 1900's. This would be because of the many revolutions in the 1860's and the poverty that almost always follows war. In one 20 year span in the late 1800's Germany went to war at least 7 times taking on neighboring countries such as: Austria, France, Belgium and Russia. Like I said, much money was spent on the war effort in Germany. People were taxed heavily just to buy bullets for the army. Through all this, word was spread like wild fire through Germany that a new country in the west across the water was offering freedom and a promise of happiness for anyone who would make the long journey to the new country: America. So with somewhat heavy hearts, many men and women left their families behind to journey to America in hopes of something greater. For many, the road to America was a hard one. Most of the emigrants were very poor and had to hitchhike or walk the long miles to the coast just to be able to get on the boat to America. Sometimes it would take months just to save up enough money to pay for rides out of Germany, expensive passports, and to pay for the boat fare and it would take weeks just to go to France where they usually only began the long hard trip to their destination. German Immigration to the Midwest :: American America History German Immigration to the Midwest German Immigration: A story told by the ghosts of the past "The day I left home, my mother came with me to the railroad station.When we said goodbye, she said it was just like seeing me go into my casket, I never saw her again." So is the story of Julia B. from Germany and many others who left their life and love for a chance of happiness in a new country. This is the story of the German immigrants in 1880-1930 who risked everything on a dream of better things. What caused the German immigration to Ameica between 1870-1930? In this paper I'll answer that question plus: what caused the movement, what happined to them when they arrived, and how did they adapt. I'll also tell some of the more gritty stuff by using intimate and detailed quotes used by many real immigrants who came to America anywhere from 1880 to 1930. As you read this, be prepared to learn what really happened to these immigrants and why the streets were paved with anything but gold. Today, many Germans live throughout the U.S.; especially in the mid-west. More likely then not, they came here in the late 1800's- 1900's. This would be because of the many revolutions in the 1860's and the poverty that almost always follows war. In one 20 year span in the late 1800's Germany went to war at least 7 times taking on neighboring countries such as: Austria, France, Belgium and Russia. Like I said, much money was spent on the war effort in Germany. People were taxed heavily just to buy bullets for the army. Through all this, word was spread like wild fire through Germany that a new country in the west across the water was offering freedom and a promise of happiness for anyone who would make the long journey to the new country: America. So with somewhat heavy hearts, many men and women left their families behind to journey to America in hopes of something greater. For many, the road to America was a hard one. Most of the emigrants were very poor and had to hitchhike or walk the long miles to the coast just to be able to get on the boat to America. Sometimes it would take months just to save up enough money to pay for rides out of Germany, expensive passports, and to pay for the boat fare and it would take weeks just to go to France where they usually only began the long hard trip to their destination.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder :: Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

Journal According to Sigmund Freud, events and emotions that are particularly disturbing are repressed into the unconscious. Often times this theory is true, but for people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, they only wish that it were true. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again. PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults,but it can occur at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and there is some evidence that susceptibility to the disorder may run in families. PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders. Many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Internet chat rooms can also be useful in this regard, but any advice received over the Internet should be used with caution, as Internet acquaintances have usually never seen each other and false identities are common.

Tlc Analysis of a Drug Component

To: Wesley Clark From: Lizzie Heath Date: March 4, 2013 Subject: Thin-Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Drug Components (Experiment #15) The purpose of this experiment is to determine the components of an unknown drug and identify it as one of six (6) commercial drugs by using thin-layer chromatography. I added approximately a quarter of a tablet of acetaminophen, aspirin, caffeine, ibuprofen, salicylamide, and the unknown (#19) to separate test tubes containing 2. 5mL of dichloromethane. I noticed that my unknown was a coated tablet.Each test tube was swirled until the greatest amount of each solid was dissolved. Each solution was spotted along a labeled starting line on the silica gel TLC plate. The TLC plate was put into a developing chamber containing 200:1 acetic acid and allowed to developed until the solvent reached almost to the top of the TLC plate, which took about 10 minutes. When the TLC plate finished developing, I observed the plate under UV light and noticed that the s alicylamide was the only spot that fluoresced purple while all the other spots fluoresced blue and I also noticed that the unknown had 2 spots.I traced around the spots for each solution on the TLC plate, the only spot that I did not see was the one for the ibuprofen. I then placed it into an iodine chamber and noticed that the acetaminophen turned a yellowish color. I measured that the solvent traveled 64mm up the TLC plate by using the starting line as a reference, and, by using that information, I was able to calculate the Rf value of each solution by using: Rf= distance traveled by the spotDistance traveled by the solvent I used that formula to get the following information for the table below: Commercial DrugRf Value Acetaminophen0. 500 Aspirin0. 781 Caffeine0. 125 Ibuprofen0 Salicylamide0. 719 Unknown0. 109 & 0. 734 I am able to determine that my unknown substance contains aspirin, but I am not sure what the other substance is. I can speculate that the other substance is the c oating from the tablet of the unknown.

In What Way Can China’s ‘Socialist Market Economy’ Be Regarded as Successful and to What Extent Is It Not Achieving Its Promise?

Question 2: In what way can China’s ‘socialist market economy’ be regarded as successful and to what extent is it not achieving its promise? China is much more than just a mere country. It has been through many ups and downs and exciting changes in the Chinese society, from changes of dynasties to establishing a name under the ‘7 wonders of the world’ with its creation of the ‘Great Wall of China’. Its heritage and history for the past thousands of years have made China of what it is today. Hence, with Deng Xiaoping’s widely quoted phrases: â€Å"crossing the river by grouping for stones†, â€Å"Getting rich is glorious†, and â€Å"seek truth from facts, and not from ideology†, how has China develop and grown over the years? How did China attain its current economic prosperity? How did China seek the truth of its economy transition from a planned economy to a market economy over the decades? â€Å"In a planned economy, government controls and determine business ownership, profits, and resource allocation. The theory behind a planned economy is ‘communism’, which suggests that all property is shared equally by the people in a community under the direction of a strong central government. It is an economic system that involves public ownership of businesses. Rather than entrepreneurs, the government decides what products consumers will be offered and in what quantities. As the main planner, the government establishes trade polices that historically have been very restrictive in allowing foreign companies the opportunity to compete† (Stralser, 2004). China was a planned economy under Mao Zedong’s leadership as he thoughts was mainly equality, where he established nationalization of China’s economy through the control of markets by keeping it free from foreign dominations, price, and production as well as natural and human resources. He also introduced the promotion of egalitarianism and collectivism with little incentives, while individuals’ needs are not being realized. As a result, economic development in China was stagnant and there was not much of an economic progress. In the late 1930s, Oscar Lange started the idea of â€Å"Market Socialism,† an economy in which assets or methods of productions, were owned socially by the communist party or State, but which imitated the supply-demand price adjustment of the competitive market economy. Conversely, Lerner and Lange debated on the issue that the key element that is common to ‘market socialism’ is socialist (i. e. party) ownership and (managerial) control of assets. The key difference is that market-based allocation of goods and services versus centrally planned allocation of goods and services. In China, the ‘market’ element has expanded gradually since the start of the agricultural reforms in 1979 and the introduction of Urban reforms in 1984. In 1992, China publicly stated that its goal is a â€Å"socialist market economy with Chinese Characteristics. † Though China has successfully expanded the scope of the market, â€Å"socialist† (communist) control of factors remains very important. An understanding of these elements is vital to an understanding of the economic performance of China. Thus, China’s transition from a planned economy to a ‘Socialist Market Economy’ started in 1978, after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, when Deng Xiaoping recognized the need to reform its economy and political structure, as China was experiencing economic and developmental problems under Mao’s leadership. Deng Xiaoping’s thoughts were different from Mao Zedong’s, as Deng Xiaoping believed in prosperity and efficiency for China’s economy. His aim was to raise living standards and introduced the ‘Four Modernisations’; namely the Industry, Agriculture, Science and Technology and Defence, by developing ‘a market economy with Chinese Characteristics’. Moreover, he establishes a contract responsibility system in agricultural areas and revives individual businesses in urban areas to understand and satisfy individuals’ needs. Furthermore, he decentralized a substantial amount of authority in state enterprises and reform the irrational price system due to the high demand and selling in the market. The call for such a change is for the reason that China was under a very centralized planned economy system that has high speed and excessive accumulation of national income at the expense of consumption, but produces a low result and consumptions due to poor planning and economic mismanagement. It led to the excessive emphasis on grain production and the low productivity of commune systems. On the other hand, China sees the need to be modernized and strong, thus establishing what Deng Xiaoping introduces, the ‘Four Modernisations’. In particular, the Industry sector, where overemphasis is placed on heavy industry while the light industry and services are being ignored. In addition to that, the Defence sector has placed too much emphasis on their national defence and lacked efficiency. Too much attention is placed on self-reliance (Riskin, 1987; Hsu,1991). Not forgetting the acknowledgement of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mistakes in the Cultural Revolution, whereby permanent revolution, class struggle, mass movement and political unrest exist and the rejection of key theories of Maoism that has seriously damaged the Chinese economy (Wei, 2000). From the period when China was under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership till the end of 1998, China’s economic reform has gone through a transition from a planned economy to a market economy. And at present, China portray itself as a â€Å"Socialist Market Economy† or where it is called â€Å"Socialism with Chinese Characteristics†, which means that â€Å"using market forces to improve the efficiency of production while retaining a managed, predominantly state-owned economy and authoritarian control over political activity† (Dorn, 1998). Deng Xiaoping introduced both the economic and political reform program to achieve four major objectives, namely, instituting contract responsibility in agricultural areas such as the labour responsibility system that determines where a person can work legally and where it cannot; reviving individual businesses in urban areas; decentralizing a substantial amount of authority in state enterprises where the banking system has evolved little from a government department where loans are decided on the basis of provincial or national objectives and ability to repay is irrelevant to the variable cost of the capital. And lastly, reforming the pricing system, which simply means that the market rather than the government itself determines the pricing system. Cities or Provinces can and do price land to any buyer at any price. Infrastructure pricing and supply, mainly to foreign invested enterprises, is likewise determined on the basis of national or provincial or city objectives and can vary within the various enterprise. This is also applicable to the limit for some of the output of the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) that remain subjected to the central department, who are their bosses for orders and directions. As for the economic reform, Deng Xiaoping came up with three propositions that are private ownership has useful place in a socialist economy; market forces should be allowed to influence the allocation of goods and the determination of prices and material incentives should be the principal mechanism for stimulating greater productivity and efficiency, for example, having rewards to set the moods up for the workers so that they would work hard to achieve their rewards and hence, increases productivity and efficiency. According to Virmani 2005, he mentioned that â€Å"in moving from the ‘Socialist’ to the ‘Socialist Market’ Economy, China has borrowed aspects from the â€Å"Nationalist Market Economies† of developing Japan, S. Korea and Singapore. The main purpose of China’s government was to be able to economically draw closer to the advanced countries through fast growth of average income. Consequently, China developed a national consensus to maximize GDP growth. The whole nation was called together to achieve this aim. The simplicity of this purpose of growth, investment and production made China much easier to decentralize its economy structure and ensure accountability at every level including that of the private corporate sector†. Now we move on to the political reform, Deng Xiaoping wanted China to seek a sharper and decisive break from Maoism and the Soviet model; de-maoisation by abolishing class struggle and permanent proletarian revolution; to reduce the role of ideology in political and intellectual life and also reduce Party’s role in making technical and administrative decisions. Therefore, separate the Party’s ideology and administrative competence area and also not forgetting the technical and political areas. Today, China’s ‘Socialist Market Economy’ can be regarded as successful due to the â€Å"high rates of growth China has sustained for the last quarter or a century, with GDP averaging 9% per annum. China’s trade activity, including both imports and exports, has grown an average of 15% a year since 1979† (Eswar, 2004). Its achievements were from political and economic decentralization that consist of the introduction of entrepreneurial autonomy to the Chinese economy, and to the new booming of rural industries, so as to offer higher employment opportunities, income and prosperity to the local communities. With reference to the World Bank research done on fighting poverty, the overall living standards for the vast majority of the Chinese population improved as 400 million people were lifted out of poverty, while business dynamism spread across China's urban and rural areas. As a result, its transition to a market economy system gives individuals a higher share of their earnings, increasing their per capital wealth. Furthermore, Virmani also mentioned, one of China’s most significant market innovations to its socialist economy was the product market (2005). It started with agriculture output markets in 1979 where initially agriculture markets were partially liberalised in a manner similar to that used in India for sugar and other markets in the sixties. This was a ‘Dual pricing and distribution’ system in which part of the produce continued to be handed over to the government at a controlled price, while the rest could be sold freely at the market price. Many of the rules circumscribing small-scale service activities were also abolished or ignored, resulting in a boom in collectively and individually owned restaurants and shops. Labour contracting services also developed in the interior provinces to supply construction workers to urban areas. Dual pricing in industrial goods was introduced by China in 1985-86, with prices on the market channel allowed to fluctuate according to market conditions. At this point, more than half of all industrial goods were still distributed at administered prices. Product liberalisation was gradually extended to the entire manufacturing sector. It has also been selectively extended to the real estate sector and retail trade. One of the recent evidence on China’s success is seen during the Beijing Olympics that showed to the outside world its successfulness, spectacular and advancement, prosperous and modernity is like any other west countries. But there is also the more genuine and in fact improved aspect of China that raised itself up, so to speak, in the earthquake that occurred in May in Sichuan, â€Å"with heroic rescue efforts by government at all levels, the army, and people from all walks of life throughout the country. The resilience and resourcefulness of the Chinese people are the real source of optimism. With a socialist ideal and politically conscious forces to pursue it, true reform is well within China's capacity† (Lin, 2009). However, like any other communist or socialist country, to a certain extent China is not achieving its promise because in China, the single party rule is none other than the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To paraphrase Perkins (1994), ‘All political power in China is monopolised by the Chinese Communist party, a party that is organised along Leninist lines. Power is centralised at the top and not easily challenged from below. ’ The party is a hierarchy stretching from the party general secretary at the top to the party honcho in the smallest settlement/village. The objectives, broad approach to achievement of these objectives and the parameters within which lower levels can take initiatives, is decided at the top. national to provincial level, and the Metro cities and Town & Village level. Also, with reference to Virmani 2005, in China, all land is owned and controlled by the State, however, due to the historical heritage of cooperative ownership of farmland, the controlling system is slightly different in the rural areas. In many provinces, farming households supposedly have an ownership share in village and farmland, but lose this right if they move to the urban areas to work. Similar to every other Communist country, in this case, China, the Party controlled the labour unions and therefore the terms and conditions of work. Therefore, the overall policy approach to terms & conditions of employment, work hours and wages is decided by the CCP (at an appropriate geographical level or level of government). If the CCP decides to apply different work and pay rules in a particular province, sector, industry or type of enterprise (e. g. foreign invested) from those applied to general domestic enterprises, neither the (so called) labour unions nor the employees can do anything to change it. China’s labour market is also controlled through the Hukou system that determines where a person is entitled to live and work and receive State provided social benefits. Hukou is a resident permit given by the government. It is issued on family basis where every family have a Hukou booklet that records information about the family members, name, birth date, relationship with each other, marriage status, address and your employer. In other words, its legal residence in an area entitles one to access public schooling and healthcare, housing and job opportunities and/or land for farming. Legal change of residence is possible if either a person succeeds in getting a place at a senior middle school and then at a city college by clearing competitive exams for the same, or if the state allows it, say allowing firms in a city to hire permanent workers from nearby rural areas. The Chinese government used the family register system in order to control the movement of people between urban and rural areas. Thus, with Hukou System, it limits mass migration from the land to the cities to ensure some structural stability. Also, it was an instrument of the command economy. Hence, if people move without formal CCP permission, they are in effect illegal migrants with no rights. Chinese government’s restrictions on rural-urban mobility primarily operate through the Hukou system. A worker may live legally in an urban area, without acquiring an urban hukou as a permanent resident on a long-term permit or as a contract worker. Permits for legal residence are neither easy nor cheap to come by, and illegal migration has been increasing throughout the reform period. When the special economic zones were first opened, all labour contracts were with a Chinese labour bureau that is effectively controlled by the CCP’s ‘terms and conditions’ of employment. 100% of capital assets were owned and controlled by the State, that is the CCP. The management of these assets is distributed to different levels of government, which in turn is controlled by different levels of the party. Some are controlled at the National level through the departments of the central government and their CCP bosses. Others are managed or controlled at the provincial, City and Village level. As a result, China’s political system is interlocked and intertwined with the majority of administrative heads being Party members, who still is in today’s China, controls everything. For example, China’s listing could also be solely on the Hong Kong stock exchange or even a foreign exchange. This does not convert them into private enterprises as management control remains with the same CCP boss or his nominee or appointee who represents them. In conclusion, China is trying to establish an entirely diverse conceptual economic system that is neither a traditional socialistic economic system nor a capitalistic economic system. Furthermore, it is not apparent that â€Å"Socialist Market Economy† can be said to be socialism or capitalism. In fact, Deng Xiaoping made it clear that capitalism and socialism are both non-conflicting ideas, as both of them are tools for managing China’s economy. For this reason, China would like to be at the so-called ‘middle mark’ where it is not at the extremes of the both sides but rather in the centre, with a system that makes use of the virtues of both capitalism and socialism. The changes that were brought about by the success of the transition to a ‘Socialist Market Economy’ are that its agriculture system moved from People’s Commune system to the family based ‘responsibility system’ and land has become a commodity. Market prices were from a price fixing system to a dual-price system, where the market determines 80% and the government determines the remaining 20%, so as to strengthen and institutionalized the price system in the market. The banking sector changed its allocation of funds according to the policy to dual system partially making decisions on its allocation. The marketing of goods and services have changed from central planning to allocation to the market’s allocation of goods and services. China’s relation with other countries improved from economic isolationism to a desire to be active in the worlds economy via foreign investments and allowing labour into export production and export to sustain domestic growth. As a result, the national economy showed a fast and constant growth, the overall strength of China expanded evidently, the standard of living of the people improved together with time and distinctive esults have been attained in such activities as science and technology, education, culture, health and physical culture have advanced. The people of China are happier now with such changes in their life. And not forgetting that China’s political system is still governed by the Party, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), that makes China still a capitalist country that controls and determines everything and not achievi ng its promise. References Dorn, James A. ed. 1998. China in the New Millennium: Market Reforms and Social Development. Washington D. C. Cato Institute. Hsu, Robert C. 1991. Economic Theories in China, 1979-1988. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. Lange, Oscar. 1971. On The Economic Theory of Socialism. New York. : Comparative Economic Systems. Lerner, Abba, P. Economic Theory and Socialist Economy: Review of Economic Studies 1934. Lin, Chu. 2009. The Socialist Market Economy: Step Forward or Backward for China?. Science & Society, Vol. 73, No. 2, April 2009, 228-235. Perkins, Dwight. 1994. Completing China’s Move to Market. Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. , No. 2, Spring 1994, pp 23-46. Prasad, Eswar. ed. 2004. China’s Growth and Integration into the World Economy: Prospects and Challenges. International Monetary Fund, Occasional Paper N 232, Washington DC. http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/op/232/op232. pdf (accessed 04/05/09). Riskin, Carl. 1987. China's political economy: the quest for development since 1949. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Stralser, Steven. 2004. MBA In A Day: What You Would Learn At Top-Tie. New Jersey. : Wiley & Sons, Inc. Suliman, Osman. ed. 1998. China’s Transition to a Socialist Market Economy. Westport, CT. : Quorum Books. The World Bank, â€Å"Fighting Poverty: Findings and Lessons from China’s Success,† The World Bank Research, http://econ. worldbank. org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0,,c ntentMDK:20634060~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:469382,00 html (accessed 04/05/09). Virmani, Arvind. 2005. China’s Socialist Market Economy: Lessons of Success. Working Paper No. 178. December 2005. Wei, Yehua Denni. 2000. Regional Development in China: States, Globalization, and Inequality. London. : Routledge.