Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay Example for Free

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay The two books have one clear element in common. The two authors, Steinbeck and Hardy, give us a great outlook on loneliness in its many forms. They communicate their ideas and thoughts to us in a very similar manner, despite being from very different times and walks of life. Of Mice and Men, is set and was written during the Great Depression of the United States of America in the early 1930s, in the Salinas Valley of California, tells us the story of George Milton and Lennie Small. The two migrant workers, bound together by an unusual and sure friendship, are in pursuit together of the Great American Dream their dream. They will have their own land, be their own masters and no longer have to answer to anyone, and finally live in peace. On the other hand we have The Withered Arm, set in the early 19th Century as one of Hardys Wessex Tales, where he lived all his life. Hardy tells us the tale of a young woman, Gertrude Lodge, as she begins her new life. However, things are not what they should have been as Gertrude is afflicted with an unknown blight, her happiness both threatened and later destroyed. She is not completely alone her plight is intertwined with that of Rhoda Brook, who carries a great pain in her heart and a great power, or perhaps a curse, that not even she realises. The two texts are each set in the same rural environment as that of their authors, both bringing us the tale of so many people struggling through their lives as best they can. In Of Mice and Men we see that every man, and woman, has their own dreams, their own obsessions to pine away for, to imagine and envisage when they are so often so lonely each has their own thoughts, their method, of escapism from the reality they live in. The Withered Arm, again, in a different manner shows characters angry, obsessed, with lives they could have had and the possibilities that they have lost or had taken away from them. Each are victims of circumstance, each yearn for lives that are no longer theirs, each for a chance now gone. In each difficulty we can see a parallel, and in both books we can see characters sharing the same basic challenges to overcome, and obstacles in their path. Both show us some of the many facets and characteristics of loneliness and trouble in this world no matter how little they look for difficulty and dilemmas, people will always manage to find them, no matter how hard they strive against it. The best laid schemes o mice and men Gang aft agley [Often go wrong] And leave us nought but pain For promised joy Robert Burns As Of Mice and Men begins, we are shown the two migrant farm workers, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job, a new start, bucking barley at a Californian ranch; fleeing much undue upset in their last town, mostly thanks, despite his original intentions, to Lennie. It is late evening and they both spend the night by the Salinas River before continuing on to their new place of work the next morning. It is here that we first discover some of the main personality differences, and conflicts, between the two characters, and learn of their aspirations and their future. We immediately see much of their natures and that of their friendship as Lennie flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green poolsnorting into the water like a horse. Lennie dives headlong, dunking his head into the murky waters of the Salinas like an animal, all for a drink of water; George restrains him, attempting to keep him in line and to keep him safe. George and Lennie have struggled their way through life together, as an inseparable pair, not like all the other hopefuls out there, Because I got you an you got me together they might just get somewhere. The way this particular phrase is repeated so much tells us a lot about their friendship and how they both so desperately need it to survive. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong featuresevery part of him was defined. We see George as the sharp and able leader who gives Lennie his direction, blunt and bitter when it comes to his frustrations. All too often feeling taunted by the world, his life, and the problems they each throw at him no matter how hard he tries and how much he accounts for it. Despite his quick temper and scathing reprisals, he holds a great care and affection for his travel-partner and the companionship he brings him much more than is at first apparent. George feels responsible for Lennie, he has been Lennies guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he always, and always will, feel that Lennies troubles, Lennies mistakes and faults are his own and that which he must resolve and reconcile however much they may cause him yet more problems of his own. George feels a great loneliness inside, believing in his heart himself to be as worthless as every other like him, and as a result of this he gains his purpose to become somebody, and he knows that is something he and Lennie must do and can only do together. Without Lennie he would be nothing, no more than every other man like him alone and without hope. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shouldershe walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his pawshis arms did not swing but hung loosely at his sides. Lennie, we can already see if very different to George, a slow simpleton, likened to an animal on two counts now, expressing his simple personality and impulsive nature. It is thanks to the pairs great bond and need that we see Lennie as such a vital character in the book, for George is not the only man to whom Lennie brings a purpose, it is around him that so much of the story unfolds and revolves about. Despite the simplicity in his manner and unsure path throughout the story, Lennie brings certainty to all those around him. They are drawn to the raw and basic companionship that his presence brings he is both consort and confidant for all their thoughts and feelings. He neither understands nor takes in much of what they say but, rather than wasting their breath, it seems even more a boon unto them. Lennie is like a wandering sheep and it is George that gives him his direction and his purpose, and as he takes his lead from George, Lennie in turn gains his own shape and dream. Lennies simple, cumbersome shape walks always in Georges shadow, always behind him wherever he may go, no matter what. For Lennie life is as simple as he is it is that which seems to create so many problems for them both, in turn presenting the answers to so many others, and it is this which gives Lennie such a lasting effect on all those around him. The two are together in the pursuit of their own dreams, each finding both a purpose and the means in the other. George dreams of his own land, his own life, and it is much the same for Lennie, on his own basic level. Lennie wishes to care for his own creatures, his rabbits. He loves to hear every word of them that he can get, and George loves to tell them to him so obsessed and incensed are they with merely the thought of what lies ahead for them with the success of their great plan. This form of dreaming and hoping that many of the characters of this story holds shows how everyone of them wishes to escape from the present world that they live in, where society demands everything of them when they have nothing to hold as their own, and nothing to give. Together these two continue their journey, their unique bond always apparent as they cross upon the lives of many others, all showing the properties of loneliness and all for different reasons, giving us an outlook on how so many in this world are alone and isolated, and how what George and Lennie have is so valuable. Aint many guys travel togethermaybe everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other. The pressure of the American Dream and the demands of that societys doctrines and social structure to achieve are imposed upon everyone and anyone and this is why it becomes such a great feature and driving force behind so much of the loneliness of this book. Every common man goes to America to succeed and achieve something, but society inflicts quite the opposite upon them projecting, forcing upon them, an image of how people should think and most certainly be resulting in loneliness and isolation, a dissatisfaction of themselves and those around them and the ongoing fear of amounting to absolutely nothing. It is ironic that this very society which sets out to have everyone achieve and succeed does quite the opposite, causing so many problems along the way. The nature of the American Dream that so many in this story hold in their minds is that very thing which isolates every one of them from each other, and dooms them to failure. Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his now old and scrawny dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch, first showing them around and then, as the story progresses, introducing the personalities of the other ranch hands to them. We learn much about Candy himself and who he is, seeing in the second chapter Candy caught listening in on George and Lennies words together, as George attempts to keep Lennie in check and keep him safe. Candy was listening simply to feel as a part of their conversation, to feel involved in something, for Candy craves conversation in any form, so alone does he feel. It can be seen that now for so much of his life Candy has been separated from the other men, isolated from all others. Since Candy lost his hand in an accident upon the farm he has been unable to work with the others, condemned to the menial tasks and solitary life during the day, and now thanks to his advancing years he is even more isolated. His only companion throughout all this time has been his pet dog, a source of consternation for the other men as it nears the end of its days, its presence being an eyesore to them all and odour a cause of much dismay. The animal had been his companion since its birth, and now old and suffering from rheumatism, the men convince Candy to allow them to put it out of its misery for him. As Candy grudgingly agrees, against a great sadness, he loses his oldest and closest friend, and again he feels truly alone. Having no one, he attaches himself to Lennie and George and to the dream they both share and makes himself a part of it, willing to offer all he has, his lifes work and savings, for it to be so. However, as that dream is again jeopardised, perhaps fatally, he still wishes to carry on and fulfil the dream for it is all he has left. It this desperation of Candys to make his new dream, their dream, become so, that yet another man becomes tied up in the illusion and the hope that it brings. Crooks is a fellow worker upon the ranch, a stable buck, working to repair saddles, tools and to look after the horses, unable to do other work since he was crippled, kicked in the back by one of the horses he was working with. We have never heard much of Crooks, only chance phrases from the other men, snatches of comments in the middle of a conversation; he is not often talked about, and never talked to Crooks is a Negro. We do not see him for the majority of the book for he is never with the other men, always separated from everyone, simply because of the discrimination, the ignorance and the prejudices of that time. As the only Negro in the area, he is completely alone, without anyone but himself for so much of his life, but it was not always so. Crooks used to have someone he used to live with his family, they owned a farm, he was with his brothers, his parents his family, and he was counted as someone; now he isnt even counted. The American Dream tells us of equality, of everyone having a chance to attain their dreams, to have something to hold, be proud of and call their own in America everyone and anyone can have just this and be somebody unless, of course, if they are black. This is just a nigger talkinso it dont mean nothing, see? This contradiction and hypocrisy intermittent throughout the dream is that which causes Crooks to be just who he is alone and isolated, helpless and unable to anything about it. When Lennie wanders into Crooks living area simply looking for company as the other men are all away in the town, Crooks shows outrage and indignation that a white man would presume it his right to simply walk into his room without leave. However, Lennies innocence wins through, despite Crooks irritation, Crooks scowled, but Lennies disarming smile defeated him. As Crooks begins to talk to Lennie, and discover the nature of his relationship with George, we see his jealousy that another man could have someone so easy to talk to, such a simple and easy friendship. Such is his bitterness and jealousy over the pairs companionship that Crooks goes on to taunt and tease Lennie with the possibility that George is injured and is no longer going to be there. He tells Lennie that he too is alone and must look after himself and continue life knowing he had someone, had something, and lost it as Crooks did. Crooks wants Lennie to feel what his pain is every day, every hour, and make someone else feel how he does and, in doing so, make himself feel less alone. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobodya guy gets lonely and he gets sick. As Lennies anger flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isnt so malicious after all, for he placates Lennie he wants him to stay, despite him being a white man, one who took his life away from him, an enemy. So alone is he that any company will do, black or white it doesnt matter any more; and so It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger, as Candy joins Lennie. He only has himself and what little company that he can find; he has been separated from others, alone for so long, simply because of the colour of his skin, so isolated thanks to an ignorant and naive prejudice, so much for a dream when Crooks came to America he found an ongoing nightmare. There should be equality, and this is what America shouted aloud to the world everyone in America has a dream to live out, and everyone who comes to America has a chance. However, this is not the case for Crooks despite what people claimed, despite what the American Dream told them, he has nothing but material possessions, and to him they re nothing. Reading books is his only source of company, but Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him. When Crooks first learns of their dream, not quite as they intended for it was their dream and nobody elses, he scoffs for has heard this kind of a story all before he has seen hundreds of other hopefuls come through the ranch and continue on into nothing. He tells them this mockingly, and also to end their hopes for they too are going nowhere. However, as Candy justifies their hopes in defence, he subsides for he sees the possibilities himself, gets caught up in the trios aspirations and dreams, as Candy did, and pleads to be taken along, to join them simply to be somewhere with others who might accept him for who he is and not for what. Crooks begins to open up, he finally believes himself to be an equal and to be counted, and he has been given back both his hope and a real chance. However, things are not to be as they hoped as the wife of Curley, the boss son, enters. As always the men are wary and bid her leave and in response her bitter temper rises. Crooks stands up to her, thinking outside his place in his newfound happiness, and she drills into him, makes him again realise just who he is, how little all he says and thinks is valued and how much power she holds over him. For a moment Crooks had become a man again and believed in his own freedom, but Curleys wife put an end to that, to his open thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again. Crooks stared hopelessly at her, sat downand drew into himselfCrooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no egoEverything that might be hurt drawn ininto the indomitable pride of the Negro. Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curleys wife, to cap all the isolation and rejection from every other person on the ranch. So enraged is she that we see the malicious and bitter side of her nature born out of the oppression, the distress and torment of countless similar situations where no one ever listens, where she is always alone. She gives him no quarter as her scathing, bitter anger lashes into him. This conflict amongst and between the oppressed and repressed first between Candy and Crooks, Crooks believing their dream to be as hopeless as all the rest, so demoralised has he become thanks to the life that American society has put him through, and then between Crooks and Curleys wife, simply leads them in a circle, and right back to square one. Both are without freedom and hold little control over their own rights, and still they are brought into conflict by the ways in which society portrays the world and treats each of them, one putting the others hopes and liberty again into doubt, painting a wholly despondent and bleak future -all the more separated from each other, all the more isolated and alone. Curleys wife always appears as a woman up to no good, spoken of hurriedly in whispered conversations. She is always out looking for trouble with the other men, always holding apparent bad intentions as she flaunts herself in a vain attempt to attract them to her, willing to do anything for companionship, and as a result getting quite the opposite. George had always recognised her danger, but Lennie is blind to every bit of it. However, we begin to see that she isnt up to such wickedness as we are first led to believe, and her bitter tongue is simply born of a life of loneliness. The men always shy away from her fearing blackmail from a work mate or Curleys wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another mans wife. This fear of the bosses authority and their abuse of it is yet another barrier that stands between ever establishing some true ideals of equality. She has been alone and isolated by everyone for so long, not even her husband listens to her, simply telling her what he wants to say and never waiting for a response. Lennie, never vigilant nor wary for he has no reason to be, is the first person that hasnt looked at her with fear in his eyes, for he is different; she has tried everything and seems doomed to failure everyone is repulsed, everyone resists her, everyone bar Lennie, and she latches onto him because of this. One day she catches him on his own and without George always looking over his shoulder. He is like an open book to her, and instantly accepts her for exactly what she is. She delights in finally finding someone who is such a perfect companion, who no longer draws back away from her in fear, but talks to her as he would anyone else. Despite what is first apparent, she simply wants to be with someone who listens. We learn that she once had a life, once had a chance and could have been somebody, been somewhere and just perhaps have got somewhere in life, but had it taken away from her through no fault of her own, but the unjust and unreasonable actions of another her own mother. To escape that, to escape a dead end and lonely life where one that should be so close to her takes her chances and dreams away from her, she married Curley and inadvertently runs into something much worse. She had a dream, found a chance and lost it thanks to a situation entirely out of her control, and things only go down hill from there. She is alone unable to do anything to escape the life that she now leads, no one is willing to talk to her, she is confined to the ranch and no longer has any chance of happiness, or simply of finding a friend. Yet again, a pursuer of the American Dream finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennies companionship, temporarily feeling as if she were no longer alone in the world as Crooks did, and so tells him things that she has told no other, opening herself to him and finding that he accepts all that she says without doubt or uncertainty. However, as she learns of Lennies love for the touch and feel of soft things, she lets him closer without restraint or forethought, lets him touch and hold her hair. As she draws away in worry that her hair (and subsequently her looks) are being dishevelled, the one thing she believes herself to truly hold is mishandled, and so she pulls away, expressing her distress. Lennie panics and does the only thing that his simple mind can think of resist, and so he grips hold of her tighter, unwilling to let go, he is confused and frightened and understands nought of what is happening. He fears that if George were to find out that he had made someone unhappy and done wrong by them he would abandon and discard him, fearing disapproval if his actions were ever discovered; and so he clamps his hand over her mouth, hoping that none would hear the noise. He grips even tighter as she struggles all the more desperately in the pain that his awesome strength is causing her, and he jerks and shakes her body in response, in an attempt to silence her. In this he succeeds, but to an extent that he never intended he unwittingly breaks her neck. Yet again Lennie has caused great harm without ever realising it possible, and this time the outcome is greatly worse. She was always alone, always without somebody, even those closest to her appear to have wished against her happiness; John Steinbeck signifies this to us by never naming Curleys wife she was never important to the person, and the people, that she should have been. As soon as she finds someone that was conceivably different, perhaps wasnt like all the others, she takes it all too far too soon, without thinking of the consequences. As a result she loses everything. The story ends in the pursuit of Lennie, George goes after him with the other men for he cannot let them get to him first and it is here that we are reminded of Candys words upon his own companion, his pet dog, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt have let no stranger shoot my dog. George finally catches up with Lennie at their meeting point where they stayed that first night before making their way onto the ranch. Lennie has been plagued by images and hallucinations from his past and his imagination, so distraught has he become over doing something so wrong and upsetting George in such a huge way, without ever intending to he managed to take away every hope the two had of achieving their dream all thanks to the pressure put upon him to do right by everyone, make no mistakes and allow none to hear of the rest, which leads to him causing more problems than ever before. George has Lennie imagine their dream once more, for that was always how Lennie was happiest imagining his future, escaping from the present. It is in this moment that George puts the gun to the back of Lennies head, and, fighting off his shaking hand, pulls down upon the trigger. He never wanted to, but he had to this was the only possible choice George could have made for the ultimately innocent Lennie, nothing he could do would have been easier, or better, for Lennie. George in doing so loses his one and only companion, every hope he ever had of being somebody and every hope of those around him that became a part of their dream all in that instant every hope was lost. Such is the despair that Candy finds it difficult to let go, he wants to continue the dream and to finish it, despite all which has happened, but he knows that is never possible now. Lennie was the one that held everything, everyone, together and gave them all hope and a chance, and now he was gone. The Withered Arm tells us a story of the ordeal of Rhoda Brook, her son, Farmer Lodge and his newly married wife, Gertrude, as Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly switch your attention, not concentrating on single characters loneliness and hardships, but that of four. We first meet Rhoda Brook working in the cow sheds, a milkmaid, and we instantly recognise how emotionally isolated and detached from others she is. As the other characters about her chat among themselves she chooses to remain apart, and uninvolved, from them all. We see how alone and different from the other simple farm hands she is, He hasnt spoken to her for years, whilst they talk about her and the notorious love affair she had with the Farmer Lodge and his recent marriage to a young lady not from nearby, but the city. She is one apart from the rest, not like them, and no longer does she care or worry over their words and thoughts of her. She remains impassive throughout the conversation and the others comments about her, She knew she had slyly been called a witch. Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as She milked slightly apart from the rest, as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, their course lay apart from the rest. The truth about Rhoda and Farmer Lodges affair, now many years in the past, is widely known in the area. Long ago they were together and for unexplained reasons she was abandoned perhaps upon the realisation of Rhodas pregnancy. The very thing meant to bring a couple closer together and bring with it happiness and companionship may have brought completely the opposite for Rhoda. However, Farmer Lodge has developed very materialistic views, adhering and conforming to those of the society he lives in. Rhoda was below his class, below him, and he could never have been seen in a permanent relationship with her because of that society would never have accepted him. Another possible reason is that of Rhodas advancing years and waning beauty her age is closer to that of Lodges and so his materialism again pushes him away from her as he chooses to marry a young and still beautiful girl not long out of her teen.This is what he feels he must have the best. With the arrival of Gertrude Lodge the final brick is laid in the wall standing between Rhoda and her happiness, between her and Lodge and both of them and their son. We recognise instantly that Gertrude is neither country-born nor country-bred, and knows little of her new life and what lies ahead. From the beginning she is almost completely alone she is a young lady, highborn, and not long out of her teens, lady-like and beautiful, and there are none like her that she can communicate with. Gertrude worries much over others opinions of her, as she desires so much to be readily accepted into her new community. However, things are not to be all she could hope for, as she soon realises how alone she is to be as society separates her from the majority of those around her, thanks to the strict taboos on cross-class relationships and of a lady socialising with those of the lower class. When Rhoda learns of Gertrudes arrival she has her son discover ever detail and feature of the girl, sizing her up and comparing herself to Gertrude in her jealousy, for she believes that it should be she, not Gertrude, that Farmer Lodge should have married and is bitterly angry that he refuses to acknowledge their son and even what they both had between each other as anything but insignificant and irrelevant. The son that Rhoda and Lodge both had together is yet another great example of the loneliness that this story portrays as his mothers loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curleys wife, emphasising how unimportant and worthless he is in the eyes of those that he should mean so much to. His father rejects him outright barely ever acknowledging his presence, He took no outward notice of the boy whatsoever, and when he does it is only as an inferior and one of no consequence as the boy is described as Just one of the neighbourhood. Even his own mother, with whom he has lived for all his years, is unconcerned with him, so obsessed and incensed with her own dilemma that she simply uses him as ammunition, and justification, of her right over others to Lodge. He is used as a spy upon Gertrude and Lodge by his mother, if not that then he is always at work upon one household duty or another, and despite all that he does none of it seems to satisfy his mother. He is barely ever given any affection at all, seemingly only useful for errands and chores that Rhoda cannot bring herself to do. Despite her anger over Farmer Lodges total lack of acceptance of their son, she too does much the same, and never realises the frustrations that he hides underneath as a result of this all, His mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket knife into the beech-backed chair. The son has no father figure to follow, but certainly not a good example, and his mother tries to set him one no better she doesnt even make the effort. Rhoda develops an obsession with Gertrude whom she has neither met nor even seen. Such is her fixation that one night she is visited in a troubled dream by an image, the distorted and repulsive impression of Gertrude that Rhoda has built up in her mind through her bitter jealousy. The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas eyes. This thing that Rhoda believes Gertrude to be taunts her, thrusting the proof of her marriage to Farmer Lodge before her very eyes the thing that Rhoda herself so covets and desires for herself. As the creature draws closer, Rhoda grips its arm in fright and hurls it to the floor. One day Gertrude visits Rhoda in her small house upon the hill, and Rhoda sees her for what she really is. Gertrude, in her loneliness in Lodges great manor house, comes to Rhoda for companionship, and in her she finds a friend. At first Rhoda is unresponsive, but slowly she begins to come round, to see through all the lies she has told herself all too often in her resentment at being alone. However, all is not to be so perfectly resolved, as we learn of Gertrudes arm the strange marks, like as that of fingers, upon the flesh and over time they gradually worsen and deteriorate. It looks almost like finger marksas if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh. Gertrudes other sorrow becomes apparent as she too has realised the faith that the farmer puts into face value and beauty for she believes that he will begin to love her less if the arm does not heal as it should. As a result, over time, Gertrude begins to preoccupy herself and obsess about her arm as Rhoda did over Farmer Lodge and it continues to worsen. No one understands its nature, no one knows of a cure and Gertrude, stricken with worry and concern, turns again to Rhoda, following perhaps a maids, or a workers, advice, and the irony in this is how many would believe Rhoda to be the guilty party, the witch, cursing upon Gertrude and that she of all people would know her adversary best. Rhoda meanwhile says nothing upon the matter of the arm, merely inquiring upon it, hoping that it might recover. For Rhoda neither understands what effect she has had upon Gertrude, nor knows how she caused it much of the time she vainly tells herself that it is nothing but a coincidence. All the same, Rhoda apprehensively leads Gertrude across the hills and fields one day to Conjuror Trendle, a man renowned for powers that other people believe in more than he. He affected not to believe largely in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappearhe would say lightly, Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon emperhaps its all chance, and immediately turn the subject. Trendle lives many miles apart from other men, separated by their views and taboos of that society upon witchcraft and anything related. He has been cast away by their prejudices all because he has a talent that they neither possess nor understand, and they fear him for this. He merely uses what he has to help people as best he can, getting nothing but fear and aversion in return, and this he does for Gertrude too. Despite the rumours and whispers that people speak behind his back, he does what he knows to be best all the same rejecting the constraints of society for his own freedom, and in turn having much of it taken away. He shows to Gertrude the image of an enemy, the only one capable of causing such a blight, and Rhodas fears are to be realised as, despite Gertrude never telling her who the image she saw was, she never spoke to Rhoda again, never mentioned the arm and never called around her house, simply looking for a companion, again for now her unseen assailant had a face, that of Rhoda. Over a very short period their friendship began to break down very quickly, almost instantly as realisation had dawned upon Gertrude, and so she never saw anything of Rhoda, or her son, again for many years and eventually the two both slipped out of the community and were never seen again they were forced out by the fears of others, by Rhodas desires of things that were no longer hers to covet and by the entire community, for none really cared. Gertrude was now truly alone and without a single companion- her husband no longer even looked at her, such was his revulsion of the withering of her arm and displeasure at the fact that she had not even managed to produce him an heir in all their time together. Gertrudes beauty was waning as the full anguish of the arm and being so alone in the world assailed her. She became obsessed with the arm and the search for cures, attempting every crackpot remedy that she could find in her maddened struggle but none ever worked or had any effect. Driven into desperation by her husbands and societys demands for young ladies to be beautiful and perfect always, for Gertrude fears the rejection of her husband as Rhoda was rejected many years ago. In many ways this despair and incensed search for a cure drove even larger a void between Gertrude and her husband, for in the end it was both she and the arm driving him away, so obsessed did she become much thanks to the pressures and expectations of the world around her. Again she goes to visit Trendle in the vain hope that perhaps he will be able to cure her at last, however, this time she makes the journey alone showing just how much more lonely and separated from others she has become. Upon arriving she sees Trendle, now an old man and barely able to even leave his house he has lost even that little bit of freedom that life had allowed him and has absolutely no one but himself to rely on, and no one to be there when he dies. In his last days, Trendle tells her simply what had to be done he was too old to help now, she would have to cope alone with this task as always, but he could point her in the right direction. She agrees to all that he tells her, whatever it may be, such is her desire to again be beautiful for her husband again and to allow her to again conform to the views of those around her much the opposite choice to that of Conjuror Trendle. Gertrude must touch the body of an executed man just cut down from a hanging not dead for more than an instant so as to turn the blood of Gertrude and cure the withering of the arm. Finally, after many weeks wait the chance arrives and Gertrudes prayers, driven to wishing upon the death of a fellow man, are answered and she strikes up a deal with the old, isolated hangman, separated from others by the nature of his trade, who was not wholly unused to requests of her sort. The condemned that is to become Gertrudes saviour is a young man, charged of arson the burning down of an old warehouse. The young man was apparently simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an example had to be made to satisfy the people. On the allotted night, Gertrude goes to the hangman as planned, and he then leads her to the open casket and she pulls back the covering and touches the figure beneath. To her horror she sees it to be Rhodas own son the son of Farmer Lodge. Gertrude backs off in dismay and turns to discover both Rhoda and Lodge standing behind her. Rhoda shouts in anger and pushes Gertrude away from them both, for even now she still stands between the Farmer Lodge and their son once again as always Gertrude comes between Rhoda and Lodge, always in the way of Rhodas hopes, desires and always keeping her completely alone. Gertrude screams in fear and falls to the floor, for the shock and extreme stress, together with the draining nature of the arm finally get the best of her, for she has died. Her blood had been turned, but all too far. Here the story concludes, as Rhoda moves farther away and separates herself from the local community entirely yet again, totally alone thanks to her own bitterness. Even after her son is lost still nobody goes to pay their respects or offer their company she becomes even more alone than ever, all thanks to her own negligence. Farmer Lodge is also alone now, perhaps as he deserved, for his uncaring and selfish ways led to the grief of many and his dishonesty to the death of his wife for he broke his marriage vows that he made before God In sickness and in health. His wife is dead and his son is lost forever and with him any chance of ever having an heir to all his estate. In his despair Lodge sells all his farm and land and moves away only now do we realise how truly alone he has become, and all thanks to him, his materialism and conforming to what society dictates as to how he should live his life. He offers Rhoda an annual income, as an attempt at a final reconciliation but she never accepts it and none see her again. He loses everything and is doomed to die alone, leaving us later to discover that he has left all that is his to a reformatory for boys, showing how he did have thoughts and feelings regarding his son, but never had the strength to show them which is perhaps his greatest sin. Both Lodge and Rhoda isolated themselves from others and both are now even lonelier as a result of this. Gertrudes vanity may have played a part in her own undoing, represented by the extremes to which she was willing to go as she even wished for the death of a fellow man, guilty or innocent alike, but it was Lodge, and those around her, that drove her to such desperation and in the end she dies alone, above all emotionally, as her husband stands apart from her with Rhoda. The young son meanwhile, brought to his end by Gertrudes desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardys novel as the innocent throughout, trapped between his two parents never being truly loved or cared for always alone and always innocent. Towards the end we assume that perhaps he has got involved in a youth gang. This leads to his later arrest at the crime scene showing that no father figure and role model at all would have perhaps been better than that of a bad and unloving one who rejects him outright, he may have been innocent but he never had anyone who would stand up for him. This rejection by his father and ignorant negligence on his mothers part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candys wife who also remains unnamed as they are never important to those that they should be, leaving both of them completely alone and hopeless. The unfortunate tragedy that we see at the end of each novel is but one of the many similarities between these two novels. As we begin, each story features two central characters, George and Lennie, Rhoda and Gertrude, around which the story unfolds. As they live their lives we are introduced to many others, each with their own individual problems and dilemmas besetting them. These unlikely friendships between our central characters ultimately end in a tragedy, first with one unknowingly causing great problems for the other and finally one must put the other out of their misery, and at the same time condemn themselves to loneliness and hopelessness yet again. In Of Mice and Men we see at the root of everyones problems the desperation to achieve and become somebody to find the American Dream. The society in which they have lived tells them that they are nothing without achievement, and they all agree for much of their sadness originates from this feeling of worthlessness. In George and Lennies case it drives them onwards, in search of their dream, but the others do not have the friendship that they each possess and have no hope of getting anywhere. Candy is old, crippled, with no hope of being able to work for something anymore and no hope of ever actually finding a companion as everyone deserts him each day. Crooks has nobody, he lost everything thanks to American society and the fact that the dream doesnt work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time. Curleys wife, a seemingly dangerous character of this story is isolated for just that. She has nobody bar her husband, who neither loves her nor listens, separated from others by both him and other peoples fear of the stigma that would ensure should they become her friend. She had her one chance at achieving something taken away from her many years ago. For Lennie the necessity to conform and do right by people is too much for him he can never understand and in the end this leads to his death. His fear of disapproval forces him to take a life without ever intending to. It is upon Georges shoulders to end the story, for there is only one possibility he must end all his hopes, condemn himself to being alone with his guilt, every chance that they had together and those around them found upon their arrival for he must take Lennies life to save him from misery. This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldnt be causes so much dissatisfaction and unrest, leaving everyone feeling hopeless and alone, that they have been brought up to believe. They thought they had a chance, and they found nothing. The Withered Arm, on the other hand, is set in a world of tradition, of British society and its harsh social structure. In everyones mind there is desperation to conform to the rules and agree that unless you are upper class, or in the case of the women married, you are no one. Rhoda isolates herself from all others in her desperation to become someone, Farmer Lodges wife, and be counted and in doing so sentences herself to a life of loneliness, and starts much more for many others. For Gertrude there is a desperation to be what the materialistic views of those around her tell her to be, and in her search for this she ends up isolating her self even more than before. The young son, who nobody ever really looks to care for, there is isolation of a different kind and through no fault of his own. His parents never truly acknowledge him as their son and this ultimately ends in his tragic death. For Farmer Lodge, it is his materialistic conformism that causes many problems, and he isolates himself from all others in this story until the end, where it is he and Rhoda left and doomed to each be utterly alone for their sins.

Strategic Performance Measurement Systems (SPMs) Essay -- Performance

Table Of Contents  · Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1  · Balanced Scorecard System (BSC)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1-2  · Implementation of Balanced Scorecard in SMEs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 Strategy Destination†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 Perspectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..3-4 Measures †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5-6  · Challenges faced and possible recommendations for overcoming it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7-8  · Limitations of BSC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8-10  · Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......10  · References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.10-12 2 | P a g e Introduction The progression of the Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has been recognized for the success of widespread development purposes which includes poverty mitigation, advancement of democratic societies and economic development. (Henriques n.d). For sustainable and completive environment it is necessary for organizations to measure the how the organizations function.. The introduction of Strategic Performance Measurement Systems (SPMs) has been identified as the effective strategy implementation which measures past actions effectively through investigation and analysis of appropriate data which translates into a diverse pattern of strategic decisions. Traditional organization performance measurement systems analyses the financial aspect. Due to globalisation, competition has increased both in the local and international markets. This gives a clear view of organizational capacity in today’s business markets. Besides in order to succeed in this dynamic environment, it is essential for companies to associate with SPMs to the organisational strategy. Organizations must monitor whether customer satisfaction is met and whether the cost is under control. SPMS improves development but creates a significant ri... ...bi d/117/Default.aspx 12 | P a g e Senge P (1990). ‘The Fifth Discipline’, Doubleday Currency, US Senge P, Roberts C, Ross R, Smith B, Roth G, Kleiner A (1999). ‘The Dance of Change; Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations’, Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd., UK Kotter J (1996). ‘Leading Change’, Harvard Business School Press, US Henrik, V. Andersen, G. Michael, S. 2000. The Balanced Scorecard vs. The EFQM business excellent model. Which is better strategic management tool?. 2GC limited. pp 1-16. Wu, C., Zhao, J., Xia, L. & Zhu, Z. 2008, "Impact of Internal Factors on Information Technology Adoption: An Empirical Investigation of Chinese Firms", Tsinghua Science & Technology, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 318-322. Yuen, C.Y.T. (2002), "Marketing in SME's", Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, Coventry, MSc dissertation, .

Babe Ruth Research Paper

The Great Bambino George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore Maryland on February 6th 1895. His mother gave birth to him on the second floor of her father’s house. George is the oldest of 8 children. He was often missing from school. George was officially named a juvenile delinquent after his bouts skipping school. At a very young age George began drinking, chewing tobacco, and stealing (Berke 18). People around him were fed up with his behavior and he was sent to Catholic school. During his stint there, George made a positive out of it and made a 360 turn around.He was taken care of by Xaverian brothers from the School, St. Mary’s  (Berke 19). Ruth’s baseball career began when he was attending St. Mary’s (Berke 19). In the early 1900s, baseball was at its prime. Oddly, he pitched and batted left-handed, but started out catching in his young years. The last two years spent in school he was a staggering six feet, two inches and weighed in at 170 pounds. Ris ing to popularity at school, he became a major asset to the baseball team, and was promoted to pitcher and became the teams lead hitter and pitcher (Berke 22).Orioles signed Ruth to a six-month contract that paid him $600. It is said that in batting practice alone babe attracted up to 30,000 fans (Berke 22). Twenty-two games were won while Ruth was with Baltimore. In the early part of his career, Babe Ruth walked a batter and struck an umpire, getting himself thrown out of the game. In the series against the Dodgers, he pitched 4 games to one (Berke 23 – 24). The rising star soon was sold to the Boston Red Sox. The great Bambino’s salary jumped from a six hundred dollar check to a whopping thirty five hundred dollars.His primary position for Boston was pitcher. Ruth was one of few in the league that pitched left-handed and this would help Boston become exceptionally well. The first game Ruth ever pitched with Boston was a 4 – 3 win over Cleveland. Ruth’s first year with Boston he became good friends with Map, another great ball player at this time. He would also become teammates with him again in the future Yankees team. George Herman Ruth’s first recorded homerun was a game against New York and it was a straight shot to the upper deck of right field in the polo grounds off of Jack Warhop.The year was 1915 and the Bambino was named best pitcher and hitter for Boston (Berke 31,32,33). This year the Red Sox was named the best team in the Major League. Ruth led the team to the 1915 World Series and brought them a win. With all the hard work and determination from the Bambino his salary took another leaping hop from thirty five hundred dollars to five thousand. Ruth claimed that the 1915 Red Sox champion team was his favorite team he had ever played for, even in his later years. Another year passes and yet again the Red Sox make it back to the world series with the help of Ruth and win their second world series in a row.By 1917, Babe Ruth was by far statistically and fan based declared Boston’s best Ace pitcher and left handed hitter in the league (Berke 35 – 36). In 1915 Babe Ruth struck out 112 batters with a season record of 18 – 8. He also had a 2. 44 run average. (ERA) In the year 1916 Babe Ruth lead the Red sox to a 23 – 12 record and had an ERA of 1. 75. The Boston Red Sox family would be the first to help the Great Bambino achieve such an amazing goal as a major league pitcher/player and that was to win a back to back world series. Babe started the1917 Red Sox season 10 – 1. He would go on to end that season with a 24 – 13 record with a 2. 1 ERA. 1917 Ruth went on to end the season with a total of 128 strikeouts, the leagues fifth highest total. This milestone was not broken until more than 4 decades later by Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees. The Bambino set a World Series record of twenty-nine and two thirds scoreless innings (Berke 37). 1918, game one R uth shut out the Cubs tossing a 1 – 0 six hitter and won game 4 of the World Series. With all of the pitching experience in high school, minor league, major league, and four World Series later the Bambino ended his pitching career with this 1918 World Series win against the Cubs (Berke 38).George Herman Ruth married a waitress by the name of Helen Woodford after meeting her in a Boston Restaurant. In the off-season the newly weds spent the winter with Babe’s father. The year 1919 Babe Ruth was now ranked as the greatest pitcher of all time. Being called the greatest pitcher of all time comes Celebrity status. Due to the Bambinos pitching success and batting prowess everyone looked him up to in this time period. Ruth was just as well known with his batting as much as his pitching with Boston. At the beginning of the 1919 season, Ruth became a full-fledged left fielder.He predicted he could help win more games playing every day in the outfield and getting to swing his ba t more than he did pitching every fourth game (Berke 39,40,41). In this day in age a home run hitter was an oddity and completely unheard of especially with the materials of the time frame. The bats weren’t as up to date as ours today and weight lifting is by no means as advanced as it is today. It was more of a game of strategy than a game of power hitters. 1919 was a very dark period of baseball other than Ruth’s home run exploits.The 1919 World Series is best remembered for the Chicago White Sox purposely throwing the game to the Cincinnati Reds to illegally gain money from gambling (Berke 42). 1920, a year Boston will never forget. Honestly one of the most remembered years of Major League baseball history. The Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino, the Colossus of Clouds, the Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. Ruth was sold for an astonishing amount of one hundred twenty thousand dollars. Twice the amount ever paid for a player up until that point in history.A t this point, in Ruth’s life, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wasn’t going to take the offer from New York. Do you blame him? One hundred twenty thousand dollars in 1920 was an extreme amount to pay for a player. It is said that New York had to take out loans to pick up Ruth but it was a move that will set New York up to be the greatest Dynasty in the game of baseball (Babe N. P. ). Boston is soon to find out that they had just been left with the curse of the bambino. After Ruth’s transition from Boston to New York he decided to still stay a full time outfielder.He new exactly what he was doing when he decided to become an outfielder and end his pitching career on a good note. The great bambino dominated the game with amassing numbers that had never been seen in the history of baseball. He changed the style of baseball from a high intense grind it out strategy style of game to a power and high scoring kind of game (Babe Babe). The record books we re about to be opened and stay wet with ink as long as Ruth was playing. It would be useless to close the record books because every game it would be opened right back up.Ruth’s records from a hitting standpoint were insane! With a high batting average and an uncontrollable, unbelievable power he had an assault on baseballs most hallowed records (Babe About). 1920 Ruth surpassed the home run record in a single season that he had set a year before at Boston by belting out 54 in just one season. A season in which no other player usually hit more than 19 and that was considered outstanding at this time. There had only been one team that hit more home runs in one season than babe had individually up until this point in history.In the following season Ruth was not done breaking records, he was just getting started. 1920 was the first year that Ruth had won his first home run title and definitely not his last. The Bambino drove an astonishing 114 home runs with the Yankees in the 1 920 season, which is a major league high (Babe teen). All eyes were on Ruth and because of him baseball became Americas favorite past time. Adults, kids, and the retired all spent their time watching or playing the great game of baseball that once did not seem so interesting.George Herman Ruth is responsible for the term the grand slam. A grand slam in the game of baseball is when bases are loaded and the player at bat hits a homerun allowing your team to advance four points. Ruth had 4 grand slams in 1920, which remained a Major league high for forty years (Berke 45 – 46). The New York Yankees ended their 1920 season with a ninety-five –- fifty-nine record and finished just three games behind the AL champions the Cleveland Indians. This was the eighteenth season for the Yankees managed under the one and only Miller Huggins.The Yankees of the 1920’s were the first major league baseball team to have more than a million fans attends their game (Berke 46 – 4 7). The Bambino was built for the expanding New York City of the nineteen twenties and the New York City of the nineteen twenties was built for him, they were perfect for each other. Now the war was long over done and all of our soldiers were back home. America was on top, second to no one with New York City the center attention. Giant skyscrapers, new and fancy cars, shopping centers, Broadway, clubs, sports. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of this growing city of excitement?The famous New York sportswriter Westbrook Pegler once quoted â€Å"The Era Of Wonderful Nonsense† or as another New York sports writer Paul Gallico said â€Å" We were like children who had just been let out of school†. Ruth landed him in the right place at the right time. Ruth acquired several new and fashionable names already within months, Sultan of Swat, the Caliph of Clout, the Wizard of Whack, the Rajah of Rap, the Wazir of Wham, the Mammoth of Maul, the Maharajah of Mash, the Bambino, the Bam, the Big Bam (Montville 106 – 107). The center of a half mile racetrack in Jacksonville Florida is where the Yankees training field was located.They traveled her by train from New York City. The team was already off playing cards for real money before they hit New Jersey. Ruth roomed with Ping Bodie in the Hotel Brunswick. The first night they arrived, Ruth participated in a basketball game for the Shawmut Athletic Club, in which he scored eight points in the 41 – 25 win. Ruth, still tanned from California wearing a large leather coat handing out Cigars left and right, hit the clubs that evening. After a night of fun and excitement he arrived back to his hotel room where he proceeded in shinning his golf clubs.On the first day in Jacksonville, practice was optional since Huggins hadn’t arrived, so the big bam decided to go tour the 18 holes at the Florida Country club with his new clubs. Newspapers reported that he wore a silk shirt and white golf flann els and at one point he threw up a golf club while a ball was in flight and hit it out of the air (Monteville 108 – 110). The place of camp was casual, the Brooklyn dodgers also trained in Jacksonville but on the other side of the city at Barrs Field. From the start, Ruth lived a different way of life than all of his teammates.Yankees owner gave the players five dollars per day for meal money. This changed fast because the players would eat cheap hot dogs every day and saved the money for late night fun. Babe lived on a higher economic and social level than the people around him. Ping Bodie, Ruth’s roommate in Jacksonville gave the press the answer everyone had been waiting for. They asked him what kind of guy George Herman Ruth was and Ping answered, â€Å" I don’t know, I don’t room with babe. I room with his suitcase. † (Monteville 112 – 114). Finally the first day of practice starts and the million-dollar question is asked.Is it possible that the Bambino mysteriously lost his amazing ability to crush a ball higher and farther than anyone else in the league? Maybe, just maybe through winter and Ruth’s off time not keeping up on his skills he lost his ability. March nineteenth, seventeen days after the team had arrived. Babe Ruth hit a smashing ball 478 feet. 50 feet over the center field fence, the fence was 428 feet deep (Monteville 112 – 115) Babe Ruth went on to become not only the greatest baseball player of all time but also a celebrity of his era. Babe helped the New York Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles.The Bambino retired in 1935. Just one year later in 1936 Babe was one of the first 5 elected into the baseball hall of fame. The Bambino is credited for the popularity of the game of baseball. He helped pick the speed of the game up from a low scoring speed dominated game to a high scoring power game. Since then he has became one of the greatest sports heroes in American hi story. The legendary power and the charismatic personality made the bambino larger than life itself. He was famous for his charity off of the diamond but also known for his reckless lifestyle.He went on to coach after retiring from the game. August 16, 1948 cancer got the best of the Bambino and he died at the age of 53. The legend of Babe Ruth will live on forever (World). Works Cited â€Å"Babe Ruth a Teen to Adult. † Babe Ruth Central The Site That Ruth Built. N. P. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthcentral. com/biography/babe-ruths- personal-side/. â€Å"Babe Ruth. † About. com 20th Century History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. â€Å"Babe Ruth Biography. † Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, n. d. Web 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. baberuthbiography. com/ Babe Ruth Biography. † N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://espn. go. com/mlb/player/bio/_/id? 27035/babe-ruth. Berke, Art. Babe Ruth. New Yourk: F. Watts, 1988. Print. Fischer, David. B abe Ruth: Legendary Slugger. New York: Sterling, 2012. Print Hampton, Wilborn. Babe Ruth: A Twentieth-century Life. New York, NY: Viking, 2009. Print. Monteville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life and times of Babe Ruth. New York: Doubleday, 2006. Print. â€Å"World Biography. † Babe Ruth Biography. N. p. , n. d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www. notablebiographies. com/Ro-Sc/Ruth-Babe. html.

Television s Impact On America s Society Essay - 838 Words

Fox’s television shows, Glee, was an introduction to the frequent ‘social issues’ teenagers in America faced daily. Glee is a musical comedy drama. The cast are majority Caucasians and addressed topics commonly faced by children such as â€Å"cyber bullying, schools shootings, suicides† are just to name a few many issues. Once Glee’s season ended, Fox has always been a trendy television station. Fox needed an innovative television show to satisfy their audience. The entrance of Fox’s television shows â€Å"Empire†. â€Å"Empire is a powerful drama about a family dynasty set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music† 1(Fox.com/Empire). Like ‘Glee’, Fox’s drama show Empire addresses a number of social issues as well that ‘currently plague America’s society’, specifically the African American community, such as ‘homosexuality’, ‘mental illness†™, and ‘police brutality’. ‘Empire’s main characters are the ‘Lyons, a successful African American family in the hip-hop music industry, who fight over who will run the family’s business: Empire entertainment. Power, sex, drugs, and violence are among the key plot points; however, Empire consistently includes social issues that affect the African American community within the plot. Lucious Lyon (Terrance Howard) considered the â€Å"king of hip-hop† and his ex-wife Cookie Lyon (Tarji P. Henson) are the founders of Empire. 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Television is such a powerfulRead MoreThe Era Of The Roaring Twenties1623 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the era of the roaring 20s, there were several impacts that vastly influenced and altered America from the beginning of the 1920s to today. One of the several impacts that influenced America drastically in the 20s to today, was the boom in feature movies/the movie industry. Things that it greatly impacted, was our culture, lifestyle, career field, and our technological innovation. The creation of motion pictures, movies with sound, and talkies had an immense alteration on society’sRead MoreOprah Winfrey s Influence On Law Enforcement And Schools Across The Country Essay1539 Words   |  7 Pagesthing, knowing that nobody s going to know whether you did it or not.† – Oprah Winfrey. Being born into an abusive family to a teen mother may hold some people from becoming successful, but not Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey uses her rocky past to motivate her to help others, and provide victims of sexual abuse with a safe haven. Winfrey has made an impact on America. The former pageant queen and talk show host helped establish the National Sex Offender Registry which made an impact on law enforcement and schoolsRead MoreThe Political Season Of America835 Words   |  4 PagesThe political season in America is well away and we can confidently say the possibility of what the republican and democratic nominations will be. To the best of my knowledge this has been the most controversial and unpredictable election in the history of America because, Mrs. Hilary Clinton the leading democratic nominee has some history linking to events of Benghazi and also her email scandals which in any election season will call for her own resignation. On the other hand, we have Mr. DonaldRead MoreEssay on The Chemistry behind our Television Sets1084 Words   |  5 Pages Chemistry has had a colossal impact on the advancement of technology throughout the world. Every electronic item can acknowledge chemistry for its creation. A main example that everyone knows of would be the television. Without chemistry, there would be no technology; and without technology, we would not be where we are today. Before television was invented people tried to find different ways to entertain themselves. One bizarre thing people used the do was to attend surgeries for entertainment