The most tragic character Essay Example For Students

The most tragic character Essay The novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck firstly originates from the poem by 18th century poet Robert Burns entitled To a mouse. We know that the title of the poem has been taken from the line in the seventh verse of the poem the best laid schemes o mice and men gang aft agley, an leae us nought but grief an pain.  Parallels can be drawn between the poem and the novella, in particular George and Lennies American dream, when we look at the verse containing the title of the poem. This verse speaks of how the best plans of man often fail and leave us with pain and grief, and this directly foreshadows the fact that Lennie and Georges dream will not be made a reality. We will write a custom essay on The most tragic character specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The tragedy of course, lies in the fact that no matter how elaborately George and Lennie plan, regardless of how intensely they hope and dream, this dream will end in sorrow. Steinbeck sets the short story in 1930s America during the harsh Great Depression years, and due to the lack of money and employment at this time, the number of migrant workers was high. The short novel focuses on the struggles of two particular itinerant workers working on a ranch in California. This is perhaps a reflection of Steinbecks own experiences working as a migrant worker on rural Californian ranches, and we see the impressions that his experiences have made upon him through his work. We also see Steinbecks past experiences influencing his writing in other works such as The Grapes of Wrath. Through Steinbecks portrayal of certain characters, we are also given an insight into the social context of the time. When looking at tragedy these social contexts provide evidence for some characters to be described as tragic, when based on both modern and traditional interpretations of tragedy. We see through Crooks, and how he is ostracised from the rest of the workers, an example of the racial discrimination of the times. Crooks can be regarded as tragic based on modern interpretations of tragedy due to the segregation. Based on Greek and Shakespearean interpretations of tragedy, Lennie and Curleys wife can be considered as tragic, as throughout the novella they produce feelings of pity, fear and excitement in the audience, and both have their tragic flaws, this being an important Aristotle feature, which lead to their downfalls. Through Curleys wife we see the sexist treatment of women, as they are portrayed by Steinbeck as property of their husband. This sexist treatment of women arouses pity in the audience, and can be said to portray Curleys wife as tragic. We read of the quest of the American dream and the importance of this to Lennie, and as it is foreshadowed that this dream is unlikely to ever happen a tragic element is drawn. We also have sympathy with Lennie because of the severe treatment of those with limited mental ability. This treatment provides us with modern reasons for Lennie to be considered as tragic, especially when compared to attitudes today. This essay will focus on the three characters named in the introduction, and explore the extent to which they can be described as tragic. The essay will also contest the idea of Lennie being the most tragic character in the novella. The first character to be explored in this essay is Crooks. At the beginning of chapter four Crooks is given the longest description of all the characters in the novella. We read of his deep black wrinkles, and his pain tightened lips. This suggests that Steinbeck has intentions for him as an important character, and Steinbeck goes on to use Crooks to symbolize the racial segregation. Crooks is also used to show the general loneliness of ranch workers, and Steinbeck uses him to bring the loneliness experienced by all the characters into perspective. We read of Crooks saying, A guy needs someone to be near him .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .postImageUrl , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:hover , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:visited , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:active { border:0!important; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:active , .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8 .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc5769bd34170873da9c526dc1e9276f8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Act 3 Scene 1 As A Turning Point In The Play? EssayA guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody A guy gets too lonely an he gets sick Here Steinbeck is bringing forward the need for human interaction. We are given the impression that Crooks is deeply affected by the racial hierarchy, and by how he has been ostracised from the rest of the ranch. From this we have evidence to regard Crooks as tragic, especially due to his loneliness and how is has been ostracised based on his skin colour alone. Steinbeck also describes crooks as a proud, aloof man. It seems that Crooks pride helps him deal with his loneliness. The reader sympathizes with Crooks , adding to the theme of tragedy. In the novella, Crooks is also physically handicapped. Crooks has been given this name because of his crooked spine, adding to the picture Steinbeck draws of Crooks as an unfortunate, tragic character. We read at the start of chapter four Crooks rubbing liniment on his spine, he held a bottle of liniment, and with the other he rubbed his spine When reading this the reader has a picture of this proud man reduced to spending his time on his own rubbing his crooked back. We again sympathize with Crooks, and he can be described as tragic based on this. Furthermore, at the end of the chapter we read, in his pink palm and reaching around fell slowly to rubbing his back. This presents us with a cycle of Crooks; as he is portrayed as the solitary character at the beginning of the chapter, and he is the same at the end. We can infer from this that as long as the social context of the times remains, Crooks would always be treated the same, and from this a modern tragic element can be drawn. We also read of Crooks being a scapegoat for the ranch workers. We read the boss gives him hell when hes mad This tells the reader that due to Crooks being black, all the blame is put on him for problems on the ranch. However, it can be said that a possibility of a change in Crooks situation may have occurred had Curleys wife not entered into Crooks room. Until this point in chapter four, it could be said that Crooks had started to believe in an American dream. If you guys would want a hand for nothing why Id come an lend a hand. I aint so crippled Crooks actually asks for a share in the dream, but Steinbeck insists on keeping to the tragic theme, and so before this question is even answered, Curleys wife enters. This is significant for evidence for Crooks to be regarded as tragic, because of how Curleys wifes words affect Crooks. Crooks attempts to stand up to Curleys wife you got no rights comin in a coloured mans room, but the ever present racism is again apparent from Curleys wifes reply, listen nigger, you know what I can do if you open your mouth I can get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny These words sharply bring Crooks down to Earth, and reduce him to nothing. This incident involving these two characters arouses more sympathy in the reader, and can be said to sum up the evidence for Crooks to be described as tragic.

Death Explored in The Story of an Hour essays

Death Explored in The Story of an Hour essays Death is the natural phenomena that every human will experience. Because of its unique characteristics and consequence, humans instinctively fear it. Death is so powerful and unstoppable that no one can really resist it. In Kate Chopins short story The Story of An Hour, the protagonist sits on the chair and feels that there [is] something coming to her and she [is] waiting for it (9th paragraph). The something in fact refers to death, not freedom. Firstly, the author mentions in the first sentence that Mrs. Mallards physical body is not healthy. Mrs. Mallard has a heart trouble [and] great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death. This suggests that Mrs. Mallard is vulnerable to shocks so that her sister has to be very careful about anything that may hurt her or else her heart may fail. This reveals that Mrs. Mallards heart trouble is considerably severe. In addition, Mrs. Mallards body is revealing unhealthy signals. In the fourth paragraph, she [sinks], pressed down by a physical exhaustion that [haunts] her body and [seems] to reach into her soul; this shows that she is exhausted both physically and mentally. Furthermore, the author describes that now there [is] a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze [is] fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It [is] not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought. The description reveals that Mrs. Mallard is experiencing a short period of pathological shock because of the oxygen lack in her brain result from her severe heart disease. She may not even notice these serious symptoms because she is still immersed into the joy from her husbands death. Some readers may think that the thing that is coming to Mrs. Mallard when she is resting on the chair is the freedom that she is waiting for after y...

MSc PROJECT MANAGEMENT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MSc PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Coursework Example Senior management in children’s services indiscriminately punish employees for inadequacies in the assessment and referral systems. Although many analysts are of the opinion that ineffective implementations account for the errors, they decry the practice by management to blame and punish employees overlooking the assessment and referral processes. The result has been a consistent practice by employees to cover up errors occurring in the systems (Broadhurst et al., 2000). In addition, the workers take a more laid-back approach to disseminating feedback that helps the management to pinpoint functional and operational challenges in the systems. The overarching impact of this gap in communication between the employees and management is the clear impediment to innovation and continuous management necessary of all technology-based information systems. The vicious cycle of malpractices in the system has resulted in stagnation in the innovation process and the consequential failures o f the modernized assessment and referral. Many experts think the current flaws in the referral and assessment systems are traceable to the initial design frameworks of the systems. The approach taken by healthcare management left out key steps in the introduction and implementation of the computerised systems. Some of the problems included lack of careful assessment of the functions of the modernised systems (Kaye et al., 2004). Proper staff retraining was also necessary for effective transition from the manual systems to the automated system. Pushing to the periphery the needs and input from various stakeholders contributes to the current difficulties in the current modernised assessment and referral systems. The heavy level of investment in technological facilities seems to have done little to improve the quality of service delivery through the modernised assessment and referral systems. The