Business economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business economics - Essay Example rgy resources, cause inundations, heat-related deaths and the fast spread of infectious diseases, as well as create serious damage to all industry sectors. Therefore, climate change is regarded nowadays as the negative outcome of the modern economic system, along with the process behind its making. It is a problem that addresses all the major players in both local and global economies: the operational factors, such as businesses, the regulatory factors, such as governments, the intellectual factors, such as foundations and universities (Echegaray, et al., 2008), as well as the citizens or the consumers, which, at their turn, establish the connections between the factors mentioned above. All of these entities have at least something to say about climate change, and while some of the discussions are focused on finding the guilty parties, on throwing the blame on someone for what has been already done, others are trying to find the appropriate solutions. I believe that businesses should understand that environmental awareness is crucial for their long-term sustainability. Companies should recognize climate change as a risk and establish special risk-assessment teams to indentify its impact on the company’s costs, supply chains, work practices and outputs. For example, if the winters will become warmer, energy costs will be lowered; however, at the same time, the summers will become hotter, which will increase the demand for air-conditioning. This way, a company’s costs distribution is changed based on environmental issues. Still, businesses should see climate change as an opportunity and a challenge to find new markets, develop new technologies as well as improve their image among average consumers. Studies have demonstrated that customers are most likely to absolve their guilt about their environmental footprint by buying products from a â€Å"greener† company. In other words, consuming trends will shift accord ing to which companies take the lead in using green

Challenges in the Global Business Enviornment Research Paper

Challenges in the Global Business Enviornment - Research Paper Example The research will focus on the AT&T code of ethics. The details will be retrieved from the companys website. This code of ethic will be compared to other competing firms. The research will use Verizon and Sprint as the two competitors. The information will be retrieved from the two companies website. The competitiveness of each code of ethic will be used in establishing the merits and demerits of AT&T own code of ethical conduct. Information from the three firms will be examined, and recordings made based on the structures and natures of the code of ethical conduct. The information on AT&T code of ethical conduct will be examined with respect to their efforts to adapt to changing technologies and innovation nature of the environment. The challenges associated with the code of ethics will be examined and proposal made based on the efforts by the two competing firms. Global citizenship efforts by AT & T will be examined, and information recorded. AT & T has its code of ethical conduct drafted and focused on honest, which entails observing rules set by different organizations under which the firm operates ( AT&T Inc, 2014). These entails maintaining a given standards that will enhance the companys advantage while competing in a global environment. The code of ethical conduct at the firm entails defining personal interests and separating it from the companys interest. The aim is to avoid conflict of interest associated that could rise from the employees interaction with the external environment. Other issues at the firms ethical conduct include compliance and disclosure, which are aimed at maintaining a specific standard and working based on international requirements. Sprints code of ethical conduct entails a friendly working environment that promotes innovation and technology use among its internal and external environments (Sprint, 2013). The ethics code also defines requirements by each member of the internal environment while

Prime Minister: British System of Government

Prime Minister: British System of Government INTRODUCTION This essay mirrors the roles of the Prime Ministers and their Cabinet members, and discusses how dominant the role of Prime Minister is in the British system of Government, and to what extent can the power be exercised. The essay begins with a vivid explanation of what the core executive arm of the British government is made up of, what position the Prime Minister stands for in the business of coordinating the affairs of the well-meaning British citizens. Moreover, on the other hand, this essay seeks to address the roles Prime Ministers have played in the Civil Service and the changes they have effected in the past decades. The next point will describe, compare and contrast the leadership styles of some dignitaries who have served in the capacity of a Prime Minister to the British government in the twentieth century to the present Leader Gordon Brown. The next important area this essay will address includes historical decisions former Prime Ministers have made in shaping the British polity and policy formulation. We will resume our discussion with a brief consideration of the structure of the British system of government and gladly guide our discussion into the roles and powers of the Prime Minister in the affairs of the government. THE BRITISH SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT The British system of government is known to be Europes oldest parliamentary democracy. The British parliament was established in the eleventh century and, after King John signed the Magna Charta in the year 1215, it came into power and became the main figure in the British system of government. By this singular act, England piloted the idea of democracy in the whole of Europe. The British constitution, unlike that of most of other countries in Europe and the world at large, is not written as a single document. It is partly formed by statute, and partly by common law and conventions respectively. The constitution can be altered by an Act of Parliament, and/or by general agreement to change convention(s) (Coxall et al, 2003:179-181; 2006: 182-189; Kavanagh 2006: 247-250). Britain is a constitutional monarchy and currently has her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. Practically, she reigns but does not rule. The country is administered, in the queens name, by the Government comprising of a body of ministers, which is referred to as the Cabinet and consists of 22 leading ministers, who are responsible to carrying out Parliamentary functions. The origin, traditions, customs and beliefs of the Great Britain are derived from its four countries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). Each of these countries is well represented in the British Parliament, which sits at Westminster (at the heart of London) this is the ultimate legislative authority in the kingdom. The Parliament is composed of three arms: the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons (Coxall et al, 2003:182-186; 2006: 185-190; Kavanagh 2006: 247-250). In practice, the Sovereign arm officially summons and dissolves the Parliament and generally begins every new yearly assembly with a speech from the throne. The House of Lords consists of traditionally inherited peers and peeresses, which also includes the law Lords. They are so appointed to undertake the judicial duties of the House, and the Lords Spiritual (made up of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and other 24 bishops). On the other hand, the House of Commons is elected by universal adult suffrage and made up of Members of Parliament (MPs) there are approximately 650 seats for the MPs. The chief responsible officer of the House is the Speaker, who is elected by the MPs to take charge of the affairs of the house and presides over the house meetings. The ultimate authority for lawmaking resides in the House of Commons (Coxall et al. 2006: 185-188; Kavanagh 2006: 250-251). Every five years, a general election must be conducted only citizens who are eighteen (18) years of age and above are allowed to participate in the voting exercise; and candidates for various elective positions must be over 21. There are four major political parties, namely: Social Democratic, Labour, Liberal, and Conservative parties The winning party forms the Government. Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister (leader of winning party). The second party becomes official Opposition to the ruling party and forms the Shadow-Cabinet. MPs who are members of the Opposition blocs are called back-benchers. THE PRIME MINISTER In modern era, the United Kingdoms Prime Ministers lead a major political party, and command a majority in the House of Commons (the Legislative arm), who is also the leader of the Cabinet (the Executive arm). However, it should be noted that under the British system of government, there is a unity of powers rather than separation. The Premiership was not deliberately created as an official position, but has however, evolved into a much structured official power. The office gradually evolved over three hundred years, and defined by customs in the form of conventions that later became generally accepted by everyone. The Prime Ministers relationship with the Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet was completely defined by these conventions until the twentieth century. Despite its growing supremacy in the constitutional chain of command, the Premiership was accorded with little formal recognition the legal imaginary tale upheld was that the Sovereign still governed directly. For example, many of the Prime Ministers legislative and powers are largely derived from Royal sanctions and are still formally vested in the Head of State the Sovereign (Coxall et al, 2003:180-182; 2006: 185-190; Kavanagh 2006: 247-250). Under this arrangement, UK appears to possess two independent executives: the Prime Minister and the Sovereign. However, the notion of the crown settles this paradox. The Royal Crown stands as a symbol of the states authority to govern making laws and executing them, imposing taxes and collecting them, declaring war and making peace. Until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Sovereign had worn the Crown and exercised the powers it stands for. Thereafter, Parliament gradually took Sovereigns out of the corridor of political powers to a more neutral position. Parliament placed the Crown in commission, thereby entrusting its authority to responsible Ministers including the Prime Minister and the Cabinet crew, who are made accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament and the people Great Britain. Nevertheless, the Sovereign still wears the Crown and her sanction powers are still legally intact in practice, Parliament has taken everyday governance from her, leaving her with three constitutional rights: to be kept informed, to advise, and to warn (Coxall et al. 2006: 185-188; Kavanagh 2006: 247-250). The Prime Minister is responsible for recommendations of dignitaries for honour in the various annual special honours lists. The Prime Minister has a distinctive role in the area of national security; being the national leader, the PM represents the country at global events, such as, playing host to heads of government of other countries and international conferences, (Coxall et al, 2003:187-189; 2006: 182-202). The PM also appoints top civil servants. Dating back to the late seventies, it is gathered that quite a lot of key reforms of the civil service has evolved. Margaret Thatcher (the then Prime Minister) highly scrutinised the civil service commission; her civil servant reforms meant making the civil servants more efficient. This effectively reduced the numbers of civil servants in office. The Blair government also continued with this reform. This reform was, however, formally initiated by the previous Conservative government, (Martin 2003:69-70). Notwithstanding, the leadership styles of Prime Ministers have varied historically. Thatcher is famous with having a dominant leadership style in which she had a direct approach, however, the political writer Martin J Smith has described her leadership style as being autocratic. Generally, the Prime Minister seeks advice from the Chancellor of the Exchequer and treasury before economic, foreign policy proposal are made, nevertheless, the final decisions are made by the PM who is central in shaping policies. Over the past forty-five years in the UK government, Prime Ministers had to take an important role in various schemes bothering the different quarters of the economy such as challenges facing the industrial trade unions and issues in Northern Ireland. On the other hand, PMs might delve into areas they fervently believe in, which might sometimes risk being displeasing to other ministers. For example while Margaret Thatcher bought in the poll tax, James Callaghan the PM during the late seventies intervened in educational and health matters, however, Tony Blair, on his opinion, put into operation the millennium dome, had an enthusiastic interest in law and order and supported President Bush in the Iraq war. Gordon Brown has made several decisions (such as cl osing the gaps that exits in the tax haven) that he believes will lead his people out of the current financial crisis. The PM has the power to advise the monarch the arrangement of disbandment of parliament within a five-year period. This strengthens the PMs authority against the oppositional parties; however this political weapon can sometimes flop, for instances James Callaghan in failing to call for a general election in 1978, while his predecessor Edward Heath called an election in 1974, can mean defeat. Final decisions on election dates are generally made after proper consultations with chief whips and cabinet have been initiated. Historically, British Prime Ministers possess distinctive responsibilities to discharge healthy governance to the people of Great Britain, notably in world wars and recent crisis like foot and mouth and fuel crisis. Prime Ministers importantly must govern in a democratic way, by getting a consensus if they are to do well in office. The support of the party gives the prime minister the right and influence to carry out their duties, relationships within the party are paramount and are two way. The relationships the PM has between cabinet ministers and close associates do not necessary have to do with personally as generally they are part of a structural relationship which is linked by the rules of the Whitehall circle, which are made up of institutions of governments, past policy decisions and by outside political and economic matters. Cabinet ministers and the prime minister have resources available to them; however, to achieve this they have to go through a process of exchange. This clearly has to do with the particular framework, which the prime minister would have achieved on the election result, if the PM were unpopular in the polls, and then they become more reliant on others for advice (Coxall et al 2003: 187-193; 2006: 182-202). A prime minister has the most authority after an election victory. CONCLUSION The PM achieves little or nothing in office if they do not have the support of their cabinet ministers. Furthermore, the Prime Minister being in office is based on legitimacy; hence, the PM is reliant on the cabinet. Tony Blair, being aware of how support is vital, owed his position, in many ways, to Browns loyalty. In return, Blair has given Gordon Brown the authority and autonomy to administer the governments socio-economic policies/affairs. Although, Blairs leadership style making of executive decisions which he (Blair) feels is best for the country irrespective of what the bulk of the cabinet members think is more superior to Browns. In conclusion, British Prime Ministers are clearly in a powerful position of authority in the British system of government, which has evolved over time. REFERENCES Coxall B., Robins L., and Leach R. (2006): British Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. Coxall B., Robins L., and Leach R. (2003): Contemporary British Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, 4th ed. Kavanagh D. (1996): British Politics: Continuities and Change. Oxford University Press, 3rd ed. Kavanagh D. (2006): British Politics: Continuities and Change. Oxford University Press, 6th ed. Martin J. S. (2003): Governing as New Labour. Palgrave Macmillan

The Mass-marketing of Working Class Culture :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Mass-marketing of Working Class Culture The fads of the father are visited on the son: we've all seen how adult fads are given down to children. We've seen how cargo pants have trickled down, thanks to the Gap, Baby Gap, and Old Navy (all corporations owned by The Limited, Inc.). Cargo pants have always been a mystery to me. The attractive thing about them is storage (which I'll get to later), blandness and personal appearance. I only considered wearing cargo pants because they'd hide how chunky my thighs are. And they're beige and boring--they thus go with anything. I also don't understand this fascination with looking working-class (In a recent copy of Vogue, there were ritzy, high-priced versions of lumberjack clothing). There's absolutely nothing wrong with that and I don't want to sound like an elitist, because I'm by no means not working-class. I just wonder why this a trend, why white collar workers want to look like they work with their hands. But this fascination with storage, with having so many products presents a problem. Cargo pants were designed so workers could essentially wear their toolbox. Today's kids wearing cargo pants don't need that space for hammers and nails. To avoid acknowledging that cargo pants are a silly trend, wearers unconsciously seek to fill their pockets. As Lacan might say, empty pockets remind us of our lacks. Cargo pants only encourage the reckless. The Gap, like any other capitalist corporation, wants consumers to spend oodles of money. Providing more storage space in a pair of pants allows for children and teens to spend even more money filling them. What the Gap has done is transformed the meaning of cargo pants. It is a redefinition: today's cargo pants wearers aren't laborers, they're spenders. Isn't that a glorious thing, the Gap may ask us. It's a way of showing how the upper class has always stepped all over the lower class, taking what aspects of its culture it likes and discarding the individuals involved. We've seen this over and over, but it usually has been a race's culture that has been used while the individuals are considered meaningless by the ruling classes. This is happening again today with Latin culture. White culture takes what few things it likes (namely Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, maybe a salsa beat, and some Tex-Mex food), and celebrates it as all Latin culture has to offer, ignoring debates about the "Latinness" of such aspects anyway.

Pride and Prejudice & The Merchant of Venice Essay

Shakespeare and Jane Austen both present strong feeling of love, revenge, hatred and friendship. They are two different types of stories, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a novel and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play so therefore they both have different ways of presenting strong feelings but they do have some similarities. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ strong feelings are presented by: 1. The Narrator 2. Letters 3. Dialogue Whereas in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ strong feelings are presented by: 1. The characters 2. Long Speech’s One way that Jane Austen presents strong feelings is through letters. Throughout the play Jane Austen presents strong feelings of love, hatred or sorrow by writing letters, for example when Darcy writes a letter to Elizabeth after their heated conversation when Elizabeth rejects Darcy’s proposal, you can see what Darcy is feeling:- â€Å"Pardon me, It pains me to offend you† You can clearly see that Mr Darcy thinks that this letter would upset Elizabeth because he says in the letter that he is so against the relationship between the relationship and possible marriage between Jane and Mr Bingley. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare present strong feelings through long speeches as â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† is a play, so the audience can see the strong feelings:- â€Å"’The pound of flesh which I demand of him is dearly bought; ‘tis mine, and I will have it† pg. 70. This is when Shylock demands his pound of flesh of Bassanio. This long speech is when the Duke is questioning Shylocks unusual bond. Shylock the Jew is determined to take revenge and to take the pound of flesh. The ‘Merchant of Venice’ is a play, so you cannot see feelings through letters; this is why Shakespeare presents strong feelings through speeches. Another way that Jane Austen’s novel and Shakespeare’s play are similar is that both stories have many relationships. Elizabeth and her sister Jane are very close and share secrets:- ‘†When Elizabeth and Jane where alone†¦ expressed to her sister how very much she admired him†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ or pg. 309 Elizabeth has 4 sisters, Lydia, Kitty, Mary and Jane. Elizabeth and Jane are very close as they are similar in age, whereas the other sisters and much younger and Elizabeth thinks they are very immature. In ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ Antonio and Bassanio have a very close friendship you may even say that they are like brothers. Antonio agrees to the bond so he can lend money to Bassanio so he can go to Portia. You can see that they are very close as Antonio is willing to give his life for Bassanio. When Antonio is in the court and about to die, Bassanio is right by his side. ’I’ll seal to such a bond’† ’† You shall not seal to such a bond for me’† (Bassanio) Even though Bassanio wants to stop Antonio from agreeing the bond, Antonio is determined to seal the bond as he thinks his ships will be back within 3 months, but unfortunately they crash out at sea and all his money is lost. As well as strong friendships Jane Austen and Shakespeare also involve many relationships to sh ow strong feelings of love. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Mr Darcy and Elizabeth have a strong relationship. Similarly, in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Jessica and Lancelot also have a strong relationship. In both stories they will do anything for love, even if it means betraying their religion or their social class. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Mr Darcy thinks that having money and having social class is very important, so when he falls in love with Elizabeth; who hasn’t got much money and who hasn’t got social class and standing Mr Darcy feels ashamed that he loves Elizabeth but he still proposes to her even though all his friends think that this is wrong:- â€Å"’In vain I have struggled. It will not do†¦You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you’† pg. 56 In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Jessica and Lancelot betray their religion. Jessica is a Jew and Lancelot is a Christian and even though they are not supposed to mix they still elope and get married:- â€Å"’Bestrew me but I love her heartily’† pg. 35 This makes Shylock, Jessica’s dad very angry because when Jessica marries L ancelot she becomes a Christian. Another way that Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is through strong characters. In both stories there are many characters, but the two main characters are Elizabeth and Shylock. They are both very strong minded and not afraid to speech their mind. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Elizabeth is very different to other characters in the novel. Female characters in the novel believe that looking good, behaving well and keeping their feelings to themselves is very important, Elizabeth isn’t bothered about speaking out or not looking well, for example when Elizabeth walks to see her sister Jane in the Bingleys house, Bingleys sister and friend are very surprised that she walked all this way in the mud and they even say that it isn’t very ladylike! Lady Catherine De Bourgh who is very high in class asks Elizabeth if she wants to come to London with her, and Elizabeth says no. â€Å"You are all kindness, Madam; but I believe we must abide by our original plan. † Pg. 175 In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shylock is very strong minded and is singled out of the play because he is a mean Jew that charges interest. Shylock is very stubborn and determined to keep to his bond; a pound of flesh of Antonio. â€Å"’If every ducat in six thousand ducats, Were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them; I would have my bond’† Pg. 9 This is from the scene when the trail takes place. This is when Bassanio offers Shylock 6 thousand ducats, but Bassanio fails as Shylock is determined to take a pound of flesh from Antonio no matter how many ducats Bassanio offers. Shakespeare presents Shylock as a horrid Jew so the story becomes interesting and that there is conflict between the Jew and the Chr istians. In addition Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings through the narrator in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and asides is ‘The Merchant of Venice’. This is a great way of showing feelings. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ the narrator is one of the main ways of showing feelings:- â€Å"The contents of the letter threw Elizabeth into a flutter of spirits† The narrator has been very successful putting an image into our heads of Elizabeth being thrown into a state or turmoil, having read her aunts letter in which she said how much she liked Mr Darcy. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ asides are used as it is a play, so there can’t be a narrator. Asides are where the character is talking to the audience and the other characters on the stage can’t hear:- â€Å"[Aside] how like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian† pg. 13 From this aside you can tell that Shylock has very strong feelings of hatred for Bassanio. In this scene the only people on stage are Shylock and Bassanio, so an aside is the perfect to show how Shylock is feeling without Bassanio knowing. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare uses repeated phrases to make an impact of strong feelings:- â€Å"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! My ducats and my Daughter! † pg. 40 This is when Solanio is mocking Shylock when he realises that his daughter has eloped with a Christian. From these repeated phrases the audience can see that Solanio is emphasising Shylocks utter despair for his ducats and his daughter. Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings through prejudice. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ there is prejudice against woman and people without lots of money. In ‘Pride and Prejudie’ woman only existed to be married off. Unless there family’s had lots of money this was very difficult and they would be at the mercy of men who might take pity of them or who had no chance of marrying well themselves. â€Å"She is luckily too poor to be an object of prey to anybody† pg. 92 This quote shows prejudice. Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are talking about Lydia’s trip Brighton, Elizabeth is worried that she will marry the wrong man, but Mr Bennet isn’t too worried as Lydia is too poor so no man will take interest in her. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ the Christians are prejudice against the Jews. All the Christians hate them just because they aren’t Christians, they are only tolerated because they are good business people and money lenders. When they go out of the ghetto they have to where reds barets so everyone could see that they are Jews and so they stand out. Shakespeare presents strong feelings. There are many times that Antonio calls him a dog. This shows that Shakespeare also uses repeated phrases to make a big impact to the audience:- â€Å"You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine† pg. 15 This shows how Antonio despises the Jews, and this is what prejudice is. Jane Austen’s novel, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Shakespeare play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ where written in two completely different time periods. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ was written in 1596, because it is so late in history the language that Shakespeare uses is very old and different from other plays. In 1596, many people could not read so a play was very useful. The audience for ‘The Merchant of Venice’ would manly be suited for the older generation. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was written in 1813, many more people could read in 1813 so an interesting novel was well suited. The novel was aimed at readers like characters in the novel. Both Jane Austen and Shakespeare wrote many stories that people still read today. Another way that Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings is through the behaviour of the characters. From showing strong feeling through behaviour the reader or audience can clearly see what the characters feeling for whatever the emotion is. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ the behaviour of the characters is very important as we can see what they are feeling:- â€Å"Oh my dear Eliza! Pray make haste and come into the dining room, for there is such a sight to be seen! † pg. 132 From this quote you can clearly see that Maria, Charlotte’s sister, is incredibly excited that Lady Catherine has arrived at her house, but she makes a mistake, it’s only Mrs Jenkinson. Jane Austen presents strong feeling in this quote of excitement and anticipation. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ there is many strong feelings presents by Shakespeare through behaviour. Shakespeare presents these strong feelings through behaviour so the audience can see what the character is feeling. â€Å"O noble judge, O excellent young man! † pg. 76 This is when Portia, disguised as the judge says Shylock can have his bond; a pound of flesh of Antonio. Shakespeare present Shylock very excited and happy through his behaviour and the tone of voice that Shakespeare makes Shylock use. Furthermore, Jane Austen and Shakespeare present strong feelings in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ through points of great intensity. This is a great way that the reader and audience can see strong feeling and great intensity! Elizabeth finds out that Darcy has been instrumental in getting her sister and Bingley together, which makes her very happy. After rumours of a forthcoming engagement between Darcy and Elizabeth start to surface before Darcy has even proposed, Elizabeth is more than a little anxious when she and Darcy take a walk together. Elizabeth’s feelings towards Darcy have completely changes since his first proposal, the two are now both in love with each other, by Darcy is not sure of this and says: – â€Å"If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once† pg. 303 This moment is a moment of great intensity for the reader as you are not sure that Elizabeth is going to say! The reader can become very anxious for Darcy and Elizabeth. Jane Austen shows feelings through this scene because it is a very good way for the reader to become a part of the book.

Analyse the presentation of Crooks Essay

Analyse the presentation of Crooks in â€Å"Of Mice and Men†. Comment on how this helps to create a realistic picture of 1930’s California  John Steinbeck’s â€Å"Of mice and men† was written in the 1930’s, a time of great depression throughout the world. It was a time when racism was still widespread in America. It is based on a ranch in California. In the story Crooks is the only black person on the ranch. Crooks is disabled, with a crooked back where â€Å"a horse once kicked him†. It describes him as having â€Å"pain tightened lips† because of this. He is also described as being â€Å"a proud aloof man†. He is shown to be an educated man through the fact that he owns a dictionary and tries to research what rights he does have by using his â€Å"mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.† The fact that Steinbeck uses the word mauled infers that it was used a great deal. In the story, Crooks was treated with little respect. He acts like he wants no real contact with the white workers on the ranch by â€Å"keeping his distance and demanding that other people kept theirs†. I think that he really wanted some friends but doesn’t show it because no-one will be friends with him. The boss also has no respect for him and takes his anger out on him for no reason when he is mad. He lives in a tack room built onto the side of the barn because he is unwanted in the bunkhouse. This is probably due to the fact that the society of the time believed in racial segregation. He has no friends on the ranch and is totally isolated. He had no rights or a say on what goes on on the ranch or in America for that matter. There were thousands like him all over America that were stuck in the same situation. They were not treated well for what seems to me a trivial reason. The book was very controversial at the time as Steinbeck portrays Crooks as being the same inside as any other man. This is a view that challenged all of the other contemporary views at the time. A lot of people were outraged at this as they thought of Crooks and other black people as somehow inferior to them. The fact that we only meet Crooks at all is an accident. I think he hated his life there on the ranch, but had no way to get out of it. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-3) we find out the views of Crooks from the other characters there. The racism towards him may have been innocent as the racism in the country then was inherent (passed down through the generations). We now move on to chapter 4, where we find out about Crooks and his own opinions through an accidental encounter with Lennie. It all starts when Lennie is in the barn with his pup and everyone else has gone into town. He sees the light from Crooks’ little hut which is built into the barn. He stumbles in and Crooks acts like Lennie is unwanted – â€Å"Crooks scowled but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.† I think that he actually thought about it and realised that he could do with some company. Steinbeck uses Lennie’s character to ‘accidentally’ stumble upon him because Lennie does not understand the political views of the world at that time, so he walks right in and talks to him the right way, treating him with respect, as he would anyone else. Crooks then settles down a bit and pours out what seems to be his entire life story to Lennie, now he finally has someone to talk to. He tells him about his life before working on the ranch. He speaks of the fact he was happy before, and says that his father had a chicken ranch. Maybe this meant he would prefer to be back there, missing his relatives who he knows would treat him as an equal. He also talks about that he used to play with the local white kids and that his â€Å"ol’ man did not like that†. He then proceeds to say â€Å"I never knew why till long later why he didn’t do that. But I know now.† During the conversation, Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George (who he relies on completely) never came back. It seems like Crooks is getting excited over having an advantage over a white person, â€Å"Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure at his torture† but later on you think about it and realise what Crooks was trying to do. He was showing Lennie what it would be like to be him, to have no-one and be completely alone. He then explains this to Lennie: â€Å"a guy needs somebody – to be near him†¦A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.† Through this we realise how truly lonely he really is. Lennie starts talking about his and George’s dream of getting their own ranch somewhere. Candy then appears at the doorway and Crooks lets him in. Candy confirms all that Lennie says and they share their dream with him. Crooks then realises that they might succeed in getting a ranch. He then says â€Å"†¦If you†¦guys would want a hand to work for nothing – just his keep, why I’d come and lend a hand.† He suddenly realises what this could mean for him. He sees this as an opportunity to escape from his life on the ranch and make a new life for himself He is still holding onto that dream when suddenly Curley’s wife appears in the doorway. She makes all three men feel uncomfortable. She comments that everyone else had â€Å"left the weak ones here.† This is ironic really because what she doesn’t realise is that she too is classed as a ‘weak one’ for being female (women were still unable to vote then and males were the dominant gender). Crooks is then taken in by the dream to the extent that he forgot his place. For a moment he seems as brave as any man. He stood up to Curley’s wife and demands her to leave – â€Å"You ain’t got no rights comin’ in a coloured man’s room†¦Now you just get out.† Curley’s wife then threatens him: â€Å"You keep your place Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it wouldn’t even be funny.† The reality then hits him. His dreams shattered. He then remembers his place, at the bottom of society. â€Å"Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego – nothing to arouse either like or dislike.† Being threatened like this pushes him back down to earth, and he realises that she is right. She could easily get him lynched if she wanted to. I think that overall Steinbeck succeeds in creating a roughly realistic picture of the general attitudes towards racism in the 1930’s. He creates a convincing character in Crooks that makes you think of the ethics behind racism overall. Why does it happen? Why are people different on the outside any different on the inside? I think that Steinbeck’s intentions were to present these and other questions to the reader and make them think about the reasoning behind traditional racist attitudes.