Enron Accounting Fault Essay Example for Free

Enron Accounting Fault Essay Enron is frequently given as an example of creative accounting. It is also given as a good example of accounting fraud and insider trading. This is a good example of creative accounting taken too far not many would disagree that it was accounting fraud, although some would say they were just unlucky to get caught. after all, the auditors were Arthur Anderson, at the time one of the most respected auditing firms. Creative Accounting – Example 1 – Creating multiple trading entities The creative accounting involved setting up other entities and then trading with these entities. This is a common practice; many businesses divide their operations into sectors that perform specialist functions and then trade is carried out between these various entities. However, normal applicable accounting standards (GAAP), would require that some sort of financial consolidation is performed and the full picture reported. However, there was a bias to record income, revenue, and profits from transactions with these entities; rather than costs, expenses, and losses. Creative Accounting – Example 2 – Moving business segments offshore Enron created these entities offshore. This is also a common practice in accounting and tax planning. Many businesses do this to reduce the amount of taxes they pay, this can be done legally (tax avoidance) and it can take illegal forms (tax evasion). Offshore entities usually enjoy an enhanced level of privacy, this can make it difficult for local governments and auditors to gain insights into what is going on. Enron appears to have manged to succeed for a long time in hiding what was going on from both auditors, investors, and potential whistle-blowers. If Enron was recording profits, and assuming not much else was happening in these other entities, then these offshore entities would be recording losses. These losses were conveniently recorded away from the financial statements and therefore investors and many staff never new about them. Creative Accounting and Insider Trading The executives didn’t stop here. By using creative accounting and fraud to manipulate profits, they were able to affect the stock price, the next logical and illegal step was to start to trade the stock to benefit from the inside knowledge they had. This is know as insider trading and is illegal in most countries.

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay Example for Free

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay There are many tasks that a child learns in their early life. Some of which include learning how to crawl, then walk and learning how to talk. I think a child learning how to talk and communicate is very important. That alone will shape them and how well they will communicate later in their life. Our system of language and the process of communication are closely linked. Communication can be described as any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that persons needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms and may occur through spoken or other modes. Children learn communication from their parents. Communication is not something that can be studied; it is something that people have to learn by doing. As a parent, good communication needs to be emphasized as they are talking and listening to the child. A child can tell when a parent is not really listening to them, and this can create a big problem in the relationship. Children who feel misunderstood or feel like they arent being listened to will start to hold their feelings inside. This is the exact opposite of what good communication should be. Communication is necessary for everything we do in life and we learn it while we are children. The communication skills learned by children from their families will stick with them throughout their lives. In order to have a society of good communicators, it needs to start in the home. Parents need to start communicating with their children and need to show them how to communicate with others. This is a skill that will be valued all throughout life and is something that shouldnt be ignored. The skill of communication will be valued in every relationship throughout life. It is a necessity.

The evolution of communication technology

The evolution of communication technology 1. Communication, the transfer of information, has been the key element needed to establish civilized societies, which require organization and planning. a. In a traditional sense, the advancement of communication technology has also sought to address four unique aspects of information transfer; these are: the speed and distance at which information can be sent and received, the staying power or permanency of the information, and also the volume of information that can be sent. Throughout history, technological innovations have allowed for the steady improvement of all three aspects. However, in the last three decades, advances and globalization has made complicated and convoluted these once unique qualities as factors that were once limiting began to disappear. Vocal and Gestural Communications were Instinct and Natural Had limitations of audibility and clairity. Previous systems of primitive vocations and gestures provided minimal coverage of the three main aspects of human communication. Mutations and evolution provided organ structures that allowed for more complex speech. Although it represented a major advancement of the volume, speed, and distance of communication, the temporary nature of speech and human memory made it unsuitable to foster large amounts of information for long periods of time, a problem that would later be addressed with the aid of technology. Written and Recorded History Earliest were ideograms and pictograms. Provided minimal but adequate record of history that allowed for passing of information. Later forms allowed for paper and writing. Distance Communication Signal fires, horns, drums Sacrificed volume for distance. Modern Age All four factors optimized in the new age. Jay Zhang Johnson AP World History 2nd Period 25 May 2009 The Evolution of Communication Technology Throughout history, the human propensity to communicate effectively has always been a factor that has defined the gap of intelligence between animals and humans. Communication, the transfer of information, has been the key element needed to establish civilized societies, which require organization and planning. The relationship between the advancement of a civilization and the advancement of communication technology is not a simple cause-effect relationship but a relationship of mutual gain; the development of superior methods of communication allow a society to advance while the advancement of a society is necessary for the development of new methods of communication. In a traditional sense, the advancement of communication technology has also sought to address four unique aspects of information transfer; these are: the speed and distance at which information can be sent and received, the staying power or permanency of the information, and also the volume of information that can be sent. Throughout history, technological innovations have allowed for the steady improvement of all three aspects. However, in the last three decades, advances and globalization has made complicated and convoluted these once unique qualities as factors that were once limiting began to disappear. The ability to perform most primitive form of communication, intuitive and instinctive vocations and gestures were ingrained from birth into the bodies of the earliest humanoid species of the Paleolithic age starting over two and a half million years ago with the emergence of the genus homo, an intelligent being capable of forming primitive societies. True speech, familiar to what we hear today was the first major change in the advancement of communication. Anthropologists believe that evolutionary advances and a mutation in the Foxp2 gene around 400,000 years ago were responsible for producing the modern organ structures of the larynx, tongue, and diaphragm that are responsible for human speech. Although not technically a technology, speech would be the first major improvement in communication. Previous systems of primitive vocations and gestures provided minimal coverage of the three main aspects of human communication. Primitive vocations and gestures provided very little informa tion; additionally, the information would be sent a short distance limited by visual and audible range of human vocations which were both quieter and less clear than modern speech. Therefore, expressing complex ideas would have taken an exceptional amount of time. Modern speech was louder and provided improved clarity which effectively sped up the rate in which information could be expressed. Abstract ideas became easier to represent through speech and thoughts became easier to transmit. Speech led to the improvement of three aspects of communication: speed, distance, and volume. Though revolutionary, speech also presented a set of challenges. Because speech is ephemeral and only captured in time through memory, the transmissions of information from one generation to the next, or even simply between contemporary humans were limited to what could be remembered and eventually passed on. This problem was evident in Western Africa, as even later cultures continued to operate in a tribal system with only speech as a system of communication. During times of war, rival African tribes would aim to kill the griot, the oral historians, of the opposing tribe in the effort to pacify their enemy. Doing so would result in the loss of many generations of tribal history. Although it represented a major advancement of the volume, speed, and distance of communication, the temporary nature of speech and human memory made it unsuitable to foster large amounts of information for long periods of time, a problem that would later be addressed with the aid of technology. The next major advance in communication technology came with the advancement of technology in the field of basic tools and shelters. In the late Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic times, the emergence of cave paintings, pictograms, ideograms, and petroglyphs addressed the fundamental challenged posed by the previous systems of oral history and communication. This problem was the staying power or permanency of the information. Cave paintings, followed by my complex systems of pictograms and ideograms allowed for the preservation of thought and thus the transmission of ideas even after death. Early pictograms only represented tangible objects while the later emergence of ideograms were used to convey the abstract ideas associated with a certain object. However petroglyphs, symbols carved in stone, were not the only form of early recorded information. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and China developed early forms of paper to record written information. Uniquely, ancient c ivilizations in South America, particularly the Inca, did not develop writing but instead a system of tying knots to express numerical ideas. Thus, not only did the permanency of communication increase, the depth and volume of information that could be conveyed also increased as a direct result of the development of recorded information. The technological breakthrough of paper, a surface that compared to stone was lighter and more compact increased the rate at which information could be recorded and shared by providing an easily transportable surface that provided an easier method of writing. The early forms of recorded information, paintings and symbols which later evolved into paper, writing, and eventually printing, provided significant improvements in all four of the fundamental aspects of communication technology but most significantly, the permanency compared to the previous purely vocal and gestural methods. Though all four of the fundamental aspects of communication technology had improved drastically from Paleolithic times, one aspect not heavily addressed by the technological innovation of recording information physically was the distance to which information could be transmitted. Nearly all communication until 3000 BCE was limited to, at maximum the distance to which the human voice could travel. Around this time however, the invention of the signal drum allowed for a drastic increase in the distance in which information could be sent. Other inventions that served a similar purpose were also soon introduced. These included the signal horn and also the signal fire. The latter was used by the early Aborigines but its use continued to Qin China where it was used to quickly pass messages along the Great Wall. All of these methods of communication had a similar benefit as well as a similar drawback. Signal fires, drums, and smoke provided comparatively fast communication at extended dist ances but because of their very nature that allowed them to transmit information and be understood at a distance, they provided relatively little amounts of information volume. For example, a signal fire could only be used to convey a limited number of messages. Contemporary communication systems such as the postal system, which first emerged in 2400 BCE in Persia under Cyrus the Great allowed for the long distance transmission of a larger volume of information but at a slower rate. The invention of long distance, low volume information transmitters continued well into the 1800s CE with the invention of the telegraph. However, this is not to say that there were not significant advances in the volume of information that could be sent until this time. The invention of moveable type by the Chinese and then improved by Guttenberg in Germany was the major factor that contributed to the end of the Middle Ages. This statement simply emphasizes how the combination these two challenges were exceedingly difficult to overcome. Not until the invention of the radio would the gap between distance and volume close significantly. Perhaps the greatest achievements of technological innovation in the field of communication have all taken place in the modern age. Though communication technology has aided civilization since the beginning of human history, the globalization and interconnectedness observed today did not begin to form until the later industrial revolution but more so in recent decades. The greatest strives in communication technology that has nearly maximized the accommodations for the challenges posed by all four aspects of communication technology: speed, volume, distance, and permanency have all occurred in recent years. The invention of the radio in 1902 was both an iconic and realistic definition of the modern communication age. Still in wide use today, in addition to providing the ability to transmit information over a wide area wirelessly, the radio also provided a large step up in information volume from the telegraph by replacing an inefficient system of text messaging to wireless voice com munication. The later development of the television in 1923 further developed this same model by adding a new level of information transfer, visuals. Both radio and televisions were responsible for the broadening in the volume and speed at which communication could occur. The later invention and widespread use of taping and personal recording in 1934 added to the expanded the permanency of these communication technologies. The initiating relationship between the role of communication technology in the start of the modern age and the modern ages role in the creation of new technology is a prime example of the convoluted relationship of mutual gain described earlier. Even in the beginning of the modern communication age with the invention of radio and television, the once distinct lines between speed, distance, volume, and permanency began to blend as each was reaching new heights, perhaps human maximums. The speed of television and radio can be described as a human infinity, or near instantaneous, at least with respect to practicality. In addition to speed, by 1949 the coverage of television had become global in many developed nations, taping and recording become common and therefore information was rarely lost. As speed, distance, and permanency reached new heights, the exact definitions between them were blurred for the first time in history. Puzzling, but perhaps useless questions emerge from this historically unprecedented situation; clearly, the level of communication has risen dramatically, but to name what factor it can be attributed most is nearly impossible as the it is often impossible to distinguish them. The main cause of the confus ion has been removal of all historical limits. Using even a relatively recent example, the sacrifice of information volume for speed and distance during the widespread use of the telegraph, a revolutionary invention of its time, was overcome permanently by the use of the telephone, cell phone, radio, and television. The latest significant advance in communication technology aimed to maximize information volume to a similar degree to which speed, distance, and permanency have been. Computers, but more importantly the release and commercialization of the internet, in 1994 have revolutionized the volume of information that can be sent and received. The major change with respect to television, the previously frontrunner in communication technology is that the internet allows for the individual to request information in the same format, video, and many others in a comprehensive system. The volume of information that can be received by the computer is scores more than what can be received by the television. The internet which spans the globe has created a society more interconnected than ever before in history by not only providing a networked of linked computers, but also the backbone for all digital information transfer on earth. It is possible that a human chauvinism for the cotemporary distorts the view of the tremendous advances and advantages the modern age provides, but more likely, the innovations of the modern age in the field of communication technology are simply truly remarkable strides that have created a globally aware population that can communicate at virtually infinite speed, distance, volume, and permanency. Works Cited Ashford, Jenny. The Evolution of Human Speech. 20 October 2008. 23 May 2009 . Ancient and Modern Drums. Musical Instruments Drum. 2008. 23 May 2009 . Bellis, Marry. The History of Communication. About.com: Inventors. 2008. About. 22 May 2009 . Hoffman, Barbara G. Griots at War: Conflict, Conciliation and Caste in Mande. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. McCannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. How to Prepare for the AP World History. 11th ed. Danbury: Barrons Educational Series, 2008. McClellan, James E. Science and Technology in World History an Introduction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2006. Petroglyphs Pictographs Cave Paintings Geoglyphs Crystalinks. Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website. 2008. 23 May 2009 . White, Nancy. Middle and Upper Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers The Emergence of Modern Humans, The Mesolithic. 2008. 23 May 2009 . White, Nancy. Middle and Upper Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers The Emergence of Modern Humans, The Mesolithic. 2008. 23 May 2009 . Ashford, Jenny. The Evolution of Human Speech. 20 October 2008. 23 May 2009 . White, Nancy. Hoffman, Barbara G. Griots at War: Conflict, Conciliation and Caste in Mande. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. White, Nancy. Petroglyphs Pictographs Cave Paintings Geoglyphs Crystalinks. Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website. 2008. 23 May 2009 . Petroglyphs Pictographs Cave Paintings Geoglyphs Crystalinks. Mccannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. How to Prepare for the AP World History. 11th ed. Danbury: Barrons Educational Series, 2008. Mccannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. Ancient and Modern Drums. Musical Instruments Drum. 2008. 23 May 2009 . Mccannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. McClellan, James E. Science and Technology in World History an Introduction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2006. McClellan, James E. Mccannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. Mccannon, John, and Pamela Jordan. Bellis, Marry. The History of Communication. About.com: Inventors. 2008. About. 22 May 2009 . Bellis, Marry Bellis, Marry Bellis, Marry. Bellis, Mary.

Masterful Management of the Atmosphere in Macbeth :: Free Macbeth Essays

Masterful Management of the Atmosphere in Macbeth      Ã‚   Shakespeare in his tragedy Macbeth shows himself to be a playwright who can manipulate the atmosphere at every turn in the road. The atmosphere of this play is a choreographic work of art which is synchronized with the action of the play.    Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that he agrees with G. B. Harrison, that this play contains one of the finest examples of atmosphere ever created in drama:    Macbeth is overwhelmed with the significance of his filthy deed. His wife is concerned only with the details of what must be done next - with facts. She has no imagination. The passage between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after the murder is one of the finest examples of atmosphere ever created in drama."(62)    Lily B. Campbell in her volume of criticism, Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes: Slaves of Passion, explains how the atmosphere of terror and fear is built up:    Macbeth is, however, not only a study of fear; it is a study in fear. The sounds and images in the play combine to give the atmosphere of terror and fear. The incantation of the witches, the bell that tolls while Duncan dies, the cries of Duncan, the cries of the women as Lady Macbeth dies, the owl, the knocking at the gate, the wild horses that ate each other, the story, the quaking of the earth - all of these are the habitual accompaniments of the willfully fearful in literature. (238-39)    Charles Lamb in On the Tragedies of Shakespeare comments on the atmosphere surrounding the play:    The state of sublime emotion into which we are elevated by those images of night and horror which Macbeth is made to utter, that solemn prelude with which he entertains the time till the bell shall strike which is to call him to murder Duncan, - when we no longer read it in a book, when we have given up that vantage-ground of abstraction which reading possesses over seing, and come to see a man in his bodily shape before our eyes actually preparing to commit a muder, if the acting be true and impressive as I have witnessed it in Mr. K's performance of that part, the painful anxiety about the act, the natural longing to prevent it while it yet seems unperpetrated, the too close pressing semblance of reality,give a pain and an uneasiness [.

More Than Meets The Eye Essays -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

Throughout history, individuals have notoriously been subject to higher powers.   This form of ownership of an individual exemplifies itself in slavery, indentured servitude, and even in the governmental systems that hold reign over the general population.   The ability of one person to rule over another arises from both moral and physical inequalities.   Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent Genevan philosopher, attempts to uncover the origin of inequality.   In The Second Discourse, Rousseau systematically dissects the movement of humans away from their natural state and attempts to explain how inequality is derived.   Shakespeare’s The Tempest tells the tale of a usurped Duke, Prospero, who suffers a life of exile on a mystical island.   Overthrown by his own brother Antonio, Prospero seeks revenge.   In a series of carefully planned events, Prospero strands a group of European lords on his isle, one of whom is Antonio.  Ã‚   Using his knowledge of magic, Prosp ero succeeds at obtaining control over his kingdom of Milan.   On the surface, The Tempest appears unrelated to the work by Rousseau.   However, quite the contrary is true. The Tempest is inundated with many similar philosophical ideas discussed in The Second Discourse.   When comparing The Tempest and The Second Discourse, the themes of inequality versus equality, nature versus nurture, and savage man versus civilized man prevail.   As described in The Tempest, it is clear to identify that inequality exists amongst the island’s inhabitants. Shakespeare illustrates this inequality with reference to the character Prospero. After being dethroned as the Duke of Milan, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are exiled from the country and set to sea on a raft. With the aide of supplies and magic ... ...for food and shelter. Whether barbaric or civilized, the actions of both Caliban and Prospero combine in a most interesting manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tempest and The Second Discourse are inundated with the themes of inequality versus equality, nature versus nurture, and savage man versus civil man.   Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent philosopher of his time and author of The Second Discourse, attempts to pinpoint the origin of inequality.   In doing so, he interestingly analyzes the differences between civilized man and natural man.   William Shakespeare, a prolific writer during the Elizabethan Era and author of The Tempest, draws attention to issues facing mankind.   While at first glance these two literary pieces appear to be unrelated, after analysis, they offer many similarities.   What is most central is that both pieces offer insight into authority, power, and equality. More Than Meets The Eye Essays -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare Throughout history, individuals have notoriously been subject to higher powers.   This form of ownership of an individual exemplifies itself in slavery, indentured servitude, and even in the governmental systems that hold reign over the general population.   The ability of one person to rule over another arises from both moral and physical inequalities.   Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent Genevan philosopher, attempts to uncover the origin of inequality.   In The Second Discourse, Rousseau systematically dissects the movement of humans away from their natural state and attempts to explain how inequality is derived.   Shakespeare’s The Tempest tells the tale of a usurped Duke, Prospero, who suffers a life of exile on a mystical island.   Overthrown by his own brother Antonio, Prospero seeks revenge.   In a series of carefully planned events, Prospero strands a group of European lords on his isle, one of whom is Antonio.  Ã‚   Using his knowledge of magic, Prosp ero succeeds at obtaining control over his kingdom of Milan.   On the surface, The Tempest appears unrelated to the work by Rousseau.   However, quite the contrary is true. The Tempest is inundated with many similar philosophical ideas discussed in The Second Discourse.   When comparing The Tempest and The Second Discourse, the themes of inequality versus equality, nature versus nurture, and savage man versus civilized man prevail.   As described in The Tempest, it is clear to identify that inequality exists amongst the island’s inhabitants. Shakespeare illustrates this inequality with reference to the character Prospero. After being dethroned as the Duke of Milan, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are exiled from the country and set to sea on a raft. With the aide of supplies and magic ... ...for food and shelter. Whether barbaric or civilized, the actions of both Caliban and Prospero combine in a most interesting manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tempest and The Second Discourse are inundated with the themes of inequality versus equality, nature versus nurture, and savage man versus civil man.   Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent philosopher of his time and author of The Second Discourse, attempts to pinpoint the origin of inequality.   In doing so, he interestingly analyzes the differences between civilized man and natural man.   William Shakespeare, a prolific writer during the Elizabethan Era and author of The Tempest, draws attention to issues facing mankind.   While at first glance these two literary pieces appear to be unrelated, after analysis, they offer many similarities.   What is most central is that both pieces offer insight into authority, power, and equality.

Stella and Ruth: Similar Women from Different Lifestyles :: Comparative, Williams, Hansberry

Although A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, appear to be very different plays, there are some great similarities. Ruth, from A Raisin in the Sun, lives with her immediate family and her sister and mother-in-law in the Southside of Chicago. However, Stella, A Streetcar Named Desire, has left her family behind and moved to New Orleans. Although these two women come from very different backgrounds and are characters in very different plays, they have surprising similarities. Therefore, Ruth and Stella have similarities and differences in their overall lifestyles. Stella and Ruth share similar present living conditions but differ in their childhood lifestyles. Both women are presently living in poorer areas in small apartments. This is shown when Williams describes Stella’s living situation as in â€Å"the poor section [of the city]†¦houses weathered gray with rickety stairs† (Williams 1) and also when Stella explains to her visiting sister Blanche, in an embarrassed tone, that there were only two rooms- â€Å"this one†¦and the other one† (Williams 1). And in Ruth’s case, Hansberry describes how the apartment appeared to have been home to â€Å"too many people for too long† (Hansberry 1.1). Throughout the first act, there are many descriptions made by Hansberry about the cramped situation of the apartment including a shortage of bedrooms and bathrooms (Hansberry 1.1). Although Ruth had always experienced living in these kinds of conditions (Hansberry 1.1), Stella had not. This is shown when Eunice , the woman who owns the other apartment in the complex, is discussing Stella’s childhood home with Blanche (Williams 1). The home was actually a plantation called â€Å"Belle Reve† and described as a â€Å"great big place with white columns† (Williams 1). Through this conversation, the reader can see that Stella now lives a very different lifestyle compared to her childhood. Therefore, although both Ruth and Stella live in similar conditions now, there are obvious differences in their upbringings. A second major similarity between the two women is their personality of being non-confrontational. Both women, in a sense, let others â€Å"walk over them†. Ruth is dominated by her husband, Walter, for the most part and Stella by her husband, Stanley, and sister Blanche. When situations are tense, both characters try to avoid the confrontational subject or shy away when it is brought up. For example, when Walter adamantly keeps trying to force Ruth into supporting his business ideals at breakfast-which she doesn’t agree with-she tries to change the subject by repeatedly telling Walter to eat his eggs (Hansberry 1.

Of Mice And Men †Review Essay

The novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ is set in the early 1930’s, in the American state of California. America at this time was suffering from the effects of the depression, which followed the Wall Street Crash. This had caused many businesses to go bankrupt. Also, in this period of time America had great problems on the agricultural side of it’s economy. Large areas of farmland had been lashed by hurricane winds, and this had caused much of the topsoil to been blown away, leaving vast areas of land unable to grow any kind of crops. Logically this meant that less workers were needed to tend the land, so many were laid off, and as mentioned earlier many businesses had gone bankrupt following the Wall Street Crash, the combined effect of these two events led to vast numbers of people being left jobless. This gave rise to a new group of society ‘drifters’; people who would travel from place to place doing manual labour, or working in the fields. This worked to the advantage of the business owners who managed to survive the crisis, (many of these were in California, a rich state which had not been hit as badly by the depression) because it meant that there were lots of workers for few jobs. Employers could make working conditions awful, knowing that if anyone complained they could fire them and there would be five people eager to fill the place. We do not know if John Steinbeck’s story is based on true characters or not, but we do know that he gives a very accurate depiction of what life was like at the time, as he himself was a drifter for a period of time. One thing that becomes evident during the story is that most of the characters suffer from loneliness. One of the ways in which they coped with the loneliness was by holding onto a belief in the American dream, the dream that every man can better himself through his own efforts, and live a long and happy life. The first two characters that we meet are George and Lennie, two drifters. George comes across as the leader of the two; his job is to keep Lennie out of trouble. He shows great patience in dealing with Lennie whose mental age is the equivalent of a small child. During the book we do see George lose his temper with Lennie because it appears that he is always messing things up for George. For example when they are on their way to the new ranch Lennie produces a dead mouse from his pocket and George gets angry, â€Å"You crazy fool†, â€Å"You gonna give me that mouse or do I have to sock you?† and â€Å"Blubberin like a baby? Jesus Christ! A big guy like you.† George claims he only keeps Lennie around because he made a promise to his Aunt Clara that he would. Even if this is true she is now dead, and so George has no real reason to keep looking after Lennie, especially as Lennie seems to mess up everything that goes right for George. However, George still puts up with Lennie and this, it would seem, is mainly to avoid the loneliness that is caused by all the travelling. While Lennie may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, he is still someone to converse with on long lonely walks. We learn from early on in the book that George and Lennie also share the American dream, they dream of one day having, â€Å"a little house and a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs†.This ambition highlights one big difference between George and Lennie’s grasp on reality, whilst George says he dreams of this, he must know deep down inside of him that they will never fulfil the dream. Lennie on the other hand is completely different he believes so deeply in the dream that at one point George actually threatens to not let Lennie tend the rabbits when they achieve their dream. The dream that these two share leads us to meet the next character that also suffers great loneliness. We first meet Candy when Lennie and George arrive at the ranch. He is the first person they meet. He is also the one who takes them to see the boss. Candy only has one arm and we find out later that he lost his arm in a machinery accident in the fields. However, the ranch still employs him and he was given compensation for his injury. Due to the loss of his arm he cannot work in the fields, instead he has to stay behind and sweep up. This causes him great loneliness because he has no one to talk to, his best friend is his dog, but tragically later in the story the other workers convince Candy to shoot him because he is old and useless. While the other workers can go into town at the end of the month, giving them the opportunity go out and have a good time, Candy cannot join them because he is too old to be out drinking until late in the night. His circumstances cause him to suffer from great loneliness, so it is not surprising that when he over hears Lennie and George talking about their dream, he tries to buy in to it. With the money that Candy got in compensation for his arm, it begins to look as though the dream may become a reality more quickly than George or Lennie imagined. The next character that we meet is Crooks the stable buck. He suffers from loneliness because he is black. This means he has to sleep in his own dorm and is not allowed to stay in the same dorm as the other workers. He is lonely purely because he is alone all the time and has no one to talk to. Crooks is also a cripple as a horse kicked him when he was working, leaving him with a crooked back, this prevents him from joining in many activities. He pretends, when Lennie goes into his dorm to be really angry, â€Å"I ain’t wanted in the bunk-house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.† But as time goes on he begins to warm to Lennie, â€Å"Come on in and set a while†, â€Å"Long as you wont get out and leave me alone you might as well sit down.† I think this is mainly because he was just glad to have someone to talk to, after being on his own for so long. Even after this though he could not resist getting revenge on the white folk, he teases Lennie asking him, â€Å"S’pose George don’t come back no more.† And he persists and begins to scare Lennie until finally Lennie gets so scared he decides to go and check if George was back yet. But Crooks quickly apologises at the thought of being left all alone again. A few minutes later Candy turns up and although Crooks acts as though he is resentful he still invites him in. The next character to appear at Crook’s door is Curley’s wife. She is the only woman on the ranch, and the guys refuse to talk to her because of Curley. He is very protective and jealous of her and will try and beat up anyone who he thinks might be making a move on her. When the guys in Crooks dorm seem to shut her out she begins to insult them, â€Å"Standin here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep.† Showing a spiteful side to her character. She only married Curley to spite her mother in the first place. One night in a bar she met a man who claimed he could make her a great star actress. We are not told how the man took advantage of her. He said that he would send a letter to her, but she never received it and blamed her mother, accusing her of destroying the letter, then to spite her she ran off and married Curley. The story has a tragic ending, all the way through the story George had warned Lennie about getting to close to Curley’s wife. But this turned out to be the ‘downfall’ of their dream, which had seemed so much more likely since the addition of Candy to the plot. Lennie is in the barn when she appears and starts talking to him. They start sharing stories, and she asks him why he is so obsessed with rabbits. He tells her about his obsession with stroking nice things, and she allows him to stroke her hair. She starts to complain that he will, â€Å"muss it up†, but when she pulls away Lennie’s grip tightens and she begins to scream. He puts his hand over her mouth and begs her not to because George will get angry. Her body, ‘flopped like a fish’, Lennie had broken her neck. The first people to find the body were Candy and George. They new it had to be Lennie. It is at that point that the dream is thrown into real jeopardy. Candy recognising this, immediately tries to convince George that they can still achieve their hopes, â€Å"You an me can get that little place, can’t we, George? Can’t we?† But Candy already knew the answer. George knows that Lennie was such a big part of the dream, it could not continue without him, it would almost be disloyal. George knows that the other workers, especially Curley would not allow Lennie to live after this. George goes off to find the other workers. Candy is now alone with the body of Curley’s wife in the barn, he blames her for destroying the dreams of three men, himself, George and Lennie. He actually begins to shout at her, â€Å"You god damn tramp.† â€Å"s’pose you’re glad.† George follows the other workers into the barn. He acts as though it is the first time he has seen the body. The other workers assure him that they think he had nothing to do with it, and they set off in search of Lennie. The story ends with George and Carson, one of the ranch hands, standing over Lennie. George has the gun to the back off Lennie’s head. He and Lennie have been talking about the dream, before Lennie knows it George pulls the trigger and Lennie is dead. The last thing we see is George going to the highway with Carson, Curley and Slim. He and Slim walk away to get a drink, George knowing that it’s all over. The dreams that he and Candy have shared, and that have kept them going have been destroyed.