Macro and Micro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro and Micro Economics - Essay Example Since 2004, the organization has attained a 16% progress in its water utilization ratio. The Company depict that 96% of its amenities are in conformity with its stringent wastewater treatment principles. According to the company’s principal Sustainability Manager, this is crucial for posterity, the environment and business which all rely on responsible water utilization. This is also vital in overcoming world’s water issues and; therefore, calls for unique action. This ensures utilization of the Company’s inventive techniques. It also ensures that the Company partners through other international institutions to guarantee sustainability of this significant resource. Coca-Cola associates with its bottlers and dealers, as well as with over 500 exterior companies, including administrations, NGOs, and societies have agreed to achieve the water stewardship objectives. This mutual mandate requires the Company to fulfil its commitment. Since the year 2005, the Coca-Cola organization has been involved in over 386 Community Stewardship Programs, in 94 nations. These projects include watershed management, provision of water and cleanliness, learning and awareness programs among others. Learning and Benefits The target of returning the water to the environment and societies calls for cutting on the Company’s water utilization ratio while increasing product volume. ... This will significantly improve varied societies around the globe through the provision of adequate water. Source Manley, L. (2012).Coca-Cola Releases Water Stewardship Progress Report. CSRWire, LLC. Retrieved on April 23 2012 Second Generation Aurion Sets New Standards Summary The Toyota Industry recently launched the 3.5-litre V6 quad cam Toyota Aurion. This has fulfilled the roll-out of Toyota’s collection of new locally made automobiles. This is a considerably advanced five-model Aurion range. It is the Company’s locally manufactured flagship and is launched as an achievable luxury car. Aurion has distinct styling and user comfort levels offer clear differentiation. This Second generation car is the most commanding Toyota made in Australia. Connection The harsh global economic crisis has been a crucial factor as to why Toyota Australia has focused on sustaining the strength of the turnovers and diminishing expenditure. This has, consequently, rewarded the Company wi th returns of $122 million. The introduction of the Aurion car is amongst the varied attempts undertaken to sustain business competitiveness during the complex market circumstances. In the previous years, the Australian Company has been impacted by varied harsh market conditions. These market conditions are, for instance, the strong Australian dollar and the exorbitant price of raw items. Learning and Benefits This car offers the best energy economy in the 3.5-litre rank in the massive passenger segment. This is 6% better that the previous generation car. The rear pipe emissions have been cut down by 8%. It is

Information System IT And Organizational Culture Information Technology Essay

Information System IT And Organizational Culture Information Technology Essay What make information system so essential and vital today for every organization? Why heavy investment in information systems and information technologies are still continuing and increasing day by day? The trend today is all set to form an effective and efficient mechanism for improving business processes and achieving overall organizational strategies. In this report we aim to evaluate and analysis the relationship of information system and information technologies with organization and effect of organizational culture in information system development. Information system is the mean by which the people of organization utilize technologies, obtained, process, store, and spread information internally and externally. We can also explain information system in broader way. Combination of hardware, software infrastructure and trained personnel organized to facilitate planning, controlling coordination and decisions making. E:mis10eimagesimg01_05.jpg Nature of information system Before defining organizational information system, the term system, information and management or organization must briefly be explained. A system is a combination or arrangement of parts to form an integrated whole. A system is a plan or method of doing something, on other hand information is what is using in the act of informing or the state of being informed. Management can be defines as planning, organizing, directing and controlling the bossiness operation. Now if we merge all these concepts it becomes management information system. Management information system is that system which allows manager to make decision for the successful operation of the business. Management information systems consist of computer resource, people, and procedure use in modern business organization. Division of information system An information system consists of four parts: procedure, hardware, software, and data. There are different types of systems within an organization, for example: transaction processing system, decision support system, office system, knowledge management system, and office management system. All these systems design to perform tasks for which human brain are not well suited, such as: handling large amount of information, performing complex calculation and controlling many simultaneous processes. Every organization always consider and trying to achieve main objectives set by top management or at the time of organization formulation. That is why, now in a new modern world every organization invests heavily to adopt a new information system to achieve these goals. Strategic role of IS: Information systems always support business operations and processes. Its help organization or business to conduct all function and activities properly. Information system support decision making for managers. Now a day the role and impact of information system direct boots the efficiency and performance of the business. With new advancement of technology a new concept develops in organization which can be define as strategic information system. Dr. Charles Wiseman first introduced the concept of Strategic information system or SIS into the field of information system in 1982-83. Almost any data processing system may be called Strategic if it aligns with computer strategies of business and with organization strategies When any organization implements the strategies through computer, can be define as strategic information system. They are the systems which apply on business strategies in such a way that computer system has an impact on the organization affiance and performance. Organizational information system develops to support to business activities. Organizational information system now become an integral and vital part of business, and directly influences on market share and all others aspects of profitability. At strategic level, through information system organizational planner can analysis and plan new direction for business. Need of Parallel Strategy: In this scenario every organization must focus and analysis one main strategy which is call parallel strategy. Parallel strategy can be define as a save and conservative conversion approach where both the old system and its potential replacement are run to gather for a time until everyone assured that the new system working correctly. This approach can be useful for those organizations that planned to convert its manual system into digital information system. Strategic objective of IS There are six main strategic objective of INFORMATION SYSTMEN are: Functional excellences through monitoring efficiency, productivity, and change in management behaviour through modern technology. Create opportunities and for product and services through new technology. Improved and speedy communication internally and externally within an organization. Quick and improve decision-making. Achievement of Competitive advantages. Survival of organization with help of information system and technology. Operational or functional role of IS: In every organization there is main four-system need to be monitor and control for smoothly run of the business at operational level. The performance of all department depend on system and its show overall performance of any organization. At operational level there are four main systems working together along with other resources of organization like people etc. For example at operational level systems are: Financial information system. Manufacturing information system. Human resource information system. Marketing information system. The financial management information system provides financial information to all financial managers within an organization including the chief financial officer. Financial system keeps of organizations financial assets and funds flow. Manufacturing information system provides all manufacturing information of production department. This information system deal with planning, developing and production of product and service On other hand human resource system are concerns with activities related to worker, managers, and other individual employed by organization. This system maintain employee records; track employee skills, job performance, and training ,and support for employee compensation and career development Next vital system is sale information systems which support managerial activities in the area of product development, distribution, pricing decision, promotional effectiveness and sale forecasting. Management analyzes historical and current financial activity, projects future financial needs, and monitors and controls. E:mis10eimagesimg09_01.jpg Development of information system: A new information system is develop as a solution to some type of problem or set of problem the organization face at different level on various occasions. There are two main reasons for new development of information system. Theses reason might be: Top management or manager realize that the organization is not performing as well as expected. Top management realize that the organization should take advantage of new technology and opportunities to perform more efficiently. An information system support daily, short term, and long term activities of users. It includes store clerk, sale representatives, accountant, manager executive etc. When information requirement change, the information system must meet the new requirement. Understanding information system is vital to all professionals. In todays organization manager and employee at all level work together and use information system. Both are connected directly and indirectly. Socio-technical entity: one important thing need to know about information system development is that an information system is a social and technological entity, and arrangement of both social and technical elements. The development of organizational information system not only involves, hardware, software, programmer, and communication, but also includes change in jobs, knowledge, skill management policies, and processes within organization. Development of organizational information system change organization as whole and change the decision making process as well. Before development of information system, the builder of system must understand how a system will affect the organization as whole, focusing particularly on organizational conflict and change. A new system can be technically successful but failure in social and political process of building new system can fail the whole system. The development of any information system always enhances the real picture in information service in the organization and help information management having a more participatory role in the operation of the organization. In every organization there are three general types of information systems develops and use to keep the business running smoothly. They are financial system, operational system and strategic system. All theses system further subdivided into different system and this division depend on the needs of organization. Technical and Human participation in System Development: Effective system development requires team effort. For every system development project, the organization build a team work on that system or project from beginning to end. That team consist on stakeholder, users, manager and various support personnel. Without the involvement of human no system can be successful at technically level. System development should involve representative from each department. This include nontechnical and IT professionals. The role and responsibilities of member of the system development team vary organization to organization. Following factor are very vital for system development: Stakeholder: all individuals who directly or indirectly affect on organization and they get benefit from system development project. Manager who has highly visible role as system sponsor are key stakeholders because they work hard for system success and ultimately receive some credit or blame. System member or human are very important for new system because they responsible for using system and make it successful. System analyst: A system analyst is a professional who specializes in analysing and designing organizational system and is responsible for designing and an information system for organization. Depending on the size of organization, the task perform by system analyst may vary, so without system analyst the development of information system not possible. They are the key professional who utilizes technology to develop a successful system for organization. They also deal and control all technical issue relate to information technology. In every organization networking of departments are only possible with combination of system analysts and new technology. Technical specialists: the technical specialists are responsible for installing and maintain local networks. The database specialists assist systems analysts and programmers in Developing or modifying applications that use the companys database; the database administrators administer and control an organizations data and information resources; the data warehousing specialists develop and design enterprise-wide applications, for data mining; the data communications specialists evaluate, install, and monitor data communications equipment and software and is responsible for connections to the Internet and other wide area networks. Software programmer: A software programmer is a professional who use computer language such as C++, Java, Perl, PHP, and visual basic. Computer programmer are responsible for making computer programme to satisfy user requirement, they take the plan from system analyst and build necessary software. Its clearly show that for success of any system depend on combination of human and technical resource. As human they participate in system development process, define their goal, and achieve the objective of development of information system. Human can play role as nervous within the organization. Human involvement is vital for any project. For example in case of any problem only machine or computer cannot do anything. Organizational Culture and Information System Organizational culture is personality of any organization. Culture is comprised of the assumption, values, norms, and tangible sign of organization member and their behaviour. Culture is one of those terms that difficult to express distinctly but everyone know it when they sense it. For example a culture of large organization is totally different form the culture of hospital or culture on university. The concept of culture is very important when organization attempting to develop a new information system. During last decade, the impact of national and organizational culture on development and use of information technology increases rapidly. Meanwhile many information technology scholars argue that organization need to understand culture difference if they want to deploy new information system. For this purpose it is vital to know the relationship between technology and culture. The world becomes global market with interaction and communication between people of different cultures. In fact global activities are facilitated by current advanced technology and communication. With rapid increase in technology we are now seeing that same technology being used by different people of different culture. Impact of organizational culture on development of IS process An increasing number of information system applications are implemented across national and cultural boundaries. During this development or transfer process many of these applications encounter problems which can be attribute to the difference between cultures of organization. Culture consists of several elements of which some are implicit and others are Explicit. Most often these elements are explain by terms such as behaviour, values, norms, and basic assumptions. Several studies have suggested that values are important category of culture. Values and practice are acquire early in life through childhood socialization and education then stable in nature but they can change over time and theses change reflects on culture. Hofstedes national model Like all human activities, culture influences on development of information system in different ways. Because of numerous aspects of culture has received particular attention. Hofstedes main research on national culture is principally describe in cultures consequences. The work of Hofstede stands out for the connection of design activities to national culture and organizational forms. His primary data were extracted from a pre-existing bank of employee attitude surveys undertaken around 1967 and 1973 within IBM subsidiaries in 66 countries is the basis for a significant theoretical explanation of the influence of culture on information system design. Geerd Hofstede developed four dimensions of culture such as uncertainty voidance, masculinity, power distance, and individuality influence in information system design. In addition, he compared the designs of geographic information systems in German and US countries. Because of the wealth of data and deep theoretical interpretation, his work has received much attention in the field than other fields Hofstede tried to examine the role of national culture in information system design. He constructed his model on review of sociological theories and work including Kluckho HN (1952, 1961), Parson (1951), Parson and Shils and Weber. In addition, Hofstedes model has been widely used in management research. Hofstedes four dimensions of national culture including: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Uncertainty avoidance: the extent to which future possibilities are defend against or accepted Power distance: the degree if inequality of power between a person at a higher level and a person at a lower level. Individualism: the relative importance of individual goals. Compared with group or collective goals. Masculinity: the extent to which the goal of men dominate those of women. Uncertainty avoidance is the focus on information systems in decision support systems. It is considered with power distance because of interaction effects. On the other hand, individualism and masculinity have little importance and relevance to German and US countries. According to Hofstede, in Germany and the USA, both characterized by low power distance, there are two possible ways to keep organizations to gather and reduce uncertainty. Conclusion This research report suggested that cultures role is dependent on several factors and it is an important topic of research for information system. Results show that competitive environment as well as the nature of itself affects the impact that culture values will have over the transfer process. Finally, it can be said that when culture is in agreement with the IS, the consequences may be as Follows: It allows us to know if the implementation of IS will be satisfactorily accepted It lays down the patterns forth usage of information. Thus, it helps identify which information is important, where it may be obtained and above all, to whom it must be supplied It is an important means of communication, both inside and outside the firm and it allows us to assess the effectiveness of IS applied to telecommunications. It creates cohesion among the members of a firm, as it explains the way things are done in a firm It allows the creation of a social control within a firm. For instance, the implementation of IS, and the correct predisposition of corporate members towards such IS, is hardly controlled merely by means of formal measures. Cultural roles are also very important in this respect. It may help increase the satisfaction of all internal collaborators of the firm, for it facilitates environmental adaptation and internal integration, thus reducing the anxiety created by IS

Examination of Mrs Wright in Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay -- Susan

Examination of Mrs Wright in Trifles by Susan Glaspell The play ?Trifles?, by Susan Glaspell , is an examination of the different levels of early 1900?s mid-western farming society?s attitudes towards women and equality. The obvious theme in this story is men discounting women?s intelligence and their ability to play a man?s role, as detectives, in the story. A less apparent theme is the empathy the women in the plot find for each other. Looking at the play from this perspective we see a distinct set of characters, a plot, and a final act of sacrifice. The three main characters, Mrs. Peters, the Sheriff?s wife, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright are all products of an oppressive society which denies them their right to think and speak freely, in the case of Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, and denies them their right to a happy, free life as in Mrs. Wright?s case. Throughout the play Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are able to find clues to the motive for the murder from their detailed knowledge of simple housewifery of which the men are ignorant. They also are forced to find an empathy for Mrs. Wright as they compare their own experiences to the clues they discover of her life. In the end this empathy causes them to make a decision which also casts them into the underdog?s lot of women fighting for their freedom in the early part of our century. At the opening of the play we find the two women not taking a very active part in the play. In fact, they seem a little disconcerted to be on the scene of a murder, their only words as they stand by cold door on a cold night is ?I?m not ? cold.?(1170) The women do not start to take an active role in the story until the county attorney finds the broken preserves jars in the cabinets. ... ... bird and hiding it from the men to save Mrs. Wright. The unity the ladies have found with each other and Mrs. Wright is stated by Mrs. Hale in the final line of the play. ?We call it ? knot it, Mr. Henderson.?(1179) This has a double meaning, one that the ladies were united by their common bond of living in a male controlled world, where men think women are only good for such activities as quilting and housework. Second, that the women are united by their common bond of fighting for each other. Her reference to knotting the quilt can also be construed as a reference to knotting Mr. Wright?s neck. This final retaliatory remark shows the determination of women in that era to fight for equal rights and sisterhood, no matter what the moral cost. Works Cited: Glaspell, Susan. "Trifles" The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St.Martins: Boston 2005.

Low cost airlines are an environmental disaster

A low-cost carrier or low cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a low – or lower – operating cost structure than their competitors. Through popular media the term has since come to define any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services regardless of their costs. While most discount airlines have more fuel-efficient fleets than older carriers, their significant contribution to sky traffic is unprecedented. Commercial passenger airlines, especially low cost and Internet sales-based carriers, are experiencing growth internationally. In the United States, airline flight sales dropped 30 percent directly following September 11, but have since made a comeback and are now experiencing slow but steady growth.Today, the U.S. has been able to maintain its place as the leading nation in air travel, and North America accounts for 40 percent of worldwide air traffic. Low-cost airlines such as Jet Blue Airways have led this domestic growth, topping the Bureau of Transportation charts for domestic profit gains. Airline sales in Asia are escalating as well, and the skies are becoming increasingly more crowded. In China alone, the market is projected to grow more than 200 percent from 1999 to 2014. While these flares may seem like a dream come true for low-budget travelers, the resulting surge in air traffic carries with it major environmental costs. Even with the more fuel-efficient technology that has evolved over the last 30 years, air travel remains a significant contributor to climate change. Air transport has increased twice as fast as road transport over the last 40 years. Air travel produces more carbon dioxide per km travelled for each passenger than car travel. There are clearly environmental effects increasing as a result of air travel, while others are decreasing or staying constant. Environmentalists say airlines rate as one of the most polluting forms of transport, with 16,000 commercial jets producing over 600 million tonne of carbon dioxide every year. Meanwhile, precise guidelines on international aircraft emissions are excluded from the Kyoto Protocol, with the stipulation that airline emission reform must be taken up by a separate organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Internationally, fuel used for aviation is tax exempt, and according to ICAO Secretariat John Crayston, â€Å"While the ICAO has established emissions standards for certain emissions there are no standards for CO2.† The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that aviation's share in climate change is at about 3.5 percent of the total contributions, which is predicted to climb to five percent by 2050. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), aerosol particles that are emitted in aviation such as soot, metals and sulfuric acid can indirectly influence climate change by causing additional cirrus clouds to form, which in turn trap the heat rising from the Earth's surface. The IPCC projects an overall global temperature increase from 34.7 to 40.1 degrees Fahrenheit between 1990 and 2100. Unlike in the US where a large number of domestic flights emit carbon dioxide over one area, the SDC has said that 97% of UK air transport is non-domestic, with carbon dioxide emissions generated on flights between countries. PARIS – The European boom in †low-cost† airlines, fueled by tax incentives, is increasing the level of toxic gases in the atmosphere and displacing less polluting and more efficient means of transportation for shorter distances, like trains. The Kyoto Protocol and the UK government's energy White Paper targets do not currently cover emissions from international aviation, as there is no global agreement on the allocation of these emissions to countries. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Numbers passing through UK airports expected to double to 400m by 2030.Air travel is growing globally at about 5% a year. At the forefront of this revolution are the low-cost, no-frills carriers such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Buzz, which are growing at a phenomenal rate. In June, Easyjet passenger numbers were up more than 50% on the same month last year. Ryanair increased by 34% and Go saw an incredible 72% rise. The lesson learned from these airlines, especially post-11 September, is as clear as it is simple – the cheaper your fares, the more people will fly. But if air travel is allowed to grow unchecked in this way, it will spell disaster for the planet, say environmentalists. More flights mean bigger, busier airports, which in turn means more noise and growing problems with air quality for those who live and work close to airports. But perhaps the biggest concern is the effect on global warming. The problem for environmentalists is that while efforts are being made to cut CO2 emissions from cars and industry, nothing is being done to rein in the airlines. Climatic change Burning aviation fuel releases greenhouse gases predominantly carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment, causing the Earth to heat up leads to global warming and the process of climate changes such as higher sea levels, devastating floods and droughts. Air traffic worldwide produces emissions of more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, it releases nitrates, ash, sulfates and water vapor. Some of these substances deplete ozone in the atmosphere. This layer of ozone gas is crucial for protecting life on Earth from the Sun's harmful rays. Flying also releases nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides, and even the vapour trails – contrails – left by planes are thought to be a hazard. It's been suggested that they add to the insulating effect of cirrus clouds on our climate. The Britain-based environmental group Tourism Concern predicts that by 2015 half of the annual destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by commercial air traffic and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation causes 3.5 per cent of man-made global warming and that figure could rise to 15 per cent by 2050. NASA scientists say condensation trails from jet exhausts create cirrus clouds that may trap heat rising from the earth’s surface. This could account for nearly all the warming over the United States between 1975 and 1994. The guidelines on international aircraft emissions were excluded from the Kyoto protocol on climate change and aviation fuel is tax exempt. Aerospace firms have made huge leaps forward, with commercial jets now 70 per cent more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre (mile) than they were 40 years ago, thanks to better engines, lighter materials and aerodynamic designs. Optimists, including Easyjet, pin their hopes on technology to make planes more efficient. And cost-obsessed carriers are continuously searching for ways to use capacity better, find more direct flight paths and cut congestion in order to trim the hefty fuel bills which make up 25 per cent of airline operating costs. Most discount airlines have young, more fuel-efficient fleets and newer airlines in regions such as Asia have leap-frogged older technologies to buy new planes. Hundreds of flights by subsidized airlines in Europe are endangering the global climate and the ozone layer. For now, they fly free of environmental regulations. The industry believes this Air Passenger Duty (APD), which raises  £800m a year, can be regarded as a form of environmental compensation. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. Since April this year, airlines that use Heathrow Airport have been charged for nitrogen oxide emissions and carriers emitting less receive a rebate. This will happen in Gatwick in a year or so. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Under this scheme, to help with the environmental costs caused by civil aviation pollution, by 2008, the industry would pay for other industries, such as the nuclear fuels sector, to reduce their carbon emissions. The proposal has been put forward to the European Commission, and includes an incentive for airlines to pay less into emissions trading if they use more environmentally friendly aircraft. The FOE says emissions trading, and the proposal to differentiate landing charges at airports according to noise levels and air pollution, outlined in last year's aviation White Paper, has potential. The issue of an aviation fuel tax is not top of the international climate change agenda, because it will have to be confronted at a global level. There are a lot of domestic issues the government has to deal with, areas that damage the environment more than the 5% of carbon dioxide emissions caused by the airline industry.On this basis, the likelihood of low-cost air fares rising in the near future is an unlikely one. References BBC news Europe. 2005 . EU plans airline CO2 reductions. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/4287048.stm . [ 18 November 2006] Christian Dietsche. 2005. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://www.cafebabel.com/en/ [18 November 2006] Daniel Mann. 2004. Calls to control low-cost flights.[online]   [ 18 November 2006] Jonathan Duffy. 2002. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2327487.stm [ 19 November 2006] Julio Godoy.2004. EUROPE: The True Cost of Flying. [online] http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=26687 Michael Smith. 2006. Branson launches plan to cut aviation emissions.[online]. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/060927/business/business_airlines_virgin_col Nicolas E. Antoine . , Ilan M. Kroo. 2002. Aircraft optimization for minimal environmental impact. 9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization. 4-6 September 2002, Atlanta, Georgia

Critisism on Curleys Wife Essay

For Of Mice and Men is a Tragedy, a tragedy not in the narrow modern sense of a mere ‘sad story’ (though it certainly is that), but a tragedy in the classic Aristotelian/Shakespearean sense of showing humanity’s achievement of greatness through and in spite of defeat. Some people seem to believe that the function of literature is to provide vicarious â€Å"happy endings,† to provide in words a sugary sweetness we would like to have but cannot always get in real life. To such people, true literary tragedy is distasteful. But the greatest writers and the best readers know that literature is not always only mere sugar candy; it can sometimes be a strong medicine: sour perhaps — at least to the untrained taste — but necessary for continued health[.] Some readers may object to the book’s presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system. But none of this is presented indecently, or beyond the ordinary norms of contemporary literature. Compared to many modern works, (or to movies and TV) this book is tame indeed. Furthermore, these features are necessary in this book in two ways. First, they are part of the accurate precise reporting of the reality of a particular time and place and environment. Part of Steinbeck’s literary point is that this is true to life. As such, the dirty details are part of Steinbeck’s enlargement of the realm of Tragedy, the democratization of the tragic world. Traditionally, the subjects of Tragedies have been Kings and other Great Ones: Job, Oedipus, Lear. But Steinbeck’s point — a truly American point — is that all men are created equal: Tragedy exists even among the lowly of the earth; even the least of us — even a Lennie or a George — has the human potential for tragic nobility. Of Mice and Men is a tragedy in the modern tradition of The Hairy Ape and Death of a Salesman. Second, the grossness is a way of presenting briefly the complex turmoil of life. This book is not stereotype melodrama. It is not a simpleminded book. There are no purely bad people in it. Conversely, there are no purely good people in it either. All the characters are complex mixtures of good and bad, or rather of bad results from good intentions. They are all — in their ability and in their outlook — limited. And they live in a gross and dirty world. Given their position in that world, they are not able to achieve much. But they are trying to do the best they can; they are trying to be good people and to have good lives. They have good intentions. They have noble aims. The tragedy is that, limited as the characters are, the world they live in is even more limited; it is a world in which the simplest dream of the simplest man — poor dumb big Lennie — cannot come true. â€Å"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft a-glae [go oft a-stray],† wrote Robert Burns in the poem which provides the book’s title and its theme. And Steinbeck’s story shows why: The best laid plans go oft ast ray because they come in conflict with one another. The simplest good intention — simply to stay alive — of a simple mouse, a simple pup, a simple young woman, is thwarted by Lennie’s urge to pet something soft and beautiful. Lennie’s drive to touch beauty kills the things he loves. But his problem is the same problem that bothers Curley, the Boss’s son, the closest thing to a villain in the book. Like Lennie, Curley doesn’t know how to hold on to what he finds important: his young wife, his status as the Boss’s son, his reputation as a man. He loses each by trying to hold on too tightly. Curley’s aim to be a respected husband/boss/man is foiled by his own limited abilities. The similar but simpler aim of Lennie and George to have a small place of their own where they can â€Å"live offa the fatta the lan † is doomed to frustration also by their own limitations and the tragic chain of circumstance and coincidence that ends with Lennie dead by George’s hand. The point, of course, is that they all — we all — live in a too limited world, a world in which not all our dreams can come true, a world in which we — all of us some of the time and some of us all the time — are doomed to disappointment. The tragic dilemma is that for our basic humanity, for the goodness of our aims, we all deserve better than we get. But because of our human limitations, by our weaknesses of character, none of us is ever good enough to earn what we deserve. Some philosophers, seeing this dilemma, pronounce profound pessimism for humanity. Some religions promise for this world’s disappointments supernatural intercession and other-worldly compensations. The tragic viewpoint (the view of Shakespeare, the Greek tragedians, the Old Testament Job, and John Steinbeck) finds in it the chance for nobility of soul: even in the blackest of disappointments, a human can achieve individual greatness. One may be defeated physically — but one need not be crushed spiritually. One can remain true to one’s dream and true to one’s friend. We humans may die, but we can love one another. Friendship. Love. That too is what Of Mice and Men is all about. Lennie and George, disparate types, are, against all good reason, friends. They share a good dream. They love one another. They are too limited, too inarticulate, to know how to say it, but they do show it — or rather Steinbeck shows it to us readers. So the book treats the great themes of Dreams and Death and Love with simple powerful clarity. It does so with a classically elegant structure — another reason for using the book as a teaching tool: it allows a reader — especially an untrained or beginning reader of literature — to see (or be shown) how structure supports and presents content. Of Mice and Men has the classic situation/complication/twist/and/resolution plot structure uncluttered by diversions, distractions, or subplots. There is inevitableness, a starkness th at makes the point of the story unavoidable. The story has the classic unities of time and place and action. It begins in a small spot of beautiful nature, a secluded camp in the woods by a stream; it moves to the buildings of a California ranch, and ends back in the woods by the stream. The style is simple: clear, direct sentences of description and action, direct quotation of the speech of simple people. Few long words, no hard words. The action is simple: two poor and vagrant workers, big, dumb Lennie and small, clever George, take jobs at a large ranch. Lennie has trouble with the Boss’s son, Curley. Lennie accidentally — more or less — kills Curley’s wife. George kills Lennie to save him from the horrors of a lynch mob led by Curley, bent on revenge. The settings are simple in detail, and simply powerfully symbolic. The secluded spot in the woods by the stream is the uncomplicated world of Nature; the bunkhouse is the bleak home of hired working men trying to make sense of their lives and gain comfort in a limited environment; the barn is the place of working life, of seed and harvest, birth and death; the harness room with Crook’s bunk symbolizes social constraints; the â€Å"little place of our own† about which George and Lennie dream and all too vaguely plan is the Paradise on earth we all hope for. The characters, too, are simple yet significant. â€Å"Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find you have created a type,† wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald; â€Å"begin with a type, and you find that you have created — nothing.† Steinbeck begins with individuals: clearly and sharply crafted characters, a whole set of individuals who are so clearly realized that each — without surrendering individuality — becomes a type, an archetype, a univ ersal character: There is Candy, the old, one-armed worker with no place to go, as useless as his toothless dog; there is Carlson, gruffly and deliberately â€Å"unfeeling,† who can coolly kill old Candy’s ancient dog simply because â€Å"he stinks† and â€Å"he ain’t no good to you†; and there is Crooks, the dignified proud and aloof but helpless and lonely victim of racial discrimination. There is Slim, calm, reasonable, compassionate, the real leader of men. And there is Curley, the arrogant but inept Boss’s son. The man who could lead well does not have the position; the one who has the position and the authority is not a true leader. Curley hides his insecurities behind a mask of macho toughness. His competitive bravado makes him push too far and Lennie, after enduring much, is given permission by George to â€Å"get him.† Lennie in self-protection crushes Curley’s fist in his own big hand, crippling Curley somewhat as Candy and Crooks have been crippled by the punitive harshness of life. Curley is also the one man who has a woman. But clearly he does not — does not know how to — relate to her as a person. She is to him a thing, a possession, a sex-object and a status symbol. For the men, in braggadocio, he flaunts the sexuality of the relationship; and yet, out of his own self-doubts he is intensely jealous of the men’s awareness of her. The young woman has no name — she is merely â€Å"Curley’s wife.† She knows she wants — and somehow deserves — something better than this. â€Å"I don’t like Curley,† she says of her husband. She has grandiose ambitions of being a Hollywood star â€Å"in the pitchers.† She is a lost little girl in a world of men whose knowledge of women is largely limited to memories of kind old ladies and rumors of casual prostitution. All these men are afraid of Curley’s wife, afraid and aware that her innocent animal appeal may lead them into temptation and trouble. In self-protection they avoid her. Only Lennie, in naive goodness, actually relates to her as a person to a person. She talks to him. For a little time they share in their aesthetic sense; they both admi re beauty. Unfortunately, she is too naive, and Lennie is too strong and clumsy. In trying — at her invitation — to pet her lovely hair he is panicked by her quick resistance, and ends by killing her. Just as he had earlier killed a puppy and a mouse. Curley’s wife, a naive Romantic, wants love and tenderness in a harsh crude Naturalistic world; Lennie, big and ignorant, tries to give love. But he is too weak in the mind, too strong in the body. His tenderness is too powerful for weaker, unsuspecting creatures. We readers can identify with Lennie. We sympathize; we empathize. We care. We have — most of us — been in his position; not quite able to cope with the complexities of the world around us, wanting only security, peace, comfort, and something soft and beautiful to pet and love. Perhaps one reason that this book has evoked controversy and censorious action is that it is so simple and clear and easy to understand — and so painful! It hurts to read this book. And some people don’t like their books to hurt them; they want soothing. But great Tragedy is meant to hurt. One needn’t subscribe wholly to the Aristotelian doctrine of ‘catharsis’ by Art to see that one function of literature is to help us deal with the pain of real life by practicing with the vicarious pains of tragic art. Of course Of Mice and Men contains unpleasant attitudes; there is brutality, racism, sexism, economic exploitation. But the book does not advocate them; rather it shows that these too-narrow conceptions of human life are part of the cause of human tragedy. They are forces which frustrate human aspiration. Lennie and George have a noble dream. They are personally too limited to make it come true, but they do try. They try to help each other, and they even enlarge their dream to include old one-handed Candy and crippled black Crooks. Theirs is the American Dream: that there is somehow, somewhere, sometime, the possibility that we can make our Paradise on earth, that we can have our own self-sufficient little place where we can live off the fat of the land as peaceful friends. What is sad, what is tragic, what is horrible, is that the Dream may not come true because we are — each and all of us — too limited, too selfish, too much in conflict with one another. â€Å"Maybe ever’-body in the whole damn world is scared of each other,† says Slim. And George expresses the effects of loneliness, â€Å"Guys that go around alone don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time.† What is ennobling in this tragedy of mice and men is the Revelation of a way beyond that loneliness and meanness and fighting, a way to rise above our human limitations: Two men — Lennie and George — who have nothing else, do have each other. â€Å"We kinda look after each other.† says George. And they do have their Dream. And the Dream is there even in the final defeat. For in the end the one thing George can do for Lennie is to make sure he’s happy as he dies. He has Lennie â€Å"look acrost the river you can almost see [the place].† And as Lennie says, â€Å"Let’s get that place now,† George kills him mercifully. It’s a horrible thing to do, and George knows that. And we know that. But in this limited world in this limited way it is all that George can do for his friend. And he does it. That is the horror and the nobility which together make up Tragedy. The Tragic pattern closes. There is a sense of completeness, of both defeat and satisfaction. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck has shown us something about the pain of living in a complex human world and created something beautiful from it. In true great literature the pain of Life is transmuted into the beauty of Art. The book is worth reading for a glimpse of that beauty — and worth teaching as a way to show others how such beauty works.