Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Mice and Men Essay John Ernst Steinbeck was born on 27 February 1902, in Salinas, California, USA. The Salinas River is mentioned in the first line of Of Mice and Men. The whole novel is centred on the landscape around Salinas. Steinbeck was the third of four children, of mixed German and Irish descent. His parents owned a considerable amount of land, and his mother was a schoolteacher who encouraged him to read widely. His background was neither rich nor poor, and his parents wanted him to follow a respectable career. John Steinbeck wrote the novel called Of Mice and Men. It was published in the depression years of the 1930s. Steinbeck raises questions in the mind of the reader that the novel would be based on loneliness. The first line read A few miles south of Soledad. This is a clever idea by Steinbeck as Soledad means loneliness in Spanish. John Steinbecks family was wealthy, but was interested in the lives of farm labourers. It gave him a inspiration to write books about migrant workers. He could of been a doctor or a teacher but he chose to become an author. John Steinbeck must of met a lot of people like Lennie and George, so he has ideas to write a good book. The historical context of the novel is that its all about the depression years in the 1930s. It was illegal to be unemployed. People living in the 30s didnt have a choice but to go to work. The main characters in this story are George and Lennie. They travel around together, share their minds together, and what ever trouble Lennie gets into, George had to get him out of it. George didnt like Lennie that much because of all the trouble that he gets into. He didnt want to stay with Lennie, but his mother told George to look after him. Lennie was always trying to find a good opportunity to go off alone in the hills. George didnt want that, he liked Lennie as a friend, but Lennie gets into too much trouble. But they always say; You got me, and I got you. This novel called Of Mice and Men was set in a town called Soledad. It meant Lonely in Spanish. The ranch is located in the middle of no where. Its 4 miles to the town. The characters in this novel are ranch workers who are described as lonely. Ranch work is not long term. All of the workers except for Candy and Crooks are only passing through. When George and Lennie get jobs, the boss is suspicious of them because they look like theyve known each other from somewhere and are close friends. The other ranch workers see that George is always answering for Lennie. But they cannot understand why they are always together. George says that ranch workers are the loneliest people in the world and dont belong nowhere. In this paragraph, Im going to write about Crooks. Crooks is a black guy. Hes not allowed to stay in the bunkhouse with the other ranch hands because he is black. He doesnt have the same status as the other white workers. Crooks was also excluded because he suffered an injury and so is not as capable as the other ranch hands. His possessions show that he is lonely. Everyone can see that because he loves to read his books but was excluded. Crooks doesnt like when Lennie tries to talk to him. Crooks get angry every time he tells Lennie to go away from him. But after that, he admits that he is lonely. Lennie will also get lonely and even sick when no one is with him. He needs someone beside him all the time so that he feels supported. For this, he always wants George. In this paragraph, I have looked at the way Crooks treat other people and what his appearance looks like to everyone else. I will now write about Candy. Hes an old man who wants to join up with George and Lennie and get a place where they can live. Candy provides a parallel to George and Lennie in that he relies on his dog Im so used to im (p.46) just as George and Lennie are an elevated version of a master/dog relationship. Candy clings to his dog, despite all that logic and common sense dictate. He loves to be with his dog because he had him since he was a puppy. It was the best sheepdog he had ever had. The other workers didnt realise the relationship between Candy and the dog. It meant nothing to everyone except for Candy. Theyve been together for all of Candys life. But now Lennies life has ended. Candy cleans out the farm buildings, and shows George and Lennie the bunkhouse. Candy lost his hand whilst working on the farm, and was allowed to stay on in this lowly position as cleaner. Candy soon asks George and Lennie if he can come in with them. George said We werent thinking of a third person. Cause we was gonna do it on our own. George knew that it was owned by old people who might be willing to sell it for $600 or so. Candy confesses he has $350 saved up and asks if he can come in with them. George really begins to believe that his dream might become a reality. He needs to work for another month or two and not spend anything so that they will have the stake to buy the farm. This will be good for Candy because then he can live a happy life and avoid the loneliness in the life of a ranch worker. Hes worked here for so long and wants to change his miserable life and make it peaceful. Candy was moaning that he just let a stranger shoot his dog. By the look of him, he could see that Carlson didnt like the smell of Candys old dog. Carlson asks Slim to give Candy one of the other pups so that the old dog can be shot. Once the dog has been shot, he feels strong pressure because he had him since he was a pup. When George and Lennie were talking about their dream, Candy steps in and instead of being sad, George and Lennie gives pride and gives Candy more confidence. In this paragraph I have explained Candys life and the way he lives. I am now going to write about Curleys wife. She doesnt like Curley very much and wants to go elsewhere but cannot because of Curley. The other ranch workers avoid Curleys wife as they know that if they befriend her, they will get into trouble. She also said that she could hang Curley at anytime if she felt like it (Showing that she can be dangerous as well as Lennie). She also visits the bunkhouse a lot, she wanted company, but had to ask where Curley was. On Saturday nights she is left at the ranch alone. When she is left alone at the ranch, she tells everyone about her life and story. Its very miserable for Curleys wife. She tells everyone the truth that she doesnt really like Curley. Everyone else has names except for her. She has to be called Curleys wife. That is why she doesnt appear much in the story. Shes being treated like an object. Slims dog name is Loulou. We have looked at the character of Curleys wife and how she got on. George and Lennie are different to the other ranch hands. The way they respond to each other shows very close friendship. Lennie always get into trouble and George is there to get him out of it. They share a dream together of working and then getting a lot of money so that they can live comfortably in the place that there going to get. Every time George says Were gonna get the place. Lennie gets very excited and says I get to tend the rabbits. But when George is about to shoot Lennie, he keeps saying this so that Lennie puts his mind fully onto the house in his head and imagining him tend the rabbits, George wanted this because when he looked the other way, there was a time to shoot him. George wanted him to see it as he is talking. It was related to the shooting of Candys dog too which gave George more confidence in shooting Lennie. But at the end, it is George who will feel guilty. George often insults Lennie and gives him hell, but he doesnt really mean it. Although he often talks about how well off he could be without Lennie he secretly doesnt want Lennie to leave, and when Lennie offers to do so in the first chapter, George virtually pleads with him to stay. This is because George also depends on Lennie to a certain extent for his unconditional friendship. I didnt think that Steinbeck would make George shoot Lennie. At first, those two was good friends, I thought they would actually get that bunkhouse. But it ended in a bad way. It made the readers / watchers feel shocked and feel that his life has ended with just one shot. George always gets annoyed of Lennie and Lennie says that he will go up to the hills. George knows that hes the only one who has to get him out of trouble. But then decides if Lennies gone, then he can have total freedom and do anything he wants. At the end, it might of been a mistake to shoot Lennie. The first paragraph tells us about the introduction of John Steinbeck. It tells the readers what is going to happen. The second paragraph describes the setting and ranch workers. Its the setting of the story and the ranch workers. The third paragraph lets the readers understand Crooks. It also describes his ethnic group and his rights. The fourth paragraph tells us about Candy. It tells the readers about his loving dog and his dreams towards the ranch. The fifth paragraph also describes Curleys Wife. The way she acts in the story, and how lonely she is. Finally, the last paragraph tells the readers about the friendship of George and Lennie. It tells us how George and Lennie travel together, live together and the trouble that they get into. It also summarises George and Lennies dream. John Steinbeck is trying to say that life in the 1930s in California was lonely. He doesnt just write it down, because that will just give the point away. He wants the readers to imagine it for themselves.

Analysis of Marxist Critiques of Liberal Capitalism

Analysis of Marxist Critiques of Liberal Capitalism The standard litany of Marxist critiques of liberal capitalism rely on a common theme which presupposes that capitalism is fundamentally flawed and evil because it relies on a structure of exploitation, i.e., the bourgeoisie, those who own the means of production, ruthlessly exploit the proletariat, the individuals who sell their labor and do not own the means of production. Marx believed, essentially, that capitalist empires are built on the backs of the proletariat, who reap inadequate rewards for their work. He hypothesized that the essential difference between the various economic forms of society, between, for instance, a society based on slave-labour, and one based in wage-labour, lies only in the mode in which this surplus labour is in each case extracted from the actual producer, the labourer. (Marx, 1859[1967], p. 209) While well intentioned and valid in some ways, Marxists critiques generally fail on intellectual, practical, and empirical levels. The first intellectual failure is manifest in Marxs own quote, above, which presumes that wage-labor is effectively the same means of oppression as slave labor. This is only true if the proletariat serving as the labor have no means or hope of achieving ownership stake in the work that they do or the organizations for whom they do the work. Though it may have been true in 1859 when he wrote it, liberal capitalism has evolved, particularly in the United States, to the state of an individual-ownership society, where opportunities abound for individuals to assume a stake in the work that they do, not merely collect a paycheck for their labor.In Marxs mind, the only way for workers to free themselves from this slavery was to collectively own the means of production. The efficacy of this intellectual model has thus far been an abject failure in terms of the re sults when it has been attempted. On an empirical level, the simple truth is that the vast majority of governments that have been formed using Marxist or Communist theory have themselves tended to be exploitative disasters in comparison to the capitalist societies over which they were intended to demonstrate moral and economic superiority. The Soviet Union, which launched its Marxist revolution in 1917 under Vladimir Lenin, became a great economic and military power, but ironically did so only by exploiting its proletariat under the corrupt, oligarchic rule of totalitarian and in the case of Stalin, genocidal dictators who ruled with a combination of an iron fist and a vast, ossified bureaucracy. The Soviet Union collapsed under its own weight, a complete ideological failure, and its member states turned to capitalist economies and democratic forms of government. (To be fair, some Soviets, at the time of Lenins ascendancy, believed it was too soon to implement Marxist philosophies, since Marxs own requirement had not been met that the countrys capitalist economy had reached its evolutionary endpoint.) China, though still a viable nation-state which wields considerable economic power, has managed to avoid the Soviet Unions fate by introducing a considerable number of free-market elements into its state-controlled economy. Unfortunately, China shares the former Soviet Unions penchant for ruthless suppression of individual rights. The only other currently remaining bona fide Marxist/Communist state is North Korea, whose atrocious economic conditions, cultish culture of worship for its dictators, and lack of regard for individual rights, speak for themselves. That in 2005 Marxis m would have been so absent from the global political map would have been a heartbreaking blow to Marx, as would the fact that the only attempts at implementing his philosophies in their purest forms have led to brutal, totalitarian regimes which have arguably disrespected the proletariat as acutely as any unregulated capitalist economy. On a political level, Marx may have also underestimated the power of the marriage of democratic forms of government to liberal capitalist systems. In theory, at least, representative democracies are inherently structured to empower the proletariat by giving them participatory voice in the decision-making that goes into governing the economic systems of their nation. Democracy, as we know it today and as the pre-eminent form of government on the planet, was arguably still a relatively young paradigm as Marx was developing his theories. The primacy of the concepts of the worth and choice of the individual individual rights, individual freedoms is an inherently democratic notion which both contradicts the passive collectivism suggested by Marxism and also provides a built-in safeguard against capitalist excesses when they begin to favor oligarchies over individual rights. Democracy is unique in its ability to lessen ameliorate the harsher effects of unregulated market capitalism. When competitive markets are allowed to flourish unchecked, certainly great wealth is created, but Marxs critiques of exploitation become valid as monopolies and oligarchies spring up to choke off competition and create an environment in which the proletariat fail to benefit from the work they have put in on behalf of, for example, corporations. However, representative democracy has suffered the horrors of untempered market cycles and reacted accordingly. One of the best examples is the American Great Depression, in which a precipitous stock market crash in October 1929 set off an economic chain reaction that left tens of millions of Americans unemployed and in starvation. The collective clamor and cries of the proletariat prompted the elected government to take serious corrective measures over the next few decades to provide for means to temper the inherent boom and bust cyc les of free market capitalism, and to create a social safety net for the poor and the elderly (e.g. Social Security, guaranteeing retirement income to senior citizens). Similarly, in Europe, countries where the scourges of free market industrialism once ravaged the countryside, such as England, democratic systems of government have gradually eased their economies into socialist hybrids, market economies with considerable elements of state control and welfare systems to ensure the proletariat are well-cared for. Unfortunately, Marx either was unable to see the potential value of these future hybrid systems, such as market socialism, with their ability to compensate for inequities, or simply refused to believe in their viability because they failed to match his strident demand for idealistic purity within human interrelations: Even if such unjust inequalities were eliminated, Marx would still object to the quality of market social relations because they would continue to be predicated on a kind of self-seeking egoism contrary to the requirement of a true community. (Warren, 1998) On a psychological level, Marxist critiques of liberal capitalism also fail because they lack practical insight into how the human psyche operates and instead rely too heavily on utopian ideals of human beings operating idealistically on a collective level. Marxs theory of human nature is a biological fantasy, and we have the corpses to prove it. Which may drive us to wonder: if communism is deadly because it is contrary to human nature, does that imply that capitalism, which is contrary to communism, is distinctively compatible with human nature? (Wilkinson, 2005) The truth of the matter is that human beings are a hierarchically inclined species that thrive on power and competition. Left unchecked, these impulses can result in ghastly, fratricidal behavior, but when harnessed and properly channeled, these impulses form the heart of the free market economy, which thrives on individual initiative, healthy competition, and the quest for self-improvement and leadership. The psychological backbone of Marxist critique is the assumption of a perpetual state of victimhood on the part of the oppressed, which fails to take into account the inherent human tendency to resist oppression and reform existing systems into more egalitarian structures. In other words, Marxist-style revolutions may well be unnecessary, as the proletariat seems to frequently find ways within capitalist systems to assert their rights. People will always have their hunter-gatherer impulses, but this does not mean they are predestined to be deleterious: There is no way to stop dominance-seeking behavior. We may hope only to channel it to non-harmful uses. A free society therefore requires that positions of dominance and status be widely available in a multitude of productive hierarchies, and that opportunities for greater status and dominance through predation are limited by the constant vigilance of the peoplethe ultimate reverse dominance hierarchy. A flourishing civil society permits almost everyone to be the leader of something, whether the local Star Trek fan club or the city council, thereby somewhat satisfying the human taste for hierarchical status, but to no ones serious detriment. (Wilkinson, 2005) In the end, Marxism is a fundamentally pessimistic and pedantic philosophy, as are its critiques of liberal capitalism, which is a fundamentally optimistic and individualistic philosophy which endows each person with both the responsibility and the power to assume control of his or her own destiny and personal fulfillment. As sociologist Ellen Huang notes, under the lens of critical Marxist theories, inequality determines all human relations, and subsequently overemphasizes the oppressed nature of the colonized. Further abstractions of the dynamic of capitalism may overlook real forms of resistance, leaving utopian dreams as the only option for the oppressed. (Huang, 2003) Humanity is always in dire need of practical options rooted in dreams, not merely the dreams themselves, no matter how well intended they may be.

Argumentative Essay: Handgun Ownership Should Not be Banned :: Gun Control Essays

Should handgun ownership be banned? I don't believe so. You would think America would learn from examples from other countries. When you take away handguns the crime rate rises. American citizens need to know their rights, responsibilities and safety of owning a handgun. The second amendment says, "A well regulated militia being necessary to security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The second amendment was made for two things. It is there for first, to guarantee the individuals right to have arms for self-defense and self-preservation. The second reason is related to the militia. The right to carry a handgun for self-protection is a privilege of citizenship. The confusion is the right of the state or the individual. The regulation of handguns could be looked at as unconstitutional. The amendment is for the people and not the state. People who do not research the owning of handguns and form their opinion off of what they see on the news are left in the dark. One of the most misunderstood concepts is that more guns cause more violence. This is false more guns do not mean more homicides. In 1973, the handgun stock was 36.9 million and the homicide rate was 9.4 per 100,000. In 1992, the handgun stock was 77.6 million but the homicide rate dropped 8.5 percent. In 1994, the U.S. bureau of justice static's made a survey that stated 100,000 lives are saved by handguns. According to criminologist Gary Kleck, guns are fired in only about 24 percent of cases in which they are used for self-defense. Another argument is that police kill 330 innocent people every year. These are skilled and trained individuals with handguns. So you can imagine the assumptions made for citizens who have no adequate training. It is your responsibility to get this training. Here are some courses that are offered to help you have adequate training. You can take a hunters safety course. The NRA offers safety and training courses. Some junior colleges offer handgun training. You can also learn about it in the military. Most states will not allow licensing of a handgun without one of the courses. There also is the issue of keeping handguns out of the hands of children.

Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form? Essay -- essays

Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form? 1. Introduction This essay centres around what it means to know something is true and also why it is important to distinguish between what you know and do not or can not know. The sceptic in challenging the possibility of knowing anything challenges the basis on which all epistemology is based. It is from this attack on epistemology that the defence of scepticism is seen. 2. Strong Scepticism Strong scepticism states that it is not possible to know anything. That is we cannot have absolute knowledge of anything. This can however immediately have the reflexive argument turned on it and have the question begged of it: â€Å"If it is not possible to know anything then how is it you know that nothing is knowable ?†. Strong Scepticism is therefore unable to be defended. 3. A Definition of Knowledge Knowledge can be said to be information that the brain has received that meets a certain set of criteria. When someone states that they know something they must also believe that, that something is so. If they did not believe in it then how could they take it in as knowledge ?, they would instead be doubtful of it and look for evidence or justification as to why they should believe it. Secondly for someone to believe in something they must also believe that it is true. If they did not believe that it was true then what is mentioned above would not occur. So, so far it is decided that knowledge should be true belief. How does one come to the conclusion that something is true however ?. We seek justification. The justification really is the most important part of the criteria because without it one cannot say something is true and therefore cannot say that one believes. This does however bring up the question of how does something become justified ?, do we hear it from other people ?, see it on the news ?. The justification of something really depends on its predictability. If something becomes predictable then it can becomes justified aswell. For example, I know that the sun will rise tomorrow is a fair thing to say because I believe this is so, I believe this is true, and I am justified in believing this due to my past experience* of the predictableness of the sun rising each day. The only problem with meeting the set of criteria laid out above is that one must use one senses to do so and as shall be shown ... ...Britain: Methuen & Co. Ltd. Dancy, Jonathon (1985), An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology, Great Britain: Basil Blackwell Ltd. Descartes, Rene (as translated by E.S. Haldane and G.R.T. Ross) (1969), The Philosophical Works of Decartes vol. I - II, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Edwards, Paul (1965), The Logic of Moral Discourse, New York: The Free Press. Gorovitz, Williams (1967), Philosophical Analysis, An Introduction to Its Language & Techniques, New York: Random House. Guthrie, W. K. C. (1971), The Sophists, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hamlyn, D. W. (1983), The Theory of Knowledge, London: Macmillan Press. Harris, Errol (1969), Fundamentals of Philosophy - A Study of Classical Texts, U.S.A.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Harrison, J. (1966-67). A Philosopher's Nightmare or The Ghost not Laid. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Vol LXVII. Hume, David (1962), A Treatise of Human Nature, Great Britain: Fontana Library. Presley, C. F. (1967), The Identity Theory of Mind, St Lucia: University of Queensland Press. van Inwagen, P. and Lowe E. (1996) . Why Is There Anything At All?. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Vol LXX.

Televisions Effect on Self Image Essay -- Beauty Media

New mirrors are in the market and many homes have been remodeled with these mirrors. These new mirror are like snow whites mirror, they tell you who the most beautiful one of all is. A little girl is looking at her new mirror that tells her she has to wear makeup and look a certain way in order to be beautiful. This new mirror is the TV and the voice that is telling her is the media. The media portrays the beauty of women a certain way that is distorting beauty. The media distorts image so much that women start to see an unrealistic beauty and think that all women should actually look that way. An experiment done by Mahler Beckerley and Vogel (2010) demonstrate that women’s attitudes about certain looks reflect on how they view the models. There were two groups of women and some saw photos of models that were tanned and the other saw models that were not tanned. The participants then were told to describe their attitude about tanning. The group of women that viewed models that had a tan had a more positive attitude toward tans and the group of women that viewed models with out a tan had a negative attitude towards tanning. This research demonstrates that the media has a big influence in the decision women make on their appearance. So what is beauty? Is beauty the perfect supermodel on a magazine? Is it the stunning actress on television? Do you have to be thin and tall? According to Dictionary.com Unabridged, beauty is â€Å"the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)†. However, the m... ...:10.1080/14680770903068266 Mahler, H. M., Beckerley, S. E., & Vogel, M. T. (2010). Effects of Media Images on Attitudes Toward Tanning. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 32(2), 118-127. Slater, A., Tiggemann, M., Firth, B., & Hawkins, K. (2012). Reality Check: An Experimental Investigation of the Addition of Warning Labels to Fashion Magazine Images on Women's Mood and Body Dissatisfaction. Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology, 31(2), 105-122. Solomon, M. R., Ashmore, R. D., & Basil G., E. (1994). Beauty before the Eyes of Beholders: The Cultural Encoding of Beauty Types in Magazine Advertising and Music Television. Journal Of Advertising, 23(2), 49-64. Bates, C. (2012, January 05). Mail online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2082500/A-quarter-children-10-diet-think-overweight-face-bullying-taunts-shocking-survey-finds.html

History Of Data Processing Essay

Data processing is a shop that works in many different working fields. One thing you do in data processing is learning to computer programming. In my shop we are learning to program in Visual Basic and QuickBasic. Programming is used to tell a computer what to do. Using code you can make programs that can answer math problems, which would take someone, days to calculate in a brief second. In data processing we also learn to word process. Word processing is taking written text and being able to save and manipulate the text as desired. We also use databases in organizing large sums of information. Another thing we learn to do is make web sites, using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In prehistoric times Data Processing was done with no machines. Machines did not exist at this time. People had just started thinking, and creating ways to organize the little amount of information they had. Using many different forms of languages, they engraved most of their information into stone, or painted with animal blood on cave walls and large stones. These engravings and drawing were the first real usage of word processing, which is a large part of data processing. It was not until the first account of written history, and the creation of machines that things could be processed a lot faster and accurately. Data Processing started to grow and have worth. During the year A.D. 300 data processing started to grow. The first true calculator was invented called the soroban, which was invented by the Chinese.# A strobe was a tool made of rows of pebbles, used for basic addition and subtraction. Japan also had their own version of the soroban, but it was only a little different. The soroban is one of the reasons that we have calculators today. When machines were finally developed around 1886 when Charles Babbage invented the Difference Engine. This machine used gears to do math and calculated complicated things very quickly. Most people thought that the Difference Engine Babbage was worth nothing, but a few people thought that it was the start of a great thing. One person who was very interested in the engine was Mr. Wilkins accounted in Babbage’s Journal. He talked with Babbage for days about his invention and was really the only person who thought it was advancement in calculation technology. From machines like this we grew too better, small, and more efficient calculation tools. Present day data processing is now done mostly on a computer. Computers completely revolutionized and changed data processing. The first successful computer was invented by an American inventor during the year 1888. Herman Hollerith, who devised a punch card system, used electronic charged nails that when a card passed threw it would create a circuit, which another machines would read and record it. This was later used to sum up the censuses. The first digital computer was invented by John Atanasoff during the year 1944. Atanasoff was a mathematician and physics at the time. This computer is many times faster and is where all computers today were started and influenced by. Instead of just using analog hardware, digital hardware. This hardware made the computer use half as much power, and made them 3 times smaller. The first general-purpose computer was created by two engineers during the year of 1945; the computer was called Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC). ENIAC was invented by Developed by John Presper and John W. Mauchly. ENIAC took up one thousand five hundred feet and was 1000 times faster then all the other computers created before it. It also consumed so much power that it would make the light in Philadelphia dim, that’s how much power it would take to run it. The next really big advancement in computer took place around 1951 when Eckert and Mauchly completed a more advanced computer called UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), which ended up being the first commercial computer. The first UNIVAC was installed at the U.S. Census bureau in June 1951. The types of computer we use today are called Personal Computers (PC’s). Two young Americans, Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak, who later founded Apple Computer, Inc created PC’s around 1975. These computers were much cheaper and finally became available to people. In the past, computers were only available to scientist because of the price, and how hard they were to understand how to work with them. The personal computer was later revolutionized by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 when they created the operating systems MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) which sold more then Apple sold in one week then they did over a year. With their new operating system they were unstoppable. Many other programs were created as time went on. One very important program that was created was the word processor. The word processor was first created in the mid 1980s which was an efficient was to organized words. It was placed in almost every computer. Many other advancement happen everyday. Computers always seem to be getting faster and increase in memory. People also expected the computer to become bigger but in reality ended up just getting smaller and smaller over time. As time passes by more advanced, and efficient programs are created, and better operating systems invented. Who knows where the computer will end up in the future? Data processing also has many different things that are new to it. One new thing in data processing is word processing. Word processing is taking written or thought and putting the text in to a computer program which always you to print, edit, and make it look business format. Word processing can be used to create many different business standard documents. Using Microsoft Word, which is the business standard program for businesses, you can make resumes look like a million dollars, and memos looking like they were met to be written in stone. In data processing we also make an assortments of databases. Databases can be used for many different things. One-way databases (Which we create using Microsoft Access) are used, is for  organizing large sums of information and help with the processing of that information. Databases in business’s are used a lot of times to create programs for barcode machines with all the prices in the machines. Have you ever been to market basket or your local food store and looked at the screen, which sums up all of your purchases, well databases are what make that work. Data processing also has a new thing called the Internet, which is mainly made with HTML programming language. Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is mainly used for the Internet because you can put a lot of information into a small file. When you put a web site that was programmed in HTLM code on the Internet, that file can be downloaded very quickly over a slow Internet connection. Last but not least in data processing now uses the computer to create worksheets. Worksheets are used to do many different things but mainly used to do accounting for a company or small business. Worksheets are a quick and easy way to sum up many different businesses accounts receivable and debit they have. Then after you figure it all out with formulas, you can chart the whole thing out and publish it so that the whole world can see it on the Internet (if you want it to be published). In conclusion, data processing has not really changed over the times it has just become faster, and more efficient. As time goes by who knows how much easier it will be to process large amount of information, we the human probably wont even any of it because it will all be done by the computer automatically. But who knows where things will go with data processing. We are always doing, and making better things.

East Coast vs. West Coast Essay

Throughout the nineties there was an movement in hip hop, the infamous East coast rap vs West coast between rap musicians. It was a separational movement that caused both sides to end the lives of two most influential rappers in the music industry, Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur. Both rappers with similar backgrounds have changed the music scene completely with one sudden movement. Known mainly for their rivalry against one another and compared because of the backgrounds, these two artist had quite a distinctiveness to one another. Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur are great influential artist in the music industry and had similar backgrounds but distinctive enough to cause a separation that influenced the music industry then and now. I had watched a documentary, based off of the infamous rappers and their start up in the music industry, titled Tupac and Biggie where I got information on both sides. To begin with both rappers had similar upbringing for instance, were born in the sta te of New York, Tupac in Harlem and Biggie in Brooklyn. However, Tupac did move around growing up to Baltimore, Maryland in 1984 and finally to Oakland, California in 1988 by the age of 17. Biggie had more of an interesting beginning, unlike his soon to be rival, he had been raised by a single mother who was a teacher and had lived in a 3 bedroom apartment, not how he claimed on his song ‘Juice’ as a â€Å"one-room shack†. Meanwhile, Tupac was also raised by a single mother, however had been a part of the anti-government group the Black Panther Party, which would later be a foundation to his rap verses on political stans. Like most rappers they both would have a rough upbringing, and Biggie would start drug dealing at the age of 14 to help support his family, till discovered musically. Interestingly enough, Tupac had an interest in acting and attended performing art schools and create his passion for poetry, turned later to rap rhymes. Tupac was the fortunate one, and was able to join a music group to help his career while Biggie had to perform out in the streets, as the footage shows. Also, in the film, they discuss how both rappers dropped out of h igh school around the same age, 17,and both to pursue their music passions and help support the family they had. The upcoming of both rappers would influence each on their music that would have an impact on the top charts. Musically, both rappers had distinctive sounds, Biggie was known to have a better flow and well produced beat that  was more Top 40, while Tupac had a greater influence on lyricism because of his deep passion for poetry and political stans. Tupac was well known to speak his mind explicitly and rhymed about topics such as, women rights, african american discrimination, and police injustice. Something most seem to forget is that Biggie used to have open shows for Tupac before the notorious rapper would have his own high fame, this also showed that both rappers had a great friendship before a great dispute The documentary shows rare footage of the two hugging after Biggie’s first album release and great success. The two were loved by audiences and fans but had showed within the top charts throughout the nineties. On ratings Biggie was in the lead with fewer singles that reached higher spots on the charts. Meanwhile, Tupac delivered over 15 singles, and not as many reaching high spots as Biggie had with only 10 singles. Although, both lyrically did have similar writing, rapping about poor upbringings, whether it was an alter ego for Biggie or reality for Tupac, fans wanted more of this profound explicit music. Undoub tedly the two are compared to see which was better, personally cannot judge which was better because of the differences they had on their music, biggie flowed, but tupac spoke. Another great influence these both rappers had for their music and personal lives, was the cliques they surrounded themselves with throughout their high points in fame and fortune. The film talks about how Tupac joined a musical rap group when he had moved to California, Digital Underground, but later had gone solo and joined the record company, Death Row Records. Meanwhile Biggie was signed onto Bad Boy Records, and he had been signed onto the record company by another famous rapper Diddy. Tupac was around many people however, one of his many allegiances was Suge Knight. Suge Knight is an founder of the record company Tupac had been signed onto and was often seen with Tupac by the media in photographs and video footage. Throughout the film the audience is drawn towards the conclusion that Suge Knight was involved in both deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Aswell as Suge Knight, Diddy was also involved in the murders of both musicians, as the film goes on. The death of both rappers were similar but different from one another. The dispute between the rappers had started because of Suge Knight and Diddy, creating the West Coast vs East Coast dispute in the Hip Hop commu nity. This great dispute would have each Coast of rappers defensive over the side they were representing, and cause a huge  rivalry between everyone. From rap group NWA to rappers such as, Snoop Dogg and Nas, everyone in the Hip Hop world took a side. After releasing a record titled â€Å"Who Shot Ya?† Tupac was under the impression Biggie had been set out to kill him after a robbery at his home that nearly ended his life with the theifs holding him at gunpoint one night. This would add fuel to the burning flame that they were trying to burn out caused by the record company executives, Suge and Diddy. After one diss record after another the two rappers, Biggie and Tupac seemed to enjoy the drama but were on high alert for one another. However in the end, Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 13, 1996, he had been kicked out and forced to leave a casino one night after a brawl. Less than a year later, Biggie was shot and killed on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, California. Biggie had left a recording studio in Los Angeles, and when outside was shot in his vehicle. Both rappers had a big influence on the music industry, however the fans were left with legends gone too soon. More importantly the deaths of the rappers were a huge impact on the community they each had represented. In Brooklyn, during the funeral of the Notorious B.I.G. many fans of the community were outside in the streets showing their respect that the rapper had deserved. In the film you see footage of the funeral with hundreds of fans onlooking the hearse carrying his body throughout the streets of Brooklyn that he had onced hussled to make a living. At one point of the funeral footage, you can see fans playing one of his hit singles and dancing to the rap song, showing that no matter if dead or alive, the rapper would live on and have respect in the community and be played. However on the other Coast, only close friends of Tupac attended his funeral even though there were many candle lighting ceremonies for the rapper from fans. Tupac was cremated and his ashes were spreaded into the ocean in the West Coast, as well as a few of his favorite things such as, Hennessy liquor, cigarettes, cd’s and gold chains. The legacy of each rapper was different from one another, Tupac spoke for Afr ican American men that had been mistreated by the corrupted justice system, and also towards women, and the respect they should deserve from men. The Notorious B.I.G. left his community with aspiration on being able to succeed no matter where you came from and gave hope to many. Both of the rappers left an impact on the music industry and had different legacies for their community and fans.  Without a doubt, both rappers have had influenced many modern day rappers that are or aren’t in the industry today. The documentary shows different musicians, some that are not even in the rap genre, talking about how each rapper left an impact on their lives, A famous rapper by the name of 50 cent says in the film, that there was not going to be another rapper like Tupac and that there was not going to be another rapper like Biggie. Many artist now pay homage to both rappers to show respect on the struggle Hip Hop has had in being accepted. Now a days rappers have showed respect in many ways such as giving shout outs on songs to the rappers or sample beats from past hits of the late rappers, to even having holograms of the artist at live shows. Another sign of respect to the artist is that their music goes on, even after being gone, unreleased music of both rap pers rises to the public every now and then to remember the days the rappers held the crown. Biggie has released three albums since his death and Tupac five, music that was intended to be released at a point but after the misfortunate deaths was never completely finished. With posthumous albums being released it gives inspiration for musicians to get more of a better understanding of the rappers and pass techniques used by the rappers. The distinctiveness in each rappers work of music, left an influential aspiration for other musicians in the industry, Biggie had a better rhythm with his rhymes and Tupac was open to talk about social issues going on. In the end, both rappers were raised differently and had different backgrounds that influenced their work. Yet throughout their careers the similarities of the rappers was visible and the distinctiveness caused a barrier in their friendship. Leading to a grand movement in music history, but also the the deaths of both rappers. Tupac and Biggie are some of the greatest influentials of rap music and have caused similar aspirations for other artist. Works Cited Biggie and Tupac. Dir. Nick Broomfeild. Perf. The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Nick Broomfeild. FilmFour, 2002. DVD.