The Loneliest Character Essay Example for Free

The Loneliest Character Essay The loneliest character in Of Mice and Men is Crooks. Crooks is the loneliest character because he lives all alone and has no one to give him company. He is not allowed in the bunk house because he is black. In the depression era, blacks were segregated, keeping Crooks isolated and friendless. Crooks is lonely because of his race. He gets treated differently than others for example: Spose you didnt have nobody. Spose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black. Howd you like that? Spose you had to sit out here an read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books†¦ (Steinbeck 80). Crooks is treated differently in the smallest of ways. Many ways seem too small to affect some people, but they affect Crooks because of his isolation. â€Å"Maybe you guys better go. I aint sure I want you in here no more. A colored man got to have some rights even if he dont like em (Steinbeck 90). Crooks has few rights as a colored person and he desperately wants more rights. During the depression colored people were often isolated because of their race. Crooks never gets any company creating a feeling of loneliness. He even feels that he should not receive any company, for example, â€Å"You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got no right in here but me† (Steinbeck 66). Crooks pushes people away creating even more loneliness. Because of this he gets bored and finally lets Lenny in. â€Å"Come on in and sit awhile† (Steinbeck 68). When Crooks lets Lenny in he feels relieved that he has someone to talk to. It is a short lived feeling. As soon as Lenny leaves he is lonely again. The seclusion created by Crooks fuels his feelings of loneliness. Crooks has inadequate social relationships, some of which is caused by his race. He is also lonely because he has no family or friends on the ranch like George and Lennie do. Crooks is defiant ly the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men.

Nazi Play :: essays research papers

Brandon-Hi, my brother Frank and I are about to tell you, about the walk home from school that ended our lives. Chris- Fivel and I were upset with each other the day of October 15, 1939. We pouted at each other the whole way to school. We usually got along. But that day we weren't. The school day was fine until the princeable interrupted our class and turned on the radio. It was one of Hitlers ridiculous speeches. We didn't really know what Hitler was up to this time. Brandon- So we ignored it. Little did we know it was about the invasion of our town to round up all the jews. That morning was the last we saw of our parents. They had their own steel mill, and that was the first target for the NAZI's. Besides this we attended Tillberg private school and grew up in Fankvurg Germany. We where pretty wealthy. Chris- Fivel quite babaling on lets get to the story. We started home from school that evening.We saw big green trucks next to the steel-mill so we stopped walking. We thought it was the supply truck until we saw soldiers with guns in hand. We took a look around and then Fivel through me into the woods. I remember him saying Oh god its the NAZI's. Brandon- We saw genocide right before our eyes. Houses were burnt down and people were killed. IT was terrible. We couldn't go any where or if the NAZI's saw us we would be killed. We slept in the ditch culvert in the woods.We woke up to see body piled up. The town was destroyed. The Nazis where still there. Chris- The only thing we ate was dry leaves, grass, and bark. We knew we couldn't live for much longer. Fivel lost all feelings in his legs. Brandon- With feelings in my legs gone I couldn't do much. Then reality hit. We saw the SS coming up the street with search dogs. They must have been fifty feet away when they saw us. We knew we were dead. Chris- The dog bit Fivel once and I got beat by the soldier. He cussed at us many times. We where drug to a lieutenant. And we where in pure shock. My nose was crushed and bleeding non stop. Fivel's leg was torn apart like he was a dogs chew toy. Brandon- The lieutenant looked at us lying there and one word came from his mouth: Trash.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Phrenology Essay

After fMRI was first introduced, it has been under criticism that it is not hard science. The most common technique, the BOLD (blood oxygen level-dependent) fMRI, measures the increase in regional cerebral blood flow in response to increased metabolism, which is to be caused from heightened activity of neuron firing (Menon & Kim, 1999). Some neurologists believe that this is an indirect way of measuring brain activity, and is not sufficient to support any idea. By many scientists fMRI is often compared to phrenology, a study that once gained popularity in the 19th century. Phrenology is based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules (Fodor, 1983). This is similar to fMRI practitioners’ attempts to localize brain structure, matching the divided parts of the brain with certain functions. Judging whether fMRI is a new form of phrenology concerns two points: fMRI’s similarities to phrenology, and fMRI’s significance to be admitted as the ‘new form’. This will also lead to the question of whether fMRI scan is meaningful to be presented as evidence in court. The logic of fMRI is straight-forward. Brain parts that light up to a certain stimulus, is related to the function provoked by the stimulus. The fMRI machine measures increase in blood flow in brain regions. The regions with increased blood flow appear in brighter colors, in red or yellow (Dobbs, 2005). fMRI’s logic of relating higher blood flow and function is similar to that of phrenology, which relates size of lump to function. From this analogy we can say that fMRI can be considered some form of ‘phrenology. ’ Another reason that fMRI is compared to phrenology is for its limitations (Menon & Kim, 1999). MRI’s problem rise from the fact that it does not show interactions between parts. It takes a univariate approach to the brain, implying that only one factor is considered as variable. The current fMRI shows voxels’ activity as one sum, meaning that it cannot collect relational or sequential information of brain parts (Dobbs, 2005). Many neurologists believe that brain parts’ interaction is an important aspect, and fMRI’s lack of capacity to do so results in criticism. Compared with the old phrenology, fMRI shares the same view that brains have localized functions. However, fMRI takes a more scientific approach than the old phrenology. Although it has its limitation in presenting spatial information, it does contribute in relating brains structure and the mind’s function. Although the ‘old’ phrenology is labeled ‘pseudoscience’ and no longer acknowledged in the field of science anymore, it has had its contributions. It sparked the idea that mind can be localized, such as language and memory. In the same context fMRI can contribute, only much more than the ‘old’ phrenology. Although fMRI’s blood flow measurement and the actual neural activity do not perfectly correspond with each other (Dobbs, 2005), significant correlation can be drawn from the fMRI scanning. As for the usage as court evidence, I see fMRI scan valuable as evidence, for fMRI does show some level of correlation of parts of brains and certain activity. fMRI should not be criticized and banned from court just because of its possibility of erroneous conclusion (Hughes, 2010). Even witnesses’ testimonies are bound to be wrong, but their testimonies are accepted as evidence. Thus fMRI should be allowed to be presented as evidence in court. However, the juries should be made aware that fMRI scan is an arbitrarily interpreted output, and contain risks of erroneous conclusions. I believe fMRI will gain stronger grounds in the court later in the future though, with the advance of technology as mentioned above. Some compare neurologists with fMRI to molecular biologists with light microscopes (Jaffe, 2004), for the reason that the capacity of fMRI is not sufficient for neurological study. It must be taken into account that later light microscopes evolved to electron microscopes, meaning that also fMRI will offer improved spatial and temporal information in the future. Its potential must be acknowledged, and in the meantime there should be efforts to find complementary analysis methods (Hubbard, 2003).

How to Make Friends in College

Lets be honest: making friends in college can be scary. If youre heading to college for the first time, chances are you only know a few people, if that. If youre at a school where you feel like you dont have any friends, it might seem like its too late to focus on making new ones. Fortunately, your time in college is like no other. It is forgiving and built for you to learn and explore, especially when it comes to making friends. Challenge Yourself Making friends in college is a challenge. Know that making friends at school is going to require a little effort on your part. While friendships can blossom naturally, it takes some energy to go out and meet your soon-to-be-friends for the first time. So challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. Do some of the social activities during orientation week sound lame? Yup. But should you go to them anyway? Most definitely. After all, do you want to experience a little awkwardness (the event) for long-term benefits (meeting people), or do you want to experience a little comfort (staying in your room) in exchange for long-term disadvantages (meeting people who might turn into friends)? A little effort now can pay off quite a bit later when it comes to making friends in college. So challenge yourself to try something new, even if it sounds unusual for you or a bit scary at first. Know That Everyone in College is New If youre a first-year student, nearly everyone in your class is brand new. Which means that everyone is trying to meet people and make friends. Consequently, theres no reason to feel awkward or shy about chatting up strangers, joining a group in the quad, or outreaching to as many people as possible. It helps everyone! Additionally, even if youre in your third year in college, there are still new experiences for you. That statistics class you have to take for grad  school? Everyone in it is new to you, and vice versa. The people in your residence hall, apartment building, and the club are all-new, too. So reach out and talk to folks whenever you find yourself in a new situation; you never know where your new best friend is hiding. Know That Its Never Too Late to Start Over in College   One of the best things about college is that its designed to help you grow. Just because you were focused on figuring out what you wanted to major in during your first two years doesnt mean that you cant, for example, join a fraternity or sorority your junior year. If you didnt realize your love of reading and writing poetry until you took that rockin course last semester, know that its not too late to join the poetry club. People come in and out of social spheres and cliques all the time in college; its part of what makes college great. Seize those kinds of opportunities to meet new people whenever and wherever you can. Keep Trying Alright, so this year you wanted to make more friends. You joined a club or two, looked at joining a sorority/fraternity, but its now two months later and nothings clicking. Dont give up! Just because the things you tried didnt work out doesnt mean the next thing you try wont work, either. If nothing else, you figured out what you dont like at your school or in certain groups of people. All that means is that you owe it to yourself to keep trying. Get Out of Your Room If you feel like you dont have any friends, it can be tempting to just go to class, maybe go to work, and then head home. But being alone in your room is the worst possible way to make friends. You have 0% chance of interacting with new people. Challenge yourself a little bit to be around other people. Do your work in the campus coffee shop, library, or even out on the quad. Hang out in the student center. Write your paper in the computer lab instead of your room. Ask some students in your classes if they want to make a study group together. You dont have to be best friends right away, but you will end up helping each other with your homework while also getting some time to get to know each other. There are tons of ways to put yourself in situations where meeting people and making friends can happen organically—but being in your room all the time isnt one of them. Get Involved in Something You Care About Instead of making friends being your motivating factor, let your heart lead the way. Find a campus organization or club, or even one in your neighboring community, and see how you can get involved. Chances are, along with the good work youll be doing, youll find some people with similar values as you. And chances are at least one or two of those connections will turn into a friendship. Be Patient With Yourself Think back to when you were in high school and the friendships youve maintained from there. Your friendships probably changed and morphed from your first day of high school to your last. College is no different. Friendships come and go, people grow and change, and everyone adjusts along the way. If its taking you a little time to make friends in college, be patient with yourself. It doesnt mean you cant make friends; it just means you havent yet. The only way you will end up definitely not making friends in college is to stop trying. So as frustrating  as it may feel and as discouraged as you may be, be patient with yourself and keep trying. Your new friends are out there!