Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Central Nervous System from Superficial to Deep Essay Example for Free

The Central Nervous System from Superficial to Deep Essay Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to understand the way that nervous system structures are arranged inside of the brain from the most superior, which would be the cortex or telencephalon to the most inferior, which would be the medulla oblongata. We are observing all the structures in the brain, as well as the protective tissue that surrounds it. Procedure: I had to use Primal Pictures, as it was necessary to complete this lab. Once logged in, there is a list of choices to click on as to where you want to go. On the homepage, click on the 3D Head and Neck and then go to the Brain folder. Next click on Meninges to access the pictures. Begin at layer 9. To identify the structures, just click on them. With Primal Pictures, there are different controls on the page that allow us to be able to view the brain, or any structure that we are looking at from different angles and different layers. There is also a summary of the structure that is being looked at. Using the guide that Dr. Poll has provided and Primal Pictures, we are to go through the different structures and gather all the information necessary to complete this lab. Results: Following the guidelines on our instruction sheet, we were to begin at Layer 9 of the brain, which showed us the meninges. From here, we could see the structures that protect the brain. Brain protection begins with the skull; it is the outermost layer. The three layers of meningeal linings are inferior to the skull. These include the dura mater, which is the outermost layer. It is also the toughest layer and in English is translated to â€Å"hard mother.† The dura mater has two layers. Inferior to the dura mater is the arachnoid mater. The most inferior layer of the meninges is the pia mater. It is also the deepest and softest layer. Next we looked at the sinuses that are part of the nervous system in Layer 5. A sinus is a cavity within a bone or other tissue. They are channels, or pathways that connect together allowing drainage of the veins that are in the brain. In other words, they function to help the collection and return flow of venous blood and  cerebrospinal fluid d rainage from the tissues and veins in the cerebrum. In Layer 4, we can see the falx cerebri. It is an infolding of the dura mater and separates the cerebral hemispheres. Now moving to Layer 10 in the brain folder, we can observe the cerebral cortex and all the structures inferior to it. The outer surface of the cerebrum is the cerebral cortex. It is composed of gray matter and just inferior to it is the white mater. We also can see the corpus callosum, which is a large bundle of axons that connect the right cerebral hemisphere to the left cerebral hemisphere. These axons carry information, in the form of nerve impulses, from one hemisphere to the other. The lateral ventricles are superior to the diencephalon, but are inferior to the corpus callosum. In Layer 3, we can see the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia form a set of interconnected nuclei in the forebrain. They receive a large amount of input from cerebral cortex and after processing it, send it back to the cerebral cortex via thalamus. The different components of the basal ganglia are the caudate nucleus, the putamen and the globus pallidus. The caudate nucleus is the most superior part. It is superior and lateral when compared to the thalamus. The most lateral part of the basal ganglia is the putamen and the most medial part is the globus pallidus. The limbic system is a complex set of brain structures that lie on both sides of the thalamus. It includes structures from the telencephalon, diencephalon, and mesencephalon. It includes the olfactory bulbs, hippocampus, and amygdala to name a few. This system supports many functions that include emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory, and olfaction. It is responsible for emotional life and has do with the formation of memories. The limbic system surrounds that structures that make up the diencephalon and is posterior to the temporal lobe. From the cerebrum view in Layer 5, we can locate the insula, or hidden lobe. It is posterior to the lateral sulcus. In other words, it is hidden beneath the lateral sulcus. In Layer 3, we can see the sulci and gyri. The longitudinal fissure is what separates the left and right hemispheres. The central sulcus separates the parietal lobe from the frontal lobe. It lies in between the precentral gyri (forms the motor strip) and postcentral (forms the primary sensory cortex) gyri. The lateral sulcus, also called the Sylvian fissure, is the most lateral boundary. It separates both the frontal lobe and parietal lobe, which are above, from the temporal lobe, which is below. Conclusion: In conclusion, we â€Å"dissected† the brain from the most superficial layer to the deepest layer and from the most superior layer to the most inferior layer. We were able to do so by using Primal Pictures. Being able to look at each structure from every angle and different layers is very beneficial when first learning about them. This site gives very detailed representations of the structures and explanations of how each structure works, not only on its own, but as a whole. All the structures in the central nervous system that we observed are in some way related and allow for communication to take place, as well as allowing the central nervous system to function as it is supposed to.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Comparison of the discrimination Essay Example for Free

Comparison of the discrimination Essay To conclude this comparison of these two groups, the Dalits in India and the Indigenous Australians, I believe their situations can be linked and related to. The Dalits in India are regarded as the lowest of the low and are treated like rats. They are not given proper education and healthcare and not allowed to mix with non-Dalits. The IA on the other hand had there numbers decline mostly due to the European diseases brought to the country and also due to cultural genocide (the process of taking the aboriginal children and breeding them with non IAs, thus killing off the IA population). These two groups are closely related however in the case of the IAs they were the first natural inhabitants of Australia. This is the opposite to the Dalits, they were originally from India however the caste system in India has forced them into poverty. What has forced IA into poverty is the massive presence of the white population and has made the IA into a minority. However there have been recent apologies by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia to the indigenous Australians, which I would say is respectful. However there has been no sympathy towards the Dalits from the upper classes, they want the Dalits to stay in this low status for as long as possible. To conclude I believe the Dalits suffer more than the IAs, not just because of the way they are treated but the sheer number of them as a whole. Bibliography: Research on Dalits: Internet (www.wiki.com, www.dalitnetwork.org) Research on IAs: Internet (www.wiki.com, www.indigenous.gov.au, www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2008/speech_0073.cfm Research using class notes on IAs and Dalits.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Analysis of Pepsicos Vision Statement

Analysis of Pepsicos Vision Statement In the report, I had analyzed the vision and mission statements of PepsiCo. I had used vision statement matrix, shortcomings of vision statement and mission statement evaluation matrix to conduct the analysis. In the vision statement matrix, there are few characteristics such as directional, graphic, focused and so on. There are also some common shortcomings in company vision statements that I used to analyze the vision statement of PepsiCo. Then I recommend a new vision statement to improve the weaknesses of the current vision statement of PepsiCo. For the mission statement part, I also evaluated and I had enhanced the missing components in PepsiCo mission statement by recommend the new mission to PepsiCo. Introduction PepsiCo is an American multinational company for food and beverage industry which operate globally. The product portfolio of PepsiCo is wide and it is defined in the 10k as a leading global beverage, snack and food company. Other than that, PepsiCo also produces variety of convenient, salty grain-based and sweet snacks, non alcoholic drinks and foods in around 200 countries. Analysis of PepsiCo Vision Statement PepsiCos responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate-environment, social, economic-creating a better tomorrow than today. Our vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company. PepsiCo is using this vision in their company. I had analyzed PepsiCo vision statement by using directional, graphic, focused, feasible, desirable and easy to understand to analyze the company vision statement. Based on my analysis, the directional of the company is to make PepsiCo a truly sustainable company in the market. PepsiCo improve the environmental stewardship and activities that benefit the society continually to enable them to be a truly sustainable company. PepsiCo think for environment and society before they make every decision. They care about the environment and society because it is their aspiration what company they want to be. Be a truly sustainable company, PepsiCo brand can be known globally around the world. PepsiCo can expand their product portfolio and introduce more products into the market. PepsiCo can enter into new segment to serve more market. Becoming a truly sustainable company, PepsiCo might face intense competition from other brands. (refer to appendix 1and 3) For the graphic characteristic, it does not apply in the vision of PepsiCo. It is because PepsiCo do not mention what product portfolio they are making. People might not get the picture of the kind of company and management they trying to create. So, for the graphic characteristic, it is absent in PepsiCo vision statement. Besides, focused characteristic is found in the vision statement of PepsiCo. This can be proven in the vision statement as PepsiCo is trying to focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society and commitment to build a shareholder value. It is clear that PepsiCo want to do more for the society and environment and not to forget about their company shareholder. These are what PepsiCo want to achieve in their future. They want to serve society and their shareholder better. PepsiCo has working with numerous projects around the world to provide safe and clean materials for the packaging. It is important in to provide fresh and clean water as it is the main ingredient for the product. By serving the society and create value for shareholders, PepsiCo can enhance their brand name and create positive image for the brand while gaining trust from the shareholders. Thus, PepsiCo can expand their company size in the future if they get support from the society. The weakness is tha t PepsiCo may spend too much of the money for charity and it will affect shareholders profit. Next, from the vision statement, there is feasible characteristic found in the vision statement. PepsiCo want to continually improve all aspects of the world which they operate including environment, social and economic to create a better tomorrow than today. PepsiCo can reach achieve their vision because of the size of the company and the financial of the company. PepsiCo is the one of the main brand in non-alcoholic drink in global. From the case, we can know that PepsiCo have the resources to achieve their vision because in the past 3 years, the net income of PepsiCo was over 5000millions. By serving to the society, PepsiCo can understand about the society needs and thus PepsiCo can serve the society better by doing the right thing that the society want. There is desirable characteristic in the vision statement of PepsiCo. In the vision statement of PepsiCo, the goal of the vision is to be a truly sustainable company. It is desirable to the stakeholders of PepsiCo. It is because PepsiCo is committed to build shareholder value. It is good for the shareholders in the long term interest because PepsiCo care about their shareholders benefit. For example, PepsiCo held a foundation called as PepsiCo Foundation to help the society and they also increase the use of recycled materials and reduce materials used in packaging. PepsiCo can gain support from the shareholders for long term because PepsiCo could bring benefit for shareholders in long term. Thus, shareholders might invest more money into the company and it is good for PepsiCo to be a truly sustainable company. The weakness is that some of the shareholders may disagree with PepsiCo and thus conflict may occur between shareholders of PepsiCo. In the vision statement of PepsiCo, the language that they used is easy to understand. Easy to understand characteristic also applied in the vision statement of PepsiCo. They use simple and clear language which can guide the people to achieve the goal of the vision statement. People can easily remember the vision statement of the PepsiCo because it is not too long and it is easy to understand by people. People can easily understand the vision thus the tasks can be done more efficiently for PepsiCo. Analysis of Vision Statements-shortcomings While I analyze PepsiCo vision statement, I found a few shortcomings in the vision statement of PepsiCo. First, the vision statement of PepsiCo is vague and incomplete. It is because in the vision statement, PepsiCo mention about to improve all aspects of the world in which they operate for their environment, social and economic but their do not mention about the product portfolio that they serve and how they treat their employees. (refer to appendix 2) Besides, in my analysis of PepsiCo vision statement, they are not forward looking. The reason why I say so is because as a one of the main brands in non alcoholic drink industry, PepsiCo got the potential to become the leader of the market share. But in the vision statement of PepsiCo, they do not mention about to be the leader in the industry. Other than that, I also analyzed that PepsiCo have another shortcoming in the vision statement. PepsiCo vision statement is too broad and not distinctive. In the vision statement, they had mentioned that they want to focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society and commitment to build shareholder value. It might have conflict because by doing charity that benefit society and working together with several groups such as Earth Institute, UNICEF, Keep America Beautiful and so on. PepsiCo might need to invest a lot to do the research to come out with recycled materials. This will have conflict with build shareholder value because shareholders want to get their bonus rather than invest in so many areas. In the vision statement of PepsiCo, I do not use rely on superlatives shortcoming because PepsiCo does not claim themselves as NO.1 in the world or best in the world. So, rely on superlatives does not apply to PepsiCo vision statement. PepsiCo also do not combine vision and mission statement characteristics in their vision statement. As we all know, vision statement is about the future business path of the company while mission statement is focuses on the current business activities. There is no conflict between the mission and vision statement of PepsiCo because in the mission statement of PepsiCo, which is short term objective, they want to be the worlds premier consumer products company that focused on convenient foods and beverages while the vision statement of PepsiCo is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which they operate for long term. PepsiCo want to continually improve to become a truly sustainable company in the future. Recommendation Since there are few shortcomings in the vision statement of PepsiCo, I would like to do some recommendation to improve the current vision statement of PepsiCo. First, I found that PepsiCo vision statement is incomplete. PepsiCo should have mention about their product portfolio and benefit for their employees because employees are their main asset to operate the company. For the long term business, benefit of employees should be included in the vision statement. Besides, PepsiCo should be more forward looking ahead of their competitors. Since they are main brands in the industry, they should aim to be the best in the industry and gain the largest market share in the industry. PepsiCo should include the vision statement to motivate the people in the company to work hard together to achieve the goal of the vision statement which is to be the leader of the non alcoholic drink industry. From the case, we can see that the main competitor of PepsiCo is Coca-Cola who is the leader in the market which occupied 41 percent while PepsiCo only hold about 36.7 percent of the market share in the industry. Other than that, PepsiCo should prevent the conflict between shareholders benefit and society benefit. It is because PepsiCo need to spend money to benefit the society while shareholder would like to remain most of the money. So I would suggest that in the vision statement of PepsiCo, they should prioritize which aspects they want to serve the best. The current vision statement of PepsiCo is good but I would like to improve the shortcomings in PepsiCo vision statement. The new vision statement will be as below: To treat the employees as a family and maximize all of stakeholders benefit that PepsiCo concern. Always be innovation and enhance current product portfolio for society. Show dedication by committing to PepsiCo and be the leader in the industry. Mission Statement Evaluation I had used a few components to analyze the mission statement of PepsiCo. So, to enhance it to be a better mission statement, I will suggest new description for PepsiCo. First component is the customers. There is no description about the customers in current mission statement. I would want to recommend PepsiCo to include a new description into their current mission statement which is to serve globally. There are some less developed countries which stay in unhygienic places. PepsiCo should serve them by providing clean and fresh drinks for them so that people in there can enjoy the benefit together. (refer to appendix 4) For the products and services component, although there is description in the current mission statement, but I would like to enhance it to become better by keep on innovate to come out with new products that benefit the society. It is because some of the current foods of PepsiCo are unhealthy for society if they take it for long term, so it is important to be innovative to come out with more healthy foods and beverages. For the markets that PepsiCo serve, they want to become worlds premier consumer products company. But PepsiCo are more concentrating on developed countries such as United States, Europe and Australia. I would like to suggest PepsiCo to serve globally and enter less developed market such as Africa region. It will show that PepsiCo is concern about the poor society and thus enhance the brand. The next component is concern for survival, growth and profitability. The current mission is to seek to produce financial rewards to the investors. For a better mission, it is important to train and retain talented employees as they are the main asset for the company. There is no technology component in the current mission statement. I would like to suggest PepsiCo to develop an advanced technology ahead of their competitors to increase the efficiency of the production. It can be an advantage for PepsiCo in their industry. The current philosophy of PepsiCo is to strive for honesty, fairness and integrity. For my suggestion, I would like to come out with new description which is to be responsible to society. It is better because PepsiCo should act ethically to serve the society so that it can help the society. There is no self-concept component in the current mission statement. I suggest that PepsiCo should have prioritized their customers all the time. So that they can serve the customers better based on what they want. The concern for public image component in the current mission is only about the business partners and communities. They should treat the environment better because it is important now and it can build positive brand image in global market. PepsiCo also show their concern for employees. They provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to employees. But it will be better if they can empower their employees to make decision and reward them to create loyalty because they will feel that they are important in the company and thus will more committed to the company. I would like to make a few enhancements for the current mission statement. The enhancements will as shown in below: Our mission is to serve fairly without bias and create a positive image in global market. We also want to develop advanced technology and be responsible to the society. Customers satisfaction is our top priority. We also want to empower employees to be innovative that benefit society. Conclusion As a business analyst for PepsiCo, I had made few suggestions for the vision and mission statements and I hope that with the new enhancements of my vision and mission statements for PepsiCo current vision and mission statements, PepsiCo can improve company and be a better one to serve the society and be a truly sustainable company.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Macbeth: Schizophrenic? Essay -- essays research papers

Macbeth’s tragic downfall into insanity could be modernly diagnosed as the mental disorder schizophrenia. Many of the actions carried out by Macbeth during the play lead the reader to believe that Macbeth is crazy. However, by today’s medical standards, Macbeth falls into several of the categories under the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as, "a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conduct." In Act I Macbeth is very uneasy in his and Lady Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan. He says, â€Å"We shall proceed no further in this business. For he hath honored me of late.† (I.7.31-32) This is an unmistakable example of how Macbeth is not fully confident in his decisions. He feels guilt and anguish, as does Lady Macbeth, for she will not commit the murder herself, due to the fact that King Duncan looks too much like her father. At this point in the play, it is quite questionable as to weather either of the conspirators will consummate to the killings. Duncan’s death can be identified as the turning point of Macbeth’s sanity. This is when Macbeth starts to clearly display numerous symptoms of schizophrenia. O One of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia is the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Macbeth displays this characteristic as he speaks vehemently to an empty chair, which he believes is the ghost of his old friend Banquo, w ho he just recently had killed. He says, â€Å"Prithee, see there! behold! look! lo! how say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel-houses and our graves must send Those that we bury back, our monuments Shall be the maws of kites.† (III, 4) Macbeth is the only one to see the ghost, not even the audience is allowed by Shakespeare to see this apparition. After this, his mental stability begins to deteriorate throughout the course of the play. Guilt and obsession are also among the leading features associated with schizophrenia. After Macbeth is coaxed into killing Duncan, he is plagued by the blood, which he has spilt. However, he still manages to kill anyone who threatens his reign, even those who are very close to him. One could say that his obsession with maintaining his royal sta... ...s disorganized and fragmented, the ill person's speech is often muddled or unreasonable. Thought disorder is frequently accompanied by inappropriate emotional responses: which means words and mood do not appear in tune with each other. The result may be something like laughing when speaking of shady or frightening events. Early warning signs, such as Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, her irrational speech, and her loss of normal temperament were all reverberations of her mental instability. Extreme circumstances such as the ones presented in Macbeth are highly probable causes for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s development of schizophrenia. Their behavior, although seeming quite erratic and irrational, is quite common among patients with this disorder. The term â€Å"schizophrenic,† however, was not even brought to the public until 1911, by a Swiss psychologist, Eugen Bleuler, almost three decades after Shakespeare’s Macbeth was introduced to England. Citizens during the sixteen hundreds would have just thought Macbeth and his wife were insane and should be locked away. With today’s psychoanalytic sciences, though, it can be most likely predicted that schizophrenia was present in Macbeth.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Essay --

Gish Jen’s â€Å"Who’s Irish and Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† both entail two different stories with similar symbols and themes, these stories also demonstrate a vast amount of cultural differences. In â€Å"Who’s Irish† the Chinese grandmother has opposing views on her son-in-law and his inability to get a job, as well as how her granddaughter should be raised. â€Å"Two Kinds† depicts the lifestyle a Chinese mother is trying to create for her young daughter, as all she wants is for her to become a young piano prodigy and not waste the opportunity of the American Dream. Nonetheless they share several attributes that set them apart from each other as they exhibit parallel battles, characters and story lines. It is evident in the text that both mothers represent oppressive and authoritarian personalities which end up getting in the way of their relationships with their daughters. Given both narrators’ unique characteristics a nd continuous consistency of personalities the audience will be able to set them apart and understand the different cultures in which the narrator’s were raised. The narrator uses a vast amount of symbolism in â€Å"Who’s Irish† to vividly bring out the intended themes for the readers. Throughout the story the narrator could not understand why her daughter’s husband is so incompetent, and why he needs to be pampered. When the narrator uses the line, â€Å"plain boiled food, plain boiled thinking† (par. 13-14) she is expressing bigotry toward other cultures and their incompetence to understand what hard work really is. The symbolism here is being used to emphasize cultural difference that has ruled the working criteria of the American citizens. Consequently this is an example of how difficult is it for the narrator to accept other cultur... ...e two stories contrasts each other on their thematic use in the two stories. In ‘Two Kinds†, Jing- Mei is very stubborn and also very naive. It was through her character that she vehemently prevented herself from being an immense piano player which displays she has no desire to obey her mother’s wishes for her. In â€Å"Who’s is Irish† the situation is very different as the grandmother attempts to raise her granddaughter the way she was raised herself, the Chinese way. Lastly, we can distinguish that the theme and the symbolism in the two stories are very much interlinked, the narrators in both stories have clearly emphasized on their theme using symbolism. Symbolism in its own is a form of communication where the listeners will figure out the symbolic representative in relation to the narrative. Symbolism also demonstrates the narrative theme in the real world scenario.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Racial Profiling in America Essay -- Black Lives Matter Essays

On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22 year-old immigrant from New Guinea, West Africa, was shot and killed in the narrow vestibule of the apartment building where he lived. Four white officers, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy fired 41 bullets, hitting Diallo 19 times. All four were members of the New York City Police Department's Street Crimes Unit, which, under the slogan, "We Own the Night," used aggressive "stop and frisk" tactics against African- Americans at a rate double that group's population percentage. A report on the unit by the state attorney general found that blacks were stopped at a rate 10 times that of whites, and that 35 percent of those stops lacked reasonable suspicion to detain or had reports insufficiently filled out to make a determination. Thousands attended Diallo's funeral. Demonstrations were held almost daily, along with the arrests of over 1,200 people in planned civil disobedience. In a trial that was moved out of the community where Diallo lived and to Albany in upstate New York, the four officers who killed Diallo were acquitted of all charges. (â€Å"Persistence† 21) Racial Profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his or her race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. This occurs when police investigate, stop, frisk, search or use force against a person based on such characteristics instead of evidence of a person's criminal behavior. It often involves the stopping and searching of people of color for traffic violations, known as â€Å"DWB† or â€Å"driving while black or brown.† (Meeks 17) After 9/11, racial profiling has become widely accepted as an appropriate form of crime prevention. People were s... ... as far back as any of us can remember. Racial profiling stems from racism, and fear of people who are different, ethnically and culturally, than the person making the judgments. Sadly, it spreads even further than that, and clouds the judgment of the people who are in positions of authority, even when they come from the same ethnic background. Racism, classism, sexism and all the other –isms combine to create trends such as these, which affect more than just the person being judged; it affects their families, friends, neighborhoods, communities, etc. Like all other issues that deal with the problem of –isms, the only way to change the dominant perception is to change the way people are programmed throughout life and their experiences. Until that day, no legislation or rule is going to change the way people feel about the minority, or perceived lower class, group.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

‘Of mice and men’ †A comparison of the opening scenes of the film and the beginning of the book Essay

A comparison of the opening scenes of the film and the beginning of the book ‘Of mice and men’ is set in southern California at the time of the great depression (late 1920 and early 30’s), the basis of the story is about 2 men George and Lenny, who are two workers who travel from place to place finding work on ranches, so they can earn there 50 bucks a month. George is the leader out of the two he looks after Lenny, sorts out where they go and what they do and eat. Lenny is a very big and strong man, but he is very dumb and could not look after himself, he his at heart a nice, harmless man but likes colourful, nice feeling things, so he is just like a small child. Lenny gets them into trouble a lot, he likes to touch nice things and when he does people get the wrong idea and like at the start of the book and film gets accused of rape, and at the end causes a death of a woman. Like most writers or directors, John Steinbeck and Gary Sinise try to grab the readers or viewer’s attention. Even though the novel and film are based on the same story, they use different techniques and ways to try and get the audiences attention. In the novel John Steinbeck uses a lot of description of his settings and this is how he tries to keep the audience’s imagination going. For example in the first two pages of the novel, he uses a strong descriptive and a strong style of language to try and give an effect of a natural, calm and peaceful atmosphere, also when describing the willow pool he tries and puts as much detail in as possible, as this area of land is one of the most important places in the story as this is where Steinbeck starts the story and ends it in a similar place. It’s quite amazing how Steinbeck manages to turn a violent and threatening scene into a calm, relaxing place and an almost peaceful time. I think that the first set of settings is set in a spring/summer theme as they are talking about there dream which is seen as the American dream of this time, so this also relates to life in the late boom and depression of the 1920’s. The beginning is used to try and introduce the two main characters portraying Lenny as the leader and it seems that he is like a father to Lenny who is portrayed as a small child who cannot control what he is doing. George also knows he has to take the role as the father or older brother and has to keep rules and tells him what to do, e.g. when they are drinking from the lake Lenny keeps his head in the water and is just guzzling the water down, then George says; â€Å"For god sake don’t drink so much†, and also he checks if the water is safe by making sure that its is running although George is of little intelligence him self he knows how to stay alive and live well. Gary Sinise tries to grab the audience’s attention quite differently at the beginning of the film as he uses a dramatic sequence of George and Lenny sitting in the luggage holder of a train, and you see him thinking back to what happened at Weed. When this is happening the light fades over Georges face from the cracks in the compartments wooden walls, this effect of the light streaming across his face gives an imaginary sense of prison bars. During Georges flashbacks you see them running fast and out of breath down a field full of long grass, and it keeps flashing back on Georges face in the train giving you a sense of distress instead of the calming effect of the novel. It then flashes to a pretty woman in a red dress that has a rip going down the bottom of it, the air flows through her dress and hair as she is running down a field. This scene really is exciting and full of tension to the viewer, which contrasts totally to the calm and peaceful opening of the book. Next you she a bunch of workers in a field, and they hear the girl’s screams. The workers on horse follow carrying shotguns. This contrasts to the life of today against nearly a century ago, as nowadays Lenny would have been arrested and put to a fair trial but back then they would have just killed Lenny on the spot. This scene puts people on the edges of their seats giving a sense of suspense; this is how a good director is able to keep the audiences attention to the film. The scene of the willow pool is quite like the scene in the book it gives a more relaxed effect from the previous suspense scenes, as they hide neck deep under the overflowing bush weed, and luckily the workers lose them. When we see George and Lenny getting there work cards it proves the fact that this is in the 1930’s as there were a lot of job shortages and you had to go to a job office and see if any jobs were available, most people would take any job there was, because of the depression. This then gives us a slight historical background of the time they are in. George in the book is firstly described as â€Å"small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features†. George being described as having restless eyes gives an impression that he is quite alert and a quick thinker of what to do in troubled times. Lenny on the other hand is described quite differently: â€Å"Huge man, shapeless face with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws†. â€Å"†¦the way a bear drags his paws† Lenny is being described as an animal which shows that he is a slow and clumsy both physical and mentally. The characters in the film are unlike the ones in the book as they are not physically opposite. Lenny is only slightly taller than George, but the behaviours of these two characters do mirror that it is similar to the book as Lenny acts like a child and George is the smart, dominant one. This is often shown in the close ups of their faces and in their speech and movement. The clothes they wear are described in the book as workers clothes so rugged and tattered, so the movie is also based on this part as the clothes in the movie are like this. In my opinion I think casting John Malkovich was perfect to be Lenny as he was able to portray the child like brain of Lenny. He seemed to fit the right description of Lenny. The voice used by John Malkovich was very effective in giving the viewer a childlike impression of Lenny. Gary Sinise although he was director he himself played George and he obviously knew how he wanted George to be played and he did with an amazing attitude, he gave out the attitude and cunningness of George as is written in the book. In conclusion, the beginning of the book and the beginning of the film are based on the same storyline. The way the scenes are described and presented are really quite different. Gary Sinise is able to create a sense of action and suspense followed by the calm of the willow pool, whilst Steinbeck creates a very rich and calm descriptive opening scene, which contrasts with the violence of what is actually happening.