Marketing Essay Example for Free

Marketing Essay Crispy Crunch’s main problem is that they haven’t advertised their product in many years. Since then the target market has changed a lot and has a very high multi-tasking behaviour. It is hard to pin point the exact needs and wants of this culture anymore except for one thing, they are all very technologically routed. With the internet at our finger tips, TV whenever we want, and smartphones in everyone’s pocket. That is the only thing you can really count on this day in age. The chocolate bar market is mature and experiences only modest growth annually. There are 4 major players all with similar marketing strategies; find something unique in the product and promote it. Chocolate bars can be found in the same locations and are sold at very similar prices so they must use marketing communications to distinguish themselves. Crispy Crunch has had little to none in the last five years. Crispy Crunch’s goal is to break into the top ten again and increase market share from 3.5% to 4% within 12 months. The current awareness of Crispy Crunch is 35% among the target market, which must increase significantly in order to increase market share and profits. My main recommendation is to reach out to the target market using the only real linking factor among them; the internet. I think rich media is the best way to reach this audience because it makes use of technology and is available to audiences of many different tastes and lifestyles at all hours of the day. Search advertising is when an advertiser is listed within or alongside search results in exchange for paying a fee each time someone clicks on the listing in those search results. If Crispy Crunch were to apply that type of advertising they could buy such words as â€Å"chocolate†, â€Å"crispy†, or â€Å"delicious†. When someone searched a phrase with these words they would see Crispy Crunch’s ad. Pros This is a great way to advertise since you only play for the clicks you get. It is available 24/7 to a large audience and 80% of all internet traffic begins at a search engine. Cons This form of advertising can be an annoyance to consumers, therefore they become put off the product. Rich Media Rich media Incorporates animation, sound, video and interactivity into the advertising messages, like a short commercial. Marketers have found that a 10-second ad is the maximum acceptable length for an online video ad, and if it is to be viewed entirely it must be entertaining. Pros The similarity to television makes it attractive to traditional advertisers. Many TV shows are now being viewed online; these ads are often placed at the beginning, between scenes and at the end. They are available 24/7 to a large audience. Cons Sometimes it can be hard to make an ad interesting in that short of a time frame. Some viewers find these ads to be an annoyance. Mobile Advertising Advertisers are trying to capitalize on the popularity of cell phones by sending ads via text message. Marketers interested in reaching younger targets are getting involved with text messaging. They are asking consumers to get involved with their brands by running promotions that include short codes with their marketing material, often found on posters, packaging, bottle caps, etc. Consumers can enter or scan codes to participate in contests, download free music, and get ring tones and prizes. Pros This is a great way to advertise because of the speed, directness, portability, and low cost. It is very common with younger target markets. Cons These messages are often seen as an annoyance and intrusive and are too closely related to telemarketing. Some of these ads may even cost the consumer for the data they use. Recommendations I recommend that Crispy Crunch begins advertising with the use of rich media. I think this is best suited to reach their target group which has a high multi-tasking behaviour. Many people in the age group of 18-29 year olds have hectic schedules and are now watching episodes of their favorite shows online because they are not always able to watch it and this form of television has allowed them a more flexible lifestyle around their shows schedule. Rich media also provides 24/7 access, it can reach many people at once and it is not as invasive or annoying at other methods of advertisement such as direct response, text message or email while still being very cost effective. I would also urge Crispy Crunch to stick with their previous slogan â€Å"The only thing as good as your Crispy Crunch is someone else’s.† as well as the general message of the campaign. The ads were short, funny, and to the point. I think that the people in their target market have most likely never seen the previous ads or have forgotten about them. Sometimes bringing back the old is very well received. AW did very well bringing back the vintage vibe of their restaurants. The ads from the 1989 campaign were very well received and upped market share then and I’m sure they could do it again with the same overall message, they just need the attention.

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell This essay will be based on Dell Inc and how the topic resources and capabilities are used as a strategy throughout the company. The topic will be explored to identify how it applies to Dells strategy and how they use it within the company. The essay will identify the different types of strategys which are used to help them sustain competitive advantage. During the essay theoretical concepts will be used and applied to Dell in order to analyse the organisation. The theoretical concepts which will be used will be concepts from the module, these concepts will help draw conclusions from the essay and help identify why Dell continually sustain a competitive advantage. Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell in his university dorm in Texas using his last $1000. With this money he created a company called PCs Limited. Within a year Michael Dell had turned his $1000 into $6 million in sales. He managed to do this by borrowing $300,000 from his family and upgrading computers for local firm from their existing software to IBM. By 1986 the company was producing sales of $60 million; this was due to dell starting their own assembly lines. 4 years later Dells sales had increased vastly to $500 million, because they had now created a wide line of products. By 1996 Dell launched their products online, this gave them $1 million in sales a day boosting their annual sales to an astonishing $5.3 billion, increasing to $7.8 billion the following year. The sales had risen 50% and tripled to making sales of $3 million a day in sales. By 2005 Dells sales had risen to $49.2 billion, showing how the company has become one of the most successful companies within rece nt times by being a fortune company while only being around for 14 years. Also during 2005 Dell was ranked 28th biggest company in America by revenue. In 2006 Dell was looked at as one of the most admired companies in America. Their sales for 2009 were $61.1 billion, simply showing why they were nominated a top 200 fortune. They are the highest earning company within the computer industry. Dell employs over 75,000 employees across the world, due to having to serve customers in over 170 countries. Dell took over as leaders in their market from their biggest and most successful competitors Hewlett Packard, whilst also staying ahead of rivals such as IBM and Apple computers who are the only other alternative substitute for a PC. Dell now offer a range of products and services, including computing software, computing systems, computing peripherals, consulting and IT services. Dell have gone a long way from upgrading computers for local businesses to offering products such as televisions , printers, peripherals, netbooks, notebooks, servers, scanners and their main product computers. In 2007 Michael Dell returned to the company as a CEO to help improve its financial performance by bringing new plans in for the company. Key Success Factors In the ever maturing PC industry it is very important for any company wishing to be competitive to meet the industries key success factors (KSF). In order to succeed, certain KSFs must be incorporated into their business model. Specific KSF include: Competitive prices Excellent relationships with suppliers Product customisation Excellent customer services Superior cost structure Dell has continued to perform well, through incorporating many of these factors into their business model. Dells customer centric approach with a closely managed supply chain and cash flow process has seen them succeed in the mature PC industry. Key Competencies Customer focus- Dell has a thorough understanding of their consumers needs and wants and it serves them very effectively. The custom build business model that Dell adopts accommodates the ever changing needs and wants of consumers. This model is very effective as it allows Dell to offer the latest technologies at competitive prices in a timely manner. This is exactly what customers demand in a hyper competitive market. Manufacturing Processes- Dell benefited greatly from the first mover advantage, through adopting the direct selling business model which was unique to the industry, aided by the boom of the internet. Supply Chain Management- The direct selling business model employed by Dell is run by an i2 technology supply chain management (SCM) system. Every 20 sec the software aggregates orders, analyzes material requirements, compares Dells on-hand inventory with its suppliers inventory and then creates a supplier bill of material to meet its order needs. SCM is particularly important as improving it by 0.1% has greater impact than improving manufacturing process by 10%. This system allowed Dell to go beyond a simple value chain model, into a more complex value web model. Customer Selection, Acquisition and Retention- Dell also employ a state of the art IT and customer relationship management (CRM) system. Through efficiently targeting customers they are able to keep costs to a minimum which suit consumers budgets. Consumers are very price sensitive in the PC industry as there are many substitutes. Customer Service- Dell offers a complete range of services, including, technical support through internet and global call centres. For additional fees Dell offers extended service and support plans. Dells customer service was considered to be the best in the industry. However after recently outsourcing this, their reputation is beginning to fall, after repeated poor treatment of cases. Porters value chain By identifying Dells value chain and network it will allow us to identify how Dell value their customers and how it is created. FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE Dell has a very strong and organised stock management. Dell sells straight thought their website cutting out intermediaries. They sell thought a direct model. Dell receives payments normally immediately as customers generally use credit cards online. Once the orders have been placed and paid the customers products are order from the suppliers, this is so dell only have stock in which is being used to build products from orders they have received reducing excess stock. OPERATIONS Dell deal with a few operations, they deal with the most important one in their opinion, being the final configuration of customer products. Dell outsources operations such as the assemblies of motherboards and most of the production chain for all of their notebook computers. INBOUND LOGISTICS As dell allows customers to build their own products and order the products when needed using just in time, it allows deal not to buy an overload of stock they just pay for what they need from the order made. Dells direct model in which they sell their products to their consumers they depend on time management, so that all the components they need arrive at the time they are need to produce the product for their customers. MARKETING SALES Dell using the direct selling model it has taken out all intermediaries. Normally the intermediaries would want to take about 20 to 30%. Dell managed to cut out intermediaries as they align their value chain and supply chain very closely, and also their assembly factories and order taking systems. Dell has incorporated their direct selling model with their supply chain. Dell put together 80,000 PCs daily, but they do not own their own warehouse as they only order components they need to assemble products within a few days as they only hold stock for a maximum of two days. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT Dell spend a tiny amount on technology research compared to their biggest rivals HP. Dell spend around $400 million which is a small margin of HPs $4 billion. Yet Dell has near perfect assembly chain along with very efficient assembly operations. Dell have a unique way to identify if an employee is a fault for a product as a single product is made by a single employee making them accountable if it faulty. Value Web Model Dell moved beyond the simple value chain into a more effective value web organism. This positively impacted Dells just-in-time manufacturing and the inventory management systems. Dell relies on big players to provide their high-tech components. E.g. Microprocessors-Intel, Software- Microsoft. Dell rely on smaller multiple players to provide low-tech components. These low-tech, low- differentiation component manufacturers compete fiercely on price and availability. Dell Has one of the latest SCM systems, which is unmatched by competitors. This system enables Dells factories to have only 7 hours worth of inventory, whereas most of the industry holds a 10 day inventory. It also helps that 85% of all their supplies are provided by 15 suppliers. This value web organism has been achieved through careful knowledge management and 15 years of learning. It is a very complex system, and due to this it is inimitable. Dells Direct Business Model Unlike their competitors, Dell has adopted a direct selling approach to customers compared to all of their competitors. Dell have cut out all intermediaries meaning customers order straight thought their website, this allows Dell to sell directly to them. Due to customer buying straight from Dell it has given them a great understanding of customer needs. Dells main focus is on their customers which their strategy is based around. The Direct business model also allows customers to customize their products letting them have what they desire rather than a standard product. As customer order a want they want product, it allowed Dell to minimize their stock, as they will order only what they need adopting JIT strategy. This also allows Dell to deliver the newest technology to their customers sustain an edge on their competitors. Dells Direct Model Customers SUPPLIERS Competitors Model Dells competitors model has 2 extra sections, outsourcing and channels. This produces extra cost and it doesnt allow them to have complete customer focus as they dont deal directly with their customers. Their customer buy from channels which are shops taking away customer relation with the company. They also dont get supplies directly from their suppliers as they outsource 1st to other companies. Dells model is a far better strategy and it allows them to have a great focus on their customers. They use their resources and capabilities such as their great product lines to achieve the efficiencies they want to produce. Activity Mapping Through conducting detailed research into Dell, a number of conclusions can be drawn. At the core of Dells business strategy and its direct selling model is customer focus. Dells core competencies were developed around their customer centric approach, and its resources and capabilities were placed in a way to best serve their customers. This customer centric approach has enabled them to develop more competencies, including, manufacturing processes, supply chain management, customer selection and service. Within the hyper competitive PC industry it is imperative that companies provide the latest technology in a timely manner. Dell achieved this through adopting the kaizan approach to its supply chain. To compliment the increased efficiencies of the supply chain Dell also improved their manufacturing processes. A key advantage for Dell is that they have one of the best SCM systems in the world. This is complimented by the fact that 95% of their suppliers are located near to their assem bly plants making coordination easier. Holding only a 7 hour inventory, instead of the industries norm of around 10 days is another advantage. Holding such a short inventory means they do not have socks of slow selling products leading to poor cash flow. Dell aim to deliver the custom product within 36 hours of an order being placed, which competitors just cant match. Dell constantly operates with a negative cash flow conversion cycle as they only pay their suppliers once the customer has paid them. Building these strong relationships with suppliers has taken years and combined with Dells complex supply chain is inimitable and leads to a sustainable competitive advantage. Through the careful selection, training and retention of its workforce that could develop and evolve as Dell grows, they were able to manage knowledge, encourage honesty, loyalty and learning over time. Through employing the best Dell become more effective in recognising, acquiring and retaining customers through providing them with their needs and wants at competitive prices and in a timely manner. Through aligning their core competencies with the industry KSFs, Dell were able to perform favourable in an ever maturing market. Dells differentiation comes from process innovation. Through capturing the value of its suppliers and partners Dell has capitalised on their technology innovation. This enabled Dell to minimise their research and development spend and improve their cost structure. This strategy has yet to match by any of their major competitors in the industry, leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. Ultimately in order to sustain competitive advantage Dell need to continue to outdo their competitors. By adopting the direct business model and adopting their customer centric approach they have achieved competitive advantage. In order to ensure the sustainability of this they need to evolve as consumer demands change. Through their direct business model and their superior relationships with suppliers they have developed core competencies which align with the industry KSFs and are also difficult for the competition to imitate. Factors which will provide sustained competitive advantage include: Online custom build of each computer. Minimisation of working capital in the production process High manufacture and distribution quality- latest technology, timely manner, competitively priced, reliable products The careful management of their resources and capabilities make all this possible.

Essay --

At first I would like to say that I am really excited to write to you this letter and I am doing it with love. As we are going to spend a year together, now I would like you to know about me, my character, my likes and dislikes, my hobbies, and of course about my family. First of all I will tell you about me. I am 18 years old, I am a tall girl with brownish curly hair, brown eyes and quite a pretty face. I am a sophomore at Vanadzor State Pedagogical Institute named after Hovhannes Toumanyan and studying in Philological Faculty, English Department and my major field of degree is the English language. I am a future English teacher for what I am really proud as I love teaching children. I am called "an interestin person" by my friends and relatives. I like to learn something new all the time, in other words _ absorb any information which is important and interesting to me. At the same time I have great sense of humor. I am fond of joking so I often get in touch with such people who are witty, friendly, and of course humorous. By the way I have a lot of friends whom I love and repect very much and friendship to me is very important. All of my friends are very interesting, kind, helpful and trustful. When I am sad and disappointed, they are always there to cheer me up. When I am happy, they are always there to share my happiness. Of course it is mutual. We love, repect and count on each other. What about me, I am a person who seldom gets offended. I hate lying and being lied about. I do not like when people butter somebody up either. That is something horrible for me. I like just and honest human relationships. I should say that my mood is quite changable. And it depends on circumstances and sometimes on weather. I can s... ...witty. He is also skillful with many things. He graduated from Vanadzor State Pedagogical Institute. He is not married yet, but I hope he will soon. I love him too much. Unfortunately, my mother died when I was six. But as I remember her, she was a real beauty. She was very careful, loving, and gentle. She was a music teacher as well as a pedagogue at kindergarten. Though she is not with us now, I am sure she always follows us from the sky and helps us. It is really difficult living without "Mother" but my brother and I try to do everything so my Dad will not feel lonely and sad. Our family is very united. We live in the air of family life. We are as separated as the notes of a piano and as linked as the notes of a song. That is all about me and my family. I hope that you have liked me. I also hope that one day we will meet, love and repect each other strongly.

Children Tried as Adults Essay -- Juveniles Tried in Adult Criminal Cou

It is unfair for American children to know that though they can be innocent, they are treated as adults when they turn thirteen in some states. Although children have to learn the difference between what is right and wrong in their first years of life, most of them do not have enough experience to show that they are capable of living within society independently. Nonetheless, when they commit a serious crime-accidentally or purposely, the state mandate allows the judicatures to try them as an adult. There is a flaw here because they do not have a set personality, nor they can readily understand how humans abide by the law, nor do they have the cognitive ability to understand how to live in society. This paper will argue that the idea of trying children for their crimes in the United States as an adult is too extreme. In the United States, when one turns eighteen, people consider that the individual is an adult, but there is no written national law, nor a statement in the United Nations covenants that I know of that states that a person is an adult at that age. Age eighteen is accepted as a norm because the Constitution states that under the 26th Amendment, people can vote. Additionally, though it up to the states to decide, eighteen is when people can get a driver’s license and buy cigarettes. Controversially however, there are no state laws or federal laws set to decide at what age a person is eligible to go to an adult court or prison if proven guilty for an unpardonable crime. An example of this is in Alabama, where two males at age fourteen are currently spending life in prison for a murder, but to the non-profit group, the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama it is cruel and unusual punishment and violates their human right... ...in juvenile cases: Mitigating and extralegal factors matter. Legal & Criminological Psychology, 12(1), 21. Redlich, A. , Quas, J. , & Ghetti, S. (2008). Perceptions of children during a police interrogation: Guilt, confessions, and interview fairness. Psychology, Crime & Law, 14(3), 201. Shook, J. (2005). Contesting childhood in the us justice system: The transfer of juveniles to adult criminal court. Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, 12(4), 461-478. Scott, E. , & Steinberg, L. (2008). Adolescent development and the regulation of youth crime. Future of Children, 18(2), 15-33. Semple, J. , & Woody, W. (2011). Juveniles tried as adults: The age of the juvenile matters. Psychological Reports, 109(1), 301-308. Steiner, B. , & Giacomazzi, A. (2007). Juvenile waiver, boot camp, and recidivism in a northwestern state. Prison Journal, 87(2), 227.

Cynthia Theriault Essay -- Design and Technology

Cynthia Theriault Documentum, Inc. Documentum, a Silicon Valley startup, is the first to market with an enterprise-scale document management solution built from standard relational database technologies in combination with object-oriented methodologies. The software enables people to collaboratively create, manage, deliver, and archive the content that drives business operations. The Company is at the crossroads of marketing strategies. Jeff Miller, the new CEO of Documentation, is faced with the question whether to undertake an innovative, but unproven, market selection process presented by Geoffrey Moore, a well-known Silicon Valley marketing pundit. Boeing (aerospace market) and Syntex (pharmaceutical market) were the first two customers of Documentum. During a prospect meeting with Boeing, Documentum realized that their new product did not have reference material for the customer. Additionally, during the meeting, presenters spoke of the product’s technical architecture instead of telling Boeing what the product would do for their company. Documentum was not meeting the customer’s expectations because they were not communicating on the customer’s level. During a meeting with Syntex, Documentum realized that their core software was not universal. The core technology had to be customized for each industry. It was a good product, which validated their concept that companies needed an easy and accurate way to share and archive documents. In t...

Private cars should be banned in Hong Kong Essay

In this modern world, the majority of people in rich cities own cars. Cars are cool, comfortable, and convenient. But have people ever thought about and realized the damage private cars are doing to our community? I think not. People buy cars for their own benefit, with no regard for the fact that the emissions from vehicles are contributing to global warming. Moreover, especially in overpopulated Hong Kong, the high density of private cars causes massive traffic jams and accidents. Therefore, the environment would be better off if private cars were banned in Hong Kong. It would not only reduce the effect of global warming, but also decrease the risk of disastrous accidents. Therefore, I strongly believe that all private cars should be banned in Hong Kong for the benefit of our polluted society. Hospital deaths due to respiratory and circulatory diseases, and nitrogen dioxide and respiratory moralities, reflect the impact of air pollution in Hong Kong caused by car emissions. A lot of people are suffering from asthma attack due to the polluted air in Hong Kong. And there is too much oxide going into the atmosphere and producing the greenhouse effect. In Hong Kong, nearly 10 % of the population own cars. And the density of traffic is really high, meaning if everyone drives their car at the same time, there is not enough road space to accommodate all cars. So there will be more traffic jams and a much higher risk of accidents. In one week, there is at least a few car crashes, and on a yearly basis, there is bound to be at least a few hundreds. Also, getting caught in a traffic jam wastes a lot of fuel with undue emissions causing even more air pollution. Fuels are expensive in Hong Kong and fossil fuels are running out rapidly. If people do not take private cars and use public transport instead, then less fuel is used. Every morning when we go to school, there is always traffic jam, and at least half the road space is taken up by private cars. In Hong Kong, rarely a 7 seat car is full. It is almost impossible to find one that is full. So that wastes a lot of space. If people take public transport instead, the seats will be fully utilized. Despite all those disadvantages, I must say that cars are more comfortable than public buses, and that we have more space and freedom inside our own vehicle. Also most people consider taking private cars saves more time than waiting for buses. But have people ever pondered that taking public buses is just as fast without the private cars blocking the road, and having private cars actually obstructs and slows down the travelling speed and therefore wastes even more time. And owning a private car is only for our own selfish enjoyment. People may argue that with more people using private cars, car manufacturers enjoy more business, but that would also mean lower requirement for public vehicles and hence fewer jobs for bus drivers. If everyone believes that every family should own a car, public transport will no longer be in demand and many jobs will be lost to the local community. With all these disadvantages, I believe that establishing a law to ban private cars is the right thing to do. It not only helps save money, decreases the risk of car accidents, eases traffic flows, but also contributes to a better environment. I forcefully urge that we should ban private cars in Hong Kong.

Comparing of mice and men with the withered arm Essay

Introduction Of mice and men is a novel written in a based in America during the depression. It was written by John Steinbeck and set on a ranch in Soledad, a small rural area in California. This eye-opening tale is based on two contrasting men, George, a small, intelligent yet modest man and Lenny, as big as a bull and as strong as an ox, but seemingly mentally challenged, who travelled around with each other working as ranch hands to earn enough money to eventually own their own piece of land and succeed in living the American dream. The withered arm is a short story written by the legendary author John Steinbeck. It is set is Wessex (the south west of England) and is based around four main characters; Rhoda Brook, a milkmaid on a dairy, her son, Farmer Lodge, the owner of the dairy and father to Rhoda Brooks child and Gertrude Lodge, the young wife of Farmer Lodge. All of these characters feel isolated due to their social status yet between them there is an unfortunate set of events involving witchcraft, superstition and death About the authors-John Steinbeck John Steinbeck grew up in California in the early 1900’s. There he attended school, university and worked on a ranch. This is where he got the inspiration for the short novel ‘Of mice and men’. Working a ranch hand he saw up close and personally the kind of events he speaks of in his book, which is why he is capable of bringing the characters he uses to life. He wrote such other stories as the pearl, the red pony and the moon is down Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy was brought in Dorset in the mid 1800’s. He lived with family in a small cottage and like most children of his generation worked manually from a very young. The inspiration for his short stories and novels came from his grandmother’s tales. He would sit in front of the fire in his home and listen to the ‘old wives tales’ she would tell him. The withered arm is one such memory he has shared with us in his exceptional writings. When Hardy was old enough he moved to London where he lived with electricity, telephoned and other luxuries he had never experienced as a child. Although he came to know London, the lifestyle and the people very well, it was in the past he knew about only from old stories that he chose to base his exceptional tales Show how effectively these stories reflect the times they were set in. Examine character settings and social condition There are several themes to include in this essay, loneliness, dreams, and the role of women. These are just a few of many I will discuss Dreams are an important factor in both stories and I will explain why First of all what is a dream according to the Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopaedic Dictionary, Third Edition a dreams are a Train of thoughts, images, or fancies passing through mind during sleep; Conscious indulgence of fancy, reverie, thing of dream-like beauty, charm, goodness, etc. As it is described above, a dream is something you indulge in, to escape momentarily from life. This seems to be the context that John Steinbeck intended his characters in Of Mice and Men to dream in. The role of dreams in of mice and men is incredibly important. After the Wall Street crash hundreds of men became unemployed and had to travel around working as ranch hands for a bit of cash. And most of these people had what is known as the great American dream, to own their own bit of land where they can live work and be proud of, something they could call their own. These ranch hands or ‘bindle stiffs’ as they became known had nothing apart from what they could carry in their bindle. All their earthly possessions were kept wrapped in a piece of cloth and had to be light enough so that they could walk around with it where ever they went. George shared the great American dream and believed that one day he would be able to achieve it. Lenny was incredibly simple minded and forgetful, much like a young child. He only remembered what he wanted to remember which in his case was â€Å"tending the rabbits† and live with George on their own piece of land. When we are first introduced to George and Lenny’s dream it is clear that they have spoken of it many a time before. Lenny shows the excitement of an eager child on Christmas morning just at the thought of being in the place he so longed to be. To us their dream sounds very simple but for them if it was to happen it would literally be a dream come true, this is the section from where we are first introduced to the dream; â€Å"Some day – we’re gonna get a jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of an’ a cow and some pigs and—-â€Å" â€Å"An’ live of the fatta the lan† Lenny shouted. â€Å"An’ have rabbits. Go on George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and the rain in the winter and the stove, and thick cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.† â€Å"Why’n’t you do it yourself. You know all of it.† No. . . you tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on . . . George. How I get to tend the rabbits.† â€Å"Well,† said George. â€Å"We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof-Nuts!† The key line in that section is when Lenny says â€Å"An’ live of the fatta the lan† That sentence rounds up the great American dream, to be able to live on your own land and look after yourself. Lenny, with his child-like mentality, believes whatever he hears, so when George tells him that they will really get their own land, he believes with all his heart. To Lenny, the question is not if, but when: â€Å"George, how longà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s it gonna be till we get that little place anà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ live on the fatta the lanà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ – anà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ rabbits?† However George is really keeping Lenny sweet because he knows how difficult and unlikely fulfilling the dream would. That is why he shows so much surprise in the bunk-house when candy gets involved and eventually says; â€Å"S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?† George was very defensive at first but eventually adapted to the idea. The section goes on; they fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, â€Å"Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her† The line underlined in that section is extremely important because however much George and Lenny spoke of this dream, unlike Lenny, George new the likelihood of it actually happening was extremely improbable but now he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. This dream had been based on a kind of fantasy, the way a 10 year old boy fantasises of playing football for England, you always think about but never expect it to happen, and George shock and delight in their new found wealth to put towards this home is clear when he says reverently â€Å"Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her.† Candy does not seem to have a dream until he meets George and Lenny. He is swept up in the plausible reality of this dream, a dream he would probably be too scared to initiate by himself. Candy is not happy with his life on the ranch, but he doesn’t think that there is anything that he can do but now the three men really have something to aim for which is within reasonable sight, they are expecting a dream come true George and Lenny’s dream is the most potent throughout Of Mice and Men but it isn’t the only one Curleys wife’s dream was to be in the movies and star in a Hollywood epic as is shown when she says; â€Å"Nother time a met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside dance palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.† She looked closely at Lenny to see if she was impressing him. â€Å"I never got that letter,† She said. â€Å"I always thought my ol’ lady stole it. Well I wasn’t gonna stay no place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Whether or not the letter was sent she stood by her dream and wouldn’t accept that she might not have made it on to the silver screen. Also Crooks, the coloured stable buck made a point of his a dream, the thing he wanted above any thing else was companionship and equal rights. This is shown when he speaks to Lenny whilst the others are in town. In this conversation his jealousy of Lenny’s race, and of his relationship with George are quite clearly shown. This is what he says; â€Å"George can tell you screwy things and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking. It’s just bein’ with another guy. That’s all.† He Paused His voice grew soft and persuasive. â€Å"S’pose George don’t come back no more. S’pose George went into town to-night and you never heard him no more.† Crooks pressed forward in some kind of private victory. â€Å"Just s’pose that.† He repeated Crooks goes on â€Å"torturing† Lenny speaking about George not coming back until Lenny goes on the offensive and questions Crooks. When Crooks senses he could be in danger he backs off and goes on to say â€Å"Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go in to the bunk-house and play rummy ’cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose 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. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him.† He whined. â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,† he cried. â€Å"I tell ya a guy gets too lonely, an’ he gets sick Crooks speaks to opens his heart to Lenny even though he said he didn’t even want him there, but that last speech shows Crooks’ envy for what George and Lenny have and how his dream is to be around people and be cast aside just because he â€Å"Just some nigger†. This envy however comes out at first in anger, which also shows the jealousy coming through for what the two friends have In the withered arm John Steinbeck reflects the time his novel is set in through the implication of dreams through different characters. George and Lenny have the great American dream which was shared by millions during the depression, Curleys wife dreams of being a movie star, and as the film industry really kicked off during the time this book is set in and crook’s dream is that of the coloured man during this time in history, to have equal rights and companionship In the withered arm dreams are also extremely important but some are shown are shown in a completely different way to the dreams in Of Mice and Men. When talking of dreams in The Withered Arm you have to discuss the dream, which the story is based around, Rhoda Brooks dream. Rhoda was a milkmaid on an â€Å"eighty cow dairy† And was well known around her small community for two things, one was her affair with Farmer Lodge, the wealthy land owner, which left here with a child, and number two for the rumours spread by the villagers about her usage of unnatural powers and performing rituals etc. using witchcraft. These rumours came from her involvement with a man by the name of conjurer Trendle, a wizard if you will. Now Farmer Lodge had, since his affair with Rhoda Brook, betrothed a beautiful young women named Gertrude and obviously after her marriage to Farmer Lodge became known as Gertrude Lodge. Rhoda Brook initially hated Gertrude Lodge with a purpose. She would send her son to get a look at her to find out whether she was pretty and kind etc. She was basically extremely jealous of Gertrude’s youth and beauty and was envious of her marrying the Father of her son. In Rhoda Brooks dream she is visited by Gertrude Lodge, only not by the Gertrude Lodge that had married Farmer Lodge but by an older distorted Gertrude Lodge. This is an extract from the story describing the dream; But the figure which had occupied her so much during this and the previous days was not to be banished at night. For the first time Gertrude Lodge visited the supplanted women in her dreams. Rhoda Brook dreamed – since her assertion that she really saw, before falling asleep, was not to be believed – that the young wife, in the pale silk dress and white bonnet, but with features shockingly distorted, and wrinkled by age, was sitting upon her chest as she lay. The pressure of Mrs. Lodge’s person grew heavier; the blue eyes peered cruelly into her face; and then the figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhoda’s eyes. Maddened mentally, and nearly suffocated by pressure, the sleeper struggled; the incubus, still regarding her, withdrew to the foot of the bed, only, however, to come forward by degrees, resume her seat, and flash her left hand as before. Gasping for breath, Rhoda, in a last desperate effort, swung out her right hand, seized the confronting spectre by its obstructive left arm, and whirled it backward towards the floor, starting up herself as she did so with a low cry â€Å"O, merciful heaven!† she cried, sitting on the edge of the bed in a cold sweat; â€Å"that was not a dream – she was here!† She could feel her antagonists arm within her grasp even now – the very flesh and bone of it, as it seemed. This dream shows the Rhoda Brooks hatred is pure jealousy of Gertrude’s relationship with farmer Lodge and of her youthful looks. In the dream the way the spectre flashed the wedding ring at Rhoda showed a great deal if envy and resentment for what Gertrude has. And also how Gertrude is disfigured shows that even though Gertrude is a pretty young woman to everyone else, Rhoda sees her as a disfigured old hag. During the 1800’s children born through unmarried parents were looked down upon, well not so much the children as the parents, but as Farmer Lodge owned the land where most villagers lived and worked Rhoda was the one who was isolated because if it. Although the book describes Rhoda Brook as a â€Å"faded woman on thirty† and as a woman of â€Å"well defined features with a large frame I would imagine fro her to have a relationship with Framer Lodge she would have had too have been a beautiful, popular young woman in her late teens early twenties and because of rejection from her Childs father and her community she had become less attractive and more worn, and this dream made Gertrude the older, unattractive woman. But still she had the ring on and still she had the love of Farmer Lodge. Although this dream left Rhoda brook shaken she wasn’t overly bothered about it until the day Gertrude appeared at her front door and showed her a strange mark which she had discovered on her left arm. Gertrude said she awoke with the problem two weeks ago when the clock struck two. In naming the night and the hour Rhoda Brook had her encounter it looked as if Rhoda’s dream was more than just a dream, after all there were rumours about her using witchcraft. Gertrude Lodge’s dream in The Withered Arm is similar to that of the dreams in of mice and men. She longs to be loved by Farmer Lodge and when she begins looking less attractive she becomes worried and will go to any length to stay beautiful. This reflects the time it was set in because a wealthy man would tend to marry beauty and when this beauty begins to lessen they would become uninterested and move on to someone new. Gertrude makes a point of this in a conversation she has with Rhoda Brook; Rhoda shivered. â€Å"That’s fancy,† she said hurriedly. â€Å"I wouldn’t mind it, if I were you.† â€Å"I shouldn’t so much mind it,† said the younger with hesitation, â€Å"if – if I hadn’t a notion that it makes my husband – dislike me – no, love me less. Men think so much of personal appearance.† â€Å"Some do – he for one.† â€Å"Yes; and he was very proud of mine at first.† â€Å"Keep your arm covered from his sight.† â€Å"Ah – he knows the disfigurement is there!† She tried to hide the tears that fled her eyes. Gertrude just wanted to feel loved and not be cast aside by her husband Thomas Hardy reflects upon the times this short story was set in, just as Steinbeck did, by using characters. The way Farmer Lodge could have women how and when he pleased or until they weren’t as easy on the eye and also how people used to believe in witchcraft. Hardy’s story could have been believed as a true story not much more than a century ago. Loneliness is an extremely important theme throughout both stories. Nearly every character is an outcast in his or her own little way, despite being part of a bigger community. In Of Mice And Men George and Lenny really stand out because they aren’t alone. People during the depression would work a month on a ranch, take their earnings and be on their way. As George said whilst speaking with Lenny; â€Å"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world† And it was true. These ‘Ranch hands’ or ‘Bindle stiffs’ arrived alone, worked alone and left alone. But George and Lenny were different because they travelled around together. George’s conversation with Lenny continued; â€Å"They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake an’ then go inta town an’ blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re pounding their tale on some other ranch. They got nothing to look ahead to† Lenny was delighted. â€Å"That’s it – that’s it. Now tell how it is with us.† George went on. â€Å"With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar-room blowin’ in out jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.† Lenny broke in. â€Å"but not us! An’ why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.† I have underlined â€Å"We got somebody to talk to† because that is an extremely important line. Crooks says to Lenny when talking about loneliness â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†. But George and Lenny are friends and have each other, and although Lenny can be a Burden on George he is glad they are together. They have a kind of father and son relationship, with George the father and Lenny being the son. George knows that Lenny isn’t too bright, he thinks like a child, so the only way George can keep him form â€Å"doin’ bad things† is by keeping him in check the way a father would. There are many examples of this. The first one is when the two men have just escaped from weed and Lenny is drinking the dirty water. George says; â€Å"Lenny! Lenny for god’s sake don’t drink so much.† Lenny continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. â€Å"Lenny. You gonna be sick like you was last night.† George speaks to Lenny firmly like this so he knows he doing something wrong the way a father would but he also does other things similar to a father for example praising him so he knows he’s done something right, like when George tells him not to speak when they get to the ranch. Lenny remembers this so George says â€Å"Good boy. That’s swell. You say that over two, three more times so you wont forget it.† He also brags about Lenny to other people such as when he first speaks to slim about working slim asks if George and Lenny have ever bucked Barley and George replies â€Å"Hell, Yes. I ain’t nothing to scream about, but that big bastard there can put up more grain alone than most pairs can† George feels he has to show Lenny off to new people the way a parent would with their child Some people were suspicious of George and Lenny because they never saw people travelling around together. One person was the boss at the ranch. He grilled George because he thought that George was stealing Lenny’s pay. This is part of their conversation; â€Å"I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him† â€Å"No, ‘course I ain’t. Why ya think I’m selling him out?† â€Å"Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is† This reflects upon the time it was set with most people travelling alone, trusting no one Another lonely character on the ranch is Curley’s wife. Despite the fact she has recently become married to Curley she is isolated on the ranch. Throughout the whole book she isn’t allocated a name, making her out to be on of Curleys possessions like Curleys shoe or Curleys leg. She walks around the ranch heavily made up, with rouge lips and her hair in curls, dressed to impress, apparently looking for Curley but she is just trying to get attention from the Ranch hands. As the only women on the ranch you would expect the men to be all over her but it is the exact opposite, in fact most of them dislike her, they call her â€Å"jail bait†, â€Å"tart† and several other offensive names because they think they se her giving them â€Å"the eye.† When Curley’s wife speaks to Lenny in the barn she tells him all about how lonely she is, she says; â€Å"Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.† Lenny said, â€Å"Well, I ain’t supposed to talk to you or nothin'† â€Å"I get lonely,† she said. â€Å"You can talk to people, but I cant talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody† She has probably grown up quite lonely and only married Curley to get away from home. She tries to get attention by dressing up but when she realises she wont get it she tries talking to Lenny because she knows he wont tell her to go away because she can out talk him. He is very simple and doesn’t like confrontation. Both Curley’s wife and Crooks use Lenny to talk to about their loneliness. It is quite ironic how Curleys wife spent all her time on the ranch look for attention but when she finally got it from asking Lenny to touch her hair she didn’t want it and its what led to her unfortunate death. As Curleys wife was the only woman on the ranch she represented the way women were treated during the period in the same way Crooks was the only coloured man on the ranch. He represented the way an entire race was treated and felt during and before the depression. Crooks is the crippled stable buck, the book describes him as a proud aloof man, and his loneliness came out as anger. In chapter four he speaks to Lenny about how he feels. He is defensive at first but soon opens up and eventually becomes quite friendly. He’s very specific about his rights and shows this when Lenny says â€Å"I seen your light.† Crooks very sharply replies with â€Å"Well I gotta right to have a light. The conversation between Lenny and Crooks spans over several pages but leads up to Crooks saying this; â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, longà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s he’s with you. I tell ya,† he cried. â€Å"I tell ya a guy gets too lonely, an’ he gets sick† He’s happy talking to Lenny because Lenny is simple. He won’t offend him or tell other people what he’s been speaking about and Crook’s is happy to have spoken to someone but when George gets back form town and finds Lenny in the room with Crooks, Crooks soon backs off and becomes defensive again. The other characters on the ranch, Carlson, Curley and Slim are probably lonely just as the rest but the book doesn’t go into too much detail about them but there is one part where a man named Whit finds a magazine article written by someone who used to work on the ranch. He seems very proud of this and shows it off to Slim. It would appear Whit had started to become friends with this person before they left which would have been a real rarity for people on the ranch There is a big part for loneliness in The Withered Arm too Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly switch your attention, by not concentrating on one characters lonely portrayal, but on three, this is of the main characters of Rhoda, Gertrude and the boy. The first three chapters are mainly focused on Rhoda and you instantly recognise how emotionally isolated she is, when the others chat to each other she doesn’t join in, you see how she is different and lonely from the rest, although it doesn’t help when they speak of Farmer Lodge. Since her affair with him she is outcast and although the other women recognise this, they don’t welcome her. The end of the story concludes Rhoda’s loneliness when still no one communicates with her even after the recent death of the son. Rhoda brooks only companion was her son. Much like Curleys wife in of mice and men her son doesn’t have a name, he is known simply as the boy. The boy is also very isolated through no fault of his own. He is like a slave to his mother running errands for her and acting like her spy this is shown very early on when she says; â€Å"They’ve just been saying down in Barton that your father brings his young wife home to-morrow,† the woman observed. â€Å"I shall want to send you for a few things to market, and you’ll be pretty sure to meet ’em. â€Å"Yes mother, â€Å"said the boy. â€Å"Is father married then?† â€Å"Yes†¦. You can give her a look and tell me what she’s like, if you do see her.† â€Å"Yes, mother.† â€Å"If she’s dark or fair, and if she’s tall – as tall as I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The boy responds to Rhoda Brooks every command with yes mother, as if he’d been trained that way. It reminds me slightly of the film Psycho the way he lives with his mother and agrees with her every command. It is no fault of the boy that he is isolated but it is a classic example of the times and even today in a sense, that the townspeople didn’t want their children associating with him because if his background. It is quite ironic that the boy, who spent so much of his life alone, happened to be hung alone The other lonely character in The Withered Arm is Gertrude Lodge. After receiving the unfortunate curse of the withered arm her husband paid her no attention and she became rather isolated. After making the trip with Rhoda Brook to see conjurer Trendle she also, due to what she saw there, stopped speaking with Rhoda. She spent her time waiting for conformation of a hanging so she could get her â€Å"blood turned† and go back to how things used to be. This is when she says; â€Å"O, Lord, hang some guilty or innocent person soon!† It is quite ironic that she should say this due to the fact she wanted someone to be hung so she could continue life the way she wanted it but it turned out to lead to her death Thomas Hardy used loneliness to reflect upon the times the book is set in by basing Gertrude’s loneliness around superstition and witchcraft and Rhoda Brook and the boy’s loneliness around Rhoda’s affair with Farmer Lodge which at the time would have led to rejection from society. Hopefully in this essay I have explained how both stories reflect the times they were set in by pointing out the importance of dreams, loneliness, social class, relationships and role of women. I believe both authors used characters to get their point across about life and mentality at the time and made it clear without actually saying it how much things have changed To conclude I would like to say how both stories are captivating and entertaining but also if you look at them closely enough they can be used as historical references into the way people lived and worked in the times they were set.