Are Eyewitness Identifications Reliable?

Are Eyewitness Identifications Reliable? Eyewitness identifications during identification procedures such as show ups, live line ups and photo line ups are reliable to an extent in the forensic discipline, but are mostly fallible when assisting police with their enquiries regarding suspects and offenders, due to the fact that the reliability is dependent on a variety of factors relating to the memory of the witness and situational context of the crime. There are three types of memories: sensory memory, (â€Å"very short duration for which sense-based information is held post exposure† (Lecture (2015)), short – term memory (â€Å"information that can be stored for approximately thirty second without rehearsal† (Lecture (2015)) and long-term memory (â€Å"the unlimited amount of information that can be stored over a lifetime of rehearsal† (Lecture (2015)). The computer memory model refers to the factors relating to the input of information, the passage of time for which the information is stored an d output of eyewitness information through different types of questioning. The input aspect of the computer memory model can be separated into witness and situation categories which include factors such as stress and age. Stress is a crucial factor when determining the reliability of eyewitness identification as it can diminish the accuracy of the memory and is largely dependent on whether the victim or witness has experienced a violent crime such as an armed robbery or aggravated assault. Research studies have been conducted in the area of stress/arousal, concluding that there is a correlation between high anxiety exposure and errors associated with eyewitness memory. Coinciding with this research finding is the correlation between trait anxiety and a significantly lower frequency in errors associated with eyewitness memory. A research study was conducted by the University of London, investigating the effects of high state anxiety on the participant’s abilities to identify and describe the antagonist from a horror labyrinth present in a line up. This was sparked due to the fact that 215 individuals were acquitted after being falsely imprisoned in the United State of America following the re-opening of cases using DNA from the crime scenes(Valentine and Mesout, (2009), page 151). This â€Å"mistaken eyewitness identification was a cause of the miscarriage of justice, of 75% of these cases† (Valentine and Mesout, (2009), page 151). The study consisted of two sample groups; the first sample group consisted of 20 employees from a retail store whose participation helped legitimize the state anxiety inventory. Each employee’s standard heart rate was monitored and recorded during a brisk seven minute walk prior to entering the labyrinth, once entered the participants encountered a frighteni ng individual before continuing on with the exhibit and completing the state anxiety inventory questionnaire forty five minutes later. This sample proved that there was an increase in heart rate which was caused by psychological arousal when entering the London Dungeon. The eyewitness study group consisted of 56 participants and also encountered the scary person in the labyrinth; similarly they completed the state anxiety questionnaire forty five minutes later and a trait anxiety questionnaire followed by a â€Å"written free call description of the scary person† and a â€Å"cue recall† before rating their confidence after completing an impartial photo line-up consisting of nine individuals. The results of the research study concluded that â€Å"participants who reported lower state anxiety recalled more correct descriptors† (Valentine and Mesout, 2009, page 157), which would obviously indicate that â€Å"people who reported higher state anxiety recalled fewer correct details† (Valentine and Mesout,2009, page 157) of the antagonist. Furthermore, â€Å"participants who reported high state anxiety were less likely to correctly identify the [scary person]† (Valentine and Mesout, 2009, page 158), which is statistically shown as â€Å"only 17% of eyewitness[es] correctly identified the person from a nine-person culprit-present photograph line-up† (Valentine and Mesout, 2009, page 159). Additionally, there is a link between sex and state anxiety suggesting that male eyewitnesses are more accurate in their identification in comparison to their female counter-parts, which could be due to the fact the females experienced higher anxiety levels than males in London Dungeon (Valentine and Mesout, 2009, page 158, 159). However, regardless of the different results between sexes and state anxiety, overall the results clearly indicate that psychological arousal experienced during exposure to high stress situations for both genders, si gnificantly affects the ability of eyewitnesses to recall information and recognize culprits during identification procedures, which diminishes their reliability. Similarly, a field study was also conducted during U.S Army survival school training, which was imperative for gaining optimal research results rather than research studies conducted in laboratories. The investigation was conducted on â€Å"five hundred and nine†¦ active –personnel enrolled in military survival school training† (Morgan et al., 2004, page 3). The participants were separated into four different studies, each focusing on a specific identification procedure when attempting to recognize instructors during simulated high and low stress interrogations during the prisoner of war camp phase of training. Of the 228 participants in the first study group which focused on the live line-up method of identification, 188 participants were interrogated by two instructors while 40 participants were interrogated by one instructor (Morgan et al., 2004). The second study group consisted of 114 subjects which focused on the photo line-up method of identification (Morgan et al., 2004). The third group comprised of 167 participants who focused on the photo line-up method while under high stress and lastly the fourth group focused on the photo line-up identification method while under low stress (Morgan et al., 2004). Following the interrogations and according to the identification method their study group focused on, each participant was required to identify the instructors present in the questioning. The results confirmed the general point of view that by exposing individuals to high stress situations, the subject’s ability to recognize the target person was impaired due to the overwhelming influx of emotions the participant experienced at the time. The data collated suggests that the criminal justice system would benefit substantially in reducing the number of cases of innocently imprisoned individuals, if law enforcement agencies shifted their attention towards the sequential method of eyewitness identification. Statistics indicate that th e sequential photo method is considerably accurate than the live line-up and photo –spread method (Morgan et al., 2004). This is due to that fact that study group 3 and 4 scored the lowest in high stress situations; â€Å"49%†(Morgan et al., 2004, page 8) in their ability to â€Å"correctly identified their interrogator† (Morgan et al., 2004, page 7) , â€Å"100%†(Morgan et al., 2004, page 8 ) in their ability to â€Å"correctly identified that their interrogator was not present in the †¦ sequential presentation of photos† (Morgan et al., 2004, page 7), and recorded fewer errors â€Å"(51%)†(Morgan et al., 2004) in their ability to â€Å"not pick their true interrogator â€Å"(Morgan et al., 2004, page 7), in comparison to study group 1 and 2, who were focusing on alternative identification methods. Furthermore, evidence suggests that eyewitness identifications can be increasingly reliable during high stress situations with the aid of cued photographs (49%)(Morgan et al., 2004, page 9) than without (â€Å"66%†)(Morgan et al., 2004, page 9 ). Nevertheless, regardless of different identification procedures, the reliability of eyewitnesses to recall and recognize the target person under high anxiety is steadily lower compared to low anxiety situations. Like stress, the ability of eyewitnesses to correctly identify the target person during procedures of recognition, is dependent on the age of the witness therefore only reliable to an extent. Most research studies conducted conclude with findings indicating that the ability to accurately identify the culprit is higher among teenagers and young adults, in comparison to middle aged and older adults, as the common conception is that with age comes reduced facial recognition due to impaired memory. However, most of these research studies include young assailants therefore failing to recognise that eyewitness identifications of older adults are reliable to an extent, if the trigger person is of the same age. A research study group conducted two experiments in London, experiment 1 consisted of â€Å"113† [random]†¦Caucasian male† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645) participants, who were inexperienced in identification procedures and were selected from either their â€Å"workplace leisure area or around the university† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645). The subjects were then divided in two sample groups depending on their age, â€Å"between 18 and 25† or†¦ 35 and 55 years old† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645). Both sample groups comprised of approximately half young adults and half middle aged adults, and were assigned to either a â€Å"1-day or [a] â€Å"1-week condition† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645). Participants were required to independently view four videos for which â€Å"two showed a car being stolen [(by one young culprit in the first video and one adult culprit in the second video)] and two showed a television being stolen [(by one young culprit and one adult culprit)]† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645). Volunteers were then required to accurately identify the trigger person in a culprit present photo line-up consisting of â€Å"six fillers and one culprit† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 645), a day or week later. Results collated indicate that middle aged adults assigned to the one day condition find it notably difficult in identifying young offenders, scoring only 24% in the ability to positively identify the younger culprit (Wright Stroud, 2002). Results continued to decline for middle aged adults assigned to the one week condition as they were only 20% accurate in positively identifying the younger culprit in comparison to younger adults, scoring 47% in their accuracy after one day and 29% after one week (Wright Stroud, 2002). However, results indicate that although middle aged adults struggled to accurately identify the young assailant in the one day condition, their ability to positively identify there same age culprit scored 47% in accuracy. Experiment 2 was conducted similarly, although it explored if age biases were present during culprit absent photo line-ups. The study consisted of an additional â€Å"180† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 649) subjects which were divided again into two separate age groups ranging from â€Å"18 and 33 or between 40 and 55 years old† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 649). Researchers also removed the one week condition from the experiment as â€Å"effect size was largest for the 1-day delay† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 649) in the first experiment. Participants viewed the four crime videos again and were then required to accurately identify the trigger person in a culprit present or culprit absent photo line-up. Among both age groups, the accuracy of subjects increased by 10% when the assailant and filler were of the same age of the participant’s during the culprit present line-up (Wright Stroud, 2002) , which was also evident in first experiment. However, during culprit absent photo line-up, the statistics indicated that â€Å"own age biases† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 652) exist only with culprit present photo line-ups due to the fact that middle aged adults won’t â€Å"be more likely than younger participants to identify an innocent young suspect, but they will be more likely to fail to identify a guilty young culprit† (Wright Stroud, 2002, page 652). Similarly, a research study was conducted with broader younger and older age groups, ranging from â€Å"16-33 years and †¦ 60- 82 year[s] [old]† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 44). The study consisted of â€Å"172† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 44) volunteers for which younger participants were selected from their respective â€Å"local colleges† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 44) ,while older participants were selected based on their reply to local flyers in â€Å"local centres, clubs, and societies† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 44). Participants were required to participate in a â€Å"face-source recollection task† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 45) prior to watching two videos for which there was a young offender or older offender engaging in a criminal activity. Subjects were then â€Å"assigned to the delay or immediate test condition [session]† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 46) and took part in â€Å"two line-ups with the perpetrator [either] present or †¦.absent† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 46). They were then subsequently made to repeat the facial recollection task for which participants needed to identify â€Å"old (seen in session 1) or new (not seen in session 1)† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 46) faces. The median statistics of younger versus older adults indicate the same results as of experiment 1 and 2 of the previous article, that overall, younger participants were able to correctly identify the culprit (â€Å".86†) (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 46) regardless of time delay in comparison to older participants (â€Å".49†) (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003,page 46). However, the most notably important relationship of the statistics, is the correlation between the accurate recognition of culprits among both age groups and the â€Å"measure of source recollection derived from a separate face-recognition task† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 43). Results reveal that older adults recorded noticeably poorer on the task thus indicating that â€Å"source-recollection deficits are partially responsible for age-related differences in performance of the line-up task† (Memon, Bartlett, Rose Gray, 2003, page 43). Mistaken identification by eyewitnesses during show up, live line-up and photo line-up procedures, contribute significantly to the number of unjustly imprisoned individuals, some of which (340) have already been executed. Almost all research studies conclude with contradictory evidence to one another however there are clear patterns among results of factors, which influence the reliability of eyewitness recall and recognition. The situational factor of witness stress/psychological arousal, determines the extent for which eyewitness recall are dependable on during testimonies. Exposure to high stress situations, increase state anxiety, which diminishes the dependability of eyewitness memory recall across both genders. Variables such as gender differences also indicate that women in comparison to men are less accurate in their ability to identify and describe the trigger person. However, the assistance of cued photographs during sequential photo method identification procedures, have p roven to increase accuracy of descriptors and facial recognition of the perpetrator, which if implemented across the criminal justice system, would increase the reliability of eyewitness identifications along with reducing the number of innocently imprisoned citizens. Strict guidelines for unbiased questioning during eyewitnesses interviews, would also reduce suggestibility and implanted false memories. The most contradictory research evidence stems from the accuracy of younger and older eyewitnesses. Although studies generally show that younger adults are more accurate in either identifying or describing culprits, these studies fail to recognise that to an extent, that younger adults are only higher in their accuracy rates, due to the fact that young culprits are mostly used across all studies. Eyewitness reliability in terms of age was dependant on a variety of factors. Firstly, experiments conducted have shown that there is a correlation between higher accuracy results of older adults and their ability to identify same age (older) culprits in target present line-ups. Secondly, time also played a crucial factor as accuracy of both age groups were dependant on short or long delays in recognition, with older participants decreasing in accuracy with increasing time. However overall, younger participants were slightly more accurate regardless of age difference and time delay. This wou ld indicate that immediate questioning and identification procedures would increase the accuracy of identifications for older eyewitnesses. By Mathew Franczak References Wright, D., Stroud, J. (2002). Age differences in lineup identification accuracy: People are better with their own age. Law And Human Behavior, 26(6), 641-654. doi:10.1023/a:1020981501383 Valentine, T., Mesout, J. (2009). Eyewitness identification under stress in the London Dungeon. Appl. Cognit. Psychol., 23(2), 151. doi:10.1002/acp.1463 Morgan, C., Hazlett, G., Doran, A., Garrett, S., Hoyt, G., Thomas, P. et al. (2004). Accuracy of eyewitness memory for persons encountered during exposure to highly intense stress. International Journal Of Law And Psychiatry, 27(3), 265-279. doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2004.03.004 Memon, A., Bartlett, J., Rose, R., Gray, C. (2003). The Aging Eyewitness: Effects of Age on Face, Delay, and Source-Memory Ability. The Journals Of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, 58(6), P338-P345. doi:10.1093/geronb/58.6.p338 The Mitochondria: Structure, Functions and Reactions The Mitochondria: Structure, Functions and Reactions Mitochondria are rod-shaped structures that are enclosed within two membranes the outer membrane and the inner membrane. The membranes are made up of phospholipids and proteins. The space in between the two membranes is called the inter-membrane space. The structure of the various components of mitochondria are as follows: The outer membrane is a relatively simple phospholipid bilayer, containing protein structures called porins. Ions, nutrient molecules, ATP, ADP, etc. can pass through the outer membrane with ease. The inner membrane is freely permeable only to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water. Its structure is highly complex, including all of the complexes of the electron transport system, the ATP synthetase complex, and transport proteins. There are folds present which are organized into lamillae (layers), called the cristae. The cristae greatly increase the total surface area of the inner membrane which makes room for many more of the above-named structures than if the inner me mbrane were shaped like the outer membrane. The membranes create two compartments. The intermembrane space is the region between the inner and outer membranes. It has an important role in the primary function of mitochondria, which is oxidative phosphorylation. The matrix is a complex mixture of enzymes that are important for the synthesis of ATP molecules, special mitochondrial ribosomes, tRNAs and the mitochondrial DNA. Besides these, it has oxygen, carbon dioxide and other recyclable intermediates. In glycolysis, what type of reactions do hexokinase and phosphofructokinase catalyze? In general, what is the importance of these reactions or in other words what makes them unique in the glycolysis pathway? The first step in glycolysis is phosphorylation of glucose by a family of enzymes called hexokinases to form glucose 6-phosphate (G6P). This reaction consumes ATP, but it acts to keep the glucose concentration low, promoting continuous transport of glucose into the cell through the plasma membrane transporters. In addition, it blocks the glucose from leaking out because the cell lacks transporters for G6P. Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a glycolytic enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible transfer of a phosphate from ATP to fructose-6-phosphate. Because this reaction is irreversible, PFK is the key regulatory enzyme for glycolysis. When ATP levels are high in the cell, the cell no longer needs metabolic energy production to occur. In this case, PFKs activity is inhibited by allosteric regulation by ATP itself, closing the valve on the flow of carbohydrates through glycolysis. In general, how are fats and proteins utilized during cellular metabolism? Proteins contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen , and sometimes other atoms. They form the cellular structural elements, are biochemical catalysts, and are important regulators of gene expression . Digestion breaks protein down to amino acids. If amino acids are in excess of the bodys biological requirements, they are metabolized to glycogen or fat and subsequently used for energy metabolism. If amino acids are to be used for energy their carbon skeletons are converted to acetyl CoA, which enters the Krebs cycle for oxidation, producing ATP. The final products of protein catabolism include carbon dioxide, water, ATP, urea, and ammonia. What two molecules combine in the TCA cycle to form Citrate? Where did each precursor molecule come from? The Citric Acid cycle begins with acetyl-CoA transferring its two-carbon acetyl group to the four-carbon acceptor compound called oxaloacetate to form a six-carbon compound called citrate. Acetly-CoA is created when from the reaction of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Oxaloacetate is created from a combination of pyruvate carboxylase and Malate dehydrogenase. Would you expect to find the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in an anaerobic bacterium? Explain why or why not and explain what task this complex performs. Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is a complex of three enzymes that transform pyruvate into acetyl-CoA by a process called pyruvate decarboxylation which involves the oxidation of pyruvate. Since anaerobic bacterium only exists in oxygen-free environments you would not expect them to contain this complex. What are high energy electrons and what is represented by an oxidation-reduction potential? Using this knowledge briefly explain the importance of Figure 5.14 and the role of the high energy electrons carried by NADH and FADH2 in the creation of ATP. Why are the electron transport chain complexes referred to as proton pumps? Electron transport chains are biochemical reactions that produce ATP. ATP is made by an enzyme called ATP synthase. ATP synthase is powered by a transmembrane proton gradient, which conduct protons from high to low concentration across the membrane. In essence working to pump protons through a proton channel which temporarily opens in the inner membrane How are NADH and FADH2 different when it comes to interacting with the ETC? NADH+H+ arrives from Stage II of carbohydrate metabolism or Stage III (TCA cycle) to the ETC and immediately oxidizes to NAD+ with its protons (hydrogen ions) going into the matrix and its electrons (e-) going to cytochrome complex 1. As the electrons arrive on cyctrochrome complex 1 the complex immediately goes through redox (reduction and oxidation). This reaction creates a proton pump within the cytochrome, pumping some protons from the matrix through the cytochrome into the intermembrane space. The electrons now transfer to mobile carrier Q and NAD+ returns to its original source. FADH2 arrives from the TCA cycle to the ETC and goes directly to cytochrome mobile carrier Q. FADH2 oxidizes to FAD with its protons going into the matrix and its electrons going to mobile carrier Q. Mobile carrier Q shuttles the electrons from FADH2 (and from cytochrome 1) to cytochrome complex 2. The electrons are transferred to cytochrome complex 2 and it immediately goes through redox (reduction and oxidation). This creates a proton pump, pumping protons from the matrix through cytochrome complex 2 directly into the intermembrane space of the mitochondrion. FAD returns to the TCA cycle. What does the proton-motive force represent (you dont need to explain the formula)? A proton-motive force represents the energy that is generated by the transfer of protons or electrons across an energy-transducing membrane. Describe the structure of ATP synthase and the binding change hypothesis of mitochondrial ATP production. ATP synthase is made up of two portions, F1 and F0. The FO portion is within the membrane of the mitochnodria and the F1 portion is above the membrane, inside the matrix of the mitochondria. The binding change mechanism involves the active site of a ÃŽÂ ² subunit cycling between three states. In the open state, ADP and phosphate enter the active site. The protein then closes up around the molecules and binds them loosely the loose state. The enzyme then undergoes another change in shape and forces these molecules together, with the active site in the resulting tight state binding the newly-produced ATP molecule with very high affinity. Finally, the active site cycles back to the open state, releasing ATP and binding more ADP and phosphate, ready for the next cycle of ATP production. Describe the structure of a chloroplast and give a brief summary of its evolutionary origin. The chloroplast is the organelle where photosynthesis occurs in photosynthetic eukaryotes. The organelle is surrounded by a double membrane. Inside the inner membrane is a complex mix of enzymes and water. This is called stroma and is important as the site of the dark reactions, more properly called the Calvin cycle. Within in the stroma is a network of stacked sacs. Each stack is called a granum and each of the flattened sacs which make up the granum is called a thylakoid. Each thylakoid has a series of photosystems and associated proteins. The photosystems contain chlorophyll and other pigments and all these associated structures in the thylakoid membrane are the site for the light reactions in which light energy is converted to chemical energy needed for the Calvin cycle in the dark reaction. Chloroplasts are believed to have arisen as free living bacteria that became endosymbiont with the ancestors of photosynthetic eukaryotes. An endosymbiont is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism. Briefly describe the experiment performed by Ruben and Kamen and describe what this experiment helped to prove. Ruben and Kamen bombarded graphite in the cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator,in hopes of producing a radioactive isotope of carbon that could be used as a tracer in investigating chemical reactions in photosynthesis. Their experiment resulted in production of carbon-14. What is the photosynthetic role of the light-harvesting antenna pigments? In photosynthetic systems a variable number of pigments act as light-harvesting antenna to absorb and direct solar energy to photochemical reaction centers. The effectiveness of the reaction centers depends on the efficient transfer of excitation energy from these antenna molecules. In plants, what are photosystems, what is the significance of the primary P680 and P700 pigments, and how do these fit into the Z scheme arrangement depicted in Figure 6.10 of your text? Photosystems are protein complexes that are found in the thylakoid membranes of plants. They are involved in photosynthesis as enzymes which use light to reduce molecules. There are two families of photosystems. Within photosystem type 1 is the P700 reaction center. Its absorption spectrum peaks at 700 nm. When photosystem I absorbs light, an electron is excited to a higher energy level in the P700 chlorophyll. These electrons are moved in pairs in an oxidation/reduction process from P700 to electron acceptors. Within photosystem type II is the P680 reaction center. Its absorption spectrum peaks at 680nm. What is photolysis and what is its significance during photosynthesis? Photolysis is defind as the splitting or decomposition of a chemical compound by means of light energy or photons. Photolysis is the part of photosynthesis that occurs in the granum of a chloroplast where light is absorbed by chlorophyll, turned into chemical energy, and used to split apart the oxygen and hydrogen in water. The oxygen is released as a byproduct while the reduced hydrogen acceptor makes its way to the second stage of photosynthesis, the Calvin cycle. What is photophosphorylation and how is this accomplished by PSII and PSI? Photophosphorylation is the production of ATP using the energy of sunlight. In photophosphorylation, light energy is used to create a high-energy electron donor and a lower-energy electron acceptor. Electrons then move spontaneously from donor to acceptor through an electron transport chain. When a special chlorophyll molecule of PSII absorbs a photon, an electron in this molecule attains a higher energy level. Because this state of an electron is very unstable, the electron is transferred from one to another molecule creating a chain of redox reactions, called an electron transport chain (ETC). The electron flow goes from PSII to cytochrome b6f to PSI. In PSI the electron gets the energy from another photon. The final electron acceptor is NADP. Cytochrome b6f and ATP synthase are working together to create ATP. This process is called photophosphorylation What is the function of Rubisco? In the Calvin Cycle of photosynthesis, the enzyme rubisco grabs CO2 and incorporates it into RuBP (commonly called carbon fixation). The cycle continues until one G3P is made; a precursor to glucose. What is the usefulness or function of the the 12 GAP molecules produced by the fixation of 6 CO2 molecules via the Calvin cycle? The function is for the manufacturing of carbohydrates What is the function of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and what advantage is given to plants that contain this enzyme? Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase is an enzyme in the family of carboxy-lyases that catalyzes the addition of CO2 to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form the four-carbon compound oxaloacetate. Carbon fixation via PEP carboxylase assimilates the available CO2 into a four-carbon compound (oxaloacetate, which is further converted to malate) that can be stored or shuttled between plant cells. This allows for a separation of initial CO2 fixation by contact with air and secondary CO2 fixation into sugars by RuBisCO during the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis. In succulent CAM plants adapted for growth in very dry conditions, PEP carboxylase fixes CO2 during the night when the plant opens its stomata to allow for gas exchange. During the day time, the plant closes the stomata to preserve water and releases CO2 inside the leaf from the storage compounds produced during the night. This allows the plants to thrive in dry climates by conducting photosynthesis without losing water through open stomata during the day.

How Is Curley Presented by Steinbeck in of Mice and Men

Curley is one of ‘Of Mice and Men’s’ major characters. Although he does not appear to hold a central role, he is very important in other respects. The first of these is the way in which he treats George and Lennie, and the ranch workers in general on the ranch. Curley is the boss’ son. Therefore he acts like he is the boss himself. He orders the others around, and, although it is true that he does hold some power on the ranch, he does not hold any respect from the workers.He is nasty towards them, treating as though they are them below him, and often trying to pick fights. Curley is disliked by pretty much everyone on the ranch, and with good reason. George immediately dislikes his hostility, and shows the same attitude in return. He himself says â€Å"I hate that kind of a guy† as soon as he has and warns Lennie to â€Å"have nothing to do with him†. Even Curley’s own wife dislikes him, sarcastically saying â€Å"swell guy, ainâ€℠¢t he† when told to talk to him by Candy. Furthermore, Candy, although not directly airing his dislike mentions the he is â€Å"handy.God damn handy. † The way in which Candy says this hints towards his dislike for Candy being on account of his aggressive nature and hostility, rather than simply being due to his nastiness. His desire to fight with people all the time shows two things. Firstly, it shows inferiority complex: Curley is short, and therefore is constantly trying to be better than â€Å"big guys†. Secondly, it shows his aggression. Curley holds a fighting stance when he first encounters George and Lennie: â€Å"his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists.He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. † According to Candy, Curley is an amateur boxer and is always picking fights, especially with guys who are bigger than he is. Ultimately, Curley is trying to prove his masculinity. Another way in which Curley can be seen as t rying to prove himself is by marrying a physically attractive woman. His wife is never given a name, but by calling her â€Å"Curley's wife,† Steinbeck indicates she is his possession. Curley refuses to let her talk to anyone on the ranch, isolating her from everyone and setting the stage for trouble.This trouble happens in Section 3, where he accuses Slim of being with his wife and is completely wrong. He is ganged up on by the ranch workers, and picks on Lennie in order to vent his anger at being picked on. This turns out to be a mistake. Lennie quickly crushes his hand, and Curley has to be taken to the hospital. Luckily for George and Lennie, Slim comes to there aid, telling Curley â€Å"your hand got caught in a machine†. He makes a big show of keeping his hand soft to caress her, yet also visits the local whorehouse on Saturday night.While he may strut around the ranch because of his position as the boss' son, he obviously cannot satisfy his wife and is mean, or perhaps simply detached from her. Curley beats up any man who dares to talk to her, but ironically, he rarely talks to her himself, and they spend the majority of the book looking for each other. When Curley’s wife dies, Curley, rather than showing the reaction that would be expected of a man whose wife has just been killed. He does not appear to grieve at all in any way, barely looking at the body, or regarding the her death into his immediate future plans.Instead, his first thought is towards seeking revenge and hunting down Lennie. It is perhaps this moment in the novel which epitomises the way in which Curley is aggressive, nasty, and shows no concern for anyone else apart from himself. All of this seems to be negative however. Surely Steinbeck didn’t present Curley in a poor light? Well, there may some positive aspects to Curley, or perhaps those which are not entirely bad. Firstly, he does appear to show some care for his wife. He is constantly looking for her, a nd appears to try and protect her.Although she is more of a possession to him than a person, he is clearly proud of her, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Also, Curley is a good worker. He is one of the best on the ranch, having grown up there, and this shows in his care for his work. Unlike most of the other characters, Curley doesn’t develop much over the course of the book, but he stands out as a character with whom Steinbeck does not sympathise. Whilst everyone else is struggling, Curley’s busy picking fights and trying to throw his weight around on his dad’s ranch. He seems to be outside of the economic struggle and even the personal struggle of the Depression.Curley’s the kind of person that is needed in contrast to the mild peacefulness of the other characters. Also, someone is needed to be the source of trouble among the men of the ranch who mostly want to get along. In conclusion, if Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men' as being a microcosm o f American society, then Curley represents one clear type of person. This is all the men in the country at the time who are petty and embittered, who wish to appear better than all of the others. He acts as a sort of control variable, whose actions and reactions can almost always be predicted, because he is such a simple shallow person.

Analysis Of Oedipus The King Is The Concept Of Predestination

1. One element that I have learned from the Greek Drama Oedipus the King is the concept of predestination. Throughout the play, this idea that a person’s destiny is already predetermined for them was clearly emphasized. Even when Oedipus tried to run away from his destiny, by the end of the play he fulfilled the foretold prophecy. This way of thinking made me draw a conclusion about how the culture of the Greeks were. Based off the play, I drew the conclusion that the Greeks highly revered their gods because they deeply believed that their life rest within the hands of their gods. Most of the people of Greece must have tried to live a holy and acceptable life to please their gods while others lived per their liking. Another element that I learned was from the Russian piece The Cherry Orchard. An aspect of Russian culture was noticeable while reading. Finding humor within the thought of a suicide was very foreign yet was still an interesting piece of culture. From this aspect, one could say that most Russians must not fear death as much as other countries. Nonetheless it is still an interesting part of their culture. 2. In the anecdote of Noah and the flood, the roles that Noah plays are that of a leader and as a savior indirectly. While he was constructing his ark, he constantly told the Israelites of the impending flood or wrath of God yet the people continued to mock him and ridicule his wisdom. Noah may not have been a savior to the Israelites but he can be depicted as aShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King As A Tragic Hero Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesConsidered one of the greatest dramas of all time, Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King follows the tragic life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Considered a Satyr play, the Oedipus trilogy is perhaps the most famous of Sophocles’ plays. Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed somewhere around 429 BC in Athens, Greece. Originally, the Greeks referred to the play as simply â€Å"Oedipus,† as that was what Aristotle referred to it as in the Poetics. Perhaps what makes this play so memorableRead MoreThe Role of Irony and Fate in Oedipus The King by Sophocles2933 Words   |  12 PagesPlague and Health Another major theme in Oedipus the King deals with the ideas of plague and health. This theme can be taken as both literal, but metaphorical as well. This theme is literal in the sense that there is a genuine plague affecting Thebes. The health in Thebes only occurs at the end of the play when the plague has disappeared and after Oedipus blinds himself. While others may have let the plague take its course, Oedipus decided to consult the oracle in Delphi, after seeing his peopleRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesLine 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial Characteristics

Negatives And Negatives Of Technology Essay - 1651 Words

Positive/Negatives Effects of Technology In today’s society technology, has taken over by having a cell phone, IPad, video games, computers, the internet, and television, etc. Technology can have a positive impact on us because we can communicate with each other and have some fun time for ourselves. Technology can also have a negative impact because we would rather communicate by texting and not actually talking to each other face to face. As for children, they would rather entertain themselves by playing inside and not go outside to play with other children. Technology has a big impact in on society and many of us don’t know what we will do without technology. Many of us don’t realize the level of impact, that technology has on us in our daily lives. Technology has increased our environment for having electricity in our homes and not like the old days, when people had to use candles in their homes to see in the dark. It has increased our living standards in our houses with new fancy equipment’s we have in our houses. All these newer homes that are built have dish washers, so you can put your dishes and the machine washes them for you. We have washer and dryers that help us to wash our clothes instead of doing it by hand, like the old days. Cell phones have solved our problems with our communication because we can stay in touch with our friends and family, to see how they been. We don’t really have to send post cards as often to communicate and keep in touch with our friendsShow MoreRelatedNegative Technology1285 Words   |  6 PagesIn this generation some of the most notable and impactful inventions have been the innovative technology that now resides as common household items. Some of these most notable pieces of technology are the computer, the cellphone, and the multitude of video game consoles. These pieces of technology have become so common and apparent that they are seen nearly everywhere. Today people show no issue using their cellphone whether they are walking to a destination, hanging out at home, or waiting in aRead MorePositives And Negatives Of Technology1037 Words   |  5 PagesThe purpose of this research is to identify the positives and negatives of technology. Those positive and negatives in clude healthcare, jobs, education, and the environment. The aspects of technology are rapidly changing forcing us worldwide to adapt to those changes. The study concludes that technology could harm out environment with possible pollution in the air and could potentially lead to job loss in the future. The larger technology becomes workers are increasing their productivity, but medianRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Technology1541 Words   |  7 PagesJust a few decades ago, the technology we have today were merely ideas in science fiction novels or gadgets seen in a futuristic movie. There is no doubt that technology use has increased dramatically within this decade and these numbers may continue to rise as technology becomes more available to the public. Technology is slowly taking over our life and so many people have grown up surrounded by technology that a life without it is pretty much unimaginable. As technology becomes a bigger part of ourRead MoreNegative Impact Of Technolo gy760 Words   |  4 PagesLange once said, â€Å"Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.† I deem this to be a pertinent quote in regards to society nowadays. Whenever my mother and I have conversations about her childhood, the biggest difference I notice between her upbringing and mine is the impact technology has had. Even though the advancement of technology has presented an abundance of benefits, I can not overlook the negative impact it has, and will continue to have. Some of these negative effects include: anRead MoreNegative Effects Of Technology1503 Words   |  7 PagesUsage of technology varies amongst different age groups, often used for productive means, but there is also a negative side of technology usage. With the advancement of technology, technology is considered to be survival tools for humans, such as to make life easier and to be extra productive. Moreover, Adults harness the power of technology to solve complex problems, usually this can only be done with the aid of a computer. Another arena of technology use is for school, both, parents and teachersRead MoreNegatives About Technology887 Words   |  4 Pagesourselves, we also created something that slowly takes over humans’ world, technology. Technology is what human’s endeavor to make our lives convenient. Along with the development of human beings, technology is one of the shiniest stars in the human history. The impacts that technology brings to humans are controversial. Some people believe that technology provides a higher living standard. However, in my opinion, technology has a negative effect on human behavior because it keeps human away from the â€Å"real†Read MoreThe Negative Effects Of Technology1296 Words   |  6 Pages Technology is a key factor in how the economy flows, and is a very important part of a typical person’s daily life. The use of technology over the years has increased by a very large amount. Technology is a part of everyone’s daily life. It is used in the classrooms, offices, automobiles, and just about anywhere that comes to mind. There are many positive effects of technology, but there are also many negative effects. The use of such technology makes everything more simple. Factories, for exampleRead MoreNegative Effects Of Technology841 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology is everywhere. Technology makes learning in classrooms easier and more interactive, it also helps kids find creativity in making and designing things online. It helps enhance a students thinking too. Yet, several scientist have shown that technology is just as addictive as drugs and harming to your health, and not just your health, it breaks away relationships you have made with others. Technology tears apart peoples relationships leaving them addicted and alone. If someone whoRead MoreThe Negative Impact Of Technology929 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology is the all-encompassing applications used to advance society throughout history. Technology has been largely expanded upon in the past few generations of society. From smart phones to artificial intelligence, technology has infiltrated daily life and taken on various forms, which is commonly believed to benefit American society. However, these innovations have come at a cost, negatively affecting struggling and vulnerable populations. Technology has negatively affected society by dividingRead MoreNegative Effects Of Technology1022 Words   |  5 PagesTechnology affects every aspect of our lives. We as humans use it every day with little to no thought. Humans are becoming more reliant on the internet and other forms of technology to receive their information and communicate. However, the increase in the use of tec hnology has had a negative effect on humans’ health and development and communication. Technology changes the way we live our daily lives, the way we develop, and the way we communicate. Technology is a double edged sword. The internet