Applying Branding Techniques Essay

Introduction The Brand Techniques simulation is based on cosmetic company’s building of a new brand. Ca’Shara is a United States based cosmetic manufacturer and marketer of skin care, hair care, and make-up. Ca’Shara has an established brand presence and known for quality products. The recent consumer interest in natural products has made Ca’Shara management decide to cater to this segment of the cosmetic market. The company has decided on a 5,000 year old health care system from India called Ayurveda. As the newly appointed Brand Manager, I will be responsible for building the new brand Three executives gave their expert advice in the decision making process throughout the simulation exercise. They were Tina Trotter, Head of Sales; Monique Knight, Brand Consultant; and Jim Reding, Country Manager. Perceptual Map The simulation give the psychographic profile of the Ayurvedic customer as Caucasian to African American, age 18-35 with an income of $50,000 or higher. The consumer survey shows the customer base largely holistic and classy with a combined 55%. Meaning they like the natural base products and exclusive products. The principles of Ayurveda are explained as the Three Doshas. This is important to understand because it shows the three skin types the new brand will target. This will be dry, oily, and irritable. The brand position choice made was high on both holistic and classy and titled Enduring Secrets from the East. This was incorrect. The correct choice was high holistic and low classy. Correct title is Perfect balance, mind and body. The reason for the choice was because of the psychographic percentages only contained a slim difference in weighted value. I didn’t realize this choice meant the brand would need to carve out a new niche instead of competing against another company’s products. The choice made meant the perception of the product would be set as a lofty, unreachable goad of  perfect in every way alleviating all concerns and possible disadvantages. Brand Name, Logo, & Slogan Two choices were made correctly using the focus group information. The brand name chosen was Natural Balance because it aligned with the brand positioning. Logo number 2 was chosen because of the market survey’s information. The logos green color and curves match the preferences of the focus groups. The shape gives the feel of feminine soft. The slogan of A Return to Nature was chose, but was not the best choice as it was similar to a competitor’s slogan. This choice doesn’t allow the brand to stand alone and differentiate itself in the market. It could dilute the brands identity. According to Cron.com the choosing of a name, logo, and slogan are nearly as important as the products sold. â€Å"If you choose your name and logo well, they will stay in your customers’ minds and remind them of the value your company offers. In fact, a well-chosen name and logo can help you to stand out amount the competition. Your customers will instantly think of your memorable business name and logo whenever they are in the market for your products or services.† For this very reason, the slogan that is similar to another like product is a grave error. Brand Associations- The Final Look Now we are down to choosing the brand associations. Who will promote and what events or causes will be align our brand with? The focus groups chose Maria Switzer as the spokesperson. They also pointed to two functions of interest, Partner with GreenEco and providing grants to women’s trust funds. These choices used $27,300 of the allotted $34,000. Total cost of these choices is $327,000 and under budget. It makes sense for a product that is built around natural ingredients to be associated with an environmental group like GreenEco. It also shows the company’s long term commitment to the environment. The choice of providing grants to women’s trust funds is a choice that gives back to the community in a broad spectrum. The customer base can see where they may see benefit locally for the dollars they’ve spent. The choice of Maria Switzer was that of a strong, independent female with her own sense of style. The public’s view of longevity is associated with this individual’s unique persona. Beyond the Simulation The simulation was good about applying the principles of brand positioning, but there are more ways to make your product stand out among similar brands. One additional aspect is to show ownership. The simulation had a spokesperson picked, but customers like to be able to identify an owner. This is true for large and small company’s ability to stand out from the competition. Knowing the face behind the product is important to keeping the consumer engaged. Per the SBA, â€Å"Businesses really thrive when the energy of the owner is there.† A good example was Steve Jobs involvement with Microsoft. Small businesses can equally benefit from the consumer having a face behind the product or service. It lets people know the owner is involved and active with the business. Another way to have stood out was not only the shape of the container, but to have the container recyclable, biodegradable, or refillable would have been a good aspect to have. This would further appeal to the profile of being environmentally friendly and support the GreenEco cause the brand is supporting. The brand in the simulation, Ayurveda, immediately had a sense of well-being and soothing associated with the brand. Not only is it not irritating to the individual’s skin, but the environment too. The brand was immediately associated with everything â€Å"green† in today’s society. Service vs. Tangible product Had the simulation used a service instead of a tangible product application there would have been no real difference. A brand is in the minds of the consumer. It is setting or understanding their perception of the product or service offered. Conclusion The simulation was an excellent tool in learning and applying the branding techniques. It was only after wrong decisions were made and explained, that I understood why they were incorrect. At that point they seem obviously wrong. Making sure to use the differences of a product or service is the key to finding a niche and making a product stand out among the masses. References Chron, retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/choose-company-name-logo-2348.html SBA retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/10-tips-help-you-build-and-grow-stand-out-small-business-brand

My Personal Philosophy of Early Childhood Education

Belief Statement The home and the early childhood education center happen to be the most important places for the socialization of the child.   As a matter fact, both the home and the early childhood education center are responsible for developing the child – a complete individual.   The child represents the future of my nation and the world at large.   What I want children to be is therefore identical to my vision of an ideal society.   As an early childhood educator, I want to provide the best possible education for my students so they would create the ideal society we all have collectively envisioned. Philosophical Statement All students are capable of learning.   Even so, every child is an individual with learning needs that differ from the needs of his or her peers.   As an early childhood educator it is important to me to teach children with respect to their developmental stage.   At the same time, however, I do not overlook the fact that some of my students could be slower than the rest, while a few may even be gifted.   Nonetheless I would like all my students to get to love learning as much as I do.   For this reason I believe that educators must continue to conduct research on the art and science of teaching, and develop themselves so as to help their students learn as effectively as possible. I further believe that hands-on learning in early childhood education centers is crucial to the development of children.   Human beings learn by doing.   All the same, certain children seem to need more time to reflect on the activities that are assigned in the classroom.   I do not discourage individuality in the classroom, even as I realize that hands-on activities help most students with their social and linguistic skills. In my classroom there are 28 students and the room is not big enough to accommodate center areas.   However, we have made adjustments.   Centers are done at their tables.   Every day, each table does a new center.   (I create 5 per week).   I also have other activities for my students, such as white boards, phonics puzzles, ABC's on cookie sheets, and activities that are exclusively available in dishpans that we refer to as buckets.   When students are done with assigned activities, they get a bucket and find a spot on the floor.   It seems to be working well, as they are learning. I additionally trust the fact that young students need to learn by watching.   I model for my students before we can practice together, after which they complete the activities on their own.   It amazes me how quickly most children are able to learn by watching.   Moreover, it empowers me as an early childhood educator seeing as I am able to influence their thinking in profound ways.   This is the very reason why ethics play a vital role in early childhood education.   Indeed, the early childhood educator must be careful to teach the young only that which he or she would like to experience in the outside world. Raw minds of little children must be nurtured with great gentleness and care.   I consider this a significant issue to discuss with the parents of my students.   After all, early childhood education cannot be complete without the environment that the child is exposed to outside the classroom.   Thus, I am confident that the advice and support of parents helps to make early childhood education more effective.               

Losing Matt Shepard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Losing Matt Shepard - Essay Example When the writer refers to what seemed like a divinely bestowed power, she indicates that Lisa had an edgy charisma, but at that night she deserted Steph as Jim and Lisa witnessed the earliest TV reports. Loffereda observes and documents the multifaceted predicament ignited by media frenzy, the prejudices of Wyoming, fanatic religious organizations and the remaining part of the country. She insists that hysteria in Wyoming begun by the media and extended its sensational spin. Matt’s death is one of the many deaths in that year; nevertheless, his death obtained enormous attention of the media. Jim had the power of forceful, fluent and appropriate speech. The writer describes him as one that can utter a well-expressed blue streak and the quality of a union genius. The murder of Matt induced profound effects on Laramie (Beth 196). This calamity provoked several discussions and attracted the public attention to the position of lesbian and gay community as well as the heads of the discriminated community. Loffreda lays emphasis on the crisis of intolerance and hate for homosexuals that have remained unnoticed by the mass media. I suggest that the murder of Matt should be figured as a revelation of a more complex problem than common

Emergency Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Emergency Management - Essay Example Safety training is a broad course that encompasses knowledge and use of specialized gear, self-defense techniques, environmental hazard studies, site evaluations, rescue operations and staff health and fitness curriculum. The paper delves into each of these topics explaining how each contributes to the improvement of emergency responder’s rescue capabilities and job performance. To what degree does safety training effectively improve emergency responder’s rescue capabilities and job performance? Disasters and emergencies can occur at any time and this requires the emergency responders to be prepared to handle such emergencies. In the United States, emergencies occur on a daily basis and emergency responders are required to answer the calls for help from citizens and take on jobs which have high potential risks. Emergencies can either be single or a series of incidents which cause disruptions in normal activities or threaten human life, property or assets if they are not immediately put under control, stabilized or contained. Emergency responders deal with a range of emergencies from the small scale everyday incidences that affect individuals and families to the large scale disasters which affect nations such as hurricanes, terrorist attacks and earthquakes (La Tourrette, 2003). The response to disasters over the last decade has raised questions regarding the effectiveness and capabilities of emergency responders. The response to emergencies has been found to be wanting. This has raised the need for emergency responders to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge through safety training for them to be effectively prepared for such emergencies. Emergency responders are usually deployed on the scene of a disaster or emergency to assist in rescue efforts. They may also be deployed to these sites to safeguard property, evacuate the victims from buildings, and provide any form of medical assistance to the victims (La Tourrette, 2003). Emergen cy responders who engage in rescue activities during such incidents include fire fighters, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement agencies. Fire fighters are usually assigned the role of containing substances which are hazardous, putting out fires as well as the search and rescue of disaster victims. Emergency medical personnel usually assist in the rescue operations by providing medical care to injured victims. Law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, are responsible for maintaining law and order in the scene of the disaster, restriction of access to the disaster scene and the removal of injured and contaminated individuals from the scene of the disaster (Beaton, 2002). For emergency responders to perform their functions safely and effectively, safety training is expected. Safety training programs which are administered play a significant role in enhancing the response to emergencies and disasters. They can be broken down into workplace safety practices, safety practi ces in the line of duty and testing of physical wellness and fitness. The safety training helps emergency responders to understand their individual functions and responsibilities at the scene of the disaster. Accordingly, the different categories of emergency r

Matisse's Serpentine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Matisse's Serpentine - Essay Example The essay "Matisse's Serpentine" discusses Henri Matisse and his art. Matisse explained in 1947 when referring to the effect his painting had on being a sculptor. The tension between a three-dimensional sculpture and a two-dimensional image freed him to interpret and invent bodily form. In the process, he limited the flesh and increased the space between arms and legs, magnetizing the viewer’s gaze to the negative space and the smooth counters from varied angles. These elongated limbs and â€Å"linear, sinuous contours† are depicted in his Dance paintings and helped define The Serpentine. The Serpentine is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art. After seeing the sculpture on the Internet, the enormity of the sculpture is overwhelming. When approaching The Serpentine at the museum, it is at eye level. The black of the sculpture is contrasted by a white base. The sculpture is a nude woman with her right arm behind her back and crossed legs leaning against a balu strade with her finger on the lips. The image reminds one of a supermodel, with extremely thin elongated arms and legs, complimented by curvaceous hips and long hair. There is a slight bored smile on the nude woman’s face, but inviting as well. The Serpentine evokes emotions of envy, desire to be like her, and awe. Surprisingly, unlike other sculptures with smooth textures, The Serpentine has a rough texture. Lines and indents make up the whole sculpture. It appears like Matisse awoke one morning and made a large clay model in the span of a day.

Emergency Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emergency Communications - Essay Example The rationale underpinning the technique is known as the fragmentation criteria. (Daniel et al, 3) Fragmentation of goal is meant to near it in a phased manner. During execution some steps might have to be rethought and corrective measures incorporated. Crisis management plans in big chunks would hinder such rethought in terms of cost and execution. Fragmentation of goal, on the other hand would make stepping back easier so that missteps in furtherance can be prudently avoided. The effectiveness of goal oriented approach in adopting fragmentation is well conceptualized by Pernici in her engineering endeavor. Although she is concerned with purely engineering aspects of fragmentation, her ideas of goal-fragmentation is notable. In the book on Systems Engineering she puts forth how the collected knowledge of fragment method would contribute to project objectives. The knack to fragmentation techniques is also envisaged by her. She suggests, pre-constructed goal models for selected fragme nts that could be retrieved from a repository, merged and customized with situational factors and later evaluated qualitatively. (Pernici, 424). The nuances in her presentation may be engineering specific. But an overall conceptualization of her goal-fragmentation technique could be made use of in any arena including emergency communication planning. The most important aspect here to lay stress is that a deliberate skipping/omitting of ‘how to’ is necessary. Because, ‘how to achieve’ is purely the area of working crew. The mode of execution must be allowed to be selected and finalized by the working team by itself. For, emphasis of ‘how to’ by the planner will drastically reduce the speed of working team. Innovation in modalities by the work group would be obstructed. Instead of innovation, it will develop a sense of Damocles’ sword over the heads of working members. Such over- focus on the next command of ‘how’ will practically arrest the

Consumer law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer law - Essay Example The White Paper policy was formulated to minimise differences in manners of purchase.1 These remedies are discussed below. Right to Reject the Goods When a consumer discovers that the goods hired or purchased from a retailer do not match the description given, or are unfit for purpose intended for, or are not of merchantable quality, they are entitled to reject them and thus terminate the contract. With the contract terminated, they will not be under an obligation to pay for the goods as previously provided by the contract. This right will not be available where the purchase or hiring is within the course of business and the defect is so insignificant that rejecting the goods would be unreasonable. This remedy is available if the defect is noticed within six years from the time of purchase2 and it is shown that the fault has not been caused by ordinary wear or tear or through misuse by the purchaser. Within the first six months, it is for the retailer to prove that the goods in quest ion were not inherently defective. After the six months the burden shifts to the consumer to prove that the goods were defective when they were sold. ... Acceptance is deemed to have taken place when the consumer expressly states that they have accepted the good, when they alter the goods or when they continue to keep the goods for a reasonable duration of time3. Courts’ decisions on what amounts to a reasonable period of time provide varied answers. In the case of Bernstein V Pamson Motors (Golders Green) Ltd4, where the consumer was held to have accepted the car by keeping it for less than four weeks after purchasing it. In contrast, in Bowes V Richardson & Son Ltd5, it was held that the consumer had the right to reject the car even after keeping it for seven months after purchase. The consumer will lose his right to complain of the faultiness of the goods if he purchased the goods more than 6 years ago. They will also not be entitled to complain where they knew the goods to have been defective at the time of sale after it was pointed out to them. Even where the defect was not pointed out to them but the consumer had them exa mined by an independent party and the defect was manifestly visible or should have been discovered from a proper examination of the goods, he will still have no legitimate right to complain about the defect. Also, they will not be entitled to complain if at the time of sale the retailer came out clean and confessed that they were unsure of the suitability of the goods for purpose. When a consumer purchases second hand goods, he still has the right to a product that is fully useable and undamaged and can return the goods if they are found not to be useable. When the consumer knowingly purchases a defective item, even though they cannot return the item on the basis of that particular defect, they can still return the item if

Research paper( Violent Games Are Contaminating Childrens Paper

( Violent Games Are Contaminating Childrens Personalities) - Research Paper Example The games are designed in a manner that instills realism to the games and the moment one plays them it gives a natural feeling (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Initially, the games were developed for mere entertainment purpose but over time the objective has shifted to include other aspects that are unfavorable to young children who are mostly addicted to these games. For instance, the video game Grand Theft Auto vice city is a mission-based video game that incorporated wrong vices such as violence, crime and prostitution. This indeed is wrong as the games instill wrong traits to the people who play them. But despite the negative vices that comes along the games they also have positive impacts on the gamers as they help them develop a high degree of judgment & problem solving as the games provides them with dilemma situations where critical decision have to be made and which have great impacts on the overall progress of the game (Gunter, 1998; Child Development Institute, 2003). According to psychology, the personalities of human beings tend to vary and thus different people will possess different personality traits depending on certain factors that have influenced the growth of that particular person (Gentile, 2003). Research conducted by Pennsylvania State University indicated that children who play video games are prone to be more hostile if they are less conscientious, less agreeable and easily angered (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). This group of children is said to be the one that is negatively affected by playing video games. However despite impacting negatively on the said children violent games which are mainly mission based offer the players an opportunity to learn new skills especially rational and critical thinking skills that aid in solving complex problems (Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). That notwithstanding, video games in general have always been associated with addiction as children and teenagers are perceived to be

Perception of quality of care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perception of quality of care - Research Paper Example Therefore, incentive payments or penalties to inpatient hospital care will be based partly on these results of these satisfaction surveys. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a national survey that is standardized and publicly reported on patient’s perception of hospital care. HCAHPS is used as an instrument to collect data in an organized manner (HCAHPS, 2012). The HCAHPS survey is administered to a random sample of hospitalized patients between 2 days and 1 Â ½ months after discharge. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if nurses perceive the HCAHPS scores to be an accurate instrument in capturing the quality of patient care. Also, the researcher will review what variables affect patient satisfaction in the hospital setting as well as look at the nurse’s point of view on quality of care. The participants in the proposed study will include nurses that work on the telemetry, medical surgical, progressive cardiac unit, clinical transition unit, PACU and surgical recovery unit. Years of experience will range from novice to expert nurse, which includes one month to 25 or more years of nursing experience. Male and female nurse will both be given opportunity to complete the survey. A diversity of nurses work for the current hospital and so the demographic details will be obtained during the survey. Clinical Nurses at this facility education level range from diploma to MSN prepared nurses. Many of the associated prepared nurses are currently in school studying for their BSN. The research anticipates at least 50 nurses to participate in the study with 30 participants being randomly picked. Inclusion criteria will be any nurse with a least one month of experience that has discharged a patient to home. Exclusion will be nurse that don’t work in a clinical setting, have less than one month of experience or have never discharged a patient to home. The researcher has an eight year work

Persian mythology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Persian mythology - Research Paper Example He was the favorite hero of King Kaykaus, a magnificent warrior and prominent character of Persian mythology stories. Perhaps the most famous amongst such stories was the story of Rostam and Sohrab (Firdawsi & Clinton, 1996). Apart from being one of the most well-loved and moving tales which history has passed on, it was also thematically mentioned in the best-seller â€Å"The Kite Runner† written by Khalid Hosenni (Ferdowsi, 2011). Summary This tale revolves around the main themes of family ties, betrayal, pride, and loss. It starts when Rostam, restless for an outing, takes his horse Raksh out for a game of hunting. Once his game ended, he decided to take a rest his eyes near a pasture. However, while he was asleep, seven knights of Turan, a nearby land, came across the horse and kidnapped it. It fought and resisted but was outnumbered and led away. Rostam, upon waking up and discovering his trusty steed gone, was dismayed and embarked upon a search to find his horse. Follow ing Raksh’s tracks on the ground, Rostam reached the land of Turan, where he met the King of Samengan and told him of his search. The king promised to help with the search and offered Rostam a place to stay meanwhile. During his stay at the king’s palace, Rostam met the king’s young daughter Tahmina during his stay, and married her. However, shortly after the marriage, his horse was found and he left for his own land. Before going, he gave his wife a clasp of his, to pass on his own child once he or she was born. Nine months later, Tahmina gave birth to Rostam’s son, whom she named Sohrab (Ferdowsi, 2011). This child proved to be like his father from a very young age, and soon grew up to be the finest warrior in the land. He soon figured that his origins were not purely of the land he lived in, and approached his mother to ask her about his father. She told him about Rostam and showed Sohrab the clasp that Rostam had left for him. After this, it became a large ambition for Sohrab to meet his father. Later on, Sohrab and Rostam met in battle. Neither of them knew who the other was, since they had not met before. However, Sohrab had a suspicion that this man, so equally matched in battle skills as Sohrab, could be his father (Ferdowsi, 2011). Thus, he enquired before starting the fight, whether his opponent for Rostam. Rostam, not wishing to daunt the young warrior, lied and said that he was not Rostam. This greatly disappointed Sohrab, who proceeded with the fight with all his might. Sohrab came close to defeating Rostam, but Rostam deceived him into thinking that it was a battle etiquette for the person almost winning to give his opponent another chance to win. This way, Rostam received another chance to battle, and this time came close to defeating Sohrab. When Sohrab realized that his death was near, he became saddened and revealed to his opponent that he was Sohrab, son of Rostam, and was now dying without having fulfilled his bi ggest wish of seeing his father’s face. Upon hearing this, Rostam was deeply heartbroken, as he realized that he had just taken his own son’s life. The rest of the tale consisted of failed attempts to save Sohrab’s life, and his mother finding out about his demise and eventually dying of grief after a year (Ferdowsi, 2011). Explanations of this Myth This myth may have several different symbolic meanings, expressed through the personalities of the characters, their decisions in life or the lives they chose to live. One possible explanation is that

Why is soledad relevant to Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Why is soledad relevant to Of Mice and Men Essay Soledad derives from the word Solitude, a state of social isolation. It is the situation/state of being alone. Loneliness is defined as an emotional state in which a person (or animal) experiences an immense feeling of emptiness and isolation. Loneliness and isolation is a theme that is reflected constantly throughout Of Mice and Men such as; the characters, in the minor actions that the characters pursue, in this case, when the men play solitaire, and also the settings which are described to us that give us the idea of loneliness. The characters in Of Mice and Men experience loneliness in various ways to each other through the story. Many of the men who work at the ranch travel alone besides George and Lennie. This makes the other men curious yet also suspicious of their motives. Many of the workmen and characters at the ranch can be seen as lonely in the way that they are separated from their families and civilisation, however, the characters which are the main victims of loneliness in Of Mice and Men are Curley’s wife, George and Crooks. John Steinbeck portrays Curley’s Wife as the only female on the ranch and gives the reader a description to identify her with ‘Full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red’ (Page 32), Steinbeck presents her as a beautiful young woman who is especially appealing to the men at the ranch. As we progress in the book we find that one of the men Whit explains, â€Å"I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goinà ¢â‚¬â„¢ all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye. I don’t know what the hell she wants† (Page 51). It is soon discovered that Curley’s Wife is always looking for Curley and he is always looking for her. However this is just her alibi so that she can go around the ranch trying to talk to all the men and get their attention, which she doesn’t get from Curley. The men however are cautious of her as Curley is very aggressive and uneasy when anyone talks to his wife or when she talks to anyone at the ranch. So what happens when Lennie, who has been told not to talk or say anything to anybody at the ranch, begins to communicate with Curley’s Wife, an attractive, manipulative and lonesome woman. It is obvious that the worst is going to occur when this occurrence takes place (Lennie and Curley’s Wife talking), as Curley is already suspicious of him and George, and George has specifically told Lennie not to communicate with anyone because of recent bad events. Lennie said to Curley’s Wife as they sit alone in the barn, , â€Å"No, sir. I ain’t gon na talk to you or nothing† (Page 85), as the conversation goes on Curley’s Wife says, â€Å"Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.† Lennie replies to this situation the only way he knows how, â€Å"Well, I ain’t supposed to talk to you or nothing.† â€Å"I get lonely† Curley’s Wife said. â€Å"You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† (Page 85). Curley’s Wife being the only female on the ranch and with the restricted communication shared with any other humans on the ranch, was just trying to get the attention she believes she deserved and of course needed, so that she would not feel the loneliest and emptiest she has been ever since she married Curley. Although George travels with Lennie, he is emotionally and socially alone. George’s partner Lennie is mentally slow, meaning that communication between the two men is very frustrating as Lennie does not understand George and George is constantly annoyed at the sheer fact that Lennie isn’t very bright, continuously maki ng mistakes which get them into trouble. â€Å"An’ whatta I got,† George went on furiously. â€Å"I got you! You can’t keep a job and you loose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.† His voice rose nearly to a shout. â€Å"You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the time.† (Page 13) George is always taking his anger out on Lennie by yelling at him as he believes this is the way it will get through to Lennie but this does not prevail and leaves George angrier than when he began shouting at Lennie. As this reoccurring annoyance towards Lennie happens even at the ranch it is acknowledged by one character; Crooks talks to Lennie in the barn, â€Å"Sometimes he talks, and you don’t know what the hell he’s talkin’ about. Ain’t that so?† (Page 69). George has no other friendship with anybody else, as he travels alone in life except for one disturbance, Lennie. As ill-fated as it is, Lennie is seen as a disturbance and obstruction to George. Even though Lennie may be very handy, he’s neither bright nor intelligent. In realism, it appears as though George himself is trying to escape the feeling of emptiness and the reality of loneliness. However he just finds himself unable to bond with Lennie in any way, leaving him trying to play his one man game with his unfortunate hindrance partner. Crooks, the stable barn, who lives in a small shed that leads off from the barn is exposed to loneliness as he keeps to himself in his small and deserted room. ‘Scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for being alone, crooks could leave his things about.’ (Page 66). When first describing Crooks, the author puts and underlying message in our head of loneliness as to show us that this is one of the most important themes which is rampant throughout Of Mice and Men. Crooks faces loneliness and partly shelters himself to isolation due to prejudice from the people around him. He believes everyone is against him because he is a ‘negro’ however this may not always be the case, he just keeps to himself so that he doesn’t have to deal with getting grief off any of the other men, especially Curley. As a result of this, Crooks, Curley’s Wife and George may all be lonely in different ways to each other, and the other men, however, they all feel emptiness and it appears like they are all playing their own game each as a solitary individual man (or woman). A game played regularly by the men, George in particular, is Solitaire. This game is always played by one person which can be very relevant in the story Of Mice and Men when Steinbeck is reflecting to us the idea of loneliness. When George plays the game of solitaire he does this alone like he is playing his own game doing it the way he wants to. But in reality, he is always stuck with Lennie. This is just a way of getting away from the fact that Lennie is bringing him down, so that he can play his own game not constantly having to deal with the obstruction of his partner. This game is also the foreshadowing of loneliness, to show us that when George must shoot Lennie, he has been destined to be alone, alike to the other characters. Even when he had Lennie he felt alone, and now without even a companionship he is still alone, playing his own solitary game of life. The game solitaire is a very structured game, ‘George laid out his deliberate solitaire hand – seven cards, and six on top, and five on top of those’ (Page 52). George may relate the game to how he would like his life to be. A structure set out with some outcomes relying on fate, but an independent game played by one individual. On the whole, the game of solitaire foreshadows loneliness mainly through the character of George but also through the minor actions of the other workmen at the ranch. The ranch is set a few miles from Soledad, California and is geographically isolated from other human contact, except for the workmen and Curley’s wife who also live on the premises of the ranch. The feeling of isolation is immediately set upon us as Steinbeck produces a description to collate a picture and collect evidence that the characters are bound to be lonely at the ranch. On the ranch there are only a few small places where the characters spend their time when they are not working. The bunkhouse is a very plain room where the workmen sleep, this is where George and Lennie have a few private conversations, along with other events such as the argument over candy’s dog, the game of solitaire being played and the deep conversations between George and fellow worker Slim. Crooks isn’t welcome in the bunkhouse by the other men and this becomes clear when Crooks says to Lennie in his barn, â€Å"I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room† (Page 68). Crooks lives in a small room off the barn where he keeps to himself, having little or no communication with anyone unless it is to do his job as the stable buck. When Lennie, and then soon after Candy, enter his room, Crooks is setback but still very suspicious of why they are bothering him, he tries to hide his confusion and maybe even contentment with anger, although Steinbeck says ‘It was difficult for crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger’ (Page 74). His room is very isolated from the other people on the ranch which leaves him lonely all the time. Another setting in the story that is mostly remote is the barn. The only people who visit the barn are Lennie, when he is petting his pup, and Curley’s Wife when she takes shade in there as it is cool. The barn is secluded to the other places on the ranch in that when Curley’s Wife screamed for help due to the actions Lennie had taken, her cries were too distant that none of the other men could hear her. This shows us that the author has even included the theme of loneliness and especially isolation when the different settings in Of Mice and Men where analysed. To summarise, Steinbeck has incorporated Loneliness as one of the many themes into the story, Of Mice and Men, in many different ways. These are, firstly in the name, as Soledad means Solitude which can also mean Loneliness. Also through the characters, such as their motives, way of life and personalities. The game solitaire is another representation and foreshadow of Loneliness as this is a game that the characters play, especially George, as an individual, solitary, man, which in reality he is not. Lastly, the settings, in and around the ranch such as the bunkhouse, the barn and Crooks’ room all relate to isolation and loneliness as this is where many acts of the idea surrounding loneliness take place and progress through the story. John Steinbeck has sufficiently and broadly shown us how the theme and idea of Loneliness flows throughout his book ‘Of Mice and Men’.