The Knights Tale in Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay

The Knight's Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales The Knight's Tale is one of the twenty-two completed Canterbury Tales by the celebrated English Writer Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400). The Canterbury Tales are a collection of 120 stories that Chaucer began writing in 1386, and planned to complete during his lifetime. Each of the tales features a large range of characters in a great variety of medieval plots, along with interesting dramatic interaction. The Knight's Tale itself was completed sometime between 1386 and 1400. It is found in its entirety in the Ellesmere manuscript, one of the earliest of Chaucer's remaining manuscripts. The Ellesmere features the story, as well as an elaborately done pictorial representation of The Knight's Tale done in woodcarvings. The story line of this tale is based on Italian writer Boccaccio's Teseida written in 1381 or 1382. Chaucer's Knight's tale is a chivalric romance about love and war. These characteristics are presented as two possible sources of human affliction yet are celebrated in a very honoring, ceremonious way. In the tale, two knights are our main characters. Their story embodies the chivalric principles of honor and especially courtly love. In desperation they both decide they must either die or gain the heart of the beautiful maiden Emelye. After years, they eventually meet to fight for her in a duel. This was a common method of winning a lady in Chaucer's age due to the ide als introduced by former Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine of France (1122-1204). The romantic tradition of the work stresses passion and honor and their importance in successful courtly love. Although The Knights Tale is known primarily for its concentration on courtly love, the work... ...ov, 1998. <http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/knight.htm>. 6. Jokinen, Anniina. "The Knight's Tale in images". Nov. 3, 1997. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/knightimg.htm>. 7. "Knight. WAV". Downloaded WAV file. Brigham Young University. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://english.byu.edu/chaucer/wav/knight.wav>. 8. "The Knight's Tale". The Geoffrey Chaucer Homepage. The University of Harvard. Feb. 2, 1998. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://icg.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/knight/ktsum.html>. 9. "The left out tales: The Knight's Tale". The University of Texas. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~scoggins/316british/chaucercanon/tales.html#knight>. 10. Tobias, Tom. "The Canterbury tales: The Knight's Tale". Virginia Tech University. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://sfbox.vt.edu:10021/T/tomt220/knit.html>.

A Case Against Interracial Adoption Essay examples -- Family Psycholog

Black children are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. In the most recent Statistical Abstract published in 2011 by the U.S. Census Bureau, Black children accounted for 15% of the U.S. child population in 2009. In contrast, Black children were at almost 30% of the total number of children in foster care for the same year according to the Department of Health and Human Services 2009 Foster Care report. In addition, there are not enough Black families available to adopt these children. Interracial adoption advocates often hail it as a good solution to address these problems. Interracial adoption is promoted as a major step towards an integrated, unprejudiced, and colorblind society. However, instead of healing the wounds of racism, interracial adoption often contributes to racist ideologies and practices that devalue family relationships in the Black community (Roberts 50). This type of adoption is a surface only solution that fails to dig deeper and address the u nderlying reasons for the disproportionate representation of Black children in foster care and the lack of minority adoptive parents. This deeper analysis exposes a system of that is very biased against the Black community in the adoption industry. Even when it is altruistic, interracial adoption is mostly detrimental to the Black community because it aids in the breakdown of Black families and the dismissal of the root causes of the circumstances that lead to large numbers of Black children needing to be adopted in the first place. Furthermore, interracial adoption has not made any significant difference in lowering the numbers of Black children in foster care. Poverty is the primary reason that a disproportionate number of Black children end up in ... ...006): 97-107. Boston College Law School. Web. 1 May 2012. Perry, Twila L. "Transracial Adoption and Gentrification: An Essay on Race, Power, Family, and Community." Boston College Third World Law Journal 26.1 (2006): 25-60. Boston College Law School. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. Roberts, Dorothy. "Adoption Myths and Racial Realities in the United States." Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption. Ed. Jane J. Trenka, Julia C. Oparah, and Sun Y. Shin. Cambridge, MA: South End, 2006. 49-56. Print. United States. Census Bureau. "Table 10: Resident Population by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age: 2000 and 2009." Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012. 131st ed. Washington: GPO 2011. Web. 2 May 2012. United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Welfare Information Gateway. Foster Care Statistics 2009. Washington: GPO, 2011. Web. 2 May 2012.

American Imperialism :: American America History

American Imperialism American Imperialism has been a part of United States history ever since the American Revolution. Imperialism is practice by which powerful nations or people seek to expand and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples. Throughout the years there has been many instances where the Americans have taken over other people countries, almost every time we go into we have taken over a new piece of land. The Americas first taste of imperialism came about five hundred years ago when Columbus came to America. We fought the pleasant inhabitants and then took over their land making them slaves. Americans over the years have been known to become almost selfish, no matter how much we have we will never be happy until we control the free world. "The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 defined United States foreign policy in the Americas for the rest of the 19th century and beyond. It declared that the United States had an interest in the Western Hemisphere and the European powers must not meddle in the affairs of any developing nations there. The United States was a young nation in 1823 and did not really have to powers to back up the Monroe Doctrine. However, the policy was used to justify the sending of the U.S. troops into Mexico in 1866 (to intimidate the French) and the purchased of Alaska in 1867". Another case of Imperialism was the United States industrial economy was growing so fast that they were producing more goods than they could consume. The over abundance of industrial goods led the United States to look for new markets. Next came the Spanish-American War, which started with the Americans not liked the way that the Spaniards were treated the Cubans. After this an U.S. battleship (Maine) was docked outside of Havana (Cuba 's Capital) and all of a sudden exploded from under the sea. At the time no one actually knew the real reason why the ship exploded but many Americans thought that it was the Spaniards. 266 officers and men were lost in the explosion. William McKinley (U.S. President 1897-1901) went to congress and asked for permission to send troops to help stop the fighting in Cuba. After a couple of days he was given permission which shortly led to war. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24th followed by an U.S. declaration of war on the 25th.

Compare & Contrats: Lineman Terms

In the electrical construction business, power companies can choose whether to use contractors or their own workers to complete a job. They must consider the size of the job and time frame they have to complete the job. The work habits of contract linemen and Georgia Power Company linemen play a large part in the decision of which group will be the best to complete the job. Lineman use heavy equipment to complete their jobs. An aerial bucket is a truck that has a fiberglass boom, a long scissor like arm, with an isolated bucket attached so that linemen can use it to reach energized electrical lines. Some of these buckets have a special fiberglass arm at the end of the boom with a roller on it, called a jib, which uses a winch to lift heavy objects up to one thousand pounds, called material handlers. Contractors use a two man material handling bucket. Due to strict rules about working two conductors at the same time, Georgia Power lineman can’t work out of a two man bucket so they use a single man material handling truck. The next piece of equipment used by a lineman is a line truck. It has an auger attached to the boom that digs deep holes for the pole to be set. This truck also sets the pole and can lift heavy objects with its winch line, similar to how a crane works. The contractor’s truck has a center mounted boom, which has a seat mounted at the base on the boom. This truck can work the same strength from either side of the truck. Unlike the contractor’s truck, the Georgia Power lineman’s truck is a corner mounted boom, which is located on the rear passenger side of the truck. It has a farther reach off of the passenger side of the truck, but it is not as strong on the driver side of the truck. These trucks have to pull trailers behind them to haul poles around. A contract lineman uses a thirty foot pole trailer which is the standard size used to haul around a large number of poles. The company lineman uses a material trailer that is about fifteen foot long with boxes on the side to hold wire and materials. When they need to haul a pole, the tongue can be extended out to the length needed. This trailer can only haul about five poles at max. Although they use different trucks, the truck’s joysticks and levers all have the same functions. One of the major similarities between a contractor and a Georgia Power lineman is that they both have to follow rules and regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Electrical Safety Code standards. They both have to wear a harness when working out of the bucket, and wear a body belt, has two d-rings placed at the hips that you attach a strap to, when they are six feet off the ground on a pole or ladder. Both types of lineman must wear rubber gloves while working in the bucket that cover hand up to the elbow. A contractor wears class three rubber gloves. They are rated for thirty thousand volts. Working on the same line, a Georgia Power lineman can wear class two gloves that are rated for twenty thousand volts. The reason for the difference in standards is the amount of cover-up used, which is another way linemen stay protected while working on electrical wires. It is called this because they use it to cover the energized lines. Cover-up is orange colored so that the linemen can easily see it and it comes in many forms. The contract linemen and company linemen use hoses, blankets, and hoods to cover-up the power lines. A hose, sometimes called an eel, is six feet long and slides over the wire to cover around it. A blanket is a four foot square that is used to wrap around the pole, its arms, or insulators. A hood is pre-formed to fit insulators perfectly, but not all linemen use them because they take up too much space on the truck. A contactor does not use the same amount of cover-up as a Georgia Power lineman would. Company linemen have a four step cover-up procedure. First, they must cover the conductors in the order they come to them. Second, before uncovering an energized conductor, all paths to ground must be covered. A ground is anything that an electric current can use to get back to the earth from the wire. Third, before working on a grounded component, all energized conductors must be covered. Last, the cover-up must be removed in the order it was placed. It makes for a little more work for the company lineman, but it keeps them from having to wear rubber sleeves. Unlike the company lineman, a contractor must wear rubber sleeves which start at the top of the shoulder and covers down to the wrist because they don’t use the four rules of cover-up. When the trucks are in an area of energized lines, a contract lineman always has to ground their truck to the pole ground. The truck ground is a copper wire that ties the truck through the pole ground to the system neutral to protect from accidental electrical charge. A power company lineman only has to ground their truck when setting oles and only if there is a chance of an accidental contact to the truck due to a broken insulator or pole. Contractors must do a lot of traveling in order to keep their job; they don’t have a set location to work from. At the power company, a lineman stays at the same headquarters during his career. Since the lineman is at home, the company calls him to work for local power outages. When major hurricanes strike the coast lines, tornados blow away cities, or blizzards freeze a mountain town, both types of linemen can be asked to help restore power to these communities. When a contractor goes out of town, his crew will be the only ones that work together during the restoration. They will meet up with fellow contract lineman only for meals and meetings. As a Georgia Power lineman, you are sent out with your whole region. A caravan of trucks and vans leave the headquarters and travel to their destination together to help restore power to the area. There are also support members from inside the office that travel with the team. While away from home, contract linemen either sleep in a hotel or, on occasion, sleep inside their trucks. The power company linemen have a support team to make sure they get a good place to sleep every night while on the storm group. So the likelihood of having to sleep in their trucks is slim to none. The quality of work differs between the contract lineman and a Georgia Power lineman. A contract lineman bids on the job and gets paid per task they complete. Because speed equals money, a contract lineman tends to rush through work to finish faster. Because he is rushed, the maybe work is unsatisfactory to trained company lineman. Contractors have a saying, â€Å"It looks good to me. You can’t see it from my house. † A company lineman can take his time and do his job safely and this reflects in his work. He takes pride in his work because he can ride around his community and look at project he has worked on. I know firsthand the work habits of a contract lineman and a Georgia Power Company lineman. I worked for contractors for five years before I was hired by the power company. After many years of line experience, I have noticed that my work and safety habits improved after becoming a company lineman. Even though both types of linemen have the same profession, they approach the job in different ways to complete it. A power company chooses contractors over company linemen when it is necessary to stay devoted to a single job they are working on. Company linemen have the responsibility of responding to power outages, and this extends the time it takes to complete the job. The pros and cons of both types of linemen and the time it takes to complete the job are the two major factors that are taken into consideration by Georgia Power Company when deciding which group will be assigned to the job.

A History of Melody Essay

The violin emerged from a primitive musical bow, usually an arched stick with a string stretched taut between the two ends (Hughes, 2008). The string is divided by a loop or a bridge (Thinkquest, 1999). The first bridge was used to add to the instruments’ resonance when the string was vibrated, and strings were attached across suitable receptacles (Hughes, 2008). These resonance enhancers took many forms-tortoise shells, coconut, calabash, wooden boxes and even pig bladders (Thinkquest, 1999), thrust tightly between the strings and the bow (Thinkquest, 1999). Also to enhance the resonance of the bow, the instrument was held before the mouth (Thinkquest, 1999). The violin probably came to Europe around the 9th century, mostly originating from Asia (Thinkquest, 1999). It took the evolutionary process of the violin about 450 years to bring the violin to its present form. This only shows the long years of experience needed by the makers of the stringed instrument (Thinkquest, 1999). The use of a bow to draw across the strings followed, probably imported into Europe from Asia by Arab travellers (Hughes, 2008). The evolution of the violin was slow. It took until the middle Ages for a version of the zither, a popular and older instrument, to evolve into the vielle, which saw the instrument being held against the shoulder. This differentiated it from the zither, as the latter was held across the knees (Hughes, 2008). As time went on, the original one string grew to four, and for a time, five strings (Hughes, 2008). Fashionable until the 16th century, the vielle was changed with the small wooden ribs used in similar wooden plucked instruments replaced by the tailpiece and bridge (Hughes, 2008). Violin 2 By the time of the Renaissance, the viol (a bowed stringed instrument chiefly of the 16th and 17th centuries made in treble, alto, tenor, and bass sizes and distinguished from members of the violin family especially in having a deep body, a flat back, sloping shoulders, usually six strings, a fretted fingerboard, and a low-arched bridge (Merriam-Webster, 2008), was being used, the first having a hole adding resonance and tone to the instrument (Hughes, 2008). It was a short time that the viol evolved into the viola da gamba (a bass member of the viol family having a range approximating the cello (Merriam-Webster, 2008), which was played between the knees of the musician, and the viola de braccio held against the shoulder. The modern shape of the violin was evolved from the second version of the instrument (Hughes, 2008). The Violin evolved form many different instruments, including the Rebob, the Rebec, Lira da Braccio and the Renaissance fiddle. The violin today, the â€Å"new violin† was not used until 1630 in Italy (Berkeley, 2008). The evolution of the modern violin appears to have been completed in Italy with the most famous violin maker Andrea Amati at Cremona, providing 24 violins, six violas and eight cellos for the French King Charles IX in 1560 (Hughes, 2008). Another famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivarius, joined the Amati school in the latter half of the 6th century (Hughes, 2008). The violins’ refinery As stated earlier in the paper, that apart from the Arab travellers’ influence had an on the violin, there is no certain fact on who invented the violin or a stringed instrument that is played with a bow (Hughes, 2008). Some of the theories place the invention of the violin at around 1520 A. D. wherein the violin is included in the Gaudenzio Ferrari painting â€Å"The Madonna of the Orange Trees (cited in Berkeley, 2008). Violin 3 But the violin emerged in Italy in the early 1500s and seems to have developed from two medieval bowed instruments-the fiddle, also called the viele or fiedel, and the rebec-and from the Renaissance lira de braccio (a violin-like instrument with off the finger drone strings (Rosenblum, 2007). Also related to the violin, but not direct ancestors, is the six-string fretted viol. The viol appeared in Europe before the violin and existed with it side by side for about 200 hundred years (Rosenblum, 2007). In the early 1600’s, however, the violin gained prestige through its use in operas such as Orfeo(1607) by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, and through the French King Louis XIII band of musicians, the 24 violons de roi (the â€Å"King’s 24 violins†, formed in 1626). This growth in stature continued throughout the Baroque period (1600-1750) in the works of many notable composer-performers. Among them were the Italians Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi and Giuseppe Tartini and the Germany’s Heinrich Biber, Georg Philipp Teleman and Johann Sebastian Bach (Rosenblum, 2007). The Craftsmen The earliest important violin makers were from Northern Italy, Gasparo da Salo (1540-1609) and Giovanni Maggini (1579-1630) from Brescia and Andrea Amati (1525-1611) from Cremona. The craft of violin making reached its height in the 17th and 18th centuries in the workshops of the Italians Antonio Stradivarius (1644-1737) and Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) from Cremona and the Austrian Jacob Stainer (1617-1638) (Rosenblum, 2007). Violin 4 Gasparo da Salo (1542-1609) The founder of the Brescian school of violin makers, Gasparo Bertlotti, or Gasparo da Salo, was a dedicated craftsman and instrument maker. He was formerly credited with the claim of having developed the violin in the shape we know today. Although his claims have been disproved, his instruments are nevertheless admired and venerated (Smithsonian, 2008). Gasparo’s violas are considered finer than his violins and probably were more numerous (Smithsonian, 2008). His viola da gambas were converted to violincellos and are much esteemed, and some of his six-stringed bass viols have been remounted as three and four stringed double basses. Twenty instruments have been recorded (Smithsonian, 2008). Giovanni Paolo Maggini (1579-1630) An apprentice of Gasparo da Salo, he acquired a thorough knowledge of the woods available to him (Smithsonian, 2008). Maggini made his own mark and as a master, his own techniques of craftsmanship. He frequently experimented to improve tone quality for his pieces and perfect his construction methods (Smithsonian, 2008). Many of the instruments made by Maggini at the twilight of his career are considered his finest work. These works are known for the quality of the woods and unusually large sound holes as well as for their unusually mellow tones (Smithsonian, 2008). Andrea Amati (1525-1611) The founder of the great Cremona school of violin making, Amati focused on violins and was making viols and rebecs. Instruments dated after 1584 are said to be the works of his sons Antonio and Hieronymus (Smithsonian, 2008). Violin 5 It is claimed that he made 24 violins, 6 violas and 8 cellos for the French king Charles IX for use at the court at Versailles (Smithsonian, 2008). A few of these instruments survive to this day (Smithsonian, 2008). Antonio Stradivarius (1644-1734) Stradivarius’ interpretation of geometry and design served as a conceptual model for violin makers for more than 200 years (Smithsonian, 2008). Stradivarius also made harps, guitars, violas and cellos- more than 1,100 instruments by current estimate (Smithsonian, 2008). About 650 of these instruments survive today (Smithsonian, 2008). Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) Guarneri is considered the most illustrious member of this violin making family. The fifth and last member of the family, he is known more as Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu. Guarnerius is the Latin form of the family name and Joseph the Hebrew form of Giuseppe (Smithsonian, 2008). The estimate of his total production is not more than 250 violins; no evidence suggests that he made more (Smithsonian, 2008). But at least one violoncello and some violas are attributed to him. The outline of his violins, with slight modifications, is founded on instruments of Stradivarius (Smithsonian, 2008). Stradivarius and Guarnerius are ranked as among the greatest violin makers, but fine violinists prefer Guarnerius over Stradivarius (Smithsonian, 2008). Whatever the history or whoever the maker of the violin, we all must appreciate the efforts of these individuals who in one way or another contributed to the making of the violin. All these men have given much by way of continuously honing the instrument as it is known and enjoyed today by scores of people. Violin 6 Personal Reflection The violin represents probably on of the more versatile, elegant and mysterious of the instruments that we have today. The seeming smallness of the instrument somewhat does not tell of the long and painstaking process that went into its refinement and development. The reason that I centred the paper on this instrument is just for those following reasons. The instrument for me seems to just waft its notes and sounds over the listeners’ ears at just the right moments. They are, I believe, different from the wind pieces such as the trumpet and the saxophone. These pieces produce these shrill notes that sometimes tend to be irritable if you are not an admirer for the kind of music. But the violin just seems to play its notes in a mellow and smooth sound. It sometimes will want to lull to sleep at times. I’m a fan of the violin. For me, there is just no instrument just like it in sound and depth and quality of sound. Yes, there are many pieces out there that seem to sound alike, but can’t seem to touch the position of the violin. I can’t imagine an orchestra without a violin in the strings section. It would be incomplete without it. The sound would be really different than the violins in it. And the violin can cross over to different genres of music, from classical to country to pop to jazz and to others, without a tad of difficulty. That’s another thing I like about this instrument, it’s very versatile. It can just blend in with the various styles of music that you put it with and it will perform handsomely, a trait not all instruments can boast of. What we can do now is just relax at every playing of the violin, just to enjoy the elegant sound of the instrument as the musician begins to play and begins to once again weave its magic over its listeners. Reference Berkeley. (2008). The origins and history of the violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Berkeley website. http://www-atdp. berkeley. edu/2030/jmoriuchi/violin-title. html Hughes, A. (2008). Where did the violin originate? Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Answer Bank database http://www. theanswerbank. co. uk/Article1910. html Merriam-Webster. (2008). Viola. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Merriam-Webster website http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/viol Rosenblum, M. (2007). Violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Microsoft Encarta encyclopaedia database. http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761576364/Violin. html Smithsonian Institution. (2008). Violin makers. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Encyclopaedia Smithsonian website. http://www. si. edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/violdasa. htm ThinkQuest. (1999). The violin. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from Oracle Education Foundation database. http://library. thinkquest. org/27178/en/section/1/index. html

Compensation: Limousine Business Operators

Market Evaluation Limousines are an elegant and comfortable means of transport, and are far more preferred than plain rent-a-car arrangements. The car rental business, however, has diversified from the classic black stretch limo to a more diversified and modern vehicle fleet ranging from sedans, limo buses, and even stretch SUV's with huge seating capacities. According to latest data, some 400 million Americans make limousine reservations from car rental firms each year for a variety of reasons: among them airport pick ups and transfers, entertaining business and corporate clients, as well momentous occasions such as weddings, proms and other social gatherings. The huge traffic and short wait for a return on investment has caused more than a few hundred new limousine businesses to emerge every year.Although competition in the limo market is currently stiff, there will always be room for limousine business operators whose aim is to provide top-notch service that give clients value for their money. The average salary for a limousine driver in Austin, Texas, for 2012 was $23,550 or $11.33 per hour. The 50th percentile of pay for a limousine driver in Austin, Texas, was $22,140 or $10.64 per hour. The average limousine company allocates 25% of its budget for salary and benefits.The recent economic recovery and increased consumer demand for limousine service resulted in 61% of limousine services increasing revenue in 2012. Business and professional clients comprise 61% of the customer base for limousine services and should be the target customer base for the company.Compensation Structure Mr. Stonefield compensation structure should reflect the company business plan and goals by placing a priority on customer service, repeat business,  new client referrals, and safety. What the company can afford to pay and implementing programs to reward performance that align employee compensation with the success of the company should be the basis of the compensation structure The compensation structure should keep fixed labor costs low and place emphasis on benefits, incentives, and merit based-pay.

Rose’s Characterization of McCarthyism

Rose has used the actions and motives of the jurors as a method of characterising and thus criticising the practise of McCarthyism. A fine example of this is the 3rd juror. A reckless and unrestrained man, he makes accusations against fellow jurors for not siding with his point of view; ‘Listen, you voted â€Å"guilty†, didn’t you? What side are you on? ’ – a direct reflection of the actions adopted by senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950’s. The 3rd juror also wrongly accuses the 5th for changing his vote to ‘not-guilty’ without any evidence to support his conclusion. This further exemplifies the premise of ‘making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially to restrict dissent’. He also verbally attacks those jurors that he perceives as beneath him to further assert his own power or control as well as to discourage any views that are contrary to his own. The 10th juror is also used to reflect another aspect of McCarthyism. He seems almost afraid of those different to him and his speech regarding those born in slums is an example of the paranoia that the practise of McCarthyism can spread. It is also evident that the 3rd and 8th jurors had virtually decided the defendant’s guilt without any reference to evidence and were both very unwilling to concede that a reasonable doubt existed. It is clear that Rose has used the most unreasonable and reckless jurors to characterise McCarthyism in order to condemn its practise and to explore the dangers that similar movements pose to society. Twelve Angry Men as an interpretation of the American Dream Twelve Angry Men explores a national ethos of the United States; the notion that the opportunity for prosperity and success exists for every man regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. This set of ideals is defined as the ‘American Dream’. Rose has used the jurors of the play to demonstrate how the notion of the American Dream can influence the underpinning ideals that society operates upon. For instance, the 8th juror provides an advocate for the principle of equality – the notion that ‘all men are created equal’ regardless of ethnicity or class. This is demonstrated by his sympathy towards the defendant in regards to his difficult upbringing. The 5th juror then provides an example for the American Dream in action. He has been able to create a successful career for himself despite being born in a slum. Rose has used him to support the premise that social mobility can be achieved despite a disadvantaged upbringing through a willingness to work hard. The 10th juror is then used to represent those who attempt to undermine the values of equality that are explicitly rendered within the dream by continually distinguishing himself from ‘them’. The 3rd juror also exemplifies someone who has achieved material success (not necessarily internal fulfilment) through a willingness to work hard and strive forwards. The consumerist culture that has been facilitated by the American Dream has also been represented by Rose – in the form of the 12th juror. Attached to the 3rd and 12th jurors is the notion that the focus of the dream has shifted to material ownership rather than personal progress or contentment, that success is only defined in terms of money. It is the evident unhappiness of the 3rd juror which details that material possession certainly does not guarantee intrinsic fulfilment. The methodical criticism of seemingly solid facts by the 8th juror highlights a transition from concrete to intangible. Rose has done this to demonstrate that not everything is as certain as it first seemed and in turn this can be applied to the seemingly impermeable institution of the American Dream. The overriding prejudices of many in the jury room shows that hard work may not guarantee success and social class or race can have an impact on individuals perceptions of others. This exemplifies the pessimistic belief that the American wealth structure perpetuates long-standing racial and class inequalities embedded in American society. This is in contrast to the idealistic view that a 1950’s America presented a frontier for egalitarian societies. Thus Rose has debased the belief that obtaining wealth is necessary in achieving one’s dreams.