Monopoly Power in the Computer Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Monopoly Power in the Computer Industry - Essay Example In a slack antitrust environment, Watson swiftly weeded out virtually all of IBM's once many electromechanical equipment rivals. To its huge credit, IBM and Tom Watson Jr. managed to retain this near-monopoly position through the long shift to totally electronic computing, creating the mainframe colossus of the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, monopoly power has been progressively and unavoidably dissipating. First arrived minicomputers, where IBM could never get more than a third of the business. Then, certainly came the PC and IBM's crucial decision to essentially pass its power on to Microsoft and Intel and, much less directly, to Cisco. As great as the power of these three companies is today, it's still restricted to a few relatively narrow industry segments that account for only a tiny share of total industry revenue. Further, even the joint global power of the three giants is nowhere near what IBM alone enjoyed in its halcyon days. Understandably, the computer business has become more competitive over time. But now the Internet has come up to finish off the job. Already, the emergence of non-PC devices and the invariably problematic plug-compatible chip competition have helped confine Intel. Now, the accelerating shift from packaged software to Web services promises to restrain Microsoft's once uncontrolled ambitions. Finally, the shift from in-house corporate networks to public carrier services will inescapably undo Cisco's still-iron grip on the data-communications-equipment industry. All three companies should continue to flourish tremendously, but their power has already begun to fade.People frequently ask who the next Microsoft or Intel will be. The simple answer is "No one." Although there will certainly be many huge new Internet companies, there probably won't be any major new monopolists.  Ã‚  

Environmental Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Environmental Studies - Essay Example The ecological system totally depends on how it is being preserved and maintained. Global could have been prevented by taking the measures and following the plans.(Glantz 1999). Pollution is the main reason behind global warming. Smoke form vehicles, factories and manufacturing plants and forest fire are the major cause for pollution. All this lead to global warming which in turn was spoiled most of the species in the world. Discharge of toxic and poisonous gas from the industries also provoked global warming. The green house effect was disturbed due to this. The glaciers in many countries started melting because of these problems. There are various causes of global warming. Emission of gases like methane and gases like nitrous oxide mixed with the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide from the vehicles was also a cause. This problem was common in most of the countries. Deforestation contributed to this problem. Although most of the scientists around the world tried hard to educate people regarding global warming, this was vain. As people were not aware of global warming and its after effects, they did not try to protect the environment. (McDonough, Michael 2002). Temperature difference has affected the ecology. ... As this also differed, the ecology was altered. The sea level got increased which resulted in natural calamity like tsunami. Other natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and earth quake made earth uninhabitable. Due to global warming many species became extinct. But people never thought it would become such a threat. Nearly 40% of the species have been decimated. Global warming showed its nature with the evolvement of new diseases. (Quinn 1995).Many unnamed diseases started to spread and they did not have any proper medicines to cure it. Many people lost their lives during this time. From this, there was a gradual decrease in the population. By this time the level of sea started to rise, as the glaciers melted down and fell into the sea. Though many organizations tried to spread the awareness regarding global warming, only some were able to achieve their goal. They did not know the seriousness of global warming. Other disasters like volcano occurred in many countries. This too resulted in the increase of mortality rate. The diseases that started spreading due to global warming were mainly because of poisonous gas like methane which was emitted by many sources. Organic and inorganic wastes were also a major problem. Industries did not dispose their wastes properly. The factories let out their wastes into the water bodies. Some of the manufacturing plants dumped their wastes in open vast lands and some burnt these wastes. This polluted the atmosphere, which created holes in the ozone layer. Gases like CFC which are being used in refrigerators are the main cause for the problems in the ozone layer. Drought also contributed to the decline in the species. People did not have the facilities to cultivate their land to produce food.

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay Reading is often seen as a fairly simple process where a person reads text from left to right and from the top to the bottom while making meaning one word at a time. The process of reading is much more complex than this, and many theorists have presented models explaining what skills and knowledge they believe people need to possess in order to read effectively. Three mainstream theories of teaching Reading include the Psycholinguistic model, the Bottom-up model and the Socio-cultural model supported by Luke and Freebody (year 1990?). The Psycholinguistic Model: The Psycholinguistic model of teaching Reading is also called the Top-down model and the Inside-out model. Goodman (1967), a theorist supporting this reading model, proposes that the reader is the major component of reading, as opposed to the Bottom-up model which focuses on the text. The Psycholinguistic model places importance on the reader making meaning from a text by relating it to their background and prior understandings. The more prior knowledge and experiences a reader has, the less dependence they will need to place on word order, language structures, and phonological concepts (week 1 ppt). Unlike the Bottom-up reading model, this theory focuses on the non-visual information that the reader has and suggests that, in order to read, one must have semantic, syntactic and grapho-phonic knowledge. Semantic information involves a readers prior knowledge and understandings of the world and various concepts. Syntactic knowledge is the understanding of word order and language struct ures (week 1 ppt, p.?), and grapho-phonic information involves phonological concepts; an understanding of the alphabet and the sounds that various letters and letter combinations make (week 1 ppt). The idea of relying on the readers experiences and prior knowledge can also be seen as one of the biggest downfalls to this model. When presented with reading topics that are new to the reader, it is very difficult to make meaning of a text based solely on prior knowledge. For example, picture a young boy living in a secluded, poor village in Africa reading a text about Blu-Ray DVDs. The boy would likely have no knowledge or prior experience with this topic and so, according to this model, would not be able to make meaning of the text (slideshare). The Bottom-Up Model: The Bottom-Up Reading theory is also known as the Skills Model and the Outside-in theory. According to this Reading theory, beginner readers obtain a number of sub-skills that build towards understanding and comprehension. This theory suggests that readers passively receive information from a text and that it is their job to reproduce the meaning that already exists in the text. Visual information is the beginning point of the Bottom-Up Reading theory and involves interpreting written symbols into spoken language (McCarthy, 1999 www.teachingenglish) or (Nunan, 1991). Reading, according to this theory, involves recognising letters before recognising sounds, before recognising words, before recognising sentences, before finally making meaning of a text (week 1 ppt). It is essentially a decoding or skills approach based on the relationship between sounds and written symbols (week 1 ppt). One downfall of this theory is that it doesnt take into account the contributions a reader can bring to the process such as prior understandings and knowledge. It fails to recognise the need for the reader to use their previous experiences in order to make predictions and to have expectations whist reading. This process focuses on the text whereas the Psycholinguistic model focuses on the reader; two factors that are not enough by themselves (www.slideshare). The Socio-Cultural Model: The Socio-Cultural model of teaching Reading, supported by Luke Freebody (year), recognises the importance of both the reader and the text in the reading process. In this model, importance is placed equally on both the text and the reader (nadabs). Unlike the psycholinguistic and bottom-up models, the Socio-cultural theory relies on both the visual and non-visual aspects of reading and not just on one of these factors (www.slideshare). An attempt is made to combine the positive aspects of both the Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models, whilst also trying to eliminate the negatives (McCormick, 1988). As a result of this, the Socio-cultural reading model focuses on the importance of prior knowledge while recognising the fact that certain skills are also necessary (www.slideshare). This Reading theory consists of four Roles of the Reader which include the Code Breaker, the Text Participant, the Text User and the Text Analysis. The code breaker involves decoding visual information such as letter-sound understanding. Text participant involves creating meaning from the text by using prior knowledge and experiences. Text user involves knowing the purpose of a text and how to use it, for example, a recipe, comprehension or birthday card, and Text analysis involves working out what the author is trying to do to you, for example, underlying intentions and biases (week 1 ppt). According to this socio-cultural model, a reader is required to successfully perform each of these four roles in order to become effective readers. Most effective model to use in the classroom: The Socio-Cultural model is the most promising teaching Reading theory as it tries to incorporate the positive components and eliminate the negative components of both the psycholinguistic and the Bottom-up Reading theories. This model, therefore, is arguably the most effective theory to be used in the classroom as it recognises the importance of both the Reader and the text. According to Eskey (1988), a good read is someone who is able to decode and interpret readings in an increasingly automatic manner. They attempt to identify the purpose and the form of a text before reading it, continually making predictions about what will happen next based on personal experiences and information learned earlier. Effective readers also try to form a summary of what they have read by using skills such as classifying, sequencing, hypothesising, predicting, inferring, comparing and contrasting (www.teachingenglish). The socio-cultural reading model tries to present a balanced view of the reading process and recognises the importance of teaching children phonics and other necessary skills, while noting that phonics by itself is not enough. Students need to be able to do more than just say a written sentence; they also need to try to make meaning of it. According to this model, students should be given plenty of opportunities to practice each of the following four roles of the reader; Code-breaker, Text-participant, Text-user and Text-analysis (Winch et al., 2001, p.58). They need to learn to say the words, create meaning from these words, know the purpose of each text and how to use it, and finally, learn to recognise how a text is positioning them. According to this Socio-cultural reading model, students are effective readers once they have become proficient at each of these four reading roles (Winch et al, 2001). Classroom practice examples: Effective teaching is necessary in order to nurture students to become effective readers. Reading lessons must be carefully planned, prepared and monitored to ensure that high level learning is occurring in the classroom. The activities a teacher chooses to assist in any Reading lesson must encourage students to learn necessary skills and to perform each of the four roles of the reader. Activities must provide students with frequent opportunities to read, teach them phonological skills, and help them to understand the structure of verbal and written words. Effective teachers will model effective reading to their students in a fun, positive manner by using props, acting, strong expression and variations in speed, pitch and volume to ensure that students see the process as enjoyable. Shared reading or modelled reading is one activity that teachers should incorporate into their Reading teaching program. It is usually a whole-class activity structured to demonstrate effective reading to the students. Teachers will often use a big book that all students can see and will follow a somewhat structured procedure. Before reading the book, an effective Reading teacher will try to build up their students semantic knowledge about the topic of the book so that students are able to relate text to mental pictures. This could be done by taking students on an excursion, drawing/painting pictures, watching a video or through writing activities. When first introducing a big book, the teacher should ensure that it is visible to all students and should encourage children to suggest what they think the book might be about. The teacher then reads through the entire book with limited stops as this first reading is usually for the enjoyment of the children. Following readings are more i nteractive and require students to join in on repetitive parts and answer questions about the storyline, characters, punctuation and structure. They are also followed up with activities to help support learning and encourage understanding. Shared reading helps to build sight word knowledge, increases reading fluency, provides opportunities for struggling readers to enjoy books they otherwise would not, and ensures that all students have a feeling of success as the whole class is supported (WETA http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading). Guided reading is another effective strategy to use in the classroom. This differs to shared reading in that students are placed in groups of similar reading ability and are given their own book to look at.The book should be introduced in a similar manner to shared reading, with attention being paid to the front cover, author and illustrator. Each students should be given the opportunity to read a designated section out loud, however, teachers should be careful not to set a child up for failure by asking a struggling reader to read a large, difficult portion of the book. Techniques should be available for students to use in order to overcome reading difficulties such as with phonics, grammar and meaning. Students should be required to take on the four roles of the reader by answering pre-prepared questions by the teacher. After a guided reading session, students should re-read the book with a partner and then take the book home to read to their parents. Again, follow-up activities ar e to be used in order to reinforce new learning such as sequencing activities or memory where repetitive words are written on pieces of card/paper and students are required to find two matching words (Winch, et al., 2001). Guided reading is effective as it allows children to read and comprehend books at their own level, instead of struggling to read books that are too difficult and where students are unable to make meaning of the text. Another effective activity to use when teaching Reading to students is called The language experience approach which uses events that have occurred in the students life in order to create texts. Students verbally share an experience which is written down either by the student or with the help from the teacher. These stories then become meaningful texts for reading and further activities as they are written at the students level and often reflect common every day experiences. The language experience approach is an effective strategy as it is learner-centred and shows students that their thoughts and experiences are valued. It also creates texts that are readable and predictable as it uses language that is common to the students (McCormick, 1988). Reading is a very complex cognitive process and involves both the text and the semantics of the reader. The Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models both acknowledge some important elements of the reading process, however, the Socio-cultural model is more effective as it attempts to combine the positive and eliminate the negative aspects of each. Effective teaching is of great importance in order to help students to become competent readers. By providing students with valuable reading activities and experiences, and encouraging them to take on the four roles of the reader, teachers are setting students up with the essential skills and understandings to becoming effective readers.

Analysis of Russia Federation Essay -- International Government

ANALYSIS OF RUSSIA FEDERATION Russia is a developing democracy government that uses hard and soft powers to navigate the tradition of the ever evolving landscape of a new democracy. According to Kegley and Blanton, soft power is defined as the â€Å"ability to exercise international influence that is increased when a country’s values and conduct are respected throughout the world†. Also define hard power as the ability to exercise â€Å"international influence by means of a country’s military capabilities†. Smart power is another layer of a combination of hard and soft power that for this article will be left out. In reviewing the applications of where and how the power is being used in Russia, the levels of analysis will help to clarify each level of government’s powers hard and soft. At the International System level of analysis one for Russia the Non-Government Originations and the Government Organizations the government organizations are higher. Russia as an international power based on our text is bipolarity. Russia in recent years has join alliances with Brazil, India, and China this alliance is called BRIC. This alliance would be a hard power to help each of these states to have a greater influence on the global policy future and the international economy (Kegley and Blanton). Also, based on research for the failure rate of multinational organizations expanding in Russia is due to the differences in culture and the corrupt business system of bribery especially of the local business owners. The local business owners hold most of the natural resources from the government communist democracy sell off (Fay and Denison). NGO’s have experience some limited success in the area of human rights. Based on the history of Russia i... ... Effectiveness: Can American Theory Be Applied in Russia? Carl F. Fey and Daniel R. Denison Organization Science , Vol. 14, No. 6 (Nov. - Dec., 2003), pp. 686-706 Published by: INFORMS Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4135128 Foreign Assistance, International Norms, and NGO Development: Lessons from the Russian Campaign Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom International Organization , Vol. 59, No. 2 (Spring, 2005), pp. 419-449 Published by: The MIT Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3877910 Hard and Soft Power WP 283,286 Chipman, J. (2011) Prospect Magazine, Who holds the power. Issue 190,14 December 2011. http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2011/12/who-holds-the-power/ http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3183.htm#profile Glenn E. Curtis, ed. Russia: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1996.

Tourism in Porto

Porto is situated in the north of Portugal. It is the second most visited city by tourists after Lisbon, the capital. I am going to inform about where the tourists most like to spend their time, how much time they spend in Porto, when about in the year they come, to explain why tourists come to Porto, what they like and dislike about the city, and describe what the whole city is about. There are many tourists that come to Porto. They like to go and see cultural, historical monuments and places that are significant to Portugal. They usually go and see the famous bridges like the Ponte D. Luis, Ponte d'Arribida. This bridge is made of concrete and it set the world record for concrete bridges for some time. It has an arch, 52m tall and the plate is 70m above water level. There is a river, called River Douro, which separates the city of Porto from Gaia. Almost all the port wine warehouses are located in the riverbank. Tourists like to go and see them, and as they go to the Gaia side, they all go to the restaurants in Cais de Gaia – which is a pacific place where there are many restaurants and some pubs. Other places where tourists enjoy going are the monuments, and the important buildings. The one I am most interested in is the Clirigos tower; it has a historical meaning, and it is one of the highest monuments in Portugal. It is located near the downtown. This tower has a church connected to it, called the Clirigos church. These buildings are a baroque and rococo piece of work. All the historical excitement lies in the museums, Serralves Foundation – Contemporary Art Museum, Tram Museum, Romantic Museum, Soares dos Reis national museum and many more. The tourists which come to Porto in May / June or September / October are usually over 50. Some French, English, Italian and Spanish people come in July / August, but most of the Spanish people prefer to come in December. Tourists usually stay from one to three days in Porto. In the year 2001, there were more tourists than ever, because Porto was nominated to be the capital of culture in Europe. In that year, 126594 tourists came to Porto. In December 1996, Porto was taken to the world patrimony. I did some interviews to some tourists in the Ribeira, and in the Cais de Gaia. I asked them what they didn't like in the city. Some people liked the city as it was although some thought that there should be some improvements to make. Some people enjoyed being in Porto despite the fact that the roads in the downtown were very confusing, there were not many signals to help them. They also said that they hated the traffic jam in the city centre. Many tourists would like to stay more time because they were enjoying themselves, but some didn't want to stay. They usually come here for pleasure, for curiosity, historical reasons, and sometimes in business trips. To get to the downtown, and that area of Porto, I think the best way to enjoy most is to go by public bus. If you want to go shopping in the downtown, then you need to go to the Rua de Santa Catarina. The first thing to do is that you have to get on the public bus number 35 or 37, which stops at the Avenida dos Aliados. Then you just walk through the slope, which is Rua 31 de Janeiro, and then turn left, and there you are. If you want to go to the Ribeira, you have to get on the public bus number 01. In order to get on the public buses, you need to buy some bus tickets. They are about 75cents each for 1 trip, there are 10 trip ones which cost about i 7. 50. Make sure that you don't buy then from inside the bus, because they are double the price! Despite the fact that sometimes the autocarros are very crowded and it doesn't always have the best conditions to stay on or it doesn't smell very well, you enjoy it. Nearly every citizen who is not able to drive a car will go by autocarro. As a result, the public buses are usually crowded, but it always depends at what time you go. In the morning most people go to work, so it might get crowded, but just after midday it might be less. The buses and taxi's have a priority in the city of Porto. They have one track in the road for them. As there are lots of vehicles in the roads, for the buses to get through easily, it was necessary that a track would be built just for buses and taxis. There are many ways to reach the Gaia side. Mainly all of the tourists like going on boats. It takes you on a mini-tour through the River Douro. It takes about 30 minutes. It will show all the famous bridges, the Ribeira, Porto's edge, Gaia's edge and the Gaia side. It is a very good opportunity to see both Porto and Gaia together; it's interesting, and enjoyable. In Porto's side you will see the Ribeira, although you will be able to see other parts, but not much. While in the Gaia side, you can see the Cais de Gaia, and the Gaia city. Whenever you need to go shopping, there are many places where you can go. For example if you want to go to an open area, with shops – clothes, footwear, toys, cafis and esplanades – there is the Rua de Santa Catarina. On that same road, there is the Via Catarina shopping centre. It has restaurants (Chinese, Italian, Mc Donald's and many more), shops – to buy clothes, jewellery, decoration, toys†¦ Some people enjoy having fast food, like eating a burger in Mc Donald's, but other people like eating pizza or pasta (Italian) or Chinese. Whenever I go to a shopping centre, I eat something fast, like a burger or a sandwich – so I can walk around and have fun. Via Catarina is not the only shopping centre in Porto. There is Norteshopping and Maia Shopping, which are in Matosinhos or Maia (Northern side), Arribida Shopping, and Gaia Shopping (in the Gaia side). All of these shopping centres are malls with millions of shops, corridors, and restaurants. Above all else, each shopping centre has cinemas in it! Arribida shopping has 20 cinema rooms, Norteshopping has 8, Gaia Shopping has 6, and Maia shopping has 8. In my opinion, Norteshopping is the best one of them all. It is the largest, with most shops, and the biggest ones. Another reason why I think this shopping centre is the best one is because if you need something, you will always be able to get it. Not a very good aspect about this mall is that Friday and Saturday night (sometimes Sundays) it gets too crowded. You cannot see anything that is in front of you, just will be able to see people. It smells like damp, sometimes muddy and the floor is not always clean, it might have litter and rubbish like chocolate wrappers and tissues – on the top floor mostly, where the restaurants are; you feel sweaty, and hot contrary to how you feel when you're not in the centres (especially in the winter) In the winter, as it is very cold here in Porto, each weekend, nearly everyone go to the shopping centres, the one which is closest one's home. People go and get together, go to the cinemas, have lunch / dinner, go shopping; they go with their family, friends, anything! Later on the year, people start going to other parts of Porto, instead of being cramped up into a shopping centre, they go for a walk, in the Avenida do Brasil, go to the Parque da Cidade (City Park) and open areas like that. The city of Porto is the most important in the North of Portugal. This is mainly because it has the most important port called Porto de Leixies. All of the textiles and footwear are made in the North, and those supplies are exported from Porto de Leixies. Many imported items are also collected there. The city isn't bad at all. It might not have the best weather all time round, but Porto is still a beautiful city, still continuing its tradition, and also developing at the same time. Porto makes me feel glad of what I am.

Fences Research Paper Essay

Lives are lead with anxiety over certain issues and with apprehension towards certain events. This play, Fences written by the playwright August Wilson deals with the progression of a family through the struggles of oppression and the inability to obtain the American Dream. The characters in the play develop throughout the story and can be viewed or interpreted in many different ways, but one man remains constant during the play and that is Troy. Due to certain events that transpired as he was growing up, Troy is shaped into a very stubborn yet proud man. To be a man who was black and proud ran the risk of getting destroyed, both physically and mentally. The world of the 1950s and 60s was rapidly changing and grew strange to Troy as he was living in a place that he understood less and less each day. Troy grows bitter through his misconceptions of the world and lives a life devoted to everything other than his family. As a result of racism Troy is unable to acquire his American Dream of becoming a baseball player, which results in his extreme bitterness that negatively impacts his family relationships and makes him deeply aware of his mortality. Troy’s dreams are thwarted due to accounts of racism that occur in his life and he refuses to acknowledge that any racial progress has been made. Although he is constantly told he is too old to play baseball, Troy sees it in different way. To Troy ability has nothing to do with age, he believes the single reason for him not making it in the major leagues is racism. Troy’s longings to become a baseball player are obstructed by oppression and discrimination. Like many black athletes, Troy was not given the same opportunities as white people were, which strengthened his already adamant view toward the idea of one’s skill vs. he color of one’s skin â€Å"I’m talking about if you could play ball then they ought to have let you play. Don’t care what color you were† (Wilson 18). Troy gets frustrated with the blatant racism that keeps him from playing in the Major Leagues. Troy feels as though he was robbed of a professional career in baseball strictly because of his race, the racial barrier constantly overshadows him and his family and has over time made him a bitter man. In an effort to help the reader understand Troy’s feelings toward his failure, Wilson writes as Troy â€Å"Don’t ome telling me I was too old. I Just wasn’t the right color† (Wilson 39). Although not specifically quoted by Troy, he has been worn down due to constant oppression and has been changed into a man whom he did not aspire to be like; his father. Troy’s animosity towards black people not getting equal opportunities as white people affects his ideals as a father and jeopardizes the future of his family. Troy’s story isn’t particularly special in this era, it was very common for racism and oppression to meddle and change peoples lives. Not specific to baseball but in general life, many things were completely segregated as explained by Kim Pereira â€Å"Wilson used the fence and baseball to tell this story. It was not just a story of a life perceived as a failure, but a look into the minds and thoughts of an African American in the 1950’s† (Pereira 47). Very few people before the civil rights movements in the 1960’s were acting out against racism, and many black people accepted this and began to believe that they were in fact, the inferior race. Troy cannot see the clear racial progress that has been made since he played baseball. As life progressed since Troy had faced oppression during his early years, he found it difficult to accept that things had changed. Troy’s racial arrogance is shown as he talks to Cory about baseball players not playing because of where they are from â€Å"â€Å"Got that boy†¦ Puerto Rican boy†¦ Clemente. Don’t even half-play him† â€Å"He gets lots of chances to play†Ã¢â‚¬  (Wilson 59). Troy clearly believes that people are still not given opportunities to play or excel in something because of the color of their skin, but Cory is denying this claim and states that that is not the case anymore and things have moved forward, at least in this instance. The aspect of social change had opportunities to erupt during the 1950s; people were so set on their views, and much like Troy very few were willing to believe that there was change. Howard Shapiro analyzed this issue â€Å"It’s set in the late ‘50s in an American rapidly moving for an upheaval that will bring massive social change – change Troy Maxson either fails to see or cannot understand† (Shapiro) Troy’s reluctance to accept social change puts the future of his family at risk and stops Cory from progressing through life and out of the ghetto. Troy is constantly exposed to racism and attempts to overcome it in everyday life. There are many instances throughout the book of black people, often working very hard to try and get an opportunity to make something of their lives. This opportunity that is searched for is constantly dismissed because of the underlining theme of racism. Troy isn’t one to stand up for himself, but does when he speaks to his boss about inequality in the work area â€Å"I went to Mr. Rad and asked him ‘why? Why you got white men’s driving and the colored man lifting? † (Wilson 19) Troy’s frustration in dealing with racism and inequality everyday reflects his frustrations from being denied a career in baseball. Despite Troy’s efforts to work hard, he along with many others is not given a chance to change the lives of their families. Troy says that he works as hard as possible and receives nothing for it â€Å"I’m working every day and can’t get not credit† (Wilson 15) Troy is overlooked because of the color of their skin, and in being constantly discriminated against Troy’s future is limited. Although there has been some racial progress by the 1950s, there are not any significant breakthroughs until the civil rights movement. Through the voice of Troy, Wilson describes and example of oppression where a â€Å"negro† walks into a restaurant and cannot get served, but when a white man walks in everybody drops what he or she is doing and rushes to the aid of the white man. Wilson references the Pope picking out the meat from the stew for the white man, saying that everybody will get down on his or her hands and knees to cater for that one man. An instance like this occurred very often and is made an example out of. Troy displaces his relationships with Rose and Cory, who end up resenting him because of his ostracizing actions. As a result of being exposed to failure when growing up with his father, Troy seems to have adopted the idea that when things get difficult it is easier to just walk away. In doing so Troy unknowingly affects the lives of those around him. Troy ruins his marriage with Rose due to his never-ending need to escape responsibility. Troy does not have a sense of familial obligation and much like his father puts a lot of effort into getting away from his duties as a father. He wants to get away from the pressures of family life and is driven towards another woman with whom he has an affair, and explains it as â€Å"She gives me a different idea†¦I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems† (Wilson 68). Troy is forever reluctant to accept his responsibilities, he understands that he is a father but all that he associates with this role is providing money, as that is all anybody asks of him. Troy is very hypocritical in saying he is the man of the house, yet acting as far from it as possible. In neglecting his family, Troy destroys his relationships with his wife, and children. As Kim Pereira analyses â€Å"Troy delays building the fence, as though fearful of the restrictions it will place on him. Something within him rebels against the idea of being cut off from the world, having no escape from the pressures of family life† (Pereira 49). It is evident that Troy is fearful of the symbolic meaning of the fence rather than the fence itself. Placing possible restrictions on him, Troy is reluctant to put it up; he feels it might force him to live a life devoted to his family, with no escape. In marrying Troy, Rose took a huge gamble in putting all of her aspirations and dreams aside to live a family life, one devoted to her husband and children. When finding out that her husband has cheated on her Rose’s goals and possible futures were destroyed, she was betrayed by the man she invested in â€Å"I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams†¦and I buried them inside of you. I planted a seed and waited and prayed over it† (Wilson 45). Troy betrayed the trust of Rose, and not only cheated her but the family as well, any goals they had, are now shattered because of his selfishness. Harold Bloom suggests that once Troy speaks to death following fights with loved ones he destroys his family â€Å"Troy stands alone on stage and speaks directly to death. These meetings follow confrontations, first with Rose and then with Cory, during which Troy manages to kill the love from those he loves the most† (Bloom). After Troy manages to â€Å"kill the love† he accepts death and acknowledges that it will eventually come. Troy shifts all of his attention to one aspect of his life and in doing so neglects and pushes away those who love him. Cory takes umbrage against Troy, as a result of the restrictions that are placed upon him. Due to Troy’s failure in baseball he is diffident to let Cory play football in college. He faced racism in trying to become a professional athlete and fears the same fate for Cory â€Å"The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football no way† (Wilson 78). Troy sees his time that he used to pursue a career in baseball was wasted and is now trying to avoid Cory from going through the same thing. In response to his own disappointment, Troy demands Cory to give up on his dream. Troy believes that to be successful you have to work hard and that you earn where you get to, but believes that something interfered on his path to success. Troy thinks that life has never been fair to his family and never helped him out, it is just an obstruction â€Å"Life don’t owe you nothing† (Wilson 83). In his eyes somebody succeeding in life means that they think they are better than others, Troy begins to shows this characteristic when Cory has the opportunity to play college football and possibly make something of his life, as Kim Pereira explains â€Å"This seeming lack of affection is hard on Cory who obviously worships his father. But every attempt to emulate Troy is met with disapproval, and slowly, their lives begin to revolve in concentric circles – beginning at the same center, destined to describe similar patterns† (Pereira 44). Despite Cory wanting a relationship with his father, Troy is hesitant to show any affection toward his own son because of his pride.