Of mice and men - A comparison of the opening scenes of the film and the beginning of the book Essay Example for Free

Of mice and men A comparison of the opening scenes of the film and the beginning of the book Essay A comparison of the opening scenes of the film and the beginning of the book Of mice and men is set in southern California at the time of the great depression (late 1920 and early 30s), the basis of the story is about 2 men George and Lenny, who are two workers who travel from place to place finding work on ranches, so they can earn there 50 bucks a month. George is the leader out of the two he looks after Lenny, sorts out where they go and what they do and eat. Lenny is a very big and strong man, but he is very dumb and could not look after himself, he his at heart a nice, harmless man but likes colourful, nice feeling things, so he is just like a small child. Lenny gets them into trouble a lot, he likes to touch nice things and when he does people get the wrong idea and like at the start of the book and film gets accused of rape, and at the end causes a death of a woman. Like most writers or directors, John Steinbeck and Gary Sinise try to grab the readers or viewers attention. Even though the novel and film are based on the same story, they use different techniques and ways to try and get the audiences attention. In the novel John Steinbeck uses a lot of description of his settings and this is how he tries to keep the audiences imagination going. For example in the first two pages of the novel, he uses a strong descriptive and a strong style of language to try and give an effect of a natural, calm and peaceful atmosphere, also when describing the willow pool he tries and puts as much detail in as possible, as this area of land is one of the most important places in the story as this is where Steinbeck starts the story and ends it in a similar place. Its quite amazing how Steinbeck manages to turn a violent and threatening scene into a calm, relaxing place and an almost peaceful time. I think that the first set of settings is set in a spring/summer theme as they are talking about there dream which is seen as the American dream of this time, so this also relates to life in the late boom and depression of the 1920s. The beginning is used to try and introduce the two main characters portraying Lenny as the leader and it seems that he is like a father to Lenny who is portrayed as a small child who cannot control what he is doing. George also knows he has to take the role as the father or older brother and has to keep rules and tells him what to do, e.g. when they are drinking from the lake Lenny keeps his head in the water and is just guzzling the water down, then George says; For god sake dont drink so much, and also he checks if the water is safe by making sure that its is running although George is of little intelligence him self he knows how to stay alive and live well. Gary Sinise tries to grab the audiences attention quite differently at the beginning of the film as he uses a dramatic sequence of George and Lenny sitting in the luggage holder of a train, and you see him thinking back to what happened at Weed. When this is happening the light fades over Georges face from the cracks in the compartments wooden walls, this effect of the light streaming across his face gives an imaginary sense of prison bars. During Georges flashbacks you see them running fast and out of breath down a field full of long grass, and it keeps flashing back on Georges face in the train giving you a sense of distress instead of the calming effect of the novel. It then flashes to a pretty woman in a red dress that has a rip going down the bottom of it, the air flows through her dress and hair as she is running down a field. This scene really is exciting and full of tension to the viewer, which contrasts totally to the calm and peaceful opening of the book. Next you she a bunch of workers in a field, and they hear the girls screams. The workers on horse follow carrying shotguns. This contrasts to the life of today against nearly a century ago, as nowadays Lenny would have been arrested and put to a fair trial but back then they would have just killed Lenny on the spot. This scene puts people on the edges of their seats giving a sense of suspense; this is how a good director is able to keep the audiences attention to the film. The scene of the willow pool is quite like the scene in the book it gives a more relaxed effect from the previous suspense scenes, as they hide neck deep under the overflowing bush weed, and luckily the workers lose them. When we see George and Lenny getting there work cards it proves the fact that this is in the 1930s as there were a lot of job shortages and you had to go to a job office and see if any jobs were available, most people would take any job there was, because of the depression. This then gives us a slight historical background of the time they are in. George in the book is firstly described as small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. George being described as having restless eyes gives an impression that he is quite alert and a quick thinker of what to do in troubled times. Lenny on the other hand is described quite differently: Huge man, shapeless face with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. the way a bear drags his paws Lenny is being described as an animal which shows that he is a slow and clumsy both physical and mentally. The characters in the film are unlike the ones in the book as they are not physically opposite. Lenny is only slightly taller than George, but the behaviours of these two characters do mirror that it is similar to the book as Lenny acts like a child and George is the smart, dominant one. This is often shown in the close ups of their faces and in their speech and movement. The clothes they wear are described in the book as workers clothes so rugged and tattered, so the movie is also based on this part as the clothes in the movie are like this. In my opinion I think casting John Malkovich was perfect to be Lenny as he was able to portray the child like brain of Lenny. He seemed to fit the right description of Lenny. The voice used by John Malkovich was very effective in giving the viewer a childlike impression of Lenny. Gary Sinise although he was director he himself played George and he obviously knew how he wanted George to be played and he did with an amazing attitude, he gave out the attitude and cunningness of George as is written in the book. In conclusion, the beginning of the book and the beginning of the film are based on the same storyline. The way the scenes are described and presented are really quite different. Gary Sinise is able to create a sense of action and suspense followed by the calm of the willow pool, whilst Steinbeck creates a very rich and calm descriptive opening scene, which contrasts with the violence of what is actually happening.

Antigone as a Tragic Hero Essay -- essays research papers

Antigone as a tragic hero The debate over who is the tragic hero in Antigone is unanswered. The belief that Antigone is the hero is a tough one. Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic hero of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies for doing what she believes is right. She buries her brother without worrying what might happen to her. Unlike Antigone, Ismene says â€Å"And break the law, our death will be more shameful even then theirs† (pg.5 line 60). In Sophocle's Antigone, the characters show a variety of traits. However, Antigone's life of aspiration, family of noble rank, and display of good mentality portray her as the tragic hero of the story. A tragic hero has haughty, opulence, and perfunctory. A tragic hero must include thre...

Informative Speech 101

Speech 101 D 10/14/12Delivery Outline IntroductionAttention getter: Take the time to think, how well do you know the people you call friends?Reveal topic: John Wayne Gacy was one of the Notorious Serial Killer in the United States.Thesis: Gacy was one of the well-known serial killers during the 1970’s. Credibility: In a 1982 news paper article from the Washington Post News â€Å"Gacy killed at least 33 young teenage boys by lower them to work for him. †Preview: We will look at details involving gacy life such as his early life, Serial killing, and his trial. Transition sentence: Let us begin with how he was raised.I. Gacy Early childhood lifeA. Attended Catholic school1. He was not a very popular kid in school.2. According to Racheal Bell in the Crime Library, â€Å"He always remained active with other children and thoroughly enjoyed outdoor scouting activities. †B. Family relationships1. Gacy relationship with his mother and sisters were very strong.2. According to Racheal Bell in the Crime Library, â€Å"his father was an abusive alcoholic who physically abused his mother and verbally abused him and his sister. Gacy deeply wanted to gain his father devotion and attention.Transition sentence: Now that you have a better understanding of his early life, let’s talk about the Serial killing.II. Serial KillerA. Pogo the Clown/Killer Clown1. His alter ego was one of the ways he lower young boys in his home.2. According to the Crime and Investigation crime files â€Å"Gacy had convinced his self that his alter personality Jack Hanson had committed the murders and was trying to frame him for them. †B. According to the Crime and Investigation crime files â€Å"Gacy was making sexual advances to young employees within his father-in-law’s restaurant. †1.Mark Miller was one of gacy’s first victims which had gotten away.2. As said in a 1975 article from Chicago Tribune states, â€Å"Gacy just couldn’t resist his urges of making sexual advances towards young boys. He increased his interest in gay pornography and violent mood swings. †Transition sentence: Now that you know how/when he started the killing, let’s talk about the trial (conviction).III. Gacy on trail(conviction)A. Confession and Trial1. According to the book Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders â€Å"Left a stunning impression on the jurors and the courtroom spectators, who were learning some details for the first time.2. According to Michael Buchanan of the criminal law blogâ€Å"Gacy admitted to detectives that he had committed approximately 30 murders, all of them teenage males. Once back at Gacy's residences, the young men would be handcuffed and choked as they were sexually assaulted. Some of the teenagers had been strangled with a tourniquet, which Gacy referred to as his â€Å"rope trick†. Most of the victims, Gacy said, were buried in the crawl space of his home where, periodically, he would pour lime to hasten the decomposition of the corpses. †B. Gacy was convicted of all 33 murders1.He was sentenced to serve 12 death sentence and 21 natural sentences.2. He died by lethal injection on May 10, 1994 at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois.Transition sentence: So I ask you, do you know the people you associate with on a daily basic? Conclusion The world we live in today you just can’t be too sure of who you know or who you want to get to know. Gacy was one of the well-known serial killers across the U. S during the 1970’s. As we can see Gacy wasn’t brought up to do the things he did(Yes of course he really didn’t have a father, but I felt that was not an excuse. )

Impact of Socio Economic Condition on Academic Achievement of Students

Research Proposal On Impact of Socio Economic Condition on Academic Achievement of Students Introduction Education provides individual children with the knowledge and skills necessary to advance themselves and their nation economically. Socioeconomic factors, such as family income level, parents' level of education, race and gender, all influence the quality and availability of education as well as the ability of education to improve life circumstances. (Jennifer, 2005).A person’s education is closely linked to their life chances, income, and well being. Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of what benefits or hinders one’s educational attainment (Barry 2005). Socioeconomic status (SES) is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. It is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group. When viewed through a social class lens, privilege, power, and control are emphasized.Understanding the ef fects of socioeconomic status on academic performance is important in determining effective and valid testing for students. Determining the correlation between these two variables is important for all educators to understand, so that all students can achieve to their academic potential. Finding the correlation between academic performance and socioeconomic status can assist educators in determining instructional strategies that best fit each individual student (Brent, 2009).The issue of socioeconomic status and its relationship in the academic performance creates an emerging study in academic research. The link between the economic status of the family and its influence in the student’s pursuance for education is one of the issues that the educators are attempting to address. In public institutions all levels of students are getting chance to study according to their merit. After getting the scope to study in public universities, it is not a very easy task for all students to carry on their studies in present circumstances.According to statistical reports 23-25% students of public universities are come from those families which are living below the poverty line (Dr. Abdul Hai, 2009). Problem Statement The level of family income, what level of income a family is in, has the potential to influence a child's ability to perform from one extreme to the other. Parents with higher status often have more opportunities in preparing their young children for school because they typically have access to a wide range of resources in contrast to parents with lack of financial and social status.Parents with inadequate resources and limited access can negatively affect their young children’s development in learning (Eamon, 2005). In the other developing country, like Bangladesh which is a populous country, socio-economic status of a family is usually linked with the family’s income, parent’s educational level, parent’s occupation and the soc ial status of other relatives. This logic is said to create great parental influences on the student’s university performance (Okafor, 2007). The university effectiveness is also addressed in the determining the outcome of the students.This justification motivated to investigate the socio-economic condition of the parents and its impact on their children’s’ academic achievements in Department of Business Administration Literature Review We know that the link between a child’s socio-economic status (SES) and school achievement is real; it is a very tight link as such things go, and the link has existed for decades (Grant, 2005). The level of family income, what level of income a family is in, has the potential to influence a child's ability to perform from one extreme to the other.If a parent is financially able to clothe, feed and entertain their children it appears they should have all the support they would need to score well on exams. However on the fl ip side, if parents are not financially able to support their children with just the basic needs, it is possible that will have an effect on the child's scores as well(Ima,2008). Extensive   research   in   the   sociology   of   education   offers   conclusive   evidence   of   a   positive   relationship   between   family   socio? economic   status  (SES)   and   the   academic   achievement   of  students   (Sirin,   2005;   White,  1982).On this relationship, Bone (1981) studied and concluded that the students belong to the family of high socio-economic condition have effective academic achievements than students belong to poor family. Sirin (2005) conducted research and the result showed medium to strong relationship between socio-economic condition and academic achievements. The socio-economic condition of a family is an important factor which affects the learning achievements (Iqbal, 2012). According to Bon (1981) Socio -economic status can be measured in a number of different ways.Most commonly it is measured by parents’ education, occupation and income and the responsible factor is father, but sometimes mother’s education or occupation, family income resources or household possession are used, especially in combination. Whatever the measurement is the socio-economic status is positively correlated with both educational attainment and achievement. The socioeconomic background was founded and recognized from the wealthy and well-educated parents that can help to ensure the future of their children.Because of their influence, it is believed that the background of a student is favorable for their learning environment, better education, and good jobs. On the other hand, the children who have the low socioeconomic background are believed to lack in education and obtaining an opportunity in the future may be difficult. Because of the importance of family backgrounds in other countries, it is also referenced to be the major influence on the student school success. The relationships of the student environment have established many variables that can be direct or indirect in the student’s success (Okafor, 2007).Objectives The main aim of the study is to examine the impact of socio-economic condition of parents and its relationship with academic achievements of children. In order to provide the idea regarding the study, there are other objectives that should be considered. * To recognize the perceptions of the students regarding the family status and academic achievements. * To examine the impact of socio-economic condition of parents and its relationship with academic achievements of children. * And to suggest the other possible ways to increase the competitiveness of the academic settings.Methodology This study is an exploratory in nature. For exploring and explaining the impact of socioeconomic condition on academic achievement, the researchers apply both quali tative and quantitative method. To collect information we use various techniques like interview, observation. * Sources of data: The study will be based on both primary and secondary data. The respondents are the source of primary data and the literature (research reports, journals, articles, bulletins) related to the socioeconomic status will be considered as secondary sources of data. Population: Target population of the research is 350 students of Business department. Sampling procedure: As a sample technique we use probability sampling, because every member of the population has a known, non-zero probability of selection. All probability sampling are designed or based on selection criterion and among them we select stratified sampling, a probability sampling procedure in which simple random subsamples that are more or less equal on some characteristics are drawn from within each stratum of the population.Stratified sampling is of two types, proportional stratified sample and dis proportional stratified sample. For purpose of our study we use proportional stratified sampling, a stratified sample in which the number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is proportional to the population size of that stratum. We have stratified 350 students of Business department in seven batches and randomly select seven students from each stratum. * Sample size: The total numbers of sample is 49.All respondents will be selected for interview. Techniques of data collection Research data will be collected by using the techniques of interview. During the interview phase selected respondent will be formally invited to participate in the session. A convenient place of respondent will be fixed according to their yearning. Tools of data collection For collecting data the following tools will be used- * Interview schedule with open and close ended questions * Unit of analysis:Every student of the study will be the unit of analysis. * Respondents: The respondents will be selected on basis of following three criteria. Such as- * Who currently study in Business Administration Department * Those who are engaged on tuition for supporting their study * Those who live in the student hall or Boarding house Data processing and interpretation As result being conducted using the tools of interview schedule. So it will transcribe the data and carefully reexamine to minimized errors in the data.Collected data will be classified into different socio-economic characters. Analysis work after tabulation will generally based on the computation of various percentages. Researcher will use various statistical tools like regression analysis, correlation analysis and also dispersion for analyzing the data. References * Ahmad Iqbal (31 July, 2012), Relationship between parental socio-economic conditions and student’s academic achievements: A case of district dir, Timergara, Pakistan [online] accessed on 21 December 2012. Barry Jennifer (2005), The Effect of Socio-Economic Status on Academic Achievement [online] Accessed on 15 December 2012. * Blevins M Brent (2009), Effects of socioeconomic status on academic performance in Missouri public schools [online] Accessed on 15 December 2012. * C. R. Kothari (2005), Research Methodology: Methods & Techniques – Page: 95-122, used for collecting and analyzing the data. * Ima (November 2008), Socioeconomic Status and School Achievement [online] accessed on 20December 2012. * Okafor, P. (2007) A Case Study: Factors Contributing to the Academic Achievement of Low-Socio Economic Status Students in Anambra South County, Anambra State Nigeria[Online] Available at: http://patrickokafor. com/LeadingtoThesisProposal1. pdf [Accessed 01 December 2012]. * Thomas, J. , & Stockton, C. , (2003) Socioeconomic Status, Race, Gender, & Retention: Impact on Student Achievement [Online] Available at: http://www. usca. edu/essays/vol72003/stockton. pdf [Accessed 07 December 20102]. * William G. Zikmund (2010-2011), Business Research Methods – Page: 400-402, Stratified Sampling Technique.

Cars and Carriages

Cars and Carriages Cars and Carriages Cars and Carriages By Mark Nichol Car and carriage, and many other words containing the element car, derive from the Latin word carrus, meaning â€Å"two-wheeled wagon.† This post lists and defines many of the words descended from carrus. A car is a passenger vehicle designed to be driven on roads; autocar and motorcar are outdated terms used in the early days of automotive travel to describe cars so as not to have them be confused with train cars and streetcars, which were dominant modes of travel at the time. A streetcar is a public passenger vehicle, running on a network of rails within a city, that can be drawn by horses (this type was sometimes called a horsecar) or propelled by electricity; one drawn by cables is sometimes called a cable car. Car also describes a segment of a railroad train, and terms for specialized cars include boxcar, denoting an enclosed car for carrying freight, flatcar, which refers to a platform freight car, and â€Å"stock car,† meaning â€Å"a ventilated boxcar for hauling livestock.† (â€Å"Stock car† also describes a racing car with a stock, or mass-produced, chassis and a customized car body.) A car wash is a public facility for cleaning cars, either staffed or self-service with coin-operated equipment. A carpool is an arrangement in which two or more people share a car driven by one of them to reach a common destination. A carport is an area, like a garage but generally with only a roof on posts and no walls, for storing vehicles. (â€Å"Car park† is a British English term for a parking garage or parking lot.) To be carsick is to become nauseated by the motion of a car; the ailment is called carsickness. Carriage originally denoted the act of carrying but came to apply to a vehicle that carries people, including a train car; the meaning was extended to refer to one’s posture as well as specialized senses pertaining to a moveable part of a machine, such as a typewriter’s carriage, or to having a pathogen in one’s body. Carry also derives from carrus; among the most versatile of verbs, it has numerous senses pertaining to bearing, moving, or directing something from one place to another or to associated actions. But it is also employed as a noun, as in the case of a method of bearing something, as in describing the advance of a football player with the ball. A carrier is an entity that carries something, and a carryall is a vehicle or a large bag; the latter word stems by folk etymology from the French term carriole. Chariot, denoting an ancient two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle, is, with charioteer, derived from the Old French verb charrier, meaning â€Å"transport,† by way of Middle French and Middle English. The word, as well as chariotee, a diminutive of chariot, and â€Å"post chariot,† pertain to types of carriage used before the automotive age. Charabanc is a British English word for a sightseeing bus; the term is derived from the French phrase char bancs, meaning â€Å"wagon with benches.† Carousel, originally describing a jousting match and later pertaining to an amusement ride in which people mount statues of horses or other animals set on a revolving platform, is from the Italian word carusiello, possibly descended from carrus. Cart and its compound variations (from cartwheel to â€Å"shopping cart†) are unrelated, stemming from an Old English word, related to the Dutch word for basket, that likely alluded to the fact that early carts often included a body made of wickerwork. However, charette (also spelled charrette), a word originally pertaining to a cart used to carry drawings- by extension, it now describes a meeting involving architectural plans- is French for â€Å"little cart† and is from carrus. (The modern sense might derive from the notion of viewing and discussing architectural drawings spread out on a cart at a building site.) However, a few words that may not be easily recognized as belonging to the same family do stem from carrus, including career, which means â€Å"course† or â€Å"passage† and by extension came to denote a field or profession one pursues. As a verb, it describes speeding along a road or other course. (However, careen, denoting turning something over or a side-to-side movement, is unrelated.) Carrack, the word for a sailing vessel common during the 1400s and 1500s, derives from an Arabic word for â€Å"merchant ship† that may have been borrowed from the Latin term carricare, meaning â€Å"load a car.† Cargo, meaning â€Å"goods conveyed by a vehicle or vessel,† stems from the same word by way of Spanish, and that language is also the source of supercargo, denoting a ship’s officer responsible for freight and related matters. Carricare is also the source of cark, an obscure word used as a noun or a verb to refer to trouble or worry, from the notion of a burden. It is also the origin of charge, which originally referred to a load or a weight carried but now has a variety of meanings, including â€Å"command† or â€Å"supervision,† â€Å"obligation,† â€Å"expense,† or â€Å"complaint,† â€Å"criticism,† or â€Å"assertion of guilt.† It also describes a rush, especially of attacking mounted soldiers, and still refers to a load of in the sense of a quantity of electricity or explosives. In addition, it serves as a verb pertaining to these senses. A charger is something used in charging, such as a warhorse or a device for holding or reinforcing a weapon or an energy source. and something that can be charged is chargeable. Recharge means â€Å"charge again,† and something that can be charged again is rechargeable. A countercharge is a response to a charge, and overcharge and undercharge denote excessive or insufficient charging, while supercharge refers to applying energy, pressure, or tension and a surcharge is an extra charge, usually in the financial sense of an additional fee. The noun chargà © d’affaires, borrowed directly from the French phrase meaning â€Å"charged with affairs† (and pronounced the same), denotes a deputy of an ambassador or other senior diplomat. Carpenter, meaning â€Å"worker who builds and repairs wood structures† (from a Latin word denoting a wagon maker), and carpentry, referring to the practice, are related to carrus. Although caricature is in a sense a synonym of character, in that both pertain to a representation of a person, and the terms are pronounced similarly and appear as if they might share a root, they are unrelated: Character, by way of Latin, is from the Greek word kharacter, meaning â€Å"engraved mark†; it retains its original sense of â€Å"symbol† but also developed the meaning of â€Å"person in a work of fiction,† then simply â€Å"person† (and later â€Å"eccentric person†) as well as â€Å"the sum of one’s defining qualities,† or â€Å"integrity.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-Efficient36 Poetry TermsEach vs. Both

Provide a critical analysis of the business case for work-life Research Paper

Provide a critical analysis of the business case for work-life programs within a strategic HRM context - Research Paper Example ork life balance as identified by David Clutterbuck is defined as being aware of the demands on time and having the ability of making choices and knowing the applications of certain values for choices and finally making choices (CIPD, 2009). Yasbek (2004) business case shows that most of the New Zealand organisations are highly ensuring work life balance policies and practices at their workplace. The topic of importance of work life balance practices has become not only for the employees and organisations but for the government, politicians, workers and academics. Furthermore, the changing market structure of economies from monopolies to competition, increasing women workforce, shortage of skilled labour force and increasing social groups have also enhanced the importance of the subject of work like balance policies. Some social groups also increase the demand of work life balance policies such as women, minority groups and old aged people. Therefore, this topic appears to be an emer ging topic, which has changed the working practices in organisations. In consideration to the importance of increasing work life balance policies, this report has been created and it aims to discuss the pros and cons of work life balance policies. The scope of this report is limited to secondary research, as in this report only the early literature on work life balance policies will be evaluated. This report will critically analyse the key issues associated with work life balance policies discussed in business case of New Zealand written by Yasbek (2004). The key issues identified by Yasbek in his case deal with the impact of work life balance policies on employees’ retention, satisfaction, performance, organisation performance and productivity. Therefore, this report aims to highlight the key issues resolved by work life balance policies, the strategies for the firms adopting these policies and challenges faced by the firms after adopting such practices. In short, this report is

Recent trends in top tier banks in U.S., Europe, Asia, or Latin Term Paper

Recent trends in top tier banks in U.S., Europe, Asia, or Latin America - finance - Term Paper Example such as money transfers, payroll services, bank reconcilement, credit services such as asset based financing, lines of credit, commercial loans, or commercial real estate loans, deposit services such as checking or savings account services and foreign exchange. The latter involves services such as securitization, financing of mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, underwriting of shares, private placements of equity shares and debt securities with the investing institutions. These two services which were specialized by two distinct set of bankers are now being increasingly converged to be undertaken by same banks in view of deregulation of the financial sector. The banks have also started entering into insurance businesses. These changes have catapulted the banks to become an important and integral part of global business environment (Trends in the banking industry). In this context, this paper seeks to trace the recent trends in top tier banks in the U.S. and other countries in re spect of products, competition and global advancement. Since World War II through1970, there had been not many bank failures as it used to be a stable business. There were just ten bank failures in the U.S during the postwar period. It was only after deregulation, and liberalization identified as the catalysts for competition and growth, bank failures began to raise during 1980s and 1990s. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (2004) and other studies of Blommestein and Lange (1993) and Blommestein (1997) provide a thorough analysis of bank failures in the U.S., Japan, Europe and others. Figure 1 showing the trend of banking failures during the period from 1934-2003 is clearly illustrative of this. The deregulation and liberalization has resulted in consolidation of banking industry during the last twenty five years. In the U.S. alone, the number of commercial banks which was 13,000 in 1980 has come down to 7,600 as in 2005. The last two decades have been characterized by