Smart Meters Privacy Concerns & Solutions Dissertation

Smart Meters Privacy Concerns & Solutions - Dissertation Example The prime concern of â€Å"Compromise of Consumer Privacy† and â€Å"Safety Concern† due to the detailed statistical and itemised electricity usage will also be discussed in detail. Ways and means of countering this severe draw back will also be discussed and a practical solution will be proposed. A new idea on making Smart Meters more consumer friendly and robust in terms of protecting consumer privacy will be discussed as well Acknowledgements Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Table of Contents 4 1. Introduction 7 2. A detailed technological assessment on the power and sophistication of the Smart Meter Device 9 3. A detailed exploration of the features, functionalities and modes of the Smart Meter 9 4. A practical point of view at the Smart Meter from the consumer’s stand point and evaluation of the benefits of such Smart Meters e.g.: reduction of hassles, detailed consumption statistics, reduction in the risk of Meter tampering, hooking, and ille gal manipulation of meters to register incorrect readings etc. 9 5. A comparison with primitive Electricity usage measuring devices like the analogue disk meters etc. 9 6. An understanding of the â€Å"Privacy† issue of consumers. Loss of confidentiality of sensitive information. Unauthorised access of consumer specific information and utilisation in mal practices 9 8. Literature Review 10 9. Research Methodology 13 10. Findings and Analysis 15 11. Discussion 20 12. Conclusions and Recommendations 23 13. Personal Reflection 28 14. Bibliography 30 15. Appendices 31 1. Introduction 1.1. Project Rationale In this project of detailed study of Smart Meters, we will be researching the Smart Meter as a consumer product, analysing its pros and cons, identifying its benefits and also the ethical dilemma surrounding the usage of Smart Meters to register Electricity Consumption in homes in cities and in different countries. We will be studying the issues surrounding the recent release a nd distribution of Smart Meters, the threats to Privacy and the exposure of Sensitive Personal Data. The Smart Meter will be placed against the back drop of two conflicting scenarios, one promoting and encouraging its usage due to increased consumer convenience and awareness on electricity usage. The other scenario being the generation of statistical data on electricity consumption that has the power and potential to personally identify individuals, intrude into their daily life patterns and over all life style. The Personal Reflection and the conclusion will talk about the Smart Meters over emphasising accuracy and threatening consumer privacy and safety by exposing detailed usage statistics to unauthorised access. We will be concluding with numerous possibilities to reduce the sensitivity of information generated by the smart meter, thereby retaining its advanced technology and caring for the consumer’s privacy by safeguarding consumer interests as well. 1.2. Project Aim an d Objectives 1.2.1. Project Aim The aim of the project is as follows is to conduct a thorough research on the features and functionalities of Smart Meters and make an informed and careful decision on dealing with this sophisticated gadget. A thorough risk assessment followed by a detailed discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, risks and threats is the aim of the project. 1.2.2. Project Objectives Objectives of the Project are: 2. A detailed technological

My School Essay Example for Free

My School Essay I,________,have been a part of the _________School District my entire life. For me school has been a mixture of emotions. Some years I loved school and learning and other years I hated school and felt as if I would never amount to anything. The movie Stand and Deliver made me wonder how much better of a student I could have been if all my teachers cared as much as Mr. Escalante. In elementary school I had mixed emotions. I loved school up until about 3rd grade but then I started to hate school. It became harder for me to get good grades and I felt dumb. Many of my teachers also had my sister, who was an A+ student so they would always make statement about how I should follow in her footsteps and such. But I was never as smart as her or good at school like she was. Once I was in the 3rd grade I began to struggle with all subjects except reading, once this struggle began I started to care less about school and grades. Middle school is where things began to turn around for me. In the 6th grade I had Mr. Pollock as one of my teachers. He was the most caring teacher I have ever had,  he showed me I could do anything I put my mind too and he pushed me to succeed the way Mr. Escalante pushed his students. In the movie Mr. Escalante says â€Å"Students will rise to the level of expectations† and this is exactly what my teacher did to me, he set the expectations high and then pushed me to exceed them. High school was another good experience. I always was a â€Å"teacher’s pet† and got good grades without really trying. I never studied while in high school and was very involved in extracurricular activities. This was good for me then but has caused me problems now. Now that I am in college and have to study and really work hard I don’t do as good as I would like. In my opinion my past schooling has set me up to fail in college. Even though I was taught the things I needed to be taught. I didn’t learn to push myself. I got by either just barely or passing with flying colors I, Thanh Nguyen, I have been grown up in Vietnam, so I went to elementary, middle, high school there. And the education is a lots harder here in States. For me school has been a mixture of emotions. Some years I loved school and learning and other years I hated school and felt as if I would never amount to anything. In elementary school I had mixed emotions. I loved school up until about 5rd grade but then I started to hate school In my opinion my past schooling has set me up to fail in college. Even though I was taught the things I needed to be taught. I didn’t learn to push myself. I got by either just barely or passing with flying colors

Criminal Technology Past To Future Criminology Essay

Criminal Technology Past To Future Criminology Essay Technology continues to change at a rapid pace after one type of technology is released another usually follows suit to compliment the first or to replace it. The same is true with policing styles as the eras changed the technology changed and shaped how officers handle situations. With so much technology out there it makes you wonder what could possibly be left. The truth is technology will never cease to change, just as policing styles will have to change to adapt. INTRODUCTION Over the years and through several eras policing has changed, along with the change of policing styles came the formation and implementation of technology that helped them along the way. From the political era to the more modern day community policing era was found recently to be lacking in products that were already being marketed. By the time we caught up we realized a little to late that these items we use now could have been in place and were available 30 to 40 years earlier. How did we first start with technology, when did we finally catch up and what are our best advances so far and what yet do we see coming ? I will explore this in the paper as we take shortcuts through past eras; their technological uses and advance through each era to post modern day technology, the benefits these contribute and what they got under wraps for our next step into technological advances in policing. Eras Policing, as we know it today has developed from various political, economic, and social forces. To better understand the role of police in society, one has to know the history of how policing became what it is today.    Policing has been categorized into three basic eras, which include the Political Era, Reform Era, and lastly the Community Problem-Solving Era that is the present form of policing. Political Era Policing style was quasi military consisting of a decentralized command structure resulting in control over precincts by ward leaders. An assigned officer was always closely tied to the neighborhood, slowness of communications and transportation limited officers contact with central command. Citizens were able to bring complaints to the officers that could be dealt with it on the spot as officers patrolled on foot. Based on their discretion these officers dealt with problem in accordance of the values and norms of the neighborhood of which they were in. During this time most officers came armed with the technology of a gun and a nightstick. Today these are still the first weapons of choice when called upon to use force. Telegraphs and telephones as well as police call boxes were the new jump in communications technology during this era. While the start of investigations with the Bertillon system for criminal Identification and fingerprinting crime scenes also became used. Reform Era The Reform Era brought about concerns of political influencing on policing. People worked to eliminate the involvement of politics to making policing more professional. With these changes more advances in technology were also implemented. Transportation and communication put police where they could receive calls from a central location and dispatch officers as well to respond more quickly over a widespread location. Police started decreasing the public aid to focus on combating crime. Police were hired based on qualifications not affiliations, the reform wanted police with detachment and a greater commitment to training. Reform policing had three key operational parts; foot patrol was replaced by cars equipped with the two-way radios as cars were being used to commit crimes. The availability of cars also meant more ground could be covered. Motorized police patrol was becoming a method of crime control. Rapid Response was important in three ways the first was you have a better chance at catching a criminal if you can reach the scene quickly, better chance of clearing the case if the criminal is caught. Most importantly the time in which it took to respond to a call was being judged because rapid response had become possible and the community not only required but also expected it. Investigations became a huge part of policing as these technologies were advancing. Policing was becoming more professional as their social services programs declined. Police started using new scientific techniques to follow up criminal investigations as they offered officers better incentives. Many technologies formed in this era were the foundation for much of what is used today. The only thing that has really changed is the way the techniques are applied. The use of directed and targeted patrol has increased; prioritizing calls in an effort to get to more important calls first and case screening to avoid wasting time on cases that were likely not going to be solved. These refinements to the techniques of this era are known as strategic policing. Community Era The Community Policing Era was brought on from The Professional Eras. There was also wide spread concern about the effectiveness and limitations of policing and their behavior due to officers frustrations with battling the same crime over and over (Uknown). In the 1960s the presidents commission on criminal justice is the main foundation in many of today changes found in law enforcement. The crime rate in the 60s had a dramatic increase, thus the government decided it was time to investigate the way the criminal justice system was run and how it could be made better. Cultural diversity and many different changes in the social structures of communities caused traditional policing to be less effective than before. System visionaries and police executives saw the failing system and started working on a plan to make it better. The 1970s new program safe and clean neighborhoods was formed it was intended to improve living conditions. Money was provided to take policemen of their cars and place them on foot patrol. This new program made calls to crimes more difficult, response slower, the work harder. Even though crime rates were not reduced it made citizens feel more at ease as it reduced their fears in these areas (H.Verschaeve, 2004). Within this era to present times new technologies came to surface due to the fact the presidents crime commission found a technology gap. Today this technology plays a huge role in how policing is mandated. Commissioners called for the introduction and establishment of a single telephone number to call the police, with this came the launch of 911 the one number for police and fire departments. Not long after came the computerization age being brought into policing these computer were used to not only for record keeping but also found useful for criminal investigations, crime analysis and budgeting. The most important computer based program after computers introduction of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), inside the NCIC everything was stored and index from fugitives, missing persons and stolen property. This was practically the first technology used by police for computers during this time. The Automated Fingerprinting Information System (AFIS) was the next essential development in policing efforts; it had a grave disadvantage as other states did not have access to that information. Soon came patrol cars came equipped with their own computers with reporting systems and auto fingerprinting systems. As obstacles were seen during this time they worked to overcome the obstacle of incompatible technologies (Seaskate, 1998) Impact Technology had on Policing Technology has had an impact of making high quality information quickly available. With the capability of being able to collect information they are able to analyze and share data with stakeholders not only inside but also outside of government. Earliest applications included traffic accident files established in 1960s, since then programs for statistics operations and management program planning went underway. The machine that is so complex tool that it helps makes decisions for strategic planning and man to machine interactions. The success of these computers have been favorable. Users routine data processing is so highly structures it has proven to be rather effective and the implementation can be made with ease. However impact of the computer will vary from one department to the next making it difficult to generalize. It is perceivable that the impacts of a different nature are contemplated in structural changes, as direct major organizational shifts are not expected. For example it is perceived that use of computers will continue to result and has resulted in power shifts generally speaking raises in one persons decision making at the expense of another. Trends of this nature that seem to be occurring for example a shift in work activities related to routine and recording tasks, one of the biggest fears of technology is people being replaced by machines. When actually introduction of the computers increased jobs they needed people to carry out the computers data processing work (Colton, 1973). Current Advancements in Technology One of these would be the advancement of DNA evidence DNA can identify criminals with 99.9% accuracy information when biological evidence exists. There are DNA databases where samples of DNA are stored when someone has been convicted of a charge where DNA was involved. This system, called the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), maintains DNA profiles obtained under the federal, state, and local systems in a set of databases that are available to law enforcement agencies across the country for law enforcement purposes and came into existence in the late 1980s. In order to take advantage of the investigative potential of CODIS, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, states began passing laws requiring offenders convicted of certain offenses to provide DNA samples.   Currently all 50 states and the federal government have laws requiring that DNA samples be collected from some categories of offenders The benefits of this advancement is DNA Is so accurate it can ensue a fairness in the criminal justice it so accurate it can exonerate persons previously charged with a crime they did not commit due to negative matches in DNA (Using DNA to Solve Crimes, 2003). Another advancement in technology is Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) its a surveillance method used for several reasons from electronic tolls to traffic enforcement. The benefits are that it can be used through existing closed circuit television or road rule enforcement cameras and can read licenses plates on vehicles traveling up to 100 mph. The other benefits is that the pictures the camera takes is stored some are configured to even photograph the driver. It is able to take picture anytime of the day by using infrared lighting (Unknown, 2010). Future Roles of Technology Honestly the future of technology is surveillance equipment, what the military and government officials have coming out right now is absolutely astounding but the cross the border of privacy rights. The newest technology I see being implemented is TWS otherwise known as Through the Wall Surveillance, which is so advanced it can detect any slight movement such as breathing through a solid wall. As technology advances new ideas are always forming there are micro chips that can be implanted in people as well as sunglasses that have chips that will scan people as they walk by and will tell you their names and maybe a few lines about them. Other technologies already in effect but not yet widely used is facial recognition. The new biometric technology could be become a mainstream of the technological world but when does it cross the line of privacy? (Unknown, Modern Marvels: Survelliance Technology, 2004) CONCLUSION So you see as each era has gone by not only have the policing changed but also technology changed as well to suit its style. Even though some could have been implemented as early as 30 to 40 years earlier there must have been a reason it was not yet put into place. Even now there are things we can use that are not in place maybe because we are not capable of off setting the expenses, or there is concerns of availability and crossing the lines of privacy. With this new technology unfolding and just on the horizon it makes me also wonder if the policing style will change with it.

Lessons of the Socialist Planned Soviet Economy :: essays papers

Lessons of the Socialist Planned Soviet Economy A long time ago the chancellor of Germany, Bismarck, said the following after reading the â€Å"Communist Manifesto† by Marx and Engels, â€Å"This is very interesting. But now we have to find a country that we wouldn’t pity to do an experiment on†. Russia was to be the country that this experiment would take place in. The main part of the experiment consisted of running a Socialist planned economy which is defined as the state of economy, where all production sections are governed and owned by government institutions. Before the country could implement the planned economy it had to adapt some policies. First the country had to start industrializing, or as some economists call it the â€Å"big push† (industry-first strategy). The growth of the industrial sector was the ultimate goal. But since Russian economy was so backward it required a transitional period that was called state capitalism. In stated capitalism, through nationalization, the state would control major sectors of the economy and use this control to influence the remaining private sectors. Nationalization gave the state not only the control of the means of production, but it also insured the control over the output. Another policy that had to be adapted was the collectivization. After 1927, when the voluntary grain output fell below government target, Stalin ordered the collectivization of agriculture by forcibly establishing collective farms. Millions of peasants who resisted collectivization were arrested, and then executed or deported. Even in the post-Soviet era, the collectivization of agriculture was Soviet economy’s sore spot; it never achieved its economic goals. To hold all this together there had to be an organization big enough to balance what had now been known as the input-output economy. In 1922, Gosplan was created to exclusively and explicitly deal with planning. In the early stages Gosplan delivered the control figures and planed targets. In 1925 Gosplan assumed responsibility for drawing up Five Year Plans. The Five Year Plan called for industrialization at a maximum pace with a conception that some major construction projects had to be done. By the end of 1930s the nationalization was completed, agriculture collectivized, and the national planning mechanism established. The Soviet economic system was one of the most complex organizational arrangements, especially among the different layers of organizations.

Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Reform China Essay

After 1989 Tiananmen Square event, the new Chinese leaders have giventhe priority to the anti-corruption work on their agenda and strengthened the anti-corruptionefforts. But up to now, the corruption phenomenon is still very rife , and presentlyis seen as the second greatest public concerns(behind unemployment )? The abilityor inability of â€Å"third generation† political leaders to successfully curb corruptionwill play a major role in their political survival. This article will focus on theanalysis of the extent, forms and characters of corruption in current China, itscauses and effects, and the anti-corruption efforts of the Chinese Communist Partyand its government. 2 The extent, forms and characteristics of corruption in current China What is corruption? The notion of corruption varies with time and places. Accordingto Chinese official terminology , the core element of the definition of corruptionin current China is the notion of use of public power and public resources for privateinterests (‘Yi Quan Mu Si’ )? This is a very broad definition, which can includea series of phenomenon and behaviours and vary with time. Consequently, it canbe adapted to include new forms of corrupt practice. Corruption in current Chinais often links with negative phenomenon and unhealthy tendency within party andgovernment departments. As a result , anti-corruption effort also includes fightagainst all of these phenomenon and behaviours. This definition has three features. First , the core element of corruptionis not ‘abuse’ or ‘misuse’ of public power via-a-via legal norms or social standardsfor private benefits but the very ‘use’ of public power for private benefits. Onthe one hand, this is a very strict standard for determining what behaviours canbe defined as corrupt since it can includes any behaviour utilising public powerfor private benefits. On the other hand , given that legal norms and moral standardsmay change with time, the definition may take some risks to exaggerate the extentof corruption or arbitrarily label some practice as corrupt. Another feature of this definition is the ambiguous of the term ‘private interests’in contrast to â€Å"public interests† , i. e. the interests of whole nation and partyPrivate benefits include not only personal gains, but also the interests of workunits , departments and regions when they are given priority over public interests. Third , the definition leaves open the question of which the subject of corruptionis. It not only refers to individual public officials , but also can includes therelatives of public officials and retired public officials, and can also refersto some public bodies and their leaders (as legal rather than natural persons)? As mentioned above, in official terminology, corruption , â€Å"negative phenomenon†and â€Å"unhealthy tendency† are linked together. Although government officials andthe public generally agree on some practices as â€Å"corrupt† , there are fewer consensuseson other practices. Heidenheimer’s three-category classifications system providesa useful framework for understanding both the Chinese categories and the areas ofconsensus and lack of consensus. Heidenheimer’s framework includes three categories:(1 )? Class A or â€Å"black corruption†:The corrupt practices in this category,including graft , bribe, fraud, embezzlement , extortion, smuggling, tax evasion,etc. , Constitute an important part of â€Å"economic crimes†. Because they are obviouslyillegal and the main purpose of those involved in these practice is to increasetheir personal wealth , government officials and the public generally agree thatsuch practices are corrupt. (2 )? Class B or â€Å"grey corruption† : The key characteristicsof this category, into which more and more practices are being categorised , isleaders of public institutions using their institutional power to increase the oftheir institutions and improve the welfare of their staffs through various legal,semi-legal and illegal ways. Such practices includes public institutions makingprofits by engaging in business activities(such as public bank enter into the stockmarket, the bureau of environment protection selling environment protection facilitiesto their clients), setting up satellite companies , and imposing fines or collectingadministrative fees or charging the so-called ‘service fee’ and then putting theincome into their own coffers. Class B also includes such â€Å"unhealthy practices†as the extravagance and waste , e. g., spending public money to support luxuriouswork conditions and/or life style by senior officials. Such extravagance and wasteis manifested in many aspects : expensive entertainment, costly foreign cars forsenior officials, magnificent and tastefully furnished office buildings, domesticor foreign travel in the name of official business, etc. Such â€Å"unhealthy tendencies†and the associated corruption , both significantly increasing the public’s burden,ha ve led to a significant public outcry. This has led Chinese authorities to attemptto stop these practices. However they have met strong resistance from these publicinstitutions which, in turn, justify their practices in terms of the purpose oftheir practice, the legitimacy of their institutional power and the work requirement. (3 )? Class C: or â€Å"white corruption†: Class C practices constitute a kind of’common practice’ of social life. They include the nepotism and favouritism in thepersonnel recruitment and promotion , bending the law in favour of relatives andfriends in law enforcement, preferential treatment in resource-allocations forrelatives and friends , etc. They are characterised by preferential treatment byofficials of relatives, friends, fellow-villager etc. much of which is, in fact,a way of reciprocating previously given favours. Such practices have penetratedwidely into public life , influencing the behaviour of government officials andordinary citizens as well , contributing to the operation and existence of networksof personal ties throughout China. Creating and maintaining the networks of personalties to seek and give favourable treatment is accepted by most people , includinggovernment officials, as a ‘normal’ practice when they involved in these practice. However , such networks are condemned by those excluded from them although theywill not be hesitate to engage in such practice should they have an opportunityto do so. The late British China scholar Gordon White had also made a similar classification. 3 Inasmuch as the Chinese authorities combine all the above categories togetherin their anti-corruption work , in this paper I will treat them all as corruption. However by so doing , the Chinese authorities have set a difficult goal for themselvessince the limited consensus on white corruption may increase the difficulty of attackingthese practices. On the other hand, the labelling of some common practice falleninto the grey area from the white area and some common(â€Å"white† ) as â€Å"corruption†may help to delegitimize them and/or push them into the â€Å"grey† category , thuscontributing to anti-corruption and social and political progress. The extent of corruption has increased dramatically and sharply since 1978 withthe situation becoming even worse after in the 1990s. This tendency is apparentfrom the data on perception of corruption in developing countries provided by TransparencyInternational and summarised in table. The above table demonstrates a clear drop in the scores of corruption in Chinafrom until 1980 until 1995 reflecting the increase of corruption in China in thisperiod. The slight improvement is likely due to the strengthen of anti-corruptionefforts by the third generation political leadership and the deepening of market-orientedreform. But despite these slight improvements , the public and its deputies arestill very dissatisfied with the widespread corruption and the inadequate effortsat fighting corruption. The vote of nearly forty per cent of the deputies in the1997 session of National People’s Congress against General procuratorators ZhangSiqing’s Annual work report is an indication of this dissatisfaction. In the 1990’s , corruption has worsened and taken new characteristics withinthe above three categories:(1 )? Class A: corruption as a form of economiccrimes has increased with the following manifestations. First , the number of large-scalecorruption cases increased sharply.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Thurber) and Im Going (Bernard)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Thurber) and Im Going (Bernard) Introduction â€Å"I’m Going† and â€Å"The secret life of Walter Mitty† are two masterpieces that revolve around individuals who hope, but are unable, to fulfill their wishes.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Thurber) and I’m Going (Bernard) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The authors recount the stories in a rather humorous way by enlisting unrealistic characters. The protagonists of the stories are unable to make decisions; they can only make tales about their lives. The two stories chronicle undecided couples who have dreams, but they cannot, or not willing, to work towards achieving their dreams. Consequently, their dreams remain fantasies and the aspect of escapism creeps in slowly into the lives of these surrealistic couples. However, there is a difference in how the stories have been narrated; for instance, â€Å"I’m Going† revolves around a real life whereby, a couple is unable to reach consensus on almost all life issues and thus keep blaming each other for not making efforts. On the other hand, â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† revolves around a man, who is uncomfortable with his life and thus, keeps on escaping to a world of fantasy. Comparisons The similarities of the two stories lie in the fact that, they revolve around married men with the desire to satisfy their wives’ emotional needs.Advertising Looking for critical writing on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, they are faced with the challenge of not having the means to achieve their desires due to their economic situations. On top of their need to fulfill their individual needs, they realize that they have responsibilities, especially their wives who need their attention too (Bernard, 1915, p. 16). It becomes quite hard for the m to balance between what they desire to do individually, and at the same time, be the men that their wives want then to be. In â€Å"I’m Going†, Henry engages in humorous conversation with his wife; they seem to have opposing interests in life. In their effort to get something that will interest both of them, they realize that they cannot feel comfortable with each other. There is a desire for both of them to be on their own, just to feel fulfilled, yet they cannot realize the desire because they need each other’s company. In â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty†, Walter desires to have a specified lifestyle for his family, but that desire is beyond his capability (Yates, 1974, p.165). Therefore, he resolves into an imaginary world with the hope that it will help in making him feel respected. There is also a similarity in the outcome of the lives of the two men where they end up not satisfying their desires. The fantasy life of Mitty never happens, as h e never works towards realizing his dreams. He keeps thinking that what he wants and desires will be fulfilled simply by escaping his current situation. In the process of wanting to satisfy his needs and the needs of his wife, he ends up being a nuisance and even hurting her in the process.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Thurber) and I’m Going (Bernard) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His wife becomes impatient of his fantasies that are contrary to the life they are living (Clugston, 2010, p. 26). On the other hand, the desire for Henry to satisfy the needs of Jeanne ends up in frustrations. His inability to make up his mind on what he wants disgusts his wife to a point where she contemplates leaving. Even though the couple thinks they will be better if they gave each other space, they realize that they need each other for companionship. The characters in both sto ries are victims of their environment or past experiences. In â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty†, Walter’s fantasies revolve around his environment and his wishes. For instance, before he daydreamed about the navy hydroplane, his wife had complained of him driving so fast. Secondly, just before he daydreamed about being a surgeon, he had just put on surgical gloves and was driving past the hospital. His fantasy about the courtroom drama preceded the shout of a newspaper carrier. The fourth fantasy happens when Mitty, in the process of waiting for his wife, is reading literature with the topic of Germany conquering the world. Finally, his last daydream of the firing-squad scene happened when he was smoking. Consequently, when the reader considers the life of Henry and Jeanne, in â€Å"I’m Going†, their lives are based on their interests and hobbies. Their unwillingness to be together is simply because Henry feels he will enjoy more when he goes for hor se racing alone, rather than when he is with Jeanne.Advertising Looking for critical writing on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, Jeanne confesses that she enjoys going for a walk alone. Such experiences are mainly the basis on which the story revolves, and they are unable to reach a compromise and agree on what both will be pleased. Contrast Despite the similarities, there are numerous differences considering the setting and the plot of the two stories. â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† is more of a monologue where the couples are not active in the entire scenario. Mrs. Mitty is not aware of what is running through her husband’s life and has remarkably little idea that he is fantasizing. The outcome of life they share makes Mitty escape into a secret life, which the wife cannot participate. On the other hand, â€Å"I’m Going† involves two active participants who are free and sincere about their feelings. They share their fears and anxieties and confess their weaknesses. Compared to Mitty where he would rather hide his wishes from his wife and simply imagine, Henry confesses to Jeanne that he cannot go with her to the races because he will have to pay more, and fail to enjoy himself (Bernard, 1915, p. 20). The suggestion for them to take a walk, instead of going to the races, is also met with a sincere confession from Jeanne that she will not feel comfortable walking with Henry. The story of â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† displays many scenarios that make up the ultimate scene; the author takes the audience through different scenarios with different settings to bring out his point. On the other hand, â€Å"I’m Going† involves a couple in a similar setting. Even though they pick events from different scenes, the plot of their story does not change. It takes place in their house from the beginning to the end. As Tobias (1969) observes, â€Å"The Secret Life of Mitty† is mainly composed of fantasies, which is the striking feature in the entire story (p.23). Apparently, the other scenes are only to build up on the daydreams of Mitty. â€Å"I’m Going† is a real life story that exposes the fears of two sincere individuals. Unlike Mitty who finds it hard to accept his status, Henry has accepted life and tries to make his wife understand his actions (Clugston, 2010, p. 36). The couple realizes that the reason why they may not be together, as they would wish, is their differences that become an obstacle to each other. The two stories revolve around conflict of finances, and the way the couples would like to spend the resources. In â€Å"The Secret Life of Mitty†, it is more about him and the way he would obtain what he wants for him and his family, as opposed to facing the realities of life (Thurber, 2008, p.26-25). On the other hand, â€Å"I’m Going† is all about Jeanne’s concern on how Henry spends his time and money. The conflict that Jeannie is facing is all about having a responsible husband who will make time for her and use his money well. She feels that Henry gambles a lot with his money and time. Moreover, Jeanne feels that the conflict facing their life would be solved if Henry was a little bit sensitive to her needs and grant her the attention she craves for (Felski, 2003, p.65), rather than act selfishly by going to the races alone. Mitty, on the other hand, feels that his conflict would be solved if he had one of the lives that he was fantasizing. His hopes and dreams are all about being in a position to provide for the needs of his family and satisfy his desires. Conclusion In the two stories, even though the narration revolves around a couple, they both seem to have individual lives where they are unable to merge. Mitty is into fantasy while his wife is real with life. Henry likes going to horse races alone while Jeanne prefers going for walks. Despite having a clear understanding of their weaknesses, none of the involved parties is willing to give in, for the sake of the other. The stories thus share similar ities of the same margin as their differences. Reference List Bernard, T. (1915). I’m Going! A Comedy in One Act. (B. H. Clark, Trans.). New York: Samuel French. Clugston, R. (2010). Journey into Literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Felski, R. (2003). Literature after Feminism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Thurber, J. (2008). The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. (Creative Classic Series). New York: The Creative Company. Tobias, C. (1969). The Art of James Thurber. Ohio: Ohio State University Press. Yates, Norris. (1974). James Thurbers Little Man and Liberal Citizen. In C. Holmes (Ed.), Thurber: A Collection of Critical Essays (pp. 28-36). New York: Prentice-Hall.