Race in Othello Essay Example

Race in Othello Essay William Shakespeare’s Othello explores the issue of race in his portrayal of the protagonist as a Moor which represents his tending marginal role in a Venetian society. In the play, characters are judged again and again based on appearances and outward characteristics. The protagonists different ethnic background provides a platform for probing ideas of racial conflict. This is exposed initially through the title of this play, â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice†, where the juxtaposition of â€Å"Moor† and â€Å"Venice† imbued within, reveals Othello’s loss of identity and the outsider nature in Venetian society. The dramatic opening of Act 1 Scene1 captures the audience’s attention and gives us a first impression of Othello as an obnoxious â€Å"Moor† and hateful â€Å"black creature. † This mocking tone is heightened through Roderigo’s description of Othello as â€Å"thick-lips owe† and reduces him to mere racial stereotype by referring him as his physical feature. The discriminatory language is amplified further when Iago later portrays Othello and Desdemonas relationships as an old black ram†¦tupping your white ewe and making the beast with two backs. The use of animal imagery of â€Å"ram† and â€Å"ewe† disparaged Othello to a simple beast and is stereotyped as sexually overactive as well as bestial force, to foil white people’s nobleness. The antithesis of â€Å"black† and â€Å"white† instilled within emphasizes the racial discrimination and gap between different ethnic groups at the Elizabethan time, when white people don’t admit black (African) people as part of their Christian society. We will write a custom essay sample on Race in Othello specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Race in Othello specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Race in Othello specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This antithesis of contrasting colour is widely used throughout the entire play to create character’s hatred toward the Moor, and it is also frequently placed next to biblical justification such as â€Å"black devil† and white â€Å"noble angel†, as people in the Elizabethan period like to cite examples from Christian theology to support the view that whiteness was the sign of purity while blackness indicated sinister or evil, which highlights Othello as an outsider even though he is a hero to the country and has joined Christianity. The idea of marginalization and isolation has been brought to a higher extent when it comes to the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. This is evident as Brabantio shouted out â€Å"O treason of the blood! † when he acknowledged her daughter’s affair with the black man, he considers her interracial marriage as a betrayal to her white and thus honourable descent, which indirectly put Othello down to a wicked foreigner. Brabantio’s fear of miscegenation together with their likely child as a racial contamination strongly vilified Othello’s ethnic identity and expressed his racist point of view. He cannot believe that his daughter could be happy with this outsider, and he thinks that the only way Othello could have wooed Desdemona is with charms, as Elizabethan people â€Å"naturally† think black-skinned foreigners of evil enchanters. He accuses Othello, calling out, O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? and claims that now Desdemona is abused, stoln†¦and corrupted By spells and medicines, which pungently conveys his distrust and repulsion toward black people, the audience can realize how deeply racist stereotypes and prejudice of Africans and others of different ethnic identity are perpetuated into Elizabethans minds. Therefore, William Shakespeare’s Othello explores the issue of race in his play and how this makes his protagonist more susceptible to marginalization in a Venetian state. Gender In William Shakespeare’s Othello, both gender conflict and feminist views are developed by the portrayal of Desdemona’s distinct characteristics and dialogues, which not only reveal but also challenges women’s expected submissive and docile nature in Elizabethan society. As the heroine of this play, Desdemona is presented as a paradoxical character, who is both an ideal, compliant woman of the Elizabethan time, and a woman of authority and assertiveness. Elizabethan women are told to be obedient and tender and they ought to serve upon their fathers’ or husbands’ satisfaction unconditionally being ‘objects’ to their men. This is clear when Iago constantly tells Brabantio â€Å"you’re robbed†/ â€Å"your daughter† which reveals the patriarchal society that was the Elizabethan age. The language shows women’s statuses as mere estates of men. This is heightened by negative dictions such as â€Å"thief†, â€Å"stolen [from me]† which indicates that Desdemona is Brabantio’s property and her marriage is a process of illegal theft made by Othello. The submissive tone is amplified further when Shakespeare uses animal imagery to describe Desdemona as â€Å"your white ewe†, which presents her as a kind of tender and tame animal who will obey anything to please her husband. The passive nature is not only conveyed through males’ opinions and descriptions upon females but also how females express themselves. This is evident when Desdemona carefully chooses her words to â€Å"argue† against her father about her marriage. â€Å"I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for†¦ You are lord of all my duty†¦ my mother referring you before her father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  her articulated words concern a woman’s conflicting â€Å"duties† towards her father and her fiance as she has to show loyalty to Othello whilst â€Å"respect† to Brabantio; it also exposes the loss of her own identity as she is owing allegiance to either her father or her husband, and is especially voluntarily passi ve in her marriage which is accentuated by her claiming that â€Å"the Moor my lord†, Desdemona is thus an ideal woman in Elizabethan society. At the same time, however, she is able to challenge women’s humble status. This is shown as she constantly speaks up for herself in front of others and her father Brabantio: â€Å"So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord. † She confronted; and she claims that she â€Å"saw Othello’s visage in his mind And to his honours and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. † Her words establish her courage and strength of conviction and oppose the patriarchal society and the override absolute women’s obedience. Desdemona’s independence is emphasized by the image of â€Å"greedy ear† said by Othello which shows how curious and keen she is, compared to the traditional Elizabethan woman she is made to be. Othello’s brave sagas had created her a brand new outside-world which broke her sheltered, routine existence and role, he brings her to life, and this â€Å"life† certainly broke the stereotyped one before. Therefore, as a contradictory female character in this play, Desdemona appears both as an autonomous and wise daughter to Brabantio as well as a passive stereotypical meek wife to Othello. Power Shakespeare’s Othello uses Iago to establish the idea of Machiavellian power and the notion that a leader is only as good as his followers, relying heavily on the loyalty of others. As the antagonist in this play, Iago’s dramatic soliloquies and asides, in contrast to his speeches in the presence of other characters, reveals clearly his deceitfulness and self-disguise. His manipulative nature is shown at the beginning of the play through his convincible language toward Roderigo such as â€Å"Despise me if I do not† where he direct tone and the construction exposes his ability to operate words which thus controls others’ thoughts. This is heightened by the following mocking tone â€Å"And what was he? † Iago skilfully manoeuvres his language to make him trusted as well as to dominate those around him. His true deceptive intentions are conveyed patently when he states that â€Å"I follow him (Othello) to serve my turn upon him. We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly followed. Iago’s malevolent language displays the â€Å"vallian† beneath his masquerade who uses others as agents, the well-balanced sentence illustrates his carefully constructed plan, also his Machiavellian beliefs – the end justifies the means, no matter how disloyal to his master he needs to be – he declares that he will be â€Å"trimmed in forms and visages of duty† and will â€Å"keep†¦ hearts attending on† himself, he will gain himself profits at last which makes it worth being deceiving. The Machiavellian nature is amplified by his simple conclusion at the end of the speech â€Å"I am not what I am† in which the powerful and direct language expresses not only his attitude to Othello, but also his positions in the world, he will do all the despicable disguises to create a picture of an dutiful and trustworthy person for everyone who surrounds him, and his persona allows him to cunningly manipulate and to contribute to the downfall of them. And the dramatic irony thus occurred as people, especially Othello, do believe him, when he introduces Iago to the Duke of Venice as â€Å"A man he is of honesty and trust†, Shakespeare cleverly points out that Iago is an astute observer of character for he knows people’s nature will and can thus use their weaknesses, foibles and strengths of the victims to his advantage, which for example, Othello’ gullibility that is further explained by Iago’s derisive words â€Å"The moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose. . Furthermore, he breaks the bonds of friendship between him and Rederigo as Iago uses him as a scapegoat who infuriates Brabantio, and uses both Roderigo and Brabantio to against Othello, cleverly without even show himself on the stage as he states â€Å"though I do hate him as I do hell’s pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but sign†, only through manipulations of them, like an intelligent puppeteer who controls his puppets every moves according to his will yet hides himself and the truth in the shadow. Iago’s ability to authorise others moreover exemplified him as a political realist and a Machiavellian villain, a man who knows â€Å"the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills† and how to destroy others without getting himself involved in the conflict. Therefore, Shakespeare’s Othello uses Iago to establish the idea of Machiavellian power and the motion that a leader relies heavily on the loyaly of others.

Learning the Birthday Song in German

Learning the Birthday Song in German The good news about singing Happy Birthday in Germany is that it is not hard at all. The reason is the bad news: The English version of Happy Birthday is commonly sung at German parties. Nevertheless, on occasion, you will hear it sung in German. There are a few main birthday songs in German. One common song is sung to the same tune as the English birthday song. The lyrics are as follows:   Zum Geburtstag viel Glà ¼ck, Zum Geburtstag viel Glà ¼ck, Zum Geburtstag alles Gute, Zum Geburtstag viel Glà ¼ck. Another birthday song that you will hear at times, especially at childrens birthday parties, is the one penned by Germanys favorite childrens singer, Rolf Zuckowski. Its called Wie schà ¶n, dass du geboren bist (Its great that you were born). Here are the lyrics to that song:   Wie schà ¶n, dass du geboren bist,   wir htten dich sonst sehr vermisst, wie schà ¶n, dass wir beisammen sind, wir gratulieren dir, Geburtstagskind. English Translation Its great that you were born. Otherwise, we would have missed you very much. Its great that were together.   We congratulate you, birthday child. Another traditional birthday song doesnt use the words happy birthday at all, yet its still common. For this version, sometimes the chair is lifted up while everybody sings along. Here are the lyrics to that song: Hoch soll sie/er leben!   Hoch soll sie/er leben! Dreimal hoch!   English Translation Long may she/he live! Long may she/he live! Three cheers! This song almost sounds like a chant. Listen to the tune here (and learn a few bonus phrases that are less commonly used but still amusing to memorize).   How to Say Happy Birthday in German When filling out the birthday card, there are several ways to wish someone a happy birthday. Two common expressions are:   Herzlichen Glà ¼ckwunsch zum Geburtstag.   Alles Gute zum Geburtstag. How Do Germans Celebrate Birthdays? Learn more about typical German birthday customs here.

Reflection paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reflection - Term Paper Example Among the services offered is diagnosis of various complications. We also carry out therapy after diagnosis of the diseases; additionally the hospital has a pharmaceutical department that offers all types of medications as prescribed by medical professionals. The hospital is also, of late, establishing a research center. The research center will focus on the trending medical complications such as cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and blood sugar level and pressure complications (Armstrong, 2014). The hospital is seeking to partner with other big hospitals to provide a state of art services to children medical complications. Additionally, through the agencies that provide vaccination, the facility is seeking to partner with them so that it can also take part in the vaccination process. The administrators of the hospital usually partner with medical personnel to boost the services offered to the patients and also help in motivating the professionals for better service delivery. Through the partnership and good relationship, the facility has significantly reduced the cost of health services. The human resource department of the facility has set the hospitals goals, and they measure the progress of the hospital by looking at the progress towards the achievement of the goals. The Recruiter ensures that people who are recruited to work in the facility are well qualified and possess the necessary skills. Consequently, the hospital boasts of having the most qualified medical profess ionals in the city. The entire staff is also highly disciplined and upholds respect and transparency of the highest level. Also, the hospital has partnered with other Agencies to provide community-based service delivery. The services offered are a give back to the society, and it includes educating the community on methods to promote health safety and free medical services to the community. The need of the patients facilitates the hospital mission. Working towards facilitating good

Cognitive Development and Cognitive Views of Learning Essay

Cognitive Development and Cognitive Views of Learning - Essay Example Children in the concrete operational stage of development accept the rules and seldom deliberately move outside them. According to Piaget's theory, children from age 7 to 11 move from preconventional to concrete operational where these children have experienced interaction with others in a school setting and have begun to care what others think about them. Children in the 7-11 age group have the most potential for establishing a positive moral behavioral base. Morality becomes an issue for this age group because this is a time when children move from how a situation will affect them personally to how their behavioral choices will affect someone else. However, throughout this stage, conflicts occur that create moral dilemmas and children in this age group are influenced by so many ideas about what is or is not moral that it is easy for them to make some wrong choices. It is important for a teacher to stress the fact that it is all right to make mistakes because that is how we learn. It is the positive or negative result of the choice made that will help them determine right or wrong in future dilemmas. In other words, they first learn the rules, then how the rules affect behavior, and finally, whether trying to follow the rules might create a moral dilemma while breaking the rule would seem to be the proper choice. Appropriate strategies to use to teach the selected topic One problem with trying to teach morality in the classroom is that different children have different concepts of the rules of behavior when it comes to moral issues. However, by creating different moral dilemmas and setting up discussion groups within a classroom, individual students can present a dilemma and its possible resolution, and other students can debate or accept the resolution. The result of this is that the class can establish a moral code of behavior that they can accept. Once that has been accomplished, a further situation could be presented through a children's book that discusses morality, such as The Complete Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (1993) newly translated by Neil Philip and Nicoletta Simborowski from Perrault's original collection, or in a book such as The Children's Book of Virtues (1995) by William Bennett. Bennett offers what he considers conventional role models for young people while the fairy tales present characters with debatable morals that can gen erate discussion within a group. Over the years, well-known fairy tales have evolved into versions that are influenced by changing moral concerns within society. In keeping with today's moral breakdown, Sleeping Beauty's story in its original format doesn't end when the prince awakens her. In a passage from Marjorie Allen's discussion of the translation (1999) her life continues: She marries him in secret and has two children-a boy and a girl. But she and the prince do not live happily ever after as king and queen, at least not for quite some time, because the queen mother happens to be part ogre

Performance Appraisal and Its Negative Feedback Essay Example for Free

Performance Appraisal and Its Negative Feedback Essay A performance appraisal system had been established in that firm several years ago. The management with the help of consultants, conducted several innovative experiments and introduced many improvements in their existing system. The company believes that the system of performance appraisal is a strong tool and if it is wrongly rated, the results may mar . It printed on the format , a flowchart with full details mentioning dates and months for execution. At first ,it would go to the appraisee who would write down, if any, all his non-routine and excellent achievements in the self-appraisal column. Then the rather, his immediate boss ,would put his remarks on this and would rate the appraise by ticking ‘outstanding, good,fair and unsatisfactory’ on the columns of quality of output, job knowledge, decision-making, communication skills, human relations, planning and organizing, creativity and initiative, leadership, time management etc. The reviewer would thoroughly review column by column and would give his opinion. Before it was sent to the top management for better transparency, the signature of the appraisee was obtained. This system was in vogue and the management took pride in this modified system, which resulted in retention of employees. The blank form was given to SD Misra ,Manager (HR),a very sincere and a highly dedicated employee, who had achieved ‘outstanding’ rank for the last six years, for writing in the self-appraisal column. He did certain critical jobs during the year and wrote three. One, the industry suffered a scarcity of water during summer, which affected their industrial canteen also. Misra who was in-charge of the canteen, went to the small dam from where they receive water. He found the pipeline supplying water to the industry’s main pump during night time everyday. One night, he went along with his assistant and observed to his surprise that the employee of the dam has closed the valve of their pipeline and had opened another valve for supply of water to another company. They caught that person and stopped this malpractise and continued to visit that place during nights for more than a week. The problem of scarcity of water was solved with this initiative. Two, there was an accident just outside the factory’s gate where one of the employees was killed by a speeding lorry. It was about 2:15 p. m. when Misra received this sad news. He rushed to the spot and identified the employee. The doctor of their first-aid was brought who declared the employee dead. He took the responsibility of breaking this news to his family staying at a village at a distance of 12 kms. He met the police, who had already reached the accident spot, and ccompletely involved himself in the whole job of police formalities, post-mortem of the body. Due to some politician’s interference, the family members refused to accept the body till the management promised a job for one of the family members of the deceased. Misra made successful negotiations with the family, which gave up its agitation and accepted the body for the cremation. He received two appreciation letters from MD for these two successful achievements. Three, once Misra arranged a meeting for finalizing a three-day in-house training programme at one of their group companies,73 kms away. He was to go three along with his three colleagues. The driver was told to make jeep ready. Next morning, there were to start by 7 a. m. and all four were present. The driver phoned saying that his daughter was sick and he could not come to duty. Misra was firm in his resolve that â€Å"Our programme goes on as usual and there shall be no postponement. Misra said that he is going to drive the jeep and said †One employee cannot disturb any of our scheduled programmes†. He drove the jeep to and fro and finished the job successfully. Having written these three achievements in the self appraisal column,he handed them over to his immediate boss, KM Singh, Sr. Manager(HR),in a confidential envelope. KM Singh, who is known to be a procrastinator and lethargic, kept pending all appraisal forms till last day. Further, he had three enquiry reports for study and comments. Out of these, one was a case of suspension pending enquiry. He had kept pending all these reports and appraisals, which had now become urgent. His boss was pressurizing him to complete this jobs immediately. KM Singh took up the suspending pending enquiry case first . It took more than a day. He then began rating nine appraisals and completed the job without any concern for the consequences. The form, with comments of the rater and the reviewer, came back to Misra for his signature. He was shocked and reacted very sharply. It was an ‘unsatisfactory’ appraisal which he had seen for the first time. The cool and gentle Misra lost all his patience. He now began thinking. KM Singh wanted to promote his junior, Srivastav, and had deliberately spoiled his appraisal.

Mother Daughter Relationship in Two Kinds by Amy Tan :: Two Kinds, Amy Tan

I’m not You, I’m Me For many of us growing up, our mothers have been a part of who we are. They have been there when our world was falling apart, when we fell ill to the flu, and most importantly, the one to love us when we needed it the most. In â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan, it begins with a brief introduction to one mother’s interpretation of the American Dream. Losing her family in China, she now hopes to recapture part of her loss through her daughter. However, the young girl, Ni Kan, mimics her mother’s dreams and ultimately rebels against them. In the beginning, Ni Kan, is â€Å"just as excited as [her] mother† about the idea of becoming a prodigy (749). She imagines herself in different roles and believes that once she has â€Å"become perfect,† (749) her parents will approve of her. However, her mother’s obsession becomes extreme when she is forced to take numerous tests on a daily basis. Ni Kan points out, â€Å"The tests [are] harder- multiplying numbers in my head without using my hands, predicting the daily temperatures in Los Angeles, New York, and London† (749). Eventually, her mother persuades her into taking piano lessons, which becomes the prime focus of determination. As the story unfolds, Tan suggests that the piano symbolizes different things. For Ni Kan, it is the unwanted pressure her mother inflicts upon. She argues, â€Å"Why don’t you like me the way I am? I’m not a genius! I can’t play the piano† (751). However, her mother sees it as a way for her daughter to become the best. Ultimately, the young girl decides to rebel against her mother’s wishes. During her piano lessons with Mr. Chong, her piano teacher, she learns easy ways to get out of practicing. Ni Kan discovers â€Å"that Old Chong’s eyes were too slow to keep up with the wrong notes [she] was playing† (751). As a result, Ni Kan performs miserably in a talent show where her parents and friends from the Joy Luck Club attend. Feeling the disapproval and shame from her mother, she decides to stop practicing the piano.

Differences Between Beowulf and Achilles Essay

Beowulf and Achilles are different in many ways; one of which is their character. Beowulf is a great warrior and leader who fought to protect his soldiers and to make places more peaceful. He also perfectly embodies the values of loyalty, pride, and courtesy. Achilles, on the other hand, is not as heroic as Beowulf, even thought he was also a great warrior and had superhuman strength, he mostly fought for revenge, social position, and power. He was driven by a thirst for glory. Beowulf went on journeys because he wanted to show people that he is a reliable leader and that he can fight pretty much anyone from monsters to dragons and all the other kind of creatures. He also wanted to show people how brave and protective he was. Like the story of his fight with Grendel shows everyone how smart he is about certain things and how he is not afraid of doing anything. The part of the story where Beowulf killed the sea monster shows that he is a reliable warrior and that he gets his job done no matter what he has to do. As I stated earlier, Achilles mostly fought for social position and power, and the death of his best friend Patroclus, didn’t make Achilles more deliberative or self-reflective, wrath, pride, and bloodlust still consumed him. Achilles would also sacrifice everything just so that his name would be remembered. Which shows that the only that he mostly cares about was himself and what people thought of him. In my opinion Beowulf is more courageous because he would do just about anything to protect his people and that he is not afraid of anything. He also does that so people would find him as a reliable leader and wouldn’t be afraid to be his followers. I also think that he is more like a true epic hero because unlike Achilles, Beowulf isn’t selfish and he doesn’t seek for power or glory. He was a great warrior even though he didn’t become a king for many years. Beowulf was also more reliable than Achilles, because Beowulf cared about everyone, not just himself unlike Achilles.