How Does Achebe Depict Ibo Culture in ‘Things Fall Apart’ free essay sample

How does Achebe depict Ibo culture in ‘Things Fall Apart’? Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself, in both a sophisticated and primitive light describing and discussing its grandeur, showing its strengths and weaknesses, etiquettes and incivilities, and even the beginning of cultural breakdown before the introduction of the missionaries. The collapse of the old culture is evident soon after the missionaries arrived, and here Achebe utilises two of the primary missionary figures, Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on How Does Achebe Depict Ibo Culture in ‘Things Fall Apart’? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Brown and Mr. Smith, to once again depicts both sides of the Ibo culture between them, with Mr. Brown depicting the sophisticated and Mr. Smith depicting the primitive aspects. The main focus in this novel is on one man, Okonkwo, the protagonist who symbolises the many Nigerians, or Africans who were struggling against the white missionaries, who brought their religion and policies and imposed them on Okonkwo’s and the other surrounding tribes. Achebe also shows how great the effect is when something as seemingly un-invasive, such as a church, is set up in a Nigerian or African Culture. Among other issues, Achebe illustrates clearly the way the white Europeans see things from their cultures perspective. An example of this is shown when the District Commissioner describes the Ibo as people from â€Å" Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. † Achebe starts off the novel portraying the Ibo culture as organised, with complex laws and customs, established over time which held the communities together. Even though the Ibo are described as ‘primitive and savage’ by Mr. Smith, one of the missionary church leaders, the tribesmen evidently show their etiquette through their mannerisms. Proverbs, a form of Ibo mannerisms, are used quite frequently throughout this novel as ‘the art of conversation is regarded very highly [by the Ibo], and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. ’ (Achebe. P. 5:1986) The Ibo people are also not as violent and savage as many of the missionaries believed. This is shown when a villager from the Mbaino village kills a woman from the Ibo village, the Ibo village elders and those with titles, instead of initiating war against the neighbouring Mbaino, reach a peaceful agreement on the reparations from the Mbaino tribe. ‘†¦ [A]t the end it was decided to follow the normal course of action. An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between wars on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation. † (P. ) Achebe also expands on the reflection of the Ibo peoples of being civil, depicting the civilised aspects of the Ibo religion. Another example similar to the peaceful reparation, previously mentioned, is the week of peace before the beginning of the harvest season, required of the Ibo villages. This was a sacred time for the Ibo people. Before anyone was allowed to plant their crops, it was required that they live in peace with their neighbours for one week to honour Ani, the great goddess of the earth. It was said that if this peace is broken then they will not receive a blessing from Ani and their crops will not grow. Achebe demonstrates how important this week was to the Ibo people through Okonkwo’s breaking of this law, by beating his wife Ojiugo, with the priest of the earth goddess, Ezeani, stating that â€Å"The evil [Ojiugo has] done can ruin the whole clan. † (P. 22) It was also a shocking moment for Ibo people when they heard of Okonkwo’s nso-ani, (breaking of the peace) during this week, because â€Å"it was the first time for many years that a man had broken the sacred peace. (P. 22) Reference to these examples by Achebe displays his attitude towards the Ibo culture which, up until this point, has been relatively positive, depicting the Ibo culture as a civilised and sophisticated one. There are passages in this novel, however, that implies a more critical attitude on Achebe’s part. Despite the sophisticated aspects of the Ibo tribe, they sti ll perform parts of their system of belief which are considered uncivilised and primitive. However, these measures can be considered a way of dealing with difficult or unpleasant circumstances. One example Achebe uses to depict the injustices in Ibo culture, is where it was believed that a child who died and return to its mother to be reborn again, several times, was the work of an evil spirit or an ogbanje child. If this occurs then a ‘medicine-man’ would â€Å" bring out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and mutilate the child. † (P. 56) It was assumed that in doing this that the ogbanje child â€Å"†¦would think twice before coming again. † (P. 57) Twins, like an ogbanje child, were also greatly feared and were â€Å"thrown away† (P. 9) at birth. Both of these examples show how the Ibo tribe rely on their primitive systems of belief to deal with incomprehensible circumstances. Nearer the end of the novel, Achebe finalises and concludes the two differing depictions of the Ibo culture through the use of two of the Anglican churches missionary leaders, Mr. Brown and Reverend James Smith. These two leaders , between themselves, depict the two different aspects of Ibo culture after the missionaries arrived. Firstly the examples involving Mr. Brown, the first church leader, shows the various benefits and advancements that the introduction of the missionaries brought to the Ibo people and their culture. Although he doesn’t achieve his original goal of converting as many of the tribesmen as possible, Mr. Brown does succeed in starting educational and health systems to the benefit of the Ibo people. Occasionally in the novel he starts arguing with some of the villages, but through this he learns much about the sophisticated structure and beliefs of the Ibo culture. Mr. Brown sees Achebe’s original depiction of the Ibo as a developed society and soon becomes more concerned for the people of Umuofia’s needs (Okonkwo’s village) than for his own goals. A good example of this was when he warns the villages of the threats they face from the white man by preaching to the villagers that â€Å"if Umuofia failed to send her children to the school, strangers would come from other places to rule them†. (P. 130) Achebe’s second depiction of the Ibo culture is portrayed by Mr. Smith, who in contrast to Mr. Brown, acknowledges and depicts the primitive aspect of Ibo culture. Mr. Smith’s aim also contrasts with Mr. Brown’s, believing in converting only those who are worthy of god. He was also more openly opposed to the perceived primitive spiritual beliefs and methods of the Ibo people as they seemed barbaric to him. Both Mr. Smith and the District Commissioner only noticed the extreme uncivilised acts, such as the mutilation of an ogbanje child, which â€Å" filled them with wrath † (P. 132) Therefore the depiction that the Ibo were primitive and savage was again replayed through these characters. Mr. Smith additionally displays the negative effect the missionaries had on the Ibo people. An example of this can be seen in Mr. Smiths lack of appreciation for Ibo cultures pre-existing structure and beliefs and led him to cause trouble within the village, by hiding Enoch who had killed an â€Å"ancestral spirit† (P. 134) drawing the anger of the other tribesmen. In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, a dual depiction of the Ibo culture is displayed. Firstly Achebe describes the Ibo culture, prior to the missionaries, as sophisticated by noting examples where civilities were conducted and observed by members of the tribe. Achebe additionally used the Ibo religion and culture as supporting examples of this depiction and portrays them throughout the novel. The Ibo culture is also depicted as primitive and unjust by Achebe. This is noted in the primitive aspects of the Ibo people’s system of belief which appears uncivilised and unjust. These examples of the Ibo culture are then combined with and redisplayed by the other primary method that Achebe uses to depict the dual aspects of Ibo culture, the two missionaries figures. Firstly Mr. Brown is utilised in a way that acknowledges the sophisticated structure and beliefs of the Ibo culture and improvement brought to the Ibo people through the missionaries involvement in the village. Alternatively Mr. Smith is only utilised in a way that only notices the extreme uncivilised acts committed by the Ibo people, and escalating rift between them and the missionaries. Bibliography Achebe, C. 1986. All Things Fall Apart. Heinemann Educational Publishers. Oxford.

Facts and Figures About Pikaia

Facts and Figures About Pikaia During the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago, an evolutionary explosion took place, but most of the new life forms were strange-looking invertebrates  (mostly weirdly legged and antennaed crustaceans like Anomalocaris and Wiwaxia)  rather than creatures with spinal cords. One of the crucial exceptions was the slender, lancelet-like Pikaia, visually the least impressive of the three early fishlike creatures that have been found preserved from this span in the geologic record (the other two are the equally important Haikouichthys and Myllokunmingia, discovered in eastern Asia). Not Quite a Fish Its stretching things a bit to describe Pikaia as a prehistoric fish; rather, this inoffensive, two-inch-long, translucent creature may have been the first true chordate: an animal with a notochord nerve running down the length of its back, rather than a protective backbone, which was a later evolutionary development. But Pikaia did possess the basic body plan that stamped itself on the next 500 million years of vertebrate evolution: a head distinct from its tail, bilateral symmetry (i.e., the left side of its body matched up with the right side), and two forward-facing eyes, among other features. Chordate Versus Invertebrate However, not everyone agrees that Pikaia was a chordate rather than an invertebrate; theres evidence that this creature had two tentacles jutting out from its head, and some of its other characteristics (such as tiny feet that may have been gill appendages) fit awkwardly in the vertebrate family tree. However you interpret these anatomical features, though, its still likely that Pikaia lay very near the root of vertebrate evolution; if it wasnt the great-great (multiply by a trillion) grandmother of modern humans, it was certainly related somehow, albeit distantly. You may be surprised to learn that some fish alive today can be considered every bit as primitive as Pikaia, an object lesson in how evolution is not a strictly linear process. For example, the tiny, narrow lancelet Branchiostoma is technically a chordate, rather than a vertebrate, and clearly hasnt advanced very far from its Cambrian predecessors. The explanation for this is that, over the billions of years that life has existed on earth, only a tiny percentage of any given species population has actually been given the opportunity to evolve; thats the reason the world is still chock-full of bacteria, fish, and small, furry mammals.

Risk Management Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk Management Processes - Essay Example Risk has been known to be unavoidable; as a result, every individual and organisation needs to ensure that they manage risk to a level which is tolerable or acceptable depending on its â€Å"risk appetite†. Resources available for managing risk are finite. Therefore, individuals, entities and organizations should strive to achieve an optimum response to risk, prioritised according to an evaluation of the risks. Risk Management There has been various definition of risk management. Eppler and Aeschimann (2008) defined risk management as ‘an effective method that is critical in minimizing hurting effects of risks and optimizing the benefits of risky situations’. Risk management can be deduced to mean taking measures that are defined and should be able to reduce the potential risky results of specific action in various socio-political and economic climates. Identifying, analyzing, minimizing and monitoring risk is the very essence of risk management. Risk management i s the process of helping organisations and managers make the best use of resources available to them given unpredictable situations. When organisations apply risk management, they address systematically the risks that face their events and processes. The ultimate goal of managing risks is to achieve augmented benefit across portfolio of their activities (IRM, 2002). Risk management process entails activities aimed at assessing risk, and engaging in activities that help reduce risk to levels that are acceptable and able to maintain the level of risk. Eventually, an organisation would ensure that risks are analyzed in relation to existing potential benefits, putting into consideration existing alternatives, and, finally, implementing the best course of action according to management goals. Risk management involves the process of risk analysis that studies people’s interactions and various risks in relation to their surroundings. It is believed that humans are responsible for cr eating risks while at the same time bearing its burdens or at the same time assume both roles in their quest of trying to reduce personal risks. In any organisation, risk analyses that are effective should be able to involve all relevant fields including social science, natural science and engineering (Fischhoff, 2005). Risk management is known to be different in many organisations depending on its size, type, outcomes, the purpose of their existence and the role they play especially in delivering goods or services. Organisations that exist in the private sector main purpose is mainly directed towards enhancement of shareholder value; at the same time organisations in the public sector main objective is to deliver services for the benefit of the public. Whatever the type and purpose of the organisation, achieving and delivering their objectives is surrounded by uncertainty that would bring about threats to success at the same time provide opportunities for increasing success. Risk m anagement consists of the process of analyzing and interpreting risk, at the same time, it also involves the process of identifying and analysing details and level of formation of systems. The subject also includes the process of collecting and analyzing data on different component of risk and finally, interpreting the Risk Assessment output. In risk management, risk mitigation involves the selection and implementation of security controls to reduce

Federalism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federalism - Term Paper Example Federalism in the US has evolved in the course of the nation’s history from Dual Federalism between 1789 and 1945 after WWII, to Cooperative Federalism between 1945 and 1969 and finally New Federalism from 1969 to present (Robertson, 2012). However, there were also some changes to federalism between Dual Federalism and Cooperative Federalism, especially those occasioned by the 1861-1868 Civil War followed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Then industrialization and globalization that set in between 1865 and 1945, which culminated in the federal government taking over power from state governments when Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency made efforts to revive the economy after the Great Depression. The nation’s first 150 years were described by Dual Federalism, where the Constitution provided for state and national governments. The national government presided over national defense, fostering commerce and foreign policy. On the other hand, state governments dealt with crim inal law, economic regulation and local issues. Each having a distinct area of jurisdiction, the two governments rarely overlapped. Cooperative Federalism marked the intertwining of state and federal authority, where it became difficult to demarcate the beginning and end of the authority of each type of government because they both administered numerous federal programs simultaneously. However, in order to finance their own programs and initiatives, states heavily relied on the federal government for funds.

Making monstor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Making monstor - Essay Example In the book Monsters of Our Own Making: The Peculiar Pleasures of Fear by Marina Warner is divided into three chapters. The first section, â€Å"Scaring† discusses the monster in this book which is the bogeyman. The chapter looks at the question â€Å"who eats and who gets eaten† the author uses this to explore the characters of monsters. Warner also explores fear that is brought about by the world. The monster in this chapter is Erlking also regarded as the King of the Alders who woos a boy riding with his father in the dark forest. The boy recognizes the danger facing him but his father does not see any form of danger. He uses every trick to attract the boy. The story end up with the death of the boy when they reached home. Erlking is the monster in this book because he is being persistent to get what he wants, in this case, something that will cause harm to the other person. The Erlking keeps requesting the boy to go with him with his words keeping on deepening each time (Warner, pg. 23). The Erlking even uses false promises that the daughters will be the boy’s lovely attendant with the aim of getting the boy. He eventually gets impatient and indicates that if the boy is not willing, he will use force. He finally seizes the boy. The deep voice also indicates that the creature is not natural and that it has supernatural powers. This Erlking is regarded as a monster because it instills fear on people. Forcefully taking a boy or boys who are moving through the forest is an act of spreading fear among people throughout the region. This character brings the aspect of death because a reader assumes that people taken face death which brings fear to all young people. It also brings fear among parents who face the tragedy of losing their children to the Erlking. He is a cold blooded creature that every person fears (Asma). Erlking is monstrous because he possesses the power to

Film Review Reel Bad Arabs Media Essay

Film Review Reel Bad Arabs Media Essay In his documentary, Shaheen represents the foreign stigma of Arabs as being either harems whose sole purpose in life is pleasing men, as being nomads, or as desert dwellers full of violence. This stigma goes as far as projecting the Arab land as having magical carpets and Genies in bottles. One famous movie that portrays this Stigma is the Disney Animation, Aladdin. Through Dr. Shaheens eyes, Aladdin is a film that recycled every old degrading stereotype from Hollywoods silent black-and-white past. I agree with Dr. Shaheen on this specific point because even the opening song of the movie goes, Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels grow, where they cut off your ear if they dont like your face. Its barbaric, but, hey, its home.   Moreover, there is another scene in the movie where a woman in the grocery market is threatened by a salesman to cut of her hands if she doesnt pay for the items she took off of the counter. In my opinion, this scene shows a very extreme view of Arab traditions, and, seeing as not all Arab countries apply to such harsh penalties for stealing; it is an unfair portrayal of the Arab society. Another critical point that Shaheen reveals is how Hollywood portrays Arab men, especially Sheikhs as erotic men who are obsessed with American women. A scene that elaborates on this idea is from the movie Cannonball Run 2, where an Arab tells a couple of American women, I have a weakness for blondes. He takes those women to a hotel and orders his butler to book twelve suits which emphasizes that Arabs are too rich and stupid to know the value of money according to Dr. Shaheen. While most movies project Arab men as oversexed, they always portray American women as victims that try to defend themselves from those erotic Arab men. An example of such a stereotype is seen in the movie Taken in which Liam Neeson is a retired CIA agent who, throughout the whole movie, tries to track his daughter, Kim, who was kidnapped by slave traders while she was travelling in France. At the end of the movie he goes to a place where he finds his daughter being sold in a sex slave auction to a young man w ho has offered the highest price. This man takes Kim to a fancy boat surrounded by guards, and goes in to a huge room and tells his master, who is an Arab, that he got himself the girl he wanted.   Moreover, Hollywood also reveals Arab men with the same external image of wearing a long dress or galabeya, a beard, dark sunglasses, and limousine in the background. Again, Hollywood has taken an over dramatized notion of Arabs and generalized it in to a widely conceived idea of the Arab culture and history. Dr. Jack Shaheen believes that Hollywood always portrays Arabs as brutal, heartless, uncivilized religious fanatics and money -mad people who are bent on terrorizing civilized westerners, especially Christians and Jews. I agree with Dr. Shaheens view because Hollywood movies always project Arabs as villains with guns and knives who view violence as a normal act. I also noticed while watching the short clips from different movies that they mainly focus on the facial expressions of the Arabs and trying to reveal them as angry, vicious people full of hatred. I believe that such techniques are especially designed to psychologically brainwash the audience into believing the fake portrayal that Hollywood has made of the Arabs. Such techniques have also had an impact on other forms of media, such as music. Many pop Artists and Rappers have criticized Arabs in their songs. In Busta Rhymes song Arab Money, he uses lines from the Quran and mocks the Middle Eastern culture for its wealth by inc luding lines such as Screw the recession, Im still investing , about to buy Dubai and swim the shark section.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a long time, Hollywood has mainly focused on stigmatizing the image of Arabs and it has never revealed the accomplishments they have made throughout history. In addition, they never mentioned that Arabs have inspired Europeans with their skills and techniques throughout history. Arabs have introduced agriculture concepts such as oranges, cotton, and dates to Europeans. They have also made great advances in technology such as in the water clock. Also, Al Khwarizmi, the founder of Algebra, has made a great contribution to mathematics that is used worldwide today.   All of these examples are positive aspects of Arabs that could be portrayed in American movies; however, Hollywood chooses to present Arabs in the fake negative portrayal that it has created of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Later on in the Documentary, Dr. Shaheen states that the image of Arabs began to change after World War II. Hollywood focused more on Palestinians due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, in which the United States supported Israel. Palestinians are projected as evil civilians who are always harming Jews and Israelis in general. They are also shown as violent in nature and suicide bombers who cause the deaths of innocent people. One movie that elaborates on this theory is Delta force. In this film, a group of Palestinians terrorize people on the plane and one Palestinian tells another to pick out the passengers with Jewish names so they can kill them.   In addition, many Arab women are projected as villains such as in the movie Black Sunday where the character is a cold blooded woman who tried to kill 80,000 innocent Americans at a super bowl. Dr. Shaheen believes that two Israeli producers emphasized these stereotypes in Hollyw ood movies for a twenty-year period. He also states that there are some movies that are particularly shown on television at least once a week. In my opinion, this is a form of propaganda to make the audience hate Arabs, and especially Palestinians. Hollywood and American television has never sympathized with Palestinians by showing them as innocent people living in refugee camps or who are brutally shot by Israeli soldiers in their homeland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hollywood has shown in recent movies how easy it is for Americans kill Arabs in brutal ways trying to emphasizing that Arabs deserve to die.   The movie Rules of Engagement, starring Samuel L. Jackson, is an example that stresses this idea. A specific scene that reveals this idea is a scene where Arab men, women, and even small children are all holding guns and trying to kill the American soldiers. This scene underlines the fact that Arabs are never innocent and violent in nature, even young children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For over a century words like Muslims and Arabs are threatening in the west. In addition, the situation grew worse since the September 11th attack where 19 Arab Muslims were responsible for the deaths of 3000 people. Jack Shaheen explains that the actions of a small group of people should not be reflected upon 1.9 million people. I agree with Shaheens point of view; as an Arab, I was one of the many Muslims who were against the 9/11 attacks as it is excruciating and inexcusable to kill innocent people for any reason. Also, the Quran forbids the killing of innocent people and the terrorists responsible for this attack, who call themselves Muslims, have disrespected their religion on so many levels. On the other hand, I can understand why in the United States, the actions of one Arab reflect on the rest. Therefore, documentaries aired on television Brainwash people by using Bold and Capital letters to emphasize things like Islam, a religion of 2 billion members growing by 50 million people annually. Nearly every terrorist network is led by an Islamic fundamentalist. Dr. Shaheen also states that since 9/11 attack, passengers with Muslim names are immediately suspects in US airports; even the ones who hold American passports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shaheen points out that Hollywood has been portraying Arabs as terrorists and villains for a very long time that its ok to include them in movies that have nothing to with them such as Back to the Future and Gladiator. Moreover, when Arabs are not terrorizing Americans or harassing their women, they are buying up their country and being the source of their economic troubles as seen in the movie Father of the Bride. Also, a scene from a movie included in the documentary shows a man in a talk show urging the need for American citizens to let their president know that they do not like the fact that the Arabs are buying them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A different important point that Dr. Shaheen makes in his documentary is that Arab women are always victimized in Hollywood movies as poor and weak. They are always seen in the shadows or in the background and do not have a purpose. Arab women are never portrayed as doctors, engineers, or even successful leaders. Women such as El Sheikha Mozah who have made great difference in shaping Qatars economic statues have never been mentioned in American Movies. Another example is Queen Rania of Jordan who has greatly improved educational systems throughout all Arab countries. In the movie Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, the great Egyptian leader was only portrayed as a beautiful woman who fell in love with Mark Anthony, but not as a strong, wise leader who ruled Egypt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another Arab culture that has been stigmatized by Hollywood is the Egyptian culture. Most movies about Egyptian culture are based on pharaohs, mummies, pyramids, and desert Bedouins. American movies never portray the modern Egyptian culture, which results in a large portion of Americans believing that Egyptians ride camels instead of cars and live in tents and pyramids instead of normal houses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the whole documentary, my favorite part was where Dr. Jack Shaheen presents the Real Arabs and what they are really like. He stated the fact that not all Arabs are Muslims and many of them are Christians. Moreover, not all Arab women are veiled; instead, many of them are extremely modern and up to date with clothes. In fact, there are many great Arab fashion designers such as Zuhair Murad and Eli Saab who have inspired different styles of clothes worldwide. In addition, teenagers and children in Arab regions engage in sports and activities just like normal children who do the same things in any other part of the world. Even if Arabs wish to abide by their culture and traditional appearance it doesnt mean that the other or the different is labeled under the name of the enemy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Shaheen states that even though Arabs have been stereotyped for a long time in Hollywood, there are some filmmakers who have portrayed Arabs in a positive way. One movie that humanizes Arabs and projects them with respect in Dr. Shaheens opinion is Three Kings. Another movie that is a good example is Kingdom of Heaven where it reveals that even though Saladin conquered Jerusalem, there was peace and respect between Christians and Muslims. Although Dr. Shaheen has shown a couple of films that project Arabs in a positive way, I think he left out a couple of important films that are good examples such as Lawrence of Arabia starring Omar El Sherif and the movie Babel starring Brad Pitt. In my opinion, Babel is a very important movie that represents the Arabs in a respectful, mannerly way. While Brad Pitt and his wife were on vacation in Morocco, his wife gets shot while they were in the Bus. As they couldnt contact the Embassy at that time , a Moroccan tour guide, Anwar, offers his help to Brad Pitt and takes them to his house and takes care of them for several days. When he finally contacted the Embassy, before he leaves, he offers Anwar all the money he has as a way of thanking him but Anwar absolutely refuses to take any of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, I think Dr. Jack Shaheens point of view of how Arabs have been stereotyped in Hollywood movies is very convincing. I like the fact that he states his opinion and emphasizes it with different shots from different movies throughout the documentary. Also, not only does he reveal how Hollywood stereotypes Arabs, but also shows that in some movies they are portrayed in a positive way which proves that he is not biased. I agree with the Dr. Shaheen when he says, I am an optimist and I believe particularly in young film makers. The stereotype will change because many young men and women who are entering this profession will see that there is an engrave injustice committed and they will make attempts to correct it. Its only a matter of time to when this will happen. I also agree with the fact that the stereotypes against Arabs will change just like it did with Black African Americans by time. Stereotypes may not be eternal and perha ps the time will come where ignorance will fade away from minds and tolerance of different beliefs and cultures will proceed.

Childless Couples on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Esays

Childless Couples on Television Throughout the evolution of television, there have always been TV shows of childless television couples, such as The Honeymooners or King of Queens. As television has changed throughout the decades, so have television’s childless couples. In the beginning of television series with childless couples, the wife was the one that stayed at home, cleaned, cooked, and did the laundry. The husband was the one that made the money by going to work. Television series always portrayed women as the weaker characters. â€Å"Women in the early 1950s family were weak, secondary characters, and as such were usually dominated by their husbands and their own conceptions of marriage† (Hastings, 1974). Certain episodes of these shows always tried to prove that women should stay at home. When I Love Lucy came out with a woman as the main star, they still had her stay at home, cooking and cleaning, but still made her seem useless. â€Å"Women characters frequently were shown as less mature and less capable human-beings and their husbands often took a quasi-parental role by... Childless Couples on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Esays Childless Couples on Television Throughout the evolution of television, there have always been TV shows of childless television couples, such as The Honeymooners or King of Queens. As television has changed throughout the decades, so have television’s childless couples. In the beginning of television series with childless couples, the wife was the one that stayed at home, cleaned, cooked, and did the laundry. The husband was the one that made the money by going to work. Television series always portrayed women as the weaker characters. â€Å"Women in the early 1950s family were weak, secondary characters, and as such were usually dominated by their husbands and their own conceptions of marriage† (Hastings, 1974). Certain episodes of these shows always tried to prove that women should stay at home. When I Love Lucy came out with a woman as the main star, they still had her stay at home, cooking and cleaning, but still made her seem useless. â€Å"Women characters frequently were shown as less mature and less capable human-beings and their husbands often took a quasi-parental role by...

Plato’s Revolution Work

Professor’s Name Class’ Name Date ` Plato was a renowned philosopher in the early times. He has dealt with diverse issues in his work such as the politea, the philosopher king among others. He was in the early years inspired to become a politician but later on was discouraged by the circumstances that happened in the environment that he was in. He however diverted his focus to the study of philosophy. The final work that he did is normally taken to be comprised of a set of seven dialogues. His mentor, Socrates who was also his teacher greatly inspired his work. He was the first to establish an academy in Athens. He greatly helped to lay the foundations of most of the western philosophy. A. N Whitehead asserts that most of the European philosophy contains footnotes of Plato. One of the greatest works of Plato concerns the republic, popular as politeia, which contains a wealth of descriptive materials on the kind of a republic that dispenses justice and the right kind of leadership expected in such a just society. The Plato’s republic dialogues took place around the time of Peloponnesian War. The work describes how an ideal leadership can be achieved in the society. In addition, Plato also describes how an ideal leader can be able to attain the best character that can enable him/her to be the right leader in the society. He calls the ultimate position that one attains to become the best leader as ‘sunnum bonnum’. He describes the concept of justice in an in-depth manner. He treats the concept of justice both from the societal point of view and from the point of view of the individual. He argues out that there are two things that an individual can hold in life. There is reality and just appearance (Plato & Jowett, 1941). There is also the rightful means of acquiring knowledge. The foundations of morality are also clearly elaborated in the work of the republic. He also says that there are the right components of an effective education which an individual must follow in order to be the best leader in any given society. Basing on the work of Plato, the reality of nature is not always contained in what we can be able to see. He says that human beings who have attained the highest sense of knowledge are those whose focus transcends the visible world to focus to the invisible. He perceives hat the visible in most times can be deceiving. His first attempt was to give a detailed account of the analysis of the formation and organization of the state. He then used this to apply to the individual person. According to him, the reason why we form a society is because we cannot be self sufficient as individuals. We are highly dependent on each other. No one is self sufficient that can work alone and acquire of the necessities of life. The society is therefore comprised of individuals who come together so that they can be able to achieve common goals. The discussion on the significance of society elaborates further that specialization and division of labor leads to establishment of a worthwhile community. This concept is in line with the idea held by the functionalism sociological theories which holds the idea that the attainment of harmony in the society results when individuals are held responsible in different positions in the society. He gives an example of a typical society composed of the citizens in addition to other classes that ensure mutual benefit. There are the guardians, who are held responsible for society’s management. There are different types of guardians, the soldiers and the rulers. The function of the soldiers is to defend the state against external attack by enemies. The work of the rulers is to make decisions concerning the public as well as resolve disagreements among citizens. The soldiers cannot have private properties or have children and they can be from both genders. They are perceived to see reality beyond what the senses can allow them to reach. I can agree with Plato’s concept of justice regarding the responsibilities of the different classes in the state. However, I disagree with his concept on the restrictions that are to be imposed on the guardians. The natural division of each person’s responsibilities where the children whose parents are rulers take up the responsibilities as well as the idea of telling lies or myths when they are called. The choice of rulers basing on inheritance is not also objective. This is because the choice of incoming leaders from the outgoing leader’s children leaves out the possibility of electing the rightful leader from among the general population. To be able to govern the state, the guardians have to be special people. They must be endowed with capacity to be temperamental. They have to think philosophically. The value of good education was emphasized in Plato’s concept of the republic. He advocated for an organized and an in-depth system that will ensure that the individual will definitely attain the highest sense of education. This will erase the issue of the person confusing between deceptions/ illusions with reality. The highly educated man will eventually gain all the necessary skills to be able to govern the state. Self-deception on the other hand created by lack of sufficient education, may lead to an individual’s ignorance of the truth about their natures as human beings. From his point of approach, Plato says that it is important to control the kind of materials that children are in touch with. Those that they read see and hear. The training given to the individuals in form of education is the one that equips them to be able to handle the governance of the state. Depending on the level of training of the person, they can either be the soldiers or the rulers. However, the concept of natural selection of leaders will possibly be threatened by a revolution against the guardians if they do not meet the expectations of the subjects. From Plato’s point of view, the society needs first to convince the general population on the idea of natural division of labor from childhood. This idea would play a big role in shaping the thinking of the children and the people in general such that their minds will be fixed. This is contrary to his ideas on the potentiality of human mind as explicitly explained in the analogy of the cave. The justification of naturalness on the position of the individual in the society will create natural hierarchy which will indirectly affect the quality of leadership in the society. His approach is however, aimed at preventing the citizens from rebelling as well as keeping justice by everyone doing what he/she is supposed to be doing. The children according to Plato’s idea should only be taught the relevant material and literature that will ultimately ensure that they are skilled on the area of their duties. There should be restrictions as well as the quality on what the children are taught to ensure that satisfaction and efficiency in the state’s activities are maintained. However, there could be self deception by the children of the guardians that they are the best to take over from their parents which creates a false illusion (Plato & Jowett, 1941). Quality of leadership can be compromised which would hitherto disrupt Plato’s just society. Plato’s concept also emphasizes gender equality. It does not differentiate between the men and women. He believes that both men and women have equal intellectual capacity. Therefore according to him, the women as well can also be able to perform roles such as being guardians because their children will be reared by different parents. They are also detached from enjoying worldly pleasures such as being paid lowly. These disadvantages therefore discourage others from aspiring from becoming guardians. The guardians would approach issues from philosophical points of view and education that provided them with training that ensured that they reach the highest level of education. This would enable them to be able to distinguish between fiction and reality. This achievement is what Plato calls the highest sense of goodness, â€Å"sunnum bonnum† (Plato & Jowett, 1941). With this situation, they have attained the highest level of knowledge that can enable them to rule the people. The progress of the guardians is compared to the case of prisoners in an underground cave who are in darkness. At first, they could see shadows in the cave as reality (Watt, 1997). The people can however detach themselves and receive the light or truth. They are at first reluctant to receive the truth. The process of enlightenment according to Plato is a painful one entailing a lot of courage, persistence and patience. After the individual receives the truth concerning the reality, they should also enlighten others so that they should also know the reality and change the society. This is what produces change in the society. The training explained by Plato is the one that is directed towards the perceived guardians. The level of performance of the children being trained at an early age depends on whether they can be guardians or not. It also depends on whether they will be soldiers or rulers. To Plato, it is the duty of the society to be able to design a kind of educational system that will distinguish the future citizen’s roles. The training of the young people should be in line with their abilities (Plato & Jowett, 1941). Three distinct people in the state are brought out by Plato; rulers, soldiers and the commoners (Plato & Jowett, 1941). He maintained that membership in the guardian class will solely depend on the possession of appropriate skills. However, he held the idea that the off springs of the current guardians will most likely take over from them. These believe held by Plato is probably a means of social control and a tool used to maintain the status quo even by the unscrupulous leaders. Severe restrictions should be imposed to the guardians to control their quest to own properties. Since they are already endowed with superior natures, there is no need for wealth or other external rewards. The guardians should not own private properties. They should not also earn surplus income more than what fulfils their basic needs. In this case, most people will be discouraged from seeking the position of leadership. The kind of leadership that he advocates is the one that seeks the welfare of the state. This will ensure that the best of the citizens will be attained. The different classes working for the common good of the state need to develop certain qualities or virtues in order to achieve the best. The rulers, being responsible for making public decisions which affect the citizens, must have the virtue of wisdom. This is the capacity to make the right decisions, make impartial judgments and comprehend reality. The soldiers are endowed with the capacity to defend the state. They must therefore develop the virtue of courage. This is the willingness to sacrifice oneself and offer themselves to accomplish the interests of the state regardless of their personal welfares such as personal risks. The commoners must not pursue their own personal interests but must in all capacities strive to obey rules that emanate from the leaders. They must therefore exhibit the virtue of moderation. This involves the process of moderating ones personal desires for the purpose of a higher course. Plato asserted that when the different classes play their roles without overlapping with the roles of the other party, harmony is attained in the society and everything flows smoothly (Watt, 1997). Justice according to him is not the exclusive responsibility of one of the classes but it is the harmonious interrelationship between the different classes in the state. He then used the concept of the state to explain the virtues of the individual human beings. He presumed that just like the state, the individual has a complex system of different parts that function to attain harmony within the individual. The physical body corresponds to the land, buildings and other physical material resources of the city. In addition, every human being has got three souls that correspond to the three classes in the state. Each of them contributes in their own way to the successful operation of the person as a whole. There is the rational soul. It is also the mind or the intellect. This is the thinking portion of all humans that is responsible for discernment of reality and differentiates it with illusions. What is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false. There is also the spirited soul. It is the active portion of the humans that normally acts the will of the intellect. Finally we have the appetitive soul, which is emotional and contains desires. It wants and feels many desires. Most of the desires emanating from it must be deferred if the individual is to exercise self control directed by the rational pursuits. Just as in the case of a well organized state, justice in an individual is achieved when all the components making up the individual work in harmony. The tripartite division as explained by Plato forms the basis of understanding the individual. From the view that Plato develops, justice is better than injustice. True justice in human beings is a kind of good health that can only be attained when all the sections of the soul work together in harmony (Irwin, 1999). In an unjust person, the parts are in constant conflicts, poorly organized and disintegrated compromising the personality. The whole idea of the state is explained by Plato from the philosophical point of view. He states that philosophy opens up peoples thinking to be able to see far. This is parallel to the light provided by the sun. Philosophy is a great tool that helps people to be able to deal with life issues on a logical point of view. Just like the sun sheds light in the morning and darkness disappears, the same way philosophy enlightens the individual to be able to view issues from a wider and in depth perspective. This helps one to solve issues that affect the individual and those that affect the society. According to Plato, the love of philosophy is the love of reality. Those who remain in the world of shadows miss a lot of reality. When they are enlightened, they behave in the most noble way. To elaborate further the issue of enlightenment brought about by philosophy, Plato used the analogy of the cave. The allegory of the cave presents a condition where a group of prisoners are chained in a cave. The cave is dimly lit. The prisoners cannot be able to turn their heads and hands because they are fastened by ropes. They stare to a wall in front all day. There is a small fire outside the cave. A group of puppeteers are walking along a small raised path which is adjacent to the cave. The small fire projects shadows on the wall they are facing on. They just see the shadows of the objects which are outside. They believe that the shadows that they see are true. The people have been in the cave since childhood and have never seen the outside light (Plato & Jowett, 1941). The raised path also contains people who are walking along it. As usual some are talking while others are silent. The prisoners just see the shadows of the objects in the opposite wall. They cannot be able to see the real objects because their legs, hands and necks are fast chained. What they can only see images of themselves as well as the images of the outside objects being projected by the fire which is lit outside. They do not also hear the reality of what the people are saying. To them the truth is literally nothing else than the shadows that they can see (Plato & Jowett, 1941). Plato tries to explain what would happen when the prisoners are released from the underground cave. Plato explains what would happen when one of the prisoners is liberated and allowed to see the real objects outside. When one of the individuals is allowed to see the light outside, the eyes will suffer sharp pains due to the glare of the light outside. At first, he will not be able to see the realities which at first he had seen as shadows. He will also conceive someone saying to him that what he was saying was just an illusion. When he gets nearer to the reality and more light continues to shed on him, he is likely to react differently from his earlier conditions. If he is asked to name the objects that are real, he is likely to say that the shadows he saw earlier were the real objects and that what he was being shown was the illusion. When he is compelled to look straight into the glare, he might feel a sharp pain in the eyes that will compel him to resist reality and instead want to go back to see the objects which he can see without the pain. When he will be forced to see the light of the sun, he is also likely to be pained and irritated. When he approaches to the light, the eyes are likely to be temporarily blinded and he may not see anything of the realities. Other released prisoners are likely to behave differently. Some are likely to be resilient while others are likely to adapt to the reality world. In explaining this, when each of the individuals are placed in such a situation, they are also likely to behave in a similar to the prisoners. The allegory of the cave explains the process in which individuals undergo in the process of being enlightened. Each of the human beings has their own cave that they live in before the process of enlightenment turns an individual to think objectively. When one is not enlightened, they are like prisoners who are living in an underground cave. They always have the habit of seeing darkness. They distort reality and confuse reality for illusions. In a political situation for instance, the leaders do not know the reality about how they are supposed to lead. They therefore lead the people in the wrong direction because of the concepts that they hold which are not universal and are based on superficial reasoning. From a wide field of view, Plato believes that to maintain harmony and justice in society, everyone should be able to perform his/her activity in the society. I agree with this conception of Plato because a just and an efficient society is where there is no overlapping of issues. Where individuals play roles that they are not meant to be playing, there will be confusion and conflict is likely to arise in such situations. For instance, in a typical society where the police have been employed, they are supposed to maintain law and order in order to ensure that activities in the society run normally. They will punish the law breakers which will ensure that vices do not happen in the society. On another level, the traffic police would be able to deal with the drivers who break traffic rules. This will ultimately tend to minimize the accidents that happen on the roads. This ultimately produces harmony in the society. The issue that the lives of individuals are predetermined raises concerns on the freedom of the individual to rise to the position of leadership based on merit. Personal freedom is the key factor that determines who we are. Individuals should therefore be given a chance to choose the kind of life that they want to lead. It is through freedom that people come to know the kind of positions that is best suited to them. This happens through the meaning that is attached to things. In this case, Plato seems to ignore important factors such as hard work, passion and experience that allow humans to do extremely well in their endeavors even though they may not seem to be naturally gifted in such areas. Success in matters concerning leadership requires an integration of different factors apart from the natural qualities. Tasks are accomplished easily by use of the natural talents but they do not guarantee efficient accomplishment. Moreover, people with the zeal to succeed in certain tasks may at times do it better than those who are gifted because they are motivated to excel in such activities. A contradiction also arises in the case where Plato advocates for telling of lies in order to perpetuate the natural division of the different roles. On one hand, Plato advocates for morality. On the other hand, it is ironical to advice the educators to propagate falsehoods in order to reinforce the issue of naturalness of division of labor. Educators are meant to be role models in terms of being a role moral educator. Kant argues that everybody is equal, free and able to reason. Therefore holding the believe that the guardians are pure and are the ones who can only reason logically is a fallacy. The fact that the guardians are endowed with the capability of thinking philosophically does not in any way deny other people a chance to exploit their intellectual capability. The focus of such a concept can only be aimed at maintaining the status quo of the elites. They therefore prevent other categories from accessing chances in such status and analyzing the different possibilities of change that can be effected. (Foster,1937). The concept of Plato seems to bring about discrimination in the society. This happens when he advocates for the guardians to choose their partners from their fellow guardians. This will consequently tend to maintain power and authority among a small group of people. It is viable to choose leaders by producing intelligent people with philosophical thinkers. The idea that the guardians should live in poverty without families or property ownership is a violation of human nature. Plato provides an ideal situation of a different human who can live special lives. They can even fully sacrifice their comforts for the sake of the general population. This however is not always the truth. It could be hard if such a system was to be induced (Foster,1937). Most of the people are employed to gain material wealth. Denying them such kind of a right would repel services from such people. Plato’s concept of the allegory of the cave is highly applicable especially in the contemporary society. First, it brings out the real meaning of education. From his explanation, education is not meant to make individuals conform to the prevailing conditions. It is meant to reform the intellectual capability of the individual such that they can be able to discover issues on their own. The work of the educator is to ignite the person. From there the learner can be able to discover things on their own. He refuses to believe that the human mind is limited in any way. He believes that the human intellect is special in that it has an endless potential to venture into the infinite world of possibilities. From this understanding, human beings may realize their full potential and engage their full potential in solving problems especially those that affect the society. For example in leadership, the leaders should not be limited to the thinking applied since their childhood. As they grow up they should learn to adapt to new ways of solving problems and relating with the general public. Plato’s concept will also help every individual to respect each other regardless of their tribe or race as long as they understand that they are all special creatures. In a nutshell therefore, the work of Plato is still influential today as it can be applied to solve many problems in the current society. Works cited M. B. Foster. â€Å"A Mistake of Plato's in the Republic. † Mind, 46 (1937): 386–393. T. H. Irwin. â€Å"Republic 2: Questions about Justice. † in Plato 2: Ethics, Politics, Religion, and the Soul, ed. , Gail Fine (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 164–185. Watt, Stephen (1997), â€Å"Introduction: The Theory of Forms â€Å", Plato: Republic, London: Wordsworth Editions, pp. pages xiv–x Plato, & Jowett, B. (1941). Plato's The Republic. New York: The Modern Library.

Manchu Dynasty essays

Manchu Dynasty essays Through the power of the Manchu Dynasty, Chinas empire was able to reach a high point in their history. There was an internal problem as well as outside pressure, which led to its fall. The Manchu, or Qing dynasty lasted for almost 300 years with a system of an organized government ruling. Chinese culture was being absorbed as rulers ruled over the land. Confucianism ideas were kept through the years of rule. The Manchu dynasty was established by the Jurchen, a nomadic tribe from Manchuria. The Manchu dynasty lasted from 1644-1911. The downfall of the Ming dynasty brought the beginning of the Manchu period. The south of China faced many serious problems such as bad weather, which created bad harvests, famine, and raids. Soldiers and peasants would raid the towns just for food. Another problem was the population problem, which China faced and could not control. Manchu rulers introduced a system of checks and balances to the organization. The status of peasants had become much less as time went on. Most of the empires money had gone for foreign expansion and also internal corruption. Government positions were held by both Chinese and Manchurian people. All throughout China, the taxes were raised to a higher level, which started peasant uprisings. Chinese trade was restricted to only a certain amount of people, but the most exporting and trading went to three main nations, Britain, the United States, and France. A lot of tea was sold and Opium was introduced to China from the British. Gold and silver was all that could be traded in exchange. Foreign merchants were able to make a lot of money selling Chinese products in foreign nations. Opium first came from India. A struggle among the Chinese government led to a struggle about the thoughts of the Opium trade, which had bloomed in China. They believed that opium was bad for their people and it dropped the amount of silver China had. In 1839, the Chinese...

A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Essays

A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Essays A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Paper A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Paper Othello fulfils the criteria of a domestic tragedy as it focus on the marital relationship between Othello and his wife, Desdemona. Shakespeare follows patterns of Aristotle’s theory of tragedy which enables him to elicit â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear†. For example the tragic hero is a man of noble rank, he reaches pinnacle of happiness and worldly success. In Act II, with his position as commander of Cyprus and reunion with his wife Desdemona: Othello proclaims to Desdemona and those gathered in Cyprus: â€Å"If I were to die to die, ‘Twere now to be most happy; ( Act II.i.181-182) His hyperbolic speech conveys Othello’s happiness, as it is at its peak at this point in the play. His tragic flaw however, leads to reversal of fortune (peripeteia). Othello’s tragic flaw is manifested as his gullibility, by his â€Å"free and open nature†, that Iago exploits to bring about Othello’s down fall, creating â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear† which is elicited during the play. After Othello’s death, order is restored in the end, leaving the audiences to experience catharsis and feel a sense of loss, just as Aristotle intended it to be. The portrayal of Othello in Act I is juxtaposed to the Othello in Act III and IV, he is very different, he is portrayed as a physical and psychological wreck. Whereas in Act, Othello is afforded epithets, such as â€Å"valiant† and â€Å"noble moor: the use of the hyperbole creates a heroic tone, enabling the audience to identify Othello as the tragic hero. Othello fits the first criteria of an Aristotle theory of tragedy, a man of noble character, in Act I and II. However through Iago’s gulling, Othello begins to lose control, which is shown through his language â€Å"Zounds.† He becomes crude in his language like Iago. He exclaims â€Å"Goats and Monkey† echoing Iago’s earlier words: â€Å" Were they as prime as goats, as hot as moneys, As salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross As ignorance made drunk. This portrays Othello’s peripeteia, following his harmatia ; his trust in the opportunist Iago which elicits â€Å"pity and fear†. The fact Othello uses taboo blasphemous language reflects the Jacobean perception of typical moor. At this point on stage, Shakespeare is conveying the stereotypical image of moor; a savage black man. One could say Shakespeare was using such a portrayal to please and entertain his racist audience. Or Shakespeare’s purpose could have been to educate his audience about how Othello’s tragic flaw can cause jealousy to unravel the â€Å"green eyed –monster†, which consumes Othello’s noble character and evokes â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear†. As Othello deteriorates, his jealousy, anger and subsequent thirst for revenge is reflected in his language. Othellos own words seem to prophesy his downfall: †¦perdition catch my soul But I do love thee! And when I love thee not . Chaos is come again., III.3.90-92) This is the first time Othello’s admitted vulnerability to Iago, the Machiavellian. At this point Othello loves Desdemona unequivocally but ironically his words foreshadow the â€Å"Chaos† to come. The audience know Iago’ has hatched a plan to â€Å"turn her virtue into, pitch† and â€Å"emesh them all† (II.iii.329) .This rising fear, prepares the audience to predict inevitable events â€Å"chaos.† Act III scene iii, also known as temptation scene; it is here that Othello begins to disintegrate; his peripeteia comes with the relentless pressure placed on him by Iago. At this point the fear evoked from the audience as the equilibrium of Act II deteriorates into â€Å"Chaos†. Othello’s inter-racial marriage with Desdemona was frowned upon in sixteenth century. At the time interracial marriage were considered unnatural and immoral act. Even the sixth president of America, John Quincy Adams regarded this marriage as: ‘The great moral lesson of Othello [Shows] black and white blood cannot be intermingled in marriage without a gross outrage upon the law of Nature.’ I disagree with this critic, it is a lack of Christian morals of the characters (Iago, Barbantio and Roderigo) that has made Othello seem like an outsider, resulting in this â€Å"outrage to occur. For instance the hostile environment has forced Othello to trust â€Å"honest Iago†. Iago abuses Othello’s trust makes him feel racially inferior. We feel pity for Othello has he is alienated from the great dignitaries of Venice as well as his wife. Perhaps this is why Othello’s rude behaviour is justified in Act IV onwards as he is black man responding to racism [Actor Patrick Stewart]. In Act I, Othello responds to racism in non-passive approach, through eloquent dialect â€Å"pardon me†, However in Act Iv Othello feels racially inferior, alienated and loses control and responds in aggressive manner â€Å"strumpet† . I think his behaviour is justified as he unaware of the real situation, and feels alienated. As the play progresses and Iago’s machinations and plans take shape, Othello’s speech declines from prose to verse; he speaks in broken sentences: â€Å" Lies with Her? Lie on her? we say lie on they belie on her. (IV.1.135-136) The structure of Othello speech signifies that Othello is not in right state of his mind; his speech is quick paced and lacks coherence reflecting his â€Å"broken† mind. Even Desdemona has noticed the poignant change in the Othello â€Å"my lord is not my lord†. This begins to create â€Å"pity and fear† for Desdemona, she is too naive to realise his jealousy. The audience feel great pity for Desdemona and fear Othello as he [strikes her]. The stage directions play an important role. Dramatists have often portrayed Desdemona being thrown dramatically and her cheeks appearing bright red. The eponymous hero at this point could be seen eponymous villain, as begins adopt anti- hero like qualities. For instance Othello â€Å"be whoring† of Desdemona, the slap in public follows his vow to â€Å"chop her into messes†; such a change indicates the pollution Iago has created in his mind. This highlights the chaos emerging and destruction of order, inspiring pity and fear Desdemona as well for Othello. The fact that Shakespeare initially portrayed Othello as honourable and brave amplifies his peripetia; and reduction to a mad vengeful, abusive husband and incoherent speaker, all due to Iago’s influence. Othello’s incoherence ramblings reveal his jealous and confusion, culminating in a physical and emotional breakdown at his lowest point he falls into epilepsy. His noble character is abolished through Iago â€Å"pour pestilence into his ear. The metaphorical â€Å"poison† Iago use to â€Å"pour† in Othello’s ear is symbolic of Iago’s nature, to destruct and to kill. We feel pity for Othello as Iago â€Å"poison† is metaphorically killing him. The handkerchief is a useful prop that provides â€Å"ocular proof.† The â€Å"handkerchief†, was seen as a romantic token of love, in sixteenth century and in the play it was Othello first gift to Desdemona. The fact Desdemona does not have the handkerchief turns Othello’s doubt into certainty. Othello values the handkerchief and Iago takes advantage of this and makes malicious use of the handkerchief: Her Honour is an essence that’s not seen: They have it very oft that have it not. But for the handkerchief- (Act IV.1.16-18) Although his tragic flaw will precipitate his inevitable downfall, it is the cruelty of Iago that results in this. Iago exploits Othello’s insecurities. He relates â€Å"her honour to the â€Å"handkerchief†, enabling him to subtly plot an honour killing in Othello’s mind. This infers Othello is much more self-conscious about his honour then Desdemona fidelity, because in Venetians and Renaissance society a man’s honour was closely linked to his wife’s behaviour. Iago will use this insecurity to gain control over Othello. Iago’s lies are so successful that it results Othello echoing his words â€Å"handkerchief† ( Act IV.1.22). This attitude of Othello elicits the audience’s pity. In addition Desdemona’s lie about the handkerchief â€Å"It is not lost â€Å"[Act III . IV.79], forces the audience to lose sympathy with her as they did with Othello in Act III, as it could be seen that she was partially responsible for her own death. This act gives Iago luck, allowing him to present handkerchief as â€Å"ocular proof† to Othello. Although it may been seen that Desdemona is partly responsible for this outcome, we can also infer that Othello ‘s hubris ; his arrogance and belief in Iago has prevented him to confront Desdemona. The society at the time, believed that men were superior to women. Perhaps such a great general and man of authority believed it was beneath him to directly ask about Desdemona infidelity. It is not only Othello that evokes fear, Iago’ s soliloquies can also create fear in the audience. They illustrate his true motives; his soliloquies support the theme of deception, â€Å"I am not what I am† the declarative allows the audience to see a Machiavellian character emerge. It also infers Iago has duplicitous nature. The Audiences will fear Iago as he presented as dangerous figure. Also this statement mimics the Biblical God; in exodus God says â€Å"I am what I am†; and just like a god, Iago controls the dynamics of the play. The monosyllabic declarative create suspense as well as anticipation, as we are unaware of his abilities. The fact that he is referred to â€Å"Honest Iago† creates dramatic irony, as the audience are aware of his duplicitous nature and the characters on stage are not. Desdemona is â€Å"honest† to Othello, she remains faithful, and her innocence is juxtaposed in his perception of her character as the â€Å"whore of Venice†. The use of ironies evokes the audience to feel pity for Desdemona, as she the helpless victim. They also feel pity for Othello as he being manipulated. The final scene of Othello is very cathartic. It purges emotions, as the audience feel both â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear† for both Desdemona and Othello. We feel there is a sense of waste and loss. The deaths of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia were â€Å"unnecessary†, because these characters were innocent puppets of Iago’s game. Othello briefly returns to his former glory through his Ananogrosis O fool [ActV.ii.320], he regains his dignity returns to speak in former figurative language â€Å"Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees†. In my opinion, Othello suicide was way to redeem him. The sense of loss in the play is profound by evoking â€Å"pity and fear.† Reference jstor.org/stable/3122719

Visual Literacy in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Visual Literacy in Business - Essay Example These are important to me because the target audience must be considered so as, for example, to capture and hold the attention of men, women or youth. The importance of purpose is that it will define the overall goal of creating the image, which must be reasonably easy to understand but still deliver the intended message and create a desire to take action. Purpose is complemented by context because context entails background information that will enable viewers to analyze and understand the image. In turn, this makes arrangement important because it will determine how text, graphics and images are placed in the advertisement. Then, location will have its significance in the sense that where the advertisement is placed matters. One concept that I would like to explore further is context. This is because if the advertisement does not give sufficient and relevant background information, it may not serve its purpose because the viewers will not be able to analyze what is being communicat ed and, therefore, not take any action (Elkins,

The Civil Rights Movement in 1960 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Civil Rights Movement in 1960 - Essay Example (Encarta, 2008) With the formation of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1909 an organized struggle for equality for blacks began. The event that triggered the eventual Civil Rights Movement was when a Black lady, Rosa Parks, refused to give her seat to a White person in a public bus. She was arrested for non-compliance and put in jail. The refusal to give up the seat led to an eight month strike of the bus system in Montgomery. During this time the black community organized their own carpools and deprived the government of the income that came from black riders. The eight-month strike put a severe financial burden on the city and thus the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional and ended the strike. (Mkmba, 2005) ("Origins of the Civil Rights Movement", 1994) The Civil Rights Movement that started in the 1950s was very important for the people of America as well as people of the whole world. In the US, there were increasing injustices towards the minorities, specially the Blacks. It created the right for all and established the condemnation of discrimination in any form. Because somebody thought to go against the norms and fight for their rights, the minorities realized that such injustices would longer be tolerated and at the same time they set an example for all oppressed people to fight for their rights. The open segregation and oppression ended segregation publicly and legally. The new America promoted independence for everybody no matter if a person was from a different race, creed or sex. African Americans finally got voting rights and it helped path the future for giving voting rights to women. (Roy, 2004) The Civil Rights Movement was also important for other countries apart from the United States. Since US is a superpower and is generally considered the land of freedom and righteousness, other countries look up at US for sense and direction. When equal rights were given to all people, other countries also followed up. Some countries in Europe and Asia that follows America's lead also changed their policies. Furthermore, the US set a good example for others to follow which made others realize that even the leaders of biggest powers of the world cannot hammer their authority on the minorities. What is the impact on the American society The impact of the Civil Rights Movement has time and again been seen from a positive and a negative perspective. The achievement of purpose of the Movement has been questioned and critics have been discussing this for a long time. On a positive front, changes have taken place in the social and legal context. These changes are not only for Blacks, but for all. The human race is imperfect. Everybody has some flaws within themselves which a nation cannot expect to correct. Civil Rights Movement was about making the majorities realize that the minorities existed and they wanted to have some rights. The goal wasn't to remove all racism. Such a happening could never workout since all humans are different and have different values and emotions. What the Civil Rights Movement did was to provide a /legal mean to the minorities to challenge the injustices committed against them. Anyone who feels that he/she is being discriminated,