Othello presents women as the victims of men Essay

To what extent do you agree that in â€Å"Othello† Shakespeare presents women as the tragic victims of men? Throughout ‘Othello’, Shakespeare uses the manipulation of the protagonist, by the antagonist, Iago, to present a play controlled by men. In such a male dominated society, Shakespeare presents the women in the play as tragic victims at the hands of their husbands, in particular Desdemona and Emilia. Throughout this essay I will relate to the Aristotelian and Senecan descriptions of tragedy to come to a conclusion of how in ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents women as tragic victims of men. Firstly, throughout ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents men as the dominant characters of the play, whereas the women are portrayed as characters to always be suspicious of. No female character is given as many lines in the play as any male character, in particular Iago. This is reflective of Iago’s dominance in ‘Othello’, therefore meeting one of the Senecan definitions of tragedy presenting women as tragic victims of men. Furthermore Othelloâ€℠¢s suspicious nature towards his wife, Desdemona, is false, and though the women are constantly thought of cheating, they never do. In act 3 scene 4 of the play Desdemona claims that Othello is â€Å"true of mind†. The dramatic irony of that statement once again implies that Desdemona is a character who follows social conventions, yet her husband’s false accusations relate to the Aristotelian definition of tragedy in the Desdemona is pitied by the audience due to her pure feelings of love towards Othello. The use of the adjective â€Å"true† further shows Desdemona as a tragic victim of Othello as she is unaware of Othello’s beliefs that she is cheating on him with Cassio, which is false. Though women may be portrayed as tragic victims in ‘Othello’, Emilia gives the audience reason to believe that women are far from tragic victims in the play. She challenges social convention in that women should be passive to their husbands. In defiance of Iago’s â€Å"Be wise, and get you home†, Emilia here opposes the model of a â€Å"good† wife, who should be silent and marginalised. Though Emilia is undoubtedly ultimately a tragic victim of the play, s he reveals how corrupted a male dominated society is when she clears Desdemona’s â€Å"reputation†. Her death opposes an immoral conviction against her sex, exonerating her part in the tragedy. In act four scene three of the play, Emilia implies that she is equal to men, which suggests to the reader  further that she is a character who once again defies society’s expectations of women. Emilia criticises the way men behave, in which she asks â€Å"have we not affections/desires for sport-and frailty-as men have?† claiming that women’s needs are just the same as men, although it is acceptable for men to cheat on their wives. This is supported earlier in the play when Emilia likens men’s behaviour to that of belching, which itself is a vulgar activity. â€Å"they are all but stomachs, and we all but food/they eat us hungerly, and when they are full/they belch us† this corrupt truth is also reflective of how men treated women, and that it was ok for men to cheat on their wives, but had women done the same, it would have been considered a sin. On the other hand, Emilia could be interpreted as a tragic victim at the hands of men in ‘Othe llo’. As oppose to Desdemona’s marriage to Othello, Emilia’s marriage to Iago has lost all signs of romance and affection, and her victimisation could be interpreted through her satirical attitude towards men. Her death at the hands of Iago, her manipulator, shows that Iago was truly to blame for Othello’s murder of Desdemona, as it was him whom Emilia stole Desdemona’s handkerchief for. Her death is therefore her punishment, furthermore making Emilia a tragic victim as she has died through no fault of her own. Like Emilia, Desdemona is also a tragic victim of the men in ‘Othello’. Her murder, like Emilia’s, is through no fault of her own is a result of Othello’s jealousy and Iago’s interference. What makes Desdemona even more tragic to the audience is the fact that even in death she tries to protect her husband, telling Emilia that she has killed herself, â€Å"nobody, I myself†, this further depicts to the audience that Desdemona is a good and pure character. Her devotion to her husband makes her a tragic victim in the play as she can not be blamed for her death. Contextually it is important to understand how women are presented as t ragic victims of men in ‘Othello’. Contemporary views of women were, according to Sir Thomas Elyot â€Å"to be mild, timorous, tractable, benign, of sure remembrance, and shamefast.† Conversely men were seen to be â€Å"fierce, strong in opinion, covetous of glory, desirous of knowledge, appetiting by generation to bring for his semblable.† Elyot’s views of the contemporary man, though much grander than those of women, could prove to be their downfall in ‘Othello’. Shakespeare’s protagonist’s downfall could be based on the fact that he is desirous of knowledge, and Iago’s manipulation of  Othello’s trustworthy nature suggests that not only are women the tragic victims of men, but it is men who are also victims of men. The use of derogatory language and coarse sexual imagery is used by Shakespeare to show the male character’s misogynistic attitudes towards women, and this is evident whenever Iago speaks of the opposite sex. His lamenting of Desdemon a, a character who is pure and good throughout the play, particularly portrays how women are presented as tragic victims of men. He tells Brabantio that â€Å"a black ram is tupping your white ewe†, referencing Othello and Desdemona’s romance. The contrast of black and white suggests that Iago views Desdemona and women in general as guilty beings, which further suggests to the audience that women are tragic victims of men in ‘Othello’ as it is the men who are guilty, not the women. Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, holds a highly misogynistic view towards his daughter upon hearing of her affection for Othello, when he answers the question â€Å"is she dead?† with â€Å"aye to me†. Iago also views women as objects- â€Å"look to your house, your daughter and your bags†, his materialistic view of women, in which equating Desdemona to material good, suggests that Iago is a misogynist as he does not hold women in high regard at all. In conclusion, women are certainly presented by Shakespeare as tragic victims in ‘Othello’, however it is not completely at the hands of the male characters. Yes, both Emilia and Desdemona die at the hands of their husbands, but it is through socie ty’s expectations of women that they are murdered, as well as Iago’s evil manipulation of The Moor. Desdemona dies through no fault of her own, this making her a tragic victim at the hands of Othello, as she has not committed any sin, and she is only murdered through Iago suggesting to Othello that she had been cheating on Cassio. Desdemona is also a tragic victim as not only has she done nothing wrong, but throughout the play she is portrayed by Shakespeare as a genuinely good and pure character. Emilia is a tragic victim as ultimately she dies from knowing that Desdemona’s murder was due to the actions of her husband. Finally it was the women who were tragic victims at the hands of a society where the man is judge, jury and executioner, as well as manipulating them to satisfy their selfish needs.

Little Miss Sunshine Movie Essay

Little Miss Sunshine In the film, â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† an extraordinary family explores many obstacles that troubles their way to their journey to Olive's (daughter) beauty pageant. Along the way the family learns to love, care and support each other. Little Miss Sunshine illustrated that love can be expressed through different forms. Firstly, the movie illustrated how the value of family is very important. The family uses everyone's strengths to support each other. During the movie, many challenges such as the unreliable VW bus and sneaking grandpa out of the hospital required the whole family to work together to accomplish a common goal.The Hoover family valued the family as a whole and would not leave anyone behind. An example is when they left Olive at the gas station and then came back to pick her up. Even though, Sheryl and Richard may have had some arguments,sometimes arguments can be used to strengthen a relationship. In Little Miss Sunshine, grandpa may seem fo ul-mouthed ,grouchy and rude but he still exhibits a caring side. When his son Richard is at the point of bankruptcy, grandpa goes to the front of the van to give Richard his support. Grandpa says a few words of encouragement and sincerely looks him in the eye.I believe that even though every family may encounter many problems, we grow stronger because of the bonds we make. I believe that the Hoover family valued their family by providing unconditional love and support, not leaving anyone behind and when Richard chose to trust Olive, when she said she'll win the pageant. Secondly, in Little Miss Sunshine the family provides many functions for one another. One of the functions they provide for one another is support. An example is, when Olive was about to perform her dance.When she was just about to go on stage both Dwain and Richard tried to stop Olive because they were afraid she was not good enough against the other girls. However, Sheryl( mother) argued that if Olive wanted to pe rform on stage,it was up to her and was ultimately her decision whether to perform or not. In the end, Olive decided to perform and made a fool out of herself, However her whole family came up on stage to support her. At that moment, the family did not care about anything else, except for Olive's happiness. Thirdly, in the movie the family provided love as another function for one another.An example is when Dwain realized that he might be colorblind when Olive tested his color vision. Dwain was mad, frustrated and out of control because his dream of becoming a fighter pilot was not possible now. In order to become a fighter pilot, Dwain needed good vision, including color vision. Dwain started kicking the van and soon the whole family gave Dwain some time to settle down. After a few minutes, Olive came over to offer her support (hugs) Dwain. He soon calms down and apologized for his actions and rude comments about the family. The family then resumed their journey to Olive's pageant. This scene demonstrated love because everyone in the family cared about Dwain's dream of becoming a fighter pilot, they knew exactly how he felt and how it must have hurt knowing that his dream was crushed, just like that. In the movie, a simple hug from Olive showed how love never fails. Lastly, I believe that a family doesn't need to be normal to function. It takes love , affection and support in order for a family to function. In the movie, love was present but expressed differently. An example would be when grandpa passed away, Sheryl told the family that no matter what happens she will still love each and everyone in the family.The father on the other hand, who is obsessed with the â€Å"9 steps to winning† program still loves Olive for who she is, even though in the end she didn't win the pageant. Support strengthens the family bond, love never fails and affection provides a lovable environment. Little Miss Sunshine illustrated how there are different families in societ y, but it doesn't necessarily take a normal family to function properly. Throughout this journey, the Hoover family learned to trust each other, to persevere through the difficult times and to always hope for the best.

The UzDaewoo Auto Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The UzDaewoo Auto Project - Assignment Example Uzbekistan was and continues to self sufficient on the agriculture front. Uzbekistan is the fourth largest producer of cotton in the world producing more than 1.5 million tons every year. The country also produces 70 Tons every year of gold making it the leading producer in the region for the metal. It also produces 40 billion tons of natural gas. Uzbek remains one of the largest producers of molybdenum, tungsten, copper and zinc. Though the large desert lands in the middle of the country hurts the continuity of living space, the country boasts itself of a large natural resource and rich agricultural produce. We can possible conclude that there is immense potential for growth in the country with a high education background and an adult literacy rate of over 90%, this is going to be a major motivating factor for any investor. Political climate in the country was stable and was more for consistent economic and industrial growth which would result in better living standards of its people. Fourth reason that any investor should consider is, nearly 85% of the people hold driving license where as only one million cars were plying the roads of Uzbekistan in 1980s when the total population was 22 million and 85% of them could drive! The major competition in Uzbekistan market for cars was from Russia, other Korean companies, European companies and a few US companies like GM and Ford. Russians had positioned their low end model in the country and it was selling at around 6,000/- rubles and the Ford was selling its Escort as a C Class car at around USD 10,000/-. Taking all this into consideration3, Daewoo needs to position itself one at the lower end of the market where there is a huge market since the country has a huge population not having a car to drive but know driving4. There are also people in the market who already had a car but is in need of the luxury that only a better car could provide. There is also a requirement for Daewoo to position a van that would carry a larger number of people instead of the traditional four. Based on all these requirements and also on the fact that the climate and the road conditions in Uzbekistan is not congenial for standard low bodied and low chassis models, cars have to be redesigned to suit the conditions existing in that country5. Daewoo had to and did position a model for every one of these requirements faced by the company. There was a low end module, Tico, which was sold at around USD 6,790/- that catered to the needs described

Arguementative Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Arguementative - Research Paper Example THESIS According the American Heritage Dictionary (2011), abortion is defined as the induced termination of a pregnancy, achieved via destruction of embryo or fetus. Abortion therefore refers to ceasing the process of child birth before the child is born. Opting for an abortion is not an easy decision, but there are many unfortunate circumstances where women find themselves with no other choice. Several reasons for opting for an abortion may include: rape pregnancies, accidental pregnancies, divorce, illness of the mother or the mother being underage etc. Abortion has for long been viewed unfavorably by most societies. In America, abortion was legalized only in five states in 1970 and in all states in 1973 (Levitt & Donohue, 2001). Women who do opt for abortion to avoid giving birth to unwanted babies face many difficulties in areas where abortion has not been legalized. If a woman is too young or unhealthy to bear a child, or if the baby is unwanted, she should have the right to ter minate her pregnancy before bringing the child to life. This will not only save an unwanted or abandoned baby from being born but will also give the woman a chance to live a healthy life and make a career after attaining whatever education she may seek chances of which would be rare if she gave birth to a baby while being in her teens. Unprepared couples or those not wanting another baby do not prove to be good parents and it is not fair for any child to be born in a home where he or she is not welcome and where his or her parents cannot support the baby. In worse cases where abortion is not an opportunity and the baby is not given for adoption either, the baby is either abandoned, or is brought up very poorly by the parents or parent. There are cases where pregnant women are murdered by their partners who are unwilling to have a baby and share the responsibility or in some extreme cases; even the newly born infants are murdered by one of the parents. All this can be avoided by taki ng a timely step namely that of abortion if contraception did not work. Even if given a chance to live, unwanted babies are deprived of normal lives where parents care for children and support them. Unwanted children often have abusive, frustrated parents who do not care for the children, resulting in unhappy lives for such children. ANTI-THESIS There are always two sides of a picture and it is pointless to prove an argument while ignoring the counter arguments available. There is some available research and literature in favor of not legalizing abortion as well. Lott and Whitley (2010), cited in UFI (2010) conducted one study to find the relationship between abortion and crime rates. They concluded that contrary to what Levitt and colleagues (2005) previously found, crime rate specially that of murders had actually increased with legalizing abortion. The researchers supporting this finding explain that with legalized abortion, pre marital and extra marital unprotected sex has also become a more encouraging option which has therefore elevated the rate of related crimes. Some people who oppose legalized abortion claim that abortion is another form of discrimination. Dr. Garton in her book ‘Who broke the baby?, cited in Murti (2006) says that we have actually conveniently excluded

Concepts of Learning And the Factors That Affect Student Learning Essay

Concepts of Learning And the Factors That Affect Student Learning - Essay Example This report sresses that the humanistic approach by respecting the human undertone it recognizes the individual differences and in effect helps learners in performing well. The teachers are also motivated to perform in the same respect. This is a positive attribute of the approach which serves to underscore the importance of humanity. The school of humanism postulates that individuals have internal drives that push them to achieve their goals. In a learning environment it is understood that it is in the interest of the participants to succeed. Both the teachers and the students aspire to be successful in the pursuit of their goals. While the teaching staffs aspire to rise through the ranks in their careers, the student community desires to excel in their studies. The benefits of the theory have been transferred to other professions. These fields include theory, economics, or other business courses. This paper makes a conclusion that learning is an ongoing process in human lives. On the basis of humanity, the ‘feeling good’ effect is paramount in scaling greater heights in the learning cycle. Other schools like cognitive can also be useful in explaining the learning process. The acquisition of new knowledge is quite beneficial and it should be encouraged irrespective of the method employed. Through the use of both summative and formative assessments, the level of progression made in the learning experience can be determined.

Discuss with reference to current working practice how the Essay

Discuss with reference to current working practice how the implementation of good risk management practice on the part of the en - Essay Example In addition, possible contractual disputes deserve to be resolved timely in order to avert possible financial losses that may be annexed upon their eventuality. On that note, it is wise to examine the possible risks that may amount to financial losses will undertaking a construction contract. Evaluation However, prior to venture into this quest, a reflection of the activities that comprise of a construction-engineering venture is essential for the provision of an insight on the study matter. Construction engineering entertains a fleet of events, including the assembly of materials from the sources or suppliers to the field of construction. This is a rather demanding activity since it involves the development of a safety store in the construction area prior to the establishment of the real facility described under the project. Apparently, a significant proportion of possible financial losses that may be annexed to construction contracts are built on the grounds of safety compromise. T he assessments of the possible risks that may be associated to this development include the loss of the facilities/ equipment utilized in construction. Such loss is realized under incidents such as theft and natural calamities; an eventuality that may cause severe dents to the financial archives of the proposed project (S.C.P.C.U. (2000). Subsequently, construction engineering involves the development of the designs that are to see the realization of substantial buildings with regard to their durability. This formulates the central reasons upon which the project contract is developed. All these elements amount to platforms that may eventuate to serious occurrence of significant financial risks during or before the contract period. This assertion calls for the development of ultimate measures towards their address. Subsequently, the involvement of a spree of diversified experts in the acquisition of the mentioned tasks, for examples the raw materials, implies that the process of cons truction is a mammoth task by its own self. Challenges amounting to logistical concern can lead to serious financial losses while procuring the contract. The details of the contract make a sincere effort towards the address of the possible risk that may eventuate from the execution of the project, including accidents to the deployed employees. However, the provided cover cannot be described as sufficient for the whole construction project in terms of the expenses that may be accrued from the occurrence of the anticipated risks. This observation prompts the evaluation of the possible risks that may be associated to construction in terms of the expenses they may annex to the whole exercise. The nature of risks associated to a construction-engineering project is grossly pegged on the magnitude of the project. This assertion can be utilized in the categorization of the whole concept, in that various projects can be characterized in accordance to the stipulations of the exercise. On this regard, the projects can be classified as either high financial risk or low financial risk projects. High financial risk projects involve the projects pursued under public environment, for example, road construction, stadia establishment and events of such relation. The financial risks that may be associated to such projects proceeds beyond the captions that may be availed

A critical perspective on branding, concerned with issues in practical Essay

A critical perspective on branding, concerned with issues in practical application of branding practices - Essay Example Lury (2004) also adds that employees form a core part of brand promotion in any company; large businesses use employees as mediums to promote their brands not only to external potential customers but also to the existing and potential internal customers. A reflective analysis on the impact of branding on employees and organizations has been undertaken in the present context. Working with a large and influential brand is usually regarded as an example of prestige and privilege. One such brand is the HSBC bank that will be studied for its efforts to enhance brand image in this analysis. Drawing points from Dr. Brannan’s teachings from the theme titled, ‘Branding: Being 'you' inside and outside the organisation,’ likeliness of impact of branding on employees will be assessed against literature propositions. This analysis will specifically focus on Warhurst and Nickson’s (2009) perspective of employees’ position in branding efforts, which is a mere objec t of brand personification in order to please customers and stakeholders. In this process, an attempt will be made to understand how branding impacts employees’ place and meaning in organizations by relating to personal experiences. Important findings from literature will be evaluated along with identification of some critical reviews of management specialists. These evaluations will be helpful in explaining practical positions held by individuals in organizations with respect to brand promotions based on personal experiences. Important conclusions will be subsequently highlighted. 2. Working at HSBC: About HSBC: HSBC Bank is multinational bank setup in more than 80 countries and has over 7200 offices with more than 287,000 employees. HSBC bank provides the widest range of financial services to over 89 million customers across the globe. Its services are in retail banking, personal financial services, commercial banking and markets, and global private banking (HSBC history, n .d). Working as a back-office executive at HSBC bank is perceived as a prestigious position owing to its brand value besides its size and strength. This brand is considered as one of the greatest success stories in modern marketing, according to the bank’s website. HSBC was ranked number one financial services in 2011 in one of the surveys and its brand value is estimated to be worth $ 27.1 (Advertising, 2012). The HSBC brand: Globally, all HSBC offices and businesses follow certain common practices, which, they believe, reinforce their brand. One such practice that reinforces brand image and corporate reputation through certain regulations is its ‘core standards of behaviour,’ based on integrity, trust and excellent customer service; these standards facilitate building HSBC’s reputation, keeping different units united, in making them unique and earning them the competitive edge in the market. These core standards define certain behavioural components for all employees towards active listening, understanding, freedom to deliver, integrity, straightforwardness, forward thinking, and teamwork (Employee Handbook, 2008). Like many other far-fledged businesses and corporate sector firms, HSBC’s brand image is emphasized in almost every aspect that is visible to its internal and external customers. Its brand image also reflects in its choice of aesthetics in terms of interiors, logo design and color as well as in its rules for employee etiquettes. For instance, its slogan, ‘The World’s Local Bank,’ actually depicts HSBC’s mission of making its presence felt in every country and region by offering diverse and customized