Othello Tragism Essays - Othello, English-language Films

Othello Tragism William Shakespeare's "Othello" presents all of the elements of a great tragedy, according to Aristotle's definition: "A tragedy is the imitation in dramatic form of an action that is serious and complete, with incidents arousing pity and fear wherewith it effects a catharsis of such emotions" (Poetics 14) He also adds, "The language used is pleasurable and throughout, appropriate to the situation in which it is used." The central features of the Aristotelian archetype are manifested in General Othello's character. Although Othello is great, he is not perfect. He has a tragic flaw, hubris (excessive pride and passion), and hamartia (some error), which lead to his downfall. However, Othello's misfortune is not wholly deserved. His punishment exceeds the crime, keeping him admirable in the theatergoer's eyes. Before Othello's tragic flaw results in his unfortunate death, he has increased awareness and gained self-knowledge or, as Aristotle describes it "has experienced a discovery." (Poetics 15) All of this produces a catharsis or emotional release at the end of the play. A tragedy, when well performed, does not leave an audience in a state of depression but creates a shared, common experience. What causes Othello's downfall? Some critics claim that Othello's tragic flaw is his jealousy while others insist that jealousy is not part of his character, that the emotion takes over only when Iago pushes him to the brink of insanity. Evidence in the play supports the notion of insanity. Othello doesn't show himself to be jealous early in the play. It is not until Othello is manipulated by Iago's skillful lies that he is forced to confront his jealousy and mistrust. His love and trust of Iago serve to prove his gullibility, Jealousy and self-doubt poison his sensibilities and innocence, and the realization of his blind trust leads to his sorrowful end. As with most of Shakespeare's tragic heroes, Othello possesses all the virtues prescribed for the character type. He is of noble birth; he is self-controlled; he is religious; he has the respect of his men; and he demonstrates excellent leadership. His magnetism is what draws Venetian senators and soldiers alike and what captivates Desdemona. All of this supports the idea that he is not (at the play's opening) a jealous, enraged, or mad man. He has convincing self-esteem which he later loses to the deception of Iago's evil ploy. It can be noted that Othello's character flaw is his blind trust and naivet?. These character traits contribute to his misled downfall. It would be neglectful, if not irresponsible, to overlook Iago's role in the play. His hate for Othello and Cassio drives his evil motive through a string of lies affecting the entire cast. From the first act, the antagonist is troubled: I know my price, I am worth no worse a place. But he (as loving his own pride and purposes) Evades them with a bumbast circumstance Horribly stuff'd epithites of war, [And in conclusion,] Nonsuits my mediators; for, "Certes," says he, "I have already chose my officer." And what was he? Forsooth, a great arithmetician, One Michael Cassio, a Florentine (A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife), That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows (Othello. I.i.11-23) Iago never reveals his dissatisfaction with the military arrangement to Othello. Instead, he makes use of Othello's innocence and trust to satisfy his wicked end. He constantly boasts of his love for Othello and patronizes him regularly throughout the play. At Iago's first attempt to instill jealousy in the trusting Othello, he is successful. Othello's concern at Iago's implications entices him to learn more. Iago plays a verbal game with Othello to arouse suspicion. This piques Othello's interest and starts his mind to wonder. Iago is successful at the point he proclaims, O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet [strongly] loves! (Othello. III.iii.163-168) One of the major qualities that comes to mind when assessing Othello is his trustfulness. He claims that Iago is a man of honesty and trust; "To his conveyance I assign my wife" (I.iii.286). Othello has no reason to distrust Iago at this point. Time after time, Othello fails to see through Iago's deceptions. Iago is a military man; Othello is familiar dealing with soldiers and men he trusts and, moreover, Iago has a widespread reputation for honesty. Othello

The shining houses essays

The shining houses essays The Shining Houses by Alice Munro is a classic story which portrays the simple yet innovative idea of conflict between old and the new and the human reaction to everyday change. Both sides of the story (tradition and diversity) have very strong feelings of what they expect to be done which leads to a fierce and controversial conflict between the two parties. The main character, Mary, is caught in the middle of the argument forcing her to make and take an opinion, a forced opinion that everyone will encounter at some point of their life. The role of the old in the story is portrayed by Mrs. Fullerton, the longest living residence of the community. Her attitude towards change closely relates to the oldest generation living today. These people grew up in the early 1900s during a time when life was described as simplistic and calm, but now with the extreme advances in technology many of these people are unable to cope of accept the new ways of life. Even though she is being ambushed by all things new, Mrs. Fullerton continues to fight the oppression she is being subjected to with her strong will and old time ways. Mrs. Fullertons house is described in the story as something unique, a one of a kind left in a world of conformity. Many people view change as just destroying the already perfect world to create an easier life for a minority group. Her only source of income is being seriously threatened as her own egg business cannot compete with the new environment of grocery stores and supermarkets. Change, symbolized in the new shining houses is described as an awful disgrace to the earth for the damages to the ground and the environment described as being placed in the wounds of the earth and resulted in leaving the earth raw. Alice Munro does a wonderful job of making The Shining Houses as true to life as possible. She is able to do this by the point of ...

The Function of the Art and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

The Function of the Art and Design - Essay Example This includes differences in the design, function and mechanics that are related to the artwork. This paper will examine the ways in which the concept of art can alter, specifically which is based on the perspective of the spectator in relation to the elements used to create the designs. To determine the way in which spectators are able to define objectification, as well as perspectives, different artwork was slightly altered. This consisted of a chair that had one leg cut off, a second chair which had nails driven into it and a chair that was made from corrugated cardboard. The main approach was to determine how each of these objects could become a piece of art through the object and design that was used. More importantly, there was a specific understanding of how this would relate to the spectators viewpoints and how they would relate to the design which was completed by each of the chairs. The end result was called â€Å"hierarchical comfort,† which worked as a means to show how the concept of art related directly to the potential functional differences and took the concept of the objects and turned it into a philosophical approach. Using this main concept then allowed those who were looking at the artwork to be pushed into different perspectives based on their own experiences. The concept of changing the meaning of the object through function was based on creating differences through the emotions and functions which spectators would have as a response. The design consisted of objects of the chairs as well as objects that changed the function of the chair, such as nails, cardboard or the leg which was cut off. This was done specifically to build the hierarchy of the chairs and to create a specific response from those that were looking at the design.

HLS-Response and Recovery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HLS-Response and Recovery - Case Study Example There are numerous events that can cause emergency situations: fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, winter storms, hazardous material incidences, civil disturbance, communications failures, radiological accidents or explosions of any kind (FEMA, 2011). Emergency response and recovery are just two of the components of emergency management. Emergency management is defined by FEMA as â€Å"the process of preparing for, mitigating, responding to and recovering from an emergency†. The response and recovery strategy for organizations should be designed for the benefit of everyone in the organization. The strategy should also support business continuity. Response of an emergency involves mobilizing all the emergency services and first responders to the area that has been hit by an emergency. In the response phase, some of the core emergency services that come in handy include ambulance, firefighters and police. If need be these services may receive support from specialis t rescue teams, it all depends on the type and severity of disaster. The response plan should have the following components: planning, reviewing, training and testing (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). For the response to be successful, the organization would need to prepare an emergency plan that also needs to be well rehearsed. This does help in enhancing the efficiency of the coordination of the rescue mission. While responding to an emergency situation, it is important that the organization maintains both discipline and agility. This, when combined with the formation of a functional leadership rescue team, makes containment of the situation very easy and efficient (Gigliotti and Jason, 1991). A disciplined and agile team involved in response activities within an organization can easily adapt to any changes in the emergency situation and still carry out their rescue mission successfully. The other part of the emergency management strategy of any organization after response is recovery. The main goal of this phase is the restoration of the organization back to its previous state. Unlike response, recovery efforts are focused on addressing the immediate needs of the organization after the rescue mission is complete. Recovery therefore deals with the issues and decisions that will have to be made in order to ensure that the organization’s operations return to normal, or to how they were before disaster struck. Recovery efforts may include the rebuilding of destroyed property and facilities, repair of infrastructure and re-employment (Maniscalso and Christen, 2002). Recovery efforts should always aim to reduce the risks that led to the disaster. For the recovery efforts to be successful, they need to be well planned and executed. What are the key plan components that should be periodically updated? Evacuation plans An organization’s emergency plan needs to be updated regularly in order to conform to the current needs. Reviewing the emergency evacuation plans is one way of ensuring that the response measures that are in place are as current as possible. For instance, if a company expands or changes its facilities, its evacuation plans also need to change to reflect the changes that have occurred. If the company happens to increase its workforce, the emergency evacuation plans will need to be re-evaluated to accommodate the increase in the number of employees.

Cultural Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Event - Essay Example t in the modern world is the festival stands for reaffirmation of hope, religious tolerance, a renewed commitment to friendship, spreading the word of peace and harmony and above all, celebration of â€Å"simple joys of life†. For many Hindus, Diwali is also the New Year’s Eve and it is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar, a type of Hindu calendar followed by Indians from the Northern part of the country. The day after Diwali is known as Annakut and it is considered as New Year’s Day for Hindus living in the Northern part of India (Diwali Festival 498). Diwali is always in October and November on the Gregorian calendar (Hindu Council of Australia para 2-6). The festival is accompanied by various rituals with the choice of ritual to be performed by an individual depending on the location of that particular person. However, lighting of candles, electric lights and fireworks is the most common practice for many Indians when they are celebrating Diwali festival. As the name suggests, ‘rows of lights’ are lit in the new moon night as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and on Bengal, to honor the goddess Kali who is so honored (Hindu Council of Australia para 2 -6). In other words, Diwali is celebrated at night more than during the day. Indians attribute much value to the Diwali symbols since they consider them to bring forth the significance of Diwali. The symbols stand for happiness and prosperity which is celebrated with great zest and enthusiasm because Diwali many Hindus associate the festival with prosperity and wealth (Anon para3-9). Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are the most important symbols of Diwali and people literally worship them on this special day. Lord Ganesha represents good luck whereas Goddess Lakshmi is believed to be the Mother of Wealth. Other common symbols include Earthenware, lamp fireworks, candles, Diwali diyas, fireworks and oil Diwali lamps just to mention a few. During this ramrkable day, people share

Being and Humans in Heideggers Letter on Humanism and in his Contribut

Being and Humans in Heidegger's Letter on Humanism and in his Contributions to Philosophy ABSTRACT: Heidegger's main question, the question of Being concerning human facticity, struggles to uncover the original ground to which humans belong, a ground from which modern society tends to uproot itself through the dominance of calculative and representational thinking. What is most dangerous for Heidegger about this process is that the original ground of humans and beings in general might be covered and forgotten to the extent that humans lose completely the sense of what they truly need. The task of philosophy is to help bring back humans and beings in general to the place which they originally belong, i.e., to their most fulfilled way of being which is their proper or own [das Eigene, eigen]. The term "En-own-ment" or "Ap-propri-ation" [Er-eign-is] — the key word in Heidegger's thinking since the 1930's — marks his attempt to think more originally than metaphysics the relation between Being and humans in terms of the being "enowned" of humans through Being and in terms of the belonging of humans to Being. I will rethink the question of this relation in reference to two of Heidegger's writings, and will focus on his struggle for a proper language which would be able to say what essentially remains concealed in metaphysical language: the truth (or ground) or Being as Ereignis. a) Preliminary remarks In our age of close encounter between manifold ways of thinking, believing and behaving one fundamental question which arises is: How can one find a proper measure for human life in a world which essentially lacks a common ground? The last great philosopher who, at the brink of the era of pluralism, struggled for a common ground ... ...-1938), GA vol. 65, ed. by F.-W. v. Hermann, Frankfurt am Main 1989. (3) See especially Heidegger, GA65, section 122. (4) I have no time, here, to develop the notion of an "andersanfà ¤ngliches Denken". (5) Anklang is the name of the first of the six fugues (Fuge) into which the Beitrà ¤ge are articulated. In their interrelatedness they constitute the realm of thinking of what Heidegger calls the transition from the first (Greek) beginning of Western history to the other beginning, which the thinking of Ereignis is meant to prepare. (6) See GA 9:323, where Heidegger says that Ek-sistenz is "das Stehen in der Lichtung des Seins". See also p. 350. (7) Unfortunately, I will have no time, here, to develop the question of the relation between humans and gods. (8) Heidegger moves, in the Beitrà ¤ge towards a radical simultaneity of beyng and beings.

Challenges of restaurants facing in HK Essay

INTRODUCTION: It is well known that Hong Kong is a food paradise since there is an array of types of food and a wide range of restaurants can be founded in Hong Kong. The business of restaurants plays an important role in the food service sector in Hong Kong and it is gaining momentum due to the variety kinds of food provided. However, due to the cost, labor and competition factors, Hong Kong restaurants are facing challenges both internally and externally, and as a consequence, they are opening and closing at a fast pace. (Chung,2013) CHALLENGE 1: First and foremost, one of the crucial challenges facing by Hong Kong restaurants is the soaring rent of their locations. Due to the increasing tension of the land use in Hong Kong, the land price is increasing and as a result, the rent is rising. The tremendous amount of property rental increased by the property owners adds a large financial burden on the restaurants. Since they cannot gain any profits if they need to pay such an expensive rent, therefore, they will have no choice but to close down their restaurants. The famous Lei Yuen Congee Noodles (Chung, 2013) behind Sogo Department Store in Causeway bay is a case in point. It was forced to close because it was located in the core area in Causeway Bay and the rent was doubled. This case shows that the insurmountable rent may lead to an end of a restaurant business. Besides, the food cost is another challenges to Hong Kong restaurants. Due to the inflation, the cost of ingredients is increasing. Some commodities like vegetables, cooking oil, cheese and beef are costing higher, restaurants need to pay more and the profit is lower (Ryan, 2011). Some restaurants had tried not to increase the price od their dishes and make less profit they could get in order not to scare off their patrons initially, however, with the steady rise of food cost, they were not be able to impede the increase of their menu prices. Undoubtedly, the increase in the price of menus resulted in a loss of customers. CHALLENGE 2: Moreover, labor shortage is also a key challenge of Hong Kong restaurants.  (Wong, 2011) Because of the long working hours and tough work, many people are not willing to work in a restaurant, except those are passionate about food and beverage. With fewer newcomers in this industry, there is a lack of skillful staff. Although there is an implementation of minimum wage law in order to prevent workers from depriving, many people will prefer exploring in other industries rather that working in restaurants, especially the Generation Y who born in the 1980s and 1990s. McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited is a case in point (Wong, 2011). The Generation Y group of staff has become increasingly mobile after the imposition of minimum wage law. They would like to seek better opportunities in other areas instead of working for long hours in the food industry. Since there will be fewer passionate people in food and beverage among the youngsters, as a consequence, there may be a sh ortfall of restaurants workers after the retiring of the current talented staff. The service quality and operational efficiency may not be maintained with a shortage of labor. Therefore, restaurants are facing a tremendous difficulty in the aspect of labor use. CHALLENGE 3: Last but not least, there is a fierce competition among restaurants. In today’s highly customer-oriented marketplace, maintain increasing levels of food hygiene and service quality is certainly important. Restaurants need to ensure that the basic service is good and the menu should not be dull and it should include some special dishes regularly in order to attract customers. However, it is not the only requirement for maintain restaurants’ competitive edge. Becoming a successful restaurant, not only do the food and service are in a good quality, media attention is also needed. Most of the upscale restaurants in Hong Kong are aggressive in holding events or collaborating with other business partners to offer promotions and to attract media attention. They will also add leisure components to the dining experience, such as wine tasting sessions, cooking classes or food photography courses(HKQAA,2011). Many casual restaurants also take advantage of the social media platform s, for instance, OpenRice and Facebook, to promote themselves by offering discounts. It shows that the competition among restaurants is extremely fierce and media attention plays a key role in the competition of restaurants. If the restaurants cannot stand out to  catch customers’ attention through media, the business may not be successful when they are comparing with other restaurants. CONCLUSION: To conclude, restaurants are facing many challenges in Hong Kong, ranging from internal challenges to external challenges. Although the monetary challenges, lack of labor and the fierce competition add a burden on running the restaurants business, there are always solutions to solve the problems. With the perfect service and tasty food provided, restaurants can succeed and always stand out from others. REFERENCES: Cathie Chung(2013),Attractiveness And Challenges Of Restaurant Business In Hong Kong (Website:http://www.joneslanglasalleblog.com/APResearch/retail-research/attractiveness-and-challenges-of-restaurant-business-in-hong-kong#.UmvxjRaA3X9) HKQAA(2013),VISION (Website : http://www.hkqaa.org/cmsimg/1375072136vision48.pdf) Nicolette Wong(2011),Challenges and incentives motivate young restaurant workers (Website http://cthr.ctgoodjobs.hk/article/show_article.aspx/1174-14129-challenges-and-incentives-motivate-young-restaurant-workers) RYAN(2011),Can Restaurants Increase Their Menu Prices In Response To The Rising Food Cost? (Website: http://www.kng.com/blog/food-and-beverage-news/can-restaurants-increase-their-menu-prices-in-response-to-the-rising-food-cost/)