Othello †Paper Assignment Essay Example for Free

Othello – Paper Assignment Essay A desire for revenge can overcome a person and have great detrimental effects. This is especially true in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. The play takes place in a time of war between Italy and Turkey. The play begins in Venice, Italy but then shifts to the island of Cyprus for the remainder of the play. In the play, the main antagonist Iago was not chosen for a position of lieutenancy by his general, Othello. Othello had chosen a man named Cassio over Iago. Iago, being very envious of Othello and Cassio, plots a plan for revenge. Early on in the play, we find that Othello has complications in his marriage to Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona are seen as opposites in which Desdemona is an innocent, sweet, high class white woman, while Othello is a tough, ugly, and black war general. Iago, using this knowledge, begins to plot his revenge. Iago says, â€Å"I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets ‘has done my office. I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety† (Act 1, iii, 429-433). Iago, in this quote, suggests that a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife may not be true, but he will pretend it is in order to better his plot for revenge. Iago’s first step in the plan was to endanger Othello’s relationship by telling Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, about their marriage. Othello claims he will not hide because he has nothing to be afraid of and ask Iago if he agrees. Iago says, â€Å"By Janus, I think no† (Act 1, ii, 38). Iago alludes to the Greek god Janus that supposedly had two faces. This is an example of dramatic-irony because the audience knows that Iago himself is two-faced since he pretends to be nice but in actuality is trying to get revenge; Othello is also unaware of Iago’s other motives. Iago, in his plot for revenge, often uses psychological means to manipulate people. When Brabantio is talking to Othello, he says â€Å"She has deceived her father, and may thee† (Act 1, iii, 333-334). Brabantio believed that since Desdemona was not loyal to her father, she may also deceive Othello. This is an example of foreshadowing because Othello will be lead on to believe that Desdemona is not loyal to him. Iago, later in the play, alludes to Brabantio’s warning and says, â€Å"She did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake and fear your looks, she loved them most† (Act 3, iii, 237-240). Iago, being very diabolical, enhances Othello’s doubts about his marriage. This doubt in Othello’s mind comes into play later in Iago’s plans for revenge. Iago shows that he will use any means to get his revenge, whether it be lying or manipulating any insecurities in others. Near the end of the play, Iago’s plan has progressed as he had planned: Othello does not trust Desdemona or Cassio, Iago had gotten Cassio fired, and Othello still has complete trust in Iago. Othello had given Desdemona a handkerchief when they had gotten married which symbolized everything holding their relationship together. Iago gets a hold of the handkerchief and plants it on Cassio. This becomes proof for Othello that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. Othello becomes so angry he kills Desdemona. Emilia, Iago’s wife, walks in after Othello strangles Desdemona and in shock tries to explain what Iago has done to him. Iago comes in and tries to stop Emilia; he then stabs her because she wouldn’t stop. Iago’s plan had been revealed and Othello is traumatized. Othello exclaims â€Å"But why should honor outlive honesty† (Act 5, ii, 293)? Othello, trying to comprehend what he has done, questions how the reputation of being honorable could outlast honor itself. Iago, so bent on getting revenge for the sake of his reputation, had killed his very own wife. At the beginning of the play, Iago had said that he heard a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife. He didn’t know if it was true but said he would pretend it was in order to fuel his desire and plot for revenge. Throughout the play, Iago had used any means to complete his goal. For example, Iago used psychological means to manipulate Othello into doubting his relationship with Desdemona. Iago then lied to Othello and tricked him into believing that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio. If Emilia had not told Othello, he may not have known about Iago’s plan at all. Iago kills Emilia for telling Othello, which is ironic because Iago used the rumor about Othello and his wife to fuel his revenge. Iago’s desire for revenge became so great that when Emilia ruined his plan, he killed her. Instead of killing Iago, Othello says, â€Å"I’d have thee live, for in my sense ‘tis happiness to die† (Act 5, ii, 340-341). Iago will be kept alive and most likely tortured because killing him would be a punishment not worthy of Iago’s actions. Iago’s desire for revenge ultimately overcame him and caused many detrimental effects in his life as well as many others. In conclusion, one should never seek revenge.

Treatment of Women throughout Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Treatment of Women  throughout Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Lamentably, sexism raises its ugly head even in such an unquestionably great tragedy as William Shakespeare’s Othello.   Let us pursue a study of the problem in this essay.      In William Shakespeare: The Tragedies, Paul A. Jorgensen describes the sexist â€Å"brothel scene† in Othello:    The â€Å"brothel scene† (4.2), sadistically cruel because in it he talks to Desdemona as to a whore, is yet full of tearful agony and even ardent tenderness. It redeems him in his wish that heaven were trying him with affliction – a theologically saving belief; and it opens momentarily his heart when he sees his worst affliction – without which he could bear the ordeal – being discarded from â€Å"there where I have garnered up my heart† (4.2.57). (65)    In the opening scene, while Iago is expressing his hatred for the general Othello for his selection of Michael Cassio for the lieutenancy, he contrives a plan to partially avenge himself (â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him†), with Roderigo’s assistance, by alerting Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, to the fact of his daughter’s elopement with Othello: â€Å"Call up her father, / Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight [. . .] .† Implied in this move is the fact of a father’s assumed control over the daughter’s choice of a marriage partner. Iago’s warning to the senator follows closely: â€Å"'Zounds, sir, you're robb'd; for shame, put on your gown; / Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul.† This statement also implies that the father has authority over the daughter. Brabantio’s admonition to Roderigo implicitly expresses the same message:    The worser welcome:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: .. ... lie;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She false with Cassio! (5.2)    Then she accuses him of causing murder: â€Å"And your reports have set the murder on.† Emilia’s stunning interrogation and conviction of her own husband as the evil mastermind behind the murder reverses the sexist image of women underlying the play. Her performance proves that women are guided by reason to the same extent, or even greater than, men; and that men are passion-driven moreso than are women. The tables are turned on sexism at the very climax of the drama!    WORKS CITED       Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.      

Concept of Kinship in Africa Essay

The subject of â€Å"traditional family patterns in Africa† is so broad that it cannot be adequately addressed by many scholars. The cultural and physical diversity added with the dramatic social changes of the last three decades on the continent makes the family pattern situation so variegated as to defy any sweeping generalizations. This difficulty in generalization bone of diversity was already apparent to many early scholars of the African traditional family. This essay will briefly explore traditional African family patterns explaining the concept of kinship in Africa, the differences and similarities between patrilineal and matrilineal families systems. Kinship is the web of relationships woven by family and marriage. Traditional relations of kinship have affected the lives of African people and ethnic groups by determining what land they could farm, whom they could marry, and their status in their communities. Although different cultures have recognized various kinds of kinship, traditional kinship generally means much more than blood ties of a family or household. It includes a network of responsibilities, privileges, and support in which individuals and families are expected to fill certain roles. In modern Africa social and economic changes have begun to loosen the ties of traditional kinship, especially in the cities. But these ties still play a large part in the everyday lives of many Africans (coser: 1974). The basis of kinship, in Africa as elsewhere, is descent from an ancestor. The most widespread descent group is known as the clan, which can be either patrilineal or matrilineal. The members of the former type of clan comprise all those who are born from a single founding ancestor through the male line only; those of the latter comprise all those born from a single founding ancestor or ancestress through the female line only. Patriliny is far more common in Africa than matriliny, which is limited mainly to parts of Zambia and Malawi, in central Africa, and to Ghana and Ivory Coast, in western Africa. Regardless of the means of descent, authority in the family and elsewhere is always formally held by men; therefore, men have domestic authority in both patrilineal and matrilineal families (formal matriarchy is unknown in Africa). Clans, which are rarely corporate units in Africa, are clusters of kin who claim a single common ancestry but can rarely, if ever, trace the actual links of descent. Usually clans are exogamous units and may recognize various ritual prohibitions, such as taboos on certain foods, which give them a sense of unity and of distinctiveness from others (Bell & Vogel: 1960). According to stephens (1982) Clans are typically segmented into constituent groups, with each group recognizing a founding ancestor more recent than the clan founder; these are known in the literature as lineages, one of the criteria for a lineage being that its members—patrilineal or matrilineal—can trace actual kinship links between themselves. Lineages may themselves be segmented into smaller units, the smallest typically being the group around which a domestic family is established. Such a family (if patrilineal) includes the husband and his children, all members of the small lineage, and his wife, who by the rule of exogamy must come from another clan Almost every African society has some form of descent group, however transitory, as the basis of its social organization. The recognition of these variations of ancestral descent is an effective way of constructing local groups that can last for several—often for many—generations and in which the close-knit ties of kinship provide powerful links through the notion of common â€Å"blood. By claiming exclusive ancestry, such a group can claim exclusive rights to clan and lineage property. Marriages between their members, by the rule of exogamy, cement them into larger communities and societies, each possessing its own sense of common ethnic and cultural â€Å"belonging. † Although these traditional forms of family and kinship are lessening in importance, with the continuing need for urban and industrialized labor and the consequent increase in labor migration, the strength of kin groups remains great. They are well suited to traditional forms of production and exchange where these are found (which is still the case among the majority of African peoples), and they provide a sense of personal identity and security that is of high emotive value (Bell & Vogel: 1960). Kinship and marriage are closely linked in several ways. On one level, kinship rules may determine marriage partners. In this respect, North African and sub-Saharan societies differ widely. North African peoples encourage marriage within a group, often a kinship group. Traditionally, the ideal marriage is between cousins, including the children of two brothers. Among the Bedouin, for example, a boy has the right to marry his father’s brother’s daughter. Although she can refuse the cousin’s proposal, she needs his permission to marry someone else (Barnes: 1951). Most lineage groups in sub-Saharan Africa, in contrast, favor marriage outside the group. As a result, kinship is not limited strictly to lineage. An individual has important ties with two different kin groups, the mother’s and the father’s. Such ties often extend outside the village or community, offering certain advantages. If a community suffers from drought, war, disease, food shortages, or other disasters, for example, its members may go to live with kin in other areas. Marriage and kinship are also linked by customs governing the transfer of property between and within kin groups. The most common form of such transfer in Africa is called bridewealth. This is a gift from the groom or his family to the bride’s family, often in livestock but sometimes in money or other forms of wealth. Some hunter-gatherer societies follow the custom of bride service, which involves the groom moving to the home of his wife’s family and hunting or working for his parents-in-law (Stephens:1982). Traditional African kinship is a cooperative relationship between household members and members of the larger lineage group. It involves a set of social obligations and expectations that ensures that no one faces tragedy alone. In societies without welfare services provided by a central government, kinship provides a â€Å"safety net† for individuals—orphans, widows, the elderly, the disabled, and divorced women—who lack an immediate household to care for them. Although kinship relations have grown weaker—especially in the cities—they continue to serve this function. For example, African kinfolk may support women and children while their husbands are away, perhaps by helping paying school fees or other expenses. Extended ties of kinship remain a vital part of life in contemporary Africa. Descent rules define socially recognized kin groups by tracing connections through chains of parent-child ties. A society may focus exclusively on connections traced through the male parent (patrilineal) or through the female parent (matrilineal). When descent is patrilineal, the descent group is composed of people of either sex whose fathers belong to the group. Siblings belong to the descent group of their father, but their mother belongs to a different descent group, the group to which her father belongs. Therefore, a man’s children will belong to his descent group, but a woman’s children will not belong to her descent group. Analogously, if descent is matrilineal, siblings belong to the mother’s group but their father does not. A woman’s children will belong to her descent group, but a man’s children will not belong to his (Schapera: 1971). Matrilineal is a system in which descent is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. Matrilineal is also a societal system in which one belongs to one’s matriline or mother’s lineage, which can involve the inheritance of property and/or titles. Matrilineal descent, which traces lineage through mothers, exists in many African societies based on farming, especially in central Africa. Among the Bemba people of Zambia, mothers own the fields and pass them on to their daughters. Among the Bemba people of Northern Zambia, marriage is matrilocal. â€Å"That is to say a man goes to live in his wife’s village, at any rate for the first years of his married life. This is also true of marriage among other Zambian tribes like the Bisa, Lala, Lamba, Chewa, Kaonde, and many others. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wife’s parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini (Barnes: 1951). Societies with matrilineal social organization are not necessarily ruled by women. Some peoples who trace descent through women give political authority to men. In certain cultures men traditionally go to live with their mothers’ brothers, while women move to their husbands’ villages. Thus the men remain together, while the women through whom they trace descent are spread among the population. Because the men generally remain in the community, they have greater authority. Power and authority in matrilineal societies ultimately lies in the woman and her brother. As such children at an early age learn that their father has little authority or responsibility for them. The father knows that his children are not his ultimate responsibility but his sister’s children. Meanwhile the man and her married sister do not live in one locality, as they must maintain their marriages. Some scholars have suggested that this arrangement might be fraught with potential social problems and conflict (Bell & Vogel: 1960). More so than a patrilineal household where all the people charged with authority over the children potentially live in one household. Overall, there are two forms of social groups that from the basis of Bemba marriage and traditional family. First, there is the local unit of matrilocal marriage consisting of a man, his wife, his married daughters and their husbands and children, second, the matrilineal descent group which consists of maternal relatives and ancestors traced back to several generations. These constitute the core of the Bemba traditional African family around which the social organization of the raditional society revolves. â€Å"Both form the basis of the political structure of the tribe since the matrilocal extended family is the nucleus of the Bemba village although many other elements may be added to it, and succession to all political offices is fixed by the rule of matrilineal descent (Yizenge: 1988). A larger proportion of Zambian families are matrilineal than are patrilineal in organization. Within the country’s nine provinces, most households in the four provinces of Central, Northwestern, Luapula, and Copperbelt are matrilineal. The Namwanga and the Ngoni in the Eastern province, the Lozi in the Western, and the ILA in the Southern province are patrilineal. These groups are also patrilocal. That is, after marriage, the couple lives in the husband’s family house or close to his father’s household. Daily activities such as eating and educating the young are seldom conducted in the privacy of one’s house. Zambian villages have a central place governing the village. This place is called Insaka or Nsaka. In the matrilineal villages, the Insakas are located at the village center (Yizenge: 1988). This matrilineal descent pattern is in contrast to the more common modern pattern of patrilineal descent from which a Family name is usually derived. Patrilineal descent emphasizes the male side of the family, tracing relationships through the generations from fathers to their children. Patrilineal descent is common among pastoral societies. Because Islam arose among pastoral people in Arabia in the A. D. 600s, Islamic law tends to reflect patrilineal practices. For example, male children are favored over females in inheriting a father’s property. This and other aspects of patrilineal social organization can be found among the ARABS, BERBERS, and other Islamic peoples of North Africa. Many other pastoral groups, including the Nuer of SUDAN and the ZULU and Swazi of southern Africa, are patrilineal (Schapera: 1971). One feature of social life in Africa’s patrilineal societies is the close relationship between a man andhissister’s son—his nephew. Anthropologists call this relationship the avunculate, and in African cultures it may require the uncle to give his best cattle to his nephew or to accept teasing from the nephew. A brother might also be expected to support his sister’s children or to participate in the rituals that mark the stages of their lives. In southern Africa, where the avunculate is common, a boy’s uncle on his mother’s side may be called his â€Å"male mother† in recognition of this special link. In some groups the opposite relationship occurs, with a boy’s father’s sister—his aunt—seen as an authority figure called the â€Å"female father. † The Tsonga (Thonga) of Mozambique and the Nama of Namibia are some of the best examples of groups that practice the avunculate, although neither group follows the custom as closely as it did in the past. In patrilineal cultures when a marriage occurs the wife becomes part of her husband’s family, and if you have family names in such a culture, it becomes natural for the wife to take her husband’s family name. There may be a sense in such cultures that both the husband and wife are really part of each other’s families now, but since descent is reckoned by the male line, there is a greater sense that the wife is part of the husband’s family rather than visa versa (Yizenge: 1988). These are the reasons that the custom exists sociologically, but the origins of the custom tended to be obscured in the minds of many. When radical feminism came along, it wanted to radically tinker with the sexual status quo, to smash traditional gender roles, and even to call into question the institution of the nuclear family. (I’m talking about radical feminism, mind you, not moderate feminism that merely wanted better treatment for women. ) Doing away with the historical naming conventions would serve those goals (as well as making it harder to keep track of who is related to whom, thus undermining the family), and so not taking the husband’s name became a symbol of defiance against traditional values. Though there are some differences in these two societies matrilineal and patrilineal, there are some similarities which both societies perform as families. A Zambian family, like families elsewhere, can be thought of as a group. The most important duties of this group are to reproduce, nurture, and educate the young to become productive members of the family and the society at large. This training process is also referred to as socialization. The head of the Zambian family can either be the father or a maternal uncle. If it is a maternal uncle, the mother, more than the father, plays a crucial role in decision making within the family. These matrilineal families are very common in Zambia. In matrilineal families, the authority and power to make decisions rests with the mother and her relatives. In some family types, the father is the decision maker. These patterns of authority and power are passed from one generation to the next in Zambia (Coser: 1974). The stable satisfaction of sex needs is the Primary and essential function of family in these societies. Sex instinct is the natural urge of human being. The satisfaction of this need requires that both male and female should live together as life partners. It is the family where the husband and wife can satisfy their sex instincts easily and comfortably. Without family the satisfaction of sex need is almost socially quite impossible. A family not only satisfies but also provides the appropriate mechanism through marriage to regulate sexual behaviour of husband and wife (Coser: 1974) Reproduction or procreation is another essential function of family in both matrilineal and patrilineal familities. The family along with regulating the sexual behaviour in relation to the satisfaction of sexual needs secures a legitimate basis for procreation. Since the inception of family, it has been performing this fundamental function. This function of family contributes to the continuity of family and ultimately perpetuates the human race as a whole. Protection and care of the children is another essential function of family. It is regarded as an institution par excellence for the production and rearing of children. It is true that no other institution can take required care of the child like family. The child at birth is complete helpless and cannot survive at all without the help of the family. It is the family which provides care, protection, security (Physical, mental) and fulfils all other needs to make him fit in the society. Family is one of the primary agents of socialization. Family members teach the child the norms, value morals, beliefs and ideals of society. In the family the children first learn what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. They develop specific habits, traits of character, attitudes and values. The senior members of the family pass the family culture to the new generation thought socialization process. Thus, family acts an instrument of culture transmission. In both societies childhood is the socialization of the child in readiness for adulthood. This is sexual differentiation in socialization in which girls will become acceptable mothers and wives and boys husbands and fathers. Children are expected to help in minor household tasks. Boys herd goats, cows, and livestock. They also perform light duties for relatives. Girls at an early age are taught a wide range of household and agricultural duties including cooking, cultivation and tending children. â€Å"Girls, in distinction to boys, seldom have time to play games (Stephens: 1982). Family makes a provision of a home or a common habitation for its embers. Here both husband and if live together for procreation, protection and care of the children. It is a place of multifarious activities. All the members of the family depend on home for comfort, protection and peace. It is that institution which provides the mental or the emotional satisfaction. Members of the family exchange their love , sympathy and affection among themselves. Fostering is common in both societies. When couples fail to have children, they often become foster parents. It is also very common among siblings to foster care; that is, children are fostered by aunts and uncles. A survey of households in Kitwe, the second largest city in Zambia, found that about 14 percent of all children aged fourteen and younger, and nearly 18 percent of children aged to ten to fourteen years were not living with their parents (Ahmed 1996). The estimates of the extent of fostering in other African countries, such as Ghana, are much higher. Often fostered children are considered and treated as though they are biological offspring. When families are forced to adopt children following some misfortune, foster children may become victims of abuse and neglect. This chapter only focused on the matrilineal and patrilineal African traditional family patterns because they seem representative of the broad patterns that exists on the continent. It must be emphasized, however, that these were traditional patterns as far back as late 1800s up to as late as 1960s. The dramatic social changes in Africa during the last three decades of political independence from European colonialism have obviously affected the traditional family. And from our explanation it can be seen that the society some one belongs to dictate his or her life this is because each society has its norms and believes.

On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning by Haruki Murakami and Faulkners Burning Barn Free Essay Example, 1000 words

This fact proves the point, that one cannot label love and divide the impression of the person into a set of clear-cut categories: eyes of such and such shape, certain height, etc. Murakami’s character tries to measure love and romance, tries to define if it’s 100 % or 80%. The headline of the story makes the reader think of a fairy tale about ideal relations that would be impossible in the real world. The author uses the fairy tale to demonstrate that the protagonists’ ideas about love and romance are fantasies, fairy tale is a technique used by the main character to escape from the disillusionment and loneliness of real life. What is more, in fairy tales, everything is possible and does not require as much emotional effort and courage from the protagonist as speaking to people in the real world does. Murakami uses first person narrative in the story with the exception of the fairy tale, which uses third person narrative. In this way the writer creates the contrast between the fantasy and reality in the reader’s mind. Parts of the short story that constitute the fairy tale stress the idea of unrealistic expectations of the main character. We will write a custom essay sample on On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning by Haruki Murakami and Faulkners Burning Barn or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now In the fairy tale people can be sure that they are â€Å"100% perfect for each other†, they decide to â€Å"marry then and there†. Such love is unstoppable, there is no way to escape destiny and in spite of all the obstacles the lovers would be reunited. The fairy tale demonstrates the readers that protagonist’s ideals are very Romantic and he lives in the fantasy and not the real world. The fairy tale component of the short story tells the readers that sometimes the stories are the world people resort to when they want to escape the disappointment of real life. For the protagonist, the fairy tale has a happy ending, but he does not have courage to speak to the girl in real life afraid of being rejected or laughed at. On the one hand, he is lonely and want to identify with somebody. On the other hand, the protagonist has not experienced the ideal love he dreams of in reality so he dreams up his perfect partner. . Faulkner’s Burning Barn is a short story about a boy, Sarty, and his search for peace and attempts to free himself from his abusive father. Early in the story the readers learn about the power the father â€Å"stiff in his black Sunday coat† has over the Sarty without ever looking at him (Faulkner). When the father speaks it is in â€Å"harsh, cold voice†, the family always has to move but always â€Å"did not know where they were going† (Faulkner).