Sophocles` Oedipus The King And Shakespeare`S Othello Essay Example for Free

Sophocles` Oedipus The King And Shakespeare`S Othello Essay Greek literature was rich in dramas and tragic heroes.  The main rules for defining the real tragic hero were summarized and sharply distinguished by Aristotle; he worked out six important characteristics for the true tragic hero: hamartia, hubris, anagnorisis, peripeteia, nemesis and catharsis; hamartia – a serious mistake, which is the main reason of downfall of the hero, this mistake is often made because of hubris – extreme pride, after the downfall the hero learns a lesson or makes a discovery this is defined by the notion anagnorisis, reversal of fortune is called peripeteia, nemesis means some circumstances, which the hero could not avoid, practically his fate. Aristotle, 13). The last one – catharsis – denotes the feeling of fear and pity experienced by the audience; in closing this should be a person who is â€Å"between these extremes . . . a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation (Aristotle, 18). Guided by the above-mentioned instructions we are going to analyze two famous plays: Sophocles’s Oedipus the king and Shakespeare’s Othello, namely their main heroes. Both Oedipus and Othello are tragic heroes. They both show signs of hubris, yet they have admirable qualities that have raised them to the position they have. In fact, their very strengths are also their weaknesses. Most critics consider Oedipus the perfect example of tragic hero. Indeed if to evaluate the correspondence of Oedipus to the characteristics of Aristotle he meets all the parameters. His nobility is out of question, as he was born in a royal family, although raised by adoptive parents, who were also the King and Queen of Corinth, and finally, when he managed to solve the riddle of Sphinx, he got the dominion over the city. Shakespeare’s Othello is also a tragic hero and also corresponds to the Aristotle’s characteristics. Othello, as well as Oedipus, had to come through pride, fatal mistake and self-destruction. Othello is a noble man and an outstanding military leader. But in reality his greatness was combined with his weakness: on the one hand he was brave and intelligent, on the other hand he was somewhat passive and fell under the influence and allowed Iago manipulate him. Oedipus’s hubris could be seen in his desire to prove to his city that he was able to solve the mystery and save the citizens from the plague. Besides he was rather self -assured, which can be confirmed by his own words in the opening lines of the prologue, when he states Here I am myselfyou all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. (Sophocles, 11). Oedipus had every reason to believe that he was a prominent personality and he wanted to support his high status for his subordinates, in this way his strength unexpectedly for him turned into his weak side. Hamartia of Oedipus is very important and sophisticated. His tragic flows rooted from his lack of knowledge about his true identity, but he could not be responsible for his flow as he was not able to change anything with his actions. In fact, Oedipus didn’t make any mistakes, he suffered the consequences of somebody else’s old mistake in the past. Actually the peripetea is closely related to hamartia of Oedipus, as the bad fortune followed the hero from his very birth. Othello’s hamartia or downfall, when she killed his beloved wife, was the result of his hubris – he was so much afraid that his pride could be hurt in case of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness that he didn’t even stop to think whether all the Iago’s arguments were correct or not – â€Å"Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago† (Shakespeare, 8). Moreover he preferred to trust Iago instead of listening to his wife. In this case such virtue as trust turned out to have a destructing force for the hero. In contrast to Oedipus Othello could avoid his tragic flow, if only his reaction to the words of Iago were different. Catharsis of the audience is characterized by very profound emotions and feelings of sympathy towards Oedipus, when he instead of committing suicide, chose terrible tortures for himself. When Oedipus realized what had happened to him in reality, he said: Oh, oh, then everything has come out true. Light, I shall not look on you Again. I have been born where I should not be born, I have been married where I should not marry, I have killed whom I should not kill; now all is clear (Sophocles, 32). Being blind he belonged neither to this word nor to the other word, thus his suffering was not finished even at the end of the play. No doubts, that the audience experienced sympathy and pity for Othello after his murder. The realization of his awful deed hurt Othello deeply, but as distinct from Oedipus he chose suicide. Overall, both heroes Othello and Oedipus could be referred to as classical examples of Aristotle’s tragic hero. They are both very strong and outstanding personalities, noble and fair; after getting their high positions they however developed such features as obstinacy, self-assurance, mightiness. Both of them took wrong decisions and became the victims of their fatal mistakes, which finally transformed their strengths into their weak points and led to tragic finals.

The United States was Justified in Dropping the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshi

The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for many reasons. First of all, just to start out, the bombings had nothing to do with Japan, it was about the Cold War and the real reason America used these weapons was to show Russia that the US possessed them. Second, the war in the Pacific had been raging for almost four years. The two battles immediately preceding the bomb decision were Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two battles where the Japanese fought to the death and the cost in American casualties was horrific. It was predicted that the invasion of the Japanese mainland at the Island of Kyushu -- scheduled for November of 1945 -- would be even worse. The entire Japanese military and civilian population would fight to the death. American casualties -- just for that initial invasion to get a foothold on the island of Japan would have taken up to an estimated two months and would have resulted in up to 75,000 to 100,000 casualties. And that was jus t the beginning. Once the island of Kyushu was captured by U.S. troops, the remainder of Japan would follow. You can just imagine the cost in injuries and lives this would take. Also It is not beyond the possibility that a million or more Americans could have been killed had we landed. The Japanese had correctly guessed where we intended to land, and were ready and waiting for us. The casualties would have been high. Another reason the atomic bomb was justified is the bomb was dropped with a desire to save lives. It is a matter of math. How many Americans lost their lives fighting how many Japanese at Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. The mathematical formula showed the closer we got to Japan the more we lost. In addition to saving America lives it also... ...ecessary to end the war, because the Japanese were not going to surrender. In August of 1944 the war in Europe was over and the face off between the United States and Japan had finally arrived. The United States had to choose between sending hundreds of thousands of US soldiers, to invade Japan killing and being killed by the hundreds of thousands, OR dropping a newly developed weapon called the atomic bomb on two cities in Japan which would result in tens of thousands of civilian lives with little cost to US servicemen. The only hope of ending the war quickly and honorably was to drop the bombs. Calls for surrender were ignored and the Japanese hierarchy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima had shown clearly what an invasion of Japan would be like. The decision was made, the bombs were dropped, the war was ended and both military and civilian lives were saved by both countries.

Inequalities associated with the global trading system + Letter to Mr David Walker Essay

As a third world businessman I constantly bear witness to the inequalities and injustices associated with the global trade system. These inequalities and injustices could potentially be detrimental to the future stability and security of many African economies which primarily rely on the export of agricultural produce for survival (Clapp, 2006:563). The concept of agricultural protectionism is one that is a highly divisive issue that will render many Africans countries becoming susceptible to economic stagnation and ultimately economic declination as their ability to compete in the Global markets is significantly reduced. Agricultural protectionism therefore places an unfair burden on African countries and completely undermines the concept of free and liberalized trade (Clapp, 2006:564). One example can be seen in The United States, the USA spends 2-4 billion dollars annually subsidizing American cotton farmers which have severe repercussions for African farmers (Clapp, 2006:565). In 2003 US agricultural exports sold for anywhere between 10 percent and 50 percent below the cost of production, similarly, The European Union also exports key commodities for less than the cost of production. In other OECD countries, agricultural subsidies rose from US$271.2 billion in 1986-88 to US$330.6 billion in 1998-2000 (Clapp, 2006:565). In Africa, farming accounts for up to 70 percent of employment and is one of the main sources of income for many people living in poverty and therefore the protectionist policies of OECD countries and other rich countries poses severe implications for the future sustainability of many African economies (Stiglitz, 2006). Throughout Africa there have been many industries that have been severely hit by competition from highly subsidized agricultural produce from the European Union and The USA. One prime example can be seen in Namibia where a 600% increase in EU beef exports to South Africa has severely hampered the ability of Namibian cattle farmers to compete in the market as the surplus of EU beef floods the market thus lowering prices (Hooper-Box, 2003). Other industries that have been affected include the canned food sector which has experienced a period of stagnated growth over the past ten years whereas the canned food industry in Europe has, in the same period, doubled and continues to experience growth (Hooper-Box, 2003). It is therefore of the utmost that the EU and USA be forced to cut back on export subsidies in order to ensure the complete, harmonious and sustainable development and growth of the developing world. 2001 Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz emphasizes the importance in developed countries opening their markets to the developing world without ‘political or economic reciprocity or conditionality’; such a mentality would vastly aid the crippling situation in the developing world (Stiglitz, 2006). The inequalities present in the global trading system have adverse affects on the developing world as the ‘dumping’ of produce on global markets result in price deficits which hinders economic growth and therefore sparks reductions in employment and social development rates (Stiglitz, 2006). The gross imbalance in the global trading system according to Stiglitz, is primarily due to economic globalisation out pacing political globalisation. Agricultural protectionism may not be the cause of poverty and underdevelopment in Africa; however the liberalization and implementation of free trade routes without barriers would sufficiently aid and improve the perilous situation in Africa. Africa is in dire need of investors and the opening of global trade markets would entice investment and therefore encourage the much needed economic growth. The strict implementation of regulations is a necessity in policing the detrimental effects that globalisation is having on the developing world. References Clapp, J. (2006). WTO Agriculture Negotiations: Implications for the Global South Third Quarterly, Volume. 27, No.4. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. 2006. Hooper-Box, C., (2003). SA in fight-back as farm subsidies cripple poorer nations. The Sunday Independant, 23 September. P.1. Stiglitz, J., (2006). Why Stiglitz’s positive take on globalisation isn’t realistic. The Sunday Independant, 17 September. Business report section.

My Family After The Hospital Essay - 1080 Words

It all started on just a regular day everyone in my family was during their regular routine. My mom on the phone, my brother playing some videogames, my sister was working, and my father was at work. We were all in our separate worlds that day, it felt good until suddenly we received a call from my father’s job and said, â€Å"Hello Mui it’s Joe I work with Be we’ve been trying to call you for hours, but Be collapsed at work and is in the hospital now.† My whole family was worried what had happened to him and the car ride to the hospital was a silent one, no one was talking because we all were thinking the same thing, our father was in trouble, but how bad was it? When my family went inside the hospital, the doctor made us wait impatiently in the waiting room and all of us were scared. When they finally let us see him, he was on a bed with machines, tubes, and wires that all connected to my father. 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