Othello Essays (1528 words) - Othello, Iago, Roderigo,

On a recent episode of House, a popular television show, a competitive bicyclist was admitted to the hospital after having a close encounter with death. The doctors completed examination after examination until they concluded that the patient?s illness was the result of his use of illegal paraphernalia. At this point, the doctors had to make a moral decision as to whether or not to report their patient on the basis of his cheating. On one hand, the patient was worshiped by children and his reputation would be ruined if he were to be turned in. Dr. Allison Cameron believed that the patient deserved to be turned in and that the children who worshiped him deserved to know the truth about the patient. She said that the patient ?isn?t who he says he is.? However, Dr. James Wilson questioned, ?Who cares who he says he is In today?s society, just as there was in the House episode, there is a disconnect between appearance and reality. A person?s appearance, how an individual is described from what can be seen on the outside, may be far from reality, or what is on the inside. The theme of appearance versus reality, however, is far from being something that has just appeared in recent years. In fact, this theme is present in many of William Shakespeare?s works, specifically Othello, which date back to the late 1500?s and the early 1600?s. The first instance in which the theme of appearance versus reality appears is with Othello. Othello appears to be loved and respected by his peers. And even though most of his peers describe him as the ?valiant Moor?, ?valiant Othello? or the ?brave Moor?, some characters do not truly see Othello as described (Shakespeare I,iii,47-48; I,iii,288). For instance, Iago?s statement of ?I hate the Moor? clearly demonstrates how some characters show abhorrence toward Othello (Shakespeare I,iii,350). Also, during the initial acts of the play, Othello is portrayed as a strong and confident character. However, all of the allegations that Iago makes about Desdemona being unfaithful to Othello quickly breaks Othello down and he becomes easily ?driven to jealousy? (McCulloch 77). Othello is also socially insecure, which may be attributed to him being a black man in a white man?s world. Not to mention, he is a black man in a high ranking position that requires him to give orders to white men. Addi tionally, Othello appears to be one who is calm and has self control, even under the most difficult of circumstances. But, Othello turns to rage and revenge in the final acts of the play. In fact, Othello, who had never struck Desdemona before, strikes her during one of their conversations and, on many other occasions, raises his voice at Desdemona. These actions, which are far from the actions of a calm and collected man, surprises other characters, including Lodovicio who makes the following comment: Is this the noble Moor, whom our fill senate Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake, whose solid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance Could neither graze nor pierce? (Shakespeare IV,i,249-253) Othello is not the character that others thought he was. Another instance in which the theme of appearance versus reality appears is within Othello and Desdemona?s relationship. According to Cahn, the love between Othello and Desdemona, the foundation of the story, is itself based on illusion (17). When Othello is describing to Brabantio how Desdemona fell in love with Othello, he makes the following comment: My story being done, She gave my story for my pains a world of sighs. She swore, in faith, ?twas strange, ?twas passing strange, ?Twas pitiful, ?twas wondrous pitiful. She wished she had not heard it, yet she wished That Heaven made her such a man. (Shakespeare I,iii,157-162) Desdemona, being wooed by the ?hero at the core of this story? and the story of his life, is not in love with, but is infatuated with Othello (Cahn 17). ?She does not know Othello as a man, but only as a fantasy figure? (Cahn 17). In essence, Desdemona is in love with the heroic actions and noble deeds of Othello rather than his inner being, his character, and his personality. Similarly, Othello is not in love with

Understanding Meritocracy

Understanding Meritocracy Meritocracy is a social system in which success and status in life depend primarily on individual talents, abilities, and effort. It is a social system in which people advance on the basis of their merits. A meritocratic system contrasts with aristocracy, for which people advance on the basis of the status and titles of family and other relations.   From the days of Aristotle, who coined the term ethos, the idea of awarding positions of power to those most capable have been a part of political discussion not only for governments but for business endeavors as well. Many Western societiesthe United States chief among themare commonly considered to be meritocracies, meaning these societies are built on the belief that anyone can make it with hard work and dedication. Social scientists often refer to this as the bootstrap ideology, evoking the popular notion of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps.   However, many challenge the validity of the position that Western societies are meritocracies, perhaps rightfully so. Widespread evidence exists, to varying degrees, within each of these societies of structural inequalities and systems of oppression designed and developed specifically to limit opportunities based on class, gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexuality, and other social markers. Aristotles Ethos and Meritocracy In discussions of rhetoric, Aristotle relates the epitome of his understanding of the word ethos as the mastery of a particular subject.   Rather than determining merit based on the modern state of affairs as exemplified by the political system in place at the time, Aristotle argued that it should come from a traditional understanding of aristocratic and oligarchical structures that define good and knowledgeable. In 1958, Michael Young wrote a satirical paper mocking the Tripartite System of British education called The Rise of the Meritocracy, declaring that merit is equated with intelligence-plus-effort, its possessors are identified at an early age and selected for appropriate intensive education, and there is an obsession with quantification, test-scoring, and qualifications. The term has come to frequently be described in modern day sociology and psychology as any act of judgment based on merit. Although some disagree about what qualifies as true merit, most now agree that merit should be the primary concern for selecting an applicant for a position. Social  Inequality and Merit Disparity In modern times, especially in the United States, the idea of a merit-based-only system of governance and business creates a disparity, as the availability of resources to cultivate merit are largely predicated upon ones current and historic socioeconomic status. Thus, those born into higher socioeconomic standingthose who have more wealthhave access to more resources than those born into lower standing.   Unequal access to resources has a direct and significant effect on the quality of education a child will receive all the way from kindergarten through university. The quality of ones education, among other factors related to inequalities and discrimination, directly affects the development of merit and how meritorious one will appear when applying for positions. In his 2012 book Meritocratic Education and Social Worthlessness, Khen Lampert argues that a kinship exists between merit-based scholarships and education and social Darwinism, wherein only those given opportunities from birth are able to survive natural selection: By awarding only those who possess the means to afford a higher-quality education, either through intellectual or financial merit, a disparity is institutionally created between the impoverished and the wealthy, those born with inherent disadvantages and those born into socioeconomic prosperity. While meritocracy is a noble ideal for any social system, achieving it first requires recognizing that social, economic, and political conditions may exist which make it impossible. To achieve it, then, such conditions must be corrected.