Othello as an Outsider Essays

Othello as an Outsider Essays Othello as an Outsider Paper Othello as an Outsider Paper Essay Topic: Othello In Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello† the character Othello is presented as an outsider to the events that are taking place amongst the other characters. He was excluded from what the truth holds and this caused his downfall, along with his jealous nature and stubbornness. To make things worse Iago’s cunning plans captures Othello into a downward spiral to his defeat. The sense of irony involved is regarded as a highly important technique that is repeated through out the play. As a stubborn and decisive man he was unable to discern from evil and good. His extreme jealous nature is a significant character trait in which plays a large roll in Othello’s actions. Othello is presented as an outsider to the events that take place throughout the play, this causes the drama and increased irony within the play. He is unaware of the conversations and relationships that are taking place between other characters such as Desdemona and Cassio. Being oblivious towards the truth and having an insecure nature he jumped to conclusion without attempting to sort out complications. His insecurities lead him to only trust the one and only â€Å"honest† Iago, without knowing he is trusting the wrong person he was manipulated. Due to the fact that Othello only believed in his â€Å"honest† Iago he was unable to make decisions that weren’t biased from the rumors which Iago convinced was true. Othello as an outsider came with difficulties due to the lack of trust he had with Desdemona, the lack of trust came from the insufficient amount of communication they had with each other. He placed a small amount of trust into his own wife compared to the trust he had give to â€Å"honest† Iago. This may have been due to his lack of communication with females during his military conflicts. The lack of knowledge of communication may have made it difficult for him to communicate with his wife. He may have learnt to never trust a woman in military situations but found it difficult to adjust into household situations. A fatal flaw that Othello had was the jealous nature in which he had. His high amount jealousy made it convenient for Iago to manipulate Othello through his cunning words â€Å"beware, my lord, of jealous: it is the green eyed monster†. Although he seems to be convincing Othello to be aware of jealousy he secretly wants Othello to turn jealous. By saying this it highlights the dramatic irony in which Iago challenges to destroy Othello’s success. His jealous nature and with the ocular proof before him he could not resist from planning his wife’s death â€Å"I’ll not expostulate with her, let her body and beauty unprovide my mind again†. This is enough to suggest Othello is a very stubborn and decisive man that does not liked to be questioned. Just like a General he will take responsibility for his actions and for his woman. His judgment and accusation that he made was unreasonable and he refused to listen to her explain to â€Å"unprovide my mind again†. Othello has a constant fear for his reputation that has been put into jeopardy by his wife. As a General he is highly regarded and if anyone were to find out of this cuckold he would be shamed in front of his army. In Act 2 Scene 3 Cassio foreshadowed Othello in the lost of his reputation, â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself†. The loss of reputation is seen as loosing a part of one’s self, Cassio was unable to bear the consequence of losing face in front of his general. He repeats the word reputation to emphasise the importance of his reputation in which he has lost. After the death of his wife in Act 5 Scene 2 he feels the shame in â€Å"one that loved not wisely, but too well†. Othello admits his weakness as a jealous man, which led him to kill himself from the truth of his actions. The trafficking of human beings from Africa to western countries was highly common in the time of Othello’s leadership of his men. This is a crucial point in which reflects on the concept of Othello as an outsider. Othello as an Arabian Moor was a slave in his past years â€Å"And sold to slavery†, this may have caused his low self-esteem and unconfident image. In Elizabethan times society’s attitudes towards Moors and different races were often very poor. It was clear that Moors like Othello were not welcome to a place in the Elizabethan social order. Shakespeare’s audience would have seen Othello and Desdemona’s marriage as an outrage. It would have caused the audience to perceive this as unusual because he is a black man. Others around him may have been jealous of his success like Iago, it was too much for him to accept which led him to feel the need to destroy Othello. Brabantio was too ashamed of his daughter’s decision to marry a Moor. It was seen as an unjustified action, Brabrantio’s reaction towards the marriage was very poor. This issue relates back to the theme of reputation and loss of face amount colleagues. Brabantio had lost face in front of the Duke and all the Senators of the State because of Desdemona. â€Å"Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father and may thee†, Brabantio is foreshadowing the reason of Othello’s downfall. As an Arabian Othello was unaware of Venetian customs and traditions. This played a major part in the play because of the uncertainties Othello had for his wife and himself. The uncertainties lead to a low self-esteem and knowledge about his wife, without knowledge of Venetian women it was hard for him to understand Desdemona. Through out the play Othello as in outsider had unfair stereotypes placed upon him, this proved to be a challenge for him. There was a constant fear of his reputation at stake, it was possible that he did not want to remain a slave for the Venetians. Shakespeare’s use of a black man as a main character of the play, this suggests that he disagrees with the stereotypical white man as the superior character. If Othello was not an outsider he may have been the superior protagonist of the play and there would not have been a downfall in his success.

Types of Financial Aid for Graduate Students

Types of Financial Aid for Graduate Students There are several different types of financial aid available to graduate students. If eligible, you can receive more than one type of aid. Most students get a combination of grants and loans. Some students may receive scholarships in addition to grants and loans. There are multiple sources of funding for graduate students. Graduate students usually finance their education through fellowships and assistantships in addition to grants and loans. In order to prevent using your own money for school, consider the various options and apply for various government and private aid. Grants: Grants are gifts that you do not need to repay. There are several different types of grants available to students. Students may receive grants from the government or through private sources of funding. Usually, government grants are given to students with need, such as having a low household income. However, government grants require students to maintain a specific GPA throughout their academic career in order to continue to receive aid. Private grants usually come in the form of scholarships and have their own guidelines. The amount being offered varies for each individual based on different criteria. In graduate school, grants can be used towards, travel, research, experiments, or projects. Scholarships Scholarships are awards given to students based on academic excellence and/or talent. Additionally, students may receive scholarships based on other factors, such as ethnic background, field of study, or financial need. Scholarships vary in their amounts and the number of years given aid. For example, they can be awarded a one-time payment or receive aid annually for a certain number of years (Ex/ $1000 scholarship vs. $5000 per year for four years). Like a grant, students do not need to pay back the money awarded in a scholarship. Scholarships can be awarded through your school or through private sources. Institutions offer various scholarships based on merit, talent, and/or need. Contact your school for a list of scholarships being offered to students. Private scholarships are offered through organizations or companies. Some organizations make students compete for awards through performance or essay writing, whereas some look for students that fit specific requirements and standards. You can search for private scholarships on the internet, through online scholarship search engines (e.g. FastWeb), scholarship books, or by contacting your school. Fellowships Fellowships are granted to graduate and post-grad students. They are like scholarships and, similarly, do not require repayment. Fellowships are awarded by private organizations, institutions, or through the government. Fellowships vary in the amount being awarded and can be used either towards research or education. Students can be given a 1- to 4-year stipend with or without a tuition waiver. The type of fellowship awarded is based on merit, need, and the institutions/facultys grant. Some schools allow you to directly apply for fellowships offered through the schools. However, some schools only award fellowships to students who have been recommended by a faculty member. Assistantships Assistantships are similar to internships or work-study programs awarded during your undergraduate years. However, assistantships require students to usually work as assistant teachers (TA), research assistants (RA), assistants to professors, or perform other duties on campus. The amount awarded through assistantships varies based on faculty/institution grants or state or federal aid. Research positions are paid through grants and teaching positions are paid through the institution. The research and teaching positions acquired are in your field of study or department. TAs usually teach introductory-level courses and RAs assist faculty in conducting laboratory work. Every school and department has their own regulations and requirements for TAs and RAs. Contact your department for more information. Loans A loan is money that is awarded to a student based on need. Unlike a grant or scholarship, loans must be repaid to the institution that it is received from (government, school, bank, or private organization). There are several types of loans that are available. The different loans vary in the amount you can borrow, in their requirements, interest rates, and repayment plans. Individuals who are not eligible for government loans may receive loans through private organizations. Private companies have their own qualifications, interest rates, and repayment plans. Many banks offer private student loans specifically for college students. However, private companies are believed to have higher interest rates and stricter guidelines.