Televising the Holocaust in America during the 1950s Essay Example for Free

Televising the Holocaust in America during the 1950s Essay Shylock is a monster of cruelty, miser, greedy, suspicious ,cunning , bloodthirsty ,revengeful, mean ,a bad father and a bad master. But it is the circumstances that made him like this. Shylock is a tragic figure, trapped by prejudice and driven to revenge by the treatment he receives He is not cruel by nature. He is human in inner-self as the Christians are. He is therefore the most injured man, insulted, abused and disgraced by the Christians and even by his own daughter, His cruelty is made by centuries of insult and outrage which the Christians inflicted upon the Jews race. Shylock became hard and savage by long and cruel oppression. He suffers immensely. Shylock’s humiliation and sufferings can only be measured by someone who has experienced the alienation of a gross minority. From the very beginning of the play Shylock is a lonely man. His wife Leah ,whom he loves dearly ,is dead. His daughter Jessica is not much of a help, and infect adds to his loneliness. She betrays her father by robbing him of all his money after he had bestowed upon her the trust of his house. She not only takes the money but also marries Lorenzo, a Christian boy by changing her religion. This must have been particularly heart-breaking for the proud Jew. She later exchanges the turquoise ring of her mother for a monkey. Shylock is hated by Antonio because of his anti-Semitism. Antonio in particular spits upon him and calls him a cut-throat dog. So it is but natural that such a man begins to hate those persons who hate him. His hatred of Antonio is religious, patriotic ,personal and professional. Lorenzo elopes with his daughter that makes him more revengeful . He bears insults with patience. He says â€Å"sufferance is the badge of tribe. † In his impassioned speech in Act III ,Scene I ,beginning with â€Å"To bait fish withal† he rises to the magnitude of a tragic hero, â€Å" I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes ,hath not a Jew Hands ,organs, dimensions, senses , fed with the same food ,hurt with the same weapon†¦.. † It is a noble protest against inhumanity of treatment to which the Jews as a race have been subjected through the ages. Shylock, the Jew has hatred against the Christians in general but Antonio, the merchant of Venice in particular . He has strong reasons for it. The reason of his such revengeful attitude towords the Christians and in particular towards Antonio is Christian’s abhorrence towards him and his race which is the false belief of the Christian’s that the Jews murdered Jesus Christ and therefore in league with the devil and this the Jews were actively working to subvert the spread of Christianity . this belief was driven by the early church. In Merchant of Venice Antonio abhorred Shylock because of this inherited belief. Antonio’s treatment of Shylock is most unfriendly and insulting. He hates the Jews in general and Shylock in particular. He has publicly condemned Shylock. He has been spitting on him at the Rialto in the past and abusing him. He has called him a mis-believer and a cut-throat dog . He has often spat upon his Jewish gabardine. He has been heaping disgrace and insult upon him. Even when he seeks for loan from Shylock from his friend Bassanio Shylock recites the various insults and injuries he has received at Antonio’s hands Antonio haughtily replied â€Å" I am as like to call thee so again. To spit on thee,to spurn thee too. † Naturally how can Shylock forget this humiliation he has received at the hands of Antonio. He is constantly abused by others as well. Gratiano calls him â€Å"inexorable dog† in the court infront of the Duke,and goes unpunished for slander. Even Solanio and Salerio calls him a villain and a dog. And they all hate him because he is a Jew. He survives in such a hostile environment like a man absorbing their insults ,yet never losing heart ,accumulating wealth in a fair manner no matter how much the Christians hate him for. Shylock is a fanatic Jew. He is a representative of the Jewish tribe . his vengeance on Antonio springs from the ancient and cruel hate which he as a Jew bears towards the Christians. Shylock is the champion of the persecuted Jewish race. He can not forget the centuries of insult and outrage heaped upon the the Jewish race by the Christians. Shylock’s grudge is that Antonio abuses his sacred race. he feels that the Jews have been denied human rights by the Christians. He fells pained that Antonio gives loans to people without charging any interest and thus brings down the rate of interest in Venice. Shylocks profession as a Jew money-lender suffers by Antonio’s generosity. Moreover ther is still another motive behind Shylock’s revenge against Antonio. His daughter Jessica ,runs away with a Christian boy,Lorenzo,who is a friend of Antonio. The one single trait that puts him in the category of a villain is his all-consuming passion for revenge. He is prepared to kill for it. There is something horribly monstrous when he sharpens his knife to actually carry out his barbaric job of extracting a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. Critics have explained his revenge to his hostile surroundings,his constant humiliation ,the persecution of Jewish tribe and the betrayal of his daughter. Yet,all these put together can not explain the hideousness and cruelty involved in the act ,that he is bent to carry out. However,the punishment that is meted out to him at the end of the trial scene is as barbaric as his feeling for revenge. After the trial scene he is deprived of all his wealth and ahat is worse ,is ordered to convert into Christianity,if he is to save his life. According to the modern standards,the forcible conversion was a sin,for we regard the question of salvation as a personal issue on which no extraneous authority has a right to interfere. So ,from this point of view the Christian court of Venice did injustice to this man. To have punished the Jew by confiscating his property would have been sufficient to meet the end of justice but to go out of its way to force him to change the creed of his forefathers would be an act of inhumanity which can not be defended according to the sense of justice. Throughout the play ,Shylock’s persecution is massive and heart-rendering. We can not but feel sympathy for the man at the end of the play. But the hideous design that Shylock makes in order to take his revenge upon Antonio is not supportable at all. _____________________________________ Reference: 1)http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Merchant_of_venice 2)http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Shylock 3)http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/542457/Shylock 4)http://www. articlemyriad. com/character_analysis_shylock_merchant_venice_shakespeare. htm.

Environmental Inequality Essay -- Natural Disaster, Hurricane Katrina

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina vigorously tore apart the U.S. Gulf Coast Region killing at least 1500 people, ranking at the third deadliest hurricane in United States history. Author of Survival and Death in New Orleans, Patrick Sharkey (2007), looked specifically at data on New Orleans residents that perished during Katrina in an attempt to look at the communities that were most affected by this unfortunate disaster. The storm took the largest toll on the elderly population and by African Americans, who he argued were overrepresented in comparison to whites. The toll was not only physical but mentally damaging as well, due to the overwhelming amount of loss to their homes, family members, pets, and childhood neighborhoods in which they grew up in. Evidence from Ismail White’s (2007) study entitled, Feeling the Pain of my People, concluded that African Americans felt that the federal governments lacked in response to the hurricane and was so insufficient that had the vi ctims been white, the government would have acted differently. Therefore suggested traditions of economic and racial segregation has misrepresented segments of urban neighborhoods that have been isolated from resources, political influence, and economic gain and are therefore more susceptible to disasters, like Katrina. Images of New Orleans residents stranded throughout the city left a permanent impact towards those who followed media coverage, suggesting that the storm’s damage has been viewed at as anything but a natural disaster. â€Å"Katrina has come to be interpreted by some as a â€Å"metaphor,† for the inequality that pervades urban American, affecting poor, primarily Black segments of the urban populace most directly† (Sharkey 2007: 483). African Americans... ... a separation due to race, but in fact due to environmental justice. Therefore there is not a substantial amount of evidence to support either author’s claims. The studies lacked evidentiary support in both reports, such as the correct number of deaths and had insufficient samples that were not directly affected and could have been influenced by the media’s response or prior opinion. While examples such as the bridge incident did include racism towards New Orleans residents, it did not specify the race or ethnicity of what kind of people were forbidden to walk across the bridge to safety, but instead excluded everyone. Perhaps therefore then the issue is not simply race, but more so geological, economical, and social inequality that has led those citizens to feel that they had been the target of such a tragic disaster that has changed their way of life forever. Environmental Inequality Essay -- Natural Disaster, Hurricane Katrina In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina vigorously tore apart the U.S. Gulf Coast Region killing at least 1500 people, ranking at the third deadliest hurricane in United States history. Author of Survival and Death in New Orleans, Patrick Sharkey (2007), looked specifically at data on New Orleans residents that perished during Katrina in an attempt to look at the communities that were most affected by this unfortunate disaster. The storm took the largest toll on the elderly population and by African Americans, who he argued were overrepresented in comparison to whites. The toll was not only physical but mentally damaging as well, due to the overwhelming amount of loss to their homes, family members, pets, and childhood neighborhoods in which they grew up in. Evidence from Ismail White’s (2007) study entitled, Feeling the Pain of my People, concluded that African Americans felt that the federal governments lacked in response to the hurricane and was so insufficient that had the vi ctims been white, the government would have acted differently. Therefore suggested traditions of economic and racial segregation has misrepresented segments of urban neighborhoods that have been isolated from resources, political influence, and economic gain and are therefore more susceptible to disasters, like Katrina. Images of New Orleans residents stranded throughout the city left a permanent impact towards those who followed media coverage, suggesting that the storm’s damage has been viewed at as anything but a natural disaster. â€Å"Katrina has come to be interpreted by some as a â€Å"metaphor,† for the inequality that pervades urban American, affecting poor, primarily Black segments of the urban populace most directly† (Sharkey 2007: 483). African Americans... ... a separation due to race, but in fact due to environmental justice. Therefore there is not a substantial amount of evidence to support either author’s claims. The studies lacked evidentiary support in both reports, such as the correct number of deaths and had insufficient samples that were not directly affected and could have been influenced by the media’s response or prior opinion. While examples such as the bridge incident did include racism towards New Orleans residents, it did not specify the race or ethnicity of what kind of people were forbidden to walk across the bridge to safety, but instead excluded everyone. Perhaps therefore then the issue is not simply race, but more so geological, economical, and social inequality that has led those citizens to feel that they had been the target of such a tragic disaster that has changed their way of life forever.

Macroeconomic Aims of a Government Essay

The government and policymakers of a country intervenes in the economy in order to achieve economic growth, price stability, and low rate of unemployment. First and foremost, economic growth can be defined as an increase in the country’s output over a period of time. This means there is an increment in her productive capacity hence a rise in national income. A high economic growth is desirable as it represents an improvement in the material standard of living of the society. A rising real income per head brings about more and better quality goods and services, which are available for consumptions of individuals. However, an improvement in the case of consumer welfare due to economic growth is highly doubtful if the growth is accompanied by undesirable side effects such as negative externalities, leisure time forgone or even a dilution in the society’s tradition & custom. Through redistribution of income, economic growth can eliminate poverty. A higher output allows households to enjoy more goods and services thus generating higher income and through the multiplier effect increases national income by folds. Besides that, the government’s tax revenue will rise too, leading to more benefits for the poor such as education and training. This may even help curb the problem of poverty. The authority also highly regards sustaining a stable price level as a primary objective of economic policy. This is because inflation, defined as a sustained and inordinate increase in the general price level, could have harmful effects both socially and economically. A rising price level creates uncertainties and complicates decision-making, thus may hamper economic growth. Fluctuations in the level of prices makes information conveyed by prices harder to interpret. Consumer, firms, and the government may face a tough time in allocating funds or resources for the future in an inflationary environment. Furthermore, as the society strives to maintain its real value of income by keeping up with rising price level and competing with other social classes, the country’s social fabric could be severely strained. The mere existence of inflation means that the real value of money is falling. Thus, it will be necessary for the government to intervene in  the economy in order to prevent hyperinflation from happening. The countries that experienced the most extreme examples of trotting inflation are Argentine, Brazil and Russia. The slow growth brought about eventually crippled virtually the entire economic system. Every government places a low rate of unemployment at the top of its priority. The percentage of total labor force unemployed makes up the rate of unemployment. Economic costs of unemployment can be devastating, as it could mean a lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to loss of potential income to factors of production, whilst social costs such as increased poverty, personal hardships to individuals, decay of unused skills, raise in crime rates and family disputes prove the worthiness of the goal of achieving high employment. On the other hand, stability of a country’s exchange rate in the foreign exchange market (FOREX) is vital, as fluctuations of the exchange rate create adverse effects to the economy. There are mainly two cases which are prevalent in most economies. Firstly, an appreciation of the exchange rate may cause exports to become relatively dearer, and lead to loss of competitiveness (comparative advantage) to a country. Secondly, a depreciation of the exchange rate brings about serious domestic inflation, encourages exodus of capital and thus puts the country under stress of lack of investment and unemployment. On the external aspect, the government aims to achieve equilibrium in the balance of payment, especially the current account. A deficit in the current account drains the savings and reserve of a country significantly, leading to a chain effect of higher national debt and burden to future generations. In view of the above objectives, the government is needed to regulate and rectify situations. Therefore, the conclusion can be arrived that government intervention is fundamental to every economies in the world.

Essay on Salem Witch Trial Theories - 2283 Words

Brennyn Mackey 2 May 2011 The Secret War of Salem Exposing the Culprit behind the Mass Hysteria The Salem Witch Trials were a series of infamous events that demand an explanation for their occurrence. The trials that took place in 1692 caused neighbors in the community of Salem Village in the colony of Massachusetts to turn on one another out of paranoia, accusing one another of witchcraft. According to Carol Karlsen, a longtime author of the subject, nineteen people were hanged and about 200 others were imprisoned (40). A few theories have been offered in order to explain the root of this mass hysteria. The theories in question need to be examined to see which holds the most credibility. Most historians who have†¦show more content†¦According to their research: Ergot poisoning in individuals with adequate vitamin A intakes leads to gangrenous rather than convulsive symptoms. Vitamin A is found both in fish and in dairy products. Salem Village was a farming community and Salem Town, which bordered the village, was a well-known seaport; cows and fish were plentiful. There is no evidence to suggest a vitamin A deficiency in the diet of the inhabitants, and it would be particularly unlikely for the so-called afflicted girls, some of whom came from well-to-do farming families. The absence of any instance of gangrenous symptomatology makes it highly unlikely that ergot played any role in the Salem crisis (Spanos). The theory that there was an ergot infestation does not seem to hold up to the accounts of Spanos and Gottlieb. The theory of ergot infestation has slowly lost credibility due to these pieces of evidence. Another theory that attempts to explain the paranoia is the theory that witchcraft was being practiced in the community. The word â€Å"witch† came into English from Wicca, an Anglo-Saxon word that means â€Å"wise one† (Buckland 26). Witches have been viewed throughout history as servants of Satan, spreading misfortune. This is an exaggerated stereotype similar to the misconception that witches fly around on broomsticks and transform intoShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Theories of the Salem Witch Trials1135 Words   |  5 PagesThe Theories of the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch trials and what caused them is very debatable. Some theories lead to Rye poisoning from bread to even people faking it. The most believable claim is that people were faking it. Everyone had a motive and they all just wanted to save themselves. It was a time when people were selfish and only cared for themselves. This time in Salem was a troubling time, making it seem likely that satan was active (Linder). The townsfolk are believed to haveRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Is Unknown1590 Words   |  7 Pages It is due to contrasting views and opinions that the real cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown. It is through major factors like the personal context of the historian that there are these differing thoughts. The people and society that a person is surrounded by for an extended amount of time can help to mold and create the personal opinions that a historian may hold. Historian’s thought have been shaped and changed by the people and places that they spent a large amount of time around, theyRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials691 Words   |  3 Pageswere the Salem Witch Trials? The Trials happened in 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts, in a town called Salem. Nineteen men and women were hanged on grounds of practicing dark magic and making a pact with Satan (in other words, for being witches). Hundreds of people were imprisoned; several died there. Additionally, one man (of over seventy years!) was crushed to death with heavy stones and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. 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