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A Comparison of Othello and Paradise Lost
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A Comparison of Othello and Paradise Lost
Introduction
The power of jealousy is so devastating that it does not care about relationships. It seeks to find its own way by eliminating anything or anyone who stands on its way and stops at nothing unless it has achieved the goal or is permanently stopped by a stronger force. The following discussion will focus on the theme of jealousy as it is demonstrated in the story of Paradise lost and that of Othello.
Discussion
The story Othello and Paradise Lost are related in the sense that in both of them, the predominant theme is jealousy. Paradise Lost is a story by John Milton which portrays a Christian story showing the fall of man as it is quoted from first book of Paradise Lost by Milton (1.3), “of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal task Brought Death into the World, and all our woe.’ This explains that as a result of disobedient, man lost the paradise where he was meant to live forever. It begins with a commotion in heaven where Lucifer is waging war with God’s angels. The devil says, ‘On this side nothing; and by proof we feel Our power sufficient to disturb his Heav’n,’ (Milton. 2. 103). He is said to have been the greatest choir master in heaven and had extensive choir abilities. This gave him so much pride that he wanted to usurp God’s position as it can be observed from the quote in the Paradise Lost book “Either to disinthrone the King of Heav’n We warr, if Warr be best, or to regain (Milton.2.231).he was so determined to wage war with God’s kingdom. War subsequently broke between the angels whom he had been able to woo and those who were still with God.
Lucifer could however not match the offensive war mounted by God’s Angels. He was defeated and cast into hell. From that moment, hatred was created between God and the devil and therefore, he has been looking for the opportunity to avenge by destroying those that want to relate with God.
Lucifer’s clear manifestation of jealousy is demonstrated in the Garden of Eden after the creation of Adam and Eve. The two were created for the purpose of having a healthy fellowship with their creator. Adam was created first and even was made from his own ribs. The two were placed in the Garden which to them was a paradise for the reason that they did not have to toil for anything. God had already made everything for them and gave them the power to have dominion over all other created things.
From Hell or Tartarus as it is referred, Satan summons his mammon and Beelzebub where they have an intensive discussion on how they are going to destroy the relationship between God and the couple. All this evil emanates from the anger that he was cast into hell and still wants to prove that he is powerful. After that, Satan comes out in a bid to poison the whole earth by making it flooded with sin.
He begins his plan by approaching Eve on several occasions with rhetoric, which is the use of language in the most convincing way that it appeals to the listener. He used logic and creativity to prove to Eve why they needed to eat the fruit that God had warned them against. He understood that God had warned them against eating the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden as it is recorded in the Paradise Lost story “So various, not to taste that only Tree Of knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life, So neer grows Death to Life, what ere Death is,’(Milton.4.425). He eventually succeeded in his evil plan by making Eve pluck the fruit in the middle of the garden and have a taste of it.
It is said that Adam noticed that Eve had sinned against God. He was however willing to die with her than living without her since she was part of whom he was, owing to the fact that she was made from his own flesh and blood. It is recorded that Adam was also convinced by Eve to take the same fruit making both of them unfaithful to their creator.
The devil was succeeding in his jealous act in the sense that immediately Adam ate the fruit, both of them had lustful sexual intercourse something that had not happened before. The story explains that this experience made Adam get convinced that Eve was right in the act of disobeying God. However, it had not dawned on them about the repercussions of what they had just done. They had not realized that the devil was out to bring an end to their fellowship with their creator. They were also not aware of the jealousy that the devil had upon them and the vengeance that he craved to take against God.
It is recorded that they fell into deep sleep and had terrible nightmares. Such are things they had not experienced since they were placed in this paradise. This is when it came to their realization that they had committed a terrible sin against their God. They knew nothing about nakedness but now when they woke up, they realized that they needed to cover themselves. Life was beginning to change very fast. They had been promised by the devil that after eating the fruit they would have the knowledge of good and bad and that they would become wise like God himself.
An angel of God is said to have taken Adam through a vision to see what he had caused the whole world to go through. The errors that they had committed is said to have culminated into a sea of sins in the whole world. That was the initial plan of the devil of destroying the beauty that God had created and making sure that man did not worship God.
The consequence of this was that the relationship between Adam and God became distant. God who was initially omnipresent and visible became invisible to them. He would visit them and they would have a conversation before they sinned but now everything had to change due to their unfaithfulness.
The devil was rejoicing to have succeeded into his mission after having taken his revenge. This is demonstrated by the fact that God became so angry with the couple he had so much loved. This prompted Him to cast them out of the Paradise he had given them where they had no struggles in their lives. The Angel Michael was sent to guard over it and to see that Adam did not come back. The relationship was now broken and there was to be an eternal separation between God and man.
As the devil was celebrating his victory, the Son of Man Jesus Christ was pleading with his father to allow him to be the redemption and bring back the fellowship between God and man. This is according to what is recorded in the Paradise Lost story, ‘till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat.’(Milton.1.100). This quote in book one expains that man had hopes of enjoyed fellowship with God again if someone greater came to provide a bridge. God agreed and this meant that the devil had not fully succeeded in creating an eternal separation.
The main theme in the above story is jealousy in the sense that the devil realized that God created man so that he could offer worship and praise to him. He too wanted to be worshipped and because he had lost that chance, he did not want God to have it either. This is the reason why he was looking for an opportunity to destroy the kind of fellowship God enjoyed with his creation.
Paradise lost story compares with that of Othello in the sense that the whole of Othello is dominated by jealousy. The only difference is that while paradise lost is spiritual, this particular one is secular and does not involve the supernatural beings as we have seen above.
Othello was a prince who had a rank of a general in the Venetian army. He had two closest soldiers who assisted him in his duty who were Iago and Cassio. In this particular essay, we focus on Iago since he is the reason why the theme is so profound.
It is said that Othello awarded a promotion to Cassio to become a lieutenant at a time when Iago was openly more prominent and had a belief that this promotion deserved him more than it did Cassio. It is this promotion that breeds hatred and jealousy and generates so much abhorrence and pain in Iago’s heart that he is looking for an opportunity to take revenge and reclaim that post instead. According to him, Cassio was a Scholarly tactician with no field experience as he had. He was the one who ‘deserved’ the promotion instead. This made him start planning on what to do in order to gain his desired or otherwise deserved position.
It is said that there was a celebration at the palace and people were having fan. Iago in his bid to succeed; knew that he had to utilize this opening to destroy Cassio’s reputation. He planned to make him extremely drunk and make him get into a fight with Roderigo. He actually succeeded into it and immediately, Othello appeared to quell the situation. He was so angry with Cassio his lieutenant for being responsible for the whole commotion and shame and for acting in an irresponsible manner and did not therefore hesitate to demote him and relieve him of his duty.
This was Iago’s first successful attempt but he pretended to be very sorry and willing to offer assistance in order see to te successful reinstatement of Cassio. He goes ahead to entice and advise Cassio to approach Desmodema who is Othello’s wife and plead with her to talk to the husband within the house and to try to convince him to reinstate Cassio.
Cassio knew not that this was a plan that was meant to add an insult to an injury priory secretly secured by Iago. They met on several occasion with Othello’s wife but they stuck to the objective. While all this was happening, Iago took that opportunity to create a picture that the two were having an affair. He took the news to Othello who at first did not believe Iago since he trusted his wife for the reason that he had never cheated on him before. He could not contemplate the fact that such a thing would happen. It was not possible.
Iago knew that he had to devise a new way. He asked his wife Emilia who also happened to be Desmodema’s maid servant to steal a handkerchief from her mistress. This was a much honored present that Othello had given to her to express his love and commitment for her. Iago took the handkerchief and made sure that he placed it in Cassio’s lodgings. This would serve as a proof that Desmodema had been visiting him and that the two had been having an affair.
Iago moved to Othello to prove to him that his wife was really being unfaithful. He explained that she had even given the present that he had bought her to Cassio. He was so furious and asked Iago to help him in killing Cassio. He is promised promotion after doing this.
This is Iago’s happiest moment because he knows that he is going to succeed in reclaiming the position that he was dying to have. While he was planning the murder of Cassio, Othello on the other side was plotting to smother his wife while they lay in bed. Iago approached Roderigo once again and told him to help in the murder of Cassio. He easily accepted since he did not like Cassio. He ambushed him in the street and the two struggled in the fight. Iago noted that Cassio was much stronger for Roderigo and he disguised himself before cutting him in the leg. He then hid himself before the arrival of the officers who had come to Cassio’s rescue. He emerged to join them and to pretend that he knew nothing. It is said that he stubbed Roderigo and killed him so that he would not confess and put him to trouble.
While all that was happening, Othello was on the other side strangling his wife. It happened that Emilio got into his room and was shocked by what she saw. Othello said that she deserved to die for cheating on him. When he mentioned about the handkerchief, it dawned on her that the whole thing was plotted by her husband. Othello was so angry when he realized that he had killed his innocent wife.
Immediately, Iago and some officers entered Othello’s room. He had not realized that all his plans had been disclosed. Othello moved to attack him but then realized that torture would be the best thing for him so that he could pay for the evil that he had caused. Iago realized that his wife had set him up and immediately jumped on her and murdered her on spot.
The officers moved in and apprehended both Othello and Iago. It is said that Othello opted to commit suicide rather than be taken into custody. Iago on the other side was taken for torture and it is thought that he was finally executed.
The two stories therefore are comparing in the sense that they express the theme of jealousy. They also compare in that both Satan in Paradise Lost and Iago in Othello do not achieve their goals. They only manage temporary success and terminal happiness at this achievement which soon come to an end. The only contrast is that the two protagonists in Othello die while they remain in the Paradise Lost.
Conclusion
Theme of jealousy is so profound in the two stories. In both the two pieces, the evil characters try to reclaim their lost glory by eliminating the one’s that deserved it. The two however do not succeed fully in their plans though they cause a lot of damage and enjoy temporary joyful moments as a result; which is extreme agony for others. Jealousy is therefore a powerful force that should be avoided since it results into devastating events.
References:
Butler, G “Giants and Fallen Angels in Dante and Milton: The Commedia and the
Gigantomachy in Paradise Lost”, Modern Philosophy 95 (3): 352–363. 998
Anderson, G “The Fall of Satan in the Thought of St. Ephrem and John Milton”:
Journal of Syriac Studies 3 (1), 2000
http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol3No1/HV3N1Anderson.html
Biberman, M Milton : Marriage, and a Woman’s Right to Divorce, SEL Studies in
English Literature 39 (1): 131–153, doi :10.2307/1556309. 1999
Critical Thinking, Teachers And Individuals
Critical Thinking, Teachers And Individuals
Teacher leaders
A teacher leader(s) is an individual teacher or a group of teachers who can influence their fellow teachers, the principal and other members of the communities of the school so as to improve learning and teaching practices. The aim of teacher leaders is the increase of student learning as well their achievement. Teacher leaders are therefore facilitators within the school and are important elements when it comes to the spread and strengthening of reforms and improvements in schools. The definition of teacher leadership gives it value as well as making it realistic and an accelerated process of progress towards development of leaders in the community (WETA Washington DC, 2013).
Individual capabilities
There are various individual capabilities that enable a person to be a good leader in an organization. Team leadership ability is one of the capabilities I possess as a teacher. This means that I can drive students and my colleagues towards the achievement of better student and institutional performance. I am also charismatic this means that my students and colleagues will be drawn to me naturally. Therefore I will serve as mentor and will be a role model to the students and colleagues drawn to me. As a charismatic leader I can also be a facilitator of change within the institution. This is because teacher leaders are seen to be catalysts of change and are never satisfied with their status quo hence will be in search of better ways of doing things (Harrison & Killion, 2007 Hence as a charismatic leader any change proposed will be taken in by the people in the organization.
Leadership principles
There are various leadership principles that a teacher leader can apply. Therefore as a teacher leader I can draw onto some of these principles like transformational leadership. This will ensure that focus is on teamwork and school improvements that are comprehensive. Therefore I will propose changes that will lead to positive changes into the institution. Communication is another principle of leadership. As a leader I will ensure that I have good listening skills that will ensure effective communication.I will also ensure that I am god at expressing myself so that any misunderstandings can be avoided. Communication skills are a very important principle when it comes to leadership since it facilitates effective interactions.
Delegation is another important principle of leadership as it ensures that other people get instructions from the leader. This means that as a teacher leader I will give instructions to students that they will follow will delegate to them what they should do. Through this I will act as a facilitator of learning ( Harrison, & Killion, 2007).Problem solving is another principle that ensures that as a leader any disputes that might arise within or outside the classroom will be solved effectively.
Changes to be implemented
There are different types of changes that people need to implement to enable them adapt to the situations. For instance, if someone truly want to understand something, it is necessary for that person to try and change it first. During the period of changes in organization, most attention is focused on the organization itself in terms of the structure, policies and procedures. However, for this to be successful, it is advisable for everyone to be committed in that, their interests and competencies should be effective and aligned with the vision and culture of the organization. In this scenario, teachers’ leaders should make sure they determine the type of change which is necessary to help them adapt to the needs of organization (Sorrells & Patterson, 2008). Therefore the teacher leaders should implement the change of improving the teaching and learning practices. The research on teacher/school leadership has help me to understand that, when teaching and learning practices are improved, the students learning and achievements will also be increased.
Implementation of changesEducational leaders need to understand the deep mystical of implementing change. Changes in an organization may involve a targeted audience. Most people become so much worried when faced with change because they really don’t know how those changes may affect them now or in the near future. Implementation of change is different from managing of change in that, it is very easy to implement a change, but hard to manage the implemented change. Managing change is one of the most difficult tasks for educational leader and it is a must that the teachers have to clearly understand the change process to help them in leading and managing the change effectively. The educational leaders must learn ways of overcoming the barriers as well as coping with the chaos that exists naturally during the time of change (Sorrells & Patterson, 2008).
References
Harrison, C. & Killion, J. (2007).Ten roles for teacher leaders. retrieved march 21,2013 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspxSorrells, S., & Patterson, S. (2008). Types of Change. The Linked Business Models. Retrieved March 21, 2013, from http://www.westbrookstevens.com/Types_of_Change.htmWETA,Washington DC.(2013).What does research tell us about teacher leadership? Retrieved March 21, 2013 from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/24932/
The Progressive Era
The Progressive Era.
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The progressive was a period that witnessed widespread social activism and political reforms. The progressive movement tackled problems that were associated with urbanisation, industrialisation, political corruption and immigration. The movement thrived from the 1830s to the 1920s. the fundamental principles guiding the movement was the need for efficiency and purging of corruption and waste (Power, 1932). The progressive movement was mainly concerned with the moral composition of society. It was characterised by; prohibition, women suffrage, purification of government, family and education and modernisation.
In regards to the moral reform, early reformers set up an organization, which was mandated to combat profanity and the breaking of Sabbath. One of the moral reforms taken up by the organization was between 1830 and 1840s. They rehabilitated prostitutes and also fought against male solicitation. The members lobbied for amendments of state laws that would make prostitution and male solicitation a crime (Power, 1932). Members also went into brothels to pray for prostitutes, male patrons were also publicized in the newspaper. The moral campaign against the consumption of alcohol was one of their most extensive. This is because alcohol was considered an integral part of American society (Gould, 1973).
Progressive Era was a period between 1890-1920 and marked a very important period in the United States where a lot of development took place. This period was characterized by economic development as well political reforms and there was an increase in social activism during this period. Progressive movement begun as a social movement but later it would advance to become a political movement that wanted changes in America. America during this period was undergoing so may problems the greatest being most leaders were corrupt and the economy was not really doing well because of the corrupt leaders. The progressive movement wanted to remove these leaders from office hoping that they would establish a more direct democracy that favored the people. This paper will examine the changes that took place during the progressive Movement including prohibition, laws on abortion and matters of social interest in a bid to promote morality.
Many members of the Progressive political movement were in support of prohibition as they thought this would be a measure that would help in dealing with the corrupt leaders. The movement also supported women suffrage movement in a bid to bring “purer” female vote to the voting field. It is these two key issues that resulted in major constitutional change. In 1917, the 18th Amendment was banned that banned the manufacturing as well as the sale of alcohol while in 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed and this would allow women to vote. Unlike other movements that had kept women aside when it came to matters of politics, the progressive movement embraced the output by the women’s movement.
The progressive movement was in full support of the prohibitions put in place. in the united states prohibition was a nationwide constitutional ban, that prohibited the production, conveyance, importation and sale of alcoholic beverages. This was after the passing of the eighteenth amendment in 1917. Herbert Hoover who supported prohibition termed it as a noble experiment; it was put in place to try and regulate people’s behaviour. The movement discouraged the use of alcoholic beverages; since the consumption of alcohol was associated with many social ills like poverty and insanity (Gould, 1973). The progressive movement also focused their fights against the drinking in saloons. Their fight as also focused on the immigrant communities, basically some of the cultures. The saloons were part and parcel of the migrant culture and they did not solely operate as bars but also hosted important social gatherings. Such gatherings were where most political machines conducted their operations. Many progressives, therefore, supported prohibition, since it was viewed as an important tool in curtailing the political power of local bosses. Prohibition was a success in rural southern and western states as compared to urban states.
Apart from moral reforms, the progressive movement also promoted, economic reform, social welfare and efficiency. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were many women national organizations; this included the women suffrage movement, the national association of coloured women and national association opposed to women suffrage (McCammon et al., 2001). During the progressive era, women’s suffrage became a key priority for women. This is because women were fighting for their much-needed right to vote and a wide-ranging political and economic equality. With the development of all these organisations, women of all kind participated. The women’s Christian Temperance Movement, had their first victory after prohibition took effect nation-wide. During the progressive era, women held leadership positions in both social and political movements. One of the essential surges of the progressive era is the suffrage movement (McCammon et al., 2001)
Progressives argued that women’s politics complimented the roles of women in society. During the progressive era, the number of women employed increased from 2.6 million to 7.8 million. Although there was a drastic change, most better-paying positions were occupied by men. Men were highly likely to get better-paying positions as compared to women. It is crucial to note that, in regards to politics, women were able to own property, gained the right to control their nettings (Gould, 2001). However, for women who upholder traditional gender roles, did not believe in equality for the sexes. They argued that women being involved in politics was quite improper.
Purification of government was undertaken by cleansing the electorate, curbing government corruption and promoting efficiency. Their battle was against illegal voting, which was conducted by local bosses who were in conjunction with saloon keepers and precinct workers. Illegal voting took place by stuffing the ballot boxes. Prohibition was one of the measures adopted to curb the pandemic, this was implemented so that the saloons would close down (Gould, 2001). Voter registration was also taken up, to avoid multiple voting and literacy campaigns to educate voters. Progressives concentrated on city and state government, trying to find waste, and how things could be run more efficiently. Progressives were able to rally up newspapers, magazines and concerned middle-class voters, who would identify problems, who would deliberate on precise problems (Shefter, 1983). Government corruption was a never-ending epidemic, it epitomised a source of waste and inefficiency. Progressionist such as William U’Ren and Robert Follete worked on passing laws that would diminish the power of political bosses and machine politicians (Rice, 1998).
Education was also a key agenda in the progressive movement, a thinker such as John Dewey and Lester Ward argued that if the united states were to achieve success then its people needed a good education. Modernization of society included good education for all, they worked on improving both public and private learning institutions. The rapid growth in the field of education created job opportunities for its citizens (Gordon, 1990).
Progressive era resulted in reforms in government, business and social settings. One of its major gains was women being granted the right to vote (Power, 1932). Although a majority of its reforms were beneficial to white Americans, whereas the minorities continued to experience prejudice. Progressive era overlapped with the James Crow era which experienced extreme segregation and discrimination against African American.
A means of direct democracy could be developed by the efforts of the progressive to take down the corrupt officials. For the advantage of legitimate competitors, the progressive movement during the progressive era sought to regulate monopolies and corporations via the antitrust laws. Although the movement had started at the local levels initially it developed and expanded to state and national levels with the majority of their support being drawn from the middle-class individuals (Leonard, 2003). Progressive reforms projects were developed across the country that included black communities’ involvement across the south with the blacks in rural areas being actively involved in issues that concerned the environment.
It is in the progressive era that equality was achieved with the 14th amendments being declared allowing all people born and those who grew in America regardless of race to be accorded equal rights that would be protected by both the state and national governments. Although the amendment was ratified the period still saw many racism problems affecting people of colour as racial equality was not a prime concern showing the dark side of progressivism. The ideology and politics of progressivism were based on the assumptions of progressive reformers who believe that through enlightenment, application of incentives, punishments and regulations, human nature could improve (Leonard, 2003). They also thought that in improving individuals and society the power of the federal government could be harnessed.
The progressive reformers often exposed the corrupt business practises such as the Standard oil business showing the era that embraced investigative journalism (Rice, 1998). Substantive legislation was influenced by the progressive reformers such as the establishment of federal income tax. As much as progressive reformers achieved many noteworthy goals, they had a dark side that included the promotion of discriminatory policies and adoption of intolerant ideas that were demonstrated in the Wilson administration. Although they embraced modernity and progress, the administration pursued racial agenda that was at peak during the segregation of the federal government (Leonard, 2003).
References
Gordon, L. D. (1990). Gender and higher education in the progressive era. Yale University Press, 92A Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520-9040.
Gould, L. L. (1973). Progressives and prohibitionists: Texas Democrats in the Wilson era (p. 28). Austin: University of Texas Press.
Gould, L. L. (2001). America in the progressive era, 1890-1914. Pearson Education.
Leonard, T. C. (2003). ” More Merciful and Not Less Effective”: Eugenics and American Economics in the Progressive Era. History of Political Economy, 35(4), 687-712.
McCammon, H. J., Campbell, K. E., Granberg, E. M., & Mowery, C. (2001). How movements win: Gendered opportunity structures and US women’s suffrage movements, 1866 to 1919. American sociological review, 49-70.
Power, U. F. (1932). the Progressive Era.
Rice, J. A. (1998). Ida M. Tarbell: A Progressive Look at Lincoln. Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 19(1), 57-72.
Shefter, M. (1983). Regional receptivity to reform: the legacy of the progressive era. Political Science Quarterly, 98(3), 459-483.