Head Injuries in Sports Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Head Injuries in Sports - Assignment Example What then becomes the main question is to what extent the current environment will attempt to ameliorate the risks that recent studies have indicated. As such, three of the fundamental questions which much be engaged with are concentric upon the following: 1) to what extent has mental health evaluations of current and former players revealed with regards to the health consequences of frequent and prolonged head injuries, 2) to what extent has this level of long-term head injury been discussed and researched within the medical community, 3) what preventative measures, both in the way that the game is played, coached, and recruited can help to ameliorate this risk and are any of these approaches likely to take hold within the current environment that defines today’s sporting environment. Additionally, and most importantly, the research will focus upon the level and extent to which stories pertaining to this topic have been represented and ultimately forgotten within the current news media of the past five years. As a means of informing this particular piece of research, the author has chosen to focus a level of analysis upon the death of Junior Seau; a renowned NFL player whose suicide has long been suspected to be the result of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encepalopathy). With the death by suicide of a well known footballer, Junior Seau, the attention of the news media and society has shifted towards the role that head injuries sustained in sport have towards the mental health and quality of life that players can expect to experience. Moreover, head injury is not something that is restricted to football, it is exhibited within sports such as boxing, hockey, and soccer on a daily basis (Neselius et al., 2012). Each of these sports, as well as a variety of others that are too numerous to list, create an expectation of contact and a high likelihood that sustained exposure of the

Comparing and Contrasting Two Images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing and Contrasting Two Images - Essay Example illions of Americans out of work and created the justification for more government intervention in business and society that continues today through the financial stimulus package. Photographs of desperate people during this terrible period in American business history abound but one of the most famous is that by Dorothea Lange which captured the sheer desperation of a mother who was worrying how to feed all her seven children (although only three were shown in that iconic photograph with the youngest still an infant). It is an unforgettable sad portrait. On the other hand, this photograph will be contrasted with a picture of another mother in a formal (official) historical portrait by an extremely talented female painter by the name of Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Le Brun who struck up a healthy friendship with her painting subject. It is a curious twist of history that the mother portrayed in this painting happened to be the queen of France named Marie Antoinette who was of Austrian origin but was married off to the French dauphin (heir apparent to the royal throne) at that time to cement the relations between the two countries of France and Austria. The French people soon soured of Marie Antoinette and killed her through the guillotine. These two photographs show how life can be unfair at times which in turn validates the old idiomatic expression of â€Å"thats the way the cookie crumbles.† Discussion – the first photograph is entitled â€Å"Destitute Pea Pickers in California† and it was taken by Dorothea Lange in Nipomo, California at around February or March of 1936. This was around the time when the depression was at its peak (the vicious cycle was at its worst time) and this photograph, alternatively called as â€Å"Migrant Mother† (Lange, 1936) by photograph enthusiasts, is considered as the most iconic of the Depression era. It captured the sheer sense of hopelessness, anxiety, and desperation which many Americans felt at that time but this one photograph

The Main Features Of An Oligopoly

The Main Features Of An Oligopoly This part of the coursework aims to identify and explain the main economic features of an Oligopoly and also the key economic theories which influence the price of a product or service. This part deals with the theoretical aspects of Oligopoly and the later part emphasizes on the practical applications of the theories and oligopoly features. According to Pass et al (2000), Oligopoly, a type of market structure is characterised by a few firms and many buyers, where the bulk of market supply is in the control of relatively few large firms who in turn sell to many small buyers. To describe the degree of oligopoly, concentration ratio is often utilized. Concentration ratio is the measure of the market share of the largest four firms in the industry expressed as a percentage. A low concentration ratio suggests a high level of competition and vice versa for. As there are few players dominating the industry, each player or an oligopolist is said or likely to be aware of others course of actions. The decision taken by one player seems to affect the decision taken by others and strategic planning by the firms needs to take into account the likely response of other participants (Wikipedia, 2010). For example, a proper game of chess depends on how well you read your opponents moves, similarly in oligopoly; strategies are devised ba sed on the moves of competing market firms. The reason for existence oligopoly as stated by Maunder et al (1991) is for the achievement of economies of scale. Firms tend to reduce their average cost of production by increasing their scale of operation and since the small firms have higher average costs, they tend to go out of business or be absorbed by the larger ones. The features of oligopoly are:- Number of Firms:-The very important feature of an oligopoly is the number of firms. Even though there are a large number of firms operating in a particular industry, only a handful of firms hold the major share between them. Interdependence: A very distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence. When a very few large firms operate in a particular industry, their activities or strategy cannot be independent of each other. Unlike monopoly, where the monopolist need not worry about the reaction of its rivals as there are none, an oligopolist takes into consideration the possible reactions of all rival firms. For example, a company considering a price reduction of its products may wish to estimate the chances of price reduction by the rival company and hence starting a price war. Profit Maximization Condition: The firms in an oligopoly generally agree to co-operate and act as one monopolist as it generates high profits (Begg and Ward 2007). This kind of formal collusive agreement is called a cartel. An oligopoly maximises profits where the marginal revenue equals the marginal cost. This is also known as profit maximization condition. Price ELASTIC UNIT ELASTIC P MC, AC PROFIT MAXIMIZING OUTPUT O MR Quantity (Source: Begg and Ward 2007) Perfect Knowledge: Oligopolists are said to have a perfect knowledge about their cost and demand functions but a lesser information about other firms (Wikipedia, 2010). Entry Barrier: One of the main important features of oligopoly also is the entry barrier. There are high entry barriers that restrain a new firm from entering a market. For example, the barriers can be the economies of scale, access to expensive and complex technology, lower costs for an established firm, brand loyalty, patented production process and strategic action by incumbent firms etc. The table below gives the market concentration in different industries. tb_0901 tb_0903 As discussed earlier, the large few firms form a cartel and set a price. Once the members of the cartel agree on the price, they compete against each other using non price competition in order to gain the maximum revenue. There are other various ways in which the firms fix the price. One of them being tacit collusion, where the firms agree on a price set by an established leader. This is also known as dominant firm price leadership as the price setting firm is the dominant firm in the industry. The other way is the barometric firm price leadership, where the price leader is the one whose prices reflect the market conditions in the most stable form (Sloman et al, 2010). To fix prices, the producers must be able to control the market supply. The other forms of price fixing in tacit collusion is average cost pricing, where producers add a certain percentage of profit on top of average costs and price benchmarking, where firms raise the price only up to a benchmark already set. Price fixing is achieved by the competing firms coming together on a platform where they can agree on a common pricing and production strategy thus acting in a manner in which a monopoly operates. This kind of collusion is known as cartelisation. Cartels although banned in many countries, is difficult for the enforcement agencies to gather evidence and penalise the participants. The quantity for the cartel and the individual firm will not be the same as one firm individually will have the scope for further increase in productivity to achieve a situation where the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue. In such cases firms may decide to go ahead with excess supply which can le ad to a price war and inconsistent revenues to the industry. Even without overt collusion firms in an oligopoly are able to reach a point of profit maximisation when they behave in a manner reflected in Nash Equilibrium (Begg and Ward 2007). 2B) Direct to Home (DTH) television industry in India acting as an oligopoly. India has a total television population of about 135 million of which about 108 million have an access to cable and satellite television (Plugged in, 2010). The total DTH sub base at the end of first quarter in the year 2010 was 23 million (Dish TV India Ltd, 2010) which was about just 1 million in the year 2006. Indian DTH industry has seen a flurry of activities in the recent years after a monopolistic reign by Dish TV for a couple of years. It is currently in a state of Oligopoly with the top four operators controlling nearly 80% of the total market. The major players in the market are Dish TV by Zee group, TataSky- a joint venture by Tata and Star TV, Big TV by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Digital TV by Bharati Telemedia and SUN Direct from Sun TV. Since there are only 3 major players in the DTH market, Indian DTH industry is an oligopoly. (Indiadth, 2010) The product offering by the rival firms are more or less similar in nature with little or no product differentiation. Amongst all the players, Sun Direct has essentially remained a regional operator who made a late debut in the national scene. The content or the channels are same with all the operators barring few omissions and additions. The DTH industry market share is as follows. BRAND MARKET SHARE Dish TV 30% TataSky 22% Sun Direct 25% Big Tv 13% Airtel 8% D2H 2% (Source: http://www.pluggd.in/dth-industry-in-india-analysis-297/) From the data above we can see that Dish TV, TataSky and Sun Direct together hold the maximum market share with over 75%. (Source: http://www.slideshare.net/) To confirm the oligopoly, we can use the Herfindahl-Hirschman index or the HHI. It measures the size of the firms in relation to the industry and also indicates the amount of competition between them. Mathematically, download (1) (Adapted from Pass et al, 2000) Here Si = market share of firm i in the market and N is the number of firms. Hence H = 302 + 222 + 252 + 132 + 82 + 22 H = 2246. With this value of H we can conclude that this industry is an oligopoly. Although there is no indication of an overt collusion in the industry, a closer look at their price plan (fig 1.1) can lead us to a strategic or tacit understanding between the players. The market is abuzz with marketing drives to garner market share and the customer is currently loaded with freebies like free installation, free channels and the like. Going by the level of investment and infrastructure the operators need to garner as much subscriber base as possible to be in a profitable proposition. They are however aware of the competition and are refraining from a price war. Such behaviour of the operators is characteristic of a non-price competition in Oligopoly. This is due to the interdependency of firms in the oligopoly and the strategic behaviour can also be referred to the Nash Equilibrium (Begg and Ward 2007). (Source: Slideshare.net/researchonIndia) Brand Name PricePlan(inINR)/month Dish TV 135.00 TataSky 150.00 Sun Direct 115.00 Videocon 136.00 Fig: 1.1 (Source: Company websites, 2010) Now as in any oligopoly, it has to be supported by entry barriers, both endogenous and exogenous. The natural barrier of entry in this particular industry is primarily associated with government licensing and also the intensity of capital investment required. Given that all the DTH operators are already established players in related sectors such as telecom, media it gives them a strategic advantage in terms of distribution and content. For any new entrant it could pose as a strategic entry barrier. Indian DTH market has constantly been attracting different players over the years given the increasing number of television subscribers. Although there have been entry barriers, companies like Videocon along with its cutting edge technology entered into the market in the presence of established players. The cutting edge technology proved to be a barrier breaker. Videocon managed to build television sets with set top boxes which helped it develop its own customer base.

Was Napoleon Bonaparte the Saviour or the Destroyer of the Ideals of the French Revolution? :: European Europe History

Was Napoleon Bonaparte the Saviour or the Destroyer of the Ideals of the French Revolution? With all the glory and the splendour that some countries may have experienced, never has history seen how only only one man, Napoleon, brought up his country, France, from its most tormented status, to the very pinnacle of its height in just a few years time. He was a military hero who won splendid land-based battles, which allowed him to dominate most of the European continent. He was a man with ambition, great self-control and calculation, a great strategist, a genius; whatever it was, he was simply the best. But, even though how great this person was, something about how he governed France still floats among people's minds. Did he abuse his power? Did Napoleon defeat the purpose of the ideals of the French Revolution? After all of his success in his military campaigns, did he gratify the people's needs regarding their ideals on the French Revolution? This is one of the many controversies that we have to deal with when studying Napoleon and the French Revolution. In this essay, I w ill discuss my opinion on whether or not was he a destroyer of the ideals of the French Revolution. Certain individuals approved of Napoleon's reign as the saviour of France. He finished and completed the Revolution by fulfilling the ideals the people of France demanded. A person such as one belonging to the bourgeoisie, or even a peasant would be very satisfied with the way Napoleon ruled over the country. He gave them equality, freedom, justice, and many rights. Such things never existed during the reign of the monarchs before Napoleon stepped in. A banker too would be very affirmative on how Napoleon had truly helped France in its economic problems. He made the franc the most stable currency in Europe, and the banker had witnessed that, as probably one of the bankers of the Bank of France. Another type of individual that agrees that Napoleon isn't the destroyer of the ideals of the Revolution would be his soldiers and generals. He had fought alongside with his men in many battles. Through inspiration, he gained their loyalty, to "follow him to the stars" if he asked them to. Suc h inspiration would never be gained if he never respected them, if he never treated them fairly. And then, the "Legion of Honour", which awarded to some certain citizens for their civil and military achievements.

In What Ways Does The Character Of Othello Conform to Literary Tradition Of The Tragic Hero?

Othello is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies entwined with death, hate and deceit. It tells the story of a well respected and admired war hero, who gradually through the play falls from grace. We are told how jealousy overcomes him so greatly that he murders his innocent lover, and how the resentful Iago seeks revenge on other characters in the play as he envies their positions of power and authority and uses lies, stealing and even murder to get revenge. Another theme explored in the play is racism. We know Othello has worked hard to overcome racial prejudices in society to reach such a point of great authority and respect, and this makes his story even more tragic because it wasn't as if all that power and status was just given to him. It was his life's work, it meant everything to him and then he lost it all. In literary tradition a tragic hero is a courageous person who has authority and power yet loses it all. The steps a tragic hero makes during his decline are entirely his own. Although influenced by another, the tragic hero always displays free will, and the decisions that lead to his demise are his own, which means that had he of been more careful his death could have been avoided. It was Othello's fault because of his lack of trust in Desdemona, which resulted in the destruction of them both. Tragic heroes do not necessarily need to die; however they do in all the plays written by Shakespeare. If they do live, then they are destined to suffer moral destruction and lose sense of what is right and wrong, blinded by their feelings and the suffering that they have experienced. It is crucial that a tragic hero possesses many good personality traits, even if he is a bad person and has evil intentions such as Macbeth, but they must all have one fatal flaw. Othello had both greatness and weakness. However Othello possessed too much greatness, and was too successful, noble and too proud and couldn't believe that he had ever been wrong. Once he lost his pride and dignity it was all over for him because he had nothing else. Othello is a successful soldier because he has overcome many dangers and is full of awe-inspiring stories of his courage, will- power, bravery and physical strength. He sounds completely dedicated to his work, and nothing seems to distract him from it as he is always completely focused on it. Every conversation he has he refers to it and we don't know that he has any other interests. Even his relationship is dominated by his work. Desdemona is captivated by his heroic stories and is full of admiration towards him; in a sense it is his status and the excitement of his amazing adventures that she has fallen in love with, not Othello himself: ‘She'd come again, and with a greedy ear Devour up my discourse.' Here Othello tells the nobles who have met to discuss battle plans, interrupted by Brabantio accusing Othello of using witchcraft to make Desdemona fall in love with him, that she started to fall in love with him when he told her the stories of the journeys he had made and the battles he had fought in. He describes her fascination with them. The word ‘greedy' suggests she was suffering from a desire to hear more and ‘devour' suggests that she was desperate to take as much of it in as possible. It could be said that the couple were always destined for sadness because they were not truly in love, just with each others' image: ‘She loved me for the dangers I and passed, And I loved her, that she did pity them' Othello is describing how he knew that she loved him for his experiences in life and courageous character, and that he loved her because she admired him so much. This is an example of how Othello is far too proud, as he loved her only because she was so full of praise for him. This makes me think that he won't be a very good husband as he is too self absorbed, and it sounds as if he is far more concerned about himself than with his wife. Maybe winning her heart was just another achievement to him. Iago is overcome with envy when Othello is sent on an urgent military mission in Cyprus and he does not receive the promotion that he was intently waiting for. Instead the position of Lieutenant is given to a young Florentine soldier Cassio. In anger Iago seeks revenge on them both for professional and personal reasons. His revenge on Othello is targeted through his relationship with his wife: he wants to make Othello feel pain and emotional upset, by convincing him that his wife is seeing Cassio behind his back and likes him above Othello, and he believes will achieve this. He knows that Othello is always used to being the one who everyone admires and looks up too and that he always gets what he wants, and always seems to win, whether in work or love. Iago wants him to feel as if there is someone better than him and that he isn't as good as he thinks he is. He plans to poison Othello against his innocent wife and frame Cassio by planting a handkerchief belonging to Desdemona in Cassio's bedchamber. Iago is fraught with jealousy as he feels that he has worked hard to achieve what he wants, putting in time and effort, yet it has been Othello who has been rewarded, through what seems like little effort and pure luck. Iago is an evil force because he is ruthlessly interfering with their relationship, something which has nothing to do with him and it isn't as if that will even make his situation any better or solve anything. It is pure revenge without any regard for their feelings. What is even worse is that during this he is acting as a friend to Othello, and it is far more painful to be struck by a friend than an enemy. Othello believes Iago is someone that he can trust and this is certainly not true. When Othello is told of Desdemona's adultery, he seems instantly convinced that it is true, which shows that he doesn't have much faith in her, or know her very well: ‘This fellows of exceeding honesty,' He seems completely decided about her immediately and believes Iago without question. We know that he does not believe Iago because of insecurity or low self-esteem, so Othello and Desdemona's relationship can never have been very good if he instantly believes Iago's word over her. He suddenly seems completely against her and starts to focus on how maybe people had tried to warn him against her, and the reasons that it wouldn't work out. He talks about both his race and age. Othello copes with this seemingly fatal blow by convincing himself that he hates Desdemona and she is a whore: ‘She's gone: I am abused, and my relief Must be to loathe her.' This puts a great deal of pressure on his pride, but to keep feeling good about himself Othello curses her, in a bid to convince himself that he is better off without her and deal with the situation. This actually shows him to have a very weak character despite his heroic image as he has to convince himself she is so terrible just to make himself feel good. In a way even at this point we could say that he is a tragic hero, as he does have some very apparent faults and we can foresee his demise. He has shown strength in body, but not in mind. Once he has been convinced of Desdemona's guilt, Othello believes that everyone is mocking him and laughing at him behind his back: ‘A fixed figure for the time of scorn'. He thinks that he has been made a fool, by Desdemona who he now sees as calculating and deceptive: ‘Patience, though young and rose lipped cherubin, Ay, there look grim as hell!' Here he is reflecting on the transformation that he feels Desdemona has made, from a pure, innocent heavenly creature of beauty to a fierce, evil, cunning whore. This is a contrast between good and evil, with the images of heaven and hell, which we could compare to the themes of good and evil in the play represented by Desdemona and Iago. The language at this time of the play moves very swiftly from positive to negative, as if we can feel the evil Iago has created gradually spreading everywhere. We can also see in the quote language which is very poetic, and a great use of metaphors such as how he refers to Desdemona as a ‘cherubin' as she seemed so good and innocent. This is unusual for Othello as earlier in the play he scorns his own use of poetic language: ‘I prattle out of fashion†¦' (act2scene1) Here he is referring to his speech to Desdemona after their arrival in Cyprus, and is admitting to himself that he is usually a far more plain speaker without fancy language or poetic phrases. This would suggest that either Desdemona brings out a different more romantic side in him, or that he is playing a role in front of her to convince them both that he is a perfect lover as well as soldier. Now by using this poetic style language, which he scorned before, to convey his anger the audience are struck by the feeling that he has been encompassed by some kind of change, and it signifies the success of Iago's plan. The final scene of Othello is constructed in such a way that speeches of dramatic eloquence are entwined with straightforward dialogue. Othello is now completely convinced that he must kill Desdemona, and he tries to justify himself by saying he is doing it for the good of other men. I think another flaw in Othello's character is that his work, fighting as a hero for his people and killing enemies, is so much a part of even his everyday life, that he has become blinded by jealousy and in a kind of madness is suggesting that killing Desdemona has to be done as part of his duty. What really makes him a tragic hero is that he had led himself to believe that what he is about to do is correct, yet he still loves her and so he is confused. Othello talks about what he is going to do as if it is something that has to be done, as if he is putting an animal out of its misery: ‘It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul:' He thinks that he is sacrificing her to an ideal rather than murdering her in vengeful hatred. A lot of emphasis is now placed on her beauty, especially the whiteness of her skin. Othello tells himself that he has to kill Desdemona, yet he does not want to ruin this beauty: ‘Yet I'll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow.' The whiteness of her skin described makes us think about her purity and innocence, and it is another contrast with colour, light things personifying goodness. This makes us think of the good and evil in the play again. He is trying to avoid marking her body as she is so pretty. Maybe he also does not want to damage her body because he is convinced that he is doing a good thing and helping her, and he doesn't think that it needs to be a violent slaughter just a quiet sacrifice. He no longer thinks about his anger, but just wants to do what he considers has to be done. By believing what he is about to do is the right thing Othello is following the typical ‘fall' of a tragic hero, acting on what he believes to be true and thinking that his actions are correct. Again we think of her purity and goodness when he talks about ‘putting out the light' which personifies her as a light in reference to her life. He also refers to her as a rose, which shows that he is keen to compare her to things that appear to be nice, maybe because we know that he stills appreciates her beauty, or maybe because he see's it as a disguise: ‘When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again.' This is a euphemism for death. From the second line we know that Othello realises what he is about to do is irreversible: the words ‘vital growth' mean that once he has plucked the rose (Desdemona) and taken her life, he cannot give it back again. This may show that he has given the murder some thought, but he certainly has not considered it rationally or thought about the consequences of his actions. It think that the way Othello is now using metaphors to describe everything it proves that he is not thinking clearly and that he is caught up in some kind of obsession, quite apart from reality. By never referring to it directly, it makes us think he is not looking at the whole situation in a sensible or wise way. By kissing Desdemona one last time, Othello shows that he is still drawn to her and loves her, yet he doesn't want to believe it. It builds up a lot of tension for the audience because right until the last moment we are still wondering if he will reconsider and change his mind, as it is obvious there is still love there. He wants to remember her the way she was when he was in love with her, charming and beautiful and not betraying or cheating on him. It is obvious that he values perfection, and he would rather her be dead and beautiful than alive and hurting him and causing trouble. During this part of the play Othello has been so taken over by evil that, as an audience, we start to hate him and feel anger at his violence, jealousy and severe misjudgement of his wife. I think also we can recognise a certain naivety within his character, for trusting someone's word enough to kill the person he cares for most in the world. In the final few minutes of the play when Othello is confronted with the reality of what he has done by the other men, he is full of remorse and can see that he has made a terrible mistake. He tries to remind them of the man of greatness that he once was: ‘I have done the state some service and they know't' Here he is remembering how noble he used to be and he is reminding them of what he has done for them all in his heroic past. Maybe he is also trying to reassure himself that he has been a good person in his life before now, and of the good things that he has achieved. He asks the men there to speak of him how he really is, and to talk about his behaviour the way it was: ‘Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.' He is asking them not to excuse his actions, but not to talk of him brutally either. He wants them to tell the truth as they see or believe it, and to think about his reasons. This shows that he is trying to keep some dignity and that he values honesty in people, which suggests that still he is a good person. He describes himself as a person that does not usually get jealous, but was ‘wrought' with it, and ‘perplexed in the extreme'. Again he uses poetic language to express how he feels: ‘Like the base Indian threw a pearl away'. Here he is using another metaphor, this time to describe how he just threw Desdemona's life away and destroyed her, and how he was unaware of her true value and ignorant about the special person that she was. In the end all tragic heroes come to terms with what they have done, and realise that they have made terrible mistakes and have been acting without reason but on their emotions. Othello then takes the decision to end his own life, as he feels that he has been reduced to nothing and has lost everything he ever worked for. He has completely fallen from grace and meets the stereotyped image of a tragic hero perfectly as he goes from courageous hero to the disgraceful position of a murderer. He talks about himself as two people: ‘Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk, Beat a Venetian and traduced the state' He sees himself as both an honourable soldier and a murderous lover, but he doesn't want to live as what he has been reduced to. He can't live with himself after realising what he has done and the full extent of his actions. He may kill himself because he feels that he deserves it for doing such a think, but I also think that his dignity plays a big part as he wants to retain some of that and his pride. He refers to himself as a ‘Turk' in this passage, which of course his is, but he has always been recognised as part of the Venetian society, and never referred to as that. He is trying to make the point that he is their servant and enemy and will never truly be one of them because of his colour. By this we can tell that he truly has lost all his pride and self assurance, as he never made any statements about this before and always believed in himself and that he could succeed. It has all been the simple emotion of jealousy inside him that has caused the deaths of an innocent woman, a brave and noble man and a passionate love affair. I think that Othello is a true tragic hero because he goes from such a height of greatness to such shame and disgrace. He loses everything. He clearly makes his own decisions, even though he is greatly influenced by Iago. Then at the end of the play he recognises his mistakes and sees his fatal flaw: that he was too trusting of Iago and that jealousy blinded his love, and led him to become what he has. His character has changed – from the beginning of the play, where he is confident, proud and well-respected – to the end when he is remorseful, full of shame and looked down on in disgrace. However he has remained determined all the time to do what he believes, and has always been honest even though people haven't been with him. The play evokes feelings of frustration and sadness: frustration at the ignorance of Othello about the characters around him, and sadness at the cost of his actions, and loss of an innocent life. Othello is completely in the tradition of a literary tragic hero and dies a victim of his own making.

Discovery Creative Essay

He sat lazily on the cold ceramic tiles of his bedroom, resting his back against the rigid wooden framework of his single bed. With legs outstretched, chest gently dipping up and down and his forehead submissively being supported by his fingertips, Jonas Schmidt reminisced upon the caring and affectionate figure of his father. He reflected upon their journey; a collage of memories flashed through his mind- from the struggle in fleeing Germany and the rise of Nazi power, to the hardships in attaining full Australian citizenship. Seeking refuge in Australia had eventually brought them peace- the beauty of the natural landscape, morphed with the laid-back and generous attitudes of their local community had endowed them with a new life. Together they were ready for a fresh start- until war broke out in 1939. The bloody war. The god-forsaken war. All that remained sat idly in his lap, symbolising the remnants of his father. Slowly, Jonas opened the box; he penetrated into what seemed to be the past, and lifted out the first piece of history – his father’s military uniform. Harold Schmidt wandered into the mess tent of the army base, eager to fit in with the energetic cluster of young Australian men. As he pealed back the doors of the tent, a cacophony of excited noises filled the atmosphere. Thunderous laughter resonated through the room, as men told stories of their past conquests. The clink of mugs echoed, as they acknowledged each other and proceeded to down copious amounts of alcohol. The majority of the men, dressed in the same military uniform as his own, were of the traditional background- broad shoulders, bushy hair and cheesy grins. Ecstatic faces lit up the tent, reminding Harold of the same emotion displayed by his son when they were together. Nervously, he walked up to a group of them, craving to experience the sense of mateship, understanding and acceptance that seemingly emanated from their discussions. Yet at the same time, he was fearful to discover the contrary. â€Å"Hey mate, pull up a chair and join us†, slurred one of the men at the table. â€Å"What’s ya name mate?† â€Å"Er†¦Harold. Harold Smith†, mumbled Harold nervously, not wishing to reveal his German background. The members of the circle eyed  him suspiciously; noticing his distinct physical differences and outlandish accent. â€Å"So where ya from?† â€Å"Brisbane†, he lied. The ring of uniforms erupted into laughter. â€Å"Ah mate, don’t worry, there’s no need to lie about anything here†¦right? We’re all friends.† He indicated around the circle: â€Å"Well that’s Buffer, Swarley, Bomber, Richie and Dougie- we’re all mates from before. Oh, and they call me Shelley, after the missus.† Another round of laughter shook the table. â€Å"Anyway, welcome to the gang†, he said. â€Å"We’ll look after you†. Shelley extended his hand forward.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"This is going to be alright†, thought Harold, as he shook the warm and assuring hand of the Australian. Suddenly, the alarm signalled to direct the soldiers to prepare to move out. â€Å"Alright lads!†, yelled Shelley, as they all stood up to leave. â€Å"Let’s kill the flamin’ Jerry and send ‘em back to where they came from!† Harold instantly gulped at the prospect of killing his own kind. Sweat saturated his uniform, as he reluctantly marched out of the tent. Jonas retreated from his dream-like state, pondering the reality of the hallucination. Solemnly, he laid the uniform down on the bed with respect. Suddenly, a flash of metal penetrated his eyes, as a crack of light from behind the curtains illuminated the jagged edges of his father’s war medals. Jonas clutched the remnants of his father firmly in his hand; once again returning to the illusory world†¦ As the lights dimmed, Harold stood apart from his platoon. Rising to the rank of First-Lieutenant, he had almost complete command over a number of his fellow soldiers, including his new-found friends. Despite regretting each time he shot an enemy German, Harold had caught the attention of his superiors. However, it was a completely different story amongst his own people. Even at this military celebration, Harold could feel the cynical gaze of the soldiers infiltrating into his inner being. Buffer, Bomber and Dougie deliberately avoided eye-contact with him. Swarley and Richie refused  to sit next to him at the table. Even Shelley eyed him apprehensively; tension developed exponentially between the two former friends. Thus, Harold stood distantly from the group. â€Å"Maybe it’s because I’m an officer now†, he thought. â€Å"Or maybe it’s because they are jealous at my medals. They may have even discovered that I am German-born.† Nevertheless, Haro ld sobbed deeply. He felt lonely. Cursed. Like an outsider. Once again, Jonas withdrew from the vision; his eyes moist, as he expressed sympathy for his father. Delicately, he positioned the medals on top of the chest pocket of the uniform, before reaching into the box once more. His hand brushed the cold crisp metal of the 6-round revolver – the standard-issue side-arm for all officers. His mind drifted away yet again†¦ â€Å"So you’re telling me you’re one of them!†, yelled Shelley, as he stood just centimetres from Harold’s face. Trust. Companionship. Expectations. All broken from the discovery of one word. â€Å"Get off me! That’s an order!† cried Harold, as he clumsily tried to free himself of the fierce headlock that Buffer and Bomber had on him. â€Å"You’ll be court marshalled for subordination!!† â€Å"Does it look like I give a damn? We’re all bloody fighting alongside a Jerry! One of THEM! The same animals that were shootin’ at us ‘bout a minute ago!† â€Å"I’m not one of them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Shut up! You’re not one of us! You don’t belong here!† With that, Shelley lunged forward and grabbed Harold’s revolver from the holster; muted sounds amalgamated with blurred images as a flurry of action erupted. Jonas jerked ferociously from his revelation; perspiration seeped tentatively down his neck and onto his shirt. He was almost hyperventilating now, as he endeavoured to eradicate the graphic imagery from his mind. Suddenly, the doorbell chimed. Shocked by the abrupt disturbance, he swivelled around to face the doorway. Through the translucent glass, Jonas made out the silhouette of a male figure- standing upright, proud and tall. As his mother unlocked the door, he witnessed a look of disbelief emanate from her face. â€Å"Could it be†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Jonas muttered to himself, as his heart continued to race. The door opened, bringing with it†¦ †¦ a new hope.