The Theme of the Developed Racism in the Play - Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare

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Othello is a black man who is introduced and referred to in the play as a derogatory name like the Moor. This reference is a person of Arabic decent living in North Africa who is of a Muslim religion and who is of an uncultured, crude, coarse, and cruel background. In other words a Moor is an unintelligible and barbaric person. But, this is where the mystery begins with this ugly word. Shakespeare expresses this man to be more than just a Moor; he is an honest, noble, and fair Moor. This terminology can easily confuse your thoughts as to determine if indeed there is racism present or not. But do not be swayed by the two because either it is there or it is not.

First of all I will say that racism immediately entered the play from the beginning. It started after Iago was passed up for a promotion in the Venetian military by his superior, Othello. After this action Iago expressed how he hated him to Roderigo for his decision. This is where the fire was fueled and the blaze became racist. Iago did not have a honest or fair reason to hate Othello so he first used Roderigo's lust for Desdemona who has just secretly became Othello's fair Venetian wife. This news ignited anger within Roderigo which caused the first of a series of racist remarks made throughout the play. He stated "What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe." (Act I, Scene I, Verse 66) His indication of thick-lips obviously states to me that there was something different of them and he whom they hated. You would think it was something that was wrong and flaw filled.

Secondly, the two then go to Desdemona's father Brabantio on that very same night to notify him of the marriage that occurred behind his back. Awaking him and asking him if everyone was in his house the two suggest that he does not know what is going on within his house and of his blood. Iago with the help of Roderigo get Brabantio in panic by saying things such as "Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul. Even now, now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe." (Act I, Scene I, Verse 87-89) To me this proclamation communicates to Brabantio that he has just lost his daughter and that Othello the black ram was taking advantage of her. Iago then submits Othello as "the Devil." (Act I, Scene I, Verse 91) This would probably have any father thinking the worst of the man who has taking the hand of his daughter. "Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs." (Act I, Scene I, Verse 115-116) Iago's citation surely put across an obvious message that he hated Othello for personal political reasoning but also and maybe more strongly so because of his ethnicity. He was clearly racist and was in no doubt using his own personal racism to corrupt and manipulate the feelings of others.

Eventually, Iago influenced different characters to act on their emotions by trusting in his open love or hidden hate for the honest and noble Moor Othello. He show many faces such as hatred, jealousy, and the over bearing of the two was his racism for the fellow that many considered to be so noble. Anything to see to his demise, I believe was the true and final goal that Iago had for Othello. He hated him just for existing, in his authority, in his standing, in his country, or even in his world. This hatred so strongly that he would pretend to love him to see his termination in the place where he did not belong. The racism all the way through this play conveys that at any cost it will try to consume everything around it, and no one is excluded when this hatred such as racism takes its place in a life and tries to feed or spread and grow until everything and anything in its path is destroyed.

Shakespeare illustrates to the audience how the one theme goes through a metamorphosis in order to unveil something stronger and more dangerous is lurking in the dark hidden areas of this society. This theme follows through to the end of the play when even after the bloodshed of some of the characters Iago still would rather hold his tongue than to give justification of even soothe the curiosity of the very people who had fallen victim of his malicious and detesting acts. (Act V, Scene 2, Verse 303)

In closing, I will say that this play has shown me how resourceful hatred can be and how it will grow and consume more than it is fed. It also demonstrates how someone like a noble and honest Moor Othello could simply be prey to a falsely portrayed honest Iago with a heart that survives on jealousy, hate, and racism. Be careful about who and what you believe it very well may be the unknown battle of good versus evil. Sometimes what you see is what you get and other times it may not show up in black and white but there may always be the possibility of blood red.

Trilogy Moments For The Mind, Body, And Soul - By The Spence Family

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I have read the Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul, written by Joseph S Spence, Sheila M. Parish-Spence, and Johnathan Clarence Parish-Spence, and I was truly blessed be the content of this book. It was so good to see this family of poets coming together to produce this masterpiece, which the world can enjoy.
I loved the prayers for life events, and will surely use them whenever the need arises. The poems are beautiful and very practical, and the daily devotions are well suited to everyday life.

I love Nature, and truly enjoyed the Haiku poems written in this section "The Seasons of Beauty" to commemorate it. The section on "Reflections of Travel", was extremely interesting, and very informative to me, as I love to travel, but have never visited any of the places that are written about here, so I truly appreciated it. The "love and Romance" pages are just what I needed to read at this Valentine time. Family is very important to me and we should always feel free to let loved ones know how we feel about them as we learned here in the section about family's relationships.

The Epulaeryu poems that are written in Joseph's own form has a unique style, and are always a fascinating and "delicious" read.

All in All, this is a book that should be on every Poetry lover's shelves. I would recommend this book to everyone who needs a blessing in their lives. I got mine while reading this awesome Trilogy and you can get yours too!

Questions in the Balance, Author: Christopher W Boyden

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While reading Questions in the Balance by Christopher W. Boyden, it became abundantly clear why he has won so many awards and accolades for his published poetry. His work exemplifies classic poetry; bringing together the key elements of an articulate choice of words, wonderful imagery, and existentialism in philosophy and originality within structure; all masterfully put to mostly a sharp iambic pentameter foot. Moreover, Christopher W. Boyden transcends the age barrier; meaning his poems are as interesting to an adult as much as to a child. He shows respect for readers of all ages, as all can comprehend the revealed mature concepts while being entertained by the rhythm of the structural elements.

Questions in the Balance represents 73 original poems, indexed by subject, in Christopher W. Boyden's first published collection. He categorized his work by topics such as: Nature, love and romance, answers to the questions of thought, heaven, and our future as human beings. Although not laden with theological overtones, his beliefs are Christian and have references to God and the belief of creation and eternal life. Christopher W. Boyden candidly reveals his inner personal thoughts, often dedicating a poem to a deceased loved one such as his grandmother or his brother that died too early; in fact there is one poem written about his deceased dog going to "Dog heaven."

What I felt from his poetry was his gentlemanly respect for all of his readers, and his intrinsic enjoyment of writing poetry. Unlike some poets whose ego personifies arrogance by breaking all established rules of poetry, Christopher W. Boyden "plays within the rules" of established poetic prose, and thusly commands the respect for his ingenious wordsmithing of English. He enables his words to dance off the pages into the reader's mind. As I have learned some of his poems have been scored to music, one can see the beautiful imagery and chivalry he portrays as being within a class of writing analogous to masters who come to my mind such as Robert Frost, James Joyce or even Ogden Nash.

Questions in the Balance is an ideal gift book to give to anyone for any occasion, or to keep for your own home library so your friends and family can enjoy over and over. It is a book that can be picked up, read, and then placed down until a future time; as each poem is merely a page or two in length. After reading this book from cover to cover, I did something I don't often do ~ I read it all again. After all, with so many of my own memories being triggered by Christopher W. Boyden's lovely writing, how could I resist an encore performance of such cerebral stimulation?

Reviewed by: Gary R. Sorkin

Gary R. Sorkin is the Senior Editor for Pacific Book Review. Please visit Pacific Book Review at: http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

My Love For "The Awakened One Poetics"

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I received this book in the mail, and excitedly I delved into it, in anticipation of the good meal that I have come to expect from Joseph Spence Sr, the Epulaeryu Master.

I have read and enjoyed this, "The Awakened One Poetics" so much so, that it has awakened my love for the Haiku form of poetry, that was laying dormant within me. This book has shown me inspirational Haiku in a new light, and with all the translations, it has made this a pleasure to read. These poems are translated into Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Chinese, some in French and Arabic. This made it such an interesting read, then on top of all of that I got a taste of the Jameikan Patwa, which I thoroughly enjoyed, as I read and re-read each verse, trying to sound Jamaican.

I came in hoping to see some good Epulaeryu poetry, and I was not disappointed, as Joseph filled us, and tantalized our senses with his tasty and enjoyable dishes written in his own created style.

Another highlight of this lovely book, is the art work that is scattered throughout the pages, making this book complete in every way.

At the end of the book, Joseph gave us another treat with his Jamaican Delight of "Dumplings with ackee and salt fish, A dish you don't want to miss," since I'm from the Caribbean, I could relate to a lot of the things stated here, and I was smiling from beginning to end.

I will smile at the world, because who I am, makes a difference, and would enlighten others. Thanks Joseph!

Red Oleanders by Tagore: A Discussion in Symbolism

The Red Oleanders of Tagore at once stands out as a major milestone in the career of the modern Bengali drama; impregnated with a deep, sustained symbolism, the drama abjures the more mundane dialect of conversational prose, and speaks in a language charged with poetry and mysticism, a language that invariably matches the deep ecstatic nature of the message of the drama... Ranjan and Nandini have that great elusive duality which make them at once our comrades and yet transcendental beings... The duo belongs not so much to the world of flesh and blood as to the realm of symbolism - allegorical illustrations of Tagore's vision... Nandini, the protagonist of the play is a remarkable innovation, who trudges across the stage as freely as air. She has a most elemental vitality which she owes to another self and stands as an idealized emblem of love and its reassuring virtues-youth, spring inspiration and revolution. Ranjan and Nandini do not have strict separate identities, although Ranjan is the thematic abstract ideal of freedom through bondage and Nandini is the grand priestess, who helps us achieve the goal by breathing love into us.

The Red Oleanders contains a plethora of symbolism interpenetrating one another... Though Tagore was not obviously intending the play to be a socialist manifesto, industry, capitalization and the co-related exploitation of labor find footages in the play. At the heart of the play, lies the class struggle. The arbiters of Yaksha town ruthlessly set out to exploit nature and common man, have a most spiritual nexus between them, but now their very life and soul are at stake under the deep mass of mechanized civilization. The quiet rural existence in the bosom of nature now looks like an embarrassing relic of an older life style in collision with the nature, which is now threatened by the devouring menace of the king and his associates. The king ransacks nature and rifles its bowels with an eccentric frenzy... He has the most deadly touch which tortures everything to destruction and sucks out the life sap of everybody so as to leave them in the state - "life in death and death in life". Nandini, the fresh flow of life radicalizes a spiritual glow of freedom, which naturally frightens the king whose cells of mind are closed. The king is both afraid and attracted by Nandini and her Red Oleanders for they are the token of love, liberty and the coming change.

Nandini, the great emissary of nature, is the sweet heart of Ranjan, very appropriately, even in terms of symbolism. If Ranjan stands for the message of liberty, (Irresponsible in its approach, because he is likened to the wind) then Nandini is the great spirit of love in nature and hence the votary of alter eyes of Ranjan... She is an incarnation of nature with those garlands of red oleanders. The oleanders are read, because they emit love and liberty and liberty must be hatched through a most impersonal kind of love. Ranjan wisely gave the red oleanders to Nandini, love because, as an passion has red for its natural color and red looks forward to revolution.

The Yaksha town is a lucid illustration of the chain of bondage... The capitalist industry makes an attack upon the innocent helpless people from the first retiring villages and compelled them to a huddled existence in the industrial slums and shanties. Divorced from the domestic, pleasure and freedom, these ill-fated laborers forfeit their humanity by dredging all day long in the dark prison houses symbolized by the mines. Victims of the capitalist greed, these men are reduced to mere 41v numbers-or 69ng. They thus wear badges of abject slavery. Their tears invite Ranjan and Nandini into the scene. The drunken eyes and drooping heads of such hapless creatures like Bishu, Chandra, Phagulal and others receives a thrust of rejuvenation at the appearance of Nandini into the scene. She is a soul who contains in her the life forces-softness and indomitable willpower, love and fearlessness, girlish enthusiasm and matronly wisdom. She touches everything back to life... As her name warrants, she is the very quintessence of the aesthetic pleasure in man, destined to enthrall everybody. Bishu can go mad for her. The most choric professor shakes off his abstract impersonality and sings refrains of love... Even the dehumanized Sardar cannot escape her attraction, although like Gossains, his passion is of a different nature. Because of her poor comprehension of the other characters, she is often misunderstood in her vacation.

Chandra mistakes her as a libertine, for messages of change are not always well received. We are afraid of change sometimes, even when we need it, because it tends to lead us into regions of uncertainty, to which we are not used to... Our pettiness stands in the way of proper understanding, juts as Chandra's jealousy blinded her vision temporarily.

The height of Nandini's conquest is when after the splendid encounter with the king, she succeeds in transforming the self. But symbolically again it is not before his blindness snatched a great price-the herald of youth love and spring is killed by his own hands out of ignorance. Nandini takes up the unfinished work of Ranjan and carries on the torch of change with the belief that Ranjan can't die, though it is a great regression. Of course Ranjan ceases to be a man anymore here in this sense, just as Nandini, remains as a becoming star to guide us through the civilizational ups and downs.

Shel Silverstein - Outstanding Poet

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Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. He began writing poetry when he was young. He was not familiar with the work of any famous poets, so he invented his own style. This turned out to be a good thing, because style is one of the most distinctive things about Shel's poetry.

Although he was best known for writing children's literature, Shel was creative in many ways. He began his career in the arts as a cartoonist. He also was a talented singer, songwriter, composer, and illustrator. In fact, Shel illustrated all of his children's books himself. This is one reason the pictures seem to accompany the poetry so perfectly.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, first published in 1984, is one of the most beloved children's books of all time. But what makes Shel's poetry so timeless and popular? His poems are often hilarious, and young people love Shel's type of humor.

In one poem, he told the story of a girl who refused to take out the garbage. It piled up higher and higher until it finally threatened to take over the town. Many kids have experienced the feeling of not wanting to do a chore. They love how out of control the author let the situation get because they know that it would never happen that way in real life.

In another popular poem, a girl pretends to be sick so that she will not have to attend school. Shel made fun of the situation by having the character exaggerate her symptoms to the point where they became ridiculous. The punch line of the poem occurs at the end. The girl discovers that it is Saturday, and she would not have had to go to school anyway.

Shel also liked to play with language in his poetry. He often used elements like alliteration in his work. Alliteration is the use of words that begin with the same sounds. In the poem about the girl who refused to take out the garbage, the character's name is Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout. This type of alliteration can make poetry fun to read aloud. Shel's poems also often rhymed and had a good rhythm, two more elements that make his work easy and interesting to read.

In 1999, Shel Silverstein died in his home in Key West, Florida. Children and adults will miss his quirky humor and incredible imagination. But a bit of Shel Silverstein is captured in his work, which will live on and bring joy to children for many generations to come.

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The Thematic Analysis of The Poem "Do-Gooders" By Olu Obafemi

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The poem titled DO-GOODERS was written by Olu Obafemi to portray the weaknesses and atrocities of the religionists who instead of being the last hope of a common man are threats to people's life. He tries to condemn the attitudes of the religionists who are using their position as a man or messenger of God to blindfold the people and exploit them. They use their position to tell people lies and demand exorbitantly from them; they deny them their belongings and turn those wretched (lines 14-17).

The central theme of the poem is CONDEMNATION. Olu Obafemi tries to expose what is happening in our present environment where people dabbled into church, mosque or palm grooves only to save themselves from the escalating unemployment problem. When the people eventually discover these anomalies of the people of God, they tend to be aggressive. This has led to desertion of many churches, many mosques have been damned and some grooves are no more in existence (lines 10-13)

The poet shows his anger or agony when he said that Horror begets horror, to nullify horror, meaning that whenever these type of people are caught, they must be dealt with without an iota of mercy, just as thieves, tied to the stakes, and set on fire (lines 18 and 19). He emphasized that pity should not be allowed to come in because they have destroyed many lives already; many have been turned to wretched beings, with bloated stomach, smelling like the stinking gutters and sucked thin (lines 1-5).

The poet ended it by lamenting saying, Woe be on them, who cheat in the name of God, even an unending woe.

POETIC DEVICES IN THE POEM

Let's examine jus two (2): Poetic License and the figures of speech used in the poem.
Language used (Poetic License)

Poetic license is the permission given to a poet to use unconventional language i.e. free to use language in whatever way it pleases him in order to achieve his desires. He can violate the grammaticality of language.

They include in this poem the following:

1. Bloated - swollen in an unpleasant way (line 1)
2. Hoot - funny situation of a person/short loud laugh of a person (line 5)
3. Flatulent - sound important in the way that exaggerate truth (line 9)
4. Damnable - bad or annoying (line 12)
5. Stakes - host on which somebody to be burnt is first tie (line 18)
6. Wretched - extremely bad or unpleasant (line 13)
7. Flakes - small pieces of something larger
8. Blazed - mount brightly and strongly
9. Do-gooders: those who do good/believed to be doing good

Figures of Speech

Expressions used to polish any piece of writing and to embellish it in a poetic ornament so as to make it elaborate, vivid, picturesque and interesting (Roy Omoni)

1. Assonance:
Line 1: bloated stomachs
Line 7: horror begets horror
Line 19: blazed in flames and flakes

2. Consonance:
Line 7: horror begets horror
Line 19: blazed in flames and flakes

3. Alliteration:
Line 4: of sprawling skeletons
Line 7: horror begets horror
Line 19: blazed in flames and flakes

4. Repetition:
Line 7 & 8: horror begets horror to nullify horror

5. Rhyme:
Line 18 & 19: must be tied to stakes
blazed in flames and flakes

6. Enjambment:
Line 7 & 8: horror begets horror to nullify horror
Line 3 & 4: the naked ribs of sprawling skeletons