Relation between jew of malta and merchant of venice Essay Example for Free

Relation between jew of malta and merchant of venice Essay The two novels, Christopher Marlowe’s ‘The Jew of Malta’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’, the main characters are Jews, a characteristic that makes the comparison of the books easier. However, the way the characters are presented has made the two stories have deep and active anti-Semitic notions and messages. Right from the beginning of the play, we can see some clear negative stereotypes towards Jews. Barabbas is undoubtedly portrayed as a man who loves money to an extent that he seems addicted to them. In the opening, we see a merchant, counting his money with passion, and later on complaining about not having made enough by his recent business activities. Marlowe straightly defines his whole character and attitude by this portrayal, showing us that Barabbas is nothing more than a greedy Jew. As the story progresses and the plot unfolds, the character of Barabbas also unfolds, showing us how he doesn’t even hesitate doing unethical and heartless things just so that he can protect himself from losing money. When his wealth is taken away, after he refuses to give half of it like the other Jews did, he unleashes his ruthless effort to regain his wealth. He doesn’t hesitate using his daughter to retrieve the gold and jewels he has hidden in his house, and it is meaningful to see how he reacts after Abigail throws him the bags of gold out of the window and he embraces them while ignoring his own daughter. Although this is not the only example of how he puts money over more important things, the fact that he seems to place money above Abigail, his own daughter, shows his general attitude. But of course it doesn’t stop there, as apart from his avaricious self, he has to quench his thirst for revenge and execute his plan for retaliation. His plan consists mainly of taking revenge from the man who took away the most precious thing he has, his wealth. That man of course is Ferneze, the governor of Malta. So, Barabbas decides to kill Ferneze’s son, Lodowick, that way taking the revenge he so passionately seeks. Once again he uses his own daughter as decoy, to execute his plan, showing that she has mainly a functional purpose for him. After he completes his plan and kills not only Lodowick but also Mathias, the man that his daughter loves, he feels betrayed by his daughter, as she converts to Christianity. I believe that this is where the insanity and sickness of Barabbas reaches a peak. He is determined to kill his own daughter, because he feels that she disrespects her family’s name. The epilogue to this madness comes when finally Barabbas gets killed by his own evil plots. In the end of the story we can easily identify the negative characteristics that Barabbas has, which are also strongly connected to the fact that he is Jewish. His elitist nature, his illogical actions that are all driven by his avarice, and his lack of sentiments towards other people, make him fit ideally the stereotypes of Jews that existed at the time. So, every single part of his hateful and insane being, is justified by the fact that he is Jewish, and thus it is natural that he is unstable and inferior to Christians. The next example of anti-Semitic portrayals comes from ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The main character, Shylock is portrayed as a greedy Jewish moneylender that is just like Barabbas, when it comes to hate towards Christians and other people in general. He is also a heartless man, not feeling pity for anyone, showing a rather sadistic nature. The hate he feels for Antonio is so immense that makes us question to what extent he is actually rational at all. Throughout the development of the plot he seems to hold so many negative values that it is impossible not to make a connection between his character and the fact that he is a Jew. Just like Marlowe, Shakespeare makes the fact that he is Jewish the root of all evil, as from that very fact all the other negative traits arise. As Bloom mentions in his essay, Shylock is a walking nightmare, and that should be the only way that anyone portrays him. As we can see from his speeches, he clearly has a great love for his wealth and he is not jeopardizing his financial position for any reason. It is not a coincidence that when Jessica runs away with his money, he mostly worries about his wealth and not so much about his daughter. Also, the fact that Jessica had to run away shows that Shylock is far from an ideal father. His speeches also show that he has an extremely negative attitude towards Christians that he justifies as the retaliation for all the anti-Semitism he has faced. He seems very resentful towards the people that have acted in a bad way towards him and as I mentioned earlier, especially Antonio. So, his actions are mainly driven by his rage and what he thinks as retribution. By the portrayal of Barabbas and Shylock, a logical question approaches. Are the two writers inspired and influenced by racism and the anti-Semitic ideas of their time? In ‘The Jew of Malta’ it is hard not to recognize all the negative Jewish stereotypes presented in the form of a very unappealing character, Barabbas. Barabbas is not just an unethical and evil man, he is the typical money-loving Jew, with all the disgusting characteristics that the racist society of the two writers has attributed to Jews. Such a racist society had created all these negative stereotyping for Jews, making them seem like greedy monsters. So I find it impossible that Marlowe as an author hasn’t been affected and influenced by the stereotypes of his time. That is mainly because in societies that racism towards a specific religion is so acceptable, there is very high tolerance for reproduction of such ideas and thus such a portrayal would not arise any questions or hate. Such situation reminds me of what happens with many fictional evil characters like the devil. I doubt that even a single reader would object if a writer attributed evil characteristics to the devil! Although it may seem like an oversimplified example, I believe it captures the very essence of the attitude of people at the time. That is, because the society had condemned Jews of being the cause of everything bad. Such portrayals are very similar to what Carl Marx has written hundreds of years later, describing Jews as mere worshipers of money. Although in our days the Jew of Malta can be viewed as a cynical work, I seriously doubt that Marlowe has such an intention, as he characterized it atragedy. Â  It is clear to me that no matter how anti-Semitism is viewed today after many important events like the Holocaust, the play was influenced by a lot of religious racism and prejudice, and Barabbas’ characteristics were nothing but the actual portrayal of ‘evil Jews’ as the English at the time viewed them. Consequently, Barabbas seems like the epitome of a real ‘Jew’, the epitome of evil, greed and lack of conscience. The case is similar in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, as Shylock is also portrayed like a perfect example of a Jew, as stereotyped in the Elizabethan times. I personally feel that Shakespeare was also influenced by the general anti-Semitic environment he lived in. Although a verdict of whether he was actually racist in his story is hard to be reached, I find it impossible that a play meant for Christians would not follow the trends of the time. The examples in the story are numerous and clear, straightforwardly proving the position of the Jews. From the fact that the Jews are presented the way they are, up to the point that they are forced to convert to Christianity or give up a part of their wealth, it is evident how negative the Jewish religion was as a characteristic. The fact that it was the same thing for the government to gain wealth and convert a Jew, show the deep-rooted hatred against this religious group, and the fact that Christians simply wanted to get rid of them as they viewed them like parasites. Such sort of treatment reminds us, newer generations, of the Nazis and their monstrous acts but at the time of the original play, as aforementioned, racism was perfectly fine! Nevertheless, Shakespeare does act in a racist way, if we assume that a writer is judged by what he actually writes. I would strongly doubt that Shakespeare intended to make his play anything similar to a parody or a criticism of stereotypes, and I believe that he expresses what he purely thinks. As we have seen from the two plays, the Jewish protagonists, Barabbas and Shylock have a very negative and unethical personality. Their vile and evil acts, paired with their appalling characters, seem to be the actual description of a negative stereotype towards the Jews. Although it may seem ambiguous whether these portrayals are actual and literal or simply ironic, it is clear to me that the answer is simple. The two authors have no intention at all of criticizing racism and simply portray Jews just as a normal Elizabethan would. So, the two stories, although politically incorrect and really prejudiced, are the result of truthful portrayals and honest approaches of the description of characters with a Jewish religion. No matter how wrong and inaccurate, these descriptions were made with complete seriousness by writers living in an environment were such sort of prejudice was rooted from many years ago and continued to bloom.

The Impact of Insulin and Sugar Level on Weight Problems Essay

The Impact of Insulin and Sugar Level on Weight Problems Ohio State University’s medical and nutritional specialists, Steven R. Hertzler and Yeonsoo Kim, performed an experiment on two the main causes which contribute to overweight and obesity. In their experiment, the scientists have used the main causes for statistical and graphical collection of data for observation of different diets which people use in hopes of losing weight with little effort and little time. One of the most popular diets that emphasize this is the Atkins’ diet. Losing weight through the Atkins diet can be achieved in a short amount of time without the need for exercise. Patients under the Atkin’s diet needed to consume foods that are high in fat and protein such as cheeses, hamburgers, bacon and heavy creams. Diets that require a short amount of time and effort to lose weight guarantee the reduction of health risks among the main causes. Even though diets that require a short amount of time and energy to lose weight guaranteeing the reduction of potential health risk form the main causes, it is the understanding the positive and negative aspects of these main causes that would help understand the need for the proper nutrition intake and exercise that someone would need in order to achieve a healthy weight loss, which requires an extended period of time rather than a short amount of time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main causes of obesity and overweight is the sugar level. The sugar level is the amount of sugar concentration within the bloodstream of the body. Sugar is a substance that is consumed from food. The sugar from the food is broken down by the body in order to give energy for the body to function. The energ... ... within the blood cells can cause type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is when there is too much sugar within the bloodstream that it is often expelled from the body in sweat and human excrete. Consuming foods with too much sugar can also be dangerous. All diets are accompanied by benefits and disadvantages. It is of utmost importance to determine the impact of dieting on the body, particularly with how the diet effects the sugar and insulin levels. The Atkins Diet is beneficial in that blood sugar levels are generally kept lower due to decreased carbohydrate and sugar consumption. However, eliminating all carbohydrate and sugar intake can be dangerous. Both the levels of sugar and insulin are very important within the body and a proper carbohydrate intake will ensure that these levels are kept within limits necessary to promote optimum functioning.

Advertising’s 15 Basic Appeals Essay

Fowles has written other books on the effects of media on society such as â€Å"Advertising and Popular Culture† published in 1996. He is also a researcher, publisher, and professor in media. â€Å"Advertising’s† has also appeared in â€Å"Mass Advertising as Social Forecast† by Jib Fowles. From the title, you can expect that this essay will explore the reasoning behind advertisements and why people like them. It is an appropriate title because Fowles breaks down each â€Å"appeal† he lists and explains why it is used to draw in audiences. This essay’s focus is about the techniques that advertisers use to appeal to audiences. Fowles got his ideas about the appeals from studying advertisements and using interviews by Henry A. Murray, a Harvard professor. Fowles separates the appeals into 15 parts and gives details on how each is used and how often. His purpose it to inform advertising, marketing and media students, and also other educators on how to us ads to appeal to the public. Also, he wanted to inform the general public on how they are being influenced. The target audience is mainly students who are studying media. Fowles does a good and effective job of getting his point across. His goal is to educate students and he does that well. His information is organized well, which makes the essay easy to understand. He uses a lot of details and examples to back up his points. Finally, Fowles ends his analysis by explaining to the reader how to look at ads for the things he wrote about. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† is a good resource for any student interested in learning more about the media. When looking at â€Å"Advertising’s† by Jib Fowles, the reader can easily see what each of his appeals is. He gives each appeal in a number list and describes each appeal in that list. This way of presenting information makes it very easy for the reader. Someone can simply pick and choose what parts of advertising appeals he or she would like to explore and find it right away. The good organization is a positive aspect of the writing as well as how thorough Fowles is. â€Å"Advertising’s† can be seen as a good resource because it is very detailed.  With each appeal there is a description with examples or background provided. One appeal is the need for autonomy. If the reader does not know what this appeal is just by looking at the title, he or she will soon know by reading Fowle’s description. Fowles gives examples of companies that use this need for autonomy. One slogan he quotes is from Visa, â€Å"you can have it the way you want it,† they say. Fowles explains why Visa would use this as an effective marketing tool. â€Å"The focus here is upon the independence and integrity of the individual; this need is the antithesis for guidance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fowles 562).  Now the reader, who may not even know what autonomy is, has an understanding of the appeal and an example to clarify. After the explanation of the appeal comes the lesson on how to analyze advertisements. This part is important because if people know all of these things about ads but don’t know how to apply them to what they see everyday, then â€Å"Advertising’s† has missed the point.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"When analyzing ads yourself for their emotional appeals, it takes a bit of practice to learn to ignore the product information†¦ sort out from all the non-product aspects of an ad the chief element which is the most striking,† (Fowles 566). The viewer must not only learn to sort the information, but also he says to look at the angle the ad is viewed in and the audience it is targeted to. Again, good examples are provided to explain this. He writes about the Green Giant who is looking down on you and appealing to your need for guidance, and about the difference between the message of the same ad if it’s in â€Å"Penthouse (need for sex)†¦and Cosmopolitan (need for attention),†(Fowles 566). There are some who may think that despite Fowles organization, detailed explanation, and analysis, that the essay is too old to be useful to a modern audience. When describing the need for sex, appeal number one, Fowles uses some example that could be seen as dated. First he says that sex is only used in two percent of ads because it can be too much for the viewer. Sex is definitely something seen a lot more in today’s ads. He then provides examples using companies and products that aren’t around anymore. The description of the â€Å"lithe blouse-less female astride a similarly clad male† (Fowles 555), in the Jordache jeans commercial could paint a picture for some in their forties. Today’s students might not get anything from that visual. Even though the examples are dated, the information remains true. You may find more sex in different ads these days but advertisers are still marketing to that need and doing it in the same ways. Jib Fowles was an educator with a strong background and understanding of the media. For this reason his goal with this essay was mainly to appeal to students. He does that well by staying organized and giving a lot of details. He puts his theory into use by informing the reader on who to analyze ads. Though some of Fowles examples are old and people may think they are outdated, his ideas are still good for today’s audience. All of this makes â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals† a good place for students to turn to when wanting to learn more about advertisements. Work Cited Fowles, Jib. â€Å"Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals†. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum Ed. Lavrence Behrens and Lenard J. Rosen. Boston: Pearson, 2013 551-68. Print.

Difference Between High And Low Cultural Context, Failure...

Cultures can be defined as a system of interrelated fundamental perceptions of assumptions and symbols. The symbols convey an explicit message, and are shared among the group so that they become common knowledge. Unlike philosophy, the connections are implied, and conclude which leads to the symbolical expression of their rituals. Each person has a different perception of the world and a different interaction with human life. Different countries may use different symbols to convey their messages. Also, culture is a social type of glue that connects a group of people with reality. Furthermore, culture is a part of everyone’s life; one must embrace the culture to really understand the wonderful world. Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered an act of a guiding principle of behavior. This essay will contain sufficient evidence on the difference of high and low cultural context, failure of the Nimchi ll campaign and demonstrate the failure of ignoring the nature of culture as a tacit philosophy. To begin , â€Å"HCC† means high culture context and this is where the symbols are implicit. They look for group’s success rather than the individual’s success. In high culture context, these countries rely heavily on the usage of nonverbal methods to relay meaningful information in conversations such as, facial expressions, eye movement, and tone of voice. In most of their situations, the use of non-verbal