Othello Racism Analysis

As Brent Staples explains in his essay “Black Men and Public Space,” black people deal with many problems, from discrimination, and he explains these points in an orderly manner and each very thoroughly. Over the existence of the United States, blacks have had to face oppression due to the prejudices views held against this. America views every black person as the same and judges them based on the actions of others. It is for this reason that all blacks are judged based on the book of a cover without being able to show the world who they really are. As Norman Podhoretz stated in his Essay “My Negro Problem - and Ours,” “growing up in terror of black males; they were tougher than we were, more ruthless...”

The most dehumanizing experience of a slave, as introduced by Douglass, includes: humiliation, emotional trauma, inequality, and physical abuse. Douglass, a man of wisdom, character, and determination; fought liberally and strategically, to surmount the odds of being deprived of his humanity while enslaved. Douglass, along with many other slaves, experienced the most gruesome epidemic that America was granted in history. Slaves were treated badly, and often seen as an epitome to society in the south. In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” he foreshadows his experience as a slave, and explains some of the most dehumanizing experiences, from blood bashed beatings to intense emotional trauma.

The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

Manipulation of the African Race in Othello In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is a principal theme that drives the plot of the entire play. An outlier in Venice, Othello the moor or African, is targeted by his ensign Iago because Cassio who seems to be unqualified, was promoted to a lieutenant before he was. Iago is driven by envy and jealousy and creates a confusing and elaborate plan to deprive Cassio of his position. Iago also shares these envious motives with Roderigo, a man lusting over Othello’s wife. These two villains slander Othello to the point of eradicating any pity the audience could have developed towards Othello.

In conclusion, both 13th and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass focus on the systematic oppression of black people in America. Douglass’s description of Aunt Hester’s whipping influenced DuVernay’s use of the montage of police brutality because both represented the physical and mental restraints that white authority had placed on black people. DuVernay’s documentary draws influence from Douglass’s narrative through similar scenes and emotions of horror for the conditions of black

Throughout history, societies have succumbed to the toxic concepts of racism, causing an unthinkable amount of chaos and devastation. While racism on its own can lead to many societal evils, racism coupled with jealousy can create a truly catastrophic force that can only lead to pure destruction. When someone of a different race and culture is placed in this kind of society, this destruction will only naturally follow. In the play Othello, William Shakespeare focuses on the tragic outcomes of Othello, a Venetian general and black Turkish Moor, and Desdemona, his white Venetian wife. Throughout the play, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello.

When truth dawns upon him, he feels terrible and intensifies his acts of building fences around himself because he never gives his family a chance of knowing and understanding him. This trait is revealed when his son Cory confronts him and tells him how he has been a terrible father and how he destroyed his dreams in the fear of his son being more successful than him. Cory also openly tells him how he treated his mother in an inhuman way by impregnating another woman. Troy, instead of lowering his tone and accepting the reality, goes ahead and drives his son out of his house, claiming that he is man enough to fend for himself. It is quite ironical that Troy is chasing Cory out of a house which legally belongs to his brother Gabriel.

Subsequently, the characters in these literary works must endure harsh and hurtful interpretations of human dignity due to their social climates. As seen in the very beginning of A Lesson Before Dying, racism was still a major issue that frequently weighed in on a black’s life. Sadly, black people were treated negatively during the 1940s and were even still considered no better than animals. Gaines utilizes this metaphor in the story and then weaves the adverse impacts of the statement throughout the rest of the story. During Jefferson 's trial, his defense attorney stated, “What justice would there be to take this life?

Although depicted in various forms and caricatures, the complex identity of being a Black American can be derived from a concept introduced in W.E.B. DuBois’ book Ways of Black Folk— double-consciousness (DuBois, 6). In this, DuBois investigates how the intersectional identity of Black folks contributes to their lived experiences; he ultimately asserts that Americans will struggle in determining the role of Black people and overcoming the metaphorical color-line, the clear distinction in the treatment of Blacks and whites (DuBois, 6). This problem is manifested in historical examples found in Samuel D. Pollard’s documentary Slavery by Another Name (Pollard, 2012). In addition to validating DuBois’ concerns about the integration of Black people

His motives are influenced by his thoughts, which result from the social pressure he experiences as an African American. The chain reaction resulting from the American culture of the 1930s is what Wright is trying to exploit. Wright uses Bigger’s story to represent the product of this cultural hardship. Insight on Bigger’s thoughts and actions allow us to see how these social prejudices influence the life of African Americans. Wright’s main goal was to emphasize on the psychological effect racism had on African Americans.

The South was a slave society, with nearly every aspect of life touched by the presence of a brutal institution rooted in the dehumanization of black people and the supremacy of white males. At the time of Celia’s trial, Southerners felt that this way of life was being threatened by heated politics playing out both in Kansas and at home. Her fate was guided by the decisions and reactions of Southerners living in this uncertain atmosphere. These decisions, though they are what logically led to Celia’s death, were inevitably and inseparably connected to the institution of slavery. In a sense, the individual decisions were merely a means to an end, an end decided by the fact that Celia lived in a slave society that couldn’t afford the cost of her justice.

Imagery is shown through “a long silver thread of saliva” showing how furious Mrs. Dubose is at Atticus for defending a black man in court. “Niggers and trash” illustrates the evident prejudice in Mrs. Dubose’s harsh words. The prejudice in Mrs. Dubose’s claims demonstrate the effect of a skewed social hierarchy, resulting in whites treating blacks unfairly. Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, tells Jem about Mrs. Dubose’s, and many others’ racist behavior in the Pre-Civil Rights South, and how it affected the outcome of the trial of Tom Robinson, the black man Atticus was representing. Atticus explains, “‘There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads--they couldn’t be fair if they tried.