Category: Final Essay (Page 1 of 2)

Ethics is defined as the principle that governs an individual’s behavior or conducting an activity that is either right or wrong. To go more in-depth with ethics, there are different types of normative ethics: deontology, virtue, utilitarian, feminist, and global.  The two ethics I will be addressing are virtue and utilitarianism ethics. Virtue ethics focuses on the morality of life, motives, relationships, and even themselves. It is also called “self-centered” and it does not guide how one should act. As for utilitarian ethics, it shows the right action, morally that produces the most good. its purpose is to make life better by doing good things (pleasure and happiness) and not focus on the bad things (pain and unhappiness). The film, Othello, directed by Oliver Parker, and the written version Othello by William Shakespeare, shows virtue and utilitarianism ethics.

Iago is the antagonist who uses his manipulation, yet honesty to determine his own utilitarianism ethics. He thrives on deceitfulness and uses everyone around him to fulfill his masterplans. In the written form, In Act, I, scene I, Iago tells Roderigo that he hates Othello because Othello did not give him the promotion as a lieutenant, but instead gave it to Cassio, despite having zero experience in leading men in battle. Iago also reveals that he is going to serve under Othello so he can advantage of him. Iago states, “Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty.” This shows that he is willing to morally isolate himself to create a utilitarian outcome. This begins Iago’s utilitarianism ethics to follow his own rules and self-interest to plot against Othello and Cassio. In both versions of Othello, it shows how careless he is for others, but he devotes all of his time seeking revenge and not stopping until he is satisfied. He loves to see people downfalls to lift his pride. For instance, Cassio gets drunk with Montano and walks away. Iago begins talking with Montano advising that though Cassio is a great soldier, he fears that Cassio has a big responsibility because of his drinking problem.  When Montano tries to prevent a fight from happening between Cassio and Roderigo, he gets stabbed by Cassio. Othello comes out demanding to know what’s happening. Since Cassio and Montano could not speak, Iago intervened and faulted Cassio for the brawl and Othello fired Cassio as a lieutenant. Iago’s plan is accomplished which means his pride grows.

Desdemona is someone who shows her virtuous ethics throughout both the film and the written form. She is warm-hearted and caring, but her unproven innocence led to her demise by Othello. Due to Iago’s lie, Othello believed that she had an affair with Cassio, which she did not. She always claimed to be very faithful to her husband and loved him unconditionally. She is often levelheaded when it comes to solving conflict. For example, in Act 3, Scene 3, she says, “Do not doubt, Cassio, but I will have my lord and you again as friendly as you were.” Desdemona wants to reconcile Cassio’s loyalty with Othello. This was after Othello fired Cassio as lieutenant because of an altercation between him and Montano. In Act 4, Scene 2, towards Desdemona’s last moments before death, she says to Emilia and Iago, “His unkindness may defeat my life. But never taint my love.” This statement shows how committed she still is to Othello, despite his attitude he gave her once Iago tells him about her fake infidelity. Desdemona also sacrificed herself and her reputation for Othello. When Emilia finds her almost lifeless, Desdemona said how she was not murdered but in fact committed suicide, even after Othello confessed that he did the crime.

One major literary technique that William Shakespeare uses in the writing is symbolism. A handkerchief was the significant symbol of Othello’s love gift. It was gifted to Desdemona and proof that he loves her. It was patterned with strawberries on a white, silk background, woven by an Egyptian woman who gave it to Othello’s mother. The handkerchief is attached to some sort of myth: “…while she kept it. Twould make her amiable and subdue my father Entirely to her love, but if she lost it, or made gift of it, my father’s eye Should hold her loathèd and his spirits should hunt.” This shows how virtuous this gift is and how it plays in a marriage. If Desdemona lost it or gave it away, Othello will not forgive her and divorce her. In the film version, Oliver Parkers use close-up shots to convey the character’s emotions more consciously. For example, at the beginning of the film, Iago looks into the camera, describing his revenge against Desdemona, Cassio, and Othello in a soft, sinister tone voice. He also questions himself, “how am I a villain?” The music in this monologue sounds very suspenseful and dark, which matches the night sky and dark area in the background. Towards the end of this scene, he comfortably touches the hot stick that creates fire, without any hesitation.

Overall, Oliver Parker’s film is the radical translation of William Shakespeare’s book. The film reproduces the plot of the betrayal and utilitarian motives of Iago, Othello’s vulnerability, and Desdemona’s virtue ethics. It also paid attention to each important detail that gives context to what happened in each scene. Both texts show how one’s moral value dictates one’s behavior and how it is justified as right or wrong.

Queenie Chau

ENG 2400

FINAL ESSAY

Empathy is the ability to feel another person’s pain and be able to place oneself into their shoes. The feelings of sympathy are present within empathy. However, there are also feelings such as guilt or shame from knowing the negative consequences of turning a blind eye. Redemption has many different perspectives. It is an act of restoring one self. However, redemption can be restored by oneself or by others, it is a term of open discussion. Empathy, honor, and redemption deal with decision making and feelings, which can be tied to ethics.

Within the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator explains his decision in killing the old man. The first signs that the narrator shows empathy is the quote, “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” Although there is a chance it could be that the narrator was just preparing a marination before the finishing act, I believe that he did it out of empathy. The introduction of the story explains how the narrator actually loved the old man seeing as he was never wronged in any way by the man. The mixed feelings of compassion for the man along with the guilt of having planned a murder of an innocent leads me to believe that the narrator shows empathy in the last few days. My suspicions are further confirmed with this quote at a later part of the story, “I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart.”

The narrator follows through with the murder and proceeds to have no regrets while dismembering the corpse. When the three policemen arrive, he gives out the same calm composure, that is until the policeman overstayed their welcome. He has what we would call today anxiety. He starts hearing a heartbeat from under the floorboards and begins panicking. His thoughts raced until he blurted out his confession: “”Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! here, here! –It is the beating of his hideous heart!”” As time passed, his guilty conscience overflowed, and therefore I believe he is seeking redemption by coming clean with his sins. The redemption he is seeking is from himself. The police officers never suspected of his crime, therefore he suppressed his wallowing self guilt until he couldn’t bear it. This ties to virtue ethics, where he had to take a stance on his own morals and come to a judgement himself.

Life of Pi showed the great inner battles that fought with morals and ethics. After Pi breaks his life long peace with animals, he apologizes. By showing empathy and grief towards the fish, it is in his subconscious defense to be convinced that it was for the greater good, his own survival. Therefore, he is trying to restore his own honor and redeem him, by himself. This ties to utilitarian ethics where the action he takes produces the most good, even though there are consequences.

EXTRA CREDIT: The shot represents  how Pi himself is the tiger and he is the reflection of Richard Parker. They are connected as one being.

Karma Nyendrak

English 2400, Section 0552

Dec 17, 2020

Prof. Scanlan

Ethics in the “Life of Pi”

The human mind is a very peculiar and interesting topic as each human varies with cognitive ability and consciousness/psychology. A lot is unknown, such as our own conscious which gives us the ability to think for self, and others. That conversation leads to the topic of morals, which in its most general form equates to what’s good or bad. Like with anything, morals for the most part depend on lots of factors such as culture, time period, education, etc. While this is all true with the variance of humans and whatnot, it is not to say that there are certain pillars or principles in our mind that we all share and are ingrained in our minds. One being survival, and the other being heroism/nobility. In all cultures from the dawn of civilization, we could read or hear stories displaying one’s heroism whether it be a mythological tale, to a real-life account, the possibilities are endless. Thus, survivalism and heroism are often interlinked as the reason for one’s heroism is for the most part survival. With death being the biggest consequence, we could face, in the face of it is when the human breaks or prevails, often leading to a psychological change. With that in mind, this leads to virtue ethics, which asks the fundamental question of what type of person should I be. The hero stories as mentioned earlier will frequently get to a point in their stories where the character is faced with a situation, and is prompted to answer that very question. This can all be seen or read in the “Life of Pi” with a character that might not seem heroic in posture but nevertheless a hero. He faces death in the face, has to make hard decisions and lastly survive through unbearable conditions that could turn any one inside out. The reason for its success though it could be factored to a lot of things, has to do a lot with how we can put ourselves in Pi’s shoes, with the obvious being that the movie would’ve been a lot shorter if the main character just gave up. Pi has to answer to the overarching question of what type of person should I be? in many different contexts leading to character development. Since the story is essentially the same, the movie adaption and the book don’t differ much as the movie just felt like a visual and auditory representation of the book. This can also be relayed in the success of both the movie and the book, as both have equally done well meaning that they are essentially the same in different forms.

It’s revealed to us in the beginning of the story that Pi is a highly religious individual as he partakes in three different religions concurrently. Thus, he follows a strict set of rules that restrict him from certain things such as meat. This rule is questioned when Pi gets stranded in the ocean with a live tiger as his ship mate. In order to not get eaten by the tiger, Pi has to break this rule which may be seen as unholy or unethical from the eyes of religion as a way to live. He states “had to start fishing very soon. It would not take long for Richard Parker to finish the animal carcasses. At the zoo the adult lions and tigers ate on average ten pounds of meat a day.” So, Pi had to make a conscious decision for his own survival and in doing so, broke his moral/religious standing which he loves, showing his resilience to survive as under any other circumstance he couldn’t separate himself from religion.

While the text comes off as straight forward and sort of cold, the movie representation does show how much of a struggle it is for Pi to initially kill fish. In the movie, after killing the fish Pi is sickened with himself and is crying, holding up prayer hands for the fish. This very scene while sort of brushed off in the text, can be vividly displayed in the movie and is a pinnacle point  in Pi’s journey. It was the point of no return, as now Pi had broken one of his rules, which he would vow against in the past but due to his current situation had no choice. While I did mention that the movie and book don’t differ much, little details such as visually seeing Pi cry after killing the fish definitely added more to the respective scene. Pi answers the question of virtue ethics, by being a man of grit and endurance in order for his future sake.

Virtue Ethics can be found all throughout this film and book, with the interaction of nature, survival, and the consciousness. The Life of Pi has warranted many successes due to its interesting story, but as mentioned before it holds up some of the principles of our mind, which is in a nature sense, survival, and also in terms of society, a sense of duty. Pi is able to achieve both making for a very entertaining story that while is farfetched, we can all relate to in one way or the other. Both renditions of the text and film are alike and both relay these sentiements.

Riya Chopra 

ENG 2400

December 17th, 2020

Final Essay

Othello, William Shakespeare and Othello, Dir. Oliver Parker 

Othello tells the story of Othello and how the betrayal and lies of Iago drove him mad. Here comes Desdemona, his wife who cared for him deeply and was wrongly accused of being with another man, and in the end paid the ultimate price. The composition of this story makes us question the actions of each character as to why they acted as they did. The three types of ethics that are known in this play and movie, are virtue ethics, utilitarian ethics and feminist ethics. Virtue ethics focuses on ideas such as the virtue of one’s self, motives and moral character, moral education, moral wisdom etc. Here on questions what type of person it is that they want to be in the end. Utilitarian ethics focuses on one’s view on what set of actions will bring about the most good. Lastly, Feminist ethics is the belief that society has an unappreciative stance on wome’’ns morals and experience, as both the life situations of both men and women are quite different. Feminist ethics moves to challange this difference with a larger message.

The movie and the story have quite the few similarities and differences ranging from the characters included to the visualization of it all. The plot of Othello Directed by Oliver Parker  is similar to William Shakespere play “Othello” as both versions tell a story in which a man succumbs to his own mind and emotions when he is betrayed by those that he cares and trusts the most. The three ethics which arise mainly within both versions are virtue ethics, utilitarian ethics and deontology ethics. Ethics provide us with a deeper outlook into a character and why they take the actions that they do, whether they are justified or not. In order to prove this I will first analyze the motives Emilia held towards Desdemona in terms to feminist ethics., and how she believed that as a woman she should have the freedom to her happiness. Secondly I will observe Rodrigo’s behavior or supposed love for Desdemona, in which utilitarian ethics shows he believed he was doing what will bring about the most good. Lastly, I will discuss the importance of Emilia betraying Iago in order to redeem Desdemona, in the ultimate sacrifice in virtue ethics. 

Othello allows us to analyze society in which women lived in during the time in which the play was set and expectations of the patriarchal society, introducing to us the feminist ethics. There is an existing belief that men were superior and women were nothing but wives in breeding. For women, marriage came with the responsibility of bearing children, cooking, cleaning and making appearances where they were needed. Women were objects and possession of their husbands and were never identified otherwise. Desdemona commits entirely to her role as Othello’s wife, and even at some point says that she is an obedient wife, in reality doing exactly what Othello asks to please him. Awaiting her death Desdemona answers Elilia and states, “Nobody; I myself. Farewell Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell!” (Act V, Scene II). Even within her last moments alive she cares after Othello and gives him a way to escape his impending trial for her murder. This is what she knew to do, she could not disobey her husband as it was her “proper role” in that aspect of the society.

Emilia on the other hand knows of her role in society but agrees that when it is necessary she shall defend herself and act accordingly. We see this in many moments throughout the movie. One that spoke volumes was when Emilia encouraged Desdemona to have an affair because Othello suspected her that she may as well do it. Emilia tells Desdemona, “Then let them use us well: else let them know, The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.”( Act IV, Scene III) Emilia seems to hint that instead of suffering from Othello’s abuse, Desdemona should look for happiness elsewhere, she should not then think of it as infidelity. The ills that their husbands do upon them cause the ills they enact themselves, but it is not out of hate but the want for freedom. One thing that can be seen is that men were allowed to keep mistresses as they please but women were only subjected to the pleasure of their husbands. A woman could not keep a lover like her husband did without having a handful of slurs thrown her way. We see a challenge against societal expectation through the ethics here. How is one thing moral for a man and not for a woman? There should be no difference if one is equal to the other. Emilia also ultimately goes about “disobeying” her husband when in the end she betrays him by outing his true scheming intentions. Emilia as a whole throughout the movie works against the patriarchal society we are exposed to in Othello, symbolizing the feminist ethic as a whole.

Rodrigo, from the beginning confesses his love for Desdemona and would go to many lengths to ensure that she ends up with him. Rodrigo is another person which Igo has a tight grip on and is able to convince him to do all of his scheming. He does not feel any loyalty towards Othello as he believes that Othello stole the woman he loved the most away from him. Rodrigo seemingly does not question Iago’s motives. First Rodrigo picks a fight with Cassio with Iago’s urging and becomes humiliated when the blame is directed towards him. Then, Iago tricks Rodrigo into giving him the jewels and convinces him to kill Cassio as he is another obstacle in the way of him having Desdemona all to himself. Here we see the Utilitarian Ethics unfold, where Rodrigo would do just about anything to ensure that he would end up with his love. He does not think much of what is to happen, “ I have no great devotion to the deed; And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons; ‘Tis but a man gone. Fourth, my sword: he dies.” (Act V Scene 1) He doesn’t care much to do what Iago has asked of him but he shall do it because he provided reason enough, Desdemona. 

During the fight both Cassio and Roderigo are wounded and it is obvious that he failed at the task given to him by Iago. Iago enters and kills Roderigo to hide the truth not knowing that Rodrigo had written and hid a letter in his pocket which would ultimately tell the whole truth of Iago’s plot and help him redeem himself from the actions he has continued to commit. Iago was never on his side even as he  “mourns” the death of his comrade and friend. We see here that Iago’s intentions were never in the benefit of Roderigo however he still died believing that his actions were the ultimate fruit of his love. All his actions are justifiable in the name of love. 

In the depiction of virtue ethics we see Emilia committing her last act of good within the play. Emilia explains to Othello that Desdemona did not give her handkerchief to Cassio as Emilia had found it and then given it to her husband. She then accuses Iago of being a liar, watching how Desdemona was killed in vain. When revealing Iago’s plan in the last act of the play she states that “Tis proper I obey him, but not now.” (Act V, Scene II) She knows that disobeying her husband will bring upon her many impending consequences which may include her death. As Iago’s wife it was her duty to support and defend him but she did not know at what cost. She must bring Othello to justice and reveal her villainous husband’s intention to light, to ensure that Desdemona did not die in vain. She explains how Iago begged her to steal the handkerchief and she did so in love of her husband, not wanting to disobey him. Iago was caught and he accuses Emilia of being a liar and stabs her during his impending escape. Emilia is layed down with her mistress, her truth and life had brought out Iago’s true intentions. Even if she was to die, she committed the most good possible memory of the woman whose side she had been by all along.  These are the final moments before Emilia is killed and we see the display of how loyal Elimia was to Desdemona that she would stand for what was right and go against her husband. It is as if Iago is starting to receive his karma for all his wrong doing as Emilia ensures that the truth is revealed.

Ethics seem to shape not only the intentions of a character but give a better understanding to the plot of the story over all. There is a story to each of the actions taken by the characters which also may tie into issues and topics that were present in that time as well as now. Othello emphasizes the complexity of one’s mind and how kindness and trust can be betrayed even by the ones that are closest to you. We shall not feel empathy for Othello but for Desdemona and Emilia who lost their lives trying to prove the truth. 

Alicia Bajana

English 2400

12/17/2020

The Redemption, Honor, and Empathy of Man

         ” Rear window” is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and a film adaptation of “It had to be Murder”. Rear Window is a film based on a temporality disabled man named Jeff Jeffries who spies on his neighbors as his past time. On the other hand, “Life of Pi” is a 2012 adventure drama film directed by Ang Lee and a film adaptation of Yann Martel’s 2001 novel. The Life of Pi is a film based in India; a boy named Pi was moving to Canada with his family and zoo animals when a horrendous storm sank their ship, making him the only survivor on an emergency boat with a Bengal Tiger, Hyena, Zebra, and Chimpanzee. Both films introduce empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another; Honor, adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct and lastly, and finally Redemption, the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.

            In “Life of Pi”, the main character, Pi, goes through so many challenges starting with the scene where he is on the emergency boat and rescued some animals on board. At that moment, Pi saw something floating but later realized it was Richard Parker, a Bengal Tiger. Pi’s first instinct was to push him away, but his guilt and morals would not let him. Therefore, Pi rescued Richard Parker and brought him on board. Richard Parker and Pi empathized with each other throughout the film, for example, when Richard Parker was seasick and Pi helped him feel better by giving him fresh water and hunting for fish even though Pi was vegetarian. Both Pi and Richard Parker realized they needed each other to stay alive. The empathy between the two was so strong, Pi broke his code of honor as a vegetarian and committing a killing just so Richard Parker can have something to eat due to the lack of food at sea. Pi is a vegetarian; vegetarians are people who don’t eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. Therefore, when Pi knew that if he didn’t fish then they both would have starved to death. Even though Richard Parker was an animal, he understood that without Pi, he would not have survived at sea.

           In “Rear Window”, Jeff Jeffries was a photographer who used his skills to spy on neighbors as his pastime while he recovered from a broken leg. Even though he was invading people’s privacy, the spying leads to a criminal investigation which was Mrs. Thorwald’s death. The Thorwald’s were a couple who recently moved into the neighborhood. They were a quiet couple but rarely seen. This brought attention to Jeffries in many ways. Jeffries had sensed something was up when he stopped seeing Mrs. Thorwald. He knew that a woman in love would not go anywhere without her husband because of his experience with his love interest Lisa. Lisa was a crucial element to the investigation because she looked for hints that Jeffries looked over and also gave a women’s perspective. For example, Jeffries was looking at Thorwald’s apartment and saw he was packing up all of Mrs. Thorwald’s clothes. He also noticed that Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring was under his possession. Lisa’s woman intuition arose because a married woman always carries her ring on her finger. Lisa becomes more intrigued with the investigation that she risked her own life to get real proof of the murder. She also knew that the one way to spend more time with Jeffries was by helping him get more evidence about the investigation. Therefore, Lisa snuck into Mr. Thorward’s house and looked over his luggage to see what he was hiding without knowing she was putting her life at risk. Lisa did not realize Mr. Thorwald was on his way back to his apartment when she was scavenging over his belongings and discovered her. Jeffries did not want to put his loved ones at risk, because he was a guy of honor. His first instant was to find a distraction for Mr. Thorwald to derail from Lisa and make him go to him. However, he redeemed this feature of spying by catching the killer and bringing justice to Mrs. Thorwald.

          Both Pi and Jeffries are men of honor that would put others first before themselves. They both redeemed themselves during the story by saving someone else’s life before their own. Pi knew that Richard Parker would need someone to take care of him and feed him so he would look past his morals to keep Richard Parker safe and sound. Pi felt hurt when Richard Parker left and didn’t look back, but he knew deep down that Richard Parker was alive because of him. Even though Richard Parker did not verbally express his appreciation, Pi could feel the gratitude coming from Richard Parker. On the other hand, Jeffries felt guilty for putting Lisa in danger, that he put his life in danger instead when he answered the phone call without knowing that it was Mr. Thorwald, the killer. Jeffries knew that moment he could lose Lisa and that is something he never wants.

In conclusion, the films Life of Pi and Rear Window displayed acts of empathy, redemption, and honor. This could be seen through the actions of the characters  Pi, Richard Parker, and Jeffries and Lisa. Pi empathized with Richard Parker in the act of keeping him safe and alive while at sea. Jeffries redemption for his sinful spying was by catching the killer. These pieces of film are a great example of what honor, empathy, and redemption are.

Adam Ibrahim 

Final essay 

ENG 2400 film 

Dec 17/20 

After reading “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel published in 2001 and the movie that came out in 2012 which was based around the book. Which empathy is included in both the book and being shown in the film. Empathy means the ability to understand and share feelings of another. like a person having oneself in another person’s shoes. 

The “Life of Pi” is a book and a movie based on a boy from India traveling over sea and one day a storm happened. Which left him stranded in the middle of nowhere pi. With surviving meeting animals such as Ricard park the tiger. A scene when a hyena was eating the injured zebra with Pi crying and yelling at the hyena which could describe the empathy as us the reader and the audience seeing how pi might be feeling the pain the zebra is going through. Another scene where Pi feels bad for the animal is with orangutan feeling nauseous with Pi wanted to give it a medication. That scene shoes compassion since it shows that Pi feels terrible for the creatures.

Pi’s mother played a huge role in the movie how he mentions her with the cook killing his mother. In the movie when Pi talks about how “my mother fought against an adult man”. Emphasizing that the hyena represents the cook and the orange juice  represents the mother wounded and was surprised by the attack. This represents redemption forgivenesses by orange juice saving Pi from the hyena. 

 In the film the honor word is in a scene that involves Richard Park in the ending scene. How he walked away when they arrived at the island felt betrayed which the whole movie being on the boat together so he honored him.

Judes Charles

Final essay English

12-17-20

Manipulation is is defined as the “aim to change the behavior or perception of others through indirect deceptive or underhand tactics” Othello by William Shakespeare 1604 is a play about a man named Othello and I will use (Othello)1995 a more modern version that was made into a movie.

Othello the original play by Shakespeare is a well-structured play about a moor in the city of Venice in 1604 named Othello, he was different compared to the other people in the story he was he was a warrior a leader, and a strong leader. His strength and intelligence could not protect him from the manipulative games of Iago who was Othello the antagonist in this play because Iago managed to manipulate everyone leading to the death of many of them while he survives which I would say he didn’t deserve but this is from my point of view because some people might think that him living in prison with all those death he caused would be a better punishment for his actions.

In the original Othello 1604 virtue is one of the common ethics, in the Iago he was true to his virtue ethics until the end, throughout the story he was manipulating everyone sometimes for money and sometimes we wouldn’t know why and one thing about him is that he would always get the last words he would always win because he sets up everything to end up on his favor, he would even kill people in order to keep his plans going that something you have your pride into in order to not care about the well-being of other peoples but that was him though.

In the story Othello had a lot of women and they played different roles and they were as important as the men in the story but I feel like the women’s could’ve been treated better especially Othello wife Desdemona because even when she tried to apologize for something she didn’t do Othello did not believe her, she loved Othello even though all that he was telling her which made her feel bad. It also showed that how much impact love can have on someone because Othello loved Desdemona and he loved her some much that he was blind to the manipulation of someone who wanted to destroy his love life  “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them” based on this you can tell that she appreciated Othello very much and she wouldn’t try to hurt him in any way. even though Roderigo was paying Iago at the moment you could tell that he wasn’t working for Roderigo he was working to accomplish his goal which was unknown. And this is where the virtue ethics came in Iago surely did have his motives but it was unknown he was true to it until the very end. “No, Iago, I’ll see before I doubt” Othello did not want to believe what he heard but he wanted to see before he make a decision but someone like Iago has tactics that made him who he is.

Utilitarianism is an ethic found in this story, the feeling of being responsible for the things that happened and Iago didn’t give the slightest idea that he was doing something wrong he didn’t faze of what he was doing as if he was doing something right, to me what he did what he was doing was wrong but if he doesn’t know any better you can’t really hold him accountable because he thought he was doing something that was right. “Strangle her in bed, even the bed she hath contaminated,” says Iago made me question how much he was already in control of the situation he was in because Othello killed Desdemona her this way it made me think that he had some kind of power over people because he manage to deceive Othello and ended up speaking her death into existence.

This play is similar to Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet because of the confusing and tragic ending that happened the death that those characters suffer most of them did not deserve it especially Desdemona because was innocent and the guilt of Othello for killing her made him kill himself because he loved her that much similar to Romeo and Juliet.

Roderigo trying to get with Desdemona by depending on another person is something that was an important part of the play he had money paying Iago a lot of money for something he wanted when she is clearly married to another person. It might be something that determines his virtue ethics because he would do anything to make them break up so he can be with her therefore he was living within his ethics that what he knew and he was doing it because he thought he was doing right.

Overall the play Othello and the movie 1995 display a lot of similarities because the translation tried to picture the play as close as possible and it’s a story of trust and love and manipulation where a lot of important character die due to manipulation by a man maned Iago it’s something that was tragic because most of them did not deserve the death that they suffer.

Ashley Waller

Final Essay

December 17, 2020

ENG2400

Life Of Pi

According to the definition of deontology ethics, “is one of those kinds of normative theories regarding which choices are required, forbidden, or permitted.” In Life of Pi, published in 2001 by Yann Martel, he depicts questions of morality with the primitive imperative of survival. While trapped in the ocean, Pi’s life-threatening encounters challenge the dignity of his values and beliefs. His pluralistic faith reveals that morality is less about religion in particular, and more about maintaining one’s integrity, humanity, and self-respect. When Pi finds himself in a desperate struggle between faith and reason, while facing imminent extinction, Martel considers acts that are good and unethical actions. The transformation of Pi from a benevolent human being into a bestial survivor, as well as his final salvation, shows that, due to the circumstances, morality is indeed malleable, and that a moral code itself is a fluid entity that is maintained according to free will and interpretation in the mind of the individual.

Empathy can be defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” In the narratives that pose philosophical concerns and questions about what is human, Yan Martel lends animals a central role. They focus on common subjects, despite belonging to various genres, and both involve the process of their primary character encounters in which their point of view shifts as their sense of empathy changes. Pi starts as a vegetarian in Life of Pi, who retains firm convictions of love for animals and other things on earth, but is compelled by circumstance to abandon this existence while residing in a boat inhabited by other humans for 227 days at sea. 

Pi fights for life following the sinking of the Tsimtsum against almost unlikely odds. In the middle of the Pacific for 227 days, Pi is stranded on a small lifeboat, with a tiger for company. His ordeal, however, entails not only escaping hunger, but also shielding himself from the sun, sharks, excessive wetness, dehydration, hurricanes, and Richard Parker, of course. When he has to slaughter and consume fish and turtles, Pi is quickly forced to abandon his lifelong pacifism and vegetarianism.

“Life of Pi” is a brilliantly filmed movie that resides right in between the fantasy and action realms. It was thought for years to be not suitable to be adapted for a movie, adapted from the Yann Mantel novel of the same name, about a young Indian girl trapped adrift on a raft with a tiger, hyena, orangutan, and zebra. In Ang Lee, who wanted to film digitally and shoot 3D, Pi eventually met his intrepid producer, and the result was a vivid, amazing visual experience that looked nothing like anything that had come before it. The viewer hears about how Pi got its name in the early scenes. Pi was mocked over his full name, Piscine, so he changed his name to avoid the teasing. We have a wide-angle shot in this scene where Pi is out in front of the class asking his classmates to name him Pi. This shot is successful as it allows the viewer to see and appreciate Pi as we can respond from the point of view of his class members as we are watching him. The illumination is also dark and dreary in this picture, which means that school is not a fun and exciting spot. When he is trapped in the lifeboat, this coincides with the colors, as the world is vividly lit, indicating that they are two different locations.

His mother plays the traditional role in the household, as Pi came from an Indian background, who plays a housewife and has no input in what choices are being made in the family business or other family problems. In the end, Pi claims, “My mother fought against an adult man.” He was cruel and muscular’ (Martel 172) and Orange Juice was killed by the hyena in which the hyena is the chef and Orange Juice was the mother in the case of the animals in the lifeboat. This illustrates that the characters of both Orange Juice and Pi’s mother are cool and compassionate and both are mothers who will do anything to save their boy. Pi’s mother plays the role of a housewife and does all the cooking, washing, and care of the children, while the father does the job for “men” only, such as business work and family decision-making. Orange Juice plays the role of a mother who in contrast to a male hyena, lives with her children and is a lesser species. Also, Richard Parker, the tiger stuck on the mother of the lifeboat who was shot dead while attempting to protect him from a hunter, is in the plot. While all three of them died, all three of the mothers have common features that reflect courage by attempting to defend their son. As he switches the tale with the substitution of the hyena, zebra, and orangutan by a baker, sailor, and Pi’s girlfriend, he compares the orangutan to the mother of Pi, demonstrating that both women have identical characteristics. In the book, the lives of women are confined to all that needs to be achieved at home, and their lives do not move through their homes. They didn’t discuss any other female characters in the text other than Orange Juice, the mother of Pi, and the mother of the tiger, which shows that there are only a few female characters that matter and make a difference to the Life of Pi.

Vanessa Mendoza

Final Essay

ENG 2400/Section O552 Professor Scanlan

December 17, 2020

Life of Pi and Empathy

After reading “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel published in 2001 and watching the film by Ang Lee released in 2012, we are able to compare them as they cross boundaries. How does empathy change or stay the same when a narrative like “The Life of Pi” is translated into film? To start off, what is empathy anyways? Generally speaking, empathy is the ability to understand or feel what another person is going through, the ability to put oneself in another person’s shoes. The question is: Does this idea of empathy change or stay the same between the text version of “Life of Pi” and the film? 

The main plot of the book is maintained in the film: after a big storm, Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker. The story revolves around their survival, bondage together, and actions as days pass with no one who seems to come to their rescue. I was able to tell that the sense of empathy differed between text and film version. This makes sense being that we all react differently to different things. Many times when we read and book and then see the movie we always tend to see a difference and say “It wasn’t the same.” We tend to prefer one over the other by the end. Many of these actions and scenes have an empathic impact, an empathic impact that tends to change from the text version to the film. To dive deeper into this idea I will be analyzing the scenes where the hyena eats the zebra, Pi’s reasoning for not wanting Richard Parker to die, and lastly the ending when Pi and Richard Parker make it to land.  

A book will always be more descriptive, all it takes is vivid words, imagination, ink on paper. Whereas a film is a bit more limited in its ways to portray certain things. For example the scene in the book where the hyena eats the zebra is described much more violently than what is shown in the film. In the book we read: “The zebra’s broken leg was missing. The hyena had bitten off and dragged it to the stern, behind the zebra. A flap of skin hung limply over the raw stump. Blood was still dripping.” In the film, the viewer does see how the hyena attacks the zebra and bleeds but is not as vivid as the book. This may be due to the film maker’s choice and of course not all details from a book can be portrayed over to a film, it would be too long. In the film, the viewer briefly sees the shot where the zebra is attacked, the bloody color is minimal, and the scene quickly transitions on to the next scene. We are more empathetic towards Pi from the book because through the author’s descriptive word choice. The reader is able to feel how hard it must’ve been to be stranded, alone, and looking at such a violent scene.

Another example of a different type of empathy in the text is the Egoistic Thesis of empathy. This type of empathy is associated with a negative feeling or can lead to awareness of the negative consequences of not helping. Examples of these feelings are guilt and shame. We see this type of empathy in the text version of the “The Life of Pi”: “A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger.” Here Pi reasoned that if Richard Parker died, he would be left alone thinking about the tragic circumstances he had undergone. This type of empathy is not very clear in the film. In the film, the viewer sees what Pi goes through to make the best out of being with Richard Parker. Makes sure he has food, later on tries to tame him in order to survive but the reasons are never really clear. Whereas in the text, we read Pi’s reasoning: “Any punishment worse than death? I looked at Richard Parker. My panic was gone. My fear was dominated. Survival was at hand.” Pi’s reasoning for looking after Richard Parker was so he wouldn’t be alone, if tamed it meant Pi would be alive until someone found them. End reward: survival. In the text, the reader literally reads Pi’s logic and is able to see the Egoistic Thesis of empathy, whereas in the film the viewer is left to put the pieces together.

At the end of the film, the viewer is also moved to be empathetic towards Pi. The touching scene of Pi crying as he sees Richard Parker walking away makes us feel empathetic towards him. Batson characterizes empathy in terms of being sympathetic, moved by, being compassionate, tender, warm, and soft hearted towards the other’s plight. The scene in the movie seems to portray this scene more touchingly with the camera focusing on Pi’s crying face portraying his disappointment and despair as Richard Parker walks away. Whereas in the text we read: “I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously.” This scene becomes much more vivid in the film, the viewer is even able to see Pi touched and teary in the present as an adult as he recalls that moment. The close up of Pi crying and getting melancholic as he recalls the story helps the viewer feel more empathetic for what he has gone through and how broken hearted he was when Richard Parker left. 

When you read something, you visualize it in your head according to your imagination. Whereas, a film brings it to life and gives you an alternative perspective depending on how it is translated. Viewing something a certain way may push the viewer to be more empathetic to a certain character or look at a different perspective that they hadn’t thought of. It could be that when you read a book, you feel more empathetic towards a certain character but then watch the film and feel more empathetic towards another character. This difference can be due to the film makers choice of film techniques and their take on the film. All in all, there is always some type of change from a text to a film. A text will always be open to interpretation by the filmmaker, open to different types of translations. The translation from the text to the film may be radical, therefore may change not only the plot but also the concept of empathy. 

Daniel Irala
ENG 2400
Professor Scanlan
Final Essay
December 17, 2020
Final Essay
The word “ethics” is defined as, “Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity”. Within the text of Othello and the films Othello and O, there are feminine ethics that appear in these pieces. The rules that women had to follow were indeed stricter during the patriarchal society, there options were very limited on what they wanted to be in life. Over time, the rules that the women had to abide, loosened. Unfortunately to this day, there are still areas around the world that still have women that have to follow strict guidelines. One of the ethics that the feminist philosopher Alison Jaggar says is that, “traditional ethics overrates culturally masculine traits like ‘independence, autonomy, intellect, will, wariness, hierarchy…’”.
In the text, Othello it clearly showed that it was common for men to do all of the major work such as go to war as soldiers, being high ranking officers or being a leader of the land that they own. The females in Othello were obviously not under those types of situations, they seem to have had limits on what they wanted to be in life. They were either a housewife, an attendant or a prostitute. Those were the roles of the three women that were in the book. Those characters were Emilia, Desdemona and Bianca, with Emilia being Desdemona’s attendant, Desdemona being Othello’s wife and Bianca being the prostitute. Those roles were most likely the usual roles women had back in those days. Based on the text, it showed how obedient and faithful Desdemona was to Othello by saying lines such as “I am obedient” and “I will my lord”. Even after Othello choked Desdemona she didn’t blame Othello but herself which showed how faithful she was to him even till the very end of her life. With Bianca being a prostitute, she would be called a “strumpet” by Iago and Iago also called his wife Emilia a “Villainous whore”. In the movie O, while it was intended to be a more modern interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Othello, it still had somewhat of the same story. Like the text Othello, Iago killed his wife Emilia. In the movie O, Hugo kills Emily by shooting her after telling Odin that Hugo told Emily to take the scarf.
Overall both the book Othello and film Othello seemed to have left that impression on women for the viewers to see, they were seen as women who have to obey men as they are inferior. While the Othello text was entertaining to read, it also left an impression on the women as they were given limited opportunities in life just because they were a different gender. In the present day, some or most women still have to endure these circumstances especially in other countries. Time will tell when this issue would get resolved.