Category: Final Essay (Page 2 of 2)

Oscar Alonzo

English 2400 

Dec 5,2020

Final Essay

Is sympathy equivalent to Ideals morals? No, they are not the equivalent since Sympathy is characterized as the ability to feel or comprehend what someone else is encountering and the ability to put oneself in another’s position, And ethicalness morals is characterized as the ethical hypothesis that centers around the advancement of a temperate character. Compassion alongside ethicalness and other kinds of morals can be seen in abstract works which are later converted into films. A film in which sympathy and morals like deontology and goodness morals are “The Life of Pi” by Ang Lee the film rendition of the composed story “The Life of Pi” by Yan Martel. In the film the life of PI, there are numerous scenes wherein we can see Pi feeling sympathy for the creatures, Pi adhering to a bunch of rules, and Pi being good. 

In the film the Life of Pi, a scene wherein we can see Pi feeling sympathy for the creatures is seen, in the scene were the hyena assault the zebra in the boat, and eats the messed up leg of the zebra, in this scene, there’s a nearby all over while he is shouting to the hyena not to eat the Zebra, in this nearby we can see Pi crying which can be deciphered as though Pi was feeling the agony that the Zebra was feeling. Another scene where Pi Feel sympathy for the creatures is indicated when he helps squeezed orange gets, the orangutan on the boat and sees that she is nauseous and discloses to her that on the off chance that he had medication for nausea he would offer it to her, this scene shows compassion since it shows that Pi feels terrible for the creatures. In the composed rendition the two circumstances that I referenced above are equivalent to in the film however in the composed story there is a slight distinction. This distinction is that in the composed story there is where it shows utilitarian morals, utilitarian morals is characterized as the possibility that accepts that the reason for ethical quality is to improve life by expanding the measure of beneficial things, (for example, joy and bliss) on the planet and diminishing the measure of awful things, (for example, torment and misery). Utilitarian morals is seen after Pi assists squeezed orange with getting the boat and just after that says ” I clung to trust that a zebra, a recognizable prey and an orangutan, a new one would occupy it from the endures of me”. This is an illustration of utilitarian morals on the grounds that in spite of the fact that the hyena would assault the zebra and the orangutan would make him tragic, he will be upbeat in light of the fact that the hyena won’t assault him for some time. 

In this film, we can likewise observed instances of deontology, deontology is characterized as any framework that includes an away from of rules, a model where Pi keeps an away from of rules is seen when he establishes the survival reference and adheres to the guidelines written in it. Another scene where pi observes a bunch of rules is the point at which he makes/keeps the standard of “wrecked whit perilous meat eating creatures and endeavor to stamp his domain and to prepare Richard Parker. Another model is seen toward the start of the movies when Pi is rehearsing numerous religions and how he observes the principles of those religions. On the off chance that it had not been for the endurance manual and the standards written in this Pi, I would have kicked the bucket or gone insane. 

In the film we can likewise observe an away form of goodness morals, excellence morals is characterized as the ethical hypothesis that centers around the improvement of an upright character. In the film we can see an away from of goodness morals in the scene where Pi helps Richard Parker (the tiger) to get back on the boat, after it hops off the boat endeavoring to get a fish, this is an illustration of righteousness morals since it shows Part of Pi ethics, despite the fact that he realized that in the event that he had let him there he would have disposed of him, this shows Pi ethics since he realized that allowing the tiger to tiger in there wasn’t the proper activity despite the fact that he realized that protecting it may not be something worth being thankful for to do in light of the fact that he could assault Pi. Another illustration of ethicalness morals is seen when Pi approaches squeezed orange for her child and in the wake of seeing that it wasn’t with her he discloses to her that likely his mother and father have it, this is an illustration of ideals morals in light of the fact that Despite the fact that Pi realized that the infant was presumably dead, he addressed that way since it was the correct activity and to make an effort not to make Squeezed orange tragic. Both the composed variant and the film share a similar storyline wherein we can see instances of sympathy and morals. The solitary contrast between the two works is that the movie has an all the more clear approach to extend the morals and thoughts than the composed adaptation in light of the fact that all through the movie the chief use film methods like camera, close up, and shadows. 

Taking everything into account sympathy and excellence and different sorts of morals can be found in exacting work and in movies, an illustration of compassion and morals like utilitarian morals, ethicalness morals, and deontology is seen in both the composed story of the “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and the film rendition of the “Life of Pi” by Ang Lee.

Evgheni Melman

Prof. Sean Scanlan

English 2400, Section O552

December 17, 2020

Empathy and Ethics in “Life of Pi”

Ethics and empathy when depicted in written stories or films help to shape exceptional characters with deep and profound morals. What is empathy? According to the Empathy handout, “Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of  reference…” or in other words, being able to place yourself in place of others. Ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behavior, and can vary significantly from person to person. Generally, normative ethics are divided into three types: Deontology, Virtue, and Utilitarian ethics. Deontology ethics are about following strict pre-set behavioral rules that are either given to you or you gave to yourself. Virtue ethics are about “being a better person” and focus on virtues themselves (positive traits that make its possessor a good human being), moral character, family, friendship, emotions, etc. Utilitarian ethics are about “ends and not means,” and providing “the greater good for the most people.” In this essay, I will analyze how empathy and ethics are depicted in literary works and their film adaptations on example of “Life of Pi” story by Yann Martel and its film adaptation of the same name directed by Ang Lee.

In the text version of “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel empathy is prevailing throughout the story, but in the film version, we only see a few occasion. One such occurrence is in the scene where the hyena attacks wounded zebra on the lifeboat not long after the shipwreck. In the scene we can see a close-up shot of Pi crying and screaming at the hyena to stop its assault on zebra is if Pi was feeling zebra’s pain himself. One other such occasion is the scene where Pi helps Orange Juice, the orangutan, onto the lifeboat and after noticing that she had lost her baby orangutan lies to her by saying “Don’t worry, I bet mother and father found him. They will be here soon.“ He knew that they won’t come, but decided to comfort Orange Juice with a lie because he could understand her sorrow. Slightly later, Pi notices that Orange Juice has sea-sickness and says “Sorry, Orange Juice, I don’t have any sea-sickness medicine for you.” This scene shows that Pi understood what Orange Juice felt at the time as if he was in her place and felt sorry for not being able to actually help her. What is interesting, is that the written story adds a touch of utilitarian ethics to the scene of Orange Juice’s onboarding. After Orange Juice gets on the boat, Pi says “I clung to hope that a zebra, a familiar prey and an orangutan, an unfamiliar one would distract [hyena] from the toughs of me.” This addition is a prime example of utilitarian ethics, as even though hyena attacking zebra and orangutan is bad and would make Pi sad, the greater good is that hyena will not attack him instead and he can stay alive.

An example of utilitarian ethics intertwining with empathy that is present in both versions is the scene where Pi kills a fish to feed himself and Richard Parker. He says,

I wrapped the fish tightly in the blanket. … I imagined what it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. I was appalled. I gave up a number of times. Yet I knew it had to be done, and the longer I waited, the longer the fish’s suffering would go on. Tears flowing down my cheeks, I egged myself on until I heard a cracking sound and I no longer felt any life fighting in my hands.

In this scene we can clearly see Pi placing himself in the position of the fish and feeling extremely sorry for what he is about to do. But doing it brings greater good for both him and Richard Parker, so he puts his deontology ethics aside and, hesitantly, does it anyway.

Virtue ethics are depicted in the film in the scene where Pi saves Richard Parker by letting him back onto the lifeboat after he jumps off the lifeboat in an attempt at catching a fish. This is a clear example of virtue ethics because it shows the Pi’s virtues and moral character. That is because the safest choice for Pi would be to claim the lifeboat for himself and leave Richard Parker to drown, instead Pi chose to be a “better person” and save the tiger even though that meant living on the raft in fears for his life. Another scene where virtue ethics are at play, is the one where Pi and Richard Parker finally reach the solid land in Mexico. In that scene, Richard Parker leaves Pi unceremoniously without looking back and Pi is mourning his loss. The scene shows how much Pi bonded with the Richard Parker as if he became his friend or even a family member, and shows us Pi’s feelings, virtues, and moral character.

Deontology ethics are shown throughout the story. All the scenes where Pi will not eat or harm animals as he is a vegetarian, like the scene at the family dinner where he refused to eat lamb even after being suggested to do so by his father, represent the vast majority of deontology ethics depictions. By being a vegetarian, Pi follows a strict set of rules that he gave to himself that guide and assess his choices. We also see Pi going against his deontology ethics numerous times, like the time he killed and ate the fish to survive.

In conclusion, empathy and ethics play a huge role in the “Life of Pi,” and omission of them would make the story plain and the characters ordinary. Written story and film do vary slightly in their presentation of the two, but the general picture stays the same, and it is of a unique character solving unique problems in unique ways.

Rumana Shakur

December 17th, 2020

Film Lit 2400 – O552 

Final Essay

Changes in Empathy 

As explained in the ‘Empathy’ handout, “Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of  reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another person’s position”. There are also, however, different types of empathy. These are cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy. Cognitive empathy is  being able to put yourself into someone else’s place, and see their perspective. It enables you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, but without necessarily engaging with their emotions. It does not, however, really fit with the definition of empathy as ‘feeling with’, being a much more rational and logical process. Effectively, cognitive empathy is ‘empathy by thought’, rather than by feeling. Emotional empathy is when you quite literally feel the other person’s emotions alongside them, as if you had ‘caught’ the emotions. Emotional empathy is also known as ‘personal distress’ or ‘emotional contagion’. This is closer to the usual understanding of the word ‘empathy’, but more emotional. Finally, compassionate empathy is what we usually understand by empathy: feeling someone’s pain, and taking action to help. The name, compassionate empathy, is consistent with what we usually understand by compassion. Like sympathy, compassion is about feeling concern for someone, but with an additional move towards action to mitigate the problem. People who want or need your empathy don’t just need you to understand (cognitive empathy), and they certainly don’t need you just to feel their pain or, worse, to burst into tears alongside them (emotional empathy). Instead, they need you to understand what they are going through and, crucially, either take, or help them to take action to resolve the problem, which is compassionate empathy. Empathy is not to be confused with Sympathy, which more so means to feel bad for or pity not feel what the other person is feeling, entirely. 

Book to film translations can be very tricky, some things change and some things are left out in film compared to text for the sake of a smooth flow, which also changes the emphy meter in the story or in a character. Life of Pi by Yann Martel the book and Life of Pi by Ang Lee the movie are vastly different yet somehow maintain similarities. Empathy plays a huge role in  the course of Pi’s 227 days drifting in the middle of the Pacific in a lifeboat with a tiger as his only companion. In the book Pi see’s Richard Parker and is trying to save him and Pi says,  “What are you doing, Richard Parker? Don’t you love life? Keep swimming then! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! Kick with your legs. Kick! Kick! Kick!”(Martel,2001,56). Pi throws a lifebuoy to Richard Parker, who is in the water, and pulls him into the boat before realizing what he has done. This could be considered all three cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy, Pi saw Richard Parker and understood he (Richard Parker) was suffering and felt sorry he cried,””Richard Parker, is that you? It’s so hard to see. Oh, that this rain would stop! Richard Parker? Richard Parker? Yes, it is you!” I could see his head. He was struggling to stay at the surface of the water”(Martel, 2001,56). Pi understood  his suffering. Afterwards he got emotional and lastly he felt compassionate empathy towards Richard Parker and without even realizing the long term impact of what he has done. He helped an ADULT BENGAL TIGER on the lifeboat with him. He did what he did because of compassionate empathy, he felt what Richard Parker was going through and took action to help. However in the movie, in the calm after the storm, Pi was trying to avenge Orange Juice and the Zebras by confronting the hyena but out of nowhere Richard Parker springs out and kills the hyena. There were no references of empathy, it was completely cut out from the script. Pi never went through saving Richard Parker. 

On the contrary, in the book after Pi realized what he had done and “During those long, cold, dark hours, as the pattering of the invisible rain got to be deafening, and the sea hissed and coiled and tossed me (Pi) about, I held on to one thought: Richard Parker. I hatched several plans to get rid of him so that the lifeboat might be mine”(Martel, 2001,85), Pi thought of six ways to kill Richard Parker by poisoning him, pushing him off the boat, sedating him, attacking him, choking him and starving him to death. Which are scenarios deprived of any empathy at all, it more so seems immoral even. However in the movie this never takes place Pi seems to adjust fairly quickly to the idea of cruising with an adult Bengal tiger. Which goes to show  that specifically in this scenario Lee’s Pi  had more empathy compared to Martel’s Pi. Lee’s Pi never considered killing Richard Parker, he had more so decided to coexist with it since he was all alone with no other company. 

To summarize it all, book to film translations can be a very prickly thing. Things get left out, some thing’s stay the same and some differ. Which changes the meaning and context to certain scenes. Yann Martel’s version of Pi and Ang Lee’s version of Pi were similar  in many ways that I haven’t mentioned, yet different in many ways. Circling back to empathy, both Pi’s had empathy for Richard Parker, each version of the character in their own way.

Christopher Siewering
Final Essay
Course 2400, Section O552 (Prof. Scanlan)
December 8th, 2020

Life of Pi

            Empathy is a trait many of us are very familiar with. It is a feeling that comes to us quite easily but it is not so easy for most of us to define. It can be defined as the capacity to feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. The key phrase here is “from within their frame of reference.” Without this subjectivity, one is merely sympathetic, capable of understanding another but perhaps not necessarily feeling what they do. On the contrary, showing compassion is a result of one experiencing empathic feelings to the point of being moved by them. Life of Pi is a story of empathy but also ethics. The depth of the empathy and ethics is lessened by the movie. The book explores these themes more thoroughly by going into more detail about Pi’s religious teachings as a child and his connection to the heavens as he ordeals on Earth. The exemption of these elements serves to maintain a narrative flow in the film, which has less space than the text. While it seems that empathy is simply in Pi’s nature, this trait was reinforced during his childhood through the deities he worshipped and the animals he admired.

In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi is a man who, from a young age, has feelings of empathy and grows to hone them through his religious teachings and ultimately, a 227-day ordeal at sea. However, in Life of Pi directed by Ang Lee, Pi only very occasionally displays empathy. Martel’s Pi enjoys reading, praying and questioning. In a sense, he is following a sort of virtue ethics where he is discovering what sort of person he should be. While his family and religious teachers tell him to choose a religion, his heart’s curiosity pulls him towards an interfaith belief system of his own. After the event on the esplanade, Pi touches on the ethics by which he chooses to live, “For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.” The virtue ethics are apparent by the fact that Pi believes one’s focus should be to better themselves. However, there is some overlap with other types of ethics as well. It is a sort of utilitarianism because this is for the outcome of a greater good, that being more faith in his community and a closer connection to God. Finally, we can assume Pi to be a sort of deontologist as he is certainly following rules laid out by these religions, even if he is not following all of them. During his journey of discovery, Pi rushes to the Hindu temple in Munnar to thank Lord Krishna for introducing him to “Jesus of Nazareth, whose humanity [he] found so compelling.” Humanity is another term that is closely related to empathy, so it is clear that these are traits that Pi values in others and himself.

The omission of this scene — and others like it — with dialogue like, “I just want to love God,” are a disservice to Pi’s character. In the film, he is less unique. He is dared into the church by his brother instead of curiously inspecting it. He has a crush on a girl, which did not seem like a relevant inclusion, and he is defended by his mother instead of defending himself when confronted about his faiths. This all adds up to a, while very expressive, somewhat predictable character, with much less on his mind. A good example of Pi’s lessened empathy in the film is the scene when he is first in the life boat and attempts to save Richard Parker with the lifebuoy. In the film, he doesn’t realize who it is until the distance closes and upon identifying Richard Parker, he changes his mind and tries to shoo him away. In the text, his initial instinct is to save the tiger, and only after reconsidering being on lifeboat with a large cat does he change his mind.

On the other hand, in the text, Pi’s empathy is in your face and obvious. In chapter 61, after being assaulted by a school of flying fish, Pi struggles to take one’s life and remarks, “I imagined what it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. I was appalled. I gave up a number of times. Yet I knew it had to be done, and the longer I waited, the longer the fish’s suffering would go on.” In this pivotal moment, Pi is forced not only to eat meat but to take its life himself, and though his ethical code is challenged by his need for sustenance, his empathy is unwavering. At the end of chapter 78, he laments about this saying, “Physically it is extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing. You must make adjustments if you want to survive.” Here Pi explains his awareness that he has been forced into making these changes, and furthermore, that it pains him to do so.

The text is punctuated by Pi recanting his stories to the Japanese officials, which ends with Pi posing a series of questions, the final one asking which story they prefer. I think he is asking the audience this question at this point too, after we have heard the second story and are now deciding which one to accept as true. His question about preference takes the decision of truth away from logic, and lends it to fantasy and appeal. While the second story seems earthlier and credible, I think Martel very intentionally set us up to say, I want to believe the animal-less story, but I choose to believe the magical one. In Lee’s film, Pi concludes his tale by saying, “I guess life is one big act of letting go.” While this is certainly a relatable lesson for many viewers, I also find it to inspire much less inquiry, something upheld throughout the film. This lends itself to keeping the viewer engaged with what is on screen without getting lost in thought. The text on the other hand provides many moments to pause and reflect on Pi’s inner workings and perception. This is exemplified at the end of chapter 91, “They slipped into my mouth nearly unnoticed. You must understand, my suffering was unremitting and he was already dead. I stopped as soon as I caught a fish. I pray for his soul every day.” Here Pi commits an act deemed truly unethical by almost everyone, cannibalism. He tries to explain why he would do such a thing; he says it was done out of necessity. He believes it was wrong and he feels sorry and we feel sorry that he had to do it. These moments are the main suppliers of the tale’s depth of empathy and ethics, especially as even we, as the audience, begin to feel empathy towards Pi and question the ethics of his decisions.

Laura Abreu

Eng2400

Final Essay

Prof.Scanlan    

     Is empathy the same as Virtue ethics? No, they are not the same because Empathy is defined as the capacity to feel or understand what another person is experiencing and the capacity to place oneself in another’s position, And virtue ethics is defined as the moral theory that focuses on the development of a virtuous character.   Empathy along with virtue and another type of ethics can be seen in literary works which are later translated into films. A  film in which empathy and ethics like deontology and virtue ethics are “The Life of Pi” by Ang Lee the film version of the written story “The Life of Pi” by Yan Martel. In the film the life of PI, there are many scenes in which we can see Pi feeling empathy for the animals, Pi following a set of rules, and Pi being moral.

    In the film the Life of Pi, a scene in which we can see Pi feeling empathy for the animals is seen, in the scene were the hyena attack the zebra in the boat, and eats the broken leg of the zebra, in this scene, there’s a close up on Pi’s face while he is screaming to the hyena not to eat the Zebra, in this close up we can see Pi crying which can be interpreted as if Pi was feeling the pain that the Zebra was feeling. Another scene in which Pi Feel empathy for the animals is shown when he helps orange juice gets, the orangutan on the boat and sees that she is seasick and tells her that if he had medicine for seasickness he would give it to her, this scene shows empathy because it shows that Pi feels bad for the animals. In the written version the two situations that I  mentioned above are the same as in the film but in the written story there is a slight difference. This difference is that in the written story there is a part where it shows utilitarian ethics, utilitarian ethics is defined as the idea that believes that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).  Utilitarian ethics is seen after Pi helps orange juice get in the boat and right after that says “ I clung to hope that a zebra, a familiar prey and an orangutan, an unfamiliar one would distract it from the toughs of me”. This is an example of utilitarian ethics because although the hyena would attack the zebra and the orangutan would make him sad, he will be happy because the hyena will not attack him for a while.

    In this film, we can also see examples of deontology, deontology is defined as any system that involves a clear set of rules, an example in which Pi follows a clear set of rules is seen when he founds the survival guide and follows the rules written in it. Another scene in which pi follows a set of rules is when he creates/follows the rule of “shipwrecked whit dangerous carnivorous animals and attempt to mark his territory and to train Richard Parker. Another example is seen at the beginning of the films when Pi is practicing many religions and how he follows the rules of those religions. If it had not been for the survival manual and the rules written in this Pi, I would have died or gone crazy.

  In the film we can also see a clear example of virtue ethics, virtue ethics is defined as the moral theory that focuses on the development of a virtuous character. In the film we can see a clear example of virtue ethics in the scene where Pi helps Richard Parker (the tiger) to get back on the boat, after it jumps off the boat attempting to catch a fish, this is an example of virtue ethics because it shows Part of Pi morals, although he knew that if he had let him there he would have gotten rid of him, this shows Pi morals because he knew that letting the tiger die in there wasn’t the right thing to do although he knew that rescuing it may not be a good thing to do because he could attack Pi. Another example of virtue ethics is seen when Pi asks orange juice for her baby and after noticing that it wasn’t with her he tells her that probably his mom and dad have it, this is an example of virtue ethics because Although Pi knew that the baby was probably dead, he answered that way because it was the right thing to do and to try not to make Orange Juice sad. Both the written version and the film share the same storyline in which we can see examples of empathy and ethics. The only difference between both works is that the film has a more clear way to project the ethics and ideas than the written version because throughout the film the director use film techniques like camera, close up, and shadows.

  In conclusion empathy and virtue and other types of ethics can be seen in literal work and in films, an example of empathy and ethics like utilitarian ethics, virtue ethics, and deontology is seen in both the written story of the “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and the film version of the “Life of Pi” by Ang Lee.

Teri Rice

12/14/2020

ENG2400

In this essay I will discuss the ethical issues presented between the written version of Othello by William Shakespeare and the two film versions: Othello, directed by Oliver Parker and O, directed by Tim Blake Nelson. I will talk about three different types of ethics that I believe were the most prevalent in each version which is deontology ethics, virtue ethics and utilitarian ethics. These three ethics played a major role in both the written and film version with differences being shown as well between them. Throughout both versions we see a case of good versus bad, a conflict with the right thing to do and the best thing to do as well as an act of selflessness and selfishness. Othello is based on a lot of deceit, self-doubt and lack of trust and we also see a lot of peer pressure and self-conflict resolution which was the grand scheme in all versions which brings up these ethical issues to be discussed. First, let’s discuss what each ethics mean. Deontology in simpler terms is the duty to do good by someone or something, virtue ethics is moral character or deciding the type of person you want to be, and utilitarian ethics is an action or decision that will benefit the vast majority of people.
Throughout the play Othello and the film versions, we see deontological ethics take place from the beginning to the end mostly pertaining the character Iago or in the modern film, Hugo. Both characters display an emotion of jealousy that turns into them manipulating and turning everyone against each other with their lies and deceit. Iago/Hugo is the most flagitious character in both the play and film. We learned from the first scene the obvious jealous emotions portrayed on both characters due to an appointed promotion of Cassio as Othello’s right-hand man or in the play the Lieutenant. We learn that Iago/Hugo is out to hurt everyone and settle scores as he enjoys people’s suffering. Jealousy takes over Iago so much that he even convinces himself that his wife Emilia was cheating on him with Othello and ends up killing her. Then it comes to Cassio, after his promotion, Iago’s jealousy is obvious. He says, “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place/One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn’d in a fair wife/ As masterly as he: mere prattle, with practice”. Those words stemmed from jealousy alone. Iago/Hugo were very selfish people, and their actions caused a lot of tragedy due to jealousy. Both characters betrayed their so-called friends and managed to create a web of lies that hurt everyone in the end. Their bad intentions to hurt the people around them was morally wrong and displayed the type of people they were, which brings us to virtue ethics.
Emilia who we know as Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid, first appears to be Iago’s puppet but shows great loyalty to Desdemona. Iago uses her as a way to set the scene between Cassio and Desdemona to look like inappropriate behavior was transpiring between the two. While Othello is talking to Emilia about Desdemona’s supposed infidelity Emilia scolds him saying “If you think other, remove your thought”. When Emilia realizes Othello has killed Desdemona, she immediately lashes out at him, fearlessly insists on bringing him to justice. As she realizes the role Iago played in Desdemona’s death, she doesn’t hesitate to oust him in front of everyone but her insistence on speaking out costs her her life when Iago stabs her in desperation. Emilia dies seeking reparation for her participation in Iago’s crimes. She helped Iago persuade Othello of Desdemona’s guilt. In the end Emilia showed great courage, self-assurance, and loyalty to Desdemona by bringing her husband’s wrong doings to life even if that meant losing her own life. Like the play, Emily in the film who was the character representation of Emilia was manipulated by Hugo but after finding Desi’s corpse after Odin took her life, she denounces Hugo’s lies to defend Desi’s reputation. Both characters displayed virtue because they were loyal, honest, and courageous for the protection of someone they cared about while risking their own life.
In the written play and film Othello, the scene when Othello and Desdemona are in the room alone and he confronts her about her infidelity with Cassio and Othello takes Desdemonas life, Desdemona shows an act of utilitarianism. Right after Othello smothers Desdemona, with her last couple of breaths she tells Emilia who walks in shortly after and finds her lifeless that it was a suicide to protect Othello. Desdemona is at times a submissive character and most notably in her willingness to take credit for her own murder. Her faithfulness to her husband and her choice to protect him showed us that whether her decision was right or wrong she would die trying to prove that her infidelity was false no matter the consequences in the end and her will to always remain loyal and faithful to Othello. After Othello finds out the truth and Desdemona die’s, the movie ends in the most tragic way with a lot lives lost but the truth was revealed, and Iago’s deceit became known. Deontology ethics, virtue ethics and Utilitarian ethics stayed the same between Shakespeare’s play and both films. Although there were some differences in the story line in the film O, all three ethics were represented the same way revealing a lot of ethical issues from scene to scene and giving us a deeper look into the story.

                                                                                                                     Don’Asia White

                                                                                                                        12/13/2020

                                                                                                                         ENG 2400

                                                                                                                        Final Essay 

Are you aware of what it means to show empathy? Empathy is defined as the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. The film “O” directed by Tim Blake Nelson (2001) and “Othello” written by William Shakespeare (1604), both tell a story centered around jealousy, manipulation, love, and betrayal. Empathy, ethics, narration, and tone are all characteristics that provide readers with an understanding of what the director or writer’s goal is when creating a piece of literature or film.

The modern film “O” shows the dynamics of Desi and her boyfriend Odin, who is the star athlete who has a lot of popularity amongst his peers. Hugo hatches up a plan to destroy Odin and ruin his relationship with Desi, by insinuating that she is cheating on him with Michael. This version seemed to be less empathetic to Hugo, but more empathetic to Odin because of his confusion and somewhat innocence in the entire film. The ending scene showed Odin pleading about his love for Desi and this grasps the audience’s attention because he talked about how he knew his life was over and that he truly did love her, but Hugo has messed with his mind and thoughts. Odin appeared to be struggling with himself and the choices that he made. His ethics and morals weren’t clear anymore, which was a major development in this film. 

The treatment of women in both the film and the text were negative. The women were viewed as property and the men treated them like they were owners of the women. For example, the name calling and the other forms of abuse that they experienced, at the hands of the men. Women were called whores, liars, and many other derogatory names that put them down. It was also revealing in “O” when Hugo shoots his girlfriend Emily because she exposes him and his scheme. The violence against women was apparent and visible there. Hugo wanted to shut her up and the only way he could do that was by killing her. 

Hugo’s narration, word choice, and tone at the end when he was arrested, contributed to how ethics were displayed in the film. While in the back of the police car, the narrator’s voice becomes soft and he explains how one day, everyone will be paying attention to him, the irony of how now all the eyes were on him. It was also noticeable how while the narrator spoke about that, there were people taking pictures of him and the director zoomed in on that. Hugo always felt like he was second best because of his father, but now the roles were actually shifted, due to his own actions. His ethics and morals were twisted because he didn’t care about who he hurt, he was just seeking attention in any way he could get it, and now it was all about him. The audience could also be empathetic towards him because it was as if he was desperate to get the attention he was looking for and he found it, but at the cost of people losing their lives. 

William Shakespeare’s use of different language created a tone that could be felt throughout the entire text. When Iago was being sarcastic or there was a fight scene, the reader could pick up on that almost immediately because of the character’s shift in tone or the language that they used. The movie version “O” deemed to be much more violent because of the shooting of Emily, how Odin shoots himself in the head, and also the murder of Michael and Roger, at the hands of Hugo. After shooting Roger, Hugo appears to be shaken up and frustrated with what he did, but Iago didn’t seem too bothered by all the chaos he had caused everyone. The violence towards the women was clearly shown but there was much more violence in this version, compared to the text version and other film versions. 

In Summary, the text version and film version of “Othello” show the dynamics between men and women and how they were not equal. The film version “O” showed more empathy towards Odin but not as much to Hugo, the mastermind behind all of the drama that took place. Examining both sources was necessary because there were some key differences in how the story was told, especially in the Tim Blake Nelson version. Morals, values, and personal ethics were also components that were challenged through this story because there was so much tragedy and heartache.

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