Money and the Congressional Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money and the Congressional Campaign - Essay Example This is indeed unrealistic but there are a number of speculations that may be used to analyze the narrative because there is no statistically observable linkage between spending and the likelihood of victory (Dubner Web). Candidates spending had much smaller effect in winning the elections than expected. This essay tends to ascertain the reasons behind the relationship between huge spending and likelihood of victory for the congressional candidates. According to Dubner the 2012 elections saw huge campaign expenditure achieving very little because it did not have discernable effect on the outcome of most races (Dubner Web). Historically, in the congressional elections, 90% of the incumbents seeking always win with more than 60% of the vote regardless of the challengers’ positions. Nevertheless, senators seeking re-election usually win with narrow margin compared to the house representatives due to the diversity of the states. Reelection always exposes the incumbents to vulnerab ility because of big expenditure in campaigns such as advertising, travelling more to their states and large staffing (Narayanswamy Web). Congressional candidates have been spending enormous sums on campaigns to win the elections particularly when the competition is very stiff and there is no incumbent running for re-election. There is always a belief when an incumbent is running for a reelection then any candidate from any party is likely to win and this greatly stiffens competition. In that case, there is a notion that a candidate who spends the most in the vacated seats especially in the House has a bigger chance of winning. Huge sum of money for congressional campaigns come from individuals pocket while 30% come from Political Action Committees that seek access to policymakers. PACs usually sponsor incumbents because they are likely to win since critics argue that the main objective of PAC is not to elect but to influence. Interestingly, high-volume does not guarantee victory re gardless of the belief that money buys challengers’ recognition and an opportunity to be heard (Lessig Web). Dubner explains that group of billionaires and privately owned corporations contributed more than $1billion on super PACs accompanied by wave of attacks through unrivaled ads yet the big spenders did not win (Web). Failure to return the senate to the GOP control by the Republicans was an evidence of a heavy spending with little achievement. It was unfortunate that the Republicans lost ground in the senate after pouring a lot of money in the campaigns including the House contest where the Democratic candidates won even after the Republican candidates outspent them in the final months. Interestingly, there were some cases where the Republicans were outspent but they won the elections (Narayanswamy Web). Senate contest in Virginia that involved Kaine and George Allen who spent almost $50 million from independent group but Kaine won comfortably and another failure of the b ig spending Linda McMahon in Connecticut after pouring more than $90 million. There are many other examples such as in the House where Re, Robert Dold of Illinois was outshined by Democrat brad Schneider after spending $1.9 million (Dubner Web). It was later clear that most of the targeted candidates failed and they blamed the super-Pac money for their disappointment. They lamented that most of their time in the race was spent on seeking money and focusing on defense instead of discussing issues (Lessig Web). It was unfortunate to see huger spending Republicans losing in the House elections while Democrats winning with little spending. Could it be a momentum from Obama or just another force that favored the Democrats and

The differences between Christianity and Buddhism Essay Example for Free

The differences between Christianity and Buddhism Essay Basic Belief Systems Buddhism is different from Christianity in many ways. The Christian founder, Jesus Christ was the Son of The Father, God, while the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama was a normal human being, who achieved enlightenment through meditation and later on was referred to as The Buddha(The Awakened). This brings us to the first major difference, the existence of the supernatural. While Buddhism does not completely reject the Hinduism Gods, it does not see them necessary. At the same time, Christianity has its one and only God, who comes in three faces, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Christian meditations are also very different from Buddhism ones, while Christians have an open minded meditations, where the mind can wonder off freely, Buddhists have a closed ends meditations, in which there is only one goal to the meditation and your thoughts are limited to concentrate only on certain things. The perception of life differs very much in two religions. Buddhists state that Life Is Dukka, life is pain and suffering, while Christians treasure life in every way, and believe that life is the most important thing that God gave us. These are the major differences between the two religions belief systems. Main Rituals and Symbols While both religions use their own rituals and symbols, these are very different from each other. Christianity uses symbols such as the Crucifix, Icons, statues, etc, the Buddhism followers are more used to symbols like The Dharma wheel, The victory banner, The knot of eternity, The conch shell, The lotus, The vase, The fish and The umbrella, which are The Eight Auspicious Signs. Christians usually use these signs during their ceremonies and processions, while Buddhists apply the signs in their life, or during meditation and study. The Christian rituals include the celebration of Christmas, Easter, Sunday Masses and other similar rituals and ceremonies, and Buddhists have their rituals too. They include Offering of Light, Offering of Flowers and Offering of Incense. All these offerings are presented to Buddhas statues to show that people still follow his teachings. This would be strictly prohibited by any real Christian religion,  as it involves creating idols, and is prohibited by the Bibles Ten Commandments. Chanting verses on the Buddhas Teachings is believed to give protection to those who listen to them., which is different from Christian chanting which is only used in Masses and are simply used to praise The Lord, All-mighty. Sacred Texts The sacred texts of Buddhism and Christianity do not have much in common. The Christian main book, the Bible consists of passages and chapters written before and after Jesus death. It consists of two main parts, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. The Buddhists sacred text is called the Pali Canon, which consists of three groups of discourses, called the Tripitaka, which consists of Sutra saying of Buddha, Vinya discipline of the brotherhood and Abidharma a set of creeds based on essential teachings. The canon includes poetry and prose, Buddhas conversations with others and myths about the life of Buddha. While the Bible teaches us the words of God, the teachings of Christ, talks about the Afterlife and Creation, The Pali Canon simply talks about Buddhas life, what he did, his thoughts, and reminds me more of a Biography, rather then a sacred text of a religion. There are other sacred texts including stories, myths and teachings of Buddhas disciples, but those are not considered as major and important as the Pali Canon. Christianity concentrates on The Bible more then any other minor sacred texts, while Buddhism considers all the minor texts as important as each other. The Christian Religion answers all the lifes fundamental questions. If you search within Christianity, you will be able to find answers to questions like what is the meaning of life and how the world was created and why and is there life after death? Buddhism does not give these answers, it concentrates more on self-perfection of the soul and achieving awakening, only then one can understand the mysteries of the universe, but not many can achieve this, while in Christianity all and everyone is able to find answers to these questions. Christians believe that God created the world, he created hell and heaven, the two places where a human soul will spend its  afterlife. Some believe that the meaning of life is for God to decide whether a person was good or bad and where will he end up, some think its is simply to help others during our lives. While no-one knows the right answer to these fundamental questions for sure, we may speculate or try to understand the Bible more closely to fin d the answers we seek. The main difference between Buddhism and Christianity in these questions is that Buddhists believe in reincarnation, where a humans soul will be reborn in a different body after death, and this process is only stopped by reaching Nirvana, a stage of complete enlightenment. Christians however believe that after death, the human soul will travel and be judged and either sent to Heaven, closer to God, or Hell, where Satan is. It is believed that Buddha achieved Nirvana, and therefore will not be reborn again, although some believe that Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of Buddha, but their numbers are few. The teachings of Buddha help Buddhists understand their purpose in life, to achieve Nirvana, enlightenment. This is achieved through deep meditation and self control, including self-denial. Meditation performs an important role in achieving Nirvana. Buddhist monks sometimes go and spend years living by themselves and meditating for most of their time, believing that such deep devotion will help them reach enlightenment and perfection. Some strive to become Buddha themselves, this is achievable through attaining enlightenment on their own, without the help of anyone else. This is considered the highest stage of awakening, and these Buddha are then allowed to go and teach others, and become spiritual leaders. It is obvious that both religions help individuals to answer lifes fundamental questions, and one cannot say for sure, which one helps more or is more right, everyone chooses for themselves, but Christianity is closer to me, and that is the path I choose to walk upon.

The British Renaissance Produced Many Types of Literature Essay

The British Renaissance Produced Many Types of Literature and Was Influenced By Shakespeare, Marlow, and Spenser The British Renaissance produced many types of literature for the world to see. Shakespeare, Spenser, and Marlowe all contributed to the shaping of the time period. Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" portrays one of the typical love poems that can be seen from the Renaissance. A man is in search of the love of another girl, or woman. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote a poem in response to this passage of Marlowe's entitled "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." Although the name of the girl is not stated anywhere in the former poem, Raleigh decided to use a wood nymph as his subject. The Shepherd seems to be a meaningful man. His plead for the nymph's love seems true, but is hollow. The Nymph's reply frankly points this out to the Shepherd in her reply and jokingly refuses him her love. The themes of age, weather and the seasons, and materialism all appear in the two poems. Though, both authors use them differently to show how love should be attained. Love should be attained by use of the heart. This theory is the premise of Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." The Shepherd in his poem offers the world to his Love and everything with it. He is an old man and hopes to win the girl's heart. Notice the word ‘hopes.' If these delights thy mind may move, Then live with me and be my love. And so the...

Discuss Chaucers comic method in the Millers Prologue and Tale Essay

Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale. Combine your personal response with reference to other critical opinion at relevent points in your argument. The Miller's Tale is undoubtedly Chaucer's most crude and vulgar work, but how far did Chaucer intend for there to be a moral to his story? Are we supposed to sympathise with the jealous but 'sely' carpenter when the wife whom 'he lovede moore than his lyf' is unfaithful to him? Should we take pity on Absolon when his 'love-longynge' leads him to the riotous 'misplaced kiss'? We are warned not to 'maken ernest of game' in the Miller's Prologue, and we are also forewarned that the Miller's language and the content of the story may be offensive due to the ' ale of Southwerk'. By this point, it is clear that this is nothing but an amusing story, told purely for pleasure by a drunken and high-spirited miller. Elizabeth G. Melillo agrees in her essay that 'it seems a shame to do anything with the Miller's Tale except laugh heartily! To insert too much intellectual analysis may rob this, the best of 'dirty' stories of its charm.' Chaucer begins by preparing us for the trouble that is to come, by alerting us to the fact that the carpenter has married a woman much younger than him, and that 'his wit was rude' - he is an uneducated and gullible man, with a beautiful young wife. Dissatisfied with presenting us with the bare fact, Chaucer dedicates 40 lines to an elaborate description of Alisoun, in order to emphasise just how attractive she is. As Mc Daniel says, 'She is described in terms of a wily weasel, a vixen, a young calf; animalistic terms that emphasize her youthful sensuality'. By informing us of her 'likerous ye', Chaucer establ... ...ue not to 'maken ernest of game', and not to feel too sorry for the carpenter. The tale ends with the conclusion that 'swyvved was this carpenteris wyf, for al his kepyng and his jalousye'. Chaucer does not want us to take any moral from the tale, but it is packed full of them. It can be seen as a sort of sermon on the sins of pride and jealousy, hidden in the format of a 'naughty story'. According to McDaniel, 'the Miller tells this crude but hilarious story to remind the Host and all the other pilgrims that social pretense is dangerous'. Even though it may be difficult not to pity the carpenter at the end when he is hurt, cuckolded, and taunted, we must refrain from doing it. John Lippitt said that 'the tragic and the comic are not polar opposites, or mutually exclusive, but subtly and sometimes almost paradoxically inter-linked modes of experience'. Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale Essay Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale. Combine your personal response with reference to other critical opinion at relevent points in your argument. The Miller's Tale is undoubtedly Chaucer's most crude and vulgar work, but how far did Chaucer intend for there to be a moral to his story? Are we supposed to sympathise with the jealous but 'sely' carpenter when the wife whom 'he lovede moore than his lyf' is unfaithful to him? Should we take pity on Absolon when his 'love-longynge' leads him to the riotous 'misplaced kiss'? We are warned not to 'maken ernest of game' in the Miller's Prologue, and we are also forewarned that the Miller's language and the content of the story may be offensive due to the ' ale of Southwerk'. By this point, it is clear that this is nothing but an amusing story, told purely for pleasure by a drunken and high-spirited miller. Elizabeth G. Melillo agrees in her essay that 'it seems a shame to do anything with the Miller's Tale except laugh heartily! To insert too much intellectual analysis may rob this, the best of 'dirty' stories of its charm.' Chaucer begins by preparing us for the trouble that is to come, by alerting us to the fact that the carpenter has married a woman much younger than him, and that 'his wit was rude' - he is an uneducated and gullible man, with a beautiful young wife. Dissatisfied with presenting us with the bare fact, Chaucer dedicates 40 lines to an elaborate description of Alisoun, in order to emphasise just how attractive she is. As Mc Daniel says, 'She is described in terms of a wily weasel, a vixen, a young calf; animalistic terms that emphasize her youthful sensuality'. By informing us of her 'likerous ye', Chaucer establ... ...ue not to 'maken ernest of game', and not to feel too sorry for the carpenter. The tale ends with the conclusion that 'swyvved was this carpenteris wyf, for al his kepyng and his jalousye'. Chaucer does not want us to take any moral from the tale, but it is packed full of them. It can be seen as a sort of sermon on the sins of pride and jealousy, hidden in the format of a 'naughty story'. According to McDaniel, 'the Miller tells this crude but hilarious story to remind the Host and all the other pilgrims that social pretense is dangerous'. Even though it may be difficult not to pity the carpenter at the end when he is hurt, cuckolded, and taunted, we must refrain from doing it. John Lippitt said that 'the tragic and the comic are not polar opposites, or mutually exclusive, but subtly and sometimes almost paradoxically inter-linked modes of experience'.

Israeli and Palestinian Conflict

Every place in this world is being owned just by luck of those people who are living in it. They are the only ones who have stayed there and who have fought for it. However, they are fortunate that they have had it. The same situation will also be sure to happen to the never-ending fight between Jews and Arabs for Palestine. Like the situations in other fights for a certain land, both parties claim that Palestine is their motherland. Jews try to point out that Palestine is a Jewish homeland and that they should create an independent Jewish life on that land in order to unite them to combat Jewish meaninglessness.They want to form a strong nation that will showcase its Jewish culture that will also be passed on to their children. They only want to be the masters of their own fate without being dictated by anyone. On the other hand, they said they do not conquer fellowmen and seek for friendship instead (Meir, 1948). However, according to the Arabs, who are also telling that the Palest ine is theirs by birthright historically, Jews are illegally alienating them. They are against the aggression being done by the Jews in trying to segregate them from their claimed land.They are not given freedom and rights on the land where there are restricted areas for them. They also assert that the justice is bias in favour of the Jews because of several hearings that support the other side (Husseini, 1947). Both parties have strong points. Both have already invested so much blood for the sake of what they are fighting for. That is why it will appear unfair for whoever will lose the battle. As all of them sacrificed, the only solution is to give them all the right to have the land with equal treatment and without any segregation.This is not only bias to the Arabs who are only wanting to be given rights to their land but also to Jews who want to build their own culture in their own land since it will be a land of freedom and all of them are free to have their own culture in spite of differences that abound. That is what is already happening to lands with different but powerful culture. In this case, the fight will be over and at the same time both are expected to benefit from the cooperation that is going to exist.

Free Essays on Music Of The 60s

THE LANGUAGE OF REVOLUTION The 1960’s were a time of civil and social upheaval. During this period the very fabric of what was America was being torn asunder by the call of justice. The search for justice was one of the primary reasons and perhaps the most influential of the reasons that started the revolution that was the student movement of the 60’s. In one of the most stirring statements of political philosophy that the world has ever seen: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?That to secure these rights , Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, †¦That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organi zing powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.? With such a declaration as the basis of the country in which the protest was occurring there were several outside the realm of student revolutionaries who supported their cause. Hubert Humphrey once stated, â€Å"When we say, ‘One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,?we are talking about all people. We either ought to believe it or quit saying it?2 During the 1960’s, a great number of people did, in fact, begin to believe in justice. These years were a time of great change for America. The country was literally redefined as people from all walks of life fought to uphold their standards on what they believed a true democracy is made of; equal rights for all races, freedom of speech, and the right to stay out of wars in which they felt they didn’t belong. In the tumult of revolution th... Free Essays on Music Of The 60s Free Essays on Music Of The 60s THE LANGUAGE OF REVOLUTION The 1960’s were a time of civil and social upheaval. During this period the very fabric of what was America was being torn asunder by the call of justice. The search for justice was one of the primary reasons and perhaps the most influential of the reasons that started the revolution that was the student movement of the 60’s. In one of the most stirring statements of political philosophy that the world has ever seen: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?That to secure these rights , Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, †¦That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organi zing powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.? With such a declaration as the basis of the country in which the protest was occurring there were several outside the realm of student revolutionaries who supported their cause. Hubert Humphrey once stated, â€Å"When we say, ‘One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,?we are talking about all people. We either ought to believe it or quit saying it?2 During the 1960’s, a great number of people did, in fact, begin to believe in justice. These years were a time of great change for America. The country was literally redefined as people from all walks of life fought to uphold their standards on what they believed a true democracy is made of; equal rights for all races, freedom of speech, and the right to stay out of wars in which they felt they didn’t belong. In the tumult of revolution th...

In Othello Shakespeare explores the nature of social prejudice Essay Example

In Othello Shakespeare explores the nature of social prejudice Essay Example In Othello Shakespeare explores the nature of social prejudice Paper In Othello Shakespeare explores the nature of social prejudice Paper Although Shakespeare does display the unusual trait of empathy towards societys outcasts; most of society at that time was plagued by social prejudice. However, prejudice in itself is a loose term for it simply refers to bigotry. Thus, it provides a rather extensive category to examine, for instance, in Othello racism is the most prevalent form of prejudice, yet misogyny and intellectual prejudice is also apparent. Instead, its the social aspect of the phrase that narrows the focus down a little as now it is apparent that the prejudice is not confined to any particular person, the problem being of course, that the only way for Shakespeare to portray such prejudices is through the medium of individuals. Those with a higher status within society are generally perceived to be those who are the most cautious with their views, yet Brabantio demonstrates no notion of restraint when Othello enchants Desdemona and marries her. In fact, Brabantios prejudices are conveyed in quite a brazen and passionate manner as he contrasts the thief of Othello with the delicate youth of Desdemona. Through this contrasting imagery, Shakespeare highlights that Brabantio believes Othello to be at fault and given rational mind, Desdemona would never have opted for marriage. This is quite an emphatic demonstration of racism, as Brabantio clearly believes that Othello stole Desdemona as opposed to Desdemona mutually agreeing to the marriage, a concept that is further emphasised by the constant references to the chains of magic that were used be Othello to capture his victim. In Shakespearian times, it was feared that Africans held the power of black magic and had the ability to manipulate the world around them, therefore Shakespeare here just utilises a common stereotype to engage the audience (at that time) with Brabantios viewpoint. Brabantio even goes as far as labelling Othello as an abuser of the world thus implicating him with crimes beyond what he has apparently committed towards his daughter. This perception is of course, completely irrational and perhaps fuelled slightly by the abruptness of the marriage, although that is not really an excuse given the fact that Brabantio, loved me [Othello], oft invited me, which shows that Brabantio has no qualms with Othellos personality, meaning that the only true reasoning behind his abhorrence towards the marriage is the colour of Othellos skin. However, Brabantio takes the racism one step beyond the realms of stereotypical racism, he actually denounces Othellos status in full: Of such a thing as thou Brabantio goes from despising the values that Othellos skin colour stands for, to not even perceiving Othello as human. Whilst Desdemona is placed on a pedestal as a maid so tender, fair, and happy, Othello is no longer recognised as being in the same world as Desdemona. Instead, by being dehumanised, Othello is released of all the characteristics present in a human and thus, capable of even greater evil. This of course, suits Brabantios bigoted view of Othello and provides Brabantio with an excuse to further condemn the sham of a marriage and disregard it as the iniquitous works of a sub-human being as opposed to a human capable of caring for his daughter. Shakespeare further embellishes this already extreme prejudice by the tone of Brabantio. The contrast between the calm and measured style of Othello and the angry hysterics of Brabantio is striking, and effectively portrays Othello as the rational and approachable character, whilst highlighting the lunacy that can so often accompany prejudice through the depiction of Brabantio and his frenzied speech. Christopher Wilson wrote how the use of commas in fact serves to increase the pace of Brabantios speech and thus, intensify the passion and anger that guides him through his thought processes. I therefore apprehend and do attach thee Brabantio has now taken it upon himself to act as the judge and the jury. Here the social aspect of social prejudice is being shown as it could be construed as a subtle dig by Shakespeare towards how societys governed by the prejudice. Considering the rational judgement of the Duke later though, this seems rather unlikely. Instead, Shakespeare could merely be emphasising how these views are unfortunately representative of society as a whole at that time, and thus, the prejudice becomes a social prejudice as opposed to just the execrable bigotry of an individual. To vouch this is no proof The Duke, who is the true figure of authority, puts Brabantio in his place by establishing the need for proof. This shows the Duke as an impartial and deliberative man, someone who is not swayed by emotional propaganda, but bases his views on the facts that are put in front of him. Consequently, he is able to detach himself from the emotional mania that is fuelled by Brabantio and delivers a verdict that is free of prejudice (free of his own prejudice and the prejudice that has been encouraged by other characters). The fact that the Duke is the figure of authority could also be argued as demonstrating the lack of social prejudice for in the end, society (epitomised by the Duke) acts in a rational and composed manner, proving that the prejudices of the individual is ultimately futile. In addition to all this, there is another form of prejudice present in the scene besides that of racism. Misogyny is highlighted by the absence of a womans voice, in other words, the absence of Desdemona. It is perhaps little surprise to find that the person who does eventually ask for a womans input is that of the accused, the man who is the actual victim of prejudice in Othello. I do beseech you send for the lady to the Sagittary, up until this point, the notion of asking for Desdemonas version of events has not even been considered. This is perhaps indicative of the role of women in society back then, where they were secondary to men and thus, were not considered to be useful when dealing with issues such as this one, despite being involved. This is Shakespeare depicting prejudice subtly, for nothing is actually said that is specifically derogatory towards women, but the absence of women does highlight the arrogance of men in society as well as showing that the most objective people were often the victims of prejudice themselves, like Othello in this instance. Tis such another fitchew! Marry a perfumed one. Another prejudice is present here as Bianca is regarded with contempt by Cassio, the very person who she sleeps with. Prostitutes have always had a lower status in society for the sordid lives that they lead. No one in Othello appears to be quite as poorly regarded as Bianca as highlighted by the fact that even Emilia berates Bianca. Biancas wish appears to be to marry Cassio, yet he does not even consider the possibility. Furthermore, Cassio refers to Bianca as a fitchew, which conjures up the image of a polecat, which is widely known for its rank odour and lechery. In addition to this, Cassio states how Bianca is haunting him, something which creates the unsavoury image of a stalker and compliments the bestial image of a fitchew. This is clearly a blatant use of hyperbole on Cassios part, although it is successful in emphasising the derision that Bianca is regarded with, and thus accentuating the prejudice in society towards prostitutes. Unfortunately, this sort of prejudice has not improved by much throughout the years, although a modern audience is more likely to sympathise with Bianca than a Shakespearian audience. The most flagrant display of prejudices, somewhat ironically, comes from the subtlety of Iagos persuasive approach. The purveyor of the injustice in the play is unsurprisingly the centre of the prejudice too, yet unlike Brabantio, Cassio or the others, he usually demonstrates this in a far more subtle way (apart from when referring to Othello as a barbary horse and other equally detestable images that were created to convince Brabantio of Othellos guilt). I would not have your free and noble nature out of self-bounty, be abused. Although not a direct indication of prejudice as it as an example of Iago flattering Othello, it still shows the contempt with which Iago regards Othello. Previously, Iago had alluded to Othello as free and open, in other words, gullible. Yet, he now uses it to flatter him and it allows him to lead on and remind Othello of his foreign heritage (I know our country disposition well. ) Othello obviously believes that Iago is doing this in his best interests, yet all these references have the undertones of prejudice. They all reflect what Iago had earlier said about Othello, albeit in a different context, and in my view, they thus represent a less blatant form of racism. Of course, the clearest forms of prejudice come when Iago confronts Brabantio about the truth; however, Shakespeare draws many parallels in what Iago says in that encounter and what he now says to Othello (but in a more subtle way). The fact that Othello begins to speak in a similar fashion to Iago and occasionally resorts to bestial imagery shows that Iagos prejudice is slightly contagious and could serve as a plague to society. Furthermore, Iago further displays prejudice views in his misogynistic attitude, which is especially displayed in his treatment of Emilia. To have a foolish wife is a hurtful enough comment to say in the privacy of the home, but to proclaim it in front of a small crowd is even more humiliating for Emilia. This unashamed display of deprecation is indicative of misogynistic views that Iago seemingly holds. Some critics actually support this interpretation as Iago is perceived by some in the literary community, to in fact be gay. There is no direct evidence to support this idea, but when, for example, Iago describes his dream about Cassio and Desdemona, there is some quite explicit images about Cassio, which perhaps suggest homosexual undertones. The greatest victim in the play is not Othello, but Desdemona. After all, she is the victim of a maliciously devious plot from Iago to destroy her life and the man she holds dearest to her. If anyone could be excused for being prejudice, it is arguably Desdemona. However, even when her trust has been betrayed and she has been murdered by her own husband, she still refuses to implicate Othello in the crime: Commend me to my kind lord. She is offered the opportunity to ensure that justice is served, but such is the compassion and love of her heart, she instead absolves him of his crimes. Of course, in reality such purity is an unrealistic expectation in life for no one can be that free of prejudice as to be able to forgive a person for such a large act of betrayal. Some critics have even interpreted this in a religious fashion by comparing Desdemona to Jesus as in death, Jesus forgives mankind for its sins, just as in death, Desdemona forgives Othello of his sins. Jesus is the only figure comparable to Desdemona for he too consistently acts in a caring manner, yet it could be argued that by preaching a doctrine that condemns sinners to hell, he is in effect, guilty of some form of prejudice. Thus, although I find it a little tenuous, it could be construed that Desdemona epitomises purity in its absolute form, in its most religiously clean form (her only act of lying, which admittedly is a sin, is to cleanse the soul of another through forgiveness). However, this interpretation also highlights the uniqueness of Desdemonas character. Due to her unparalleled lack of prejudice, Desdemona cannot be perceived as representing social prejudices but instead acting as a beacon against it. She is clearly an exception to society rather than the norm in society and by effectively symbolising the exact opposite of social prejudices, she highlights the fact that social prejudice is in fact present. Overall, there is little doubting that prejudice is rife in Othello and it is demonstrated by the language of several characters (Brabantio when speaking to Othello, Cassio when speaking about Bianca and Iago about almost every other character in the play). The social aspect of these prejudices is further emphasised by the use of common stereotypes at that time as well as the prevalence of prejudice in characters and also, the use of Brabantios status in society to show that the tendency of those in power to be driven by their attitudes. However, through the depiction of the Dukes calm resolve, the union of two races, and also Desdemonas incredible purity, Shakespeare does highlight that society is not solely governed by prejudice and also shows that it is possible for individuals to hold rational views separate from that of social prejudices.