Term 3 Assignment 5

In the play The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is one of the main antagonist of the story. It is difficult to define what kind a character Shylock is, on one hand he is seen as a victim as racial discrimination and on the other he is seen as an evil and mericless person, just like a monster. As such, I assume that Shakespeare's intention was to make the audience show more emphathy towards Jews but still stay true to the general sentiments towards the Jews.

In one sense, he is potrayed as a victim of racial discrimination which can easily be supported by the racial remarks made by the characters such as Antonio and Bassanio:

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!"
These were quotes based in the scene where Bassanio attempts to borrow money from Shylock to fund his courtship of Portia. Shylock was criticised and humiliated and called the devil by Bassanio even though Bassanio was there to borrow money from him. This shows the the extreme descrimination and marginalisation of jews, such as Shylock.

However, this sense of emphathy soon dissapears as he later "forced" Antonio into signing a bond which would allow Shylock to cut off one pound of flesh from Antonio if he fails to return the money on time. Antonio ultimately fails to return the money and was brought to court by Shylock, who was eager to claim his bond. Also, towards the end, Shylock turns from a man who is suffering from injustice to a vengeful person and full of hatred, with revenge the only thing on his mind. Empathy is then changed into anger towards Shylock and sympathy towards Antonio.

As quoted:

" My deeds upon my head!
I crave the law,
The penalty and forfeit of my bond."
As shown from this quote his seems to have lost his humanity and is hellbent on killing Antonio.

In conclusion, I feel that Shakespeare's intention was to raise awareness of the feelings of Jews but at the same time not make it too obvious to keep in line with the norm.

Blogging Assignment

I do not feel that Shakespeare is biased in terms of portrayal of the main characters in The Merchant of Venice. This can be seen through the fair portrayal of these characters.

He portrayed the characters with both good and bad qualities. Take Antonio for example, Antonio was portrayed to be a loyal and helpful friend. Where he was even willing to have a pound of flesh cut from him, just to ensure his friend's future. However, he turned out also to be racist and conducted many anti-Jewish acts on Shylock such as telling him that he was a dog and spitting on him.

Another character which was portrayed fairly would be Shylock. Shylock, is portrayed as an evil and cruel with no sense of mercy, and was hell bent on killing Antonio through his bond of a pound of flesh. All these bad characteristics developed due to the discrimination that he was facing and that he probably felt dejected, sad and alone, leading the the growth of hatred towards the christians. This can be seen in many parts of the play such as during the trial whereby the Christians gang up against him, and also the part which Antonio spit on him. Therefore, Shylock is not just portrayed as a ruthless, merciless tyrant, but also a misunderstood character who is discriminated against for being a Jew.

Term 3 Assignment 4

In my opinion, Jim Rogers' main argument is that one must be able to have a good grasp of various languages in order to survive in this globally competitive world. With the East rising to power, more and more people from the west are starting to get their children to learn the languages of the East. It is no doubt that the East would soon overthrow the West in terms of power and wealth and people want to side with the creditors than the debtors.

I agree with Jim Rogers' argument. Truly, the Asians are coming stronger than ever. Rapid economic growth, global trading ties, and expanding diplomatic cooperation have pushed China to the first rank of nations. A few years back, China took a step foward in ending world dominance of American,by using a ground-based ballistic missile to destroy an old weather satellite. Up till then, America and Russia had been the only countries who could make millitary use of space. Nowadays, almost every product that is manufactured, is made in China. Even the renowed iPhone is also made in China. It is almost impossible to walk into a shop and not find an item which is not made in China. Indeed, America is still at the top, but sooner or later, they will have to step down.

Some may think that america will remain seated on the throne in the world race, and that english is the language is all they need, as it is the universal language. However, this type of thinking is clearly wrong. Take a look at the asians. 200 million Chinese schoolchildren are studying English. South Korean parents recently threw a collective hissy fit, demanding that their children begin English instruction in first grade, rather than in second. Nearly 700,000 students from all over the world attended U.S. universities during the 2009–10 school year, with the greatest increases in kids from China and Saudi Arabia. The asians are all expanding their knowledge in language by educating their students with English language. If the Westerners still sit around and only learn one language, they will soon fall behind the Easterners.

The advantage of being capable to speak in a foreign tongue is certainly indisputable, especially as the rapidly globalizing world pushes it's engine of globalization ever harder. In order to develop a good grasp of a foreign language, children must be exposed to foreign culture & languages, otherwise, their survival in a global economy would be certainly very tough.