Thursday, October 31, 2019
Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait Essay
Modern-day Slavery and abused domestic workers in kuwait - Essay Example There are several cases that domestic workers, who have been abused by their employers tries to escape and the Kuwaiti law allows the employers to sue these domestic workers for trying to abscond and they get these workers deported at the end of the day (Human Rights Watch, 2010). This trend can only encourage modern-day slavery in Kuwait as there have not been stringent laws to curb the excesses of employers that abuse their domestic workers. This situation is rather different from the one in the United States of America as the government of the country has made efforts to reduce the problem of modern-day slavery to the barest minimum. The US government has given the domestic workers the right to sue their employers whenever they feel they have been maltreated by them. Thus, the modern-day slavery in Kuwait seems to be more terrible than the one in the US and this is due to the fact that the domestic workers in US have the right to protest against harsh treatment, while the ones in Kuwait have not been granted that privilege (Human Rights Watch, 2010).
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
European Economic Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
European Economic Community - Essay Example Three treaty organizations were considered for the creation of the European Communities known under EC since 1992. The European Economic Community, being the processor of the EC, was a treaty between Belgium, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and West Germany. It aimed for the economic inclination of the participating counties which would eventually lead to common political goals and institutions. Today the organization numbers 25 members which all fall under the European Union organization. These are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland1. The aim of this paper is to investigate to what extend the European Union has penetrated the economy of each party and to what extend it represents a new legal order meaning the effect the of the common regulations and policies followed on the participant countries. What's more, the prevalence of Community Laws over local Laws is examines and for this matter the Dutch transport firm Van Gend & Loos case is discussed as an example case. All former are sustained through comparison within the EC member countries and comparison to development rates universally. Since European Community is a pillar of the European Union focusing on environmental, social and primarily economical matters, the two terms are used interchangeably for the rest of this paper. Common Policy Issues The first issue to discuss here are the emerging problems of the common momentary policy implemented four year ago by twelve of the fifteen members and how these were tackled by the Community authorities. To start with and moving away from the prevalence issues per se, attaining the deficit goals is not an easy task and there is not much confidence for all countries. Strong economies are expected to perform better than smaller economies that might not achieve the set standards and conflicts within the union boundaries are common to occur. Secondly, the bilateral conversion rates are put into question as to how much these reflect the currency prior to conversion. Thirdly, the core or strong economy countries will be a lot more lucrative in risk taking; in fact they will be a lot more conservative. Interest rate level however on the fast growing countries however will be a lot higher and countries such as Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Spain. The former might encounter great issues when managing their economies (Krijsman, 1998). The entire former sum up to a list of problems the Community had to tackle even before embracing the common monetary policy. Of course the authority of the Community enforced the members to follow the guidelines imposed to them; these however were based on the actual facts and the potential of each member. In any case, the members followed, or are still trying to in case they have not achieved, the set standards imposed by the EC. The EC Facts The European Union focuses on economic and environmental policies on subjects as agriculture, trade, humanitarian aid and taxation policies. The unique property of common economic policy met within the European Union boundaries holds an extra property; all participating countries will fail or succeed. This is the main concern of countries that refuse to join the European Union as Switzerland and Norway that refuse to jo
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Ethics in the Oil and Gas Industry
Ethics in the Oil and Gas Industry INTRODUCTION This report looks at the importance of ethics in the oil and gas business and its potential impact on business risk and company share value. Ethics refers to the concept of what is right and wrong, and ethical behavior is generally considered behavior that is proper. Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and organisations. They are the moral values that guide the way corporations or other businesses make decisions. ETHICS AND BUSINESS RISK There are many instances throughout corporate history of how companies have disregarded ethics or morals in the quest for wealth. This can increase business risk due to breaking the law, damaging their image and the effects of lawsuits and damages. Breaking the Law Bribery and corruption are widespread in the developing nations. Companies say that the only way to get things done is to pay the bribes. Although few companies publicly defend bribing officials in third world countries, many privately condone bribery on several grounds. First, there are strictly financial considerations. Bribes can prevent delays that might otherwise have serious financial implications. In a capitalistic environment, we need an even playing field, and if other businesses engage in bribery, then either we do or face being at a competitive disadvantage. Second, there are practical considerations owing to what appears to be the universal nature of bribery in third world countries. Often foreign government officials are so corrupt that it is virtually impossible to do business without playing by the unspoken rules. Thus, theres nothing morally wrong with participating in bribery. On November 4, 2010 the United States Department of Justice announced a series of settlements whereby seven firms were to pay criminal fines and civil disgorgement penalties amounting to a total of $236.5m, in a settlement in relation to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Five of the firms were Royal Dutch Shell, Transocean Inc, Global SantaFe Corp, Pride International and Noble corporation (Thomson Reuters , 2010). This type of transgression if repeated has the potential to place the companies involved at serious risk. It is this acceptance of thats the way the system works that perpetuates and fuels the bribery culture. If all companies adopted a strong ethical position and refused to pay the bribes the corrupt system would fail. Some companies have taken steps to distance themselves from corruption. BP was the first oil company to support the Publish what you pay campaign, a campaign for greater transparency in oil companies dealings with foreign governments. StatoilHydro was the first major oil company to start disclosing ALL revenues and payments in the countries in which it operates. It has set out a clearly defined ethics code of conduct and is promoting this in the different countries it operates in (Statoil, 2008). Damage to Company Image In the 1990s Shell was involved in a highly damaging controversy in Nigeria. The Ogoni people of the Niger delta, a minority tribe, had seen their land decimated by years of drilling. Ken Saro-Wiwa helped form the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, and began protesting. The army ordered a brutal crackdown and series of killings, beatings, and arrests took place. Saro-Wiwa was eventually framed for murder and executed. This event was met with widespread condemnation and the bad publicity surrounding it was extremely difficult for Shell. It is difficult to say if Shell were complicit in these events but they certainly could and should have stopped it or at the very least spoken out against it. Shell eventually distanced themselves from Nigeria in an attempt to regain credibility. Total has been in Burma since 1992 and is a supporter of the military regime. The country has an appalling human rights record. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmas pro-democracy leader, has said that Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime. She told the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that TOTAL knew what it was doing when it invested massively in Burma while others withdrew from the market for ethical reasons. She added, the company must accept the consequences. The country will not always be governed by dictators. (Burma Campaign UK , 2007) However unlike Shell this does not worry nor deter Total Unfortunately, the worlds oil and gas reserves are not necessarily located in democracies says Totals website. Lawsuits and Damages On April 20th 2010 the BP operated Macondo well blew out. The Transocean owned Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was destroyed with the loss of 11 lives. The well continued to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico until it was finally killed on the 17th September 2010. Initial reports show that cost cutting, poor decision making and lack of honesty were important factors in the disaster. Both companies have suffered damage to their company image, reputation and financial well being. BP initially faced all the blame as this was politically convenient to the point that it suddenly became British Petroleum again after a gap of 20 years which clearly showed that the Obama administration was about as ethically sound as either Transocean or BP. BP safety record in the US is poor but much of this is down to the poor condition of assets it inherited during its mergers with Amoco and Arco. Due to its failure to live up to its ethical promises BP is viewed with mistrust bordering on outright hatred in the US whilst elsewhere ethical investors are shying away from it. Tony Hayward, the former group chief executive of BP, stated: Our reputation, and therefore our future as a business, depends on each of us, everywhere, every day, taking personal responsibility for the conduct of BPs business. Sadly even the chief executive failed to live up to his own statement. ETHICS AND SHARE VALUE The effects of this disaster on BP have been significant with BP as a corporate entity particular at risk. The effect of the Macondo disaster on BPs share price was initially catastrophic. As can been seen in Figure 1, the share price collapsed from 650p/share to 300p/share in a little over 2 months. Figure . BP Share Price April 2010 Feb 2011 chart_builder (Livecharts, 2011) BP has had to pay out an initial à £20 billion in clean-up costs and with civil lawsuits pending, the final pay-out is expected to severely impact on the strength of its business. After announcing that it had successfully capped the Macondo well however BP shares rose 8% (Gray, 2010). This proves that investors with equally as little regard to ethics are buying in at the bottom of the market in the hope of making a profit. There have been other cases where poor ethical behaviour has led to significant declines in share price. In January 2004 Royal Dutch Shell announced that it was downgrading nearly 4 billion barrels of proven reserves to the probable category. As a result Shells share price fell by 7%. An internal report by US law firm Davis, Polk and Wardwell, (Moore, 2004) detailed a damaging series of e-mails showing that top managers at the company had known about the inflated reserves for years and had been arguing about whether and how to lie to investors. Conclusion Which means of ethical behaviour a company adopts has been open to much debate. There are some business leaders who think as Milton Friedman did that their duty is, to make as much money as possible while conforming to the basic rules of the society. Others such as Statoil wish to conduct their business to the highest ethical standards possible. Companies have set up Corporate Social Responsibility policies. These policies clearly state the companies ethical and social stand point. The main problem with this is when individuals fail to live up to the statements Unethical business practices will continue to be seen in the oil and gas sector as some companies continue to think that the lack of ethics will have no impact. In many ways they are correct. Shell and Total do not seem to be struggling despite poor ethical records. From a sales point of view ethics, or the lack of them, have little impact. Due to the very nature of the product the ethical stance of the end user will be weaker. When we buy petrol we dont know where it came from or who suffered as a consequence and so companies are protected. The world is reliant on oil and will therefore look the other way as long as it keeps flowing. If these practices continue it may lead to government intervention and regulations that are more financially costly for companies to adhere to. Even more important than governmental intervention, is trust. Companies lacking trust by employees, business partners, and customers will suffer financially in the long-term. Trust, based on ethical reputations, may become even more important in the future (Richardson, 2002/2003). We live in an age where the general public are more attuned to, and aware of, ethical concerns and will base their investment strategies on these principles. In the computer age information is more easily accessed and campaigns against companies can be organised worldwide in days. Companies basing their corporate strategies on strong ethical principles may not show so much short term gain however their long term security will be assured.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay -- American History WWII World War
The Attack on Pearl Harbor The United States is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Pacific Ocean to the West and is bordered by two friendly nations, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Attacks on United States soil have therefore been rare. The surprise attack by the Japanese in 1941 on the United States at Pearl Harbor resulted in a great loss of life and changed the course of history. Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States was an isolationist country and coming out of the Great Depression. There was a war raging in Europe in 1939 that involved many United States allies. Hitlerââ¬â¢s German troops were attacking France, Poland, Great Britain and other European countries. Despite the attacks on these United States allies, citizens in the United States wanted to remain neutral. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Japan had invaded China and Indochina and was making preparations for broader war. As late as December 1941, Americans thought that the United States Government should stay out of World War II and not interfere with European and Asian affairs (Gailey 29). On the morning of December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States and its Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii--ââ¬Å"A day which will live in infamyâ⬠. The United States immediately entered the war and changed the course of the 20th century. Pearl Harbor is a land-locked harbor on the Southern coast of the Oahu Island in Hawaii. It is West of Honolulu. Pearl Harbor is one of the largest and best natural harbors in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Close by are many United States military installations. They include the Chief US Pacific Naval Base, Hickam Airforce Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station ... ...ry for Americans during World War II (Pearl Harbor, 1986). It made Americans even more determined to go kill the enemy. Works Cited Bahrenburg, Bruce. The Pacific Then and Now. New York: G.P. Putnamââ¬â¢s Sons, 1971. ââ¬Å"A Brief Overview of the Attack.â⬠Pearl Harbor Remembered. 7 July 2001. 15 October 2001 . Gailey, Harry A. The War in the Pacific. Novato: Presidio Press, 1995. Layton, Edwin T., Roger Pineau, and John Costello. And I Was There. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1985. ââ¬Å"Pearl Harbor.â⬠Encyclopedia.com. 2001. 15 October 2001 . ââ¬Å"Pearl Harbor.â⬠The Golden Book Encyclopedia. 1986 ed. Renzi, William A., and Mark D. Roehrs. Never Look Back. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 1991. Weintraub, Stanley. Long Dayââ¬â¢s Journey into War. New York: Penguin Group, 1991. ââ¬Å"World War II.â⬠Encarta.com. 2001. 15 October 2001 .
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The History Of Foreign Direct Investment Economics Essay
The history of Foreign Direct Investment can be traced back to the yearss of the colonial epoch. During the colonial yearss, there was the demand for an oversee investing every bit good as transportation of managerial accomplishments. This was due to the rough direction of the baby industries in Nigeria as at that clip. Right from independency in 1960, Nigeria recognized the importance of external finance in make fulling or lending to make full the domestic nest eggs spread, the foreign exchange spread and the engineering spread in development. It was non, until 1957, when the state becomes autonomous that a more positive action towards foreign capital and peculiarly Foreign Direct Investment replaced the laissez faire policy of the pure colonial epoch. Get downing from the twelvemonth, five Acts of Parliament provided a bundle of inducements for foreign investors. These include broad revenue enhancement vacations, accelerated depreciation allowances, market protection, freedom to convey in and repatriate capital and net incomes, and a more favorable and competitory environment. These were embodied in the Industrial Development ( Import Duties Relief ) Act 1957, the Industrial Development ( Income Tax Relief ) Act 1958, the Customs Duties ( Dumped and Subsidized Goods ) Act 1958, the imposts ( Draw back ) Regulations 1959 and the Income Tax ( Amendment ) Act 1959.DEFINITION OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTForeign Direct Investment can be defined as an investing that is made to get a permanent direction involvement in a concern endeavor operating in a state other than that of the investor defined harmonizing to residence World Bank ( 1996 ) . M. Sornarajah ( 2010 ) defined Foreign Direct Investment as ââ¬Å" the transportation of touchable or intangible plus from one state to another for the intent of their usage in that state to bring forth wealth under the sum or partial control of the proprietor of the assets â⬠. Okomoh ( 2004 ) described Foreign Direct Investment as non merely for the transportation of capital but besides widening an endeavor from its place state into foreign host state. Practically, Foreign Direct Investment means exerting corporate control over international boundaries.2.3 THEORIES OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTTheory of Foreign Direct Investment can be traced back to Hymer ( 1960 ) in his work ââ¬Å" On Multinational Corporations and Foreign Direct Investment â⬠, where he stated that ââ¬Å" since autochthonal houses have better cognition of their local environment more than foreign houses, the latter will merely be able to vie if they possess other advantages to counterbalance for their disadvantages of operating in foreign sites â⬠. Besides, foreign direct investings are common where imperfectnesss exist in a market. This means that the theory of perfect competition is non likely to work in instances Foreign Direct Investment. Theory of Foreign Direct Investment can therefore handily be explained under two classs: Micro ( Industrial Organisation ) theories ; and Macro-finance ( cost of capital ) theories. Harmonizing to Caves ( 1971 ) , the focal point is normally on market imperfectnesss, every bit good as the aspiration of Multinational Corporations to spread out their market power normally on market. Uniting micro and macro accounts, some theories had emerged justify Foreign Direct Investment from positions of the investment houses and the receiver economic systems.Theory OF FIRM EXPLANATIONHarmonizing to this theory, following Caves explanation before stated, a house will go on to put at place until optimal degree of investing at place is reached and farther investing will do Fringy Cost to be higher than Average Cost and monetary value per unit of end product. This theory thrives good utilizing the microeconomic behavior of houses. The decision of the account is that every bit long as the projected accrued hereafter net income borders warrants present outgo, a undertaking is said to be feasible. This theory is non realistic as it does non set into consideration export selling and behavior of Multinational Corporations that operates under progressive marketsINTANGIBLE ASSETS EXPLANATIONThe intangible assets explanation provinces that Foreign Direct Investment of the Multinationa l Corporations have some proprietary cognition or intangible assets such as engineering and techniques that guarantee efficiency, patents, designs, hallmarks, trade name names, trade secrets and know-how which other houses have no entree to. These assets possess similar features of ââ¬Ëpublic goods ââ¬Ë in the sense that they can be exploited by different houses ( within the transnational system ) without consuming their utility. Because of this property of ââ¬ËPareto Optimality ââ¬Ë , the usage of the proprietary assets can be optimized by spread outing abroad. For case, ââ¬ËCoke ââ¬Ë trade name name is recognized world-wide and Coca-Cola will do more return from the hallmark when more workss are constructed. It is of import to observe production for export can non be an alternate to locating a fabrication workss because of the transit cost associated with export every bit good as possibility of trade barriers. On whether a licensing understanding would hold been another option, the finding of royalty payment is ever really subjective, while authorities of developing states do hold terrible influence on such an option ; and many Multinational Corporations are non normally ready to portion such assets.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
How effectively does Parker translate Act 3 Scene 3 on to the Screen? Essay
This is the first time I have read a Shakespeare play, however I have seen the film version of Romeo and Juliet. At first it was hard to understand, the language was difficult but it was a good story. Parker made the film to suit regular filmgoers, and I found it easier to understand. The plot was gripping gut the language was challenging. The costume, the language and the photography all made it a good Shakespeare experience. As the plot of Othello is more relevant to today than Shakespeareââ¬â¢s time, it includes all the elements of modern day films, and is well presented by Parker. I choose to assess how effectively Parker translates the original script of Act 3 Scene 3, the temptation scene. This is the pivotal scene in the play. At the beginning Othello declares his love for Desdemona, but by the end his mind is set on killing her. This scene also shows the power of Iago and the ability to manipulate all the others. The ââ¬Ëtemptation sceneââ¬â¢ is the longest and most important scene in the play. Iago, whose ingenuity, inventiveness, cunning, lack and hypocrisy are evident throughout, plays the dominant role in this scene. An analysis of the various crucial stages in Iagos assault on Othelloââ¬â¢s peace of mind, and on the reputations of Desdemona and Cassio, will reveal the depth of Iagos evil genius. At the beginning of the scene Othello is happily married by the end he has decided to murder his wife and Cassio. Iago immediately sets to work, using the slender evidence so far to hand against Cassio. He concentrates first on Cassioââ¬â¢s role as a go-between in Othelloââ¬â¢s wooing of Desdemona, and allows Othello to recall the circumstances of Cassioââ¬â¢s departure from Desdemona, and his own reservations about it. Othello has not been favourably impressed by the furtive manner of Cassioââ¬â¢s departure, and is not helped by Desdemonaââ¬â¢s insistent, repetitions, irritating pleading on Cassioââ¬â¢s behalf. Iagoââ¬â¢s main strategy at this point is to throw out dark, mysterious hints of something that he pretends he does not want to bother Othello with. Iago succeeds in giving the impression that there are some disreputable truths behind his insinuations. Othelloââ¬â¢s suspicions inevitably grow, as Iago warns him of the dangers of jealousy. Iago tells Othello that Venetian women are notorious for infidelity to their husbands. He reminds Othello that Desdemonaââ¬â¢s deception of her father in marrying him, and points the unnaturalness of her choice of Othello in preference to someone of her own race. Othello is now convinced of Iagoââ¬â¢s honesty and knowledge of human nature that he searches for reasons for Desdemonaââ¬â¢s infidelity. The sight of Desdemona only causes confusion in Othelloââ¬â¢s mind. She notices a distressing change in his attitude and behaviour, and, in trying to help him, drops her handkerchief, a gift from Othello, and a token to which he attaches enormous significance. Emila picks up the handkerchief and gives it to her husband. Iago decides to leave the handkerchief at Cassioââ¬â¢s lodgings. This is going to be Othelloââ¬â¢s first sign of truth. Iago, of course, cannot offer any proof, but argues that strong circumstantial evidence ought to be enough to satisfy Othello. He mentions to pieces of manufactured testimony, Cassioââ¬â¢s dream and Cassioââ¬â¢s possession of Desdemonaââ¬â¢s handkerchief. Iago was played by Northern Ireland born actor Kenneth Branagh who is a famous Shakespearian actor and director. Irene Jacobs plays the part of Desdemona, who is a lesser-known Belgian actress. Lawrence Fishbourne is the first Black actor to play Othello on film. There are a number of foreign actors in this film, which gives a European appeal and creates the feeling of Italy or somewhere foreign; there is also a wide mixture of foreign accents. Lawrence Fishbourne covers up his American accent very well. His vast array of colourful costumes, earrings, scars and shaven head all suggest his exotic character that has travelled the world. Iago on the other hand has only one costume throughout. This highlights his role as a servant, but even with all the wealth and riches of Othello and Desdemona, Iago is still able to wield his authority over them in to doing what he wants Act 3 scene 3 is 478 lines long, which is long for Shakespeare. In the text the whole thing takes place in the citadel, while Parker uses all the techniques at his disposal to attract and maintain the viewers attention. Parker uses music, a variety of different lighting and camera angels to set the mood. Parker also uses flash back and dream sequences very effectively and has a vast variety of different locations throughout the scene. The first scene has a sense of elegance and gracefulness with the 2 men going down the stairs to the courtyard and up the stairs to Desdemona. Although in this scene Iago throws his first blow, everything is good-natured; there is a feeling of friendliness and harmony. The next scene is the pole fighting between Iago and Othello. Iago is the one who is put to the ground but everything is good-natured. It shows Othello has power. After the pole fighting the scene changes again to the two men working down a narrow stairway washing their hands. Even at this point Othelloââ¬â¢s costume has changed. This highlights his power. The scene then changes to the dark, brown, dull armoury, which is full of guns and gunpowder. The bareness of the place, the guns, the cold bare metal and the ever-increasing absence of daylight adds to the ominous feeling of the scene. The camera changes and focuses a lot on the facial expression throughout this scene. A line is added from Act one into this scene, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ I will pour my pestilence in his earâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Iagos plan is to pour poison into Othelloââ¬â¢s ear. His is the first time that you can clearly see the doubt in Othelloââ¬â¢s face. The music then changes to a very high pitched note, suggests something very ominous is about to happen, adds tension. But lightens again when Othello shows he is not going to give into Iagos insinuations, then deepens again to show Othelloââ¬â¢s mood. The next scene is up in the bedroom and is even darker, with only a very dim candle to light the room. Iago is dressing Othello for the banquet while Othello is daydreaming, he has suspicious thoughts. While Iago remains the servant, he still exercises power over Othelloââ¬â¢s thoughts and feelings. As the scene gets even dimmer Othello begins to succumb to Iagos suggestions. The next scene is the handkerchief scene, which is done in silence. Desdemona and Emila come in and find Othello sitting at the end of the bed sweating. Desdemona wipes his head with the handkerchief and accidentally drops it. When the two leave Emila lifts it. Parker use silence as a powerful symbol in the handkerchief scenes. The handkerchief that seems such an insignificant article proves to be very dangerous in the end. The scene then changes to a bedroom scene with Iago and Emilia, which in contrast to other love scenes in the play, is very crude and vulgar. The room is very dark and small and has little furniture compared to Othelloââ¬â¢s bedroom. This emphasizes their role as servants. As Emilia enters Iago turns his head away from her, but when she says she has the handkerchief that Othello gave Desdemona he is all over her, suggesting complete indifference and that he only wants her when she has something for her. At the end of the scene Iago says, ââ¬Å"trifles light as airâ⬠and throws the handkerchief up into the air. The next time we see the handkerchief is in Cassioââ¬â¢s lodging where he leaves it in Biancaââ¬â¢s hand before he leaves. Iago had planted it there and Cassio had given it onto Bianca as a gift. Parker then brings a scene in from act four where Othello quizzes Desdemona about the whereabouts of the handkerchief; this is to give more evidence. Othello is sure Desdemona is guilty and then when Desdemona ask Othello to give Cassio his job back this only enrages him further. The scene then changes down to the beach. Parker makes the audience very aware that they are on an island and isolated. The ruggedness of the rocks and the waves and the pounding, shows that they are far from Venice. Iago mocks his master, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦nor poppy nor mandragoraâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ nothing will bring him back his piece of mind. The climax in his scene is the very dramatic attempted drowning of Iago, also the story where Iago complains of his sore tooth has a very damning affect on Othello. This scene does not appear in the original play by Shakespeare but is very effectively done by Parker to highlight the fact that Othello has totally fallen for Iagoââ¬â¢s lies. The next scene is up on the ramparts of the citadel; the feeling of stormy weather emphasizes the mix feelings in Othelloââ¬â¢s mind about Desdemonaââ¬â¢s distrust. Othello then gets down on both knees and makes a vow to the heavens, very dramatic, tension building. He then says, ââ¬Å"Arise black vengeance, from the hollow hell.â⬠Iago then gets down on his knees and they both swear brotherhood to each other in order to kill two people. Parker adds the slitting of the palms and the clasping of the hands, this increases the horror of what they are going to do. Iago then says, ââ¬Å"I am your own forever.â⬠There is a feel of dramatic Irony, where the audience is aware what is about to happen to Othello but the character does not. The main techniques used by Parker are flash back and dream sequences, which allow us to see inside the mind of Othello, whereas Shakespeare used soliloquy. The flash back and dream scenes are done in silence and donââ¬â¢t last very long. They are done in slow motion and are accompanied by music. They are frequently of Desdemona and Cassio in bed or talking to each other. The lovemaking is done very discreetly and delicacy and are done behind a muslin curtain. They are hinted at rather than stated explicitly. There is a hint of red on the bed, which makes Othello think she is a whore. Music is used effectively by Parker to create an ominous atmosphere and highlights a climax or turning point in the scene. The first time music was introduced was when Othello said, ââ¬Å"It were not for your quiet nor high pitched string note.â⬠The music then deepens to a bass note where Iago says, ââ¬Å"Beware my lord of jealousyâ⬠and continues on this deep tone until Othello asks, ââ¬Å"Thinkst thou make a life of jealousy.â⬠The music then becomes more melodious and sweet, suggestion of will not fall prey to Iagos insinuations. At the line, ââ¬Å"Get me some poisonâ⬠the music deepens again. Parker leaves out about half of the 478 lines and yet he doesnââ¬â¢t compromise the meaning of the play. Very many of Desdemonaââ¬â¢s lines are omitted, more than anyone else, and yet with the use of flash back and dream sequences we are very aware of her presence throughout the play. Some of the scenes are rearranged, scene 4 into 3, make Othelloââ¬â¢s death sentencing more convincing. Parker does not compromise power and integrity of the play, he delivers a different perspective, which is more creative. There are difficulties with the language but with continued reading I found it a gripping story, and I found Parkers version accessible to modern filmgoers. Shakespeareââ¬â¢s play was limited, the language was used to keep the audiences attention but today film makers have different lighting, music, props and many other things, so this allowed parker to leave much of the language out.
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