The resurgence of hate and division is a pressing issue in modern society; everywhere there are groups of people who refuse to acknowledge each other due to slight disagreements. Throughout history, people have amassed power by exploiting others for their labor, land, and ideas. These groups of people are referred to as “the other”, they are often targets of xenophobia and hate. The other can be people with common identifiers: gender, race, class, etc. The writers James McBride & William Shakespeare in The Color of Water and Hamlet shed light upon how othering is normalized within society through heavy emphasis on their characters' flaws.
A primary example of how deep othering is nested within our society is the expectation of gender conformity. …show more content…
In Hamlet, King Claudius uses his influence over the British for his gain. “KING: After the Danish sword, and thy free awe Pays homage to us, thou mayst not coldly set Our sovereign process, which imports at full, By letters congruing to that effect, The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England,” Shakespeare III.3.70-4. After winning a war against England, King Claudius uses his owed homage to call for Hamlet’s demise. He can do this without dissent because he has won the throne of Denmark and does not need anyone else's approval. A similar circumstance is described in The Color of Water, “Then in 1969 he got a letter from the city of New York telling him to move out of his house in Brooklyn. They gave him $13,000 and he was gone. Twenty years later when I moved back to Fort Greene–now immortalized by Spike Lee’s moves, with gentrification pushing poor blacks out and brownstones selling for $350,000” (McBride 125). Similarly, the city displaced many families from new developments to earn more money. By reselling the properties, the city can earn a quick buck and fill the neighborhood with more ‘desirable individuals.’ As displayed in both of the excerpts, the party in ‘power’ can other groups of people to further their objectives; these groups being the British and the Black community, respectively. These …show more content…
The aristocracy is often portrayed as cold and bitter toward individuals of lower standing, with only regard for their gain. In Hamlet, Ophelia is used by her lover, Hamlet, to convince the rest of the nobility that he is insane, “HAMLET: Or if thou wilt need to marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell. I will be back. OPHELIA: Heavenly powers, restore him!” (Shakespeare III.1.149-53). While Ophelia is under the impression that Hamlet is legitimately insane, Hamlet is willingly insulting and belittling her. He sees her not as a lover but as a pawn to be used in his game; this could be attributed to how Ophelia is not part of the Royal Family and instead is the daughter of the adviser, Polonius. This selfishness that Hamlet exhibits is not an anomaly among aristocrats, as seen in The Color of Water, “Mameh's sisters were more about money than anything else, and any hurts that popped up along the way, they just swept them under the rug. They were all trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind” (McBride 135). The depicted members here are Ruth’s aunts, who are described to be centered on their goals of being rich. To achieve their goals, they had to suppress their feelings and morals deep inside them so that they would not be hindered. This self-centered ideology held by aristocrats
A primary example of how deep othering is nested within our society is the expectation of gender conformity. …show more content…
In Hamlet, King Claudius uses his influence over the British for his gain. “KING: After the Danish sword, and thy free awe Pays homage to us, thou mayst not coldly set Our sovereign process, which imports at full, By letters congruing to that effect, The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England,” Shakespeare III.3.70-4. After winning a war against England, King Claudius uses his owed homage to call for Hamlet’s demise. He can do this without dissent because he has won the throne of Denmark and does not need anyone else's approval. A similar circumstance is described in The Color of Water, “Then in 1969 he got a letter from the city of New York telling him to move out of his house in Brooklyn. They gave him $13,000 and he was gone. Twenty years later when I moved back to Fort Greene–now immortalized by Spike Lee’s moves, with gentrification pushing poor blacks out and brownstones selling for $350,000” (McBride 125). Similarly, the city displaced many families from new developments to earn more money. By reselling the properties, the city can earn a quick buck and fill the neighborhood with more ‘desirable individuals.’ As displayed in both of the excerpts, the party in ‘power’ can other groups of people to further their objectives; these groups being the British and the Black community, respectively. These …show more content…
The aristocracy is often portrayed as cold and bitter toward individuals of lower standing, with only regard for their gain. In Hamlet, Ophelia is used by her lover, Hamlet, to convince the rest of the nobility that he is insane, “HAMLET: Or if thou wilt need to marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell. I will be back. OPHELIA: Heavenly powers, restore him!” (Shakespeare III.1.149-53). While Ophelia is under the impression that Hamlet is legitimately insane, Hamlet is willingly insulting and belittling her. He sees her not as a lover but as a pawn to be used in his game; this could be attributed to how Ophelia is not part of the Royal Family and instead is the daughter of the adviser, Polonius. This selfishness that Hamlet exhibits is not an anomaly among aristocrats, as seen in The Color of Water, “Mameh's sisters were more about money than anything else, and any hurts that popped up along the way, they just swept them under the rug. They were all trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind” (McBride 135). The depicted members here are Ruth’s aunts, who are described to be centered on their goals of being rich. To achieve their goals, they had to suppress their feelings and morals deep inside them so that they would not be hindered. This self-centered ideology held by aristocrats