Conflicting_Persepctives

Personal conflict is an anticipating and unavoidable aspect of the world in which squalor, personal estrangement and spiritual cynicism is compounded by fears of social rejection and misunderstanding. However, an individual’s capability to keep faith in the essential integrity of man and in his capacity for love and compassion enables his ability to cope and overcome the destructive effects of personal conflict. Through the prescribed text Othello, by William Shakespeare and the related texts, the song I was only 19, by John Schumann and the episode ‘Fat’ from the television series Absolutely Fabulous, by Jennifer Saunders, the various composers depict the meaning of personal conflict using different techniques, giving the responder different views on how people cope with their own individual struggles in life. In the text Othello, William Shakespeare conveys personal conflict through the portrayal of his protagonist Othello. Seen as a ‘valiant’ man, a lack of trust and self belief turn him into an extremely jealous husband. The change to the ‘general’ came when the antagonist, Iago, convinced Othello that his wife was committing adultery. The plunge of a great man, resulting from this accusation consequently led to extreme resolutions. This was Othello’s only answer to solve his emotional distress. The tragedy is intensified as Shakespeare initially outlines the many traits of his protagonist. Othello is portrayed as a noble gentleman who speaks well of him self. This is well reinforced, quite paradoxically by the villain Iago, as he is jealous of Othello’s power. The repetition of ‘my’ shows that he is a very self-assured man, and has a lot to say about his life. The tragic motives increase extremely, with Othello now seen as a ‘blacker devil’. The dramatic use of contrast helps heighten the way he speaks of the perfection of his love. Elevated language, ‘Like to the Pontic Sea, who’s icy current, and compulsive course, reflects on the feelings of Othello, appoints out the emotional torment he is going through. As Othello is succumbing to the ‘green eyed monster’, the change of language is reflected as the rhythms of speech are replaced with crude sexual references and bestial images, ‘my fair warrior’ is now replaced with the ‘cunning whore of Venice’, and Othello now referring to himself as the man who married such a ‘strumpet’. The consequences of Othello’s personal conflict now are easy to see, as he is completely overwhelmed and convinced his wife is a whore. As an outsider in a white community, Othello is well aware of what it feels like to be alienated from society. Iago’s deliberate use of sexual imagery such as ‘making the beast with two backs’ suggests that in a white society, sex and witchcraft were considered racial labelling. As a confused outsider, Othello is easily convinced that he does ‘know our country is disposition well’ and consequently becomes a victim of Iago’s villainess plans, and the fatal flaw of jealousy and self-doubt have devastating consequences. In the conventions of the tragedy, Othello’s regeneration is only possible through his responsibility for the tragic circumstance. Paradox is used to suggest that Othello feels he is committing a noble deed by murdering his wife, ‘So sweet was ne’er so fatal’. Shakespeare foreshadows Othello’s death in the violent image of his slaying of a ‘malignant and a turban’d Turk’. Through this conclusion, Shakespeare supports that Othello is undoubtedly a tragedy in which the hero’s righteous stature is dramatically consisted by his flaw in character. In the related text I was only 19, the composer, John Schumann, portrays personal conflict through a young man who is dealing with the life long scars from the Vietnam War. The poem was made into a ballad to personalise it and gives the responder a qualitative experience of the war. The repetition of ‘God help me’ puts forward the response that such emotional anguish has resulted from the war, and help from God was the only way the nightmare will end. Colloquial language and terminologies are commonly used, mainly to highlight the trauma of the event. ‘Bloke’ and ‘mate’ are also used to personalise the ballad, making the personal conflict more horrific, as men are dying and there is nothing that can be done. The destruction of wellbeing was supported with the connective ‘and’ which is used repeatedly when listing emotional and physical complaints. Rhetorical questions ‘Can you tell me doctor why I still can’t get to sleep'’ provides a vivid image of lifelong personal agony for the persona. The war is over but the memories and suffering are forever. In the television series Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders, through the character Edina parodies the common obsession in society, body image, in the episode entitled Fat. The common use of hyperbole helps heighten the comedic element and helps show the extreme lengths Edina would resort to so the emotional anguish of being overweight can be released. Close-up shots were used to emphasise Edina’s body while extreme close ups were used during the liposuction dream, to empathise the emotional pain Edina was feeling at the time. The panning of the camera along the sets of scales at the beginning of the show, added more comedy, as Edina was constantly taking clothes off so the weight would drop. The use of personification, ‘Even my clothes have stretchmarks’, adds more desperation to the storyline. The characterised image of Patsy satirises society’s image of the ‘classic bimbo’, a middle aged woman, still clinging on to her youth. As Edina realises that her body is good the way it is, the emotional anguish of being overweight, disappears leaving a confident woman who likes the way she looks. Therefore throughout the examination of the prescribed text Othello and the related texts, the song, I was only 19 and the episode Fat from Absolutely Fabulous, the responder is able to see how personal conflict effects is anticipating and an unavoidable aspect of the world in which squalor, personal alienation and spiritual cynicism are compounded by fears of social rejection and misunderstanding. The composers of each text reinforce the understanding of personal conflict been developed by using different techniques, and that the only person that can beat the destructive effects of personal conflict is the man himself, as personal conflict can also hurt people around them.