Societies Destructive Behavior around ‘Normal’ - 1776 Words

Society places value on a person based either on who they are, what they believe, or how much money they make. What happens when society places value on how â€Å"normal† a person is? Using the texts of â€Å"Merchant of Venice† and â€Å"Taming of the Shrew† I will argue that in dealing with difference, society often unintentionally annihilates it; but what remains in its wake is often far more disturbing. Religion is one of the most dividing forces in a society. At the time of â€Å"Merchant of Venice† Jews were seen as everything that was an external threat to England’s national welfare. They were known as the enemy within the English culture. The feudalist Christians viewed them as dirty, obsessed with money, and willing to do anything, legal or illegal, to gain monetarily. Christians projected an image of themselves as holding value in people, rather than profit. One of the first places we see a divide between the two religions is in a conversa tion between Bassanio and Shylock in which the differences in the values that Christians versus Jews hold are brought to light: Oh, no, no, no, no: my meaning in saying he is a good man is to have you understand me that he is sufficient. Yet his means are in supposition: he hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another to the Indies; I understand moreover, upon the Rialto, he hath a third at Mexico, a fourth for England, and other ventures he hath, squandered abroad. But ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats andShow MoreRelatedOur Regular Routines : A Bridge Between Our Thoughts And People Around Us797 Words   |  4 PagesIn our regular routines, we constantly communicate in many forms with people. Words, gestures, looks, clothes, skin color, -among other factors- act as a bridge between our thoughts and people around us. 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