Your Reading Experience - Essay Example

In addition, all the five works take characters that have a background of African origin. In this essay, the themes of isolation and alienation, materialism and social position, race and African identity will be discussed by means of the five works and their analysis. Othello’s being an Alien in Venice and the gulf of culture, race and complexion—that exists between him and the Venetians—in an important theme in the tragedy in Othello. The theme of race and the themes of isolation and alienation can be combined because it is because of the race that the character of Othello considers himself alienated from the Venetian society.

Shakespeare forced his audience to see Othello with the “bodily eye” of Iago. Othello tries to attach himself to the Venetian society on the basis of universal virtues such as love and loyalty. However, Iago’s attempt in realizing himself as an alien makes him to a step that takes him to his tragedy. Therefore, it is quite clear that Othello has evidently awareness of his race and color as different to Desdemona. This racial difference becomes a cause for his consideration that Desdemona has illicit relationships with Cassio.

He also considers himself alienated from a society, which is not his. He tries to be a part of that society but he is always aware of his being different due to which, he is alienated and isolated. Like Othello, the themes of isolation and alienation in Everyday Use can also be assembled with the theme of race. The family of Maggie and Dee has an African background while Maggie remains stick to her traditions and culture while Dee wants to stay away from her culture, which is quite impossible.

Dee belongs to African culture and she cannot deny this fact. Dee makes many friends, out of which, no one is sincere to her according to Maggie. Due to this fact, Dee is alienated from the society in which, she lives because of