english audio :)

Shakespeare's Othello and Chevalier's New Boy both mirror the beliefs and struggles of their creators. Othello reflects Shakespeare's experience with racism and uses racial stereotypes to demean the main character. It is believed that Shakespeare used these stereotypes to subvert them. New Boy, on the other hand, conveys themes of racism and dissent from the author's own perspective. Unlike Othello, it is set in a modern era and portrays racism in a more subtle way. The reactions of the characters to racist remarks indicate the difference in attitudes towards racism between the two time periods. The writers' perspectives shape the audience's view of the stories, highlighting how different writers can have biases based on their beliefs and values. The point, stories aren't just tales, they are mirrors reflecting the values, beliefs and struggles of those who crafted them, has been proven by reading Shakespeare's Othello and Chevalier's New Boy, and has opened the implication that both stories mirror their creators' beliefs and struggles, thus supporting the quote. William Shakespeare conveys the theme of overarching racism and deceit in Othello, which is a mirror of what he saw in his lifetime. The line, your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul, even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white hue, arise, arise, spoken by Iago to Brabantio signifies this fact. The metaphor of Othello being an animalistic being deflaring the idealized Desdemona portrays Iago's hatred for Othello, and a racial stereotype is utilized to demean Othello. This unbridled rage from Iago towards Othello and Iago's harsh language strips Othello of his humanity. This is either a subconscious or conscious representation of Shakespeare's own time with such language and views towards darker-skinned people. Shakespeare's intentions and beliefs are mostly unknown, but from the way he frames Othello, it is believed that Shakespeare himself did not believe in such segregation, but he partook in the widely accepted stereotypes in order to subvert them. This is known through the portrayal of Othello being a main character who is a relatively good person facing racism, but ultimately being a spitting image of moorish stereotypes, being loyal but hot-headed. This portrayal of Othello and the manipulative ways in which others engage with him seems to be directly influenced by the belief periods in which Shakespeare wrote Othello, thus showing the impact of Shakespeare's own beliefs and values, as well as the beliefs of the world around him. Tracey Chevalier's New Boy has a similar transfer of beliefs and values conveyed from her own mind into the book, however, unlike Shakespeare, her beliefs come from her own person, rather than the time frame it was created, as New Boy was released in 2017. Chevalier conveys themes much like Shakespeare's racism and dissent, but unlike Shakespeare's Othello, the two are not directly connected with the one character. The unfortunate quote that represents this is Din Chehimi Boy, Get Down From There, and Word, spoken by Brabant towards Osei. The use of the obscenity in its full form at the very end of the book, right before the shocking ending, conveys a sense of shock to both the audience and other characters. The similarities between Othello and New Boy are apparent, both having themes of racism and the characters being mirrors of each other, such as Ian and Iago. The difference, however, is Shakespeare's Othello was written in 1603, and was an original story, while Chevalier's New Boy was created in 2017 and had Othello as inspiration. This meant that Chevalier's New Boy was both set in a more modern era and had the mentality of one. This means Chevalier's representation of racism is different from Shakespeare's, as his having been a common occurrence often used for manipulation, while Chevalier's is usually more subtle, not always, though having the same general effect. This is best seen in the characters' reactions in New Boy to Mr. Brabant's slur. Instead of agreeing or being indifferent, the kids, like Mimi, are shocked, Miss Lode yells at him, and Osei puts up his fist in defiance. Ian is not as openly racist in New Boy either. Though he holds an indifference to Mr. Brabant's use of the slur, Chevalier's depiction of racism in New Boy is as pivotal as in Othello, but has a different way of manifesting. This allows her opinions, values and beliefs to show as she clearly paints her belief that the n-word is an objectively bad thing to say. In 2017, racism, although not completely diminished, was more taboo than it was in the 1600s. A betrayal of racism used as almost a deterrent to Mr. Brabant, unlike in Othello where racism was a common occurrence. The children's reaction to Mr. Brabant's obscenity is a clear indication of the difference in era 2017 as opposed to their 1600s, thus proving that Chevalier's use of racism was not derived from the era, but rather a theme she added to develop the story and show her feelings towards racism within the character she made. In conclusion, the writer's perspective can shape the audience's view on the story as well. Shakespeare's Othello and Chevalier's New Boy represent their showing two different writers in two vastly different times writing about the same themes with different mindsets. This is a great example of how different writers can have certain biases due to their beliefs and values and allow the audience to see through their bias by creating their own renditions of a story with new views influencing the text.