the code of honor essays

the code of honor essays Both Othello and The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn deal with the issue of race, especially the notion of race as a  ¡Ã‚ °social construct ¡. Othello is  ¡Ã‚ °being taken by the insolent foe and sold to slavery ¡ (Shakespeare 1.3.136-137); Jim is a runaway nigger. Both of them have ever been a slaver respectively, but their stories are totally different: one becomes a general; one becomes a free man at the end. What does make this difference, even though they are ever at the same level? By close reading, we know Shakespeare and Twain suggest that honor is more to people than just their races when evaluating the social value. People who have honor are respected from other people and remain high in their society. What should be consider as honorable? Service to the country, knowledgeable, or even money, and so on. Othello is a Moor, and he is ever sold to slavery. What does make him to be a noble general? It is the services to the state:  ¡Ã‚ °My services which I have done the Signiory shall out-tongue his complaints ¡ (Shakespeare 1.2.18-19). Even the Duke will not look down on Othello, who is an Arab, like the Turks (the enemy of Venice). He believes  ¡Ã‚ °Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known to you ¡ (Shakespeare 1.3.219-220) and employs him  ¡Ã‚ °against the general enemy Ottoman ¡ (Shakespeare 1.3.47-48). Therefore, race is not an obstacle to Othello ¡Ã‚ ¯s military career. Twain also suggests race is not the only issue to define social construct. For example,  ¡Ã‚ °There was a free nigger there,  ¡Ã‚ ­ they said he was a p ¡Ã‚ ¯fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of language, and knowed everything  ¡Ã‚ ­ they said he could vote ¡ (Twain 26; ch.6). This professor is the same race with Jim, but why he even has the right to vote? It is not only because he lives in the North of American, but also because he is knowledgeable. No every nigger in the North has the honor of voting, actua...