Jimmy Henke, Period 3, February 12, 2012, Reflective Essay

Jimmy Henke, Period 3, February 12, 2012, Reflective Essay

            One of the themes from Othello is manipulations of characters leading to the downfall of the manipulator. This theme wasn't only present during the time of Shakespeare; but rather, it is a timeless theme. In Othello, Iago manipulates the characters to do his bidding. He is successful and goes undetected for most of the plot; however, near the end, he is caught by the other major characters and is taken to prison for life. (Perrine) All aspects of this theme are evident throughout all times and backgrounds. Two parallels to Iago are William Pickering and Adolf Hitler.

             William Pickering is a modern character in a book written in 2001. He is the director of the National Reconnaissance Office during the story, and to the reader, he seems clearly to be an aid to the protagonist. However, the reader discovers that in reality, Pickering is manipulating multiple characters to his will. As the director of the NRO, he is in charge of the military activity in regards to space. The new presidential candidate is threatening to end NASA, so Pickering devises a plot to take him down. He plants a meteorite with alleged extraterrestrial life into the arctic circle. He leads NASA to discover it and the President is exuberant with the discovery because it saves his chance for reelection. Pickering continues his manipulation undetected by placing a Delta team in charge to kill off anybody who discovers the secret. Rachel Sexton discovers that it was faked and barely escapes the Delta force team. In doing so, Pickering is killed by a mishap on his helicopter during the attack. He is drowned at sea. (Brown) That is the third and final major portion of the theme. Pickering cunningly deceives characters, is caught, and finally is punished for his manipulation.

            In history, Adolf Hitler is a prime example of this theme. He came into power in Germany and few people saw his potential as a world manipulator. He even took over areas for Germany by force without anyone taking action. France and Great Britain began to see what he was doing after he conquered the Sudetenland, but they did not see his manipulation all the way through. Hitler convinced them that he was not going to conquer any more land. This proved a lie as he invaded Poland next. Finally, the Allies began to fight him realizing how he had manipulated them. Eventually, Hitler and his army were encircled and destroyed. Hitler committed suicide when he saw that there was no hope remaining. He successfully deceived the world for a while, but then Great Britain and France noticed his lies. He lost the war and died, completely the third aspect of the theme. (Adolf Hitler Biography)

            Iago, William Pickering, and Adolf Hitler are three of the greatest masterminds to face the planet. All three manipulated people to bring about their own power and success. What differentiates them is where and when they did their manipulating. Iago is a fictional character in Othello who manipulates characters in the story; he is caught and is thrown into jail for life. William Pickering is a fictional character from the novel Deception Point by Dan Brown. He manipulates many characters including the President until he is caught by a couple characters and dies at sea. Adolf Hitler was a dictator in Germany during the 1930's and 1940's who took over many countries. He eventually was trapped and committed suicide. However different the situations are, the theme is still evident. The main character manipulates others for his own benefit. Eventually, other people notice, and he is caught and loses all of his power he had gained. This theme can apply to any time period in any setting.

Just a laugh to relieve from all the terrible manipulation.