Introduction
The power of storytelling remains impressive during the whole history of humanity. It is captivating how narrative changes through time, focusing on different issues and employing other techniques to convey the ideas and engage the reader. In my presentation, I will compare two stories from different epochs, Othello by William Shakespeare and New Boy by Tracy Chevalier, and analyze how the narrative transforms with time. In my speech, I will concentrate on the shift in thematic focus from the earlier story to the later one.
Main body
To begin with, New Boy is a story of Othello transported from 17th century Venice to an American elementary school in the 1970s. The story occurs in the new reality, and the central theme changes along with the context, forms of expression, and characters. The story by Shakespeare revolves around Iago’s envy and Othello’s jealousy, whereas the modern version by Chevalier concentrates on racial prejudice. The implications of the main character in both stories are seemingly parallel: both Othello and Osei are of African origin. However, in the case of Othello, his race is mostly irrelevant to the development of the narrative. What is more, despite being an outsider, Othello is highly respected in Venice for his military experience and bravery. Othello is Iago’s superior, and Iago resents this: “I follow to serve my turn upon him: / We cannot all be masters, nor all masters / Cannot be truly follow’d” (Iago – Act I, Scene i) (Slide 2). As a result, the story focuses on Iago’s malice provoking Othello’s jealousy and leading to the tragic culmination.
By contrast, Osei in New Boy is clearly a victim of racial discrimination. Ian, representing the character of Iago in the modern narrative, unlike Iago himself, is not envious of Osei. Instead, he feels threatened that Osei’s appearance might break the hierarchy at school. Ian considers the school’s playground his territory where he rules. Quoting the book (Slide 3), Ian has had “months to relish his domination. Any new boy posed a challenge. And this boy, well…” (Chevalier, p. 20). Moreover, one of the most important reasons for Ian’s hate for Osei is xenophobia and his racial bias against black people. Racial prejudice is expressed not only by the children on the playground but also by their teachers, which aggravates the discriminatory environment for Osei. Therefore, the tragic ending in New Boy is caused not by envy or jealousy but by racism and bullying.
To contribute to the construction of the narrative, the authors in these stories employ different expressive means of putting characters in different contexts. While in Othello we see adults in the military environment, New Boy, to convey the idea of bullying better, centers on a group of 11-year-olds and their teachers at school. Language expressive forms are different too, with Othello presented in the form of a play and New Boy – in the form of a novel, which is more habitual for the modern reader.
Conclusion
To sum up, the story of Othello transferred to the 20th century demonstrates how the narrative changes through time in terms of thematic focus, context, language forms, and character presentation. In New Boy, we see the shift of the focus from the theme of jealousy and envious maliciousness to the issue of racial discrimination. Nevertheless, despite the different contexts and circumstances, both stories produce a powerful impression.
References
Chevalier, T. (2017). New Boy. Knopf Canada.