Economic Problems of Northeast India

Economic Problems of Northeast India ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the reasons for the failure of the North East to catch up with the rest of India in terms of economic growth even though it has done fairly well with respect to human development indicators. The paper shows that the government has proposed policies for development of this region but various factors such as insurgency, geographical factors and infrastructural constraints have hindered the expected outcome of the policies. After analyzing these reasons we conclude our paper by suggesting various measures that can be adopted to overcome these problems and accelerate the development process. INTRODUCTION North-East India consisting of seven states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura; occupies a distinctive place primarily due to its social, cultural, political, geographical and historical features resulting in lack of uniformity, integration and assimilation. As unified it is in conflict ridden issues like ethnic unrest, insurgency, and illegal immigration; there exist wide intra-regional disparities in socio-economic issues. Since the colonial period it has been a witness to highly inequitable rates of economic growth. For the British, the North-East was a storehouse of raw materials such as coal, natural oil, forests and tea. There was a mass extraction of these resources which were then exported to other parts of the country for processing. This region however did not benefit from this process as the British did not set up processing and manufacturing units, neither did they pay any attention on the development of transport and communication facilities in the region. With the partition of India, for a long period of time trade with Bangladesh (East Pakistan) came to a stop which seriously damaged the economic and growth potential of the region. Government of India brought about several developmental packages for the region but these policies and programmes were not evaluated at appropriate times. This widened the gap between the region and rest of India. Thus all the socio-economic and political proble ms of these states were put under one unit, i.e., north-east region and a North Eastern council was created to address these as a whole  [1]  , thereby ignoring the inter-state disparities. In recent times the picture has got somewhat better. The north-eastern region has performed reasonably well in comparison to all India average situations in respect of human development indicators for both the sexes but it has failed in bringing commensurate economic growth. In spite of being a tribal belt and, in some cases having matrilineal society women still need to come at par with men. If these problems are not properly addressed the region may fall into the trap of vicious cycle instead of moving to a virtuous one. (Nayak, 2007)  [2]   The objective of the paper is to review the general claim that the North-Eastern states have done relatively well as compared to the all India average situations in terms of human development indicators; but the region has still not been able to achieve corresponding levels of economic growth. To this end, we have undertaken a comprehensive literature review comprising of various government reports and research articles. The data sources are RBI, NEDFi Databank. The paper is structured as follows: We begin by analysing the human development indicators and economic growth scenario in the region and also discuss the presence of intra-regional disparities at the disaggregated level. Next we look into the past and present policies introduced by the government for the economic and social upliftment of the region. We then state the recurrent problems prevailing in the North-Eastern states and we conclude with a discussion of potential policies and measures that can be undertaken so that th e region is able to tap its true potential. Human Development and Economic Growth in the region Disparities in Human Development Indicators and Economic Growth Human development indicators have been consistently high for the North-Eastern states on an average. A look at the Human Development Report (2002) reaffirms this fact. However as apparent there are huge inter-state disparities. The HDI value during 1981 in the region varied from the lowest figure of 0.242 in Arunachal Pradesh to the highest of 0.461 in Manipur as against the national average of 0.302. Similarly in 1991 the lowest and highest figures were 0.328 (Arunachal Pradesh) and 0.548 (Mizoram) as against 0.389 at the national level (Nayak, 2009). Thus on an aggregate the region seems to have done well but there exist wide rural-urban and gender disparities. We now separately present an overview of the various human development indicators. Literacy UNDPs national human development report (2003) studied the region and concluded that the region has done well in the social sector and more so in the spread of literacy. The overall literacy rate of the region in 2001 (65.83%) was marginally higher than the national average (64.8%). States such as Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur had literacy rates higher than the national average, whereas other states like Assam kept pace with the national average. Starting from relative backwardness in 1971, by 2001 Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh closed gaps with the country average. Considering that Arunachal Pradesh had a literacy rate of only 11.30 per cent in 1971, the attainment to 54.34 per cent by 2001 constitutes a huge progress in just three decades. There were considerable improvements in the field of female literacy too. Female literacy for all the states is higher as compared to the all India average except for Arunachal Pradesh. In spite of these positive trends there are questi ons about the quality of undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational education available here.  [3]   Infant Mortality Rate and Nutritional Status Some states have continuously lagged behind in terms of several important economic indicators. For instance, states such as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have higher infant mortality rates (66 and 61respectively) whereas other states in the region have done well for example Mizoram (34). The poor state of infant mortality rates in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam can be attributed to poor utilisation of antenatal healthcare units, lack of proper healthcare infrastructure, limited access to healthcare facilities due to geographical constraints. The region is marked by the prevalence of diseases such as diarrhoea, parasitic infestation, hepatitis and entric fever. Mizorams high levels of literacy and urbanisation are reflected in the better than average utilisation of reproductive and child healthcare services (RCH); 20% of its mothers make use of antenatal check-up (ANC) services. Moreover more than 35% of its children are immunised.  [4]   The National Family Health Survey 3 (NFHS) 2005-06, which defines nutritional status of children as percentage of children under age 3 born to ever married women classified as under-weight, shows Mizoram with the lowest percentage of under-weight children at 14.3 which is way below the national average of 40.4. Most of the states lie way below this national average the only exception being Meghalaya with a percentage of 42.9. The reason for the dismal performance of Meghalaya can be attributed to inadequate food intake, chronic illness and low levels of immunisation. Only 33% of the children aged 12-23 months are fully vaccinated as against the national average of 44%. Gross-State Domestic Product (GSDP) The standard of living of the people in the region, as measured by the per capita gross state domestic product (GSDP), has lagged significantly behind the rest of the country. In 2004-05, the GSDP of the region at Rs. 18027 was less than the overall state average of Rs. 25968. In the post-independence era the growth rate of per capita GSDP started lagging behind the rest of the country and by the late 1960s, the per capita income in the region had declined substantially. With the introduction of market based economic reforms this difference in the growth rates increased further. During the period 1990-91 to 2004-05, while the aggregate GSDP of all states increased at the rate of 6% per year, the corresponding figure for the region was 4.4%. Also, the regions growth rate of per capita income at 2.5% was significantly low as compared to the national growth rate of 4% during the same period. The reasons for low GSDP such as geographical inaccessibility, insurgency, and infrastructural b ottlenecks and will be discussed later in the paper. An Overview of Government Policies Industrial Policies: NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION POLICY (NEIIPP), 2007: It was an extension of the NEIIPP introduced in 1997. The earlier NEIIPP did not cover Sikkim, but under the new NEIPP Sikkim was also included. Under this scheme all new units as well as existing units which go in for a substantial expansion (an increase by not less than 25% in the value of fixed capital investment in plant and machinery for the purpose of expansion of capacity/modernization and diversification) will be eligible for incentives for a period of 10 years from the date of commencement of commercial production. In addition to this firms will also be given other incentives such as interest subsidy, capital investment subsidy, income tax exemption, excise duty exemption and comprehensive insurance.  [5]   NEDFi (North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd.): North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi) was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, on August 9, 1995 with its registered office at Guwahati, Assam, for the development of industries, infrastructure, animal husbandry, agri-horticulture plantation, medicinal plantation, sericulture plantation, aquaculture, poultry and dairy in the North Eastern states of India. NEDFi has been promoted by All India Financial Institutions Industrial Development Bank of India, ICICI Ltd., Industrial Finance Corporation of India, Small Industries Development Bank of India, Insurance Companies Life Insurance Corporation of India, General Insurance Corporation and its subsidiaries, Investment company Unit Trust of India and Bank State Bank of India. Agricultural Policies: Watershed Development Project in Shifting Agriculture Area(WDPSCA): The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, GoI launched a programme WDPSCA which is a Special Central Assistance to State Plan Programme for the benefit of jhumia communities. The programme was launched in 1994-95 in the Seven North Eastern States during the 8th Five Year Plan and continues to be implemented during the 9th Plan Period. The Soil and Water Conservation Department of the Government of Meghalaya initiated the Jhum Control Programme in 1974- 75 to control topsoil degradation due to jhum cultivation. The prominent feature of the programme was to support rehabilitation of the communities dependent on Jhum cultivation by improving their socio-economic conditions, enabling alternative livelihood options and food production. The major impact of this policy as evaluated by different agencies has been a decrease of about 30% in the shifting cultivation area due to adoption of settled cultivation. Sustainable i ncrease in productivity of agricultural crops and increased practise of horticulture was also noticed. Moreover, about 25% increase in income of an average Jhumia family was also reported.  [6]   National Horticulture Mission (NHM): For the North-Eastern states and hilly areas, the government had launched a centrally sponsored scheme on integrated development of horticulture in the North-Eastern states in 2001-02 which was extended to Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand in 2003-04. The scheme has been renamed Horticulture Mission for North-East and Himalayan States with effect from 2010-11, which provides higher subsidy than what is available under National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in plane areas.  [7]   Infrastructural Policies: Development of infrastructure has been neglected in north-east India. According to Nayak, the North-East region which constitutes 7.8 percent of the total geographical area of the country has a meagre of 1, 16,551 kms. of road length. Similarly development of railways has been poor. However, the Government through DoNER (Department Of North Eastern Region) has undertaken infrastructural projects in the last few years. The Government has invested substantially in road, air, rail, energy, and telecommunications. 8The Eleventh Plan devotes nearly Rs. 50000 crores on road development in this region. Some road development programs include SARDP-NEP (Special Accelerated Road Development Project ), East-West Corridor, NHDP-II and programs initiated by DoNER and NEC ( North East Council) . Railway network in this region is only 4% of the countrys rail system. Fourteen major railway projects for which Rs.10000 crores has been allocated include 8 new lines, 5 gauge conversions and 1 doubling of line, is expected to connect the state capitals of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland to already connected states of Assam and Tripura. As this region is blessed with rivers, inland water transportation is important for its development. Notable projects include NW-II on the river Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya and National Waterway -IV on the river Barak from Lakhipur to Bhanga. In case of energy there has been an imbalance between the generation and availability of thermal and hydroelectric power. To attain a sustainable growth of this sector emphasis needs to be laid on hydroelectric power where ever possible. The gas based power projects include Palatana project and Monarchak, while Dibang Multi-purpose Hydroelectric Project focuses on hydro electric energy source. One of the programs introduced by the government is Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) which was introduced in 1995 to provide electricity to all villages and rural households. Ministry of Power has been giving assistance to the states in this region to improve power distribution of power under the Accelerated Power Development Program (APDRP). The Annual Report 2008-09 suggests continuation of these measures till the desired results are achieved.  [9]   In terms of social infrastructure though the levels of literacy are generally well off, there is a need for improving the infrastructure and facilities of educational institutions as well as improving the quality of education. The North East states have been provided with grants under Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) to improve infrastructural facilities. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has also been implemented in these states with positive improvements. The important Central Sector Institutions in the North East Region are IIT, Guwahati; NERIST, Itanagar; NIT, Silchar; Regional Centers of IGNOU; Central Universities of Assam, Tezpur, Mizoram, Nagaland and NEHU.  [10]   Policies to Combat Insurgency: Until the 1970s the Indian government used collective punishment, forcible relocation and military occupation in an attempt to end insurgency in the North-East. In addition to creating a severe sense of grievance among some groups, this strategy rendered civil and political institutions virtually meaningless by concentrating power over local affairs with the security forces. Even today, the military remains the only Indian institution with any significant presence in parts of this region, which has given rise to anti central government sentiments. Major Socio-Economic Problems of the Region We now examine the problems which have not only existed in spite of the above policies, but also hamper the effective implementation of the same. Geographical Factors: The entire region of the North-East can be broadly divided into two characteristic zones mountain and plains. While Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are almost entirely hilly, about four fifths of Assam is plain. Manipur and Tripura have both plain areas and hilly tracts. The hills account for about 70 per cent area and accommodate about 30 per cent of population of the region and the plains constituting the remaining 30 percent of area hold about 70 per cent of its population.  [11]  The regions accessibility has always remained weak due to geographical reasons and underdeveloped transport links with the rest of India. Also, as the region witnesses floods and landslides in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys of Assam, considerable strain is exerted on the economy of not only Assam but other North-Eastern states too. Infrastructural Factors: One of the reasons for the economic backwardness of the North-Eastern states is the poor state of basic infrastructural facilities. Infrastructure i.e. physical (like roadways, waterways, energy and so on) as well as social infrastructure (for instance educational institutions, health facilities) plays an important role in human development and economic growth of any region. The region has about 6% of the national roads and about 13% of the national highways (Sachdeva). However, the quality of these roads is not good due to poor maintenance. The Indian planners neglected the development of infrastructure in this region for a long period of time. Only in recent years, serious efforts have been made for the provision of these facilities. However, as infrastructural development entails long gestation periods the recent efforts made by North-Eastern Council (NEC) and Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) did not have much of an economic impact. The prominent indicators of shortfalls in infrastructure in this region are: increasingly congested roads, power failures, shortage of drinking water etc. Constraints on Industrial Growth: North-East India has remained historically underdeveloped in terms of industrial growth. At the time of Independence, there was a small but significant industrial sector in Assam which was mostly dominated by the colonial capitalists. This sector consisted of plantation and manufacturing of tea, mining of coal and oil, oil refinery, manufacturing of plywood and other forest resource based products. Post Independence, due to the partition of India, the industrial sector in Assam received a serious setback as its trade routes were cut-off with the rest of the country. This in turn hindered economic integration with other parts of India and also reduced the attractiveness of the region as a destination of investment. The main strength of the region for industrial development comes from its huge natural resource base. For instance, the setting up of National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation to harness the huge hydro-electric potential of the region and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for exploration and extraction of oil and gas reserves. The forest based industrial units have been on decline following the ban on felling of trees, by the Supreme Court of India in 1995. Besides dearth of local capital, marketing and transport bottlenecks hinder the industrial development of this region. Tea industry is one of the oldest industries in India. Tea industry started well in the beginning of 20th century. Tea established itself as a major manufacturing industry in Assam that heralded a huge potential. One of the major problems facing the tea industry, especially in Assam has been increased conflict between the mainstream Assamese and the labourers regarding the health issues and welfare benefits of the labourers. Agriculture: Agriculture is the major subsistence occupation of the tribal population of the region. The pattern of agricultural growth has however been uneven across states and between crops. Rice is the major crop of the region (kharif). Other crops (rabi) grown in the region are wheat, potato, sugarcane, pulses and oilseeds. The North-Eastern region produces only 1.5% of the countrys total food grain production and provides livelihood support to 70% of the population (Mishra and Misra).The pace of agricultural growth in the eastern and North-Eastern regions has been slower than the rest of the country. The Green Revolution was largely limited to the North-Western parts of the country and has not benefited the North-Eastern region. By and large, the production conditions in agriculture in the North-East are traditional. The agricultural productivity is the lowest, irrigation facilities are almost non-existent in some areas and consumption of fertilisers is extremely low in the regi on. One of the most common agricultural practise in the North-East is shifting or Jhum cultivation. Approximately 1.7 million hectares of land is under shifting agriculture. This leads to large scale deforestation resulting in soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. Insurgency and Political Issues: Insurgency or terrorism is a political weapon and is often the result of accumulated anger due to political, economic and social causes. The North-Eastern states have witnessed a rise of insurgent activities and regional movements. These movements derive their roots from differences in language and ethnicity, human rights, tribal rivalry and ethnic resentment, migration, underdevelopment, control over local resources, access to markets and a widespread feeling of exploitation and alienation from the Indian state. Nagaland has been the epicentre of insurgency in the North-East; however, the problem has now spilled over to the rest of the region. Some of the insurgent groups are United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Peoples Liberation Army, National Socialist Council of Nagaland, All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), and National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Often these insurgent groups indulge in subversive activities like damaging rail tracks, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, strikes and curfews and illegal cross-country migration. One of the important targets of the insurgents is the resource-based industries like petroleum and tea which form the core industries in the region. Assam also faces illegal infiltration from Bangladesh while Arunachal Pradesh faces constant threat from Chinese incursions. Natural Resource Base: North-East is endowed with rich natural resource base- soil, water, vegetation and hydrocarbons. In spite of having huge natural resources, the North-Eastern part of the country is underdeveloped. The resources are being exploited and mismanaged, thereby leading to depletion of the very assets that are usually highlighted as triggering the greatest potential for growth and development of the North-Eastern region. Resources have been extracted primarily for survival and for further capital formation and also the biodiversity of the region is under severe threat. The bulk of natural resource degradation is being caused by coal mining, fertiliser industry, paper industry, cement industry and militant activities. Conclusion In recent years, the government has been trying to put in place policies regarding the economic development and social integration of North-East, however, as we can conclude from our literature review there have been various social, economic, political and geographical problems which have hindered development of these states. It is generally believed that agriculture in the North-Eastern states has a lot of potential. Given the resource endowment of the region, this hypothesis seems quiet plausible. This can be attributed to socio-economic features as well as institutional, organizational and technological constraints. The agricultural policies for the region should thus focus not only on increasing agricultural productivity but also pay attention on eliminating the constraints on agricultural productivity and providing incentives for promoting sustainable agricultural practises and setting up of related activities such as fisheries, animal husbandry etc. The need for stepping up of investment in the agricultural sector has been felt very strongly given the fact that this region has been historically capital-starved. From the point of view of medium and large industry the most promising resources are the forest wealth of the region and the substantial deposits of oil, coal and limestone. The development of horticulture and plantations can assist in the growth of small and medium agro-based industries. The growth of sericulture and the demand for yarn in the handloom sector provide a base for the development of textile industries. These along with a variety of small units for serving local consumption demands can provide the basis for a more rapid industrialisation of the area. To protect the environment and resources it is necessary to implement pollution standards and put in place environmental laws regarding emissions, waste and effluent discharges from industries. There is a need to preserve the biodiversity of the region as livelihoods can be improved by developing forest produce, cultivation and export of exotic fruits and plants and harnessing of medicinal plants. National programmes and sc hemes are needed to support indigenous community forestry institutions and practises. Also it can be used to develop the tourism sector which will generate employment opportunities. The area has tremendous potential for Hydro-Power generation which needs to be appropriately harnessed as it is not only environment friendly but will also provide immense financial benefits, reduced flood damage if storage facilities are a part of Hydro-Power projects, employment generation which in turn would have an impact on sectors such as services, transport and tourism. The government should strive to resolve inter-state water conflicts and maintenance of dams. Private investment can play a critical role in fuelling economic growth and is essential to generate productive employment, raise productivity and improve technology and the work culture in areas like infrastructure, industry and agriculture. Incentives can also be given for attracting foreign investment in this region. This can however be done once the basic infrastructure facilities are put in place. These policies to encourage employment would reduce discontentment among the youth of these states thereby curbing the spread of insurgency. Thus we conclude that the North East has done reasonably well in terms of human development indicators .Also the government has put into place policies for development and integration of the region but in the end it is upto the local people to work hand in hand with the Central and State Governments to ensure prosperity of the region.

When I Saw Him

The first time I recognized him was from across the cafeteria of my old high school. He was decent looking, had nice eyes, and an amazing smile. I had met him at a party a few weeks ago and we had exchanged numbers. My friend told me that Tim had liked me since the beginning of the school year but just never acted upon it. Once I showed interest in him he leaped at the chance and asked me out. On our first date he took me to a lake and brought his guitar with him. With his beautiful voice he started singing a song and playing along just as stunningly.I was so moved by his gesture that I started liking him back. The next few months were magical, but like any ordinary relationship the waters started getting a little rough as we got closer. The summer before he left for college was very difficult. I was getting scared of him leaving me so I got a little too clingy. We also started getting into trouble on more than one occasion. He liked to drink and smoke a little too much and I would g et so angry when he would yell at me for asking him to settle down. He would say I wasn’t his mom.He was right but I did care about him just as much as she did. He started going places without me and our communication got more and more limited. When he finally left for college is when everything fell apart. During month 10 of our relationship he was going to The New Hartford School of music and later on I found out that he also was selling drugs. Tim did all of the drugs he sold and even a few more. He eventually ran into some trouble with a couple of other drug dealers because he owed them a lot of money.His parents bailed him out and he moved back home. I had a feeling that Tim was getting more and more distant as he continued to go to college. He stopped calling altogether, and even when I called him he refused to answer. Texting became difficult because he wouldn’t give me full thoughts or answers. It got to the point where we didn’t talk for a full week bef ore I was finally worn-out and drained from putting up with his shenanigans. I broke up with him because he was so confused and messed up by the drugs that he stopped talking to me for a straight week.I apparently dumped him just in time too because a month after he was home he ended up getting arrested and thrown into jail for a number of felonies. I saw Tim change drastically while we were going out and I did not want to follow the horrible path he was going down. I loved him but he had to get his stuff together. I also found out that he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. We rushed into things both emotionally and physically way too fast. Now that I should really get to know a person before I agree to be in a relationship with them.It wasn’t just his fault that the relationship fell apart. We both had issues when going into it that we didn’t communicate about. His parents did not like me, but they weren’t the nicest to Tim either. I had many problems of my own being a teenage girl in high school with bullies, school work, and family issues. In order to love someone else, a person has to love him/herself first. Tim and I just had too many problems from the beginning and we needed to focus on ourselves individually before going to fast, but we didn’t. Boy, was that a dumb thing to do.

Othello coursework

Throughout the course of the play â€Å"Othello†, Iago is portrayed as the typical sinister villain with no motives for his evil plans, but he also brings many comical aspects to the production. Many audiences would have disliked Iago because of the fact that he is the stereotypical villain, yet we are compelled to watch in suspense, his next move. He is definitely a very complex character to understand. He appears to lack motivation for his evil plans and bases his reasoning on ideas he has conjured up in his head, such as the idea of his loving wife Emilia having an affair with Othello. Jacobean audiences in particular would have been shocked by Iago's behaviour for the fact that he uses a lot of blasphemous language such as â€Å"S'blood†. This would have been frowned upon in Jacobean society due to the this religious era; whereas today, it would not be seen as such a sin to take the Lord's name in vain. Many directors such as Sam Mendes have chosen to present their adaptation of the play as a homoerotic thriller and have portrayed Iago as the lusty servant who is in fact jealous of Desdemona, whereas other performances like Michael Grandage's production portrayed Iago as simply a motiveless character. In my opinion, Iago is undoubtedly one of Shakespeare's most notorious villains; without him there would be no story line. It is him who influences the characters to carry out the terrible tasks that keep the play entertaining and full of suspense. In many productions of Othello, Iago is a Machiavellian. This term originates from a text called â€Å"The Prince† which was written in the early sixteenth century by a figure of the Italian renaissance named Niccoli Machiavelli. He wrote in one of his books that â€Å"the end justifies the means† which was misunderstood by audiences who interpreted it as â€Å"any evil action can be justified if it is done for a good purpose†. Niccoli Machiavelli insinuated that all the rulers that had remained in power had not been kind and caring men, concerned with justice and fairness, but were infact cruel individuals, willing to do anything to ensure the security of their state and their own personal power. Iago shows the audience his Machiavellian ways in Act two Scene one when he says â€Å"Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me. For making him egregiously an ass. † This truly reveals his duplicitous nature and shows how much he enjoys other people's misery. Many critics have suggested that Iago may have been a warning to King James about his untrustworthy followers, as there was a lot of uncertainty about how he was ruling England at the time. Iago also reveals a duplicitous nature in Act one, scene two, when he swears to the Greek god â€Å"Janus†; the name of a Roman mythical God with two faces which could be reflected as a two faced image. Malicious is one of many adjectives used to describe Iago, but is it entirely accurate? Throughout most of the play, he is portrayed as an open and trustworthy person by every character; all of them refer to him as â€Å"honest Iago† Yet, as the audience are well informed by the end of the first act, he appears to be quite the opposite, as he states â€Å"I am not what I am† although ironically, he always tells the audience the truth In act one scene three, Shakespeare cleverly brings in the use of rhetoric as Iago tries to persuade Roderigo that Desdemona will soon tire of Othello. He states that â€Å"she must change for youth; which she is sated with his body she will find the error of her choice†, and then goes on to reveal his hatred for Othello and how he wishes for Roderigo to help him seek revenge. In a speech made by Iago, he mentions Roderigo's money eight times! He uses repetition to encourage Roderigo to make money, but the implication to the audience is that the money is for Iago and not Roderigo. Roderigo then says, â€Å"I'll sell all my land† which tells the audience that Iago's plan has worked. This prepares us for later on in the play when Iago uses his powerful manipulation to bring Othello to his downfall. Although Iago is often called the villain of the play, he also brings many entertaining moments; he is the only source of humour in the play. This may be perhaps, because he has caused all the misery in the play so is enjoying watching people suffer! He expresses his misogynistic views in Act Two Scene One in a heated discussion with Desdemona. Iago begins the discussion through the means of criticizing his wife, Emilia. He says â€Å"Sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue she oft bestows on me You would have enough† meaning Emilia often nags him. This shows that Shakespeare wished to amuse the audience too, as they would find this very entertaining possibly because they could relate to what Iago was saying, as it could be interpreted as a commonly stereotypical comment. Another scene where Iago is entertaining to the audience is in Act Two scene Three, where he pretends to be drunk in order to encourage Casio to drink more and become disorderly; in this scene Shakespeare is really playing to his audience. When the men are drinking, Iago makes a number of comments about the English, and what heavy drinkers they are compared to other countries, â€Å"Your Dane, Your German, and your swag-bellied Hollander – drink, ho! – are nothing to your English. † These comments would have met with a very wild reception from the crowd. This indicates to us that this play, despite its exotic settings, is very relevant to an English Jacobean audience. Also in this scene, Iago is at his best and plays a number of different parts to ensure the success of his plan. The three roles that he plays are: The ancient concerned for the sake of his master, the soldier desperate to maintain the peace of the city and the faithful friend of Cassio. The audience by now would be fully aware that he is really none of these roles, which brings us back to the idea that he is a complete machiavellian. Throughout the play, Iago uses his powerful language techniques to amuse and persuade the characters in order to get what he wants. During this process, Iago makes a number of powerful soliloquies that reveal his motives and plans. These soliloquies let the audience see the true personality and characteristic traits of the person speaking. Throughout, Iago is referred to as â€Å"honest Iago† or â€Å"good friend† but the audience are fully aware that these terms do not reflect Iago's true personality because they know what he is like as he has revealed his true self in his soliloquies. This brings a lot of dramatic irony to the play; the audience are fully aware of what has happened or what is about to happen, whilst the other characters remain unaware. A great example of this in the play, is in act 5 Scene 2. By this point, Othello had already killed Desdemona and had found out about Iago's lies; Othello then asks Iago, â€Å"why hath thus ensnared my soul and body? † ( meaning why have you done this to me? ) Iago replies, â€Å"demand me nothing; what you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word† This is hugely ironic because up to this, he had used words to his power, as the tool that caused Othello's downfall. This would be very frustrating for audiences who have been puzzled throughout the play as to what motivates Iago to cause such trouble. In conclusion, I believe Iago's character structures this play and creates the story line; some of the most exciting plots are centred around him – he murders his wife, arouses Brabantio, kills Roderigo and gets Othello's army drunk; His actions definitely drive the plot forward. His soliliques not only ensure he has a very intimate relationship with the audience, but they are the only dramatic device of the play. Although there is evidence to prove Iago is not racist, he is just jealous of Othello as he talks about Othello giving Cassio the promotion instead of him. To us, he is the character who keeps the plot alive and full of action. His character was used recently by a critic, Germaine Greer when she compared Shakespearian with current times to emphasise her point. She stated, â€Å"we no longer feel, as Shakespeare's contemporaries did, the ubiquity of satin, but Iago is still serviceable to us, as an objective correlative of the mindless inventiveness of racist aggression. Iago is still alive and kicking and filling migrants letterboxes with excrement† So, it really is a question of, should the play have been called â€Å"Iago† instead of â€Å"Othello†?

Vibration Control Of Wind Turbines A Comparative Study...

Vibration Control in Wind Turbines: A Comparative Study Milad Rezaee1 and Aly Mousaad Alyï€ ª2 1, 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA Abstract. Recently, the increased energy demand has led to explorations in other sources, particularly in renewable energies. Wind energy is one of the cleanest sources that plays a significant role in providing sustainable energy. Wind turbines, as wind energy power plants, are considered tall and slender structures, and depending on their location, which can be inland or offshore, can be exposed to high wind and/or strong wave loads. These loads can exert unwanted vibrations on the structure that may have detrimental effects on energy production. The current paper reviews some of existing methods to control these vibrations and investigates the influence of using different methods to suppress the motion of a wind turbine tower. In this study, the capability of the tuned mass dampers, tuned liquid column and sloshing dampers, and viscous dampers to decrease the tower’s vibration are evaluated. Finally, a comparison among these devices is made and recommendations on the appli cation of each technique are suggested. Based on the results presented, viscous dampers can reduce both displacement and acceleration of the tower better than other types of dampers, for the same control effort (total control force). Nevertheless, the use of viscous dampers may require space considerations,