Poor Edmund of King Lear
I initially felt bad for Edmund. It must have been difficult growing up constantly second to
Edgar and being referred to as "the bastard." No one would envy him that.
But let's take a second look at poor Edmund. I'm sure that there were many
bastards in his time, but how many of them ended up indirectly gouging out
their fathers' eyes and trying to take over the kingdom? Was the Earl of
Gloucester really that rotten of a father that he drove his son to do all
of this?
According to my reading of the text, the Earl of Gloucester probably
paid mightily to send Edmund "out nine years" (presumably studying abroad)
(I.i.32). Gloucester admits that he had "so often blushed to acknowledge
him," but he seems to take some pride in how Edmund turned out, regardless
of his conception (I.i.10). It is assumed that Gloucester loves Edgar better
than Edmund, but, even so, do parents truly ever love children EXACTLY equally,
even under "legitimate" circumstances? Plus, we hear from Gloucester's
own mouth that though Edgar is legitimate and a year older than Edmund,
Edgar is "yet no dearer in [Gloucester's] account" (I.i.19-21).
Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Gloucester does love
Edgar much more than Edmund. Does that mean that Edmund gets to run around
wreaking havoc as revenge? The argument that Edmund as victim sounds an
awful lot like what we would term today, "The Abuse Excuse." Just because
Edmund was "abused" and Edgar is the "favorite" does not mean that Edmund
gets to do anything he wants to do. A couple of brothers by the name of
Menendez claimed that the abuse inflicted upon them allowed them to shoot
(repeatedly) their father (the alleged offender) and their mother
(for good measure). Is this what we are arguing for now? I don't
claim to know the details of that case in California, but by my reading
of this case, I saw little "excuse" for the actions of said bastard.
As to Christina's claim that "murder is murder," I wonder if she
really means that statement to carry to all circumstances. If shooting
(or stabbing) another person in self-defense is just "evil" as killing
someone for "fun," where does that leave us? With considerably fuller
jails, for one thing. And what of "military incidents," such as wars,
Goneril and Regan, two daughters of King Lear try to gain some power. After Lear banishes Cordelia, Goneril and Regan think that their father is going crazy and they over throw his power of being a king. Another character that tries to gain some more power in the play is the character, Edmund, his brother Edgar has more power than him, people treat Edgar better because Edgar was born in their parents’ marriage, while Edmund was not so they call Edmund, Gloucester’s illegitimate son.
had. He had a very hard and painful childhood. He was treated very harshly by his family
Gonorill. Regan. Cordelia. Those names should ring a bell if you have ever read or seen “The Tragedy of King Lear.” The plot behind this play revolves around King Lear’s relationships with each of these three characters; his daughters. King Lear has a different relationship with each of them. Gonorill, Regan and Cordelia all have very distinct personalities. In this play, King Lear decided it was time to give up and divide his kingdom amongst Gonorill, Regan and Cordelia. He determined who got what based off of their love for him. Each daughter was asked to express their love for their father but, only Gonorill and Regan end up with portions of King Lear’s kingdom.
As discussed earlier ‘bastards’ were look down upon in society and seen as a mistake to the point where they were used as insults to their parents. Edmond uses the persuasive technique of inclusive language in the lines "Well then, Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund". In this quote Edmond uses the term ‘our’ to emphasise the fact that him and Edgar have the same father. Additionally, Edmond also implies that he thinks "bastards" are as good as "legitimate" sons through this textual
In Chapter 4, the authors focused on gufted learners as social capital. As I read the book, I realized that we look at these gifted learners as commodities and individuals who will “drive the economy and become a highly valued professional assets of the country.” The gifted learners at an early age do not realize that they are already branded as “social capitals.” At an early age, the society is already honing and preparing the gifted learners to become the future leaders in different fields. Whether they are aware or not, the society is already putting pressure to the gifted learners on what they can become and contribute to the common good later in life. Thus, the pressure to excel in everything that the gifted learners do is on. B...
The lack of a complete understanding of ADHD has led scientists to question how to go about treating ADHD. While at the moment the disorder cannot be cured, they are methods that scientists have come up with to address the symptoms displayed by ADHD. These approaches range all the way from psychotherapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to the prescription of pyschostimulant medications. (3) The most popular of these medications include amphetamines, such as Aderall, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin. (1) The use of such drugs ...
Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester is not pleased with his status as a bastard. Edgar the legitimate son of Gloucester stands to obtain the lands, wealth and power of his father. Edmund thinks this is unfair and begins a plot to banish his brother and obtain the lands of his father. He begins by writing a fake letter from Edgar saying that he wants to murder his father and wishes to take power by force. Edmund uses his deceiving abilities to make the letter seem genuine. He lies to his father about how he came into possession of the letter: “It was not brought me, my Lord; t...
The Gifted program exists to provide more academic opportunities for those who qualify as “gifted.” “’Gifted means performing or demonstrating the potential for performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment in one or more academic fields due to intellectual ability, when compared to others of similar age, experience, and environment’” (Quoted in “Gifted”). In order to make it into the program the student must show higher intellectual ability than the average student at his or her age, but what determines that factor? The student must take a multidimensional test and score in the 98th percentile. However, the most weighted part of the test remains an average IQ test. Intelligence test scores should not be the primary qualification for admittance into the gifted program. They should not remain the primary qualification because it allows the minorities and the economically disadvantaged to be underrepresented, it proves insufficient when compared to other means of testing, and it fails to accurately reflect a student’s intelligence.
Many people are of the opinion that special education programs for gifted children are an unnecessary burden on tightly-budgeted and under-funded school systems, but this is actually far from the truth. The gifted are perhaps the most neglected group of special needs children in almost every school district. Because many people assume that the gifted do not need extra attention, gifted programs are often the first program to be cut when budgets are reduced, but I suggest that they be the last to go. These children have profound talents and are just as deserving of extra attention as children who are physically or mentally handicapped.
In King Lear, the subplot of Gloucester corresponds to the major plot of King Lear. Both fathers have their own loyal legitimate child and their evil and disloyal child. They are both honourable men, who have children that return to them in their time of need. Gloucester and Lear are both tormented, and their favoured child recovers their life. In the early beginning of the play, Cordelia says that her love for her father is the love between father and daughter, no more, no less. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty According to my bond, no more nor less. (Act 1 Scene 1 Pg. 13 lines 93-95) In response, King Lear goes into rage, and divides Cordelia’s share of the kingdom between her two unworthy sisters. Such injustice is encountered by Gloucester in the subplot. O villain, villain! His very opinion in the letter! Abhorred villain! Unnatural, detested, brutish villain! Worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I’ll apprehend him. Abominable villain! Where is he? (Act 1 Scene 2 Pg. 37 lines 75-78) Gloucester fool...
Research findings by Henderson (1981; 1987) and Henderson and Berla (1994) identify the following benefits from parental involvement: 1) higher student achievement; 2) increase in student graduation rates; 4) improvement in student behavior and motivation; 5) better school image among parents and students; and 6) increase in parent satisfaction with teachers (as cited in Greene & Tichenor, 2003).
Narrowly defining giftedness will only exclude some of the truly talented and extraordinary individuals and inhibit the resources and legislation that are needed to ensure gifted education is a national priority to improve our educational status on a national and global scale.
Parental involvement in a child’s life is crucial to their motivation, and eventual success or failure in school. According to the National Education Association (NEA), students who have parents involved in their education are more likely to earn higher grades, go to school regularly, have better social skills, have more positive behavior, and proceed to secondary
Parent involvement affects all aspects of a child’s education. Parents must be involved as teachers, learners, supporters, and advocates of their child’s learning (Hopkings). Studies show that kids who know that their parents are involved and interested tend to take more responsibility for their own learning and behavior. Schoolwork and grades improve. Work habits improve. Less work is handed in late. Fewer referrals for behavior problems are made. Attendance increases, and fewer kids show up late for class (Hopkings). With all this information documented it shows the true importance of parent involvement in education. The more involved the parents are, the better off each child will be. So when you become a parent, get involved in your child’s education!