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,
had. He had a very hard and painful childhood. He was treated very harshly by his family
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 ...
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 the play King Lear, Shakespeare used the main characters to portray the main theme. The main theme in this play is blindness. King Lear, Gloucester and Albany are three examples Shakespeare used to incorporate this theme. Each of these characters were “blinded” in different ways because of the wrong decisions they’ve made and later on regretted.
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.
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).
King Lear is one of Shakespeare's more complex plays and within it many different themes are addressed and explored. King Lear is the somewhat unfortunate vehicle that Shakespeare uses to explore many of these themes creating a complex character including the roles of a father, king, friend and adversary.
During the 1600s, Europe was standing between the scientific revolution and the the combined power of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolutions. This time was filled with religious confusion fueled by the transitioning monarchs and the desire to divorce that King Louis XIV had. Through the confusion, William Shakespeare sat down and wrote the play, “King Lear” to provide some of the environment he grew up in to the audience. Although the play Shakespeare wrote was fictional, it did comply with the time it was written. It supported the customs and values of the time while it influenced its own milieu.
King Lear, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic tale of filial conflict, personal transformation, and loss. The story revolves around the King who foolishly alienates his only truly devoted daughter and realizes too late the true nature of his other two daughters. A major subplot involves the illegitimate son of Gloucester, Edmund, who plans to discredit his brother Edgar and betray their father. With these and other major characters in the play, Shakespeare clearly asserts that human nature is either entirely good, or entirely evil. Some characters experience a transformative phase, where, by some trial or ordeal, their nature is profoundly changed. We shall examine Shakespeare's stand on human nature in King Lear by looking at specific characters in the play, Cordelia who is wholly good, Edmund who is wholly evil, and Lear whose nature is transformed by the realization of his folly and his descent into madness.
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.
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!
To conclude, my research shows a clear link between parental involvement and children performing better in school. Children who's parents are involved in their education are showing better performance and are achieving higher grades. They also show better behaviour, more enthusiasm, ambition and higher levels of engagement. compared with children who's parent are not involved in their education. My research also shows that parental involvement has great benefits for both children and parents in many ways, so much so that the most effective schools are those who encouraged parents to be involved.