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
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.
His blindness began when Edmund convinced him by the forged letter that Edgar was planning to kill him. His lack of “sight” caused him to believe that Edmund was the good son although all he wanted to do is to take over his power. Near the end of the play, Gloucester finally regained his sight and realized that Edgar saved his life and loved him all this time and Edmund was the evil of the two. His inability to see occurred when he had physical sight, but when he finally could see things clearly is when he had his eyes plucked out by the Duke of Cornwall.
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.
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...
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”, there is a character named Edmund who plotted against his brother Edgar. Edmund made false accusations against Edgar, so the entire kingdom was on the lookout for Edgar. Once Edgar had found out that the kingdom was looking for him, and that his brother was also plotting against their father, he went into hiding. Edgar gave up his identity, house, and family to keep his father and himself safe. This was a huge sacrifice
Edmund lusted for all of his father’s power, lying to his gullible brother and father aided him in his plan for total authority along with destroying their lives. As bastard son of Gloucester, Edmund wanted to receive all of the power destined for his brother, Edgar, who was Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund stated his disapproval of his brother, “Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom, and permit/ The curiosity of nations to deprive me/ For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines/ Lag of a brother? Why bastard?”(1.2.2-6). Edmund wanted the respect and love that Edgar received even though he was Gloucester’s bastard son. He claimed that he was not much younger or “moonshines lag of a brother” therefore he should be considered just as smart and able-minded as any legitimate son. He built up hatred toward Edgar and in order to get rid of him he convinced his father that Edgar had betrayed him through a letter. The letter that Edmund made read, “If our father would sleep till I waked him, you/ should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live/ the beloved of your brother, Edgar”(1.2.55-57). Edmund portrayed Edgar as the son that would kill Gloucester only to inherit his money and share his inheritance with Edmund. Gloucester believed Edmund, sending out guards to kill Edgar for his betrayal...
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).
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!
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