The Effects Of Blindness: A Painful, But Beneficial Flaw
analytical Essay
1971 words
Blindness: A Painful, But Beneficial Flaw The statement “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” seems like a ludicrous cliché that everyone says too often. Usually when people go through terrible times in their lives all they can see is the negative effect. The journey sucks and usually no one commends it for the newfound strength gained from it. It’s like walking through a rose garden. During the walk, all you can feel are the pricks of the rose thorns impaling themselves in your skin. The experience is horrible and quite excruciating. But after coming out of the rose garden, all you can see when you turn back are the roses. As silly as this statement might sound, this statement carries a good source of moral truths that many of us should …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's play, king lear, illustrates that blindness is like a flu shot that helps us become immune from sickness forever.
- Analyzes how king lear's lack of sight hindered him from distinguishing right from wrong. he was misled by his two eldest daughters who lied about their love for him.
- Analyzes how kent disguises himself as a beggar and is eventually rehired by king lear.
- Analyzes how gloucester suffered from a terrible case of blindness. he resented edgar after being deceived by edmund, who wanted to kill him.
- Explains that elvis and shakespeare knew how evil and deceitful a woman could be. the duke of albany was blind and smitten by the love he had for his wife goneril.
- Describes how they have been affected by blindness in their own life.
- Opines that blindness is like nuturing a tree. god is our gardner and he wants us to be as tall as we can be.
This is the case when it comes to Gloucester. Gloucester suffered from a terrible case of blindness. His blindness consisted of being unable to see Edgar as his good son and Edmund as his evil son. Although Edgar was always loyal to Gloucester, Gloucester resented Edgar after being deceived from Edmund saying that Edgar wanted to kill him. Gloucester’s lack of sight made him believe that Edmund was a good son even though all Edmund cared about was taking away Gloucester’s title of Earl. Gloucester’s blindness up to this point in the play is metaphoric. As the play moves on Gloucester was betrayed by Edmund and left at the merciless hands Regan and the Duke of Cornwall. Gloucester felt bad that King Lear was locked out of his castle thus he went to help him. Edmund snitched on his father and then ditched him when he’s punishment was carried out. Gloucester was punished for his loyalty to King Lear by having his eyes gouged out. It wasn’t until that point where Gloucester saw his mistake. Gloucester’s revelation is shown when he says, “O my follies! Then Edgar was abused. King gods, forgive me that, and prosper him.” (3.7.111-112) Gloucester understood now that Edgar was always a loyal son to him and Edmund was a treacherous snake. Gloucester’s famous line, “I stumbled when I saw” (4.1.20-21), was ironic for him to say. His inability to see the true nature of both sons occurred when he …show more content…
Itʻs not an enjoyable journey to partake. However, our actions and mistakes led us to our blindness. So you could say King Lear, Gloucester, Albany, and I deserved it. Itʻs a very lonely and humbling experience. Even though all our blinded journeys were different, we all learned of our mistakes and tried to make ammends. Life is full of decisions and possibilities. Through these rough emotional and sometimes physical experiences, God teaches us how to be a better person. In essence, blindness is like nuturing a tree. God is our gardner and he wants us, trees, to be as tall as we can be. However, sometimes we get so caught up with how tall we are that we become blind to whatʻs really important. Thatʻs when God cuts us back down and we have to learn humbleness from being foolishly blind. Blindness is always a second resort. We just have to be smart enough to not get caught up in the
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- Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Learanalytical essayIn Shakespeare's classic tragedy, King Lear, the issue of sight and its relevance to clear vision is a recurring theme. Shakespeare's principal means of portraying this theme is through the characters of Lear and Gloucester. Although Lear can physically see, he is blind in the sense that he lacks insight, understanding, and direction. In contrast, Gloucester becomes physically blind but gains the type of vision that Lear lacks. It is evident from these two characters that clear vision is not derived solely from physical sight. Lear's failure to understand this is the principal cause of his demise, while Gloucester learns to achieve clear vision, and consequently avoids a fate similar to Lear's.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the theme of sight and its relevance to clear vision in shakespeare's classic tragedy, king lear.
- Analyzes how lear's vision is clouded by his lack of insight, since he cannot see into others' characters, and cannot identify them for who they truly are.
- Analyzes how lear's vision is marred by his lack of direction in life, and his inability to predict the consequences of his actions.
- Analyzes how lear depicts shakespeare's theme of clear vision by demonstrating that physical sight does not guarantee clear sight, while gloucester shows this theme despite the total lack of sight.
- Analyzes how gloucester's vision clears when he loses his physical sight. when cornwall captures gloucester, gloucester provokes him to pluck out his eyes.
- Analyzes how gloucester lacks clear vision and would never have seen vengeance taken upon cornwall. cornwall's death is a direct result of his blinding of gloucester.
- Analyzes how gloucester learns to see clearly by using his heart instead of his eyes.
- Compares gloucester's vision with that of lear, who has the physical sight that gloucester lost, but gloucester has a clearer vision that he will never gain.
- Analyzes how lear cannot relate to gloucester because his vision is not clear. gloucester tells him that sight comes from within.
- Analyzes how lear's downfall was a result of his failure to understand that appearance does not always represent reality.
1420 wordsRead More - Justified tradgedyanalytical essayThroughout the play, the good-hearted Earl of Gloucester suffers at the hands of his illegitimate child Edmund and the king’s evil daughters Goneril and Regan. Gloucester loves his son Edgar and has given him land as a result. Edmund wishes to take these lands from his brother but in order to do so he must make Edgar fall from his father’s good graces. Edmund hatches a plan and says, “A credulous father and a brother noble/ Whose nature is so far from doing harms/That he suspects none” (1.2.187-189). Edmund quickly and cleverly begins to place doubt in his father’s mind about Edgar and soon manages to falsely convince his trusting father that Edgar wants to kill him. By falsely believing his son Edmund, Gloucester believes his actions to bring Edgar to “justice” are appropriate and sends (search patrols to find his son in) order to do so. Gloucester also defends and helps King Lear although his two evil daughters told him not too. Gloucester cannot bear to see King Lear in such a miserable state and goes against his daughters’ wishes when he says, “I would not see thy cruel nails/ Pluck out his ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare recounts the tragedy of king lear as he fails to acknowledge his tragic flaw and thus falls into tragedy and unintentionally brings others with him.
- Analyzes how the good-hearted earl of gloucester suffers at the hands of his illegitimate child edmund and the king’s evil daughters goneril and regan.
- Analyzes how edgar, the legitimate son of gloucester, lives a happy life but quickly receives justice from the hands of his father even though he trusted his brother.
- Analyzes how king lear decides to divide his kingdom and give his daughters their share in order to decide how much land to give them.
- Analyzes how king lear's mistake in making cordelia suffer unnecessarily and laments his actions. even though she forgives her father, she suffers until the very end.
- Analyzes how justice strikes the good more than the wicked in the play which helps show shakespeare's disbelief in true justice.
1076 wordsRead More - An Analysis Of Divine Justice In King Learanalytical essayIn King Lear, Gloucester internally struggles between his legitimate son, Edgar, and his illegitimate son, Edmund. He is unable to appropriately place trust in his sons and this leads to Gloucester’s punishments. Gloucester banishes Edgar despite that Edgar remained loyal to his father. Shortly after Edgar’s banishment, Cornwall blinds Gloucester while revealing to him that Edmund
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gloucester struggles between his legitimate son edgar and his illegitimate son edmund. gloucester's blinding serves as punishment for his infidelity that led to edmund’s birth.
- Analyzes how gloucester's death is a result of shock after he finds that his banished son, edgar, was the man who had cared for him.
- Analyzes how lear's suffering stems from his rash haste, his violent impetuosity, and his blindness to everything but the dictates of his passions.
- Analyzes how king lear shows the success of the wicked characters in either avoiding death or receiving death at the time and manner in which they wish.
- Analyzes the concept of divine justice in king lear. the tragic fates of the "just" characters show that fatal power comes from human choice.
- Analyzes how cordelia's death is a direct reflection of society divided between extremes of power and the impossibility of real justice and security.
1655 wordsRead More - King Leaar And Gloucester Comparison Essayanalytical essayThroughout Shakespeare's story of King Lear, readers might see a similarity between King Lear and Gloucester. Initially, you feel as if King Lear and Gloucester are, in a sense, bad people for abandoning the individuals that care about them the most. King Lear banishes his daughter Cordelia because she doesn’t express her love for Lear the way he wants her to and he also banishes Kent for standing up for Cordelia in saying that she truly loves Lear the most. Gloucester banishes his son Edgar because he is manipulated by his illegitimate son Edmund into thinking that Edgar is trying to murder him so that he can take his throne. In the beginning, I feel as if King Lear is insecure and has poor judgment while Gloucester is easily influenced and very naive. Towards the end of the play, my opinions on both Lear and Gloucester changed. I began to feel sympathy towards them once they started going through traumatic events. Towards the end of the play, King Lear becomes a humble and caring individual while Gloucester later proves how he is capable of great bravery. In the end, it seems as though both Lear and Gloucester die from the guilt and sorrow that comes from the traumatic events that they experience. One might suggest that they both die from a broken heart.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the similarities between king lear and gloucester in shakespeare's story. they feel like they are bad people for abandoning the individuals that care about them the most.
- Analyzes how lear exhibits his poor judgement and insecurities when he brings in his three daughters to see who will give his kingdom to.
- Analyzes how the storm that occurs in act three symbolizes lear's inner agitation and the start of his insanity.
- Analyzes how gloucester, a nobleman loyal to king lear, is the father of an illegitimate son, edmund. he is gullible and naive in the early acts when he allows his loyal son to turn him against edgar.
- Analyzes how gloucester's physical and metaphorical blindness symbolizes both lear and gloucester. when gloucester loses his vision, he expresses sorrow and guilt towards edgar.
- Analyzes the similarities between lear and gloucester. both have loyal and disloyal children, both are blind to the truth, and both die from a broken heart.
- Concludes that the play tells an important story about life and the hard lessons that come with it.
1253 wordsRead More - Power's Destruction: King Learanalytical essayEdmund 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...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how king lear by shakespeare portrayed the negative effects of power resulting in destruction caused by the children of a figure with authority.
- Analyzes how edmund lusted for all of his father's power, lying to his gullible brother, and destroying their lives.
- Analyzes how goneril and regan used the power to trick and remove their father from control. their greed for land and authority propelled them to lie profusely for their benefit.
- Analyzes how hatred and desire fueled goneril, regan, and edmund to lie in order to obtain their parents' power leading to destruction within their family.
691 wordsRead More - Answers to Questions Analyzing Shakespeare´s King Learanalytical essayGloucester’s renewal of sight is described by the line “I stumbled when I saw”. I saw that this line could be interpreted in two ways. First, it is meant to say that when he could physically still see, he had been following the wrong path. Gloucester made continuous mistakes when he had his eye sight, trusting and assuming much too quickly. It was then until his eyes wore literally plucked out but the Duke of Cornwall, that the truth finally came to surface. This famous line explains that when he was not blind yet, he kept stumbling on the lies and disguises of both Edmund and Edgar. Alternatively, “I stumbled when I saw” could also be a reflection how he mentally sees who has been in the truth all along, but it took him to be paralyzed in vision to see, where he must now “stumble” to survive. In either interpretation the same message is that Gloucester no longer desires eye sight is he can see more clearly without them. The confidence that his eye sight once gave him only mislead his belief of reality. This entire event changes Gloucester’s morals completely. His vision is more improved using his mind instead of his eyes. In line 19, it is apparent that he is in full remorse: “I have no way and therefore want no eyes” shows that Gloucester accepts his faults and rather than pities himself, becomes more acknowledgeable in others. Gloucester states, “Might I but live to see thee in my touch, I’ld say I had my eyes again!” Because Gloucester finds that Edgar had been innocent all along, this line shows how truly sorry he now is and how to see feel Edgar for one more moment would be equal to having vision. Nothing else in the world matters to Gloucester anymore. The change in personality shows when he believes that he i...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gloucester's renewal of sight is described by the line "i stumbled when i saw".
- Analyzes how goneril calls albany a "milk-liver'd man" and uses malicious descriptions to captivate recent activities. albany's change of character signifies potential justice for all that has happened.
- Analyzes how lear's refusal to speak with cordelia is not from anger or resentment, but from utter self-shame.
- Analyzes how cordelia's belief of fate does not correlate with kent and gloucester’s. each character is there to set a purpose and balance.
- Analyzes how oswald's encounter with regan has left him stoic, unlike how he was in act 2, scene 2. the depth of this character development needs thorough attention.
- Analyzes how oswald can be seen as an evil character because of his lack of loyalty to the king.
- Analyzes how shakespeare uses lear's passage to develop the conflict of appearance vs. reality.
- Analyzes how lear uses the phrase "soul in bliss" to enact an incongruous image.
2155 wordsRead More - The Sense Of Blindnessexplanatory essayWe as human beings utilize the five senses to process information about our surroundings. These senses help keep us safe. For example, we use our sense of touch to avoid picking up a hot pan, while our senses of smell and taste prevent us from cooking any rotten food in the pan. Our sense of sight allows us to see an oncoming train, while our sense of sound makes it possible to hear the train’s horn.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that human beings utilize the five senses to process information about their surroundings and keep them safe.
- Estimates that 1.3 million people in the united states are legally blind, and only 1% are born without the sense of sight.
- Explains that the length of time a person experiences without their sense of sight seems to impact the enhancement of their other senses.
- Explains the purpose of the study, which involved eight men with early-onset blindness and sixteen sighted men in the control group.
- Explains that a different study was conducted to test the auditory reaction time in congenitally blind and sighted subjects.
- Explains that the montreal neurological institute found that congenitally blind people could hear notes better than sighted individuals or people who became blind later in life.
- Explains that the journal of neuroscience published a study which demonstrated that individuals born blind have heightened sense of touch than people with normal vision or those that had become blind later in life.
- Opines that the longer a person lives without the sense of sight, the better the other senses become. scientific studies prove there are certain heightened sensitivities within individuals who are born without their sense.
- Cites cuevas, plaza, rombaux, collignon, de volder, a. g., and renier, l.
- Explains the national federation of the blind's blindness and low vision fact sheet.
1001 wordsRead More - Blindness In King Learanalytical essayNot only is the audience able to see the dominating theme of blindness affect the lives of King Lear and the Duke of Albany, but one is also able to see the downfall of Gloucester due to his blindness and poor decisions on situations he is oblivious too. In King Lear, Gloucester is not only blind in mental terms, but he is also physically blinded by Goneril near the end of the play. Firstly, Gloucester’s blindness denies him the capability to see the good in his son Edgar and the evil in his son Edmund. Gloucester’s inability to see causes him to hunt down his son Edgar in order to try and kill him, when in reality the son he is trying to kill, is the son that has the right intentions. Edmund, Gloucester’s evil and illegitimate son plans to kill Gloucester to take his wealth and riches thought out the whole play. When Gloucester is angered by the letter Edmund claims Edgar wrote, he screams,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gloucester's blindness denies him the capability to see the good in his son edgar and the evil in edmund.
- Analyzes gloucester's blindness to the manipulation his son edmund is showing towards him about his brother edgar. gloucester is quick to make decisions even though he has not taken the time to seek the truth.
- Analyzes how gloucester is blind to edmund's lies and feels betrayed by edmund because he was unable to see edgar’s innocence. in the end, gloucester realizes his fault in accusing his son edgar.
- Concludes that blindness in terms of a mental weakness is the most prominent and destructive theme in shakespeare’s, king lear.
656 wordsRead More - Nice Guys Finish Lastanalytical essayBlindness vs. Sight- This theme is realized toward the middle of the plot. When Lear and Gloucester are living well and in power, they are both treated with respect by their children. In the end, we find out that they had been blinded by their children all along, but this was after they had already treated their noble child so cruelly. In Gloucester’s case, he literally had to become blind in order to see.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that although the play is full of not-so-nice characters, there are a few noble gentlemen, and women, who remain true throughout the plays entirety.
- Analyzes how the theme of blindness vs. sight is realized toward the middle of the plot. when lear and gloucester are living well and in power, they are both treated with respect by their children.
- Analyzes how lear realizes that he owes cordelia everything once it is too late and she is close to death.
260 wordsRead More - Effective Foreshadowing in King Learanalytical essayMuch of the imagery in King Lear's first scene presages what is to come in the play. Often characters refer to senses, particularly sight, whether as a comment on the necessity of sensing consequences before acting (as Lear does not), or as yet another of Shakespeare's comments (most apparent in Hamlet) on "seeming." The destruction of Gloucester's eyes and his subsequent musings ("I stumbled when I saw" (IV.i.19) etc.) are a more graphical presentation of this basic theme which originally appears in Lear's first scene. Goneril declares Lear is "dearer than eyesight" (I.i.56) to her (though she is the one who later suggests putting Gloucester's eyes out for his "treachery"). Regan goes further, proclaiming "I profess / Myself an enemy to all other joys / Which the most precious square of sense possesses" (I.i. 72-74). Crossed in his wrath by Kent, Lear cries "Out of my sight!" (I.i.157), only to be reproved with Kent's "See better, Lear, and let me still remain / The true blank of thine eye." (I.i.158-9).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gloucester's cavalier treatment of edmund before kent seems a heartless way to treat an illegitimate son. the old monarch ignores his advice and banishes him from the kingdom.
- Analyzes how lear's storyline, and its effectiveness as tragedy, depend in part on the gradual stripping of kingship and dignity from him.
- Analyzes how lear's first scene foreshadows the more ample treatments the rest of the play will bring.
- Analyzes how the first scene of shakespeare's play, king lear, sets up the basic themes and situations that the remainder will work with.
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