Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal Essay Example for Free

Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal Essay This film pictures events and unknown facts about the life of the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal. When I am watching the film I understand the story clearer than reading it, the scenes played in the film made my mind and vision clearer. They’ve explain the life of Rizal clearly even though some information is not that important but still they are saying it for the student’s or the viewer can understand more the life of Rizal. In watching the films I’ve realize the things that a man can do. The film started from Rizal telling what had been his life as a young boy was. Unlike any boy, Rizal came from a rich family which can be considered as principalia. His parents were considered to be a good example in their own ways. He had a big family with 10 siblings, nine sisters and one brother named Ponciano. Rizal was describe as a young boy whose eagerness to learn was of undeniable. At his young age of nine, he was asked to live in manila to study. He took entrance examinations and finally schooled at prestigious campuses in Manila by that time. He studied first at Ateneo de Manila University then continue it at University of Sto. Thomas. Rizal also continued his studies abroad and he was able to visit many countries. Rizal demonstrated great talent in literature, philosophy and also in arts. He received awards in some contests that he joined and successfully won the major ones at times. As a student, I can say that Rizal was very hard working and dedicated. He was an engineer, sculptor, painter, ophthalmologist and a writer. I can’t believe that a man can be that good, a man can do many things, and a man can defend his own country. He will not achieve all of that without his friends, of course.

Victorian Beliefs :: Free Essays Online

Victorian Beliefs If I am asked whether I would choose to be descended from the poor animal of low intelligence and stooping gait who grins and chatters as we pass, or from a man endowed with great ability and a splendid position who should use these gifts to discredit and crush humble seekers after truth, I hesitate what answer to make. Thomas Henry Huxley, 1860 (Cruse 94) As related by Amy Cruse in The Victorians and Their Reading, these words by Thomas Henry Huxley served as a witty retort to the degrading comments of Darwin's foes. When examined closely, however, Huxley's statement can be recognized as a question of paramount importance-- a question that defines the core of the Victorian world. Neatly engraved between the lines of Huxley's reply lies the issue of belief. Huxley's belief in the pursuit of "truth" is evident, as is his belief regarding those who would hinder such a "humble" pursuit. Less evident, but nonetheless present, are the echoes of other important Victorian principles. As exemplified by Huxley's mention of apes, Darwin's belief in The Origin of Species was a vitally important aspect of Victorian thought. Traditional concerns, most notably religious conservatism, were inextricably linked to the revolutionary ideals of Victorian science. Interestingly, the dueling beliefs in science and religion were not necessarily diametrically opposed. Instead, both the pursuits of science and religion challenged Victorians to examine their beliefs regarding the natural world, God, and the meaning of their own humanity. â€Å"I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of [anyone],† claimed Charles Darwin in reference to The Origin of Species(Hart 1). Despite Darwin’s protestations of theological benignity, however, many Victorians were indeed shocked by the idea of evolution. Cardinal Manning, speaking for the Roman Catholic populous of England, for instance, â€Å"denounced†¦[Darwin’s theory of evolution as] a brutal philosophy—to wit, there is no God, and the ape is our Adam†(Cruse 95). Similarly, Bishop Wilberforce, at an 1860 meeting of the British Association, ridiculed T. H. Huxley about his ancestry (94). In open contempt of The Origin of Species, Wilberforce asked Huxley, â€Å"whether it [was] through his grandfather or his grandmother that he claimed descent from ‘a venerable ape’?†(94). The ideas contained within the covers of The Origin of Species clearly challenged the beliefs of many Victorian Christians. Contrary to the protestations of Cardinal Manning and Bishop Wilberforce, however, Darwin viewed the theory of evolution as theologically sound.

The Theme of “A Worn Path”

The Theme of â€Å"A Worn Path† Charlotte Schroeder Ashford University 03/04/2013 ENG 125 Instructor Abby Forster In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path†, the author Eudora Welty, created a strong theme of undying love with an old woman and her grandson. The main character in this story is called Phoenix; she is an old woman that is narrated from the author trying to make a long journey down a worn path to bring her sick grandson medicine. She will not let anything get in her way from completing her mission and will not give up even though she is not a young puppy anymore.She is the last living relative to her young grandson and she keeps strong to fulfill his needs and keep him happy. The author uses great symbolism in the short story throughout the entire story. Religion, racism, and true love all play a key role in the theme of â€Å"A Worn Path†; it has strong literary elements that take this story to higher limits. The story does not tell us where the mother i s, however shows us how strong Phoenix is in her journey with characters making us know how bad racism is and how God is strong with her in her mission.Anyone that has children would not stop at anything to save them; Phoenix’s journey down a worn path proves it. This story is about a grandmother, Phoenix, walking through treacherous woods to get some medicine for her grandson that is sick that may or may not help him. The story is told in the third-person, â€Å"Third-person point of view which occurs when the speaker is not a participant in the story. It has two forms: omniscient point of view and objective point of view. † (Cited in Clugston, 2010) The author uses a narrative approach with the main character; it shows her thoughts and feelings throughout the entire story.She speaks to herself with a single purpose, devotion to her grandson in the doctor’s clinic. She must get to him at no cost since she is poor. The story’s theme is about undying love for a grandmother and grandson; it explains her struggles against aging since she has walked this path since the civil war. The narrative story expresses a lot of symbolic characters, first it starts with the name Phoenix which stands for the mythical creature that rises from its own ashes. â€Å"The use of symbolic characters throughout the story is explained.The author provides a critical interpretation and offers different meaning behind several elements. † (Cited in Clugston, 2010) Phoenix is faced with getting old and losing her mind, she is very afraid of it, but still carries on with the strength of God with her. Religion plays a key role to keeping her mind and strength strong and even beat racism with the characters she met along the way and interacts with. It starts with a cold month in December for the setting that makes you feel compassion for the main character and brings a thought of stagnation and sleeep.The story’s author sets a picture in your head fir st, â€Å"The setting is rural, a cold, early morning in December in the South. † (Cited in Clugston, 2010) The main character is a Negro woman that is an old lady and has been through many life situations. The story uses settings to establish many points for the theme and details of wagon tracks used to tell us she is following a familiar path. â€Å"On she went. The woods were deep and still. The sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look at, up where the wind rocked. The cones dropped as light as feathers.Down in the hollow was morning dove- it was not too late for him. † )Cited in Clugston, 2010, â€Å"A Worn Path†, para. 3) This is the â€Å"easy part† of her new journey since she will face a hunter and a nurse along the way. She meets a white hunter with a dog; they represent external conflicts that she must deal with. The hunter helps her out of a ditch that she has fallen in, however irony is used since he puts a gun in her face that also resembles racism. She compares her bones to weeds springy enough not to have been broken by the fall into the ditch.The hunter speaks down to her since he thinks she is a crazy old black woman trying to go see Santa Clause for presents. She finds a nickel in her pocket, â€Å"God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing,† she knows that she must keep going with god’s help. However, she does not let this get her down since religion played a big role in her life and she has encountered much worse. Next, the author tells how Phoenix is feeling, â€Å"Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far†, this symbolizes chains are like a struggle for her. Cited in Clugston, 2010, â€Å"A Worn Path† para. 10) She is faced with buzzards that symbolize death for her and oak trees that symbolize strength and wisdom since she was strong with life still. â€Å"She passed through the old cotton and went into a field of dead corn†, this showed how devoted her love was to pass through death defying places. (Cited in Clugston, 2010) Also, when she drank water, â€Å"In a ravine she went where a spring was silently flowing through a hollow log. Old Phoenix bent back and drank†, it symbolized a source of life and regeneration. Cited in Clugston, 2010, â€Å"A Worn Path† para. 14) All of these literary elements contributed to the short story and theme. When Phoenix arrives in the city she sees Christmas lights that are red, green, and silver that look like presents, which made religion come to play again. She encounters a nurse when she arrives finally to the doctor’s clinic. The nurse thinks that she is very poor and gives her another nickel to help her. All Phoenix wants is to see her grandson happy so she takes the two nickels and buys him a pinwheel to make him smile.Besides the medicine she has for him, she wanted to make him know he was loved and wanted to give a present. In the end the author made m e feel the undying love that a grandmother can have for her grandson. She took a hard path in spite of her old age to make her grandson get what he needed, medicine, and a smile. Her journey faced racism, religion, and death that she overcame with the love she had in her soul, it would not die even if she got hurt. The medicine did not work in the past for her sick grandson, however she thought it might help to cure him with love.Everyone that has experienced a mother’s love or grandmother’s would know that they will not stop for anything to give their undying love. References A Worn Path, Edora Welty-Introduction. Critism. ED. Anna J. Sheets. Vol. 27 April, 2012 Retrieved from: http://www. enotes. com/worn-path-critcism/worn-path Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu Lappin, A. Studia Neophilologic June, 2012, Vol. 84 Issue 1, p33Retrieved from: http://www. ashford. edu/ehost/books

The Second Amendment Of The United States - 1425 Words

The Second Amendment to the Constitution was adopted on December 15, 1791 protects the right for people to â€Å"keep and bear arms.† This issue is always a controversial topic not only around election time but becoming more and more a subject for conversation everywhere we go. Gun ownership in the U.S. has a tremendous high rate as well as gun violence. At least 270 million firearms are owned by Americans and found in 47% of homes. In 2015, an estimated 13,286 people were killed by guns and 26,819 injured. When it comes to the workplace, roughly 2 million employees are affected by some form of work place violence and is not always about work. Two-thirds of homicides in the U.S. are a result of personal relationship problems. Moral†¦show more content†¦Employees do have the moral right to park their cars with guns in them as long as they are locked and out of the sight of someone walking by the vehicle to get in to the building. Some employees are leaving late and in the dark to an empty or secluded lot. I can understand the employers concern as well in that people often leave work mad or stressed and this could aggravate a possible assault. NRA Over the last several years there have been disagreements over people’s right to leave firearms locked in their vehicles. This issue began in 2002 in Oklahoma with the Weyerhaeuser corporation fired employees for having their guns on the company property. As a result of this, the Senate passed with a vote of 92-4 prohibiting â€Å"any rule or policy† and prohibiting the law-abiding citizens â€Å"from transporting and storing firearms in a locked vehicle.† I agree with the NRA that if companies start banning an employee from being able to have their guns in their vehicles would be like a wrecking ball to the Second Amendment. This would nullify my right to protect myself on my commute to and from work. I feel that laws are getting too involved in what companies can and cannot allow and things are becoming too technical. Most gun-related crimes are committed by non-employees. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics only 7% of the crimes are committed by currentShow MoreRelatedThe Second Amendment Of The United States1725 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Americans are deeply divided over the Second Amendment. Some passionately assert that the Amendment protects an individual’s right to own guns. Others, that it does no more than protect the right of states to maintain militias† (Cornell). The Second Amendment of the constitution gives citizens the right to bear arms, and is therefore one of the most important laws of the nation. This amendment holds an important value to our nation because, it prevents tyranny but, it also protects, spreads, andRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States874 Words   |  4 PagesWhen comes to the second question’s answer; the citizens of the United States take power from the Second Amendment of the Constitution to get a gun. Second Amendment of the United States that was adopted in 1791 emphasizes, â€Å"Every individual was granted the right of gun ownership and bearing gun† (Diaz, 54). For those citizens who want to buy a gun can put their constitutional rights forward so that all barriers can easily be eliminated in front of owning a gun. People may want to have a gun dueRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States1367 Words   |  6 Pagesinterpreting the Second Amendment date back to the turn of the twentieth century because so many viewpoints and regulations have accumulated; it is all in the manner of which interpretation citizens subscribe to- loose verses strict interpretation. Due to the controversies, certain gun regulations have been enacted and fears have risen because of this. In the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, it states, â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, theRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States1472 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control The Second Amendment of the constitution of the United States was adopted on December 15, 1791. â€Å"A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (Gun Control Laws). There is controversy on the exact meaning of the Second Amendment. There is also a lot of controversy surrounding guns and gun laws, and what could be done to prevent gun violence and mass shootings in our country. There has toRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States2402 Words   |  10 Pages The United States of America has always been referred to as the land of the free. The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights were put in place to ensure that the citizen’s basic rights were not violated. Even with these documents in place, certain rights have often been the center of heavy debate. The fourth amendment which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, or the first amendment which protects free speech, or the fifth amendment which protects you from self incriminationRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States1513 Words   |  7 PagesThe Fourth Amendment states in part â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated†¦.† 14 United States Code 89 gives the U.S. Coast Guard authority to board, inspect, or seize any U.S. vessel on the high seas or in U.S. territorial waters. The Supreme Court has ruled not every searc h or seizure requires probable cause or a search warrant, however, these are the exception to the rule. The CoastRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States1666 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The fourth amendment of the United States Bill of Rights states that â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.† (â€Å"Bill of Rights†). Within the text of this amendment, the word ‘unreasonable’ is oneRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of The United States Constitution1774 Words   |  8 Pagesfamily. It is not the duty of the federal government to dictate what a citizen chooses to legally defend themselves with. The second amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified on the 15 of December, 1791 and was drafted by future president James Madison. The text of the second amendment reads â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† There has been much debate in our country regardingRead MoreThe Second Amendment : The United States And Its Citizens978 Words   |  4 Pagesbegin this essay, I will state that I believe that the second amendment is truly beneficial to making money in the U.S. economy. First, I want to cover why this amendment is important to the United States and its citizens. For example, one of my most favored actors Ice-T has proven to be a very big supporter of gun rights and an avid backer of the 2ND Amendment, and in an interview with Channel 4 TV in London, England he states that ,â€Å"Yeah, it’s legal in the United States. It s part of our ConstitutionRead MoreThe Second Amendment Of United States Constitution1350 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The second amendment of United States constitution said â€Å"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed†. This amendment was embraced on December 15, 1791, taking in consideration that American citizens have a natural right to self-defense and they can help to accomplish the following purposes: Permitting the people to organize a militia system Contributing in law enforcement Deterring

A Look At Sumer in Ancient History

In about 7200 B.C., a settlement, Catal Hoyuk (Çatal Hà ¼yà ¼k), developed in Anatolia, south-central Turkey. About 6000 Neolithic people lived there, in fortifications of linked, rectangular, mud-brick buildings. The inhabitants mainly hunted or gathered their food, but they also raised animals and stored surplus grains. Until recently, however, it was thought the earliest civilizations began somewhat further south, in Sumer. Sumer was the site of what is sometimes called an urban revolution affecting the entire Near East, lasting about a millennium, and leading to changes in government, technology, the economy, and culture, as well as urbanization, according to Van de Mieroop A History of the Ancient Neareast. Sumers Natural Resources For civilization to develop, the land must be fertile enough to support an expanding population. Not only did early populations need a soil rich in nutrients, but also water. Egypt and Mesopotamia (literally, the land between rivers), blessed with just such life-sustaining rivers, are sometimes referred to together as the Fertile Crescent. The 2 rivers Mesopotamia lay between were the Tigris and the Euphrates. Sumer came to be the name of the southern area near where the Tigris and Euphrates emptied into the Persian Gulf. Population Growth in Sumer When the Sumerians arrived in the 4th millennium B.C. they found two groups of people, the one referred to by archaeologists as Ubaidians and the other, an unidentified Semitic people. This is a point of contention Samuel Noah Kramer discusses in New Light on the Early History of the Ancient Near East, American Journal of Archaeology, (1948), pp. 156-164. Van de Mieroop says the rapid growth of the population in southern Mesopotamia may have been the result of semi-nomadic people in the area settling down. In the next couple of centuries, the Sumerians developed technology and trade, while they increased in population. By perhaps 3800 they were the dominant group in the area. At least a dozen city-states developed, including Ur (with a population of maybe 24,000, like most population figures from the ancient world, this is a guess), Uruk, Kish, and Lagash. Sumers Self-Sufficiency Gave Way to Specialization The expanding urban area was made up of a variety of ecological niches, out of which came fishermen, farmers, gardeners, hunters, and herdsmen [Van de Mieroop]. This put an end to self-sufficiency and instead prompted specialization and trade, which was facilitated by authorities within a city. The authority was based on shared religious beliefs and centered on the temple complexes. Sumers Trade Led to Writing With an increase in trade, the Sumerians needed to keep records. The Sumerians may have learned the rudiments of writing from their predecessors, but they enhanced it. Their counting marks, made on clay tablets, were wedge-shaped indentations known as cuneiform (from cuneus, meaning wedge). The Sumerians also developed monarchy, the wooden wheel to help draw their carts, the plow for agriculture, and the oar for their ships. In time, another Semitic group, the Akkadians, migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to the area of the Sumerian city-states. The Sumerians gradually came under the political control of the Akkadians, while simultaneously the Akkadians adopted elements of the Sumerian law, government, religion, literature, and writing. Sources (http://loki.stockton.edu/~gilmorew/consorti/1anear.htm) The Middle East Inner Asia: A World Wide Web Research Institute(http://www.art-arena.com/iran1.html) MapBlack and white map shows the Near East from 6000-4000 B.C.(http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/SUMER.HTM) The SumeriansClear, well-written history of the Sumerians, from Richard Hookers World Cultures Site.(http://www.eurekanet.com/~fesmitha/h1/ch01.htm) Genesis in SumerFrank Smithas chapter on the Sumerians includes information on education, religion, slavery, the role of women, and more. [Now at Sumer]

The Vietnam War And The Soviet Union - 1535 Words

The Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, United States involvement was for personal reasons and fear of communism. Neither the United States or the Soviet Union should have been involved. The War was just used as a cover up for the actual silent, passive aggressive war between the United States and the Soviet. The Vietnam war was started by the North â€Å"Viet Cong† and their desire to unify Vietnam under communist rule. The South was against communism, making tensions grow until eventually, a war broke out on November 1, 1955. Five years later in the 1960s, the war was escalated with the involvement of foreign countries. While the North was supported by its communist allies such as China and the Soviet Union. The South was supported by the United States of America. The Americans wanted to halt or prolong the spread of communism. The â€Å"domino theory† compelled the U.S. to get involved as soon as possible because if not, the rest of Asia would fall to communism like â€Å"dominoesà ¢â‚¬ . The U.S. involvement only started with Eisenhower administration when Vietnam split in half. This action of the United States was only for their own well being and their main goal was not for the good of Vietnam. During this time period the Vietnamese had just united and established the state of Vietnam. The war ended up lasting 9 years with long periods of bitter guerrilla warfare in the rugged jungles of Vietnam which would eventually result in the victory of the North and longed unification of VietnamShow MoreRelatedThe Soviet Union Of The Vietnam War1284 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, humans have tried to perfect government. Many wars have been started by world powers trying to force their faulty government upon others. In the modern world, the Fascist government of Nazi Germany oppressed minorities in the name of advancement. The Soviet Union imprisoned millions in their immoral gulags, but justified it in the name fighting crime. Even looking as far back as Ancient Greece, we saw these conflicts. Some of the greatest victories can be attributed to a superiorRead More The Soviet Union, Communism, and the Vietnam War Essay3150 Words   |  13 PagesSaigon, Vietnam continues to exercise a powerful hold of the American psyche. No deployment of American troops abroad is considered without the infusion of the Vietnam question. No formulation of strategic policy can be completed without weighing the possibility of Vietnanization. Even the politics of a person cannot be discussed without taking into account his opinion on the Vietnam Ware. This national obsession with Vietnam is perfectly national when viewed from a far. It was the only war that theRead MoreThe Vietnam War : The United States And The Soviet Union1005 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam War was a long, immoderate furnished clash that hollowed the socialist administration of North Vietnam and its southern partners, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its chief assoc iate, the United States. The war started in 1954 after the ascent to force of Ho Chi Minh and his socialist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam, and proceeded against the background of an exceptional Cold War between two worldwide superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 millionRead MoreDecolonization and Influence of the Cold War Essay1384 Words   |  6 PagesInfluence of the Cold War The decades following World War II were all centered on the concept of decolonization, the dismantlement of Imperial empires established prior to World War I throughout Africa and Asia. Due to the aftermath of World War II, countries around the world experienced massive independent movements whose objective was to eliminate colonization and form new independent nations. The process of decolonization was separated by three different approaches: civil war, negotiated independenceRead MoreThe Cold War During World War II930 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cold War was political hostility between the United States of America and the Soviet Union through threats, propaganda and series of warfare incidents that made these superpowers of the time suspicious of one another. With the sources of the reader I will explain who’s to be at fault for the Cold war, the United States or the Soviet Union. The term â€Å"Cold War† according to Heonik Kwon in his document origins of the Cold Wa r â€Å"†¦ refers to the prevailing condition of the world in the second halfRead MoreForeign Policy Decisions Of The United States888 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States of the Post-World War II era, one will find that the U.S. aimed to make pragmatic foreign policy decisions to strengthen its position in world politics. Some of these decisions may have given the U.S. economic advantages or helped spread democracy to the world. However, they were only the byproducts of a pragmatic strategy that aimed at giving the U.S. a larger sphere of influence in geopolitics over the Soviet Union. It is seen in the example of the Vietnam War that the U.S. favored a pragmaticRead More Evaluating the Success of Americas Policy of Containment of Communism1031 Words   |  5 Pagesstrategy of the US in the early years of the Cold war. The policy was to defeat the Soviet Union by preventing it from expanding the territories under its Communist control or otherwise extending its influence. This, naturally, resulted in strained relations and rivalry between the two superpowers. Despite the many difficulties, American policy of containment during the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War did manage to contain the expansion of CommunismRead MoreVietnam And The Vietnam War848 Words   |  4 Pageseverything. The Vietnam War changed a lot of people all around the world. The Vietnam War was between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a very bloody and violent war. The war was a long and costly-armed conflict. This war changed Vietnam and its citizens forever. During the Vietnam War, North Vietnam and South Vietnam both had received help from other countries. South Vietnam worked with the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. North Vietnam worked withRead MoreCold War1152 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam were the three main countries involved in this conflict. This conflict was a built from a cold war perspective. This war created many effects on the world; some were good others were bad. It was mainly between the 2 major powers, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The conflict started during the Cold War, where the two countries were being aggravated by each others ever expanding powers. The United States had enough of this when the Soviet Union sought toRead MoreEssay on The Cold War from 1950-19801739 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cold War from 1950-1980 The period of 1950 to 1980 saw the Cold War spread from the traditional playing field of Europe to other parts of the world. However it is quite clear that the USA and the Soviet Union played only a marginal role in originating these conflicts-at the most setting up the basic framework for it to occur. Furthermore, when they did get involved they each did so to varying degrees. The USA seemed to be much more motivated and interested

King Lear Persuasive Essay Example For Students

King Lear Persuasive Essay King Lear is widely regarded as Shakespeares crowning artistic achievement. The scenes in which a mad Lear rages naked on a stormy heath against his deceitful daughters and nature itself are considered by many scholars to be the finest example of tragic lyricism in the English language. Shakespeare took his main plot line of an aged monarch abused by his children from a folk tale that appeared first in written form in the 12th century and was based on spoken stories that originated much further into the Middle Ages. In several written versions of Lear, the king does not go mad, his good daughter does not die, and the tale has a happy ending. This is not the case with Shakespeares Lear, a tragedy of such consuming force that audiences and readers are left to wonder whether there is any meaning to the physical and moral carnage with which King Lear concludes. Like the noble Kent, seeing a mad, pathetic Lear with the murdered Cordelia in his arms, the profound brutality of the tale compels us to wonder, Is this the promised end? (V.iii.264). That very question stands at the divide between traditional critics of King Lear who find a heroic pattern in the story and modern readers who see no redeeming or purgative dimension to the play at all, the message being the bare futility of the human condition with Lear as Everyman. As in Macbeth terror reaches its utmost height, in King Lear the sense of compassion is exhausted. The principal characters here are not those who act, but those who suffer. We have not in this, as in most tragedies, the picture of a calamity in which the sudden blows of fate seem still to honor the head wh ich they strike, and where the loss is always accompanied by some flattering consolation in the memory of the former possession; but a fall from the highest elevation into the deepest abyss of misery, where humanity is stripped of all external and internal advantages, and given up a prey to naked helplessness. The threefold dignity of a king, an old man, and a father, is dishonored by the cruel ingratitude of his unnatural daughters; the old king, who out of a foolish tenderness has given away everything, is driven out into the world a homeless beggar; the childish imbecility to which he was fast advancing changes into the wildest insanity, and when he is rescued from the destitution to which he was abandoned, it is too late. The kind consolations of filial care and attention and of true friendship are now lost on him; his bodily and mental powers are destroyed beyond hope of recovery, and all that now remains to him of life is the capability of loving and suffering beyond measure. What a picture we have in the meeting of Lear and Edgar in a tempestuous night and in a wretched hovel! The youthful Edgar has, by the wicked arts of his brother, and through his fathers blindness, fallen, as did Lear, from the rank to which his birth entitled him; and, as the only means of escaping further pers ecution, is reduced to the disguise of a beggar tormented by evil spirits. The kings fool, notwithstanding the voluntary degradation which is implied in his condition, is, after Kent, Lears most faithful associate, the wisest counsellor. This good-hearted fool clothes reason with the livery of his motley garb; the high-born beggar acts the part of insanity; and both, were they even in reality what they seem, would still be enviable in comparison with the king, who feels that the violence of his grief threatens to overpower his reason. The meeting of Edgar with the blinded Gloucester is equally pathetic; nothing could be more affecting than to see the ejected son become the fathers guide, and the good angel, who, under the disguise of insanity, saves him by an ingenius and pious fraud from the horror and despair of self-murder. .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .postImageUrl , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:hover , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:visited , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:active { border:0!important; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:active , .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8 .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u16267d7014195443ff46b05b4fb620c8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Legislation and Prostitution: Do They Coincide? Ex EssayThe story of Lear and his daughers was left by Shakespeare as he found it in a fabulous tradition, with all the features characteristic of the simplicity of old times. But in that tradition there is not the slightest trace of the story of Gloucester and his sons, which was derived by Shakespeare from another source. The incorporation of the two stories has been censured as destructive of the unity of action. But whatever contributes to the intrigue of the denoument must always possess unity. And with what ingenuity and skill are the two main parts of the composition dovetailed into one another! The pity felt by Glouce ster for the fate of Lear becomes the means whereby his son Edmund effects his complete destruction, and affords the outcast Edgar an opportunity of being the savior of his father. On the other hand, Edmund is active in the cause of Regan and Goneril, and the criminal passion which they both entertain for him induces them to execute justice on each other and on themselves. The laws of the drama have therefore been sufficiently complied with, and it is the very combination which constitutes the beauty of the work. The two cases resemble each other in the main; an infatuated father is blind toward his well-disposed child, and the unnatural children, whom he prefers, requite him by the ruin of his happiness. But all the circumstances are so different that the stories, while they each make a correspondent impression on the heart, for a complete contrast for the imagination. Were Lear alone to suffer from his daughters, the impression would be limited to the powerful compassion felt by us for his private misfortune. But two such unheard-of examples taking place at the same time have the appearance of a great commotion in the moral world; the picture becomes gigantic and fills us with such alarm as we should entertain at the idea that the heavenly bodies might one day fall from their orbits. To save in some degree the honor of human nature, Shakespeare never wishes his spectators to forget that the story takes place in a dreary and barbarous age; he lays particular stress on the circumstance that t he Britons of that day were still heathens, although he has not made all the remaining circumstances to coincide learnedly with the time which he has chosen. From this point of view we must judge of many coarsenesses in expression and manners; for instance, the immodest manner in which Gloucester acknowledged his bastard, Kents quarrel with the steward, and more especially the cruelty personally inflicted on Gloucester by the duke of Cornwall. Even the virtue of the honest Kent bears the stamp of an iron age, in which the good and the bad display the same uncontrollable energy. Great qualities have not been superfluously assigned to the king; the poet could command our sympathy for his situation, without concealing what he had done to bring himself into it. Lear is choleric, overbearing and almost childish from age, when he drives out his youngest daughter because she will not join in the hypocritical exaggerations of her sisters. But he has a warm and affectionate heart, which is susceptible of the most fervent gratitude; and even rays of a high and kingly disposition burst forth from the eclipse of his understanding. Cordelia, with her heavenly beauty of soul, reminds us of Antigone. In the entire play little more than a hundred lines are assigned to her; yet, throughout the five acts, we can never forget her, and at the close she lingers in our recollection as if we had seen some being more beautiful and purer than a thing of earth. .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .postImageUrl , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:hover , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:visited , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:active { border:0!important; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:active , .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3 .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u348ff8f48e7a5b802905a36a81467bf3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Prostitution: Should It Be Legal? EssayAfter surviving so many sufferings, Lear can only die, and what more truly tragic end for him than to die from grief for the death of Cordelia? According to Shakespeares plan, the guilty, it is true, are all punished, for wickedness destroys itself; but the virtues that would bring help and succor are either too late or are overmatched by the cunning activity of malice. The legend of Lear had unquestionably been dramatized before Shakespeare produced his tragedy. The true Chronicle History of King Leir and his three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan and Cordelia, as it hath been divers and sundry times lately acted, was printed, probably for the first time, in 1605; but there can be no doubt that it belongs to a period some ten or perhaps twenty years earlier. In 1594 an entry was made at Stationers hall, of The moste famous Chronicle Hystorie of Leire King of England, and his Three Daughters. Shakespeares story of Lear is taken from Holinsheds account of the legend, one dated back to the time when Joas reigned over Judah, or, according to Geoffrey of Monmouths, to the days of Isaiah and Hosea. A garbled version of the play as written by the poet was prepared by one Nahum Tate, who, not understanding the art of Shakespeare and having no dramatic art himself, thought to adopt the original to the popular taste. For over a century this abortion helf possessio n of the stage, until Macready restored to us the work of the great master, since cleansed from its remaining impurities by able commentators. In tragical pathos, in dramatic force, in grandeur of sentiment and diction, Lear has no superior in all the wide range of the worlds drama. The language often rises to or exceeds, of possible, the sublimity of Aeschylus, and the tragedy has the further advantage of dealing with human beings, human passions, and human frailties, and not with the affairs of gods and demigods. The modern play-goer does not greatly concern himself with the deeds and thoughts of the powers supernal, and if he can see human beings set forth on the stage, with their virtues and infirmities, would willingly leave the gods to manage their own affairs.