My favorite piece of literature was King Lear because I thoroughly enjoy William Shakespeare's writing style. His language flows beautifully, yet he always hides a deeper meaning within the lines. The book also had translations on the sides of the pages which made reading the tragedy rather easy and definitely more interesting. I was very surprised by how much I liked the tragedy; normally, I hate tragedies because they make me slightly upset once I finish reading. However, I thought King Lear ended on a fairly good note. Yes, Cordelia and her father died at the end, but Albany, Kent, and Edgar lived! The kingdom was left to these three men, all of which were good, moral characters throughout the play.
My least favorite piece of literature that we covered in this course was The Tale of Genji. I thought that Genji was a man whore, who traipsed around as he pleased. I think he probably seduced any able female nearby, which was absolutely disgusting. I did not like the way women were portrayed in this piece of literature; the men talked about them as if they were jokes. Marriage was something that was not honored in this culture which also annoyed me. I found Genji to be a rather creepy character. He ends up sleeping with Futitsubo who looks just like his own mother, then he takes in Futitsubo's niece and has relations with her too. Gross. Finally, the most disgusting part of the entire work was when Genji slept with the governor's wife (Lady of the Locust Shell) and then also slept with her 12-year-old brother.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Not a Fan of Tragedies...
Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
I wasn't pleased with the ending of this play. Regan, Goneril, and Edmund all died, which I was completely fine with considering they were bad, terrible characters throughout the entire play. However, I was genuinely upset that Cordelia was not saved and Gloucester passed. Cordelia honestly did nothing wrong to anyone in this entire Shakespearean play. Yet, she is punished for helping her father, who banished her in the beginning. She never stopped loving or supporting him. Gloucester, another character that was extremely apologetic for his poor decisions, also died after discovering that his true son, Edgar, helped him along his journey despite the circumstances. I was unsure how I felt about the death of King Lear; Lear was rude to Cordelia in the beginning of the play and only came around once his two "most beloved' daughters betrayed him. I believe that he got what he deserved in the end, even though he apologized to Cordelia for his mistake. I was, however, pleased that Albany, Edgar, and Kent lived and were reinstated into their former positions. They were loyal and true throughout the play, and I greatly respected them. In the end, I am not a big fan of tragedies. This Shakespearean tragedy made me unhappy. I still cannot get over Cordelia's death; I knew it was going to happen from the beginning, but I still was not prepared for the ending. She was absolutely pure and precious and most certainly did not deserve the treatment she received throughout the entire play.
ENGL 2200
I wasn't pleased with the ending of this play. Regan, Goneril, and Edmund all died, which I was completely fine with considering they were bad, terrible characters throughout the entire play. However, I was genuinely upset that Cordelia was not saved and Gloucester passed. Cordelia honestly did nothing wrong to anyone in this entire Shakespearean play. Yet, she is punished for helping her father, who banished her in the beginning. She never stopped loving or supporting him. Gloucester, another character that was extremely apologetic for his poor decisions, also died after discovering that his true son, Edgar, helped him along his journey despite the circumstances. I was unsure how I felt about the death of King Lear; Lear was rude to Cordelia in the beginning of the play and only came around once his two "most beloved' daughters betrayed him. I believe that he got what he deserved in the end, even though he apologized to Cordelia for his mistake. I was, however, pleased that Albany, Edgar, and Kent lived and were reinstated into their former positions. They were loyal and true throughout the play, and I greatly respected them. In the end, I am not a big fan of tragedies. This Shakespearean tragedy made me unhappy. I still cannot get over Cordelia's death; I knew it was going to happen from the beginning, but I still was not prepared for the ending. She was absolutely pure and precious and most certainly did not deserve the treatment she received throughout the entire play.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
King Lear-Regret
Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
I noticed a lot of regret in the assigned reading for this week. The regret Lear experiences over Cordelia and poor decisions due to the cruelty of Goneril and Regan parallels the same feeling harbored by Gloucester. In tonight's reading, I really felt bad for Gloucester. He may have disowned Edgar, but the lies of Edmund are what caused this action. It is not like Gloucester was completely ridiculous and stupid like Lear. Lear simply wanted to be flattered, and didn't hear enough from Cordelia; her actions spoke louder than her words. Edmund and Edgar were both good sons before Edmund began plotting. Once Edmund framed Edgar, Gloucester disowned the rightful heir. At least Gloucester had a "reason" for kicking out his son even if it was fabricated. I was also extremely surprised by the cruelty of Regan and Cornwall's actions. They gouged out Gloucester's eyes for helping Lear, a former king. It was during this occurrence that Gloucester was filled with deep regret for what he did to Edgar. Regan informed Gloucester that Edmund had be the one who ratted him out for helping the French and Lear. It made me extremely sad when Regan and Cornwall kicked Gloucester out into the storm to "smell his way to Dover". I was also upset when Edgar didn't reveal his identity to his father, but I was very thankful that the son was present to help his father along the journey. It was heart-wrenching to imagine Edgar helping his poor, blinded father in the storm. It seems as if every character has fallen rather far since the beginning of the story. I'm not sure if I can handle a tragic ending. It's sad to watch good characters experience hardships.
ENGL 2200
I noticed a lot of regret in the assigned reading for this week. The regret Lear experiences over Cordelia and poor decisions due to the cruelty of Goneril and Regan parallels the same feeling harbored by Gloucester. In tonight's reading, I really felt bad for Gloucester. He may have disowned Edgar, but the lies of Edmund are what caused this action. It is not like Gloucester was completely ridiculous and stupid like Lear. Lear simply wanted to be flattered, and didn't hear enough from Cordelia; her actions spoke louder than her words. Edmund and Edgar were both good sons before Edmund began plotting. Once Edmund framed Edgar, Gloucester disowned the rightful heir. At least Gloucester had a "reason" for kicking out his son even if it was fabricated. I was also extremely surprised by the cruelty of Regan and Cornwall's actions. They gouged out Gloucester's eyes for helping Lear, a former king. It was during this occurrence that Gloucester was filled with deep regret for what he did to Edgar. Regan informed Gloucester that Edmund had be the one who ratted him out for helping the French and Lear. It made me extremely sad when Regan and Cornwall kicked Gloucester out into the storm to "smell his way to Dover". I was also upset when Edgar didn't reveal his identity to his father, but I was very thankful that the son was present to help his father along the journey. It was heart-wrenching to imagine Edgar helping his poor, blinded father in the storm. It seems as if every character has fallen rather far since the beginning of the story. I'm not sure if I can handle a tragic ending. It's sad to watch good characters experience hardships.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Crazy King Lear
Sarah Scheidel
ENGL 2200
Thus far, I have really enjoyed Shakespeare's King Lear. This story is filled with lying, deceit, and fraud, all of which make for a very exciting plot. First, crazy King Lear disowns the only person who is kind, loving and true to him, Cordelia. She is left without a dowry; lucky for her, the King of France still marries her (Not bad!). Needless to say, Goneril and Regan, the sister's of Cordelia, receive parts of Lear's kingdom simply by lying and flattering their father. They shower him with backwards flattery that is not true. Not only does Lear insanely give his kingdom to two unworthy daughters, but he also fires one of his most loyal men, Kent. Kent has served the family and Lear for years and is astonished by the king's actions towards not only himself but also Cordelia, the favorite. Finally, Lear decides to visit each daughter, not including Cordelia, and stay with them. He stays with Goneril first, who of course is not pleased by her father's presence and progressing insanity. I believe that karma is working against Lear in this situation. He disowned his most loyal daughter and gave his kingdom away to two cheap flatterers. Now, these same two daughters are disowning their father, which is very ironic. After being treated poorly at Goneril's palace, Lear heads to Regan's home. The second daughter sides with Goneril and is not happy to have him. She is unaccommodating and rude to not only Lear but also to his servant-in-disguise, Kent. I enjoy this tragedy so far because it is mischievous and complex. I am very interested to see what happens to Cordelia especially since she hasn't been around much in the beginning after she moved to France. I also like the parallels between Lear's family and Gloucester's family. Cordelia is disowned just like Edgar is disowned. I feel like these two separate situations will have similar results or maybe converge.
ENGL 2200
Thus far, I have really enjoyed Shakespeare's King Lear. This story is filled with lying, deceit, and fraud, all of which make for a very exciting plot. First, crazy King Lear disowns the only person who is kind, loving and true to him, Cordelia. She is left without a dowry; lucky for her, the King of France still marries her (Not bad!). Needless to say, Goneril and Regan, the sister's of Cordelia, receive parts of Lear's kingdom simply by lying and flattering their father. They shower him with backwards flattery that is not true. Not only does Lear insanely give his kingdom to two unworthy daughters, but he also fires one of his most loyal men, Kent. Kent has served the family and Lear for years and is astonished by the king's actions towards not only himself but also Cordelia, the favorite. Finally, Lear decides to visit each daughter, not including Cordelia, and stay with them. He stays with Goneril first, who of course is not pleased by her father's presence and progressing insanity. I believe that karma is working against Lear in this situation. He disowned his most loyal daughter and gave his kingdom away to two cheap flatterers. Now, these same two daughters are disowning their father, which is very ironic. After being treated poorly at Goneril's palace, Lear heads to Regan's home. The second daughter sides with Goneril and is not happy to have him. She is unaccommodating and rude to not only Lear but also to his servant-in-disguise, Kent. I enjoy this tragedy so far because it is mischievous and complex. I am very interested to see what happens to Cordelia especially since she hasn't been around much in the beginning after she moved to France. I also like the parallels between Lear's family and Gloucester's family. Cordelia is disowned just like Edgar is disowned. I feel like these two separate situations will have similar results or maybe converge.
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