UM Honors Blog 2021-2022

     Although I haven't myself yet had a child or assembled a group of my offspring, I do have 5 younger sisters. In my experience surrounding my two youngest sisters I gained practice dealing with their intense bouts of emotion. Sometimes it is useful to console them by humoring their feelings despite not being a true picture of what is actually happening. In act 4 scene 6 Edgar employs methods similar to the aforementioned. Even as adults, one can begin providing sympathy or even change others' emotions through the use of humoring of going along with someone's ideas. When someone one reaches out makes you believe you're right only to let yourself be proven wrong it allows for room for self evaluation.       I am  reminded of the time my sister was convinced that there was still cookies in the cookie jar. I took her to the cookie jar and said "I promise you I know that it is empty. I would give you a cookie but there are none left."    ...

 As I read Acts 4 and 5 and experienced the culmination of King Lear , I was compelled to notice how the fates of each flawed character seem to line up with what the characters deserved--in short, each got what was coming to him. Cornwall and Oswald in Act 4, then Regan, Goneril, and Edmund in Act 5: all of these died directly or indirectly on account of their own cruelty, greed, malice, lust for power, or some other vice. Then there's the blindness and death of Gloucester, which might seem to start with the scheming of his son, Edmund, but ultimately finds its beginning with his own sexual sin, which brought the son about. And finally, King Lear himself, though not by any literal sword or poison, was brought to the grave by his sufferings from an earlier choice. Who knows how much longer the king may have endured, had he not allowed his disposition to rashness and desire for flattery to claim power over some better judgement? A few quotes come to mind as I consider the way Shakesp...

       In full honesty, I wasn't invested in the story until the end of Act 3, and by the end of the play, the setup made for a great tragedy, as tragedies go. However, Lear's last minute of half clarity realizes Cordelia's love for him and Edgar's return to his station being the most notable moments to me.     Though it takes him the entire play to do so, Lear realizes in the end, by way of her actions, how much Cordelia truly loved him compared to her lying sisters. Lear's character took a spot in my heart I didn't think he would, I began to feel sorry for him and root for any good fortune he had. Along with Gloucester who seemed insignificant at first but becomes Lear's companion in my pity. They both are fooled by their children only to be saved by the child framed and outcast in the beginning. Edmund and the sisters Regan and Goneirl though end up dead while the one they wished the worst of lives in the end. All three figures caught in a web of lies. ...

 Near the end of Shakespeare's King Lear , Albany notes how "All friends shall taste / The wages of their virtue, and all foes / The cup of their deserving (Act V, Scene III)," which presents an interesting way to contemplate life, death, and humanity in general. This play is full of betrayal and corruption between characters and families, however, not all of the characters' fates align with this viewpoint which creates room for analysis. Albany's statement contradicts the idea of justice in that he himself obtained the inheritance rather than the innocent Cordelia. Lear then replies to Albany's remark in regards to his dead daughter Cordelia, mourning "Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life, / And thou no breath at all? (Act V, Scene III)," suggesting Cordelia's innocence and bringing into question the previous contradicting statement.  Even though Cordelia's character was more innocent than say Edmund, human nature is flawed at the its...

    My mind races as I think of how in the world I start this post. I know what I wish to say, but I know not how to say it. My words fail me much like King Leer's mind fails him throughout his tale. Beginning with his need for flattery and praise from others to provide him his self-worth all the way to his death with his dear Cordelia in his hands, Leer's mind is constantly failing him and, in the end, is his ultimate downfall. Whether there are some pre-existing conditions, we do not know. Shakespeare does not give us much backstory of Leer, only that he was a great and powerful king who is now in his decline. He grapples for power as much as he does for his own sanity. In the end, this dragon that is his declining sanity is his downfall. Following the death of Cordelia, and the ultimate destruction of what little sanity remains in his tattered mind, his sanity is not only his mental end but his physical end, as he dies with the knowledge that all he loved is already gone. H...

               Despite the abundance of tragic external circumstances we see characters go through in   King Lear , the final blow in most characters’ downfall comes not from without but within. A character’s descent into grief to the point of experiencing death (or at least wishing for it) is often the culmination of a character’s personal tragedy in the story. The only clear exception to this trend in the final act of the play is Edgar, who is also seemingly the only character who managed to come out of the other end of the play’s events with his life and sanity intact. In his act as Poor Tom Edgar goes about as if mad, yet in this aspect he seems the only character who retains his rationality. Tragedies like King Lear tend to not have many heroes in our modern literary sense, but if any such character exists in this story it is Edgar of Gloucester.             Edgar has lost ...

 One of the main character developments we get of King Lear is his apparent madness. His state of mind throughout Acts 4-5 (starting in Act 3) seems to be degrading and worsening especially after his episode in the torrential storm. We could sit all day and try to diagnose King Lear and decide what mental illness was plaguing him, but I think it is much more simple than that. Even more, I think Shakespeare meant for it to be very simple.  King Lear felt as though he was losing everything that made his life normal to him. Partly because of his own bad decisions, but nonetheless he was losing his grip on everything that gave him stability and comfort. He gave away control of his kingdom, he banished his most loyal servant, he gave away his daughter that loved him the most, and his power was taken from him by his oldest two daughters. All in all, I think Shakespeare wanted us to see that when you lose everything that matters the most to you, that's a cause for madness. King Lear ...

     A phrase that is commonly used is "every action has a consequence." This is can be seen multiple times throughout the novel. Edmund dies as a result of his betrayal to both his father and his brother. His malicious actions resulted in the tragic, unchangeable consequence of death. A brighter example of consequences would be Edgar reclaiming his power and title after it is found out that he was not the one with the intent to commit treason. However, just because one makes a moral decision, it does not mean that they will receive a good outcome. Cordelia did nothing but stay true to herself and make ethical decisions, but her outcome came in the brutal form of death.                                                                                        ...

     If anyone has been or should be so fortunate as to have Dr. Downs as your professor in any class, you will be in for a treat. He is a walking textbook, but he tells historical stories better. He mentioned a particular Greek curse during a Western Civilization lecture, and I know at least most of you have seen the tumblr post I'm talking about. To live in interesting times is for something so impactful to happen, it inspires a sense of preservation for whatever event has disrupted the everyday normalcy. As a survival instinct to keep things from happening again, humans tend to remember the bad. It makes for great story-telling. After all, who wants to buy a book with no conflict or plot? It's been said before that we all graduated during a global pandemic. Future teachers will reference the toilet paper famine of 2020. It's because of this that I believe we can have some empathy for King Lear, since this poor man cannot seem to catch a break.     Things were...

      King Lear ends on a very dark note, but the path to this ending is characterized by a key paradox that carries major irony. Gloucester's loss of his eyes, while gruesome and disturbing, was the turning point for his character development that caused him to gain greater clarity of mind toward the end of his life. A man who had previously experienced no serious infirmities, he was still blind to the trickery of Edmund and devoured the deceitful tales of Edgar's betrayal. At this point in time, he had perfect literal eyesight; however, he would not have been able to see the truth of his circumstances had it slapped him in the face, so to speak. Gloucester laments that "our means secure us, and our mere defects prove our commodities" (4.1, 21-22). It is quite significant that this earl, who had for most of the play concerned himself only with how his situations were affecting him (with the exception of trying to save Lear from the plot against him), seems to be ack...

The words Jesus spoke in Matthew 12 remind me so much of this play: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand." (Matthew 12:25) King Lear, at the end of the day, is about a family being divided multiple ways. These divisions arise over greed and hatred for one another and cause the whole family to be ruined because of it. King Lear first divides the kingdom after his daughter Cordelia does not proclaim her love to him, so he banishes her. Later, his daughters go against him for not doing as they asked, believing he is unfit and unworthy to be king, secretly plotting against him. But all of this comes to a head in Act 5. After capturing King Lear and Cordelia, Edmund plans to have them killed. You would believe the sisters would be able to work together because their plan is working, but an even greater division has risen between them. Both of them wish to have Edmund for themselves, and they plot against each o...

             Throughout the play, almost every character engages in some form of betrayal, deceit, or other form of wicked deed without batting an eye. They seem to have no sense of right or wrong, or rather choose to ignore what is clearly right in favor of what will bring them the most glory and power. The ability to disown your daughter, betray your brother, or abandon your father without a second thought seems to be some of the benefits of living without morals throughout the play. This can clearly be seen in Goneril’s interaction with her husband Albany in Act 4 Scene 2, in which Albany finally confronts Goneril about her recent wicked actions. Goneril responds by calling him “a moral fool” (4.2 line 57), which contains multiple levels of meaning, especially when considering what actually constitutes a “fool” throughout the play. However, it most clearly shows that morals in this play, as well as in real life, are at times the things keeping peopl...

 In this play, blindness grips both Gloucester and Lear. They are the two main father figures in this play, which I believe is an important similarity. These two characters both have loyal and disloyal children and are blind to which of their children fall into these two categories. They raise up the disloyal ones while disowning the children that truly have their back. Gloucester doesn’t realize his mistake until he physically loses his sight. Lear doesn’t realize his mistake until he goes mad. In Act 4, these two come together and sympathize with each other on how this blindness has made them lose so much. I really think that this parallels to our current life. You see a lot of father figures being blind to what their family can offer them, and often throw it away for various things. Some could be addiction, others freedom from responsibility. It isn’t until they are older and think clearer that they realize what they truly have lost.  I commented on Hailey Walsh and Lily Ca...

King Lear continues to fascinate me with how different it is from most other Shakespeare plays that I have read. While their is the usual political intrigue and madness, this play seems more focused on their personal aspect that madness has on the familial relationship.  While two of Lear's daughters scheme, one of them seems to actually care. I find it ironic that the daughter in question, Cordelia, was the one who did not submit to the worship of her father at the start of the play. As Lear continues to loose his sense and his sanity, Cordelia continually puts herself in danger for the good of her father while the others scheme to take power from Lear. Cordelia continues to be the true hero of the story, being the one to fight for and with Lear to the French. Cordelia shows true devotion to Lear, devotion that would not have been obvious had someone only read the start of the play. This devotion only gets her killed in the end, what with her being taken captive by the French and ...

      In the beginning of Act 4 Scene 1 Edgar makes the comment, "Yet better thus, and known to be contemn'd, than still contemn'd and  flatter'd." I find this quote important because it is the realization that it is better to be hated on and know about it than be hated on behind your back. This goes back to the idea that if you have something to say about someone you should tell them straight to their face. I think this is an important concept especially in this book because of King Leer constantly wanting to be praised. He even takes it the extent to make his daughter praise him in order to get land for him. I feel this book will constantly come back to this concept because of King Leer's prideful personality. This is seen in modern days as not talking behind someones back. King Leer wants constant praise but in reality people probably dislike him and talk about their dislike for his behind his back. This quote is saying that it is better to be hated to your...

For this post, I just want to focus on a line the Gloucester said in Act 4 scene 1. He said, “Thy comforts can do me no good at all; / Thee they may hurt” (Shakespeare, lines 16-17). This just stuck out to me while I was reading. Gloucester is in some serious emotional pain. He has lost his sight and only wishes to see his son. He wants to “see” him through touch. The old man that is guiding Gloucester around tries to comfort him but he can’t.  I have never experienced anything like this but I can relate to what Gloucester says. In times when I’m down, sometimes the best thing anyone can do for me is to leave me alone. I know that the people trying to comfort me are only trying to help but like Gloucester said, they don’t do me any good. Not really a whole lot to say here but it was something I could relate too. I commented on Emily Otts and Ian Blair’s post

 As the sounds of battle and triumph reverberated throughout the battlefield, it seemed as though the mutiny had succeeded in its mission. The dreadful duo of back-stabbing sisters had turned against their other family members, and they had seized the power for their own...almost too perfect a plan right? Well, not quite. The untied loose end that Albany, Reagan, Goneril, and others couldn't have predicted was Edmund. Edmund has been the real villain the entire time, waiting to play out his own vision of taking the position he wanted. In my eyes, this isn't a tragedy of King Lear, but a tragedy of Edmund the illegitimate. A man who, from birth, was injected into a society and system that had odds stacked astronomically high against him. A man who was rejected, cast aside, and disgraced with nothing but poverty as his birthright simply because of his origin. Seriously, how did people really expect someone of his circumstance to develop? That's rhetorical, but you get my poin...

      In Act four, Edgar is asked by Gloucester, his father, to lead him to a cliff, so that he may commit suicide. Edgar leads his blinded father to a small ledge, and tells him that it is a huge cliff. Gloucester casts himself off of it, and is knocked unconscious. When he comes to, Edgar describes it as a miracle that he survived. Gloucester believes him. It is interesting, because this is essentially a hallucination, but being had by a blind man, something that is ordinarily not possible. It also demonstrates an interesting concept of the play, that deceit is not always evil, if it is done for the right reasons. What Edgar did was deceitful, but also saved his father's life. This acts as a foil to Edmund, who uses deceit to harm his father, rather than help him.     In Act five, everything comes to a head. We'll start with the traitorous three; Edmund, Goneril, and Regan. Edmund decides he wants to be like the Greek god Zeus when it comes to faithf...

As we discussed in class, Shakespeare places great emphasis on the heart in King Lear . This theme begins even in Act 1, when Lear incredulously asks Cordelia (whose name is derived from corde, or heart), "But goes thy heart with this?" (I.1.105). As we move deeper into the tragedy, however, one by one the main characters are dealt crushing blows that test their limits, to the point of each character explicitly mentioning their heart breaking throughout the course of the tragedy. Unsurprisingly, Gloucester is the first one to give up (and does so quite early on, which explains his moment of attempted suicide in Act IV). At the first hint of danger and trouble in Act II, he exclaims, "O madam, my old heart is cracked, it's cracked." (II.1.90) Less explicitly mentioned, the Duke of Albany falls next. His heart is broken by Goneril's betrayal, and he decries her treatment of Lear and Gloucester in IV.2. Cordelia's murder is the culmination of this heartbrea...

((Dear Evan Hansen Spoilers!!!))  I was listening to the musical Dear Evan Hansen while brainstorming ideas for this blog post when it hit me. Evan is like Edmund. Evan virtually starts at the bottom and through deceit, he ends up at the top. Similarly, Edmund started out with nothing, and using lies and cunning he wound up co-conspiring with royalty. When Evan’s lies are exposed he falls right back where he started. So too, does Edmund fall when his plot is uncovered.  At the start of the show, Evan had severe social anxiety and no real friends. Then suddenly through one misunderstanding and a lie, everything shifted. People began seeking him out and wanting to connect with him. He becomes an honorary part of someone’s family. The girl he has had a crush on for years begins to notice him. Although it was originally a miscommunication, Evan doesn’t want it to end so he fabricates more evidence to bolster his new identity. He ends up becoming a viral voice on social media t...

     While discussing Shakespeare's King Lear in class, we touched slightly on two types of tragedic endings: the "eucatastrophe," or happy catastrophe, and the "peripeteia," or ultimate catastrophe. Now, after finally finishing the denouement, I've concluded that this tragedy is without a doubt a peripeteia at multiple levels.      First, Lear starts out having everything: a prospering kingdom, the respect of most of his subjects, and a good relationship with at least one of his daughters. By the end of Act 4, however, Lear has lost all of those things. The woven crown of weeds he has placed on his head suggests denial and ever-worsening insanity. Though he gains back a bit of his mind with the restoration of his relationship with Cordelia, Lear never sees his former glory again and ends up losing the only child who ever truly loved him. With the innocent Cordelia's death goes any hope of a better future, and Lear dies a heartbroken, crownless man.  ...

So Shakespeare has always had a way with words and in King Lear, Edgar is no different. In Act 4, Scene 6, Edgar somehow convinces Gloucester that they are on the Cliffs of Dover, when in fact they are on some fields near there. Edgar says “‘Come on, sir; here’s the place: stand still. How fearful / And dizzy ‘tis to cast one’s eyes so low!… Give me your hand: you are now within a foot ‘ Of th’ extreme verge: for all beneath the moon / Would I not leap upright.’” (4.6, 11-12, 25-27) One way or the other, Edgar uses his words to convince Gloucester that he is on the pinnacle of one of the cliffs and when Gloucester “commits suicide” and Edgar asks him whether he is alive or dead, Gloucester tells him to “‘Away, and let me die’” (line 48). Edgar then describes how Gloucester fell from the “cliffs” and was somehow miraculously unharmed. Gloucester’s “fall” can be compared with our spiritual despair and God’s gracious rescue. Gloucester’s despair led him to want to commit suicide. Haven’t ...

How do we define a classic tragedy? We might say it is the tale of a hero's decline. Maybe we would say it's a story where everyone dies in the end. Universally, a tragedy has no happy ending. King Lear seems to meet these criteria. As a character, he portrays tragic elements until the moment of his redemption near the end. In class we touched on the idea of a happy catastrophe or "Eucatastrophe." To me, this paradox describes Lear well.  Act I introduces King Lear as a harsh, angry man. He is prideful and wants the attention of others. As the play progresses, these traits continue to be evident. When Regan and Goneril finally throw Lear out into the storm, his emotions are in turmoil. The deterioration of Lear as a character comes to a head on the heath in act III.  Cordelia, King Lear's youngest and favorite daughter, the only one who truly loves him, the one whom he banished, makes preparations to rescue him from his plight. When Lear is found ...

     Cordelia's love for her father as shown by the lengths she goes to find and care for him is a beautiful picture. Despite the fact that Britain's armies are marching towards her, she sends one hundred of her men out to search for her father. Her love, partnered with other elements of the story, paints a parallel to the gospel. Before Lear is saved by Cordelia, he has to be humbled. He has to be realize that the forces of nature effect him and that he is not all powerful. Lear states, "...the thunder would not peace at my bidding... I am not auge-proof" (4.6.103-107).  Lear realizes he is vulnerable; he realizes he can get sick. Once that realization occurs, Cordelia's men find Lear and one scene later, Lear and his daughter are reunited. He admits his wrongs saying, "I am a very foolish fond old man" (4.7.60).  Cordelia responds with nothing but grace and forgiveness. He says she must have cause to hate him and she replies, "No cause, no cause...

Below are the lists of who will be grading you for this semester. Blog posts are graded on a scale of six: two points for timeliness (was your post as well as your comments submitted on time), two points for comments (did you comment well on two other posts), and two points for overall content of your blog. If you have any questions about a grade for a blog post or how to improve, see the person grading you. Here are the lists: Isabelle Ferguson:  Lily Caswell, Emma Dalgety, Emma Landry, Haylee Lynd, Bug Olsen, Breanna Poole, Micah Powers, Taylor Vice, Hailey Walsh, Song Whittington  Abigale Bell:  Raygan Boster, Emmett Bryant, Isabelle Ferguson, Andrew Henley, Justin Johnson, Emma Kate Patterson, Braylan Stringfellow, Emily Thullesen  Lily Caswell: Ian Blair, Abigale Bell, Brooke Bradley, Emory Cooper, Elijah Mahn, Emily Otts, Darcy Reid, Ashlyn Scism, Samantha Tedder  Happy posting!

 Hello there! Welcome to Honors! My name is Isabelle Ferguson, and I serve as the President of Honors. Abigale Bell is our wonderful Vice President. Lily Caswell is our marvelous Secretary. As we dive head first into the upcoming year, there are a few things you need to know about the Honors program.  There are no quizzes or tests in Honors. Grades are provided based on attendance/class participation, blogs, and papers (explicative and research). The papers will be addressed later in the semester. As we mentioned, there is a blog post due every week. We have listed the criteria for these posts below. Criteria Blog posts are due Monday at 11:59 pm, and comments are due Tuesday at 9:29 am. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM LATE ASSIGNMENTS.  Your name must be in your Blogger profile. Blog posts should include at least one to two paragraphs on that week's reading assignment. Blog posts should NOT be a summary or recap of the reading, but rather an application or observation from ...