King Lear: Innocence vs Evil
A contrasting example which we just read is "King Lear" by Shakespeare. Edmund, a main character who is the "bastard son" of Gloucester, betrays his family in order to help rule England with the two evil sisters, Goneril and Regan. Edmund feels that he has been mistreated his whole life not only by his family, but by society too, purely for the reason that he is and is referred to as a "bastard child." He is deceived as being lower than everyone else because he was an "accident," and he doesn't get the chance to actually show and prove to everyone his real personality, character, and identity. The reader would now believe that because of his neglected upbringing, this results in his jealousy and evil ambition which is slowly displayed as he begins his evil and powerful quest with Goneril and Regan. However, at the end of the play as Edmund is about to die, he proclaims that he was simply born as a natural evil person. Is this true? Can a person really be born evil? Is it be genetic? I don't believe so. I don't believe a person can be born evil without every knowing anything about themselves, the world, and certain values and traits which society carries. Edmund says this to try to ask for forgiveness and remorse for all of his poor actions, which he now realizes negatively affected every character in the play, several of which are his direct family members.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Wuthering Heights: Innocence vs Evil
In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heathcliff is the main character in this novel who is a prime example of a character born inherently good and turns evil because of his upbringing. Heathcliff is adopted into the Earnshaw family, and is described as being a normal, quiet, little child who is greatly loved particularly by Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw. However, as Mr. Earnshaw dies, his upbringing completely changes into hell. Heathcliff is poorly treated by Mrs. Earnshaw and Hindley Earnshaw. They neglect him, verbally abuse him, and figuratively make him into the family slave. This goes on for many years, until he is grown enough to take care of himself and fight his own battle. However, these events that took place in his early stage of childhood shape his personality and identity for the rest of his life. He becomes a grumpy, angry, old man who treats everyone else the way he was treated as a child. Because of his early life events, Heathcliff turns into an "evil" person purely shaped by his scarring and neglected childhood.
In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Heathcliff is the main character in this novel who is a prime example of a character born inherently good and turns evil because of his upbringing. Heathcliff is adopted into the Earnshaw family, and is described as being a normal, quiet, little child who is greatly loved particularly by Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw. However, as Mr. Earnshaw dies, his upbringing completely changes into hell. Heathcliff is poorly treated by Mrs. Earnshaw and Hindley Earnshaw. They neglect him, verbally abuse him, and figuratively make him into the family slave. This goes on for many years, until he is grown enough to take care of himself and fight his own battle. However, these events that took place in his early stage of childhood shape his personality and identity for the rest of his life. He becomes a grumpy, angry, old man who treats everyone else the way he was treated as a child. Because of his early life events, Heathcliff turns into an "evil" person purely shaped by his scarring and neglected childhood.
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