A little more Lear

If I were pondering essay topics for Monday I would probably be thinking about Edgar. Just pondering, of course...

Can We Candide?

Ah, the unyielding torture of Spring Break homework! Since I'm only about halfway done, I thought I'd ask some questions pertinent to where I am in the text.

Pangloss - An idiot or a true philosopher?
Candide - Is there a being more ridiculous than him?
Cunegonde - Did she ever really love Candide, or was he simply convenient?
Cacambo - The best character of them all??

Discuss.

A little background

Check out this site--especially the last couple of paragraphs.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/leibnitz.htm

MONEY OR LACK OF TRANING?

In Stupid in America they state that money is not the issue for why students are not learning. Do you think this is true or is it that teachers have a lack in training? Do you think some really don't care at all all?

Crazy?

So we talked about this in class, but I don't think we really had the opportunity to really discuss it. When do you think that Lear became crazy? Was he crazy at the outset of the play, or did he become crazy at a specific point later on? At the end of Act 4, is Lear crazier than ever or is he sane?

Charter Schools

On "Stupid in America" I noticed that a lot of my peers have taken the side of Charter schools. Obviously, such institutions do have their advantages, but how many of us know anything about them outside what was said in the video? Are there any drawbacks? For what reasons might Charter schools not be the end-all say-all to solving education problems? I'm curious to see whether anyone has anything to say on the topic. Discuss?

You've got to be cruel to be kind...

Was Edgar's role in his father's "suicide" an act of cruelty or was it essential to develope their roles and relationship?

High Stakes

What about it? Do you think high stakes tests force growth or put too much emphasis on too small a picture of a student, teacher, or school?

Ambiguous Shakespeare Quotes

Got a favorite ambiguous quote? Feel free to share!

What makes us human?

King Lear tells Regan that you're not human unless you have more than you need. ("Allow not nature more than nature needs...") Then in the storm, King Lear cries out that only the poorest person, who owes nothing to anyone (not even the animals), is truly human ("... the thing itself.") Which do you think is right?

Don't fear Lear--Check this link!

http://www.pathguy.com/kinglear.htm

Stupid in America...

Are we?

Twisted sisters and Edgar

Any thoughts?