Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essay Example

Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essay The character of King Lears Kent is a formidable one. Whether it is the extent of his service to the King, the harshness and imagination with which he fights to defend the King or his character progression throughout the play. His most notable characteristics are definitely his incessant loyalty and his use of blunt language when his respectful interjections are ignored. It is his loyalty that motivates him and his bluntness that lands him in trouble. He speaks up to the King and warns him about his hideous rashness in the treatment of Cordelia and is blunt and to the point What wouldst thou do, old man? Act 1 Scene 1; but only uses this language when he is not being taken into consideration. We normally hear Kent referring to the King in a respectful and loyal manner my lord and my leige. His bluntness and forwardness towards the King leads to his banishment, which Kent accepts but not without a final word of advice See better Lear, and let me still remain the true blank of thine eye. Act 1 Scene 1 We will write a custom essay sample on Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We notice that his advice and speeches are justified by the subsequent events of the play. His reference towards the Kings daughters prior to leaving the court is a sign of what is still to come . the gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, that justly thinkst and hast most rightly said;(to Cordelia) And your large speeches may your deeds approve, that good effects may spring from words of love. (To Goneril Regan) Act 1 Scene 1 The extent of his loyalty is shown when he assumes the disguise as Caius and presents himself to the King, in order to remain close to him. If but as well I other accents borrow that can my speech diffuse, my good intent May carry through itself to that full issue for which I razed my likeness. Now, banishment Kent, if thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned So may it come thy master whom thou lovst shall find thee full of labours. He offers his services to the King, and relates how he thinks a servant, counsel or aid should serve the King, which is the same way he had served the King in the past I can keep honest counsel, ride, run, mar a curious tale in telling it and deliver a plain message bluntly. That which ordinary men are fit for I am qualified in, and the best of me is diligence. Act 1 Scene 4 This is ironic though as the same reasons Lear banished Kent are the same reasons he is employing Caius! He proves his loyalty by defending Lear against Oswald, he trips him. Lear begins to trust Caius and gives him a letter to be delivered to Regan. Kent pledges his loyalty and obedience; I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter. When Lear arrives at Gloucesters castle and is confronted with Oswald, we see the light heartedness and imagery used to portray the emotions and situation within the play; this was Shakespeares way of interjecting a bit of Comic Relief into this stressful play. Again we see the modesty of Kents character and loyalty towards the King when he bluntly insults Regan, Cornwall and Edgar in Act 2 Scene 2 I have seen better faces in my time than stands on any shoulder that I see before me at this instant. His speech once again leads him to trouble and he ends up in the stocks. Kent keeps us informed on the plot development of the play and on Cordelias movements and plans. He is very concerned about the King out in the storm, the Kings comfort and well-being are of utmost importance to him. Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel:.. Kent tries to reason with Lear when he starts to compare himself to Poor Tom (Edgar), he tries to assist him; he hath no daughters, sir. (Act 3 Scene 4) When Kent meets Gloucester, he informs him of Lears state of mind and shows his concern for the well-being of the King; Here sir, but trouble him not; his wits are gone. He never stops protecting the King and assisting him. As the play progresses we notice that the role of Kent slowly reduces, initially he has great speeches and is ready to endure all, but only till his master needs him! Its like he loses all his purpose in life with the death of King Lear, and fades away; I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; My master calls me, I must not say no. He follows Lear even in death. Loyal to the end!

Learning to Write Chinese Characters by Hand

Learning to Write Chinese Characters by Hand Learning to write Chinese characters is one of the most difficult aspects of learning Mandarin Chinese. There are thousands of different characters, and the only way to learn them is by memorization and constant practice. In this digital age, it’s possible to use a computer to write Chinese characters, but learning how to write Chinese characters by hand is the best way to gain a thorough understanding of each character. Computer Input Anyone who knows Pinyin can use a computer to write Chinese characters. The problem with this is that pinyin spellings can represent many different characters. Unless you know exactly which character you need, you will likely make mistakes when using the computer to write Chinese characters. A good knowledge of Chinese characters is the only way to write Chinese correctly, and the best way to gain knowledge of Chinese characters is by learning to write them by hand. Radicals Chinese characters may seem incomprehensible to anyone who doesn’t know the language, but there is a method to constructing them. Each character is based on one of 214 radicals -   the basic elements of the Chinese writing system. Radicals form the building blocks of Chinese characters. Some radicals can be used as both building blocks and independent characters, but others are never used independently. Stroke Order All Chinese characters consist of strokes which should be written in a specific order. Learning the stroke order is an important part of learning to write Chinese characters. The number of strokes is used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries, so an added benefit of learning strokes is being able to use Chinese dictionaries. The basic rules for stroke order are: left to right and top to bottomhorizontal before verticalhorizontal and vertical strokes which pass over other strokesdiagonals (right-to-left and then left-to-right)center verticals and then outside diagonalsoutside strokes before inside stokesleft verticals before enclosing strokesbottom enclosing strokesdots and minor strokes You can see an example of stroke order in the illustration at the top of this page. Learning Aids Workbooks designed for writing practice are widely available in Chinese-speaking countries, and you may be able to find them in cities with a large Chinese community. These workbooks usually illustrate a character with the proper stroke order and provide lined boxes for writing practice. They are intended for school children  but are useful for anyone learning to write Chinese characters. If you can’t find a practice book like this, you can download this Microsoft Word file and print it out. Books There a several books about writing Chinese characters. One of the better ones is Keys to Chinese Character Writing (English).