The acquisition of knowledge is often a painful experience and through Essay

The acquisition of knowledge is often a painful experience and through suffering, one can achieve various degrees of wisdom. In - Essay Example † (1.1.51) instead of saying, â€Å"Which of you shall doth loves us most?† shows his first act of foolishness, giving more importance to showing off and displaying yourself in public rather than real love. On the other hand, Morrie Schwartz in Tuesdays with Morrie believes otherwise, saying, in page 127, â€Å"If you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone." With this, it already clearly shows the opposing values and beliefs of the two main characters. While the two daughters cleverly flatter their father to acquire more land in King Lear, Cordelia, in contrast remains honest and refuses to participate in the test of public display of love. Out of rage, Lear disowns Cordelia, saying, â€Å"Here I disclaim all my paternal care/Pro pinquity and property of blood,/And as a stranger to my heart and me/Hold thee, from this, forever.† (1.1.113-116) On the contrary, in Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie, who is a retired professor dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), does not get carried away with his emotions and feelings. Even when he is in great pain, knowing he has a few more months to live, does not give in to the rage and great pain that he must be feeling, but instead, makes the best out of what he has left. In the 10th page of the book, he says, â€Å"Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?† In King Lear, after the king’s sudden decisions about the division of the land and the banishment of Cordelia, Kent pleads with the king, telling him that he has gone mad in impulsively making those verdicts. Lear remains stubborn, and becomes angry again, saying, â€Å"Come not between the dragon and his wrath.† (1.1.128) and in line 166 shouts, â€Å"Out of my sight!†, banishing Kent. In Tuesdays with Morrie, however, Morrie, handles his emotions differently. On page 21, he explains, â€Å"There are some mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, I’m so angry and bitter. But it doesn’t last too long. Then I get up and say, ‘I want to live . . .’† Later on, in King Lear, after the king banishes Cordelia and Kent, he, once again, becomes angry and through his impetuous anger, curses Goneril, the first daughter. Appealing to Regan, the second daughter, he is rejected by her. Through troubles and rejection made by his early hasty decisions, he finally gains wisdom and realizes the real characters of Goneril and Regan, and in vain, curses and cries out in grief, â€Å"I have full cause of weeping; but this heart/Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws,/Or ere I'll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!† (2.4.311-313) However, in Tuesdays with Morri e, although Morrie also gains more wisdom and understanding about life when he experienced pain and unhappiness in his past, this was not caused by his thoughtless decisions and giving into his emotions. When he learned about his fatal sickness, instead of screaming and crying out loud, instead on page 10, Albom writes, â€Å"Instead, he would make death his final project, the center point of