Sorry to hear about the passing of Ray Charles. Ain’t gonna be another one like Ray. He finally hit the road, Jack, and won’t be comin’ back no more, no more, no more, no more … and that’s a big loss for this planet.
GOOD ONE, N.O.W.: The Director of the State of New Jersey’s Division on Civil Rights, Frank Vespa-Palaleo, recently issued a ruling saying that clubs which offer ladies-night specials on drinks and cover fees violate the anti-discrimination laws. Various parties, including the NJ Governor, have been critical of Mr. Vespa-Palaleo’s ruling, saying that the government should apply its social justice energies to more important matters. Not only did the National Organization of Women agree, but they allowed a bit of levity. Said Rita Haley, president of the New York City chapter of N.O.W.: “I am concerned that he is looking for discrimination in all the wrong places.”
MY KIND OF WOMAN: I haven’t read much classic literature in my life, being the kind of guy who focuses mainly on non-fiction. However, many years after college I decided to slog my way through Shakespeare’s King Lear — as sort of an “eat your vegetables” exercise in Western culture. King Lear is as tough a read as any of Shakespeare’s plays, but it’s worth it for who you meet: a woman named Cordelia. Cordelia is Leer’s virtuous daughter, the one who refused to pander to her father’s ego when he was dividing up his empire (and was thus disinherited). However, Cordelia later came to her father’s aid after he was set upon by her nasty sisters, who said nice things to him early on but tried to bump him off once they got their land. Of course, Cordelia paid for her kindness with her life (wouldn’t be Shakespeare without something like that).
Cordelia’s reunion with the delirious King Leer is one of the most economical reconciliation scenes I’ve ever read. Leer regains his facilities and recognizes Cordelia, then remembers how poorly he has treated her. He thus tells her that unlike the other daughters, to whom he gave his kingdom, Cordelia actually has cause to go after him. In reply, Cordelia simply says “no cause”. Well, that was Shakespeare’s brilliance in action, wringing a whole lot of emotion out of just a few words.
To quote one of those web sites that gives high school and college students enough to write essays for their literature classes without having read the assignments, Cordelia “lingers in our memory as if we had seen some spirit more beautiful and pure than any thing of this earth.” Well put. Too bad that most english teachers have already seen that line a couple of times.
It’s also too bad that Cordelia isn’t more widely celebrated. OK, sure, she’s just a fictional character, but she still stands for integrity and mercy, a potent if somewhat tragic combination. I was able to find the following things that were most likely named in her honor: a hotel in Paris; a moon of Uranus; a village in Pennsylvania; a tug boat built for the New Haven Railroad; and a song by the Tragically Hip. The Tragically Hip … yea, it figures that they would give dear Cordelia some grateful acknowledgement, albeit in negation (the refrain to their ballad goes “I’m not Cordelia, I won’t be there”).