Rainer Maria Rilke, a British novelist and poet once said, “The only journey is the journey within.” In both “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and Hercules, they both go on a journey to prove themselves and try to find out who they really are. On their journeys they encounter many obstacles which proved their determination and heroism. The romantic elements in the book “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and the movie Hercules comparatively show their journeys, and the...
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The mid to late 14th century fable, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by Greg Chaucer, illustrates the development and growth of the main character, Sir Gawain. In the fable, Sir Gawain voluntarily takes the place for his king when it was believed the king would face death. The story starts with a mysterious Green Knight and his horse galloping into the court, challenging any person to a game. A “lucky” contestant is given one chance use an ax...
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From analysing both novels it is clear to say that both show a negative correlation to the environment and the characters rapid decline in mental health. It is easy to see that in The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the deeper Marlow travels along the Congo River, deeper into the heart of Africa, the more the men display a more primative nature. Similarly in The Road, due to it being set in a post apocalyptic world, we see no...
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Writing is influenced by many factors, such as class, time, and beliefs, just to name a few. These factors vary as literature moves through different time periods and places. It is interesting to find similarities between pieces of literature written in opposite sides of the world and hundreds of years apart. But no matter the distance or time major themes remain constant throughout world literature. The earliest version The Epic of Gilgamesh, written in 2100 B.C.E., shares many of these...
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Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, depicts the prominent conflict between the Achaeans and the Trojans. The Iliad and The Odyssey have become staples in universal literature and the foundation of Greek culture to many. In both works, Homer implicitly celebrates the role he plays as a performer and conduit from the Gods “who have their homes on Olympos” (75,18), giving rise to a question I repeatedly asked myself: “Why does Homer invoke the assistance of Gods and Muses in The...
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The books read in Search are historical texts that laid the foundation for societies, ancient and modern. The western philosophy of society is illustrated throughout the texts. The common themes that link them shows the moral compass that was valued, then and now. Western tradition is sewn deeply into the texts of the Search course to guide one according to the norms of the time. Whether it is to be honorable, loyal, or any other moral characteristics of ancient western...
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One significant author who demonstrates natural and effortless use of humorous satire is Geoffrey Chaucer as evident in his “Canterbury Tales.” As one reads along it becomes obvious that Chaucer is a great humorist who utilizes humor to confront the vices in the society in a refined manner and the stories remain vivid in the reader’s memory. Overall, humor is prevalent in “Canterbury Tales” through which Chaucer effectively discusses the serious subject of religious corruption and greed without being too...
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Today, our society is accustomed to vast changes in perspective of sexuality and new challenges of sexual norms. It appears these perspectives are new, but these changing perspectives can be traced back to the Middle Ages. These topics are illustrated through many works of literature. Two texts that best exemplify topics of sexual politics are Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both works were transformative of perspectives on these topics in their respective publication periods. Their...
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The Odyssey, a poem written by Homer, is a story about Odysseus' journey home after the Trojan War. While he is away, his wife, Penelope is surrounded by these horrible suitors who eat all the food and destroy Odysseus' home. While in the Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, the poet and pilgrim Dante goes on a spiritual journey. Dante is guided by the spirit of a Roman poet called Virgil, and travels through the nine circles of Hell, witnessing the...
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They each had ethical and cultural values, some were a lot more obvious than others. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain’s character carried out each description of the pinnacle, the pinnacle of loyalty, honor, integrity, and chivalry. Each of Sir Gawain’s challenges helped check and prove that he possessed these characteristics. The beheading of the Green Knight tested his loyalty to King Authur, and his courageousness by having the ability to stand up to the fierce knight....
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Feasting in both epics of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are used as forms of celebration. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the feast is held in anticipation of the New Year and involves eating, dancing, gift exchange, games, and the shared excitement of the New Year. The descriptions of the feasting hall make it seem as if nothing had been forgotten in the preparations. The poet talks about the order of the table, seating manner,...
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An epic saint is characterized as the focal figure in a long story that mirrors the qualities and brave beliefs of a specific culture. The Odyssey, interpreted by Fitzgerald, is about an epic legend attempting to get to his home in the wake of twenty monotonous years. Beowulf, which is deciphered, by Burton wager, is about a warrior who executed beasts and spared a city. In both epic stories there are similitudes and contrasts; fundamentally these likenesses and contrasts center...
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In Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, women are portrayed as kind of peace-makers, clever, and child-bearers. But, throughout both stories they certainly reveal women as much more than that. In any case, these ladies were something beyond shrewd players in the plot of the ballad Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-they utilize their capacities and wants to fuel the occasions of the story. These ladies are instances of how ladies can have opportunity and control even inside...
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Few myths from the Greek canon have enjoyed as long a life as Homer’s Odyssey. Though written centuries before the contemporary era, retellings of the work continue to exist. Other poets, such as Keats and Pound, make reference to the poem in their own work, and James Joyce, in his Ulysses, uses its thematic and structural elements in his own modernist novel. A uniquely intriguing example, however, lies with the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Released in...
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In the two works, “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving and “Thanatopsis” by William Bryant, nature and mankind are two of the principal subjects, alike many other works created during the romantic period. In both works, nature and mankind's desire to be in communion with one another due to nature’s attracting aesthetics of romanticism; the sublime, beautiful and picturesque. The sublime evokes a sense of awe and wonder and is characterized by sharp edges and dark scenery, while the beautiful...
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A dramatic change in environment can have varying effects on its inhabitants, leading to a person performing actions that they normally would not. I will be investigating how the characters of the two novels ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘The Road’ behave in response to these changes, as well as how their very way of thinking is altered by their experiences. There are three societies depicted within the two novels; the remnants of humanity within ‘The Road’ and the contrasting civilisations...
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In a vast majority of ancient Greek epics, males tend to be the heroes of the stories. The Iliad and the Odyssey are perfect examples of male characters being the main heroes in each respectable epic. In Homer’s, The Odyssey Odysseus is proclaimed to be the main hero of this epic. Though the Odyssey is centralized around Odysseus’s character and his voyage of returning home thus making him the automatic hero of the story, is it possible that he isn’t...
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The story of the Odyssey written by Homer, highlights the heroic qualities of Odysseus. In the 21st century we can gather information to create an understanding about the ancient world and in precent society. An example of this is his growth of knowledge from his observation on the voyage, during Odysseus’ encounters on the voyage, this can be significant to a real life scenario, to observe and develop and understanding rather than thinking you know the answer. Even though the...
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A recurring idea of an individual and a society in the American Romanticism made its presence throughout this collection. Emily Dickinson's poem “Much Madness Is Divinest Sense, has a base formality that resonates with how individuals may react to their current societies standards. Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne and pearl in The Scarlet Letter, and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”, to demonstrate certain interpretations of madness derived from Emily Dickinson In “Much Madness Is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson, the author...
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In mythology, heroes were considered to be any man who fights and defeats monsters. To become a hero, heroes in mythology had to go through a hero's journey which would then make them a hero that everyone knows. In The Odyssey by Homer, a narration of The Odyssey reveals that Odysseus is a hero in this story. The definition of hero has changed throughout history but the meaning from the past and present are still very similar. The modern idea...
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Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are two main characters that have many heroic qualities. They are both brave, strong, and skilled men that the only thing they seek is to be great leaders for their people. Beowulf is a warrior of a pagan tribe who is shown as a hero combining stoic Christian ideals, traditional heroic values, and Germanic values. He is called the strongest and all-around greatest fighter who spends his days fighting any evil that...
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John S. Elledge Jr.American Literature I15 April 2018Supernatural Aspects in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe has a supernatural element without being a dedicated horror narrative. The poem in its entirety can give the reader goosebumps without using the genre’s typical methods of fright. These methods might include techniques such as sudden twists and menacing tones from secondary characters intent on harming someone within the story, all of which are not present in “The Raven.”...
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During medieval times knights follow a code of courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak, this way of life is referred to as chivalry. In Literature, This way of life was shown in texts like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d’Arthur where characters used chivalry to accomplish tasks and save lives. In literature, characters created and ended conflicts using chivalry. Chivalric values in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight create conflict between...
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The Odyssey contains more than 12,000 lines and is divided into 24 volumes. The poet USES flashbacks to describe Odysseus's 10 years of sea adventures in the 40 days before his arrival at home. The thrilling experience of these 10 years contains many ancient myths, reflecting the fantasy-processed natural phenomena and the struggle and victory of the ancient greeks against nature. The story of Odysseus' victory over Polyphemus, the giant, in volume 9, highlights his wit and bravery. This epic...
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“The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.” That line may summarize the whole assemblage of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A writer from Massachusetts who became a notable of the American Romantic movement, and authored the poem-story, The Raven. While the narrator is reading loric stories with his lips quietly, he is interrupted by a subtle anonymous tapping. The narrator just then witnesses a stately raven flying into his chamber...
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Traditionally Gothic writing deals with supernatural issues set in isolated regions. However, imbalanced human emotion is at the central cusp of horrific and terrifying events. The key focus in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of The Ancient Mariner is that both critically explore moral and social issues within humanity. These authors implement conventions beyond being solely about science and fantasy worlds. This is to convey a deeper message impacting the reader’s views on their own society’s...
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To what extent would you argue that representations of women are inherently misogynistic in one or more of the literary texts on this module from Shakespeare onwards. In answering the question you should also make specific reference to examples from earlier epic, biblical, and/or Romance traditions? The representations of women in The Odyssey, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are easily contextualised by the periods in which the texts were written and set. In Ancient...
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The Odyssey- is best understood as a 'reception' or 'reading' of the Iliad but one that ultimately wants to problematize its source text-- that is, Homer (as a shorthand for whoever the author was) wants the Odyssey to address the same major issues as the Iliad but come to a fundamentally different conclusion as to what is important. A good version of this paper will carefully consider the whole of the Iliad and the Odyssey and will show the ways...
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The first thing that needs to be emphasized here is that the Mariner is commonly not considered as a vampire. For centuries he has been considered more a figure of prophetic warning or the Wondering Jew. (USTE VAKVI LIKOVI One of the reasons could be his parallel with the Wandering Jew figure (explain the characteristics of the WJ from Bryan Fulmer and compare them to (some) the vampiric pointed out by Twitchell) The reason why the Mariner has escaped the...
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The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald is a complex novel pertaining the main characters complicated journey home from Troy to his throne in Ithika. The Greek gods play a big part in his long 10-year journey back home. Are they to blame for the difficult times Odysseus had to endure? It is important to remember that the Greek gods supposedly had full control over mortals like Odysseus, Telemakhos and Penelope. This entails that mortals are the Greek...
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