“Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Essay

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:The Importance of Literary Genre and Time Difference†They said that of all the kings upon earth / he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, / kindest to his people and keenest to win fame,† (Beowulf 97 ln. 3180-82). This is a description of the great king Beowulf, from the epic poem of the same name. â€Å"†¦Sir Gawain you are, / Whom all the world worships, whereso you ride; / Your honor, your courtesy are higest acclaimed / By lords and by ladies, by all living men,† (Sir Gawain 139 ln. 1226-29). This is a description of Sir Gawain, from the romantic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both of these heroes are obviously very highly viewed by those around them, although almost 600 years separates the writing of the two manuscripts. Beowulf, an epic poem, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a romantic poem, are two great literary works, both with nameless and possibly countless authors, separated by literary g enre and 6oo years of societal development. Beowulf is an epic, and as such follows certain characteristics that are unique to this form of poetry. The key to any epic is its hero and his flaw; the hero is required to have a flaw because the epic is a form of serious and tragic poetry that allows for few lighthearted moments. This particular epic centers around a young and eager adventurer named, of course, Beowulf, who is fueled by a desire to be remembered forever as a great hero. His calling comes when â€Å"†¦a fiend out of hell, / began to work his evil in the world. / Grendel was the name of this grim demon / haunting the marshes, marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens;† (Beowulf 33 ln. 100-04). Grendel also brings in the first otherworldly element of the poem, a characteristic specific to epics; this element is expanded upon when Beowulf tells of many sea monsters he destroyed in his youth, later when Grendel’s mother seeks revenge, and finally when the great dragon threatens Beowulfâ€℠¢s kingdom. The purpose for extremely long epics such as Beowulf (which is over 3000 lines, and likely longer due to destroyed sections of the original manuscript) lies in tradition and preservation. It is thought that the actual Beowulf lived around 450 A.D., but the epic was not recorded until approximately 700 A.D. – during this long gap, tales of Beowulf were passed down orally, a tradition of the Anglo-Saxons based upon the preservation of their unique culture. This culture was a serious one because the times of  the Anglo-Saxons were extremely dangerous – outside of their own clan they had no one to trust as any outsider was just as likely to kill them as look at them, lest he end up slain first. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in contrast to the epic, is a romance: a circular and lighter version of the epic based around a single quest. Like the hero of the epic, Gawain has a flaw that leads to his failing, but as the romance is lighter it does not lead to his death. Gawain is a pure young knight whose quest presents itself upon the appearance of the Green Knight at a holiday feast at King Arthur’s court. As in the epic, there is also an element of the fantastic present: â€Å"Great wonder grew in hall / At his hue most strange to see, / For man and gear and all / Were green as green could be,† (Sir Gawain 117 ln 147-50). The style of Sir Gawain follows the alliterative style of Beowulf that makes it easier to perform orally, but the romance mostly serves to entertain rather than preserve tradition or culture, as is the purpose of the epic. This is likely because while 1375 (the estimated time of Sir Gawain’s recording) was certainly still a rough time for anyone survival-wise, it was a less animalistic time than 700 A.D. as society had 600 years to develop in the interim. Camelot is described as a prosperous place with a grand castle and many luxuries – in the time of Beowulf the structures that preserved the Anglo-Saxons were more or less gigantic huts. Further, while Gawain does set out on a quest with his life on the line, there are no giant serpents attacking Camelot and eating its court members out of spite. To the Anglo-Saxons in 700 A.D., the comitatus was very important as all the thanes had was each other; the comitatus is also important in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but on a lesser level. This argument can be made because, although Sir Gawain sets out on a task to preserve his comitatus back at Camelot, he makes the adventure by himself; Beowulf is constantly surrounded by his band of men. Beowulf does separate from his thanes when he battles Grendel and his mother, but it is in the interest of their immediate preservation as the two monsters would happily gobble up any of them. The dire importance of the comitatus is also seen in Beowulf through the theme of revenge, which is not present in Sir Gawain. In 700 A.D., it was every  tribe for itself and there was no set form of law or legal system: if a man was murdered, the only reparations that could be made against his killer were those belonging to wergild. In the time that Sir Gawain takes place, there were entire kingdoms under the rule of the leader versus small tribes, and there was a better-established legal system for dealing with crimes such as murder. This legal system is also evident through the many contracts found in Sir Gawain, such as those between Gawain and the host during his stay: â€Å"‘And Gawain,’ said the good host, ‘agree now to this: / Whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, / And all you have earned you must offer to me,† (Sir Gawain 137 ln 1105-07). This particular contract also draws away from the importance of the comitatus because it involves the interest of only two men – if Beowulf received such an offer, it is likely he would split whatever he acquired amongst himself and his thanes. Religion is an important difference between the two novels and the times they were set in. In the time of Beowulf Paganism was still commonly present. In the time of Sir Gawain Christianity was the widely accepted religion. Religion in general is much more present in Sir Gawain, as the entire plot of the book revolves around Christian holidays and celebrations. Christianity affects even the attire of characters in the story. Sir Gawain’s shield shows that â€Å"he fittingly had / On the inner part of his shield [Mary’s] image portrayed, / That when his look on it lighted, he never lost heart,† (Sir Gawain 128 ln 648-50). The downfall Gawain suffers also has to do with his religion, as he puts faith in a magic baldric instead of in God, and in doing so is belittled and shamed by the Green Knight. In Beowulf, there is mention of God, but merely in passing – it is obvious that religion is not as important to the Anglo-Saxons of 700 A.D. as is the comitatus. T his goes back to the harshness of the time and the fact that all the faith the thanes had, they put in one another. The main factors that divide Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are literary genre and time difference. Throughout the 600 years that separated the creation of the two manuscripts, society developed, the legal system developed, the emphasis on the comitatus changed, and the popular religion turned from Paganism to Christianity. While all of these factors altered the  style of writing and the content of the two poems, the fact remains that Beowulf and Sir Gawain are two great literary heroes who strove to be all that they could. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. â€Å"Beowulf.† The Norton Anthology of EnglishLiterature. 8th ed. 2006. Greenblatt, Stephen. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† The Norton Anthology of EnglishLiterature. 8th ed. 2006.

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Assignment - 3

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Assignment Example When the war started in Syria, it was a matter of a few bombings which shook the Syrian households. Many of them decided to move away from the neighborhood and come back once the crisis situation is covered (Semple, 2014). However, situations worsened to the degree that many of these people who had only left home for a few days, had to flee the country in order to sustain their families. The United Nations has been undertaking massive rehabilitation programs to ensure that the refugees in the camp are resettled in other countries. Many Syrian families are settled in United States and have been looking to resume normal life. But is it all that easy? Governments may crash and powers might be taken away, but what affects the life of common people the most is the loss of one’s own family, homes, and stability in life. One of the greatest influencers in a person’s life is the education that he receives during childhood and teenage times. Children of such migrant families and those who have stayed back in Syria have not been able to attend a full fledged school for quite some time now. This crash of education system further gives them more reason to migrate to other countries, where at least through education, they will be able to revive their lives and take care of their families. In a study that concentrated on tracing the lives of Syrian families which had been forced to migrate, it was found that the refugees were mostly legal, but there were many sections of them who had migrated illegally and were stuck in the middle of nowhere. According to the survey, it was found that the number of illegal immigrants trying to migrate to Europe had steadily risen over the years, while there was a sharp rise in their number in 2013 (Stevis, 2014). If the world order has to take control of its unfortunate members, then it is high t8ime the major moves were

Globalization and Its Main Characteristics Essay

Globalization and Its Main Characteristics - Essay Example Reich (1998) defined globalization as â€Å"a process through which events, decisions and activities in one part of the world can come to have a significant consequence for individuals and communities in quite distant parts of the globe (Reich, 1998, p.5). It is the process through which economies, societies, and cultures are exchanging their resources for mutual benefits. Moreover it is the process which integrate global network of political, technological, economical and cultural ideas through communication, transportation, and trade. In short, globalization is an effort to bring all the people in this world under one umbrella. This paper analyses the different characteristics of globalization. Globalization succeeded in bringing many social, political and economical changes in the world. It is intended for decreasing the gap between; rich and poor, different religious beliefs, different political and social ideologies etc. Poor countries may have many resources, but they may not have the infrastructure or technological expertise to exploit it. Globalization can help such poor countries to mobilize their resources more effectively with the cooperation from rich countries. For example, it is quite possible that oil resources are available in many of the poor countries. However these countries may not have the technological expertise or financial abilities to explore oil in their coastal regions. Rich countries can help such poor countries in exploring oil resources in their territory as a result of globalization. Thus, both the countries will be benefitted from their mutual cooperation. It is illogical for a poor country to keep their valuable natural resources untouched wh ile striving for progress. According to Lauder et al (2006), many people tempted to think globalization as the â€Å"process of transportation of jobs, ethnic and cultural composition of nations etc from one country to another† (Lauder et al, 2006, p.32).

Gender Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Gender Roles - Essay Example It will further highlight, with reasons, on whether or not the writer would change gender. According to Crooks and Baur (2011), human sexuality defines the manner in which we understand and articulate ourselves as sexual beings. The aspect of being male or female determines how one develops socially, with or without consciousness. It gives a fundamental source of motivation. For example, males are perceived as being more able to hold leadership positions than females, be it in political or business roles. Therefore, they can easily win elective posts. They are also considered to be able to physically defend themselves than females. This suggests that men’s masculinity accords them more physical strength than women. Financially, men are believed to earn more than women, although contemporary trends may prove otherwise among the younger generations. Depending on the generation, any gender can be financially independent. However, all these perceptions may only be stereotypical. Research has shown that women are better at handling emotional turmoil than men (Crooks & B aur, 2011). Women are less represented in emotional diagnostic categories, or impulse control disorders. In men, such difficulties lead to drug and alcohol abuse delinquency, violent outbursts and sexual misconduct than they do in women. Women are also confronted by less self-destructive and irrational sexual desires. Rather than wish to belong to the other gender, it is more prudent to accept oneself and work towards getting the best out of what one was destined to be. For instance, men can have female friends because women are prone to discuss relationships and offer more social support instead of indulging in activities aimed at disguising social ill. On the other hand, women can find comfort among themselves because they do not always reciprocate the platonic interests of friendship with men. Clearly, one would rather stay as they are and

Men and masculinity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Men and masculinity - Research Paper Example Rationale of Research This research project hopes to assess the relationship between men and masculinity in the context of their significance to media and social context. For example, the aggression of men is feasible for media projects such as the television, newspapers and radio among others. Similarly, men can use masculinity in the shaping of news through modeling and fashion shows that attract the young clientele. In other words, there is the direct impact on the social context through interaction with men who walk with a masculine persona. Additionally, this is paramount in the advertisement world where the essence of pictures and body images translates to profits for companies (Ayers, 2008). In the same prospect, there is also the use of male power in reaching the female audience who get attracted to the masculine nature in their marriages. This is influential in defining social interactions such as marriage and relationships that looks up to men as the role models of their fa milies. On the other hand, in the media world, men use masculinity to set standards of excellence and moral good in helping young people to emulate the career as a profession of serious people. In the same view, men have the ability to manipulate the power of masculinity to win admiration in terms of upping the moral bar of society. Annotated bibliography Ayers, D. (2008). Bodies, bullets, and bad guys: Elements of the hardbody film. Film Criticism, 32(3), 41-58. According to Ayers in the above article, there are several connotations of male image in the film industry through the symbol of sex image. In the author’s view, the film industry banks on the masculinity of men in the depiction of bad boys who misuse girls, kill people, and do drugs among other vices in the community (Ayers, 2008). Additionally, there is also the relationship between high film ratings for the exposure of hard boy image to represent the alluring effect of masculinity and male power. Lee, T. (2002). V irtual violence in Fight Club: This is what transformation of masculine ego feels like. Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, 25(3-4), 418-423. DOI:10.1111/1542-734X.00059. However, in the perspective of Lee, masculinity according to most men is starting fights and stoking violence in clubs. This is mostly done as proof of bloated egos and pride that only demeans the maturity of men. Similarly, there is also a promotion of the wrong culture that violence is something noble especially if it is done by men to boost their egos (Lee, 2002). Alternatively, there is also the use of violence to gain sexual domination. Rosenburg, J. (2009). Circles in the surf: Australian masculinity, morality and grief. Critical Public health, vol. 19 issue 3-4 page 417-426. However, according to Rosenburg, there are several negative consequences of the promotion of masculinity among men in the moral sphere. For example, the display of masculinity erodes the moral standards of young people who assu me that physical power is the same as brain power. It also leads to misrepresentation that the use of masculinity among men is a direct symbol of domination in society over others (Rosenburg, 2009). This has hence resulted to broken morals and peer pressure among young Australians. Alilunas, P. (2009). "Male masculinity as the celebration of failure: The frat pack, women and the trauma of victimization in the "dude flick." Mediascape. On the other hand, according to

Challenges of implementing Health IT on the African continent Essay

Challenges of implementing Health IT on the African continent - Essay Example While great strides have been made in managing the affairs of the continent by different countries in the continent, some have lagged behind in development, owing to the political instability and other natural forces such as the adverse climatic conditions and the environmental factors that poses a lot of challenge to the development of such countries. Consequently, the development of the African continent, especially in the field of health is far behind, compared to other continents of the world (Archangel, 2007). It is not unusual to find many people perishing from the very common and preventable diseases, which are non-existent in other continents, due to the inability of the African health systems to address such illnesses effectively (Edoho, 2011). Therefore, the health systems in the African continent highly require to be addressed. Nevertheless, there are major challenges that might face the implementation of the desired changes in the African health systems, especially regard ing the Health IT systems. Therefore, this discussion seeks to focus on the Challenges of implementing Health IT on the African continent, with a view to how such challenges can be overcome. Poor technological infrastructure, normally referred to as the digital divide, is one of the Challenges of implementing Health IT on the African continent (Khosrowpour, 2006).Technology in Africa is not only a challenge in the health sector, but in every other aspect of the technology application. By the year 2007, it was estimated that the access to technology was limited to a small percentage of the African continents population, including the telephone connectivity, the internet and the mobile phones accessibility. It was estimated that by then, only 1.5 in every 100 people had telephone connections in Africa (Edoho, 2011). The access to mobile phone subscriptions was estimated at 22.9% in every 100 people of the African population, while the level of internet accessibility was even lower, wi th the African continent having a meager internet accessibility of 3.7% for every 100 people of the African population. The African technological data is in sharp contrast with the global average technological data accessibility, where the internet accessibility, according to the global average was set at 20.6 for every 100 people globally (Edoho, 2011). The implementation of Health IT systems requires robust infrastructure, to ensure that data and information communication can easily be done by health professionals, health providers and other health institutions and agencies. The application of health IT systems is aimed at ensuring that the health information is gathered, stored, retrieved, analyzed and transmitted to the necessary information users, in the most timely manner (Archangel, 2007). However, all this cannot be achieved without a good infrastructural framework that allows for such gathering, storage, analysis and the transmission of the health information. The challenge with the African continent is that; it does not have a robust technological infrastructure, which would enhance the connectivity of the health systems and health facilities, thus enhancing transmission and sharing of information (Khosrowpour, 2006). Both satellite technology and the internet are limitedly developed in Africa, with only some countries managing to have access to such technology, though on a limited basis and restricted to the urban areas only. Considering the differences in

Different examples of power Essay Example for Free

Different examples of power Essay What is power? What are different examples of power? How can people gain and maintain power? Power is being able to make something happen or prevent something from happening. You know if someone has power if they are leaders or if they are respected. If you’re a good influence you can also gain power because people begin to follow in your footsteps. Examples of power are political, economic, and social. Political power is an authority held by a group within society that allows for the administration of public resources and implement policies for society. The President has political power and the governor has political power. Social power is the degree of influence that an individual or organization has among their peers and within their society as a whole. Martin Luther King had social power and Malcolm X also had social power. Economic power is organization of the money, industry, and trade of a country, region, or society. Jay Z has economic power because he has money. My essay is going to be about stop and frisk and how often it is being used by police officers and how it affects the people in neighborhoods it is constantly happening in and the statistics on the frisking. In New York City police officers have a program called stop and frisk which is when a person is stopped by a cop and patted down to examine if the person is carrying a weapon or if the person is engaging in illegal activity. This type of limited search occurs when police confront a suspicious person in an effort to prevent a crime from taking place. A stop is different from an arrest. An arrest is a lengthy process in which the suspect is taken to the police station or booked and a frisk is only a temporary search. If the officer uncovers further evidence during the frisk, the stop may lead to an actual arrest, but if no further evidence is found, the person is let go. Unlike a full search, a frisk is only limited to a patting down of the outer clothing. If the officer feels something like a weapon, the officer may then reach inside the persons clothing. If no weapon is felt, the search may not go any further than the outer clothing. In 2011, New Yorkers were stopped by police 685,724 times by police officers and 88 percent of them were totally innocent. 34 percent were African Americans 34 percent where Latinos. 51 percent were though age 14 to 24, only 9 percent were Caucasian.. In the first nine months of 2012, New Yorkers were stopped by police 443,422 times. 89 percent were completely innocent. 55 percent were  black and 32 percent were Latinos, 10 percent were white. Stop and frisk causes people to be afraid of the police because when they are around they have to worry about being frisked by them. â€Å"Stop-and-Frisk abuses corrode trust between the police and communities, which makes everyone less safe. I know people that get very scared when the police come around because he had been frisked a lot of times. Police officers also sometimes use physical force when frisking people. For example, if you are getting frisked and you try to resist, the police will sometimes use physical force on you because they may feel like you’re disobeying them. Stop and frisk is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment says â€Å"people have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.† Mayor Bloomberg and police say stop and frisk has helped New York reach a low crime rate. New York has the lowest crime rate among the nation’s biggest cities, said by the FBI. People call the stop and frisk practice racial discrimination. Aggressive stop-and-frisk practices are having a profound effect on individuals, groups and communities across the city. Residents of some New York City neighborhoods describe a police presence so pervasive and hostile that they feel like they are living in a state of siege. w deeply this practice impacts individuals and they document widespread civil and human rights abuses, including illegal profiling, improper arrests, inappropriate touching, sexual harassment, humiliation and violence at the hands of police officers.