Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - 1374 Words

The language of symbols plays a major role in medieval poetry â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† is no exception. The use of symbolism gives a writer the ability to draw important connections between items in their story and the audience. The poet behind â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† gives the reader a detailed description of the pentagram, his most important symbol, in order to form the key understanding of this poem. The narrator compares knightly ideals such as integrity, focus, and strength with the reality of Gawain’s life. The focus of this poet is to educate the public and to remind the reader that virtues are necessary in order to create a functioning society. By introducing the pentagram, the author of â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dehumanize Gawain in order to teach others the negative effects of turning from your virtues. Throughout history, great writers have hinted as to what their readers should pay close attention to. The a uthor of SGGK is not subtle when it comes to discussing the pentangle. This symbol of the pentangle, a five-pointed, star-shaped figure made by extending the sides of a regular pentagon until they meet, first appears before Gawain leaves to find the Green Knight, Arthur s court ``showed forth the shield, that shone all red / With the pentangle portrayed in purest gold (28. 619-20). Gawain wears this star ``formed of five points on ``his worthy arms, and his ``coat in view because it carries a special significanceShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay2387 Words   |  10 Pagesthe fourteenth century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem opens with allusions to Greek and Roman history and eventually sets the story on Christmas in Camelot with King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew and a knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, faces trials and temptations that one would typically expect fro m a knight of the round table. Through careful and juxtaposed analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and articles by reputable authorsRead MoreEssay Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight1050 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after Gawain ventures â€Å"into a forest fastness, fearsome and wild† (Norton, 311), he prays that he will be able to find â€Å"harborage† on Christmas Eve (Norton, 312). It is the middle of winter, and Gawain has been traveling in search of the Green Knight whose head he has cut off. After he prays and signs himself three times, Gawain finds a magical castle in the midst of a winter forest. He rides to the castle and is grantedRead More A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight1426 Words   |  6 PagesA Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is skillfully brought to life by the unknown author. Through the eyes of numerous characters in the poem, we see Gawain as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. As the story progresses, Gawain is subjected to a number of tests of character, some known and some unknown. These tests tell us a greatRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight955 Words   |  4 Pagesthe classic medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that is used to form a more captivating story and construct a deeper meaning to the plot. The color green certainly is a prominent color in the poem, especially with the Green Knight, who is literally green from head to toe. The Green Knight makes quite the entrance on his horse as he rides into Camelot disrupting King Arthur and his knight’s New Year’s Feast. The Green Knight has come to find out if the Knights of the Round Tab le are as loyalRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight940 Words   |  4 Pages In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the men and women appear to have different roles in the society. The men attempt to live a more noble life while emasculating the power of the women. Throughout the poem, women display hints of their potential through manipulation and trickery, traits that are uneasily recognized by men as growing power. Morgan la Fay manipulates the Lord Bercilak to assume the role of the Green Knight, and she uses him for revenge against Queen Guenevere. She engineered a planRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight1054 Words   |  5 PagesIn his book The Discarded Image C.S. Lewis states that â€Å"the Middle Ages depended predominantly on books†¦reading was one way of the total culture.† To illustrate, imagine a young heroic knight, holding his sword in one hand and his shield in another. Standing in confidence, with a determined look upon his face before confronting his next challenge. Bravery is found in many interesting stories throughout the medieval ages. It is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as â€Å"courageous behavior or character† (OxfordRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight846 Words   |  4 PagesAnd Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not an exception to the rule. The poem uses imagery, juxtaposition of scenes, and the action of the chara cters to present the numerous themes to the reader and the presentation is done throughout the work. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the idea that in the world, there are man-made and natural rules that one must follow but in times, the two rules come in conflict with each other. By analyzing the two games played by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, theRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight1199 Words   |  5 Pagesfrequently depicted as a knight in shining armor, an image that originates from age-old literature such as the fourteenth-century Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In such literary works, the heroic knight has several virtuosic character traits: friendship, chastity, generosity, courtesy, and piety; however, he must also endure a quest in which his virtues are tested. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, three obstacles challenge the hero Gawain’s morals, including the Green Knight, the seductress, andRead MoreAnalysis of Sir Gawain and the Green K night866 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† is the classic tale of a knight of the round table who takes up the challenge of the mysterious Green Knight. The poem begins with the Green Knight’s sudden arrival and his declaration of his proposition: a knight may strike him, and then a year and one day from then he will return the blow. This tale is most well-known for dealing with the themes of a knight’s code of chivalry, loyalty, resisting temptation, and keeping one’s word. While the whole poem is full ofRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Analysis of Parallel Scenes636 Words   |  3 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Analysis of Parallel Scenes The anonymous author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was supposedly the first to have originated the alternation of temptation and hunting scenes, which both contribute importantly to the effectiveness of the poem (Benson 57). The two narratives are obviously meant to be read as complementary. Therefore, the parallel juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated episodes is the basic characteristic of the narrative. The narrative

Essay on Visually Appealing Films 300, Rise of an Empire

300, Rise of an Empire Honestly, the film looks visually appealing. The sequel hasn’t lost sight of what makes this franchise great, so it just enhances the visuals by making it sharper and the camera transitions smoother. But the story isn’t nearly as captivating. The film centers on Themistocles and Artemisia I of Caria, as well as Xerxes I of Persia. The Battle of Artemisia was a naval engagement, at the same time with the battle of Thermopylae, and was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 BC, in the straits between the mainland and the northern tip of the island of Euboea. It is a follow-up to the 2006 film 300, taking place before, during, and after the events of that film. The cast†¦show more content†¦Rom’s government was not very organized and Rome’s leaders had expensive lifestyle. Wars were occurring in the empire the government simply minted more coins to support it. This was a bad decision and caused inflati on. Another economic reason why the Roman Empire fell was because of taxes. The poor now made up a large percentage of the Roman population. The four factors that influenced Rom’s control over the Mediterranean Sea were leadership and government, overall attitude, military, and location. Each of these factors has a number of aspects to ascertain and dispute. The most important factor in making Rome such a successful culture is the unique government and ideal leaders of the Roman Empire. Rome had a masterful government. It was composed of plebeians and patricians. Rome was organized in an almost democratic government with excellent leaders. I actually think the most effective about this movie trailer is fast pacing and war music that get you all excited and make it so interesting that you want to follow the second part. But at the beginning the trailer started with really slow pacing and voice over character, which is sounds pretty dope to start a action movie. The Spartans were not as good as the movie portrays them to be. Greeks, including the Spartans, conquered neighboring areas to acquire more land and to build their slave labor force. Many of the Greek soldiers, who fought with the Spartan elite at the Battle of

American Indians Free Essays

American Indians is a term that is used to refer to people whose have Indian roots but are American citizen or live in America. This citizenship is a result of early migrations of people from their mother land in search of greener fields in the United States. However, these people were not appreciated by indigenous Americans in the 18th century since they were seen be inferior compared to indigenous Americans. We will write a custom essay sample on American Indians or any similar topic only for you Order Now Short essay 1 The long term study preferred by social cultural anthropologist can be the most effective in deciding someone’s culture. This is because a long term study would address changes that occur in long period of time in a society. Cultures do change with time and so along time study could be used in solving this. This experience that is gotten in the field makes the anthropologists come into direct contact with the issues in the society and this makes them write exactly what is on the since they experience it themselves. It’s worthy noting that this approach is totally different from that used by a journalist or a historian. Historians and journalists do not get into that direct contact with the society and so they do not get the real idea like the anthropologists. Journalist’s historians do not spend much time studying the cultures of a particular society and in most cases they study or rely on the findings of other people. Short essay 2 According to Horseman the new racial ideology of the 19th century are racial ideologies that are supported by the principles of free democratic republicanism other than innate superiority of the American Anglo-Saxon group of people who were of Caucasian race. The previous ideologies placed American Anglo-Saxons a class above other races and they believed that they were destined to bring good governance, commercial prosperity as well as Christianity to America and to the world at large. This meant that the other races were inferior and they were reduced to a subordinate status failure to which they were faced with a possibility of racial extinction. This new racial ideology was very different from the earlier Euro-American view of Indians. Previously, both American and Europeans took some races to be superior to others for different reasons. These reasons included biblical theories and they followed these theories despite their inconsistencies and their contradictions since they believed that they had a special continental and world mission to accomplish as a race. Both Americans and Europeans both shared a belief in the political and individual freedoms as well as a need for uniqueness in language and racial origins unlike the new racial ideology which advocated for free democratic republicanism. In the 19th and 20th century, these views towards American Indians did not change either since they were subject to enslavement. At this time, many social scientists thought that native people were inferior to the Native Americans and so were subject to them and they went ahead to provide the much needed scientific proof for racial distinctions. During this time also, many government officials too felt that it was the descendant of the Anglo-Saxons who played great roles in the establishment of free government and hence the justification for their superiority altitude. Due to this, the government passed policies that bound the immigrants to conform to the prevailing political, economic and social systems . These new polices from the American government led to the justification of sufferings and deaths of blacks, Mexicans and even Indians since any feelings of guilty which would come afterwards could be assuaged by assumptions of both historical and scientific inevitability. The general public also felt that Americans were the people who were destined to shape the destiny of the world and the other races were inferior and were doomed to permanent subordination or risk facing extinction. Lastly it’s worthy noting that the representation of native people held by social scientists, early anthropologists, the U. S. government, and the American public are not contradictory since they seem to place them high above all the other races in all aspects of life. Short essay 3 The Indian country is today faced with an uphill task of determining who true Indians are and who are not. This task has not been easy since it has been surrounded by a lot of controversies. Many criteria’s have been proposed as the best to apply when determining who the true Indians are. First, there are those who believe that the true measure of how Indian one is through the amount of ‘Indian blood’ in them. This criteria has been largely criticized since some people argue that there no true measure of the Indian blood that is present in someone since there are people who are born of one Asian parent while the other parent is from anther ethnic group. Secondly, there are others who believe that the true marker of a true Indian identity should be genealogy, private property and competence in civilization. This group of people argues that the true evidence of a true Indian should be based mostly on shared history between a person and other people who are known to be of an Indian background. Social ties with people from Indian or who have Indian blood in them could be acceptable as a true claim to one being an Indian. This means that one needed to trace his ancestors and prove that his roots are Indian by tracing his ancestors. Attachment to Indian culture was proposed to be criteria too for determining who true Indian was. This required someone to be aware of all cultural believes and behaviors of the Indian people. Early practices like hunting and others were argued to be very effective criteria for identifying who real Indians were. The ability to communicate in traditional Indian language was also advocated for by the people who shared this view. This controversy in the best criteria for separating true Indians and fake ones has been a big challenge to the Indian country since there still need for identifying who the true Indians. The American government is responsible for determining whether one is an American Indian or a Native American. The blood quantum criterion is used by the American government in the administration of Indian schools and land allotments. In census reports, this method of separating Indians and non Indians is applied. The society also can decide who a true Indian is through the application of cultural believes of indigenous Indians as well as their life styles. Scholars have not been left behind either and they too can use their knowledge and principles to differentiate between the two. The federal government of America uses several methods in determining whether someone is a Native American or not. Blood quantum is one of these criteria’s and it applies the idea of determining how much of American blood a person has in their body. In America, there is a settlement that is set aside for people of Indian origin. Any new person who may claim to be an Indian must have a proof of relationship with the already settled Indians in this land allocated to people of Indian backgrounds. The ability of some one to speak in Indian language and display cultural practices of Indians are acceptable by the federal government as true claims for an Indian. These criteria’s that are used by the government are not very different from those used by Native Americans in determining who a true Indian is. To begin with, the native communities look mostly at the cultural connection between a person and the community in question. This criterion requires someone to practice Indian cultural practices and have some ties with well known Indian families. Physical appearances as well as the ability to communicate in Indian languages are used too. Non-native Americans on their side, identify the native ones by the kind of lifestyles they lead. The language they communicate in as well as their accent too. This identity of ones race is very important in many ways. First, it’s used by the federal government in allocation of many services like education and social welfare. All these efforts in trying to determine who true Indians are pits at risk the identity of persons who are of a mixed ancestry because it makes them feel that they belong nowhere. All socialcultural anthropologies ideas have not offered any solution to solve this problem. People may have mixed ancestry hence making it hard to pick out their true identity. References 1. Deloria, Vine (1969) Custer Died for Your Sins: an Indian Manifesto, New York: Macmillan. 2. Calloway, Colin G. , (1995) The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities ,Cambridge University Press 3. O’Donnell, James, (1973) Southern Indians in the American Revolution ,University of Tennessee Press 4. Hirschfelder, Arlene B. ; Byler, Mary G. ; Dorris, Michael (1983) Guide to research on North American Indians, American Library Association 5. Johnston, Eric F. (2003). The Life of the Native American. Atlanta, Tradewinds Press 6. Jones, Peter N. (2005 Respect for the Ancestors: American Indian Cultural Affiliation in the American West, Boulder, CO: Bauu Press 7. Nichols, Roger L. (1998) Indians in the United States Canada, A Comparative History, University of Nebraska Press 8. Snipp, C. M. (1989). American Indians: The first of this land, New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 9. Sturtevant, William C. (Ed. ). (1978) Handbook of North American Indians , Smithsonian Institution 10. Tiller, Veronica E (1992) Discover Indian Reservations USA: A Visitors’ Welcome Guide. Council Publications, Denver, Colorado How to cite American Indians, Papers