...King Arthur – Characters’ Analysis To give a myth, story, or any work of literature the ability to lure the reader in, it’s critical that the writer make the characters relatable. When the reader is able to connect to one or more of the characters, they can transfer many of their own feelings, struggles or life experiences onto the story itself. Even when the characters are portrayed with god-like qualities or traits, they often still exhibit some traits of mortality which tends to give the reader a perceived one on one connection. As a child, and as the eventual King, Arthur’s ideals, morals and overall character change very little. He is always depicted as a feeling, considerate person who uses his abilities, skills, and influence for the betterment of his people. In the story of King Arthur, from our book, Arthur is presented as a larger than life hero and warrior that is pre-ordained to become king through divine intervention. The book’s story also has him battling giants, monsters and sorcerers. However, I felt the movie shown him to be more mortal and susceptible to mortal weaknesses. There wasn’t so much of a divine force influencing the plot and characters, so much as a force of deep loyalty, moral and ethical tones. Arthur shows some traits of immaturity when he is a child, but I believe this is another way the writer attempts to convey to the reader Author’s mortal side and vulnerabilities. His immaturity is short lived and he quickly takes on the characteristics...
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...period as well as in the actions of many of the era's most prominent individuals. Knights, kings, soldiers, nobles, and more all followed the ideals of chivalry to one extent or another. The problem with examining their actions, however, lies in the fact that people within each of these groups interpreted chivalry differently. Whereas one person may view the act of war as chivalrous, others may look towards maintaining their estates and income as more important to their chivalrous valor. This makes simply defining...
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...Ben Carson is the New King Arthur King Arthur is a fictional character found in many stories and folktales. King Arthur’s stories are about him learning valuable lessons, going on quests, and becoming King at Camelot. Ben Carson is a man from Detroit, Michigan. Ben Carson’s stories are about growing up, becoming a doctor, and recently running for president. Ben Carson is the reincarnation of King Arthur because of his past, wanting to help others, and his morals. Ben Carson grew up mainly with his mom in Detroit, Michigan. King Arthur grew up in Sir Ector’s castle of the Forest Sauvage with his ‘dad’. Growing up, Ben didn’t learn much in school, until he started reading more and found he could “see himself as the central character of what...
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...King Arthur: A Film Review The myth of King Arthur is full of action, adventure, chivalry, treachery, romance, betrayal and tragedy. Donna Rosenberg writes, “The story of King Arthur has appealed to writers and readers for hundreds of years because it is so complex and varied.”(419) This is what led me to choose Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 cinematic version for my film review. I have always enjoyed mythology. Monsters, magic, tragic love, heroes and villains. All genres of mythology we have read over the last 7 weeks are interesting, but the tales coming from the British Isles, especially King Arthur, are more translatable to me and my daily life. Although King Arthur’s existence is not known for sure, the ideals he strove to bring about are important in today’s society. Arthur dreamed of a better world where every man, woman and child are equals and have free will. His legendary Round Table possibly symbolizes an early form of democracy. “It will bring peace among all of his knights, since the table has nether a head nor a foot. Whenever the knights meet, their thrones, their services, and their relationship to one another will be equal.” (Rosenberg 433). The myth of King Arthur as written in World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics and the 2004 cinematic version has a few similarities and many dissimilarities. Both portray Arthur and his knights as courageous and strong. In Rosenberg’s World Mythology, Arthur is asked to fight a monster that has been ravaging the...
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...the Arthurian legend is described as an older, wiser character. He is a character of magic and sorcery. He travels through the Arthurian legend acting as a mentor or guide towards King Uther and later on, King Arthur. He helps King Uther to fulfill his destiny and uphold the prophecy Merlin saw of conceiving Arthur so that one day he will be king. He helps King Arthur by guiding him through his journeys of becoming and being king with his prophecies. Merlin not only has the power to vision a prophecy of the future, but also the power of shapeshifting that comes into use when helping Uther. Merlin’s gift of prophecy helps to shape and outline the...
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...ANALYZING NOVELS & SHORT STORy Good feedback is kind, thorough and timely. It’s professional and focused. It leaves the writer feeling challenged to do better but great about their strengths. Even if that just means the location they chose was cool. Give your feedback relative to the skill set of the writer. Never lie or obfuscate. Just serve it up gently. An upset writer isn’t going to hear your points anyway. But an encouraged one will. Trust me on this. — Julie Gray PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE Literary analysis looks critically at a work of fiction in order to understand how the parts contribute to the whole. When analyzing a novel or short story, you’ll need to consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isn’t merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. Depending on your assignment, you might argue about the work’s meaning or why it causes certain reader reactions. This handout will help you analyze a short story or novel—use it to form a thesis, or argument, for your essay. Summary Begin by summarizing the basic plot: “Matilda by Roald Dahl is about a gifted little girl in small town America who learns to make things move with her mind and saves her teacher and school from the evil principal.” This will help ground you in the story. (When you write your paper, you probably won’t include a summary because your readers...
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...The Truth Behind the Knight: The Presence of Archetypes in Sir Gawain & the Green Knight In the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we are introduced to a young man, who, like many of young men, is trying to discover himself and travel through his rite of passage. He is trying to figure out who he is in life, and while in his journey, passes through many phases that mold him into one of the great Knights of the Round Table that old King Arthur wanted to serve with him. These phases affect everyone at some point in their lives. Whether it causes someone to take an iconoclastic stand against a certain more or folkway or if it enables a person to give serious thought to what life could mean, archetypes enable any protagonist in any story to take a journey to find the treasure of their true self. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain was willing to take on the heroic quest and say yes to himself and, in doing so, became more fully alive and more effective to the knightly community and, inadvertently, the literary world. The purpose of the heroic quest is to find the gift retrieved from the journey and give the gift to help transform the kingdom, and in the process, the hero himself. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, three archetypes are present that displays the qualities of a heroic quest that leads Gawain to become a true knight in shining armor. The Innocent Hero Archetype, the Seeker Archetype, and the Lover Archetype forms the mold that Sir Gawain conforms...
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...passage taken from page 5 of the story “A Scandal in Bohemia,” by Arthur Conan Doyle, the author provides a series of descriptions about a mysterious masked man. Through the use of an allusion, evocative imagery, and contrasting diction, Doyle is able to argue that men are inherently an amalgam of both positive and negative traits by highlighting the mysterious man’s impressive physical appearance in the beginning of the passage while at the same time underlining his flaws afterwards. In the first sentence, Doyle implements an allusion to underscore his points in his analysis of the mysterious man. By introducing the man as one “who could have hardly been less than six feet six inches in height, with the chest and limbs of a Hercules,” Doyle is able to portray the powerful physical...
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...Abusive Power “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ” In a statement by Abraham Lincoln it is identified that the greatness of man is tested by how he utilizes his power. As demonstrated in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and The Time Magazine article Adolf Hitler, one can see how the abuse of power creates chaos in society. By analyzing the actions of the characters Macbeth, Abigail Williams, and the character Adolf Hitler, it is evident how the misuse of power will lead to the loss of structure in society. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A statement by Lord Acton which illustrates that those who gain power ultimately become corrupted by it - thus leading one to abuse their power. This statement is well demonstrated in the actions of the character Macbeth, from William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, in his rise to power from Thane of Glamis to the King of Scotland. Within the first scene of the play, Macbeth is given the gift of knowledge of the future, by the three witches, which he ultimately uses to gain more power. “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis ... All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii. 48-50). When given this prophecy from the three witches, Macbeth utilizes this information, once he becomes Thane of Cawdor, to plan the death of King Duncan. The power of knowledge is not the only power that he possesses, “ He’s here...
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...Beowulf/SGGN Essay Beowulf, a strong and courageous king, willing to defend his people and his honor at any given moment, was the definition of an epic Anglo-Saxon hero. He conquered his enemies with strength and power and ruled over his people with wisdom. From the 7th century, in which Beowulf was written, to the late 14th century there was an evolution in the type of heroic characters that were portrayed in epic stories. You can see this change in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain, a noble knight of king Arthur, was humble and full of integrity. Although claiming to be the least of Arthur’s knights he was well respected across the land. He was a man of his word and a true representation of a chivalric hero. Both characters in these stories were brave and daring and shared some heroic qualities but they held individual traits as well that made them distinct and one of a kind. Beowulf is depicted in the self titled poem to be adventurous, brave, strong, determined, and willing to take any challenge. The poem focuses on three main battles that help the audience determine his character; his fight against Grendel, his victory over Grendel’s mother, and his defeat with the fire breathing dragon. In these confrontations you can understand that he was a hero, a guardian, and a protector. He rescued those in need by conquering whatever was threatening them. One example is shown when Beowulf is introducing himself to King Hrothgar. He says, “ I battled and bound...
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...Biully Character Sketch Based on the book “Raising Dragons” This book is about a teenage boy by the name of William Bannister who gradually starts to realize that his breath is getting hotter and hotter. By the time he is in high school, his breath is so hot, he sets off the fire alarm. The principal, one of the long lines of dragon slayers going back to the time of king Arthur realized that he has a pupil that has dragon blood. The story is about his struggles, victories, defeats, gains, losses, and friendship. His first character trait that I realized was his kindness. He demonstrated that in Chapter 3. “ Right after school, Billy was walking back home when he saw a little boy being picked on by some bully in high school. He stopped, frozen for a second, wondering what would happen if he helped the little kid. Then he thought what would happen if he didn’t. he dropped his backpack and his books and rushed to the little kid’s aid. When he got close enough, he yelled and said, “why don’t you stop picking on him? He is half your size.” The bully then picked the kid up by the hair “this little squirt?” Boiling with rage, Billy opened his mouth to say something, but words didn’t come out. Fire sprayed the high schooler and he dropped the kid and ran away, with his hair smoking.” That was a great demonstration of his kindness to the kid, and the bravery to stand up to the bully. Another character trait that I noticed was his forgiveness. “ When Billy got home he asked to talk...
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...also known to be engaged to her cousin Haemon who is next in line to be king. Antigone acts purely on her intention of the desire to bury Polynices as well. 7/10/14 Antigone's sister Ismene is characterized as the total opposite of Antigone. Where she is timid quiet and beautiful; Antigone is loud, brash and a tomboy. She is shown to have a rivalry with Antigone in the beginning. Later on she is seen begging to die along with Antigone for the love for her sister. She is a dynamic character because she changes from being neutral to becoming an ally. 7/11/14 The theme jealousy is seen in this novel with Antigone and her envy of Ismene's beauty. In a scene she asks Haemon her fiancé if he is sure he is in love with her. Also hinting at the fact that Antigone feels like she doesn't deserve him as well. Ever since of this the sisters have been seen as rivals. Almost like the complete opposite of each other. 7/12/14 Haemon is characterized as Antigone's fiancé and cousin. He is also hopelessly in love with Antigone. He proves so by killing himself to join his love in death because he couldn't bear to love another. Also he is now heir to the throne because both Eteocles and Polynices are dead. He is also seen as siding with Antigone on her decision and pleads his father to rethink his punishment towards her. 7/13/14 The symbolism of the sisters' rivalry are based on their beauty traits and traits. Antigone is seen as loud, brash and tomboyish. Ismene is seen as quiet...
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...The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set during the 1930’s when segregation was practiced as a way of life in the South. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in the book, is a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus fathers two children, Jem and Scout, who need his wisdom and guidance as they encounter prejudice and discrimination in Maycomb. Atticus serves as the moral compass in the book as he tries to teach important life lessons to his children, such as not judging someone before getting to know them. Atticus also serves as a “Christ-like” figure in the novel as he exhibits tolerance, humility, and courage. Atticus demonstrates tolerance of people’s differences. Similarly, Jesus also saw everyone the same and treated everyone...
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...Baseball player Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” In both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, the characters play roles in how many everyday people attempted to live their lives. Each individual character is assessed with certain qualities that contribute to the story in many different forms and fashions. The qualities the characters possess play into different archetypes in the story. Archetypes are used to describe different backgrounds and cultures expressing how the ideal life for that certain culture is to be obtained. During the stories of both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, specific archetypes are expressed through characters such as Beowulf, Sir Bors, and other knights...
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...As a parent, the greatest joy is seeing their children succeed in everything they couldn’t. The impact a parent has their child’s character is almost as important as the genes that make up their being. Positive influence, as well as negative influence, can affect a boys whole attitude towards life which will be noticeable in their ability to do hard work, interact socially, and even the way he thinks as he walks the path into manhood. In Arthur Miller’s 1949 play “Death of a Salesman”, the main character and father Willy Loman refuses to accept the fact that what he thinks to be the key to success in the business world has sculpted his two sons, Hap and Biff, into a pair of liars and thieves. Charley says something to Willy that pretty much sums up his whole life; he asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" (Miller 1256) Willy spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and successful. Willy behaves like a child. Willy is like a reckless kid with high ideals and high hopes. Children always have high hopes for their future. Willy dreams of moving to Alaska where he could work with his hands and be a real man which adds to his many fantasy “what if” moments saying that if he would have just done “A” instead of “B”, he would be a rich and successful business man like everyone else (Miller 1258). Willy truly believes that to be a success in the world all you need is to be physically superior and to be liked by everyone...
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