...Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. In the alliterative poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight “the theme of the story is “Integrity”. Having integrity means doing the right thing in a reliable way. Also, integrity means having wholeness of character. Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances. Integrity means you are being true to yourself. The Green Knight dared everyone to pick up his sword. King Arthur decided to pick it up. However, Sir Gawain grabbed the sword before him. Sir Gawain picked the sword up and accepted the Green Knights challenge. Also, he chopped the Green Knights head off. This is showing integrity because Sir Gawain was brave enough to accept the...
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...not afraid to stand on their own. In the epics, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, the heroes are Sir Gawain and Beowulf. Sir Gawain and Beowulf show these qualities in many ways, even though there are some ways in which they differ, when talking about heroic acts they are very similar. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are strong warriors. In Beowulf, Beowulf was known for fighting monsters and anything that would try to harm his people. He shows his strength and courage when Beowulf went to fight Grendel. For example, “Fastened those claws in his...
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...The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by John Gardner, is set in the Middle Ages. This was a time in history when people focused on the values and ideals of the Code of Chivalry, a code of honor intended to govern knightly behavior. As Arthur and his knights get together to feast and celebrate Christmas and the new year their festivities were interrupted by a man of green who wandered about searching for adventure so that he can disprove his chivalry. The two values that are most clearly stated in the poem are courage and honor. It will become clear by the actions of the characters that courage and honor is shown in several different areas of the poem. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, courage is defined as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” Courage can be shown in a variety of ways. In this particular instance the Green Knight challenged King Arthur or any of the knights of the roundtable to take his ax and hit his bare neck. He said to them, “And I will stand still for your stroke, steady on the floor, / provided you honor my right, when my inning comes, / to repay” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 213). Clearly, the Green Knight shows a tremendous amount of courage, knowing the danger that it is going to befall him if one of the knights takes up the ax to his neck. Sir Gawain is another instance where courage was lost and then found. After a year, Gawain met the Green Knight to seal...
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...Knightliest of Knights I find these passages significant because Sir Gawain shows how and what it takes to be a chivalric knight of the Round Table under King Arthur. The first time we see the chivalric knighthood of Sir Gawain is when he accepts the challenge presented in front of everyone from the Green Knight. During a time of feasting and frolicking, the Green Knight enters King Arthur’s court and makes his presence known to everyone. He then offers a challenge to everyone in the court, including the King and all of his knights of the Round Table. When a hush falls over the court and nobody steps forward to acknowledge the challenge, King Arthur takes the axe offered from the Green Knight and heaves it over his head. Before he can strike the Green Knight, Sir Gawain emerges and stops the King. He tells King Arthur that he will take the challenge and the melee shall be his. This is the first example we see of the chivalry presented by Sir Gawain. A knight must be loyal to his lord and to God and a knight must never run from a challenge; Sir Gawain definitely shows loyalty to King Arthur when he takes the challenge from the King so the King does not lose his life in the end being as the person who accepts the challenge has to give the Green Knight a strike from the same axe. The second time Sir Gawain’s chivalry is presented is when he sticks to the challenge he accepted from the Green Knight and finds him in a year’s time to give the Green Knight his due. Most...
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...before the hero enters. Within the story, the green knight, the porter at the castle, and the guide that was with Gawain to show him where the green chapel was can all act as threshold guardians. Although the green knight presented the call, he still tested Gawain's ability before crossing the threshold into the unknown by presenting to him the beheading game. This game tested Gawain's stance as a knight and also started his journey. If he could not have successfully beheaded the green knight then he would have been unable to set about the journey in the first place. This therefore shows how the green knight can function as a threshold guardian. Likewise, the porter is a threshold guardian since at the castle he asked Bertilak if Gawain can cross the bridge in order to enter the castle. The other threshold guardian is the guide that was sent with Gawain to the green chapel. When the guide questioned him and asked if he was certain that he wanted to encounter the dangerous man that lies in the...
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...epic, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem emerging from the mid to late 14th century, exhibit protagonists that mirror the idealistic persona of their respective ages. Beowulf, in his namesake epic, steps up to face every challenge he is presented and performs a flawless display bravery and strength. Sir Gawain is a flawed, more human character, yet continues to strive for glory and the greater good. As a reflection of the ideal hero of their periods, Beowulf and Sir Gawain differ in their values, noble qualities, and the motivations behind their achievements. Beowulf establishes a clear-cut vision of the Anglo-Saxon heroic ideals- devotion to bloodlines, demonstrating one’s valor in battle, and accepting the spoils of war with...
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...Hero: a four lettered noun; the dictionary definition of the word 'hero' states that a hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character. Most times when people think of the word hero, the first thing that comes to mind is superhuman fictional heroes such as Superman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman, but a hero does not need supernatural abilities to be considered a hero. There are two types of heroes, fictional or nonfictional, and there are a plethora of different heroes in each category. Greek mythological heroes like Achilles and Oedipus Rex would be an example of fictional heroes and Vietnam War Veterans and Holocaust victims and survivors would be an example of nonfictional heroes. Although the two differ in realness,...
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...Primary Elements of Chivalry) The first thing that often comes to a person’s head when they hear medieval times is knights. They think of all of the bright shiny armour with the big swords and all of those tags that go along with it. That is really all that they think of when they think of a knight though, they think battle and bright and shiny armour. What people generally don’t perceive is what it took the knight to become a knight. Along with that they don’t realize what really even makes the knight a knight other than the fact that he has to go to battle and fight. In the stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Marie Borroff and Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, they go a little deeper into what it actually means to be a knight. They begin to point out the things that actually classify one as a knight. There are three primary elements that classify a knight: courage, loyalty, and honor....
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...Presence of Deceptions The act of deception is a unique piece. It twists an individual’s entire psyche of comprehending things. It twists a situation and makes something appealing that wouldn’t always be appealing. In Paradise Lost and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are two characters who stick out with that fall in this category. Eve and Sir Gawain in their respective works of literature fall to deception. They both let their emotions be altered which ultimately led to their downfall. Sir Gawain had a vision in mind but it was hindered by how his pride ended up being a form of deception. Eve was giving specific orders not to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree and would have abided by this until the devil came and deceived her by preying on her gullibility. Paradise Lost gives us a unique perspective of Eve. In the story Eve was created after Adam in order to complement and help him rule over the land that God gave them. God gave them freedom to have anything they want in the land but told them specifically that there was one tree in particular that they could not eat from. Eve was much different from Adam because she was a female and her entire mannerisms were different. God specifically made Eve to be different. She was more in tuned with her feelings. She was emotional and was beautiful in her physical features. Eve fed off of that and embraced the fact that she was beautiful, which later had a role in her downfall. Compared to Adam she is a bit...
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...Kayla Hinojosa English 2321 Short Paper (3/20) April 4, 2013 “Cultural values defined in ‘Beowulf’ and ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ ” The cultural values depicted in “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” are those of courage, honor, strength and humility among many others. Now, while exploring the ethos of the cultures in these pieces of literature the reader can deduce that each value means something different. What defines courage (and other values) in “Beowulf” differs from the definition of courage in “Sir Gawain” in many ways including the struggles Beowulf himself faced with Grendel, in “Sir Gawain” with the encounter with the lord’s wife, among other events in both poems. To begin with, in “Beowulf” these values are defined through the heroic code, which was held in the Anglo-Saxon culture in which this poem takes place. Beowulf himself is the definition of a “hero”, exemplifying values such as courage and strength. For example, one challenge that Beowulf held was the battle with Grendel. He shows exceptional strength when he is able to rip of Grendel’s arm which we see in the text itself, "The monster's whole body was in pain; a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone-lapping’s burst. Beowulf was granted the glory of winning". The ability to cause so much physical pain to a giant monster shows just how powerful and strong Beowulf is. Strength here is sort of defined as physical power and ability rather than spiritual strength...
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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...
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...were the role models, the perfect courageous beings within their community. It’s no different that both Beowulf and Thomas Malory’s Sir Gawain were written upheld with these expectations, both deemed great heroes in these times the Angle-Saxon and Medieval period, respectfully. However, these men vary so greatly from each other especially from the attachment they have with the reader, along with their faith, traits, role in society and views. Although both males were deemed perfect by their peers and community for their deeds the characteristic shown in each occasion split them apart in traits. When the Green Knight emerged before Arthur’s court, unlike Beowulf who welcomed the task of vanquishing Grendel, Sir Gawain offers himself up because ‘his life would be least missed’ of any (Allen 231). In contrast to Beowulf, who not only gloats about his superior greatness but also has others who spoke and knew full well of his strength, having been perceived as the ‘strongest than anyone anywhere in this world’ (Allen 42). The boasting of his own feats seem to be a natural quality of a warrior, while knights were expected to excel at modesty and humility. The example of Sir Gawain’s humbleness is something the king of Geats would never present. Furthermore during the encounter in the end of poem, Sir Gawain breaks his code of conduct and reputation by illustrating ‘fear’. In words of the Green Knight, ‘I never heard tell that Sir Gawain was ever a coward’, as it was known...
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...What is a hero? A hero can be defined as courageous, brave, willing to sacrifice himself for others, someone who will know what is right from wrong, and make the right choice. Not everyone can be a hero; it takes dedication and effort to do what’s right time and time again. In Sir Gawain the Green Knight, Sir Gawain was a heroic soldier. In The Hobbit, Bilbo, a hobbit from the Shire, is recruited as a burglar to go on an adventure to help reclaim the land of the dwarves. Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves encounter many different creatures along the way, some who want to help them and other who want to kill them. Through the journey Bilbo must grow into a true hero to save the dwarves and himself. Bilbo grew into a brave, selfless, and important member of the team who came to recognize good and evil. Bilbo through his many troubles during the adventure had to learn what it means to be a true hero. Bilbo was a coward in the beginning; he never wanted to leave his home. Whenever Bilbo was in the slightest danger, he turned into a coward complaining “Why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole” (p. 62, Tolkien). Bilbo...
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...Taylor Armendariz Mr. Ryan English 4 9/20/17 Beowulf The epic Beowulf is by an unknown author. It is an epic about a warrior named Beowulf, who helps king Hrothgar defend his land against an ogre named Grendel. Another story by an unknown author is the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is a romance about a green knight who goes to a dinner party and desires to play a game. Both Beowulf and sir Gawain show bravery, courage, and strength in all that they do. Beowulf’s bravery is certainly not in question throughout this epic. From his victory over Breca in a swimming contest, to his final fall as a glorious king defending his kingdom, we see that bravery is an important aspect of his life. We see some of this bravery when...
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...Министерство образования и науки Республики Казахстан Кокшетауский государственный университет им. Ш. Уалиханова An Outline of British Literature (from tradition to post modernism) Кокшетау 2011 УДК 802.0 – 5:20 ББК 81:432.1-923 № 39 Рекомендовано к печати кафедрой английского языка и МП КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, Ученым Советом филологического факультета КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, УМС КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова. Рецензенты: Баяндина С.Ж. доктор филологических наук, профессор, декан филологического факультета КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова Батаева Ф.А. кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры «Переводческое дело» Кокшетауского университета им. А. Мырзахметова Кожанова К.Т. преподаватель английского языка кафедры гуманитарного цикла ИПК и ПРО Акмолинской области An Outline of British Literature from tradition to post modernism (on specialties 050119 – “Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages”, 050205 – “Foreign Philology” and 050207 – “Translation”): Учебное пособие / Сост. Немченко Н.Ф. – Кокшетау: Типография КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, 2010 – 170 с. ISBN 9965-19-350-9 Пособие представляет собой краткие очерки, характеризующие английскую литературу Великобритании, ее основные направления и тенденции. Все известные направления в литературе иллюстрированы примерами жизни и творчества авторов, вошедших в мировую литературу благодаря...
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