...In all stories there has to be some sort of conflict, and because of the strong influence of Scandinavia culture, battles were almost a necessity in Beowulf. Because there had to be battles, only two options were available when Christians decided to take on the epic: Beowulf kills, or he himself dies. If Beowulf dies, then there is no story and he cannot kill another human being, for it expresses extensively in the bible that it is a sin to murder, and that we as humans, should never kill other humans. So this causes a dilemma due to the necessity for both battles and the main character to not sin against the leading religion of the time. The solution is what may be plausible evidence for the theory that the Christian narrators changed the characters from the original Beowulf into monsters. In reality this solution is incredibly genius, as it provides the audience with the action and fighting that they demand, while Beowulf technically never commits a serious sin. In fact, the transition to monsters as the antagonist provide a wider variety to the story, as they are now more unknown and cause extra excitement and anxiety to the...
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...The key character in the poem Beowulf, is a heroic and a legendary character whose actions are embodied to the Anglo-Saxon culture. As a hero he has the accepted and the most ideal characteristics that are accepted in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The tale revolves around these characteristics to make up an epic tale. Beowulf is moulded to possess the virtues, traits and beliefs that were highly respected and requires in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Therefore, is displayed to have these virtues in his own actions and words during different circumstances in the tale. Reading Beowulf brings out lots of similarities with many pieces of literature from the Ancient Greek and the Modern literature. The Beowulf carries is similar to many Greek dramas that focused on a protagonist who was turned out to be a tragic hero. There was an element of belief in the gods who had super- human powers and had unique and ultimate special skills of their own, and overcame unsurmountable problems. However, in Beowulf, there is no Greek or Roman gods, but there are other supernatural beings defined as monsters that exist and are difficult to win over. Beowulf is extra-ordinarily strong, agile, and super intelligent. He is portrayed as one who overcomes many obstacles and was able to kill Grendel and his mother and the others in the sea. In addition, the wide character list and meaningful names is similar to those of other types of literature of the early eras. The story of Paradise lost opens in hell. Satan...
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...of Heroes In the Old English poem Beowulf, heroism and religion come hand in hand. The originally spoken poem frequently wrestles with concept of good and evil, represented by the opponents Beowulf and Grendel, and often mentions the role of religion in the hero’s success and the competitor's failure. Those who do not adhere to basic christian ethics do not show the same epic traits of heroes such as Beowulf and do not receive the same aid from God that those with obvious devotion receive. Religion defines who and what is considered good and evil. God shows his thanks to those who support him by aiding them in heroic deeds, and those without devotion to Him receive no assistance. The heroes of Beowulf all have...
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...Beowulf: A Historical Masterpiece Written in approximately 750 A.D., Beowulf is the only remaining transcript of the 10th century. Even before it was written though, it had been circulated though it’s original oral narrative. Many of the events and characters tie to battles and actual figures in history that pre-date the Anglo-Saxon invasion in 450 A.D. Though originally pagan in nature, due to the Anglo-Saxon conversion to Christianity Beowulf was told through a Christian poet. The poet does reference to biblical thoughts and ideas, it’s mixed within the basic Anglo-Saxon principle. Which is pretty impressive. The fact that one can use Beowulf as a way to look at and understand the Anglo-Saxon culture, which may have been lost without it, is an historical feet all on its own. The values shown in the characters in Beowulf are the same values the Anglo-Saxon had. When it came to the values of the warrior class, it’s especially similar. Beowulf is in a sense the quintessential Anglo-Saxon warrior. Warriors at that time were first and foremost loyal to his people and his thane. A warrior was also brave and valorous. Without these what kind of warrior would one be? The warrior had to be courageous to go out to battle without certainty of coming home. Along with courage, a warrior also had to be proud. Not too proud as to offend the thane or his lady, just enough to make him seem worthwhile. Strength was a very sought after trait in a warrior. Strength was so highly viewed in...
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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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...Christianity in Beowulf Although there are constant battles between religions about which religions’ values and practices are correct, one thing is clear in all religions: the contrast between good and evil. Take for instance the Christian faith: in the Christian faith, a good man is someone who is virtuous, and has passion for what they believe in, and follows the bible but an evil person is someone molded by corruptions, including sins and vices. The Christian faith depicts evil through monsters such as demons and serpents, and their impacts in their tales. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf’s fight against the monsters represents a fight between the Christian concepts of good and evil. The first depiction of good and evil in the poem can be seen in the battle between Beowulf and Grendel. Often times, biblical allusions are used as a means to describe characters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. This is illustrated in Andy Orchard’s criticism of the poem, when he states, “As for Beowulf, there seems no getting rid of the poet’s clear references to the biblical tales of Cain and Abel” (Orchard 131). Grendel’s depiction of a demon is derived from these tales in the text when it reads: Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell Not hell but earth, He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime of Abel's Death (14-17). In this...
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...spoken and that oral literature have been many amplifications, later appear the texts. Beowulf was oral first and then became written. There are lots of fragments written literally. Some texts were lost and now we only have fragments. These texts are writing in manuscripts, there weren’t books in that period. In particular there are four manuscripts that contain most of English literature: Cotton Vitelius, Exeter Book, Junius Manuscript and Vercelli Manuscript; they are from 10th century. However the poetry and the texts contain the literature from 9th century, but they originated in 7th century orally (all of them originated orally before they appear written). That manuscripts tell some things about the society of this period of time, so we know details of this century. This period is the Anglo-Saxon period, before them there were the Britons who were invaded by some different people. They spoke different dialects of old English, the stronger kingdom was Wessex, which dialect was the most important and it called “west saxon”. Beowulf was writing in this dialect. In 597 appeared the Christianization. This means that the English became Christian, it became familiar with the church language: Latin. Latin is the culture language. The entry of Christianity is the entry of the culture in Britain. 2- WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE ANGLOSAXON PERIOD English began to be written when the Christianity arrived. Before that they had a writing system, they used the German alphabet: runic alphabet...
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...kind of lifestyle: tribal life was based on hunting and war, and from childhood Germans were trained to be hard workers (Caesar 21). Germanic tribes did not build cities. They preferred to settle in meadows, woods, or in other places that attracted them. Their dwellings were not attached together like those of the Romans; each house was surrounded by an open space (Tacitus 16). Their society’s organization was certainly important but its most essential attribute was the heroic code. In order to be a good warrior not only had one to follow his leader until death but one also had to die an honourable death. The heroic code was also associated with the virtue of hospitality. By being hospitable one was generous. In Beowulf, for instance, King Hrothgar invites Beowulf and his men to stay and feast in his hall. The mistreatment of a guest would have been considered a crime (Caesar 22). The concept of fate was also very important to the heroic code (see question #3 for more information on fate). 2) How does the physical environment contribute to the development of a heroic society? Germanic tribes usually established themselves in meadows and woods, which were places in which the Romans would have never imagined living (documentary seen in class). This gave the Germans a big advantage when in battle. Nevertheless, living in the woods was not always easy. Resources were hard to come by. Warriers had to hunt and gather in order to provide food for their families. Very little agriculture...
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...600-1100, there were many distinguishing characteristics, which included heroism, a strict class system, religion, and teachings of moral behavior. Some different characteristics of Old English literature, which is a language derived from Old German, include a strong belief in fate in a very poetry dominated era. Many of the poems are called elegies of that time, which were sorrowful poems, such as “The Wanderer.” Another large characteristic of Old English literature is that of praising or honoring heroes of any kind, especially ones that prevail in battle. Some of these include the Cross from, “Dream of the Rood,” Beowulf from Beowulf, the lost hero in “The Wanderer,” Judith from “Judith,” and the biggest hero who is included in almost all poems and pieces of Old English literature, Christ. Many of these works express much religious faith having to do with Christianity. The Anglo-Saxon people also had a very strict class system. Going along with the faith they believed in the Great Chain of Being, which said that when God made the entire world each creature was put in their position. God made a monarchy and put the members of that high status position there for a reason and did the same for a person who was a slave, God made them that and put them in that position in society. The people on the top of the chain are supposed to help the others on the lower end of the chain, not oppress them. Alfred was a good example of this because he was one of the good monarchs who helped...
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...INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………3 CHAPTER 1. LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN OLD ENGLISH AND MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD……………………………………………………………..5 1.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTHARK……………………………………5 1.1.1 THE RUNIC ALPHABET AS AN OLD GERMANIC WRITING TRADITION……………………………………………………………………6 1.1.2 OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE PERIOD OF ANGLO-SAXON ETHNIC EXTENSION…………………………………………………………7 1.2 LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH………………..11 1.2.1 LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND AFTER THE NORMAN CONQUEST……………………………………………….……….11 1.2.2 DIALECTAL DIVERSITY IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD.…...13 1.3 THE MIDDLE ENGLISH CORPUS……………………………………….15 1.3.1 GEOFFREY CHAUCER AND HIS LENDING SUPPORT OF THE LONDON STANDARD’S DIFFUSION……………………………………….17 1.3.2 THE ROLE OF THE PRINTING IN THE FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE………………………………………………….…….19 1.3.3 PRINCIPAL MIDDLE ENGLISH WRITTEN RECORDS AS A REFLECTION OF ONGOING CHANGES IN STANDARDIZATION………25 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….…………....28 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………….30 APPENDIX 1……………………………………………………………………33 INTODUCTION linguistic history english language The English language has had a remarkable history. When we first catch it in historical records, it is a language of none-too-civilized tribes on the continent of Europe along the North Sea. From those murky and undistinguished beginnings, English has become the most widespread language in the world, used by more peoples for more purposes than any language on Earth. The early...
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...Investment Banking an American synonym of merchant banking. Investment banks provide advice on mergers and acquisitions and are involved in financing industrial corporations through buying shares and selling them in relatively small lots to investors. In the Bangladesh context, merchant banking includes all institutions that combine the functions of both development banking and investment banking. The securities and exchange commission, based on SRO No. 59 of 24 April 1996, and a decision taken by it on 17 August 1997, invited letters of intent from 14 institutions for registration of merchant banks. Prior to this decision, 7 institutions submitted such letters of intent and SEC gave registration to a total of 19.Investment banking companies in Bangladesh are of two types: open-ended and closed-ended. The open-ended ones, generally referred to as mutual funds, repurchase shares in any quantity as and when holders offer them for sales. Thus, the amount of shares of the open-ended investment companies in market changes continually in response to public demand. Closed-ended investment companies sell only a specific number of ownership shares. An investor wanting to acquire shares of a closed-ended investment company must find another investor who wishes to sell. Investment companies do not take part in the transaction. In addition to selling equity shares, closed-ended companies issue a variety of debt and equity securities including preferred stock, regular and convertible bonds...
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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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...History of English (Source: A History of English by Barbara A. Fennell) The English language is spoken by 750 million people in the world as either the official language of a nation, a second language, or in a mixture with other languages (such as pidgins and creoles.) English is the (or an) official language in England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; however, the United States has no official language. Indo-European language and people English is classified genetically as a Low West Germanic language of the Indo-European family of languages. The early history of the Germanic languages is based on reconstruction of a Proto-Germanic language that evolved into German, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish, and the Scandinavian languages. In 1786, Sir William Jones discovered that Sanskrit contained many cognates to Greek and Latin. He conjectured a Proto-Indo-European language had existed many years before. Although there is no concrete proof to support this one language had existed, it is believed that many languages spoken in Europe and Western Asia are all derived from a common language. A few languages that are not included in the Indo-European branch of languages include Basque, Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian; of which the last three belong to the Finno-Ugric language family. Speakers of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) lived in Southwest Russia around 4,000 to 5,000 BCE. They had words for animals such as bear or wolf (as evidenced in the similarity of the words for these...
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...FULL TITLE · The Canterbury Tales AUTHOR · Geoffrey Chaucer TYPE OF WORK · Poetry (two tales are in prose: the Tale of Melibee and the Parson’s Tale) GENRES · Narrative collection of poems; character portraits; parody; estates satire; romance; fabliau LANGUAGE · Middle English TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN · Around 1386–1395, England DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION · Sometime in the early fifteenth century PUBLISHER · Originally circulated in hand-copied manuscripts NARRATOR · The primary narrator is an anonymous, naïve member of the pilgrimage, who is not described. The other pilgrims narrate most of the tales. POINT OF VIEW · In the General Prologue, the narrator speaks in the first person, describing each of the pilgrims as they appeared to him. Though narrated by different pilgrims, each of the tales is told from an omniscient third-person point of view, providing the reader with the thoughts as well as actions of the characters. TONE · The Canterbury Tales incorporates an impressive range of attitudes toward life and literature. The tales are by turns satirical, elevated, pious, earthy, bawdy, and comical. The reader should not accept the naïve narrator’s point of view as Chaucer’s. TENSE · Past SETTING (TIME) · The late fourteenth century, after 1381 SETTING (PLACE) · The Tabard Inn; the road to Canterbury PROTAGONISTS · Each individual tale has protagonists, but Chaucer’s plan is to make none of his storytellers superior to others; it is an equal company. In the Knight’s...
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...SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE ENGL 210 Shakespeare Notes LECTURER SAMBOKO, B. M. There are many outstanding people in history: - our heroes… our role models…. Politicians: Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda Community Service: Mother Teresa, George Muller, David Livingstone Religious: Apostle Paul, the other apostles, Ellen G White, Anderson, The pope, Martin Luther, Sports: Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema - Michael Jordan, Pele, Maradona Music: Lady Gaga, jZ, Tupak, Michael Jackson, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Hendricks, Literary Circles: Before Shakespeare the great names in literature were: o Homer – Ancient times - well known for his great epics o Dante – Middle Ages – wrote brilliantly on circumstances of human existence o Aristotle – the great philosopher ENTER SHAKESPEARE – THE LITERARY GIANT Spelling of Shakespeare: Spelling not yet standardized, thus name spelled in different ways • Shakespeare, Shakspere, Shackspere, Shaxper, Shagspere, Shaxberd, etc. Shakespeare: The most well known playwright of Elizabethan times is Shakespeare. But there were also other writers who in their time were just as, or even more famous than him. WHAT MAKES SHAKESPEARE STAND OUT? – The volume of his works Plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare ■ 14 COMEDIES – funny play – with amusing events – ended in marriage / or...
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