Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essays - 659 Words

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Nothing is known about the author who wrote the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yet it is considered one of the greatest works from the Middle English era. It tells a tale of a mysterious and magical figure (The Green Knight) who presents a challenge to the pride and wealth of Arthurs kingdom. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge. However, the real test of the Green Knight isnt about strength or swordsmanship. Its a test of character. During Christmas at Camelot, the celebration is interrupted by the entrance of the Green Knight. He offers (or demands) a contest: an exchange of axe-strokes. Feeling as if the honor of Camelot is being threatened, King Arthur accepts the challenge. However,†¦show more content†¦One night, the lord and Sir Gawain make a pact to exchange gifts earned the next day. They agree that whatever the lord wins on the field will be exchanged for what Gawain wins in the castle. The next morning, the lord and his men go out to hunt for deer, while Sir Gawain is still asleep in bed. The day-long hunt is described vividly by the author; the deer flee in fear, dashing through the dale, dazed with dread. The hunters shoot their arrows that tore the tawny hide with their tapered heads. Hunting horns like the cracking of cliffs their cries resounded, the horns making a loud sharp noise that explode. The day goes well and ends with the setting of the sun. This ends this segment of the hunt. Our attention now turns towards Gawain, who is still asleep in bed. He awakes to find the lords wife entering his room; surprised, he quickly pretends hes asleep. She sits beside him on the bed, pins him down and points out that her lord is away and the rest of the castle is asleep. This is the first test Gawain faces, where he is tempted to break his knightly code of honor. The wife offers herself to him for sexual pleasure. Gawain is tempted by this offer but fends off her aggressive attempt by politely declining, stating that she is bound to a better man.(228) Sir Gawain is tested two more times in the Green Knights castle. However, he is unaware that any test is being performed. He passes the second test of the Green Knight, but errs on the third.Show MoreRelatedSir Gawain And The Green Knight1359 Words   |  6 PagesIn the poem â€Å"Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,† a protagonist emerges depicting an Arthurian knight named Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, takes initiative by accepting the challenge requested by the Green Knight in place of his uncle. He undergoes a perilous adventure, seeking for the Green Knight to receive the final blow. Although Sir Gawain is not viewed as a hero for his military accomplishments, he is, however, viewed as a heroic figure by the Knights at the Round Table for hisRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight862 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author referred to as the â€Å"Pearl Poet,† we are introduced to Sir Gawain. Gawain is a k night of the Round Table and he is also the nephew of King Arthur. As a knight, Gawain is expected to possess and abide by many chivalrous facets. Throughout the poem he portrays many of the qualities a knight should possess, such as bravery, courtesy, and honor among others. Because of his ability to possess these virtues even when tempted to stray away from themRead MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight compares a super natural creature to nature. The mystery of the poem is ironic to the anonymous author. The story dates back into the fourteenth century, but no one knows who originally wrote the poem. This unknown author explains in the poem of Sir Gawain not knowing of the location of the Green Chapel and or who the Green Knight really is. This keeps the reader entertained with the suspicion of not knowing. The author then does not give his name orRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight contains ambiguity and irony that make it interesting to read and teach. Gawain’s conflict arose when he accepted the girdle that could protect him and when he lied to his host, severing fellowship with the lord for courtesy with the lady. By utilizing a social reconstructionist philosophy of teaching that emphasizes personal beliefs and ethics, a teacher will help the students establish their identities and learn to appreciate classic literature. Sir Gawain and theRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1514 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem written in the mid to late fourteenth century by an unknown author. Throughout the tale, Sir Gawain, a Knight at the Round Table in Camelot, is presented with many hardships, the first being a challenge on Christmas by a man in which, â€Å"Everything about him was an elegant green† (161). This â€Å"Green Knight† challenged someone in Camelot to a ccept his game which they will chop off his head with his axe and the Green Knight will do the same to the playerRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1335 Words   |  6 PagesSir Gawain: The Ironic Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of the utmost irony in which Sir Gawain, the most loyal and courteous of all of King Arthur’s knights, fails utterly to be loyal and courteous to his king, his host, his vows, and his God. In each case, Sir Gawain not only fails to perform well, but performs particularly poorly, especially in the case of his relationship with God. Ultimately, Sir Gawain chooses magic over faith, and by doing so, shows his ironic nature as aRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight906 Words   |  4 Pagesusually the latter. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we see Sir Bertilak go off to hunt three very specific animals as a game with Sir Gawain. They agree that â€Å"what ever [Bertilak catches] in the wood shall become [Sir Gawain’s], and what ever mishap comes [Sir Gawain’s] way will be given to [Bertilak] in exchange.† (Sir Gawain†¦, ln 1105-1007). In this deal we slowly see Gawain loose his honor as paralleled with Sir B ertilak’s hunt. The first animal that is hunted by the knight is a deer, while thisRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1521 Words   |  7 PagesFall 16 Donnelly Many years ago, knights were expected to form a certain type of relationship with their king, this relationship was otherwise known as fealty. Fealty is a knight’s sworn loyalty to their king (in other words a loyal relationship should be formed between the two). The use of this relationship is shown in the poem called â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† ( the author is unknown). This poem has a classic quest type of formula, with a knight receiving a challenge and then going outRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1455 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, for Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight temptation existed around every corner while he was playing the game of the Green Knight. Temptation existed every day and each day it existed in a new way. Gawain never knew what was coming his way throughout the grand scheme of the game, but one thing was for certain he was being tested. Without his reliance religious faith and dedication to his reputation, Gawain wo uld not have been able to make it through the game of the Green Knight alive andRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesBoth Sir Gawain, from â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† translated by Marie Borroff, and Beowulf, from Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, serve as heroes in different times of Medieval English Literature. Many of the basic principles that describe heroes in Medieval Literature are seen in both of these characters even though they were written in different times. There are distinct similarities, differences, and also a progression of what the hero was in English literature, between Sir Gawain and

Children of the Holocaust Essay - 1634 Words

Over one million Jewish children died during the Holocaust. They were ripped out of their homes and taken away from their families, and stripped of their childhoods. Innocent lives were caught in a war that they were not able to stop. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, he promised Germany that he would improve life their by getting rid of the one race that caused the problems, the Jews. Jews, including Jewish children, were sent to concentration camps, inspected, and if approved, were sent to work. All others would have been sent to be killed. Being sent to work did not ensure survival, children would be given very little food and water, and beaten severely, which caused their death. None of the children of the Holocaust will ever†¦show more content†¦Life in the ghetto was subjected to death. Many took their own lives, and others tried to escape. Children were orphaned everyday, and many of the older orphaned children were forced to take care of the younger orphaned. In order for the children to survive, they needed to make themselves useful. Small children would crawl through narrow openings and smuggle food into the ghettos for their friends and families. They did this with great risk, because if they were caught they would be punished severely. Jerry Koenig continues, â€Å"The only way you could survive was by supplementing your diet with the things bought through the black market. But you can imagine that if the sellers were risking their lives to obtain these things, then the price is going to be extremely high† (Remembering: Voices of the Holocaust). Children tried their best to continue schooling, by attending secret classes organized by adults. Children learned how to hide books from the Nazis, to avoid being caught. Jania David, a young Polish Jewish child, remembers: â€Å"Schools were forbidden, but parents organized small groups of children, four or five at a time, and of course there was no lack of teachers. We met once or twice a week in somebody’s room, usually in a different room every week because there was a death penalty for the children, the teachers, the parents and in fact everybody in the house, if we were discovered† (Remembering: Voices of theShow MoreRelatedChildren Of The Holocaust : Children1328 Words   |  6 PagesChildren of the Holocaust As the 1930’s came along, The Nazi’s set out a series of laws and regulations called ‘Nazi Laws’. One of the very first laws was ,†Laws against Overcrowding in German schools and universities†. This was a result of many children were looked down upon by Hitler and his Nazis as ‘racially inferior’. Letters from German Children to the editor of the Nazi tabloid Der Sturmer reveal a shameful potpourri Lettof and fanaticism against their Jewish classmates. The first punishmentRead More Children of the Holocaust Essay983 Words   |  4 Pagesdeliberate intention to kill children in numbers so great that there is no historical precedent for it.† (Lukas, 13 Kindle) About 1.5 million children were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust—one million being killed because they were Jews (ushmm.org) The Germans had a clearly defined goal of killing the Jewish children so that there would be no remnants of their race to reprodu ce, resulting in extinction. Not only were the children that were victimized in the Holocaust persecuted and murderedRead MoreChildren During the Holocaust1306 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the Holocaust, â€Å"the Nazis killed over 1.5 billion children† (Children during the Holocaust). Of these children, one million of them were Jewish. The Nazis had no good reason to kill them; they only killed these innocent children because Hitler did not care for their race. The Nazis, a forceful, merciless power led by Adolf Hitler brainwashed the country of Germany into believing that Jews and other races were awful. These children bravely fought persecution and avoided death by hidingRead MoreThe Hidden Children Of The Holocaust1642 Words   |  7 PagesThe Holocaust is a very large topic with many subtopics within, which many people have never heard of. One in particular is the Hidden Children of the Holocaust. Like a majority of individuals, I never heard of this topic before, u ntil I started my inquiry work. Hiding children during the holocaust was an effort to save thousands of children’s lives. The children were hidden in different ways, either with false identities, underground, and with or without their parents. The children with false identitiesRead MoreChildren Of The Holocaust Survivor Essay1384 Words   |  6 PagesAs children of the Holocaust survivor, Jacob in Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michael s novel haunted from his past from his memories of his parents and his beloved sister Bella. Growing up with Athos care, Jacob struggles to adapt to a new environment as a child with his memories of his parents still preserve into his mind and battling to make what might have happened to his sister Bella. As Jacob ponders on his past, his memories become stronger and save him that will eventually free him from pain andRead MoreEssay on Holocaust Children2974 Words   |  12 PagesChildren of the Holocaust Advanced Composition/ ENGL 135 June 20, 2011 Alena Synjova once stated, â€Å" I’d like to go away alone where there are other, nicer people, somewhere into the far unknown, there, where no one kills another. Maybe more of us, a thousand strong, will reach this goal before too long† (Volavkovà ¡, 1994, p. 50). During the Holocaust, people craved opportunity to escape to a place where there were polite people and no one killed each other. The Holocaust affected everyoneRead MoreIs The Holocaust Over The Children Of The World?1078 Words   |  5 PagesIs the Holocaust over for the children of the world? The Holocaust was a dark time in human history during the reign of Hitler. Millions of Jews were killed by the Nazis. However, some people were still lucky enough to survive. One of these survivors, Leon Leyson, experienced the horrors of pure evil as a child. He lived to share his story, and today in America there are many programs and organizations dedicated to protecting children, but in other parts of the world children continue to experienceRead More Childrens Literature and the Holocaust Essay2097 Words   |  9 PagesLiterature and the Holocaust nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;During the 1940’s Jewish Europeans experienced an unthinkable and atrocious collective trauma. In her work â€Å"Survivor-Parents and Their Children† taken from the anthology Generations of the Holocaust, Judith S. Kestenberg has argued that regardless of location, the effects of the Holocaust are felt on survivors parenting. The children of survivors receive a secondary traumatic impact by being forced to deal with the impact the Holocaust had directlyRead MoreChildren and Morality during the Holocaust1405 Words   |  6 PagesDuring World War II and the Holocaust, morality collapsed. It was no longer easy to differentiate between what was good and what was evil. With a world filled with starvation, dehumanization, and dictatorship, Jewish children had a rough life. They were not free to run away and play; instead they were either in hiding or a camp. The three sources that will be analyzed in this essay demonstrate how the Jews and Gentil es risked their lives to help save innocent Jewish children. One Jew who risked hisRead MoreThe Vulnerability of Children in the Era of the Holocaust942 Words   |  4 PagesChildren were especially vulnerable in the era of the Holocaust. The Nazis advocated killing children of â€Å"unwanted† or â€Å"dangerous† groups in accordance with their ideological views, either as part of the â€Å"racial struggle† or as a measure of preventative security. The Germans and their collaborators killed children both for these ideological reasons and in retaliation for real or alleged partisan attacks. The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children, including over a

Christmas Project Interviewing Santa Claus Free Essays

I would guess our deal of 10 tons of cookies still counts? R: Absolutely! Fifty trucks from Centuries News Delivery are parking right in your enormous front yard. SC (laugh): Now that’s what I want to hear. According to our deal, you get your five minutes. We will write a custom essay sample on Christmas Project: Interviewing Santa Claus or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hurry up because the spell wears away quickly. R: Right into our first question from 9-year-old Mr.. Augustine. Santa Claus, how do you know we are naughty or nice for the whole year when you only come to see us for one night on Christmas Eve? SC: (Its supposed to be a secret, but since we have a deal I will share it with you, only you though. All y little elves who work for me, only a few are making presents now because everything is easily made by machine. In the old time, say before 2050, I have to make them work overtime on the days before Christmas. They spy the children for about a week and talk with the children’s parents to figure out if they are naughty or nice. I believe children are mostly nice in the bottom of their hearts because they are born with love, and they are not contaminated by the world. That’s why I linger my eyes on the â€Å"naughty† kids for a little bit longer, and can always find their little hearts lit with love. Nowadays, since aging presents doesn’t need the elves any more, I send them to each house all year round to watch the children, and of course to help them to be good in various ways. They are invisible under my spell, but on Christmas Eve I need to use the magic power to send gifts to children, so the magic power disappears and they become visible again. So, if you see a little elf running away from your house on Christmas Eve, don’t fret and try to say hello to him. R: Oh my world! You’d better watch out, because there are invisible elves living in your house! SC (wink): That’s right. I always have my eyes on you. R: Our next question is from 7-year-old Mr.. Chris. It’s also a question from all of us. How do you make the reindeer fly? SC: Now this is a hard question. My reindeer only fly on Christmas Eve. Their magic power does not just pop out. The truth is, all the power that is stored throughout the year is used on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. Normally, I cannot fly up the chimneys, carry all those presents or drive a flying sleigh. The power Of love, kindness, goodness and faith on me from each family all over the world gathers in their chimneys and goes through the factory to power the machine. The rest of the power goes into my reindeer so we can fly on Christmas Eve together. R: How fascinating! The present factory is not powered by some special magic or the elves, but love. SC: Oh, yes. Love is the most beautiful and powerful magic in this world. The more love in this world, the more presents can be produced, and the more hearts will receive warmth and joy. (smile) R: Here’s my last question from 5-year-old Miss. Jimmie, and this is also a question have been wondering myself. Santa Claus, how old are you? Do you have any family who love you and live with you? SC Lowly laughter): Such a sweet little girl! Of course you too. I existed since the year 280 in Turkey. Since then, I am favored in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and many other places in Europe. I was not popular in America until Washington Irving and Clement Moore introduced me in the asses. Thus, am more than 1700 years old, but my memory gets vague for things a thousand years ago. As for my family, I exist because there are all those children who love me and believe in me. They ARE my family, and don’t need any more than that. Besides, have all my little elves and nine reminders who live with me. I am much loved and very happy. You don’t need to worry about me. Ifs my job to bring joy to all of you. R: Thank you very much, Santa Claus. It was a wonderful time talking to you, but our time is about to end. At the end of the interview, do you have anything to say to our little audience all over the world who are watching us? SC (joyfully): To all the children in this world a happy new year and a good night! Be good this year and I will come to you again (wink). See you all on Christmas Eve! (wave) carry all those presents or drive a flying sleigh. How to cite Christmas Project: Interviewing Santa Claus, Papers

Luna - Book Review free essay sample

When I first saw this book, I wasnt really sure what to expect of it, Luna by Julie Anne Peters. I thought totally negative about this book, I should have known better, because it turns out to be by far one of my favorite books. I was thrilled as I continued to read and notice that this is an absolute unique book. Not because its about transgenders who are people that feel as if they were born in the wrong body but its because its in a different view of living in the fear of homophobia, as this was written by the point of view of a person closest to a transgender. Regans older brother, Liam, seems like a usual teenage boy: Straight As, great side job, nice car, stylish, and quite friendly. However, during the night, he would dress up in womens clothing and show the femininity of his appearance as Luna, his considered real personality. We will write a custom essay sample on Luna Book Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Regan is the only one who knows about Liam/Lunas feeling, and she cant get over the fact that her brother is living a two lives in one body. Regans daily life consists of helping Liam/Luna cover up the truth, and being the only person that Liam/Luna can talk to about being transgender. First off, the plot. I love that it discusses something as really misunderstood as transgender, and that the author didnt shrink about laying the truth about transgenders the difficulties they face, the confusion, and the thoughts from other people. The main misunderstanding that transgenders are automatically gay was also touched upon, and although there were a few story-related questions bugging me by the end of the novel, it was very helpful to read such an honest description of a person in this situation. It also sent a message to teenagers, whether or not youre transgender, gay, lesbian, etc. The message is acceptance. Acceptance of who you really are. In this case, since this is told from Regans point of view, it taught her not just acceptance of Liams situation, but acceptance of herself as well. The characters were very complex but pleasant, especially since they are obviously damaged. Regan is far from perfect: Doesnt like change, has a hard time taking responsibility for her own actions, separates herself from other people, and although quite not noticeable embarrassed of her brothers situation. Meanwhile, Liam on the other hand, is different of opinion, while Luna is self-centered; but living in a secret, what other choice does she have? But the character Im most disappointed with was their mother. She wasnt really disturbed about anything that was happening in the family. Also, Im still confused about her views to Liam/Luna being transgender. The writing was very well-written and understanding. Even though, Regans point of view was used to narrate the story, I did not have any difficulty telling apart the different characters personalities from each other. The voice was different. I also liked that this book had some funny moments, even during times of strong drama. A sense of humor was something you would not normally expect in a story with so much power, but Julie Anne Peters made it happen. Luna is an emotional book that deals with the situation of transgenderism in a ways that makes it important and understandable. I had never really thought of what it must be like for someone who believes they were born with the wrong body, but after reading Luna, my heart and support goes out to anyone who has ever suffered with this situation.