The article Popular [Mis]conceptions of Medieval Warfare by Peter Burkholder argues that social stereotypes of medieval warfare result in common misconceptions of what took place during the Middle Ages. Burkholder explains that the entertainment industry perpetuates misconceptions about medieval warfare through inaccurate portrayals in various media. This thesis is further developed in the article through a variety of observations about the correlation between entertainment industries and historical values. The point of the reading is to expose readers to how the entertainment industry misconstrues accounts of medieval warfare by sensationalizing the details of entertainment values. In the article Crusading Warfare and Its Adaptation to Eastern …show more content…
This article uses the technique of scholarly questions and answers to help readers understand the context of the article. One question raised in relation to the primary source the song of Roland is, “But are such pieces of literature – medieval though they are- reliable for their military history’? This question is asked after examining the primary source. The question asked was then explained by recalling “basic methodology pertaining to the primary source”. By the article raising questions it allows the reader to think deeper into the topic by allowing them to relate prior knowledge to what is being asked, making a correlation between given information, and prior understanding of the topic. Burkholder’s also uses primary sources, which could help develop a research paper. The use of primary sources in the article strengthens the author’s arguments. Some primary sources used are the song of Roland, Paul Davis’s 100 Decisive Battles, and De Re Militari. For each primary source Burkholder breaks down particular quotes and makes arguments with relevance to the thesis. This helps readers to check the reliability of the article, and use the primary sources to better understand how the information relates to the over all thesis. Additionally, the author cites with using primary sources specific movies such as King Authur (2004) and Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002), deconstructing how the two films relate directly to history and how accurate specific scenes in the movie are. One interesting technique used by the author is a critical analysis of how the entertainment industry is beneficial for history, and how it’s non-beneficial. In one interesting example Burkhodler provide three compelling reasons to illustrate how films are beneficial to an accurate appreciation of historical events. These points of view
Hicks, Patrick. "War, Literature and the Arts." War, Literature and the Arts. An International Journal of the Humanitie, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. .
Films are necessary in our time period because the human eye can articulate the message intended through sight allowing visual imagination to occur. In the book, world 2 by Max Brooks, he creates a character by the name Roy Elliot who was a former movie director. Roy Elliot manages to make a movie titled “Victory at Avalon: The Battle of the Five Colleges” and some how it goes viral. Similarly, Frank Capra’s film, “Why we Fight” expresses a sense of understanding the meaning of wars. Films do not inevitably portray truth because they display what the film director views as important and beneficial for people to know.
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Benjamin Banneker was a primarily self-educated child of a former slave who became a prominent African American renaissance man and activist during the 18th century. In 1791, Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, the aim of which was to challenge Jefferson on the topics of slavery and racism, and hopefully get him to change his opinions and eventually take further action. He called upon tone, alluding to historical events, and juxtaposing the difference between Jefferson’s own writings and actions in order to drive his point home.
with the intent of widespread entertainment, elements of comedy and other aspects of entertaining film can, at times, cloud the message and content of the documentary. An anti-war advocate, Terry Jones’ presentation of matter so closely related to strong personal sentiments can also introduce a degree of bias in the presentation and approach taken to analyzing the events detailed in the series. However, the documentary incorporates the input and analysis of several highly-regarded medieval historians, including Jonathan Riley-Smith, Suheil Zakkar, Fikret Isiltan, David Lazenby, and Christopher Tyerman. This group of historians, all highly esteemed individuals in the field, are able to offer a balanced and likely unbiased account of what they believe to be true about the
In Hedges' first chapter of the book titled, "The Myth of War," he talks about how the press often shows and romanticizes certain aspects of war. In war there is a mythic reality and a sensory reality. In sensory reality, we see events for what they are. In mythic reality, we see defeats as "signposts on the road to ultimate victory" (21), Chris Hedges brings up an intriguing point that the war we are most used to seeing and hearing about (mythic war )is a war completely different than the war the soldiers and journalists experience ( sensory war), a war that hides nothing. He states, "The myth of war is essential to justify the horrible sacrifices required in war, the destruction and death of innocents. It can be formed only by denying the reality of war, by turning the lies, the manipulation, the inhumanness of war into the heroic ideal" (26). Chris Hedges tries to get the point across that in war nothing is as it seems. Through his own experiences we are a...
Sinclair Lewis’s novel, Babbitt, details the life of the titular character, Babbitt, who finds discontent with his life but is unable to change it. Lewis uses this character to satirize 1920s the American lifestyle by highlighting the hypocrisy and hollowness of Babbitt’s life.
Many people who read the poem Beowulf would probably find it hard to find similarities between the poem and life in modern America. How could one compare an ancient Anglo-Saxon culture with the sophisticated world that we are living in today? But, if we look closely, we may be able to pinpoint some parallel between the two societies. This essay will discuss the topics of warrior life, the “bad guy,” and social similarities. One might wonder how a warrior culture might be similar to our own? But if we consider American culture, we are actually still very war-like. We have a strong military system built to protect our country and the people that make it up. We are also known for going to the aid of other countries that aren’t able to defend themselves. This is very similar to the mentality of the warriors in Beowulf. Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar’s falling kingdom.
Thompson, Kristin. The Frodo franchise: The Lord of the rings and modern Hollywood. Berkeley: University of California P, 2007.
...ctual roles, or adding in exciting events that revise the storyline. These changes are beneficial to producers because they engage a large audience and generate massive profits. In contrast, they do not always have a positive effect on viewers. Although they are entertaining which is an important aspect of theatre culture, they also are often misguiding. Many spectators take movies at face value, without considering that they may not exactly qualify as primary source material. Even when an historical event is fabricated to teach or enhance a moral message, it still doesn’t compensate for bending the truth. Moviegoer’s may have a positive experience and gain some skewed historical perspective, perhaps better than what they knew before the movie, but they loose out on the truth and therefore, a genuine understanding of the historical event, and its significance.
Charles Bukowski’s writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of the city of Los Angeles. As a result of his rough social and physical upbringing Bukowski is able to capture the reality of life by drawing on personal experience and uses themes of sex, alcohol and violence in his raw style of writing. His work speaks volumes on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing itself, alcohol, relationships with women, and daily grind of work. While Bukowski did end up having an FBI kept a file on him as a result of his column, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, in the LA underground newspaper Open City, and his possible draft evasion, he also wrote countless poems, short stories, six novels and would eventually publish over sixty book, I have decided to focus on a single piece of his work, Love is a Dog From Hell, and three poems entitled The 6 Foot Goddess, Sandra, You and Pacific Telephone. In these poems we can see the sexual tendencies that Bukowski is known for, while also revealing his inner machismo. It is by using this poem that I will show that Charles Bukowski may have been an extremely talented writer, but he was also a very sexually oriented person that had a constant obsession with women that could never be quenched, only abated through his writing.
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
On the surface, the poem Beowulf seems to be a simple tale of a brave hero who triumphs over three monsters and who engages in several other battles in order to preserve what is just and right. A more thorough reading, however, reveals that the epic poem is filled with events that symbolize historical and social conditions that prevailed during the European reign of the Scandinavians in the seventh century to around the ninth century, following the Danish invasion of England (Sisson 1996).
The legend of King Arthur has intrigued generations for over a thousand years. Over these years, this tapestry has been handed down through the hands of many gifted storytellers. Bits and pieces were taken out and replaced by new strands woven in to fabricate a slight variation of the original that’s suitable for the audience or perhaps the storyteller himself. These modifications are evident in the 1981 film of Excalibur and Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” published in 1485. The film incorporates magical acts while religious allusions are portrayed in the text. There are several characters that appeared in one but not the other. The two versions have the same essential elements, but with some alterations. The main changes in the story plot are the events leading to the battle and the battle itself. The two versions have the same essential elements, but with some alterations.
Murray, Roxane Farrell. "The Lord of the Rings as Myth." Unpublished thesis. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1974.