King Arthur: The Man Behind The Name
King Arthur is a figure surrounded by an aura of myth and mystery. His name evokes visions of knights and gallantry in a bygone era of chivalry and magic. Clear the mist around the myth, however, and the character revealed is a man with flaws like any other. He is human as well as heroic. Arthur has assembled the greatest court of knights in British history, but his own condition and relation to those knights leads to the downfall of his court. Although Arthur and his court are held in highest esteem, time and again he is put into positions where the reader must question just how noble things are in Camelot.
King Arthur: Sir Gawain & The Green Knight
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Arthur is described as light-hearted and boyish. He is restless and his "brain so wild. And also a point of pride pricked him in heart." These are not the qualities of a wise king, but rather describe a rash young man. When the Green Knight rides into his court, neither Arthur nor his knights make an attempt to stop him. Arthur does, however, step forward when the Green Knight asks who the captain of the crowd is. He accepts the Green Knight's challenge nobly, yet he also doesn't protest when Sir Gawain offers to take the blow for him. Arthur is noble and proud enough to take a challenge, yet human enough to let his nephew take his place.
King Arthur: The Wedding of Sir Gawain & Dame Ragnelle
Arthur is hunting a deer in Ingleswood in "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle", when he is found by Sir Gromer Somer Joure. While Arthur has no problem killing the defenseless deer, he persuades Sir Gromer that it would be un-knightly to slay an unarmed man. It is revealed that Arthur has s...
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...ogeny. Arthur grovels before Gromer yet faces up to Mordred. He confronts the Green Knight yet defers the challenge to Gawain. He turns his head to Guinevere & Lancelot's deceptions for love of Lancelot and the fellowship of knights. In a legend cycle filled with many symbols, he is a symbol of the humanity of all great men, of all kings past and to come: the once and future king.
Credits
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" The Norton Anthology
of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol. 1.
Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton 1993 202-254
"The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell."
In Middle English Verse Romances. Ed. Donald B. Sands.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1966. 323 - 347.
Malory, Sir Thomas. The Morte Darthur. Parts Seven and Eight.
Ed. D.S. Brewer. Evanston: Northwestern University Press,
1996. 78 - 79, 136 - 141, 150 -155.
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
The character of Sir Gawain is altered and strengthened. He broke the mold of what it was to be a knight for King Arthur and set an example of what it genuinely meant: to be honest and brave, to be confident in who he served and why he served, but not prideful, and to be willing to fight faithfully and strive for excellence on behalf of the King and the pride he took in his court. Sir Gawain embraces opportunities that not only enforces an examination of character and realization of differences wanted and unwanted, but also awareness of humiliation and the desire to be ultimately faithful.
Before civil war broke out, several parts of history foreshadowed the growing divide between the northern and southern areas of the United States. One being, differences in culture and lifestyle. The south’s economy predominately based itself off of agriculture; specifically the growing of tobacco, corn, and cotton. The big southern plantations, owned by several white elitist men, used slavery to operate, another major cause for civil war. The northern economy thrived off of manufacturing and big industrial business. Northern politicians and elite class members supported tariffs and the use of training large armies. As the divide grew, tempers and attitudes flared, as d...
The passage (130-202) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the appearance of a strange knight in King Arthur's court. The anonymous author of the epic describes the rider in great detail, emphasizing the importance of this character. The passage is intended to arouse readers' curiosity, and at the same time, to introduce the mighty danger that the main character, Sir Gawain, will have to face. Furthermore, the strange knight is shown to be a test or trial for King Arthur and his knights. Finally, the passage presents the actual dynamics of Arthur's court as incompatible with the poet's initial praising of nobility, justice and chivalric ideals.
For generations students have been taught an over-simplified version of the civil war and even now I am just coming to a full understanding of the truth. The civil war was a terrible rift in our nation, fought between the northern states (known as the union) and the southern states (the Confederate States of America). The people’s opinions were so divided over the issues of the civil war that, in some families, brother was pit against brother. Eventually, the south succumbed to the north and surrendered on April 9th, 1865 but not before the war had caused 618,000 deaths, more than any other war in U.S. history.(1) In truth, many believe this horrible war was fought purely over the issue of slavery. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am not denying that slavery was a major cause and issue of the civil war, but social and economic differences as well as states’ rights were just as important issues and I will be discussing all three.
In a land of magic, love, betrayal, hatred, loyalty and mystery, there exists a kingdom called Camelot. At the heart of Camelot are the Knights of the Round Table who maintain their loyalty to King Arthur. From the famed knights emerges one knight, who stands out as being traditionally the most loyal, chivalrous, and courtly of all: Sir Gawain. It is during one of Arthur's New Year's feast, that a stranger rudely gallops into the great hall and begins what will be a yearlong test for Sir Gawain. His color, physical stature, power, and magic are astounding to the Knights of the Round Table. Only one knight dares to accept the challenge of this green giant. This is the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a fourteenth Century Arthurian romance by an anonymous poet.
A sequence of major events such as The Kansas-Nebraska Act, which called for popular sovereignty, and The Nullification Crisis, which rose controversy in southern states regarding their rights, revolved around sectional conflicts dealing with slavery which ultimately led up to the devastating outbreak of the Civil War between the opposing regions of the North and South. Although slavery did play a major role in causing the Civil War, other causes include economic differences, constitutional disputes, and political blunders along with extremism. The Civil War was an avoidable conflict between the North and South. The Civil War was not inevitable because of failures of leadership in the North and South and extremism on both sides.
The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of slavery was the core of the Civil War (Roark 493-494). The North’s growing dissent for slavery and the South’s dependence on slavery is the reason why the Civil War was an inevitable conflict. Throughout this essay we will discuss the issue of slavery, states’ rights, American expansion into western territories, economic differences and its effect on the inevitable Civil War.
In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
Many have heard about King Arthur and the legendary castle of Camelot. However, many do not know what really happened. From falling in love with Guinevere to fighting Mordred, this charming tale still intrigues people all over the world today.
Overall the need for a better based end of life care strategy is warranted globally. More of a focus should be given on care and high quality service for patients. As of now too much decision lies with the healthcare professionals and this can lead to faulty decision making because the health care providers are doing what they believe is in our best interest. In reality the patient or ourselves only have the true idea how we would like our final days to be carried out. By developing and carrying out an end of care plan we can take the decision making out of the family and doctors and place it on the patient. By all counts the need for change is apparent within the healthcare industry in regards to end of life care. By considering this unique change a great deal of improvement can be derived from this decision making process.
Within the novel, Jane Austen’s exploits of irony are shown linked throughout Emma’s notions of love and the real within her own society. Emma’s lack of education on the concepts of love is quite evident within her apathy towards Frank Churchill as her opinions are deeply rooted within her own affections, as she states, “Emma continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love. Her ideas only varied as to the how much. At first, she thought it was a good deal; and afterwards, but little. She had great pleasure in hearing Frank Churchill talked of; and for his sake, greater pleasure than ever in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weston; she was very often thinking of him. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults,” (Austen 264). Emma’s sketch of Harriet is another illustration of irony surrounded by Emma’s arrogance as it does not portray an accurate depiction of Harriet as Emma has altered ...
The Arthurian Legend, an amazing composition of multiple fantasies, love stories and battles. But what does it all lead to? Some die, but some live with complete happiness. In the legend there are too many instances of cruelty and betrayal, but we must look on the bright side, we must look at all of the great endings. In the legend there are so many instances that end in love, happiness, and a loyal relationship. Many such as Gwaine, Uther, and Arthur are great examples of the “ Happily Ever After “ of the Arthurian Legend.
In Jane Austen's Emma the eponymous heroine is "handsome, clever, and rich" but she also suffers from arrogance and self-deception. With the good judgement of Mr Knightley, and her own self scrutiny, Emma experiences a movement of psyche, from arrogance and vanity through the humiliation of self knowledge to clarity of judgement and fulfilment in marriage. The tone of the novel and the episodes where Emma is self deceived progresses from the light comedy of Mr Elton's gallantry and the eventual mortification to the sombre depression of Emma's belief that she has ruined her own chances of happiness by bringing Mr Knightley and Harriet together. Although at times the reader is able to laugh at her mistakes, as she moves slowly and uncertainly to self knowledge and maturity, the reader, like Mr Knightley, comes to take her seriously, for in the novel serious moral and social issues are dealt with, issues which directly concern her. While we may be 'put off' by her mistakes, and flights of illogical fancy, these are also the very qualities which endear her to us.
Cosmetic Surgery is a great discovery that has been around for many centuries. “The history of plastic surgery origins in the early 800 B.C. when surgeons in India restored noses to persons who had them taken off as a form of punishment.” (History of Cosmetic Surgery, 2008) Many people have used over the years cosmetic and reconstructive surgery to enhance their physical appearance weather it be for health problems associated with birth defect or problems that they have developed over the years or to even alter physical appearances for instance nose jobs and tummy tucks. There are numerous types of cosmetic surgery that can be done today in the United States, over the year’s surgeons techniques have improved dramatically. There are a number of pro’s and con’s that go along with cosmetic surgery, such as the amount of recovery time and the initial cost of surgery. Statistics also show that cosmetic surgery has grown so rapidly over the years it is phenomenal people who receive cosmetic surgery goes up by the millions every year. While there can be many related health risks due to cosmetic sugary, many times cosmetic surgery is necessary and its is made more affordable than thought to be.