The Exeter Book
The Exeter Book is the largest existing collection of Old English poetry. The manuscript was given to the library of Exeter Cathedral by its first bishop, Leofric, at the end of the tenth century. The book consists of 131 parchment leaves which measure approximately 12.5 by 8.6 inches. The most famous works contained in the Exeter Book include “The Wanderer,” “The Wife’s Lament,” “The Seafarer,” and “Wulf and Eadwacer.” In addition to the 31 major poems, 96 riddles are also included in the collection. The manuscript was likely copied by a single scribe in 975, though “The Wanderer” is though to date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes’ conversion to Christianity in the sixth century. “The Wife’s Lament” may have pre-dated “The Wanderer” because “it offers none of the typical Christian consolation for her despair and appears to reflect a pre-conversion, pagan attitude towards ones’ fate” (The Exeter Book). Both poems are invaluable resources in their depiction of the precepts and roles of men and women in Anglo-Saxon society.
“The Wanderer” is an elegy, or a lament for the dead and the glories of the past. The narrator of the poem has lost his kin in battle and is wandering alone and contemplating the temporal nature of life. It is clear that the narrator respects the comitatus, the bond of loyalty between a lord and his warriors, as is illustrated when he recalls “embracing and kissing his liege lord and laying his hands and his head on his knee” (Wanderer 101). The stoic attitude of the narrator is reflective of the Anglo-Saxon culture in which men were supposed to be brave and unemotional. Despite this convention, the narrator’s sorrow is strongly conveyed in the Ubi Sunt (‘Where are they?’) passage when he asks, “Where has the horse gone? Where the young warrior? Where is the giver of the treasure?” (Wanderer 101). The narrator’s lament also displays the permeating cultural belief that everything in life is predetermined by fate. This is seen when the narrator envisions the end of the world in everlasting winter when “all the earth’s kingdom is wretched [and] the world beneath the skies is changed by the work of the fates” (Wanderer 102). The poem ends with a strong reference to Christianity in the lines, “It will be well with him who seeks favor, comfort from the Father in heaven, where for us all stability resides” (Wanderer 102).
Sargent, Michael G. “Mystical Writings and Dramatic Texts in Late Medieval England.” Religion & Literature , Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer, 2005), pp. 77-98
In the text the narrator is celebrating the brotherhood of his fallen comrades and the enjoyment he felt when they were all gathered in the great rooms of the palaces of their Kings. This ideology is a celebration of the Germanic culture and gives great insight to the reader of a period of time that is lost to history. The narrator is living in the glory of a culture that has passed him by and he is yearning for it. Particularly in the “Lament of the Last Survivor” (Beowulf 2242-2270) the narrator is questioning what remains for him since all that he has known and loved is now gone: “I am left with nobody to bear a sword”(2252). This is an example of Ubi sunt verse; the narrator is reflecting and floundering in his grief of all that he has lost. He is not complaining about the loss of acquaintances that did things for him or kept him entertained. These men were a part of the core of his self and identity. They held a bond that would take them through life and battles. When they were taken from him, a piece of his soul was ripped from the flesh of his heart and he was made to wonder what would become of his life now that he was missing such an intricate part of his existence. The lament “pillage and slaughter have emptied the earth of entire people’s” (2265) represents the emptiness he feels and while the definition of Ubi sunt is not explicit, it is assumed by the longing and desire felt by the
In a world of overpopulation and crowds the idea of solitude is foreign. Many people take “retreats” or trips to escape and find peace with themselves. However, these same people usually return to civilization and to familiar faces. The Wanderer in the lyric poem does not have this luxury; he is alone and will never see his kinsmen’s faces again. It is not just seeing these friends, however, that pains the Wanderer the most: “There is now none among the living to whom I dare clearly express the thought of my heart.” Being able to...
Inwardness is also the key to the structure of the novel. The book begins in the year 1801, on the very rim of the tale, long after the principal incidents of the story have taken place. Mr. Lockwood, our guide, is very far removed from the central experiences of the narrative. Under Lockwood’s sadly unperceptive direction, the reader slowly begins to understand what is happening at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Gradually we move toward the center of the novel. In a few chapters, Nelly Dean, takes over from Lockwood, and the reader is a little closer to the truth. Still Nelly is herself unperceptive and the reader must struggle hard till reaching the center of the novel; the passionate last meeting of Heathcliff and Cathy in Chapter 15.
In comparison, Catherine has not only grown up with Heathcliff, allowing her access to a myriad of interactions which Brontë’s audience wasn’t previously privy to, but she has developed her understanding of societal norms alongside him. Thus, the unabashed sympathy Cathy initially feels for her “poor Heathcliff” provides a new narrative altogether—a narrative that focuses on the individual, closely following Heathcliff’s transmogrification from a “starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb [child] in the streets of Liverpool” to a man who Lockwood interprets as filled with cruelty and “savage vehemence” (22, 37, 27). In addition, Catherine’s possible retelling of Wuthering Heights through her diaries eventually allows for Heathcliff’s cruelty to be put into conversation with his upbringing as a non-white subject in a wholly white
from lines 13 to 15 “I leave him under the leaves and drive on, thinking about death: its suddenness, its terrible weight, its certain coming.”(687)...
Contradicting to an even further extent, the attitude of the work, the final stanza seems to ridicule the previous: "Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh; / The worlds revolve like ancient women / Gathering fuel in vacant lots," (CPP, 13). Concerning itself with the world as a whole, the lines utilize a simile to characterize the inevitable persistence of meaningless action, action that sustains persistence, inturn sustaining a spiritually defunct society.
Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles,
Assessment is the term counselors use for the evaluation methods counselors use to better understand the characteristics of people, places, and things. The purpose of assessment in counseling is to help better understand and provide information for both the counselor and client so the counselor can better help the client and plan and evaluate programs (Hays, 2013, p. 6). “In addition, it can be therapeutic and can help clients understand both their past and present attitudes and actions as well as their plans for the future. Thus, assessments serve a diagnostic use, help to evaluate client progress, and are useful to improve or promote client awareness, knowledge, and skills” (Hays, 2013, p. 6). An assessment should be part of the
When people think of a nurse they normally come to the conclusion that most nurses are women. I would have thought the same, due to the qualities I have mentioned. I would like to research why men are entering the nursing profession. I feel that a male would join the profession because of the hours a nurse works. Men who like to fish and hunt can work as a nurse three days a week full time and have four days to enjoy leisure activities. The nursing profession is drawing more men into the field and usually thought for the same reasons as women. By a series of an observation, a survey, an interview, and a personal history, I will prove that men join the nursing profession because of money.
Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature due to the fact that it is the oldest surviving epic poem of Old English and also the earliest vernacular English literature. Tragedy and epic have been much discussed as separate genres, but critics have not hesitated to designate certain characters and events in epics as tragic. For the most part, they have assumed or asserted an identity between epic and dramatic tragedy. Even in The Odyssey, Penelope and Telemachus suffer enough to rouse their deep passions and to force them like the tragic sufferer to consider their own predicaments in the world they live in. C.L. Wrenn wrote on Beowulf, “A Germanic hero is a tragic hero, who shows his highest greatness not alone in winning glory by victory, but rather by finding his supremely noble qualities especially in the moment of death in battle” (Wrenn 91). Beowulfs hubris, the representation of wealth as a profiling characteristic for the villages, and Beowulf’s ability to find his might in his moment of “death,” all show the very nature of the poem which defines it as not only an epic poem, but also a tragic one.
The complicated nature surrounding Heathcliff’s motives again adds an additional degree of ambiguity to his character. This motivation is primarily driven by Catherine’s marriage to Edgar and past rejection of Heathcliff, since he was a servant whom Hindley disapproved of. Prior to storming out of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff overhears Catherine say, “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now…” (Brontë 87). The obstacles that ultimately prevent Heathcliff from marrying Catherine provide insight into Heathcliff’s desire to bring harm to Edgar and Hindley. The two men play prominent roles in the debacle, Edgar as the new husband and Hindley as the head figure who refused Heathcliff access to Catherine. Following this incident, Catherine says, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same…” (Brontë 87). Catherine’s sentiment indicates she truly would rather be with Heathcliff, but the actions of others have influenced her monumental decision to marry Edgar. Furthermore, Heathcliff is motivated to not only ruin Edgar’s livelihood, but also gain ownership of his estate, Thrushcross Grange. This becomes clear when Heathcliff attempts to use Isabella
Image and profession go hand in hand. Image plays a very important yet controversial role in the nursing profession. The image of nursing is often inaccurate and falls short of the fair and correct portrayal of what the role of nursing truly is (Summers, 2010). With an inaccurate portrayal of what nursing really is comes the challenges of the profession. Popular stereotypes in nursing coming from both the past and today media and expectations take away the true meaning and role of the modern profession. Some common stereotypes include but are not limited to: unskilled, a way to marriage, and a physician’s helpmate. These stereotypes lead to many problems within the nursing profession including poor working conditions, insufficient support
Furthermore, the lack of male teachers and male role models in nursing education programs enhance the discrimination issues. In the absence of male teachers, male students remain exposed to a female dominated teaching faculty, in addition to feminine orientated interpretations of the nursing profession (Mohamed, Mohamed, 2015). It was perceive male and female student’s encounter different learning experiences, however this was based on the sexist fact men lack maternal instinct. Also observed in practical classroom settings teachers generally selected males for gender role-play activities and rarely selected males for the nurse role. Evidently, nurse educators frequently refer to a nurse in a female context during teaching situations, furthermore nursing textbooks project a strong feminine tone. The exclusion of male nursing students from certain practical and clinical training programs can negativity impact a students future career decisions (Kouta, Kaite, 2011). Improvements to teacher training and the updating of nursing resources, acknowledging nurses of both gender, can facilitate positive male student nurse outcomes to future career pathways (Mohamed, Mohamed,
Beowulf displays vulnerability and regret during his dying moments, allowing the reader to form connections to him. The forces between pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the conclusion, which clarifies which aspects of Christian beliefs Beowulf has adapted throughout the poem and which pagan beliefs he still holds on to, leaving the reader more satisfied. Furthermore, the ending includes some uncertainty which enables the reader to create their own hypothesis after the poem’s final pages. By using these techniques to create a meaningful ending, the Beowulf poet has produced an epic that has survived thousands of years through oral retellings and printed texts which continue to be read, studied, and translated making Beowulf accessible to an even larger