The common themes often presented in tales of the Medieval times still make appearances in the films and literature that are popular among our society today. The book The Kindness of Strangers, written by Katrina Kittle, and the movie King Kong, directed by Peter Jackson, are two examples that portray many known characteristics of the times of King Arthur, such as honor, chivalry, loyalty, and bravery.
The legend of King Arthur revolves around the Knights Code of Chivalry. Although there was not an official Code of Chivalry, there were a multitude of well-known ideals that all knights were to represent. It was a system of morals that introduced certain qualities idealized outside of battle – qualities such as bravery, courtesy, loyalty, honor, honesty, gallantry toward women, valor, truth, and justice (“Knights Code of Chivalry”). These traits were depicted in the Code through the following examples, which include to protect the weak and defenseless, to live by honor and for glory, to fight for the welfare of all, to eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit, to keep faith, and to respect the honor of women (“Knights Code of Chivalry”). The examples given are ever-present in the literary work The Kindness of Strangers and the film King Kong.
The Kindness of Strangers is a riveting tale of the struggle a ten-year-old boy faces and how the bravery of one family alters the rest of his life. Jordan Kendrick is considered an “odd” child with no friends, but exceptional grades. His parents, Mark and Courtney, are a respected and well liked couple in the community, so it is diffcult to believe when Jordan tries to commit suicide and his parents are wanted for hosting a ring of child pornography and incest. Courtney’s best friend...
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.... Ann also tried to protect Kong by showing that he really was not the monster that he looked to be.
The Kindness of Strangers and King Kong, although very different, both represent the morals and qualities idealized by the Knights Code of Chivalry, such as honor, loyalty, chivalry, and bravery. These works reflect Medieval ideas into this modern society to show that these themes are just important then as they are today.
Works Cited
King Kong. Dir. Peter Jackson. DVD. Universal Studios, 2005.
Kittle, Katrina. The Kindness of Strangers. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
Knights Code of Chivalry. 23 May 2010 .
Lofton, Marie Hashima. The Kindness of Strangers Review. 20 May 2010 .
“Synopsis.” King Kong 2005. 23 May 2010 .
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During the Anglo-Saxon period and Medieval Ages, cultural influences, including religion and social status, affected the characteristics of a hero. During these two time periods, characteristics between heroes shared similarities and some differences. Beowulf and the main characters of The Lord of the Rings were the upmost example of what a hero should be. All heroes are expected to have strength, glory, and wisdom. Chivalry and responsibility were also inspirational traits. Heroes are expected to be physically and mentally resilient. Each of these traits reflects the elements of a heroic tale. All heroic tales involved the elements of weaponry and treasure. All heroes are also required to go on an adventure or more in order to defeat a monster or monsters. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the heroic epic of Beowulf, translated by Clarence Griffin Child, continue to follow similar guidelines, events, and share similar characteristics despite their different time periods and influential cultures. However, they also demonstrate some dissimilarity that reflects the contrast among other heroes.
In today’s society the differences in morals between the rich and the poorer classes are virtually non-existent, but during Medieval times “morals and, above all, the virtues at its center, played an important role not only for distinguishing between good and bad, but, more importantly, even for the structuring of society” (Virtus 1). The aristocracy class and the immoral poor class had morals but how they demonstrated them varied; the aristocratic class used chivalry as the basis of their morals, while the immoral poor class did not. Chivalry was not only a code of conduct for those who followed it; chivalry was a way of life. ‘Chivalry first arose in Europe during the Crusades. Chivalry dealt with loyalty honor, and service to women on and off the battle field’ (“The Medieval Period: 1066-1485” 76). The Knight in The Canterbury Tales is the perfect example of someone who follows the code of chivalry. Chaucer describes him with much admiration as “a most distinguishable man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honor generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer, "The Prologue." 117). While Chaucer praises the knight for ...
In everybody's life, there is something that makes him or her strive for success. That something can be money, a significant other, fame or many other incentives. To the medieval knights, victory renown and glory are the ambitions they strive for. Breaking a law in this code would be considered a disgrace, and would bring a dishonor worse than death itself. However, by applying the Code of Chivalry, the knights in medieval time displayed certain character traits that would secure success and honor in both battle and morality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity and loyalty to the king, to name just a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all times in spite of Sir Scott's excessive detail and confusing subplot.
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