Similarities Between England And Araluen

The book series “Rangers Apprentice” by John Flannagen is about the fictional country Araluen and a key part of the country, the Rangers*. England, an island country of Europe, has many sources about it, but the one sourced in this essay comes from the “BBC”, it is written by Professor Tom James. The “BBC” source is about England during its middle ages. This essay compares and contrasts England and Araluen. While the two sources are about the same topic, they have different conflicts, settings, and characterization. There are many differences about these two countries, one of the similarities is the conflicts they fought.

The two countries England and Araluen have similar conflicts, however the manner in which the conflict is fought in is

different. Araluen, at the time, was at war with a country called Picta. Picta has many of the same customs and traditions as Scotland, which fought with for centuries. While England and Scotland had many frequent major battles which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, Araluen rarely had conflicts with Picta and when they occurred it was only minor skirmishes, not major battles. This is because of a castle named Macindaw which has a garrison of troops that guarded the only major pass between the two countries ergo the neigh conflicts between the two countries. This type of protection did not exist between England and Scotland.

A similarity shared between England and Araluen is they were both at war with the Vikings, or what the Araluens called Skandiens.

When the Vikings attacked England they came in small raiding parties because a large raiding force would have a hard time crossing the ocean. Skandians also land in small raiding parties, attacking one city at a time. One exception to this occurred in book 2, The Burning Bridge. During this installment in the series, the Skandians assembled a large army of troops to attack Araluen because the Skandians were bankrolled by an evil warlord named Morgarath. This motivated Araluen sign treaty with the Skandians to prevent major conflict. England never employed such a diplomatic move with the

Vikings.

England and Araluen have similar settings, but not identical. In books one and two of the “Rangers Apprentice” book series, there is an evil warlord named Morgarath. He was driven out of the kingdom for fifteen years, banished to a plateau called Morgarath’s plateau. This plateau in the books is a crucial detail, because it provides Morgarath a place to amass his army and stay safe from Araluen. In the real country, England, no such plateau exists, especially not one of the massive size that is detailed in the books.

Another difference in the sources is the way the authors present the settings. In the fictional source, John Flannagen spends time detailing and creating a vivid image of the setting in the reader’s mind. On the other hand, in the non fiction source, Tom James spends little time detailing the setting and focuses more on detailing the facts of England during its middle ages. These differences are caused by the type of paper being written. The non fiction paper is an informational source so the author spent more time on the information then setting. The Fictional book series is an entertainment source that creates an image in the reader’s head, ergo the author has to spend more time detailing the setting. A good example of this is when Flannagen describes part of the setting as “a jugged rumble of rough granite cliffs, tumbled boulders, and icy mountains.

The two sources I am comparing in this paper have comparable characters, however the personality of the characters is different. The two characters in reference are King Duncan of Araluen and King Henry II of England. In the middle ages, during the 12th century, England was ruled by a man named King Henry II. His energy was overwhelming and “his anger legendary”. When he was seen, he was usually on a saddle or with a hawk on his arm. All he wore was stodgy hunting clothes. He cared for loyalty above all and had fits for those he deemed traitors. On occasion he was found frothing at the mouth while screaming in rage, and all the straw bits on the floor had been chewed. Of course, this King Henry was frightening. Although he understood honest opposition and dealt with it reasonably.

On the other hand King Duncan of Araluen was “a fair and just leader”.

On one occasion Halt a Ranger* , purposely committed treason directed towards the King. He did this so he could be banished from the land, relieved from his Ranger duties, and save his apprentice Will. During the trial, he was banished from the land for one year. The typical sentence for treason was a lifetime banishment, but King Duncan had found a technicality in the law for his advisor, and friend, Halt. In addition, there is another occasion he was kind. He invited Will (a Ranger that Duncan’s daughter liked), to the Royal Scouts, so his daughter Cassandra could be closer to

Will.

Through these three points, this essay has proven that Araluen and England are similar yet different. They fought similar conflicts, but the manner the conflict was fought in was different. The overall shape of the countries is similar, but there are some key differences. One difference is the way the author presents the setting. Another similarity between the countries is they are both ruled by kings, but the kings personalities are different. England and Araluen, while not being completely similar or completely different, meet in sort of a middle place.