The Stark family controls the North, a large region of Westeros, together they are connected in integrity and history. I want to explore the similarities between the two by examining the history of the Starks as well as the history of the North. Moreover, I will analyze what influenced George R.R. Martin to generate the North and the atmosphere along with it. The climate, population, and culture of the North is unparalleled to any other realm for a reason. Throughout this essay, I will demonstrate the relationship that is bounded by the North and the Starks by examining the similarities including their paralleled histories, grave personalities.
The House Stark of Winterfell rules over the North. The family is known for the values of tradition, honor, and ritual. Honor is one of the most known qualities of the Starks as Lord Varys says to Ned, “‘You are an honest and honorable man, Lord Eddard. Offtimes I forget that. I have met so few of them in my life.’ He glanced around the cell. ‘When I see what honesty and honor have won you, I understand why’” (529). Ned has his sense of duty ingrained into his character. In the first episode of season one Ned is instantly proved as a standup character when he is teaching his son Bran a lesson, “The
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man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.” This is a perfect example of the type of leader he is. Each House has a sigil and the Stark’s is a grey direwolf on a white field. The direwolves are representative of loyalty, each Stark child and their direwolf have an unbreakable bond. House Stark’s family motto is “Winter is Coming.” Which implies that they are not self-centered and that there are bigger issues to focus on instead of themselves. The direwolf and the phrase that is repeated throughout the family is paramount to the storyline. The region of Westeros labeled as the North is the largest region of the Seven Kingdoms. King Robert Baratheon reminds Lord Ned Stark of the magnitude of the North, “In the south, the way they talk about my Seven Kingdoms, a man forgets that your part is as big as the other six combined.” (33). It has been under the power of the Starks for thousands of years and they have ruled from the Iron Throne located in a castle called Winterfell. The North is sporadically populated due to the harsh winters and cold summers. The North is known for the long and brutal winters and thus, there are thousands of people killed from famine caused by the failure to raise crops during the extended winters.
Eddard Stark describes the North to King Robert by saying, “’They saw it grows so cold up here in winter that a man’s laughter freezes in his throat and chokes him to death,’ Ned said evenly. ’Perhaps that is why the Starks have so little humor’” (39). George R.R. Martin seems to be influenced by Medieval Europe because there are similarities to Westeros. The North appears to resemble Russia as well as Slavic Eastern Europe. There are similarities between the two including the vastness of the two regions along with the dispersed
population. Furthermore, the Soviet Union is essentially impossible to conquer, refer to Germany and Napoleon. St. Petersburg in Russia holds the highest population as well as power. Meanwhile in Westeros, White Harbor also holds the highest population in addition to power. Winterfell is identical to Moscow in the sense of isolation in a frozen and vast region. The religion of the North is also comparable as the northerners refuse to part with the old gods and convert to new gods, while the Slavs practiced polytheistic religions and refused to convert to Christianity. House Stark resembles Russia while the Lannister’s most closely mirror the United States of America. The Lannister family and the U.S. are prevailing superpowers, wealthiest, has command over powerful armies, and hated by various countries. Tyrion Lannister is the best example of receiving hatred when he explains his behavior to Jon Snow, “Generations of capering fools in motley have won me the right to dress badly and say any damn thing that comes into my head” (47). Tyrion’s attitude illustrates the entire Lannister family’s image. The commanders of the North (Russia) opposed the Lannister family (U.S.A.) and constructed their alliances. Both the North and the Lannisters were allies with the Baratheons. Prior to the Cold War, Russia and the United States were allied with the United Kingdom in World War I and World War II. The Baratheons in A Song of Ice and Fire are parallel to the United Kingdom and the country’s position in history. House Baratheon and the UK are encompassed of subsections that all disagree with each other. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are in competition with each other which is identical to the rivalry of the Baratheon brothers’. The people that live in the North are descended from the First Men, the people that first set foot on the continent, people from other regions call northerners “wolves” and “frosted”. Due to the incessant cold, the Northmen live a different lifestyle than people from other kingdoms. For example, Northmen prefer to fight and hunt while other kingdoms give priority to culture and rituals. One of the sacred customs practiced among the North is the guest right, the law of hospitality. If a guest eats the food and drinks the beverage provided by the host under the host’s roof, the host and guest cannot harm each other. This is an example of loyalty practiced by the people. The people from the North still follow the old gods and refuse new religions. Their loyalty is expressed in different facets such as hospitality laws, religion, and allegiance to their ruler. The Starks have protected the people of the North for a long time and the northerners repay the Starks with their devotion. The aspects of the Stark family; the direwolves, values, and family motto are analogous to the elements of the North including the people, loyalty, and the influence of the grave climate. These similarities between both the Starks and the North are crucial to the plot because the differences between them and Southern regions are so contrasting it shows why they want to break apart from the Seven Kingdoms later in the series.
In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag is a firefighter who burns illegal owned books, but later on begins to question his profession and an in turn, his life causing him to question the government's actions. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, and how her life changes when her little sister is reaped into the games, but she volunteers for her and unknowingly rebels against the government. Even though Katniss and Montag both defy their governments in different ways, they both have a negative view on the higher power.
In Edward Ayers’ book, In The Presence of Mine Enemies, he argues how rather than being vastly different, the North and South, from 1859-1863, were actually more similar than different. Though he focuses mainly on how the two were similar, he also includes differences between the North and South as well. Ayers effectively argues his point through the use of primary sources from The Valley of the Shadow archives.
Clovis the King of the Franks was a king from the 9th century who laid the foundation of England; a 12th century Southampton merchant who sold agricultural products, wine from France, wool and a variety of goods sought by the wealthy; the serf, a mere peasant bound to work and serve the manor ruled by the lord. These three different individuals when compared to each other so different being from different levels of this middle-age social and economic ladder yet “are related to their communities and the larger society”. (Blair Nelson from the syllabus for assignment Essay Exam 1).
During the medieval warm period the spread of the Norse occurred. The Norse raided, traded, ventured from Scandinavia across the North Sea into France along with the Low Countries. The Norse was known as peaceful traders who kept their knowledge close on a personal level. They kept their knowledge from generations to generations. Their knowledge was always in constant use. “Nose navigators lived in intimate association with winds and waves, watching sea and sky, sighting high glaciers from afar by the characteristics ice-blink that reflects from them, predicting ice conditions from years of experience navigating near the pack” (Fagan, 5). The climate
In most stories we enjoy, may it be from childhood or something more recent there is many times a theme that shows a clear hero and a clear villain. But ordinarily this is not the case in real life, there are few times that this is quite that simple. There are many sides to each story, and sometimes people turn a blind eye to, or ignore the opposing side’s argument. But if we look at both sides of a situation in the stories we can more clearly understand what is going on, moreover the villains in the book or play would seem more real, instead of a horrible person being evil for no reason, these two people have their own agenda may it be a ruthless vengeance or misplaced trust.
A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester is not only informative of the conflicts that occurred in Europe, but it is humorous and includes perspectives and anecdotes that are not viewed as impartial. It is structured into three separate sections: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering and One Man Alone.
First of all, the North was more of an industrialized economy. The North was well known for their rapid growing cities and industrialization. It consisted of large factories where many people and immigrants from Europe worked. As the cities started to grow rapidly
In Fahrenheit 451 and Lord of the Flies, the characters are alike in some ways. In Fahrenheit 451 the characters are Montag, Faber, Clarisse, and Beatty. In Lord of the Flies the characters are Ralph, Piggy, Simon and Jack. Jack and Beatty, Ralph and Montag, Simon and Clarisse, and Piggy and Faber all have some similarities. Jack and beatty both want to take control over everyone and sells fear. Ralph and Montag want to move on and find a better plan to make everything work. Simon and Clarisse are Christ-figures. Piggy and Faber are very intellectual and are wise men. The books may contain different story lines but have very similar types of characters.
Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, life in modern America continues to bear resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon world. Although it may take time and some loss of pride to admit it, since characteristics of human nature have stayed the same, from work place to personal relationships, the similarities between the two worlds are uncanny.
A rift between the north and the south had been present since the late eighteenth centaury. It began with the industrial revolution, which saw the northern states prosper. The north changed industries from fa...
Spark notes, (2011). The North and South Diverge. Retrieved on October 12, 2011 from http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/history/chapter9section3.rhtml
Beowulf is one of the oldest heroic poems that still exists. Likewise, it has been a theory for many that this poem has inspired authors and screenwriters alike in the creative process of fictional heroes for shows, movies, games, and books. Nonetheless, Beowulf 's trait of a modern-day superhero can be evaluated in almost every type of fictional hero that exists. For example, Beowulf is brave, even willing to die for the greater good, he is abnormally stronger than most humans which in a way makes him superior, and he is somewhat of a natural leader that everyone seems to admire. When comparing this character to other fictional characters, one that particular fits these same characteristics, and that person is Jon Snow. He plays cast in the popular television show, Game of Thrones. Jon Snow shares three fundamental characteristics of Beowulf such as, self-sacrificing for the common good, strength and abilities that are not seen in typical humans, and having natural leadership skills
The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.
In spite of the weaknesses, Ivanhoe and King Richard demonstrate true chivalric characteristics. They exemplify integrity, loyalty to the king, a love for adventure and bravery. Through this book, the reader learns the meaning of moral guidelines due to the examples set by King Richard and Ivanhoe. These examples challenge us to search for our own moral guidelines. Without these, we have nothing to strive for.
Eddard Stark is an honorable man, and he shows as much in the novel A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. However, there is one person in the novel that contradicts this. It is his bastard son Jon Snow. Jon Snow is a child born in the south out of wedlock, and this is very unusual because at the time, he was to be married to Catelyn Tully. Multiple times in the novel, this blight is discussed by everyone but nothing concrete is offered up about it. We are given no explanation as to why he has relations with this mysterious southern woman. Robert Baratheon, who is Eddard’s old friend, even says,”She must have been a rare wench if she could make Lord Eddard Stark forget his honor, even for an hour.”(pg.33) This leads one to believe that this woman was very special in some way. Eddard never goes into detail about Jon’s mother.