The Cid Paper Each of the stories, “The Poem of the Cid”, “Ali Cogia”, and “Ying-Ying’s Story”, all have a similar foundation that helps define the story. This idea of sacrifice for prestige is prevalent in each of the stories. First of all, “The Story of Ali Cogia, Merchant of Baghdad” it illustrates the greed for money in people in order to reach a higher standing. Ali Cogia is troubled by a dream of his, this dream is scolding him and telling him to go on this pilgrimage, and he takes it as a warning. Burdened by the fact that he must sell everything in order to go on this pilgrimage, he does so anyways losing all of his valuables. Although, his intention on leaving the village were to travel to the pilgrimage site, he is instead seduced by the talk of making money and ends up following the path of money and improving his standings. Upon returning Ali Cogia and his friend, whom he had asked to watch his gold, get in to an argument, each wanting to keep the money for oneself. In the end, it is shown that these characters sacrifice something that may have been important to them at one point in order to get a little bit of wealth believing it was the better choice. Ali Cogia sacrificed his importance of the pilgrimage and damaged his friendship, while his friend got caught lying reducing his reputation as a trustworthy person and also damaged his relationship with Ali Cogia. “Ying-Ying’s Story” examples this idea of sacrifice for prestige by using the career over romance scenario. Zhang ends his relationship with his lover, in order to save himself. It is because Ying-Ying’s influence on Zhang disfigures is moralities, changing him into a lustful creature, it ultimately hinders his future. Realizing that Ying-Ying has a power ... ... middle of paper ... ...ey take his their wives, the Cid’s daughter, and bring them to a secluded place in the woods and beat them nearly to death and leave them there, but are eventually found and rescued. The Cid infuriated with what had happen required justice from the king, in which he got, infantes being guilty, resulting in the return of his honor. Ultimately you can see that the Cid made some bad choices leaving his family in danger for the sake of his career and reputation. As well as the other two stories each one of them showed a sacrificed made by characters in turn for prestige in their lives or careers. This is still very common today probably even more than it was in the past because there’s more opportunities for the lot of people, allowing them to invest more time into what they believe is more important, their careers, and sort of prioritizing everything else beneath it.
The poem portrayed the Cid as an archetypal male, who was meant to be an example. The poem informed the readers that the Cid spent three years reconquering lands from the Moors. The Cid conquered many cities from the Moors and maintained a stronghold at Valencia . At one point, the Cid’s vassal told the king that he had fought five large-scale battles in his name . The poet included long descriptions of the battles and the Cid’s heroisms in order to convince readers to follow in his footsteps. The Cid happened to not only be brave and competent conqueror, but also a loyal vassal to the king, even though he was exiled from the kingdom. On multiple occasions, the Cid sent part of his share of the winnings back to the King in order to demonstrate his loyalty. He did this so that the king knew that he maintained his loyalty even though he had been exiled . The Cid also proved his loyalty to his King when he refused to cut his beard out of love for his King . He was so loyal to his King that not even an enemies blade managed to cut a single hair his whole life.(source) The poet wanted readers to believe that if they behaved as loyally as the Cid, they could also manage surprising feats like the Cid. He had so much love and loyalty for his Lord that he never stayed in one place long if he feared the King may pass by so that he would not have to fight him . This showed readers what a true vassal behaved like, even when he had lost his lords
The aspect of greed shows itself as the heart of the many immoral acts committed by fictional characters and real people. From Adam and Eve’s betrayal to Macbeth’s collapse portrays what greed can produce as a result: destruction. Whether it destroys one’s health, it inherently portrays as a force to the path of corruption. The Pardoner, from The Canterbury Tales, defines greed’s purpose. This includes how greed pulls them to degeneration. No matter how subtle the fall, it still brings to distasteful events for the characters from The Importance of Being Earnest. Although the characters differ, their obsessions with their immoral acts decline their personalities. Thus, the authors portray the characters’ greed, as a pernicious force that drives
“Fan Jin Passes the Juren Examination” is a story written by Wu Jingxi, a failed scholar, that attempts to satirize the lofty ideals of the imperial examination. It tells the story of a fifty-year old man who has continually failed the examinations for thirty four years and has sought to pass the exams for all his life. Fan Jin exemplifies the struggle of every male in this era who has also devoted their lives in passing the examination in order to acquire an official title. This struggle is especially true for males coming from a humble background, like Fan Jin, and because the imperial examinations offer an opportunity of climbing up the steep and rigid social hierarchy of Chinese society, the mentality of bringing this glory to your family and yourself is romanticized. This glorification is with good reason too, because indeed the fruit of a scholar’s labor will taste so sweet. When Fan Jin passes the examinations, he is revered by his neighbours, villagers, and his whole family, including his father-in-law, Butcher Hu, who has always treated him with little respect. It is interesting to note that Butcher Hu changes his blunt attitude towards Fan Jin after learning that he passed. He went from treating Fan Jin like dirt to regarding him highly as “one of the stars in heaven” and hesitates to hit him unlike before. Other people around the village also show them their respect by offering him gifts. In conclusion, the story “Fan Jin Passes the Juren Examination” satirizes the struggle of pursuing scholars and the glorification of the rewards that come with passing the imperial
The two short stories show the main themes of pride, family values and media power and their effect on characters. The characters go through different kind of experiences in their contextual situations and through the process they mature and grow. In the end each author tries to convey that the different situations we all go through in life whether good or bad helps us to grow and mature as individuals and as family members. Therefore one must learn to deal with and accept the changes in one’s life.
In the three stories “The Sniper” “Ambush” “The Most Dangerous Game” they each have important evidence that can relate with the other stories. These three have context that help explain the other stories. This essay is going to be about comparing and contrasting. When the main characters have a conflict.
In the video, Grant Voth explains the main concept of Chinese literature. Unlike Greek literature, which emphasizes the importance of heroism, Chinese stories (e.g. poems) depict ordinary people and life lessons. An example of a Chinese poem is the “Boat of Cypress.” In the “Book of Cypress,” an unknown person (possibly a woman) seemed to be forced to do something she did not want to do. Based on this main idea in the story, it sets a distinctive mood throughout the story, particularly negative feelings and thoughts from the protagonist. Another Chinese story is “The Analects,” which was an assortment of ideas by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his students. This story mainly shares details concerning human relationships (which
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, aka El Cid, was a medieval knight/mercenary in Spain during the late 11th century. During his lifetime he served as vassal under Sancho, son of King Ferdinand, Alphonso VI of Castille, and during his exile he worked as a mercenary for the Moors. His military prowess and influence played a crucial role in Alphonso VI’s rule, and in one of the crusades. Although Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar may have played such an important role as a historical figure, his actions inspired a notable epic poem: The Song of El Cid. The Song of El Cid tells a romanticized story of El Cid. It omits some of the bit unpalatable to the sensibilities of the time and embellishes the aspects considered heroic. The El Cid presented in The Song of El
A pang expression took over Colet’s face. He felt a sentimental woe in the pit of his stomach that made him feel ashamed, at the very thought of executing a child: especially one that was only a few years younger than him, when he committed his first killed, using his power to protect his family. Although, he knew Marcus would have to pay for what he did and that the commanders will never believe Sara acted alone. He was still reluctant, twisted up inside with the choice he as both a Lieutenant and a Kingsman, has to make. He knew what he needed to do, but he wonders if he truly can go through with
In the first story, “Araby”, a young boy describes his love for his friend Mangan’s sister. Although he has never spoken to her, he imagines himself in a myriad of different heroic situations, all of which describe a big, romantic gesture to win her affection. This shows his great desire for something more in life. The boy promises Mangan’s sister that when he ventures to Araby, he will return with a gift for her. This first interaction between the two is a huge step for the boy, and he is eager to get to Araby.
The short story cycle is the idea that stories can be independent yet interdependent through common standards and themes. This remains the case in both the novels Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri as they connect stories such as “A Wall of Fire Rising”, “Children of the Sea”, “Mrs. Sen’s”, and “Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” through accentuation of setting and denial of loss. This idea of connectivity is present through all the stories as the individual characters face their unique challenges. For instance, in Krik? Krak! characters such as the girl and Céalinne in a “Children of the Sea” have to witness horrors imposed on their compatriots when they can do nothing to stop it and grasp onto the only constant
Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.
Throughout life there are many conflicts that people experience which effects their behavior and mind set. In the short story “The Lady with the Dog”, a married man and a married woman meet and fall passionately in love with one another and are forced to choose between their families or what they feel for each other. There is also much conflict in the short story “Barn Burning” which is about a little boy whose father commits terrible acts, although the little boy knows these are wrong and despises them. “A Rose for Emily”, the third story, is about a woman who has many conflicts in her life and will take any action necessary to get and keep what she wants. The characters in the stories experience conflicts that people in the real world also face in everyday life.
Narration and point of view have a large impact on any piece of literature. The way a story is narrated can change the way a reader perceives a story. The short stories “Araby” and “Cathedral” are narrated with different styles. The way these stories are narrated provides guidance for the reader to interpret the meaning of the story.
The tale is of the events of history, the events which might not be known to many, the events which are described so as to draw a clear picture of the happenings within the minds of the reader. The tale is significant in nature and looks into the description of various historical events as if they had happened only recently. This indulges the reader more and more into the reading of the tale and learning about the happenings within the lives of the people during historical times.
At first, the anticipation of riches and fame propel Jing-Mei into cooperating with her mother, persuading Jing-Mei in the belief she can attain perfection. She imagines herself in several wonderful images, each colorful and immensely sati...