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Literary devices in sir Gawain
Literary devices in sir Gawain
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – The Hunting Scenes
Often when a story or lesson is to be relayed, the teller will describe the story or lesson by using an example that parallels the lesson. This can be an effective method of portraying a story. in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hunting scenes of Bertilak parallel the tests given to Gawain during his stay at Hautdesert Castle.
Bertilak's first hunting scene was of a deer hunt. Bertilak knew when he first started his hunt that he would have to use similar skills against this animal of great speed and nimbleness. Bertilak knew he would have to display patience and stealth to hunt this animal- Back at the castle, Gawain also had to use similar skills to resist Bertilak's wife's advances. When first approached by Bertilak's wife, Gawain reacted by lying still as if he were asleep, and then using his alertness and stealth to evade Bertilak's wife's temptations. This was portrayed when the author writes, "Lay hidden till the light of day gleamed on the walls,/Covered with fair canopy/" (1181-1182). Sir Gawain evaded Bertilak's wife's advances using skills of patience and stealth, which paralleled the skills that would similarly be used when hunting deer.
Bertilak then hunts a viscous boar- In this hunt, people and animals were severely injured. Different from hunting a deer, Bertilak must use different skills to hunt the boar. Similarly, Gawain must use a different approach when he is again visited by the lady. Like the boar, the lady's approach to Gawain is more forward. Both Bertilak and Gawain must each use strength, aggressiveness and stamina in their battles. Sir Gawain shows this strength when he says, 'Tor I dared not do that lest I be denied./ If I were forward and refused, the fault would be mine./" (1494-1495).
In the third and final hunting scene, Bertilak hunts a cunning fox. In this instance, the hunter must use his own wit to outsmart the fox. Bertilak knows this. He uses his intelligence and quick wit to outsmart the fox. Sir Gawain also experienced a cunning test. Gawain used his sly wit against the lady's third visit by cunningly resisting her offers because of his vows and the fact that he is a guest in Bertilak's home. Sir Gawain resists the lady's advances, as well as her offer of an expensive gift, The lady then offered Sir Gawain a green sash.
With this submission Lady Bertilak establishes herself as a catalyst in the story as she pushes the protagonist into a new and uncomfortable situation that challenges his original allegiance to Christianity and courtly love. Her submission to Gawain appears genuine as the protagonist is initially unaware that Lady Bertilak’s as she is stubborn with her flirtatious behavior. Also because the Green Knight is absent from the castle during the encounter, Gawain is deceived to infer that his actions with the lady will lack tangible repercussions. With a false sense of security and genuity in his relationship with Lady Bertilak, Gawain is tempted to stray from his moral obligations. Considering the lady’s passion and forethought seducing Gawain, it is obvious that the host’s wife possesses a desire to defeat Gawain’s allegiance to the Arthurian code. Because Gawain is supposed to be a representation of perfect character, her ability to spur the knight to violate chastity proves human vulnerability to temptation. In this way Gawain’s fall
The poet begins his work by reminding us that the history of Britain is both ancient and glorious; Aeneas, whose deeds in the Trojan War are legendary, whose exploits in war are recorded in Virgil's Aeneid, and who is legendary for having founded the city of Rome after the Trojan War, was the ancestor of a man named Felix Brutus who founded Britain ("Britain" comes from "Brutus"). The most noble of the kings that followed Brutus was Arthur; the poet says that he intends to tell one of the wondrous tales of Arthur.
Lady Bertilak enters into his room as he is changing and she attempt to seduce him. Not only does this test his courtly love and respect for woman, but also loyalty to the chivalric code in a whole. He is frightened first, but then approaches her with more confidence. He eventually says that he cannot do much of anything with her, "So good a knight as Gawain as rightly reputed, in whom courtesy is so completely embodied, could not easily have spent so much time with a lady without begging a kiss, to comply with politeness, by some hint or suggestion at the end of a remark" (1296 - 1301). Gawain would be breaking the chivalric code of courtesy, showing his change in loyalty. After their talk, she presents him with a green scarf and says that it embodies powers and could save him. This is where Gawain’s perception on his life is truly changed. He accepts the article of clothing, and wears it. She states that it will protect him, and he wishes to accept that it will change his fate. The scarf of “gay green silk, with gold overwrought” (1833) would give him fortune in his conflict with the Green Knight, but he would not remain loyal and honest to the chivalric code. His new personality of greed was broken as the girdle was hit through with the axe at the last swing. His dishonesty did not allow him to win, and he will eventually wear the girdle as a sign of sin. Due
Gawain is a gentleman, who would never kiss and tell, so the two reaffirm their pact for the next day. The lord’s determination in “pursuing the wild swine till the sunlight slanted” is paralleled by his wife’s determination in seducing Gawain as “she was at him with all her art to turn his mind her way” (188). Lady Bercilak attempts to exploit Gawain’s reputation as she tries to seduce him. She greets him in the bedroom and coyly asks how “a man so well-meaning, and mannerly disposed.cannot act in company as courtesy bids” (189). Lady Bercilak is not subtle (she points out that the door is locked and the two are alone in the castle) as she offers herself to Gawain, saying, “I am yours to command, to kiss when you please” (189).
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read.
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan. His only formal education was through fifth grade at the local schoolhouse, where he took an early interest in tinkering with steam engines. He left his family farm for Detroit at sixteen and became a mechanist apprentice. In 1888 he married Detroit local Clara Ala Bryant, and they had a child named Edsel. Ford briefly returned to farming to support his family. In 1891, Ford returned to Detroit and was hired as an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company. Several years later, he handcrafted one of his first cars, the Ford Quadricycle. He left his job at the Edison Company to briefly serve as superintendent at his first car company, Detroit Automobile
The lord planned to go hunting and invited Sir Gawain to eschange what he recieved in the castle for what the Lord recieved in the woods. For the first two days, the Lord gave Sir gawain venision, bear and a goose. And for every day, Sir Gawain recieved kisses from the Lady, so in return he must kiss the Lord. But on the third day, Sir Gawainj recieved three kisses and a green silk gridle. This gridle was magical according to the Lady. She said ""My knight, you must face many foes. This is a magic girdle; it has the power to protect whoever wears it against any weapon." Sir Gawains desire to live was overpowering so he accepted the gift. He failed to give the Lord this gift, but instead he gave him three kisses. Days passed and eventually Sir Gawain had to face the Green Knight. As scared as Sir Gawain was, he was determined to commit to his word so he allowed the Green Knight to swing his axe with the intent to decapitate him. Oddly enough, the Knight swung his axe three times and only cut Sir Gawains neck slightly.
Henry Ford was born on July 30 in 1863 in Greenfield Township, Michigan he was one of the first American industrialists and wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Back then, before 1908 automobiles were expensive that only rich people could afford. Henry Ford wanted to change this and wanted everyone to have a vehicle to drive. He was able to accomplish this by the assembly line, in which it created more cars in less time. The first car Henry Ford made was the Model T created on the assembly line. Ford’s innovation in manufacturing created less expensive cars and higher wage jobs.
In the final hunt the party chases and slays a fox. A fox, as one knows, is a cunning and tactical animal that will try to outwit his predator. In this case the temptation parallels the hunt in that Gawain must use his
Sir Gawain has played a significant role in Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages. His first major appearance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts Gawain as a warrior rather than a womanizing knight like others from King Arthur's court. Even in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain focuses on his battle with the green knight rather than the advances of Bercilak's wife. During Gawain's visit to Bercilak's castle, his wife makes three specific advances to entice Gawain into an adulteress relationship. Although Gawain faces certain death with the Green Knight, he declines any sexual involvement with Bercilak's wife. Gawain's character remains faithful to his warrior image by rushing into battle with the green knight rather than prolonging his stay at Bercilak's castle.
Tragic and hero may not be words that easily reveal a relationship, but throughout literature the two have been linked to create an enthralling read. The emergence of the tragic hero seemed to take shape in ancient Greece where such works as Oedipus and Antigone were popular among all classes of people. Aristotle defined a tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Though Greece may be credited with the creation of tragic heroes, the theme is seen in literary works across many different cultures, including England. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such English work where the development of the main character, Gawain, follows the pattern of the classical tragic hero. In this paper, we will explore the characteristics of the tragic hero and show how these traits are demonstrated in Gawain.
The next day's hunt is for a wild boar. The fierce animal is symbolic of Gawain's reactions to the increasing advances from Bercilak's wife. The boar is fierce and much more difficult to catch and kill, just as Gawain is steady in his resistance to temptation. Bercilak is aware that Gawain is resistant to all temptation at this point. Gawain is true to his reputation of a chivalrous, worthy knight.
On the first day Bercilak gives chase to the noble deer. The deer is characterized as being shy and elusive. A creature that would rather flee to safety then to try and fight its pursuers for its life. This parallels to the Lady and her first attempt to try and seduce Gawain. Gawain is given the qualities of the deer in her first attempt. For Gawain acts shy and looks for a way to stay true to his values and at the same...
Gawain’s acceptance of Lady Bertilak’s girdle causes him to progressively lose himself internally in order to save his physical life. Gawain appears to be the perfect image of a knight, who exhibits himself as worthy and noble when he accepts the Green Knight’s challenge. Known to be “honored all over the world,” his remarkable valor and devout behavior define his character. He loses his honorable reputation, though, when he disrespects the honor of King Bertilak. Disgracing his knightly code, Gawain fails to exchange all of his gifts with the king and lies, without hesitation, to the king when he claims that “what [he] owed [King Bertilak] [he has] paid [King Bertilak]” (1941). Gawain directly lies to him without hesitation, proving that his conscience does not seem to be effecting his actions. Lying is a common action, but generally, it causes us to feel remorseful and guilty over our wrongs. Gawain breaks the code of chivalry that requires a knight to be loyal and honest, but he is not regretful due to his apparent selfish nature (“Code of Chivalry, 2 and 15”). He makes a deal with the king to “[trade] profit for profit,” yet he dishonestly “[hides] [Lady Bertilak’s] love gift” rather than honoring the king’s wishes (1677, 1874). Gawain makes a promise that he fails to fulfill. The girdle drives him to destruction because it pulls him away from what he knows to be good and
When Henry Ford was born on June 30th, 1863, neither him nor anyone for that matter, knew what an important role he would take in the future of mankind. Ford saw his first car when he was 12. He and his father where riding into Detroit at the time. At that moment, he knew what he wanted to do with his life: he wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Through out his life, he achieved this in an extraordinary way. That is why he will always be remembered in everyone’s heart. Whenever you drive down the road in your car, you can thank all of it to Henry Ford. Through his life he accomplished extraordinary achievements such as going from a poor farm boy to a wealthy inventor who helped Thomas Edison. When he was a young man, he figured out how to use simple inventions, such as the light bulb. He then taught himself the design of a steamboat engine. His goal was to build a horse-less carriage. He had come up with several designs and in 1896, he produced his first car, the Model A. When Ford’s first car came out, he had been interviewed by a reporter and when asked about the history of the car, he had said “History is more or less bunk.” Ford worked in Thomas Edison’s factory for years and the left to become an apprentice for a car-producer in Detroit. While working there, he established how he was going to make the car.