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Overview of the anglo saxon period essay
anglo saxon period essays
anglo Saxon literature essay
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In the Anglo-Saxon literature, the scop has a privilege of retaining history, culture and social values of that society. In many cases the scop exercises the power to create stories which reflect the values of that society. The Rood in the ¡°The Dream of the Rood¡± also tells a story of which affects its society and people. The existence of this witness that reports the suffering and the glorification of Christ proves necessary for the people to believe. The Rood becomes a hero that preserves an event that proves crucial to the society. As the Rood observes the suffering of Christ, it also shares with him the pains of crucifixion. In other words, the Rood takes part in Christ¡¯s crucifixion which pertains to the salvation of the souls. Although the Rood declares its god-like qualities along with Christ, there¡¯s a distinction between Christ and the Rood. Therefore, the Rood appears as a metonymic figure which represents the Christ¡¯s suffering but it does not represent Christ. In fact, the Rood assumes the role of Christ as it demands people to worship it.
In this poem, the Rood appears as an Anglo-Saxon hero. However, the Rood fails to share the Christian beliefs when it declares the entity of God along with Christ. Although Christ and the Rood shared the ¡°innocent¡±¡¯ suffering together, this does not provide an adequate explanation for the Rood to become a replacement of Christ. Indeed, the Rood appears as a hero in the Anglo-Saxon society for it reflects the values of many figures that suffer with their Lord.
The Rood shares the suffering endured by Christ. It does not regret its pains but sympathizes with Christ as it brings unto itself the hostilities directed at Christ. Thus, it states, ¡°[how] they mocked at us both¡±(¡°The Rood¡±, 51). Suffering with the members of the community proves important to a hero in the Anglo-Saxon literature. In ¡°The Battle of Maldon,¡± a band of warriors fight to save their community, more specifically, fight to ¡°serve the Earl¡±(The Battle of Maldon, 11). Bryhtnoth is the Earl of these brave warriors who fight unto death in order to carry out their duty. This duty indicates that one does not desert a battleground and retreat in order to save one¡¯s life. Therefore, the heroes share the battlefield alongside their lord and fight until they win or die. Like these heroes of the Maldon, the Rood remains steadfast in sh...
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...st did not have in mind for the people to worship a tree. ¡°The Rood¡± states its separate entity from Christ. ¡°The Tree of Victory¡± becomes itself a figure that must be worshipped by its people. In fact, the Anglo-Saxon society views its heroes as gods through the scops of the society. In Anglo-Saxon literature, scops acquire the power to influence and preserve their tradition, history and culture. The scops glorify the heroes of their times according to their deeds which uphold the values of that society. In addition, the scops give the heroes of their society power to be immortal. They honor their heroes as gods and inevitably honor the values that these heroes uphold. The Rood is one of the Anglo-Saxon heroes that represents the importance of sacrifice of enduring crucial suffering in order to benefit its society. Regardless of its former status, the Rood¡¯s deeds reinforce the values of the Anglo-Saxon sense of loyalty that makes them fearless in the face of wierd. In the face of the approaching death, these heroes are portrayed as honoring their community more than their lives. Thus, by remembering and worshipping these heroes, the Anglo-Saxons tend to honor their society.
Depicted is a scenario relatable to Beowulf’s actions. Kevlar is a military man who defends his people through battle and experiences events uncommon in an ordinary man or woman’s everyday life. One specific experience includes continuously fighting in dangerous battles to prevent people from more harm. Saving lives and defending his people while risking his own life is a large element of heroism. Kevlar is Joseph Campbell’s definition of a hero in Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth by finding, achieving, or doing something greater than himself, in this case, the possible loss of his life to ensure his people 's safety. It is not easy to act on something such as Kevlar’s job, which leads to why he is perceived as a hero. But frequently
I think if I were to compare and contrast the values of modern hero's to those of a hero during the Anglo-Saxon, I would likely find that there was more contrast than comparison. The Anglo-Saxon period, was a time where one was heroic for the battles they would take place in and how big of an impact they would make in that battle.
Christianity had recently took hold in England at the time of the writing of Beowulf. Many people believe that Beowulf is a Christian story, when in fact it is not. Instead, the poem reflects a society that has a deep pagan background and has brought with it stories from its pagan past. Beowulf is a Germanic tale that was likely first composed in the first half of the eighth century, but it was not until the late tenth century that it was committed to parchment. At the time of its writing, the Germanic tribes were clearly pagan, as seen by such evidence in the text as Beowulf’s cremation at the end of the epic and the direct reference to swearing oaths at “pagan shrines” (line 175). As Christianity’s teachings and values began to take root in these pagan societies over the decades and eventual centuries, the stories of the Bible began to be worked into the tale as it was told, retold, and retold even again. When it came time to be written—probably by a Christian monk (or monks) whose beliefs, it is fair to say, flavored the work—the bards and storytellers had crafted an epic with the Christian permutations already in it. However, that is not to say that the writer was ignorant when it came to what message he desired to relate to the reader.
In The Dream of the Rood, the poet has added elements of the idealized heroic death (as exemplified in Beowulf and The Battle of Maldon) to the crucifixion. He has also eliminated details of the story that tend to render Christ as a figure of pathos, in order to further Christ's identification with the other glorious warriors Anglo-Saxon poems.
A common thread that runs through the Anglo-Saxon culture’s warrior clan is glory. According to the Beowulf packet, glory was something that is highly admired in the clan. Their values were stated as, “The Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic tribe who valued bravery, honor, and glory in battle” (Jones 3). The values would come into play during battle and Glory would motivate warriors to brawl against evil. A warrior will do whatever he can to achieve the glory he feels he deserves. Beowulf’s men were willing to fight to
The Old English epic poem Beowulf poses something for an enigma for scholars. The poet was surely a Christian, but the poem depicts a pagan society, so what sort of religion is being expressed. Most recent scholars have argued for a Christian reading, but others still hold out for a pagan one. Some have suggested Christian-pagan syncretism. Pagan beliefs involve sacrifices to the old stone Gods, making heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s support, the devil’s guidance in driving their affliction off. This was their way and the Heathen’s only hope.Some suggest Christian-pagan syncretism. Anglo-Saxon epic heroes are willing to put their own lives in danger for the greater good. Beowulf highlights the code’s points of tension by relating circumstances
Beowulf, which is considered the oldest English masterpiece, celebrates the three great fights of Beowulf. Whether Beowulf is a Christian poem written based on pagan story or a pagan poem rewritten under Christian influence remains unknown, considering that the poem combines pagan and Christian elements rather seamlessly. While Beowulf is described as a hero with admirable Christian virtues, he is still essentially a pagan hero. The poem does not reject the pagan heroism. However, Beowulf’s oldest manuscript was written by a Christian for freshly-converted Christians, thus the poem as we know it shows the superiority of Christianity over pagan religions. The three great fights can be interpreted as a criticism of Beowulf’s flawed characteristics from a Christian’s perspective.
The cover of the November, 1975 comic book "Beowulf: Dragon Slayer" features a red-haired, horn-helmeted Beowulf swinging a large broadsword at a purple-caped villain also bearing two razor-sharp swords. As Beowulf rears up on his steed, a bikini clad woman, cloth slightly aside to reveal the shadow of a buttock is drawn falling, face filled with terror. In the background, a rising full moon and silhouetted gothic castle keenly set an atmosphere of dread and foreboding. Above the emboldened title of the comic book reads in smaller letters, "Beowulf: First and Greatest Hero of Them All!" Text in the bottom-left corner gives the juicy hook for this edition: "Beowulf Meets Dracula." Despite over eight hundred years of literary separation, English literature's earliest known epic hero gallantly faces off against its biggest villain.1
Because both Christian and Anglo-Saxon heroic elements exist in "The Wanderer," there is cause for analysis of the structural and textual unity of the poem. Initially, it might appear that these elements are introduced to contrast one another in an attempt to show inconsistency by contrasting secular and religious passages in order to show incoherence between the two as guiding principles. But further textual analysis shows that these inconsistencies do not exist. The purpose of positioning the two side by side is to illustrate a contrast in theme between the passing of this world and the changelessness and security of the heavenly kingdom.
Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be remembered and be told in stories that are passed on from generation to generation after his death. These story tellers relate to the Anglo Saxons time when they told stories about their great heroes.
Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.
The Dream of the Rood is a poem that illustrates the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the cross. The illustration comes together in a dream. The rood or the cross communicates with the Dreamer, to give him hope in the future return of Christ and eternal glory. Additionally, the rood encourages the Dreamer to share his dream with others and point them to the cross. This poem is meaningful to me because it prompted me to reflect on the cross and what it represents. It is a symbol of God’s love and what He did on the cross, so we could be saved from our sins.
The Anglo-Saxon poem known as, The Dream of the Rood is the reverse image of the crucifixion. The Dream of the Rood is unique in describing the crucifixion from the vantage point of the Cross, and within the framework of a dream. In comparison, The York Play of the Crucifixion discusses each step in the process of tying Christ to the cross. Both representations of the crucifixion compare and contrast each other.
The image of Jesus nailed to a wooden cross by the palms of his hands and with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head is one that has transcended all time barriers. It has inclusive been replicated into figure form that is utilized in various ways but whose primary function is to serve as a constant reminder of the physical suffering endured by Jesus. In The Dream of the Rood however, the perception of Jesus Christ as not only the son of God and savior of mankind but also as a human with the capacity to feel pain, is subverted when through the perspective of a personified cross he is conveyed as a warrior in the midst of combat. The portrayal of Jesus in this way immediately evokes the image of an ideal stereotypical hero who is strong, courageous, and unrelenting in appearance. Nevertheless, it can be said that this type of hero is more inclined towards fantasy than it is based on reality because these idealized heroic figures have only ever truly existed in a fictional universe. The depiction of Jesus as a warrior thus, undermines forms of heroism that stem from explicit suffering that is not concealed but rather expressed by the individual.
Beowulf displays vulnerability and regret during his dying moments, allowing the reader to form connections to him. The forces between pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the conclusion, which clarifies which aspects of Christian beliefs Beowulf has adapted throughout the poem and which pagan beliefs he still holds on to, leaving the reader more satisfied. Furthermore, the ending includes some uncertainty which enables the reader to create their own hypothesis after the poem’s final pages. By using these techniques to create a meaningful ending, the Beowulf poet has produced an epic that has survived thousands of years through oral retellings and printed texts which continue to be read, studied, and translated making Beowulf accessible to an even larger