St. George
Saint George is both man and myth. He is considered “The Great Martyr” by the Greek Orthodox Church. He, in fact, did exist, and his chivalric character led to the allegorical fable of his slaying of the great dragon.
There are no known birth or death dates for Saint George, but it is known that he was born in Cappadocia in Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, into a Christian family of noble lineage. In Asia Minor, it was the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who, in 302 AD, took it upon himself to persecute the believers of Christianity. Saint George opposed the mistreatment and annihilation of these Christians. Upon speaking out against the harshness of Diocletian’s decrees against the Christians, Saint George was imprisoned and tortured, dragged through the streets and beheaded in Nicoimedia, which is presently Palestine, which makes him one of the earliest martyrs. The emperor's wife was so impressed by Saint George's unfaltering faith, she converted to Christianity and was put to death. Saint George was canonized in 494 AD by Pope Gelasius.
The legend and myth of Saint George was believed to have begun at some point in the twelfth century and was continually passed down, especially in the form of song by troubadours in the fourteenth century. The story is believed to have been derived from that of Virgin Andromeda and Perseus. In Silene, Libya, there was a dragon doing his part to terrorize that portion of the country. The town of Silene had fed it the majority of their livestock in order to try and acquiesce the dragon, and had moved on to people. They were about to sacrifice Cleolinda, the resident princess. At this precise moment, Saint George appeared in Silene, killed the dragon and ...
... middle of paper ...
...ll. He has been a Saint for over 1500 years and his fame will continue on into the next century.
Bibliography
Cornish, F. Wallace. Chivalry. New York: The MacMillan Co., 1911.
Vale, Juliet. Edward III and Chivalry. Suffolk: Boydell Press, 1982.
Porter, J. R., ed. And Russell, W.M.S., ed. Animals in Folklore. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer Ltd, 1978.
Groiler Multimedia Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Groiler, Inc. 1995. Mac. 968K. CD-ROM.
Saint George Patron Saint of Scouting
http://www.oln.com/scouts/st_george.htm
Artisan Publishers St. George by E.O. Gordon
http://www.artisanpublishers.com/bk_st_george.html
Saint George Patron Saint of England
http://www.innotts.co.uk/~asperges/george2.html
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Washington D.C.
http://www.stjohndc.org/saints/9505a.htm
The Great Gatsby,a novel by F,Scott Fitzgerald,is about the American Dream,and the downfall of the people who try to reach it.The American Dream means something different to different people,but in The Great Gatsby,for Jay Gatsby,the subject of the book,the dream is that through acquiring wealth and power,one can also gain happiness.To reach his idea of what happiness is,Gatsby must go back in time and relive an old dream.To do this,he believes,he must first have wealth and power.
The constant battle of love and a sense of tension between all of the father and son pairs is extremely apparent throughout all of The Kite Runner. It always seems as though one character is trying to make something up to another character. Feelings of guilt, the need to redeem themselves, and extreme jealousy between Amir, Baba, Hassan, and Ali are the primary factors that keep the plot moving. Whether it is Baba to Hassan or Amir to Baba, there is always a sense of the need for redemption going on. This sense of redemption can be found not only within characters, but also incorporates a bit of polical view in to the novel by giving a glimpse in to the various lives of different ethnicities and how they interact with one another.
In Sir Gawain, the Pentangle is also a reference to the virgin Mary and her five stages with Jesus. “There is great significance in the fact that the events in this poem occur in multiples of three. Three times Gawain is tempted by the lovely lady,…The Green Knight swings at Gawain three times…The significance of all these threes is that Christianity teaches the trilogy: the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost…The fact that the events unfold in counts of threes explains the … poet trying to connect this story and this passage to the bible and biblical events” (Parkins). In Beowulf, the kingdom of the Geats was Christian, and they prayed to God during the difficult and constant battle with the demon. Beowulf also mentioned that Jesus is Lord and
Justin Martyr was a Greek philosopher born in Flavia Neapolis. Having searched many different philosophical traditions for the truth he finally became a Christian after meeting an old man who convinced him of its truth. Following this he continued to wear his philosopher robes and founded a Christian school in Rome. Considered to be the greatest of the apologists, his writings were aimed at proving that Christianity was intellectually superior to Roman paganism. He was executed during the reign of Marcus Aurelius for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods, earning him the name Martyr.
The American Dream is defined as the improvement of one’s self while obtaining such things as love, wealth, status, and power as one reaches the top. The dream has had different distinctions throughout the years but keeps the bases of a desire of something greater. In the past century, the ideology has transformed into the idea of owning a big house with multiple cars and a bank full of money as the indication that you have “made it.” In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author navigates his readers into a life filled with gregarious parties and extravagant cars when a man named Nick meets the untouchable Gatsby. Unable to move away from past, Gatsby devotes his life to acquire wealth and status in order to reconcile with the love of his life. The characters in the novel attempt to define their happiness with materialistic objects but the author demonstrate the truth by illustrating the illusions of the American Dream.
The Emperor, John VIII Palaeologos, knew they were going to face some of the finest minds in the Roman Church on their own soil; he therefore wanted the best minds available in support of the Byzantine cause to accompany him. Consequently, the Emperor appointed George Gemistos as part of the delegation. Despite the fact that he was a secular philosopher — a rare creature at this time in the West — Gemistos was renowned both for his wisdom and his moral rectitude. Among ...
His refusal to change his mind on the subhect is what eventually led Emperor Leo to force him out of office. His replacement, of course, was an Iconoclast named Anastasius. Seeking help, Germanus made an appeal to the West, which was accepted by Pope Gregory II. Even after Pope Gregory II’s death, his successor Pope Gregory III continued to support Germanus. As a Way to punish the West for their support, Emperor Leo took away land that was under the control of the Pope, which made tensions between the East and the West stronger. John of Damascus, came to the defense of idols, and was responsible for writing three treaties in its defense. He claimed that since God became visible in the incarnation, that it was no longer idolatry because they were not representing the invisible God. He also claimed that the feelings of unworthiness towards idols and images would eventually spread to the matter of Christ. Eventually Constantine’s mother Irene with the help of Pope Hadrian, won over the member of the Council and they ruled that icons have a legitimate role in worship, but this victory was short lived because Emperor Leo II
Raised like brothers yet they could not be more different. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini shows how two brothers, Amir and Hassan, could be alike in many ways, yet personalities are completely different. Amir and Hassan although raised like brother, and later discovered they were half brothers, were completed individuals in personality, meaning of life, and how they treated each other. The story takes them from early childhood, to the day Hassan leaves, to Amir growing up and going back to Kabul. The Kite Runner takes you on a emotional journey about a boy named Amir, and his uncommon bond to his servant Hassan, whom Amir had to go through choices to abandon his friend amidst the increasing struggles politics, religion, ethics, and love.
Since the early colonization of America, the American dream has been the ultimate symbol for success. In retrospect, the dreamer desires to become wealthy, while also attaining love and high class. Though the dream has had different meanings in time, it is still based on individual freedom, and a desire for greatness. During the 19th century, the typical goal was to settle in the West and raise a family. However, the dream progressively transformed into greediness and materialism during the early 20th century. The indication of success soon became focused on wealth and luxury. The Great Gatsby is a story focused on the deterioration of the American dream. Throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby is shown with a desire to achieve his dream by all means. Utilizing the Roaring Twenties as part of his satire, Fitzgerald criticizes the values of the American dream, and the effects of materialism on one’s dream.
The movie The Kite Runner is based on the book and it contains both subtle and explicit differences as all books and movies do. Both the book and the movie have very compelling and moralistic themes though at times the movie’s themes seem limited. The themes presented throughout the movie and the book are penance, loyalty, prejudice, religion and growing up. The characterization, overall plot of the movie and the setting of the book seem to be consistent with each other though at times they both may vary both slightly and drastically.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a heart breaking novel. It features events that bring tears to the eyes of its readers, as well as a look into the world outside our own. This book deals with tragic adult themes such as racism and child rape. The story takes place in two different countries, Afghanistan, and later the United States. The novel is in the point of view of the main character Amir and it begins as he recalls events from his childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan in a time on the brink of civil war, when the Afghanistan king is overthrown.
Just so you know that we all come to and end in death none of us is spared. So in the Heorot Hall the kings praise their noble knights by awarding them gold treasures, and big feasts of beer and lots of food. In the poem, that it was a transcending time because it was the introduction of Christianity. Paganism was a worship of different Gods and lineage, chivalry, and reputation was extremely important. It showed the ranks of families based on a heroic deed. Here was a deity that entered in their belief system. He was portrayed heroic warrior, in which was stronger than any other paganistic God. Beowulf couldn’t understand having an eternal life with peace. He wanted to keep on getting the gold treasure, the women, the fighting of demons or monsters that no on else can kill. In the end, when Beowulf was older in the poem he knew Hrothgar was right, and Beowulf knew his time was going to end when the dragon came and attacked. He surrrenderred himself where death was next and he no longer can protect his people. In the next section it shows how “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was also conflicted between being godly or being
...achieves redemption and finally succeeds in overcoming his guilt. Hosseini uses this struggle to persuade those who feel extreme guilt for a wrongdoing to seek forgiveness and to help others in need. The author emphasizes that atoning one’s sins comes from reaching out to others. He expresses this when Amir offers to help Sohrab and he rids himself of guilt from his former relationship with Hassan. In addition, Hosseini writes to those who challenge the ideals of society in order to encourage them to create and follow their own values. The author uses Amir’s struggle in his relationship with Baba and his acceptance with Amir’s writing career to demonstrate this idea. Throughout his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops a main character that questions his decisions, yet conforms to societal ideals to represent his theme of redemption and self-acceptance.
...n childhood toys such as bikes, swing sets, and televisions. A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner are in many ways very different, yet similar. Similar in the sense that they both give readers the outlook on Afghan culture and what they went through during those rough years dealing with the Taliban. Different in being that A Thousand Splendid Suns is written from a female perspective, which was beneficial to get the true feel and emotion they dealt with on a daily basis. In contrast, The Kite Runner is told from a male perspective, teaching more about morals, and life lessons while still sharing Afghan history. “When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband; rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness...” – Baba (The Kite Runner)