Essay Comparing the Role Models in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green

Role Models in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Excellence has always been a virtue revered by society. Writers throughout the ages have tried to capture the essence of excellence in their works, often in the form of a title character, who is the embodiment of perfection, encapsulating all the ideal traits necessary for one to be considered an excellent member of society. However, the standards for excellence are not universally agreed upon. On the contrary, one man's idea of excellence may very well be another's idea of mediocrity. Yet, human nature is constant enough that by analyzing different literary "heroes", one can discover the standards of excellence that are common to different peoples. The title characters in both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were both considered paragons of excellence by their peoples. Yet, upon close inspection of the specific actions of these characters, stark differences emerge. While Gawain is virtuous and exemplifies selflessness, Beowulf's heroism is marred by his pursuit of fame and wealth, which seems to dominate his every action. The discrepancy can be explained by a contextual analysis of both heroes. Gawain's code of chivalry emphasized perfection and thus he is flawless. Beowulf on the contrary adheres to the code of heroism, which is much less stringent on man's actions, and much more open to interpretation. Gawain's actions reflect the social mores of 14th century England, where a good knight was expected to adhere firmly to the code of chivalry. Gawain is the model knight, gallant and valorous, not to mention a devout Christian. Gawain's superb character traits are bolstered by his status as a member of King Arthur's court. Th... ...ulf saw themselves as means by which the end of achieving glory for their society could be achieved. They didn't leech on to society and drain precious resources as do many of today's corrupt leaders. On the contrary, they gave back to their people and lived up to the ancient notion of the "good citizen" as first advanced by Plato. Present society would be the better for it if more people like Gawain and Beowulf were born. They were truly excellent members of society. Â   Works Cited and Consulted Bede, The Venerable. Ecclesiastical History of the English People. 731 AD. Beowulf. Ed. Burton Raffel. New York: Signet Classic, 1999 Brewer, D.S. Courtesy and the Gawain-Poet. Ed. John Lawlor. London: Arnold, 1966 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Ed. Brian Stone. New York: Penguin, 1974

Analysis for Monologue of an Onion Essay

Cutting an onion breaks cells in its skin causing a reaction that results to the formation of volatile sulfur compound which, when mixed with tears coating our eyes, becomes sulfuric acid. This triggers the tear ducts to produce more tears to alleviate the imbalance in acidity the irritant has caused; the longer the eyes are exposed to the acid the greater the quantity of tears produced. Sue Kwock Kim uses this certain property of an onion to tackle a specific human idiosyncrasy. Monologue for an Onion discusses how humans have the tendency to lie to themselves in pursuit of false hopes through dramatic situation, tone, and symbol. The poem opens with the onion voicing out its thoughts as the person peels away its skin. As the poem progresses, more and more layers are removed in the person’s pursuit to find the heart of the onion. In stanza three, it becomes evident that the onion has no heart because it is â€Å"†¦pure onion—pure union of outside and in, surface and secret core. But despite this, it is seen that the person continues to subject his eyes to the acidic fumes emanating from the peels in hopes of finding what is obviously absent. As the person persistently peels away the onion’s skin, the onion continues to utter words of warning to the person: it is pointless to continue stripping the onion off its covering when all that can be attained in the end are tears and â€Å"†¦onion-juice, yellow peels, [and] (my) stinging shreds†; the wasted effort and the person’s refusal to concede to the truth angers the onion. For most of the poem, the feelings of annoyance and anger dominate the scene. But in the first six lines of the poem, the talking onion pities the person for he is deluded into thinking that it has a heart. But in the proceeding lines, the negative feelings start to bubble to the surface. These feelings were first introduced in the tenth line: â€Å"Look at you, chopping and weeping. Idiot. † Here, we see that the onion finds it stupid that the person persists to chop away his skin when the act causes him to hurt. The emotions climb a steady slope and burst out into the open starting with lines fourteen and fifteen: â€Å"†¦ruin and tears your only signs of progress? Enough is enough. † Here the onion lashes out to the person for refusing to look past the veil of tears and see what is there right in front of him. The onion finds it incredulous that the person lets himself be fooled by false pretenses of the existence of something good buried deep beneath a layer of unfavorable boundaries. The onion sees no point in its destruction when all that awaits the person is nothing but a pile of abandoned skins and wasted tears. Eventually, the onion calms down but does maintain the angry tone up to the very last line in the poem. In the poem, the centerpiece is the fact that the onion is a symbol. The onion represents the truth that the person is desperately trying to deny. In the first two stanzas of the poem, the peeling off of the onion’s skin can be interpreted as the person’s attempt to find a sugar-coated version of the truth. Alas, an onion is an onion in and out and therefore the bitter covering is all there is to it. Even so, the person persists on chopping off the onion’s covering—a clear indication of man’s reluctance to let go of desired truths. The tears symbolize the troubles brought about by this unrelenting pursuit of misguided truths; the more man insists on digging deeper into the basic foundation of the truth, the troubles would only increase in multitude. Eventually, man reaches the core of the truth and finds that it is no different from what the surface contained. With each peeled off layer of the onion—each section of the truth uncovered, disappointment greets the persistent man. Disappointment after disappointment, this has left the person with a weakened morale. And so the onion takes pity on the person who ended up having nothing but a tired heart divided into pieces. In conclusion, Monologue for an Onion talks about the dangers in blindly chasing false hopes. The poem highlights man’s ability to conjure fantasies and desired truths that could somehow cloud man’s judgment—instead of separating the fantasy from reality, man desperately searches for the non-existent truth in the expense of personal physical and/or emotional health.

Analysis Of The Poem The Hidden Affection - 1290 Words

The Hidden Affection in the â€Å"Love Poem† Traditionally, poets write love poems to express their deep affection with smooth, pleasing, songlike words, which flow in harmony. John Frederick Nims’ poem â€Å"Love Poem† is not traditional. Although the title seems generic and conventional, Nims uses a very different approach to express the love for his wife. He uses a series of hyperboles and metaphors to present his conflicting emotions. Rather than directly indicating his true love, Nims seems to challenge his own feelings by finding faults on his â€Å"dear† and indicating he still loves her despite all her mishaps. This unique twist gives Nims’ poem an unconventional effect that combines humor, frankness, and a touch of solemnity. The way Nims starts his poem, â€Å"Love Poem†, is indeed very surprising: â€Å"My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vase†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By mingling â€Å"dear† with â€Å"clumsiest†, he establishes a tone of both candor and humor that he carries throughout the whole poem. More so, he shows his sincerity so the reader can infer that, although emotional conflicts may exist, the author still holds his wife dear. Throughout the poem, Nims keeps in balance his affectionate and candor tone. However, Nims hyperbolic illustration of her clumsiness – â€Å"†¦whose hands shipwreck vases / At whose quick touch all glasses chip and ring (1-2)† – gives the reader an early sense of the unique style he consistently adheres to throughout the poem. The author frankly describes the subject’s palms inShow MoreRelatedSonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda Essay examples1180 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Sonnet XVII† An analysis of Pablo Neruda’s â€Å"Sonnet XVII,† from the book 100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor, reveals the emotions of the experience of eternal, unconditional love. Neruda portrays this in his words by using imagery and metaphors to describe love in relation to beauty and darkness. The poem also depicts the intimacy between two people. I believe the intent of the poem is to show that true love for another abolishes all logic, leaving one completely exposedRead MoreThe Magic Of Nature By William Wordsworth1498 Words   |  6 PagesCourse: LLT 1223 Date: 7 June 2016 The Magic of Nature â€Å"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways by William Wordsworth Overview: Romanticism and Nature The poem is written in three stanzas, rhymed, and has the characteristics of elegy (it is a lamentation song about someone’s death). 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