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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 7 page research paper that contrasts and compares the topic of heroism in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The writer concludes that by the time that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was recorded, the cultural paradigm had changed from one stresses the warrior ethos to a Christian perspective. No longer was it acceptable for a knight to place his loyalty primarily to his liege lord or to view himself in a heroic context, as his first loyalty was to God and, before God, he should be humble and contrite. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khbeogaw.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
this period around the end of the seventh century and it extends to the end of the fifteenth (Abrams, et al 1). This incredibly long period of history naturally
witnessed tremendous changes in culture, language and literary style. This fact is demonstrated by two representative works: one from the beginning of this period -- the Old English epic poem
Beowulf; and one from the end of the fourteenth century -- a Middle English tale of King Arthurs court Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Considering the vast amount
of time between these works, the following examination specifically focuses on how the topic of heroism is presented in each. In the introduction to Beowulf that appears in the
Norton Anthology of English Literature, Abrams, et al make the point that while this poem is considered to be part of the heritage of English literature, and is written
in Old English, the characters portrayed are not Englishmen, but the Germanic ancestors of Englishmen (31). Specifically, these characters derive from two of the Scandinavian tribes that invaded the
British Isles, the Danes and the Geats. As this suggests, the actual historical period depicted in the poem predates the time in which it was first recorded on paper. The
warrior society that Beowulf invokes derives from these "newcomers" to the British Isles. Abrams, et al also state that in this warrior society, the most significant human relationship is between
the warrior and his "thane" (32). Unlike later generations, who felt that they owed their liege lord loyalty because he was divinely appointed by God, the relationship of
a thane to his lord was predicated primarily on feelings of trust and mutual respect (Abrams, et al 32). A good thane, such as Beowulf, is described by the Beowulf
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