The Anglo-Saxons are made up of the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes who are from Europe and Germanic areas. Many of them were seafaring Vikings who crossed the sea to Britain and conquered the land. These groups lived during the 5th century through the 11th century and most commonly spoke Old English. During this time, many pieces of literature were written, two examples are “Beowulf” and “The Seafarer”. These poems tell of difficulty of Anglo-Saxon life and of different…
In literature, contrasting societal issues, norms, and beliefs are relevant in different time periods. The distinct dissimilarities are demonstrated in the three pieces of literature, Animal Farm, Pride and Prejudice, and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, selected for this research paper. The three pieces of literature from each of the three different time periods help present England from the late 13th century to the early 20th century and speculate the relevance of message to today’s society. The three pieces of work also display the authors’ motivations for writing through the major events of the historical time periods. Through the three pieces of literature, Animal Farm; Pride and Prejudice; and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, Jane Austen; George Orwell; and Geoffrey Chaucer, portray the society of England in three different time periods.…
During the eighth century “Beowulf” was written down. Britain at this time was mainly dominated by Christianity, organized, and controlled by an aristocratic civilization. When both Germanic and Scandinavian tribes, invaded Britain, they brought such stories as Beowulf the story of a hero. Beowulf was the first British literature discussed. The heroes of his story were his peoples ancestors, before they conquered England. A hero both controls and transforms events, a coward does not as Beowulf shows : “a coward faced with a dangerous situation, such as an uncertain fate often presents, always gives way and fails to exploit the moment of crisis to his advantage.”. Anglo-Saxons and they were converted to Christianity by missionaries from Rome.…
There are many pieces of literature that have been written down through the course of time. Many of these pieces were written in Europe, and depict epic quests and fantastic journeys. The earliest piece of European literature ever printed was a piece of Anglo Saxon poetry known as Beowulf. The Anglo Saxons were a Germanic tribe that had many values and ideas that their people lived by and kept sacred in their day to day lives. These values include; bravery, loyalty, generosity, and heroism. Beowulf, the main character in the poem Beowulf is the man who has all of these values, and is the epitome of the Anglo Saxon.…
In the early days of human society, the Anglo-Saxons allowed their religious views to meander its way into and conquer their lives. Their religious perspective greatly impacted many of the plots, themes and tones of many stories, poems, etc. Religious ideals, elements and dynamics are demonstrated throughout the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel.…
To fully understand the Viking and Scandinavian elements in the poem, the culture and society of the Anglo-Saxons must first be discussed. The same time the stories for Beowulf were being created, around 800-1100AD, Scandinavia was being invaded and was under attack. As a result of this, it left a culture obsessed with being saved by a great warrior, valuing battle honor, glory, and heroism. The concepts of “wyrd” and “weirguld” were also popular at this time. Along with other characters, the actions and words of Beowulf in Beowulf are used to reflect society's beliefs and incorporate the elements of this time.…
A typical Anglo-Saxon hero has the qualities of bravery, courage, pride, and honor. The epic poem “Beowulf” is the story of a famous Anglo-Saxon hero that displays all of the specific qualities. Throughout the novel, Beowulf expresses all of these heroic traits to portray him as an Anglo-Saxon hero. When the story of Beowulf is first introduced, the people feel honored that he has come to their land to fight for them. They proclaim, “To give us your pledge and rescue us at honor's call, my friend Beowulf, you have come to us”.…
“Beowulf” illustrates many beliefs and values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. The story has a strong hero who defeats two evil beings. His heroic acts show that the Anglo-Saxons valued heroic deeds. He is also very confident and often boasts of his strength which is seen as a good characteristic in this culture. Anglo-Saxons also valued the theme of good versus evil which is demonstrated in this story between Beowulf and Grendel. All three of these characteristics represent their culture through “Beowulf.”…
In every culture, there are elements that define the way its society walks, talks, and acts. In Anglo-Saxon culture, there are four main beliefs. These beliefs are expressed in every day life as well as through poetry. Beowulf is an epic poem that was sung in a hall, it brings us back to the 4th century and is exemplary of the past. Beowulf brings a greater overall understanding of Anglo-Saxon culture. The Anglo-Saxons found these values very important, if a soldier embodied all of these values and attained fame, which was all he ever needed. However, in order to attain fame, one needed to abide by the ways of the culture. Among these specific values are heroism, bravery, and loyalty.…
“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” – Ayn Rand. To fully understand the complex world and culture of the Anglo-Saxons, one must examine the only form of historical evidence available – texts. One particular great work from this time period is often underrated and overshadowed in modern society by many other ancient works such as Iliad or Oedipus Rex. The epic poem, Beowulf, was sung by multiple unknown Anglo-Saxon poets four centuries before the Norman Conquest. The theme of good versus evil was constantly reappearing throughout the storyline, the portrayal of evil and its downfall initially shaped the poem’s plot, and illustrates an alien presence; something that is socially unaccepted in society that must be removed to ensure the safety of the common good.…
The Anglo-Saxons were the members of the Germanic peoples who invaded England, and were there at the time of the Norman Conquest. They were people of their own time, language and culture. In the Anglo-Saxon adventure filled tale of Beowulf, the heron Beowulf was, at the time, considered the modern day superman. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero, and consequently the Anglo-Saxon ideal: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in his acceptance of fate. With the absence of humility, yet his important role in society and his ideals of chivalry, Beowulf was the definition of a hero in his own time. This novel develops the theme that with honor towards chivalry and faith in yourself, anything can be accomplished.…
Anonymously written some time between the 7th and 8th century, Beowulf captures cultural, historical and literary worth of ancient life expressed through the original author’s viewpoint on what happened around him and his society. Although Beowulf was a highly embellished epic that gave the people of the time period something to clutch onto when “terror was everywhere and myths were few” (A Quick Guide to Beowulf), it has provided society today with rich information pertaining to the early life of the Anglo-Saxon’s.…
One of the main reasons we study literature from different cultures and different time periods is to learn about the people who wrote them. From “Beowulf” we can speculate on the values, religion, and culture of Anglo-Saxon people.“Beowulf” expresses many values of the Anglo-Saxon people. Three major values of Anglo-Saxon people seen through “Beowulf” are bravery, truth, and honor. These three values were very important to most Anglo-Saxon people and were key parts in their society.…
The Anglo-Saxon period was a dark time filled with countless violence and war. Many people during the time longed for heroes and legendary warriors. A hero was comprised of many traits such as; superhuman strength, a great love of battle, and an intense desire for glory.…
Periods in literature are named for rulers, historical events, intellectual or political or religious movements, or artistic styles. Most literary periods therefore have multiple names. What's worse, some of these names are debated. Is the later 17th Century the Baroque era? The term baroque is an intractable term derived from art criticism, though it may usefully be applicable to some writers as well. Is the early 17th Century the Shakespearean era? Is it the Mannerist era? How widely do we wish to apply the term Elizabethan period? Other questions arise. Does Romanticism begin with Wordsworth? With Blake? In addition, Romanticism has various dates according to the national literature we refer to. In the separate art forms -- music, painting, and even some literary genres -- the dates may vary yet more. Recent histories of literature and the latest Norton Anthology of English Literature offer the latest examples of terms applied to literary periods. My best advice is to use the relatively neutral names that refer to monarchs, political periods, and whole centuries. Then when you wish to emphasize what you are talking about, rather than by habitual use of the terms, use the more specialized artistic and intellectual adjectives. In the following table, I attempt to categorize some of the references generally used by English and American students of English literature, and to provide examples of chief works or authors for each period. I've avoided simply naming the Centuries, and I've not taken terms like Victorian to refer merely to the rulers -- although I do prefer to date Queen Victoria's death, with the changes it symbolized, as the start of the Modern era. Whereas Queen Victoria ruled from 1837 until her death in 1901, many scholars select 1830 as the beginning of the Victorian Period, and for two good reasons. In 1830, the world's first public railway system opened between Liverpool and…