The Role of Women in Arthurian Romances Essay Example for Free

The Role of Women in Arthurian Romances Essay It is a popular format that a woman is the lead character in contemporary romances. But not in stories form the middle ages. They are typically dominated by men and women are but damsels in distress. Kings and knights are more likely the words that come to mind when discussing about stories from the middle ages. Also, the middle ages is an era known for gender bias against women. They were usually depicted as helpless damsels in distress in need of help from a knight. Even the women of high status such as queens are portrayed with weakness in character and dependency on men. A kingdom is a male dominated-social setting, that’s why they are aptly called king-dom. Women have been mistreated as man’s property during this time. They were treated as rewards for battles and can be used for payment of a man’s debt. Of course, it is a usual observation that women are obviously not more glorified than men in these stories. Some were portrayed unfaithful and impure. It is easy to conclude that the women were mere companions and damsels-in-distress. In many cases, these women were subjected to violence and exploitation. In some occasions, some women were even treated as property by men that can be used as payment for a man’s debt (Gravdal 141). In â€Å"The Knight with the Lion†, thirty of the fairest maidens, each year, were used as payment for a young king’s freedom (Troyes 270). In Arthurian romances, women are given roles that differ from typical middle age stories. The roles maybe different, but all are crucial in Arthurian romances (Fester 59-61). Women are more empowered and are given much important roles in the stories. They are more evenly distributed within the plot. In Chretien de Troyes’ â€Å"The Knight of the Cart†, a woman is always present and interacting with the hero, Lancelot, in every scene. In â€Å"The Knight and the Lion†, of the same author, all of Yvain’s knightly deeds were requests from maidens. A very logical speculation why Chretien de Troyes depicted women in such an empowered manner is because he dedicated these stories to a woman, to Marie, countess of Champagne. The countess was a patron of his works at that time. She supplied him some sources for the stories. (Troyes 170) The presence of women in Arthurian romances highlighted the knight’s admirable courtesy to women. There is an instance in â€Å"The Knight in the Cart† that Lancelot was seduced by a woman to sleep with her. He refused the offer because he was focused on his quest to rescue Guinevere (Troyes 87). A knight seems to always help a maiden without question. In this sense, women have some sort of authority over men. In the first part of â€Å"The Knights of the Cart†, Kay announced that he wanted to leave court. King Arthur begged him to him not to go, but failed. King Arthur asked Queen Guinevere for help. We can see that the king feels powerless in this particular situation. He has no person in mind that can help him in this dilemma other than Queen Guinevere (Troyes 171). With this, Chretien de Troyes had already incorporated empowerment to Queen Guinevere’s character right from the very start of the story. The significance of women is probably most expressed in â€Å"The Knights of the Cart. † Queen Guinevere is probably the most popular among the women in the realm of Arthurian romances. Guinevere could be easily accused of being weak in character because she is very susceptible to being kidnapped. She was entangled in a love triangle with King Arthur and Lancelot and had easily fallen for Kay request of taking her with him that resulted to her abduction (Troyes 172). But being weak in character is very far from what is Guinevere’s role in this story. She has a certain power over the king that he asks her opinion about issues. She has also unexplainably, if not for the word â€Å"love†, inspired the knight Lancelot into a quest wherein no ordinary man can accomplish. Lancelot was finding it hard to defeat Meleagant in a swordfight. But when he took sight of Guinevere, he fought with renewed energy and defeated his opponent. There are some instances that Lancelot was on the brink of giving up his quest. But when he thinks of Guinevere, he is renewed with strength and determination (Fenster 229-34). I a certain angle, we can view Guinevere’s affair with Lancelot as a form of woman empowerment. King Arthur, like most kings, had taken other women after Guinevere. What she did was only giving justice to what his husband did. She didn’t choose to be passive of what is happening.

humans doing their best :: essays research papers

We human beings are a very unique creature. We have the ability to communicate through words, actions, and visions. We also strive to be the best that we can be. Whether at sports, school, or work we all want to be to the leaders of our field. That is why with my guidance and leadership we can grow not only as individual people but as a group of people as well. As you all know, my door is always open to suggestions and comments. If you feel hat something might work better than the way it is being handled let me know. Also, I shall make sure everyone is treated fairly and justly. In our country everyone will be treated equally regardless of their wealth or status, which we all desire. Here, no one will be overworked or underpaid; we will all share the revenue that is created by our fellowman. Lastly, there will be low taxes which will go toward funding our military. Our military will be used to protect citizens so they will not live in fear, it will not be used to police our peop le, like fascists. In the end communism will benefit us by allowing everyone to feel safe and equal. Since we are a communist community I shall be speaking for all of us. But that does not mean you have no say in what goes on. As your leader, I shall keep you all posted on what is happening locally as well as internationally. Unlike democracy, bills will be passed in a timely fashion because there will not be political parties arguing. Also, everyone will have the resources that they need which will eliminate competition for basic necessities, such as food, clothing, housing and education. Furthermore, unlike democratic politicians this government will be honest with its' people. No one under this government would be ruled with an "iron fist," like in fascism, instead the punishments that people receive will be given in accordance with the crimes they commit. First of all lets talk about the rules. Rule number one is no killing. Those who fail to do so will be subject to torture of the victims families' choosing. Second, no stealing. Stealing will result in forced payment of double the value of the item stolen, and in the case that the thief is poor, he or she will do community service equivalent to a dollar a day until they have paid off double what they have stolen.

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in Salinas, California. He was the third eldest of the four children born, but was the only male in the family, besides his father. He graduated from Salinas High School in 1919, and attended Stanford University, but leaving without a degree. He was employed in the beginning as a sales clerk, farm labourer factory worker. Later, in 1925, he became a construction worker in New York. He wrote his first novel, â€Å"Cup of Gold†, in 1929. During the period of the 1930’s, he produced most of his eminent novels such as â€Å"To A God Unknown†, â€Å"Tortilla Flat†, â€Å"Dubious Battle†, â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. The themes of his books can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labour, but there is also a streak of worship in his books, which does not always agree with his matter-of-fact sociological approach. After 1935, his novels moved to more serious fiction, often bellicose in its social criticism. The novels are mostly set in remote farms or by the usual rustic country side. He died in New York City in 1968, and his ashes lie in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas. Part 2: Exploration of the setting of ‘Of Mice and Men’ The context of this novel mainly focuses on a small working ranch in the Salinas Valley of Northern California, sometime during the 1930’s. It starts beside a stream, close to the Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad. The four major settings are the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, Crook’s room and the barn. The action occurs over a period of four to five days and in only four specific locations: a wooded area next to the Salinas River, a bunkhouse on the ranch, the stable hand’s room on the ranch and the main barn. The tight structure of setting, revolving around single locations and continuous timing, almost makes the novel seem like a play. It takes place during the Great Depression, hence the main characters seem poor and desperate for work. Steinbeck had chosen the area of Soledad because in Spanish, it means loneliness, and therefore adds to the essence of Steinbeck’s story which tells us of how to part-brothers go to find work. Part 3: Historical Context The Great Depression (1929-1939) – * Was a time of extreme hardship for people in Australia * Was caused by the stock-market crash on Wall Street, 1929 * Before this happened, unemployment issues in Australia was already at 10% * After the crash, unemployment in Australia more than doubled to 21% in mid-1930, and reached its peak in mid-1932 when almost 32% of Australians were out of work. Migrant Farm Workers – * In the early 1930’s thousands of desperate workers across America migrated to California * California advertised an abundance of fertile land, and many migrants were agriculturists * Because the massive drought had encompassed the Great Plains, many farmers abandoned the land * Californian farmers produced mostly fruits and dairy products, but the central valleys of California were poorly irrigated The American Dream – * Is essentially an idea that suggests anyone living in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a flourishing life * Was created in the 1600’s, by immigrant workers on farms Part 4: Meaning of the title The perfect schemes made by smart organisms (mice and humans) often go wrong because they were not thought out thoroughly. The failing schemes leave nothing but grief and pain, but in the end, it promises joy.

Sing Joy to the World in Spanish

For a joyful lift to your holidays, heres a Spanish-language version of Joy to the World, the classic Christmas carol. The hymn was originally written in English by Isaac Watts. A literal translation and translation notes are provided for Spanish students.  ¡Regocijad! Jesà ºs nacià ³  ¡Regocijad! Jesà ºs nacià ³, del mundo Salvador;y cada corazà ³n tornad a recibir al Rey,a recibir al Rey. Venid a recibir al Rey.  ¡Regocijad! Él reinarà ¡; cantemos en unià ³n;y en la tierra y en el mar loor resonarà ¡,loor resonarà ¡, y gran loor resonarà ¡. Ya la maldad vencida es; la tierra paz tendrà ¡.La bendicià ³n del Salvador quità ³ la maldicià ³n,quità ³ la maldicià ³n; Jesà ºs quità ³ la maldicià ³n.  ¡Glorias a Dios cantemos hoy! Seà ±or de Israel,la libertad tà º le darà ¡s y tà º serà ¡s su Dios,y tà º serà ¡s su Dios, Seà ±or, y tà º serà ¡s su Dios. Translation of Spanish Lyrics Rejoice! Jesus was born, Savior of the world;and each heart turn to receive the King,to receive the King. Come to receive the King. Rejoice! He will reign; let us sing in unison;and in the the land and in the sea praise will echo,praise will echo, and great praise will echo. The evil now is conquered; the earth will have peace.The Saviors blessing removed the curse,removed the curse. Jesus removed the curse. Today we sing glories to God! Lord of Israel,You will give her liberty and You will be her God,and You will be her God, Lord, and You will be her God. Grammar and Vocabulary Notes Regocijad: This is the familiar second-person plural imperative form (the vosotros form) of regocijar, which means to rejoice. It isnt a particularly common verb. In everyday conversation, youre unlikely to hear familiar plural imperative forms of verbs much outside of Spain, as in Latin American the formal you (ustedes) is used even in informal contexts. Nacià ³: This is the third-person plural preterite of nacer, which has no one-word equivalent in English, meaning to be born. Nacer is conjugated the same way as conocer. Del mundo Salvador: In everyday speech or writing, youd be much more likely to say Salvador del mundo for Savior of the world. In music, however, theres considerably more latitude with word order to get the desired rhythm. Tornad: Like regocijad, this is a plural-you command. Tornar typically means to convert or to turn into, and it is used most frequently in a religious context. As you may have noticed, the vosotros imperative form of the verb is made simply by changing the final r of the infinitive to a d. And this is always true — there are no irregular verbs for this form. Al: Al is one of only two contractions in Spanish, shortening a and el. The a here is the personal a, used because the direct object is el Rey, a person. (The other contraction is del, for de and el.) Venid: From the verb venir. Cantemos: From the verb cantar (to sing). This is the first-personal plural imperative form. En unià ³n: Although this phrase could be translated as in union, in unison is used because of the context of choral singing. Loor: This word is rare enough you wont find it in smaller dictionaries. It means praise. Resonarà ¡: Resonar means to resound or, more poetically, to echo or to ring. Gran: Gran is an example of apocopation, the shortening or clipping of certain adjectives when they immediately precede a noun. Although some adjectives are shortened only before masculine nouns, the singular grande is shortened whether masculine or feminine. Its meaning also changes from large to great. La maldad vencida es: This is another case of poetic word order. In everyday speech, youd more likely say, La maldad es vencida, evil is overcome. This sentence is in the passive voice, not directly stating what overcomes evil. Bendicià ³n: Blessing (ben- good, -dicià ³n saying, from the verb decir). Quità ³: Past tense of quitar, to remove. Maldicià ³n: Curse (mal- bad) Seà ±or: Although this word is often used as a courtesy title meaning the equivalent of Mr., it can also mean Lord. La libertad tà º le darà ¡s: This and the remainder of the song is an example of personification. The pronoun le usually isnt used to refer to things, only to people. But here it refers to Israel, which has been personified. Le is an indirect pronoun; the direct pronoun here is libertad, that which is being given.pecador Alternative Spanish Version of ‘Joy to the World’ Here is another popular Spanish-language version of the Christmas carol, although its translation to Spanish is less literal than the one above. The words most likely to be unfamiliar to Spanish students are grey, the word for a flock, such as of sheep; pecador, a sinner; and santa, the singular feminine form of santo, holy.  ¡Al mundo paz, nacià ³ Jesà ºs,nacià ³ ya nuestro Rey!El corazà ³n ya tiene luz,y paz su santa grey,y paz su santa grey,y paz, y paz, su santa grey.  ¡Al mundo paz; el Salvador,supremo reinarà ¡!Ya es feliz el pecador:pecadorJesà ºs perdà ³n le da,Jesà ºs perdà ³n le da,Jesà ºs, Jesà ºs perdà ³n le da. Al mundo à ©l gobernarà ¡con gracia y con poder;y a toda nacià ³n demostrarà ¡su amor y su poder,su amor y su poder,su amor, su amor y su poder.