Religous Impacts on Anglo-Saxon Works of Literature free essay sample

By Armani Wilson 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. The epic poem, Beowulf shows a tremendous presence of religious influence. For example, when the narrator says â€Å"†¦Conceived by a pair of those monsters born/ of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God,†(20-23), this is interpreted as God had taken it upon himself to protect the masses of the early Anglo-Saxon society, and it also demonstrates how the people gave this religious ideal to help explain their mythology among other things. This also explains the influence of the religious dynamic because the unknown author of the epic poem gave the biblical reference to Cain, the first-born child of Adam and Eve that committed a terrible act in the eyes of the lord (murder), simply because his sacrifice to the lord was rejected in contrast to his brother Abel’s. We will write a custom essay sample on Religous Impacts on Anglo-Saxon Works of Literature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This caused a somewhat metamorphosis towards the influence of literature to represent anything with a negative connotation with having the potential to be evil, in this case the subject of the negative connotation is Grendel. Also, in Beowulf, there is the instance in which the narrator says â€Å"In Herot, when night hid him, he never/ Dared to touch the king Hrothgar’s glorious/ Throne, protected by God-God,† (82-84). Grendel doesn’t attack or negatively act upon Hrothgar directly because he fears that Hrothgar is protected by a god or gods. The presence of religion here is that society has collected this thought that There are those people in society that have been chosen by a higher power to be destined to be protected and to have a life of prosperity, This perception modifies itself later on during the metamorphosis of the Anglo-Saxon views of religious protection upon mortals. The Anglo-Saxons, throughout the plot of Beowulf have the notion that over everything else that transpires in their mortal life, they must do whatever possible to appease the god or gods. When the narrator says â€Å"†¦And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do. / And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,† (89-90). This basically defines the ideal that every single person in the Anglo-Saxon society thought that they had this responsibility and burden to do as much as they could to appease the gods, even if it meant you had to end the life of another innocent soul to give them a clear conscience. The evolution of religion through the eyes of an Anglo-Saxon Civilian can be simply shown and interpreted by many people in many different ways, Whether that their views of evil are publicized or their judgments on divine intervention of many divine beings or just a single one. From sacrificial procedures to the distress of angering a higher power, The Anglo-Saxon ideals are presented and greatly influence the composition of The epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel.

A Beautiful Thing essays

A Beautiful Thing essays Amy Williams Dr.Yow Essay 2 A Beautiful Thing Lucy Grealy, in her essay Mirrors, gives an awesome portrayal of how our external being, as seen by others, shapes and influences our own feelings of inner worth. The author breaks down the true definition of individuality, pointing out that individualism is really nothing more than the way society perceives us. For example, when Lucy was young, her family and doctors rewarded her good behavior (i.e. silence) during chemotherapy by exclaiming, What a brave little girl. Unfortunately, this type of praise installed a false and unhealthy sense of self in Lucy. She became attached to this courageous, stalwart disposition, feeling that her reticence contributed to the approval, attention, and acceptance she received from others. Grealy states, ...if I broke down, this would be seen as despicable in the eyes of both my parents and doctors. I got tired of being brave, every week I told myself not to cry and every week I failed (50). The author f elt that by shedding tears, she had somehow failed to cooperate effectively, leaving disappointment in the heart of her most sought after audience, her parents. Like so many of us experience today, L. Grealy linked her broken life and lack of self-confidence to her outward, flawed appearance. To illustrate, she writes: I didnt feel I could pass up yet another chance to fix my face, which I confusedly thought concurrent with fixing myself, my soul, my life (49). In most cases, it is not necessarily our own face that humans most desire to change, but similarly, we mistakenly long for modification from the outside inward rather than the inside outward. We struggle with self-acceptance, and ascribe our inadequacy to external blemishes, an outside force, Amy Williams Dr.Yow Essay 2 which denies the possibility for self-assertion and growth. As individua ...

Life Span Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Span Development - Research Paper Example Children go through many physical and emotional changes and these years play a very important role in the lives of individuals as its effects last for the rest of the life. According to Erik Erikson’s theory of socio-emotional development, a person develops skills, self-esteem, confidence, a sense of responsibility, and learns about love and family values (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). By the time a person reaches young adulthood, a person focuses more on interpersonal relationships and looks for a partner to commit to, which increases a sense of belonging. Erikson calls this stage Intimacy vs. Isolation (Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moore, 1981). A study concludes that romantic love in young adults consists three main factors: connectedness, attraction, and painful love (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). The relationship of a person with parents, the marital status of parents, and a number of other factors related to different stages of development have a significant effect on the romantic love of young adults (Seiffge-Krenke, Shulman, & Kiessinger, 2001). Selecting a life partner is one of the most important decisions of young adults and has a significant influence on the life of a person. Social Penetration is a term used to define relationships that move from liking to greater closeness and intimacy (Altman & Taylor, 1973).