Today in society, people are often caught in between what they actually are and what they ought to be. Everyone wants to be better than what they actually are. But only a handful of everyone is going to realize what they actually should be and do something about it. I feel as if the world thinks and revolves around the idea that being what we ought to be is something that is too good to be true. I beg to differ. The knowledge that I have gained from our readings this year in world literature could definitely help out with this argument in today’s society. In my opinion, the human population as a whole is recognized as doing just enough. We do what we think is right and hope to maybe become remembered. What we ought to be is a different story. …show more content…
At the first of the story, the Green Knight challenges all of the knights of King Arthur’s Round table to a game. “This ax, that is heavy enough, to handle as he likes, And I shall bide the first blow, as bare as I sit….In twelvemonth and a day He shall have of me the same….Who dares take up the game…If he astonished them at first, stiller were then All that household in hall, the high and the low” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, lines 289-302). Once again the human race is embarrassed by being proven what we truly are. The Knights of the Round Table that are supposed to be brave and prideful in fighting act cowardly. They hope that someone will rise and take on this challenge. The don’t want the burden to be on them. They would rather someone else accept the challenge that way they will not have to go down and remembered as a fool. We are often caught up in this idea in today’s world. We worry more about what the next person is going to do. We hope that someone else rather than ourselves will take the lead role while we stand in the back and follow at a safe distance. We are all so scared to achieve something that is above the average. We are scared of what others will think or even worse what others may do to us because of actions in taking a step forward. This is foolish and human race is
Misty used to be one of these individuals. If someone sees how she really opened up her wings and soared to her full potential, maybe they’ll find out that what they are doing isn’t up to their full potential and will have the courage to show themselves and others that the ideal is meant to be altered, there really is no perfect image. Individuals such as Misty show society that you can go beyond the limit if you have the image in mind are you are willing to work for it. If everyone had a growth mindset, maybe we, as a whole, will have a more productive future. All many people really need to get them to go above and beyond is a little push.
Sir Gawain's five virtues are generosity,fellowship,chastity, courtesy and charity. It's not that we should follow Sir Gawain’s five virtues it's that a person should have their own virtues to follow. I think it's important for a person to include generosity and charity because the past 10-15 years people in big cities have forgot what it feels like to be human and to care for others and most importantly people in need. It is possible to follow Sir Gawain's Virtues if you have the funds and are willing.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is described as a perfect embodiment of Solomon’s Pentangle. Before Sir Gawain rides off to receive the Green Knight’s blow, he has the Pentangle painted onto his shield. All five points of the pentangle on Sir GAwain’s shield symbolize a virtue of a perfect knight. They are the Five sense/ witts, the five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, the five joys of Mary, and the 5 virtues. The five virtues are generosity, sociability, courtesy, compassion/piety and purity.
Courtesy is displayed by Arthur waiting to eat after the rest of his knights do at the very beginning and after the Green Knight shows up, Arthur welcomes him into the castle, despite the oddity of it all. After this beheading game is proposed by the Green Knight, Gawain steps up and steps in place of King Arthur. Gawain says, “’I beseche now with sawes sene / This melly mot be myne.’” claiming the battle as his own (lines 341-342) and the noble court decides in agreement, “To ryd the king wyth croun, / And gif Gawan the game” (lines 364-365). Gawain taking place of the king and offering up his life is one of the most courteous actions that could be taken.
Whether it’s done intentionally or not, every work of literature addresses the human condition in some form or another. And the human condition is a complicated matter. It is humanity’s ceaseless internal struggle between what is good and what is evil and the nagging question as to which side humanity is defined by; which side is the mistake and which is the truth. For we are capable of both great evil and great good. According to George Bernard Shaw, a Native American elder once told him, “Inside of me there are two dogs.
The bet would be that the knight can strike the Green Knight anywhere without opposition, but in one year’s time that knight must find the Green Chapel and receive the very same wound. Sir Gawain agrees to this bet but before taking hold of the axe, King Arthur imparts to “young Gawain the blessing of God” (370). This blessing is certainly very important to this “God-fearing knight” (381) as he finds himself turning to his faith in his most stressful and dire of times. God is consequently the muse of the quest as he is invoked consistently throughout the tale as struggles are reached and fear takes over Sir Gawain’s heart. For even when
Zach Beckner February 5th, 2017 Literary Studies Professor Carey Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Formal Essay: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic medieval tale by Pearl Poet depicting a variety of morals such as chivalry, “trawthe”, honor, fortitude, and more throughout the story of a young knight, Sir Gawain, who served as part of King Arthur’s court at the Round Table. One Christmas, King Arthur and his royal court were celebrating the holiday as well as the upcoming New Year with an extravagant feast and lavish party. In the midst of the party, an enormous green knight unexpectedly enters the court on his horse and tells King Arthur and his knights that he does not wish for a dual, but rather, to participate in a Christmas
NAME INSTRUCTOR COURSE DATE The Five Knightly Virtues of Sir Gawain Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is the most known 14th century poem that depicts the Arthurian legend. It has been translated from a Middle English dialect by Simon Armitage; unfortunately, very little is known about the original author. Sir Gawain is the protagonist as he is the major source of conflict when he struggles to decide whether his “knightly virtues” are more important than his own life.
It describes how Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table , accepts a challenge from a mysterious "Green Knight " who challenges any knight to strike him with his axe if he will take a return blow in a year and a day . The Green Knight tease them cruelly, calling out Arthur himself to take up the challenge. But before Arthur can to do something to fight, his nephew, Sir Gawain, declares that it’s shameful for the king to have to participate in such a silly game. After the Christmas feasting, Gawain gets ready to leave, but the lord persuades him to stay by saying that he can guide Gawain to the Green
The Green Knight arrived at King Arthur's court unarmed showing how he was not willing to fight anyone resembling his fear. The Green knight decided that he would enter the hall unarmed although he has “a hauberk at home, and a helm beside, a shield, and sharp spear” (Borroff 46-47). Since he left his weaponry at home, he is evidently fearful of fighting anyone at King Arthur’s hall. To add to this, since the Green Knight thought that it was necessary to let the people in the hall know that he had
During the Medieval times chivalry was one of the most important characteristics a knight could display. Chivalry was viewed as a moral obligation that involved bravery, honor, respect, and gallantry. Knights were expected to uphold this code or face social consequences for any infractions, with punishments ranging from humiliation to termination of their knighthood. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” presents the struggles knights faced with honoring the chivalrous code at all times. Sir Gawain, while imperfect, exhibits qualities expected of knights and embodies the internal struggle between honoring the chivalrous code and giving into selfish desires.
The Green Knight picks up his head from the ground, turns it towards the crowd, and repeats the rules of the “game”. A great example of magic and the supernatural. “First I threatened you playfully with a pretence, And avoided giving you a gash, doing so rightly Because of the agreement we made on the first night, When you faithfully and truly kept you pledged word, Gave me all your winnings, as an honest man should. That other feint, sir, I gave you
The challenged of the Green Knight confronted the court and Gawain’s reputation in a way that no one could have predicted. The people at the court along with Gawain lived in an ideal world where they know what to expect all the time. However, the appearance of the Green Knight awakened everyone into a new sight as he challenged the controlled space of the court. The people at the court were stunned when they first saw the Green Knight. They noticed his ideal characteristics before they recognized his greenness.
Him who judges any and every man. When first being introduced the Green Knight challenged King Arthur “ … thou be as bold as all men tell, thou wilt grant me graciously the game that I ask.” (Green Knight p. 7) He wakes into his house with no fear and took on Sir Gawain, in place of King Arthur. Then, when Sir Gawain cut off the Green Knight head “ … he held the head straight up in his hand …”
All my life I have shown the core values that include respect service, and compassion. Many people would like to make a difference, not only in their own life, but in others’ lives as well. Deepak Chopra once said, “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.” All of us, at one point in our lives, have to make the difficult decision of the goals we want to work towards.