Beowulf and Old English Poetry: Themes and Analysis
Beowulf: The Oldest English Epic
Beowulf, written between the 8th and 11th centuries, is the earliest known English epic. Composed in Old English, it lays the foundation for English poetic tradition and offers insight into early Germanic culture.
Anglo-Saxon Society Reflected in Beowulf
The poem reflects Anglo-Saxon values like loyalty, honor, and reputation. It highlights warrior culture, kinship, and the importance of gift-giving and feudal bonds.
Linguistic and Stylistic Impact of Beowulf
Beowulf
Read MoreDefinitions: Words Derived from Places and Cultures
This table provides definitions for words that originate from specific places or cultures.
| Word | Definition | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Academy | A secondary preparatory school, especially a private one. | |
| Acapulco Gold | Mexican-grown marijuana that is considered very strong. | |
| Afro-American | An American of African and especially of black African descent. | |
| Alpinism | Mountain climbing in the Alps or other high mountains. | |
| Angeleno | A native or inhabitant of Los Angeles. | [angeleño, “de Los Angeles”] |
| Arabic Numeral | Any of the number symbols 0, |
Bécquer’s Rimas and Leyendas: Themes and Characters
Bécquer’s Poetic and Narrative Style
Key Poetic Devices in Bécquer’s Work
- Parallelism: Repetition of the same syntactic structure in verses.
- Anaphora: Repetition of a word at the beginning of several verses.
- Correlation: Reciprocal correspondence between two or more series of concepts or words.
- Epiphonema: Exclamatory sentence or reflection summarizing the preceding idea, often at the end.
- Symbolist Poetry: Uses images, metaphors, or symbols to embody the poet’s sentiments.
Analysis of Bécquer’s Rimas
Rimas
Read MoreMastering English Vowel Sounds: Pronunciation and Spelling
English Vowel Sounds: Pronunciation and Spelling
Description and spelling of the English vowels:
1 – /iː/
Description: Front of the tongue raised to a height slightly below and behind the close front position. Lips spread, tongue tense, side rims making firm contact with the upper molars.
- Does not normally occur in a syllable closed by a long ‘n’.
Spelling:
- ee (green)
- ea (mean)
- i (machine)
**Also occurs in plurals of nouns: analyses, bases, theses
2 – /ɪ/
Description: Part of the tongue nearer to the center
Read MoreDaisy Miller: Chapter 3 Analysis – Character Relationships
Chapter 3
Analysis
Chapter 3 begins with a literary joke. In a letter to Winterbourne asking him to come and visit her in Rome, Mrs. Costello passes on some gossip about Daisy and, in the same paragraph, asks Winterbourne to bring her a copy of Victor Cherbuliez’s Paule Méré, a novel that bears a striking resemblance to Daisy Miller in several ways. Like James’s novel, Paule Méré takes its title from the name of its heroine and concerns a spirited, independent-minded young woman whose unchaperoned
Read MoreBeowulf: Context, Poetic Style, Structure, and Christianity
Beowulf: Historical Context
The Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian peoples had invaded the island of Britain and settled there several hundred years earlier, bringing with them several closely related Germanic languages that would evolve into Old English. Elements of the Beowulf story—including its setting and characters—date back to the period before the migration. The action of the poem takes place around 500 A.D. Many of the characters in the poem—the Swedish and Danish royal family members, for