The Authurian Legend and How it Has Endured

Mrs. White I did my blog!!!! :D



The Legend of King Arthur has withstood the test of time through many centuries. People through out the years have been drawn to several aspects of the Authurian Legend. With its compelling sense of chivalry, loose structure and randomness, the continuous struggle between good and evil, and the equality between the king and his knights, King Arthur has remained the focal point of Medieval romances, and has remained a favorite by all.
Many women are addicted to stories of chivalry, romance, and love. King Arthur's legend has all of these. For example, in the story Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell, Gawain is given the choice of whether he would like his new wife to look beautiful in public during the day or at night at home when he had her all to herself. Gawain choose to let the Lady Ragnell decide because he said he didn't really care how she looked. Because Gawain let her choose, the Lady Ragnell looked beautiful and radiant all the time. People thrive on these sweet wonderful stories. What girl wouldn't love for a boy to say that to her? And because women (and some men!) thrive on these types of stories, King Aurthur's legend has held a soft spot in many people's hearts throughout the years. Another good example of the romance and love found within the Arthurian legend is in Malory's piece, Le Morte D'Arthur. The piece addresses that fate has decided that "Gwynevere is destined to love Sir Launcelot" (Malory, 57) Hearing these adorable stories of fate makes people question what fate has planned in their lives, and oftentimes, they feel like continuing reading these stories will help them figure it out.
Like most mideval romances, The Arthurian Legend lacks unity, and has a very loose structure with no rigid plot, making it very random and sometimes quite humorous. The movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail makes fun of this aspect that has kept readers interested in King Aurtur for so many centuries. For example, when King Arthur is searching for knights for his round table, he stops at a castle where they catapult various farm animals at him.
The constant struggle between good and evil has compelled people for many years. In all of the stories of King Arthur's legend there is always one definite hero (usually his knights) that always come out victorious. King Arthur's knights want what is best for the people of Camelot, and therefore, defend Camelot fullheartedly. For example, in the movie, The First Knight when intruders enter King Arthur's castle, the knights, and the townspeople defend Camelot, even without their weapons. These compelling stories make people continue reading because they want to see the good guy win, because that is what they would like to always see in their own lives.
Lastly, the idea of King Aurthur's round table has intrigued people for many years. Also in the movie The First Knight, when King Arthur is explaining the idea of the round table to Launcealot he says "And this is the Round Table. There is no head o the table, nor an end. Everyone is equal here, even the king." This concept has fascinated people throughout their lives and have at times tried to apply it to their lives. From my own experiences, I was judging a karate test once and after the test, the judges all got together and discussed how the people who tested did. Because the judges were all of different ranks, the highest rank said "Lets pretend this is the round table, all our votes and all our ideas are equal. Rank does not matter right now." King Arthur's ability to be so humble and put his rank aside for the betterment of his kingdom has inspired many people to do the same.
King Arthur is perhaps, the star of all medieval romances. With the legend's chivalry, and romance, loose structure and comical randomness, the constant battle between good and evil, and lastly, the humbling idea of the round table has held the interest of people throughout the centuries, and will continue to do so as it withstands the test of time.

Beowulf the Boastful

I believe Beowulf is very selfish with his fame. He even says "He who can earn it should fight for the glory of his name; fame after death is the noblest of goals." (1387-1389) Beowulf's main goal is for his name to be remembered long after his deeds. He is not doing these good deeds and battles out of the good of his heart, he is just greedy for fame. For example, in the battle when Beowulf rips off Grendel's arm, when he wins, instead of helping the victims of Grendel's carnage, he makes a point of boasting his great win before anything else by raising the ravaged arm expressing his victory and seeking rewards. Meanwhile, the guards and other victims lay ed helpless on the floor. Beowulf's main motive for his deeds is fame, not good will. Therefore, Beowulf is selfish with his acts.

The Appropriate Cover

I feel that the fourth cover portrays the novel, The Fifth Child, the best. It shows Ben, isolated and alone. The mood the picture sets is very depressing which corresponds with the mood of the book. The Fifth Child is a horror story, and the fourth cover really depicts that much better than all the other covers. Ben's facial expression on the cover can be interpreted as fear, isolation, confusion, anger, loneliness, and bitterness; all themes that are found in several character's in Doris Lessing's novel. Lessing references several instances where Ben would blatantly stare out of the window."Ben would stand on the sill, gripping the bars and shaking them, and surveying the outside world, letting out his thick raucous cries." (Lessing, 60) It is evident that the fourth cover is best choice, and depicts the novel the best.

Frankenstein Reaction

So far, I enjoy Frankenstein. Following along with the creature's different emotions, and pursuit for exceptance has been one of my favorite parts of the novel thus far. Observing the creature trying to figure out who he is and dealing with human emotions with no one to guide him, really has triggered my mind into thinking what I would do if I was in the monster's situation. Quotes such as "These thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh adour to the aquiring the art of language. My organs ere indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration." (Shelley, pg. 103)make me feel a great deal of compassion,and identify with the creature. He realizes he is different, but despite these differences, he requires companionship and acceptance just like everyone else.
This brings me to the point of the creature's request to Victor for a mate. Over the past week with the debates in class, and just from my opinion after doing my reading, I feel that the monster deserves a mate. Mary Shelley has very accuately portrayed Frankenstein's loneliness, and caused me to feel a great deal of empathy for the creature, and longing right along side the monster to achieve happiness somehow. The book drags you right along the creature as he goes through all these emotions that one can identify with, and so far thats what I find most enjoyable about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein so far.