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Elijah Hansen-Lints | | Hstam 112 | | 2.28.2017 | | Paper

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Elijah Hansen-Lints | | HSTAM 112 | | 2.28.2017 | | Paper 3
Prompt: Analyze and compare the depictions of Islam and Muslim society in the Song of Roland and the Life of Saint Louis

It is important to note that Islam and Muslim society as a whole is depicted differently by different scholars. The depiction of the Muslim culture is mainly prejudicial and biased based on the faith and beliefs of the scholars. Most Christian scholars have consistently and unapologetically presented Islam and Muslim society as violent, evil, and idolatrous. The aim of this paper is to analyze how Islam and Muslim community is highlighted in the “Song of Roland” and the ‘Life of Saint Louis.” Both scholars depict Islam and Muslim society as unquestionably evil, …show more content…

However, from the story, it is clear that everyone has a free will to do whatever they wish, either evil or good. It will also be demonstrated in this essay that despite the fact that everyone has a freewill to do whatever they wish, Christians believe that the good will always emerge victorious over the evil. From the analysis of the faith of the characters in the “Song of Roland” and the ‘Life of Saint Louis’, it will be evident how the story depicts Islam and the Muslim society as a whole.
Unarguably, an individual’s perception of another person or culture will mainly depend on the person’s experiences, interests, prejudices, and biases. Subsequently, the depiction of Islam and Muslim in the ‘Song of Roland’ and the “Life of Saint Louis’ are majorly based on the individual’s experiences with Muslim culture, their ways of life, and interests. In some instances, such as in the ‘Song of Roland’, Islam and Muslim society is depicted as an evil society where people are in pursuit of evil. A clear example is the manner in which the Muslim Saracens who are led by Marsilie and Baligant are shown to be in pursuit of the purest evil and are referred to as pagan. However, the Song of Roland argues that God helps those who do good to come out victoriously. There are several instances where God has intervened fairly often in the Song of Roland just to make sure that that those who do no evil come

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