Silence, a romance written in the Middle Ages, deals with a girl named Silence who is raised as a boy due to the fact that the king at the time, King Evan, made a law stating that women could no longer inherit from their parents. This was after two counts had died after fighting over women. Thus, to be sure Silence would receive her inheritance, she was brought up as a boy and treated like one for about the first quarter of her life, until it is revealed at the end that she is indeed a woman. Upon the realization that she is a woman, King Evan uplifts the ban on female inheritance. He also marries Silence, who had served for the King for many years as a male. It can then be realized that the convention of the recognition scene is employed …show more content…
Because of this loss of life, King Evan declared that “no woman shall ever inherit again in the kingdom of England as long as [he] reign[ed] over the land” (pp 17). Thus, at the realization that Cador and Eufemie gave birth to a girl, they decided to raise her as a boy so that she may receive her inheritance when the time came. During her life as a boy, Silence served as a knight for the King and was loved by all, that is, until the Queen tried to take that away from him by first claiming she had been raped by him and then that he “never [stopped] trying to reduce the value of [the king’s] honor at any cost” and then also stating that Silence would not “give [her] a minute’s peace” (pp 271). Upon the first accusation, the King simply looked over it and sent Silence to France, but upon his return to England, and the following claim by the Queen, the King did not look too kindly on Silence as he had before. King Evan then sent Silence out of the kingdom to look for Merlin, in hopes that he would never be seen again. Silence was able to find Merlin however, which in turn led to the truth of her gender coming out, and thus the recognition …show more content…
Silence then admits that the Queen's cla’ms were not true and stated that she did not argue against the Queen on these claims because she “feared [the Queen] might denounce [her] and reveal [her] true nature” and she also did not want to “compromise the lady’s position as queen” (pp 310-311). After hearing this, the King comes to believe Silence, as she has no reason to lie anymore, as her biggest secret has just been announced to the public. The King then gives a speech to Silence saying that she “[had] saved [her]self by [her] loyal actions” and that he would give her his “friendship and protection” (pp 311). Because of his deep trust of Silence, the King decided to uplift his ban on female inheritance and then had his wife, the Queen Eufeme put to death for her lies. After this, Silence was “dressed as a woman” and her manly appearance was stripped away from her (pp 313). Thus, the truth came out in that Silence was indeed a woman; justice was found for her, as the Queen was caught in her lies, women could inherit again, and Silence could finally live as she truly was, a woman; and order was restored, as things could now go back to as they once
In “No Name Woman,” the theme of silence starts with the elementary words of the memoir stating you must not tell anyone. This statement is ironic because Kingston is in fact telling everyone, giving voice to Chinese customs and the lives that are foregone. As written in her memoir, she states, “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born.” (Deshazer 308). It is especially notable and ironic that the memoir begins with the phrase “You must not tell anyone.” Her effort in No Name Woman is to write about that which is never said; her unnamed dead aunt, and the outrageous behaviors in her mother’s Chinese village. Kingston was not necessarily silenced direct by a male figure; however, the words said by her mother “You must not tell anyone” is a representation of Kingston father’s authorization voice through her mother’s explanation. Kingston’s effort is also about discovering a voice, as both a Chinese-American
In "The Fall of the House of Usher" Edgar Allan Poe talks about the true darkness that can come from being alone. Darkness and death seem to be common themes in many of Poe's works, but especially in this particular story. Death is often defined as, "the termination or extinction of something" (American Heritage Dictionary). "The Fall of The House of Usher" is written not to present a moral lesson or truth to the reader; but simply for the author to present a sense of terror to the reader. Poe's mind works this way and also works in a very effective technique to animate his actual thoughts and his thought process. Poe's use of many literary devices captivate even the reader's imagination in the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". Many critics believe that Poe writes this way because of his isolation from the world, while others believe differently; but what is the real reason Poe writes the way he does?
I read the book “The Kingdom Keepers” and it is about a boy named Finn met an old man named Wayne. Wayne informed Finn about a group called the Overtakers that want the “Stonecutter’s Quill” to take over Disney. He had to find four other people that have to be chosen to be able to save Disney.
Throughout many portions of The Woman Warrior, silence becomes a big theme and develops with the many stories told in each chapter. For the narrator, the concept of silence means not having an identity because not speaking means not having a say as a woman. However, as the book moves on, she becomes aware of the several negative factors that are associated with claiming independence and doing things differently in a Chinese community. Furthermore, the idea of silence is also hooked up to cross-cultural problems in Chinese culture such as hiding a person's name to hide their identity. Many individuals go by new names when their lives evolve or change and guard their real names with silence. Overall, the mention of silence refers to the hiding
The author starts the book with the story of her aunt. This story was a well-kept family secret being that her aunt’s actions were of great disappointment to the family. The “no name woman” as the story names her, was forgotten by all her family because she had a child that was not from her husband. This story gives a clear
In the thirteenth-century French romance, Silence, translated by Sarah Roche-Mahdi, the titular character faces challenges because of her gender-identity for no reasons of her own. Silence is unable to achieve knighthood as long as she is a woman. The French romance was written to test the boundaries of this genre, and proved that in the end, the female archetype found so often in Arthurian literature will always remain the same.
Willa Cather's Death Comes For The Archbishop is a novel set in the nineteenth century in New Mexico. The story follows the adventures of Father Vaillant and Father Latour, two refined French priests on a mission to promote Catholicism in Santa Fe. The story follows each man's experiences in these unrefined surroundings causing them to go through dramatic changes as they experience the westward movement of the frontier. Through the struggles and journeys of a host of characters, we discover the underlying tensions of worldly distractions that can create a divided character between oneself.
The story unfolds as the nameless narrator’s condition is revealed. She is a common woman
During the medieval times, women were not seen as they are today. Although in the world today there are still those who are full of misogyny, it was much more common and intense during this time period. Women during the middle ages had specific roles assigned to them in society. These roles depended on the type of women they were, whether it be a peasant, noble woman, or an evil temptress. These roles that women have served have shown up in numerous stories from the middle ages including: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Wife’s Lament.
The men throughout the Old English era played a very prevailing role in society. Men were the persons in society that were portrayed as the central leaders; being in charge of their homes and representing wisdom and strength. Because the men’s role in the Old English era was so dominant, there is a vast amount of literature about them, thus allowing women to be outshined. In fact, restrictions were placed on the majority of women during this period. However, as time evolved, the roles of women also evolved. In the Old English texts, The Wife’s Lament and Beowulf, the roles of women are seen as peace weavers, motivators, cupbearers and memory keepers, compared to the women in the Middle English text, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, who now play the roles of being protective, seductive and manipulative.
A recurring event in the play was the women disguising themselves as men. This is symbolic of the suppression of the women by their male counterparts. They had to mask their true abilities under the guise of men. There was no way in Elizabethan society for a woman to be successful in any field other than wifehood or motherhood. In Act II, Jessica was finally rebelling against the strict rules of Shylock. She was taking extreme measures in order to elope with Lorenzo.
In the Middle Age literature, women are often presented or meant to come off as an unimportant character; which can also reflect on how the author wants the women character represent. Women are usually shunned, have no say or control in what they do; due to what men desire; like Ophelia and Gertrude did in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But these female characters that I will discuss are women with power, control, and a voice. Majority of the female character’s appearances are made to represent wickedness, evil, or a seducer who challenges a man belief; and does not symbolize perfect women.
Silence tells the story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan during a time of unrest, turmoil and persecution. Upon being captured, the priests are witness to indescribable brutalities that test their own beliefs and principals.
In this version of the Evil Queen, her nature is silent but deadly. Not the one you're probably thinking about right now. It is in the way she acts that is silent but deadly. In the book, she actually had no heart. She couldn’t feel any emotions. The Evil Queen just had a stone heart that
The Servant King is a great book for any person who would want to get involved or simply study theology. Alexander focuses heavily on Christology throughout the entire book. He begins by going through the Old Testament and explains how it points to the Messiah that is Jesus Christ. He goes through specific events such as: Creation, the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed, promises to Abraham, the judges, the beginning of a monarchy for the Israelites, and many other important events of the Old Testament. The main point of these sections is to show how even in the times of the Old Testament, all things were still pointing to Christ the Messiah, and the future king. In Chapter 13, titled the same as the whole book, “The Servant King,” Alexander talks about how the future king is described in the latter half of Isaiah, saying that he will suffer for those that have sinned. He will take on their sin for them. This is important because this is something that sets apart Christ from all other kings that have rules over the Israelite people.