The Era Of The Heian Era

Poetry in light of European tradition was measured and fit strict guidelines. It had strong religious roots and it was more formal than the types of

3. The poems included showed the kinds of things that the Japanese people were interested in at the time.

Poetry is often regarded the genre of the elite, but just as often champions are oppressed. Discuss with a detailed reference to two or more poems.

During this era a women’s depiction of not only herself but her husband was heavily reliant on her chaste nature. Women would earn a good reputation, or be respectable, by remaining faithful to their husbands and by only seeing them privately; inversely they would earn a poor one if they were known to not, “be moral, to be chaste, and faithful and God-fearing, (…)” (Caird 190). The respectability of themselves and their spouse would be diminished the moment they did not present one of the above qualities. A critique is made of this notion in both “The Lady of Shalott” and “Goblin Market.” The first poem introduces us to the Lady of Shalott who is isolated in a tower and looks upon the world through a mirror, however, the moment she stops

One of the most beautiful parts about poetry is that you are free to write however you want. There is no stencil or cookie cutter templet to writing good poetry, and if you compare poems from any two poets, no two will be alike. One reason for this is that you are free to write you poem in your own language. This freedom is what allowed Sekou Sundiata to finally get into poetry. He states, "there was a hit song by James Brown which had that line, so it was a slang term, but this man made literature out of it and that really enabled me.

Phaedras claims, similarly to modern poets that love will drive one to the brink or even over the edge of death. It is hardly surprising, then, to find a similar image again in the poetry of Theognis, ?Boy, as long as your cheek is smooth, I?ll never / stop praising you, not even if I have to die.? (Theognis, 1327-1334) On the inclusion of women, however, Theognis disagrees with

Poetry has a role in society, not only to serve as part of the aesthetics or of the arts. It also gives us a view of what the society is in the context of when it was written and what the author is trying to express through words. The words as a tool in poetry may seem ordinary when used in ordinary circumstance. Yet, these words can hold more emotion and thought, however brief it was presented.

In both of Queen Wealhtheow’s appearances, the people of Heorot are joyfully dining. Her very presence ensures “pleasant murmurs” (1160) and “the [happiness of a crowd]” (1160). She makes sure her husband is “happy and fond” (1171), as well as encourages him to relish the simple act of “drink[ing]” (1171). She plays the perfect hostess in her first appearance of the poem which includes “observing the courtesies” (54). In watching her people feast, Wealhtheow performs her role as passive queen and supporter to her husband. While her husband is referred to as the “homeland’s guardian” (34), Wealhtheow instills a peaceful watch over her people, ensuring their happiness in matters unrelated to war. A pliant salve she may be, but a necessary one for her honorable king and for the sake of her people’s

Nara practices were magical rites to improve memory or to expand the mind for study,

The poetry of Ovid exemplified in The Art of Love is one of the only examples of the contemporary social behavior exhibited during the time of Rome. Ovid writes about social activities, proper style, women, and how to obtain them. Through Ovid’s perspective, there are three different ways to consider a woman. These three views include relating a woman to a game, a beautiful treasure, and as a means to assert social status. Comparatively, Andreas Capellanus writes in a way that makes women seem respected, worthy and as something to a man would willingly devote his life to. Both men have a clear fascination with women and their relationship to men. However, their distinct writing styles cause

Heian period, with the abundance of the Japanese cultural influence, are considered as the peak of the development of the literature, art, and poetry. The poetry in today’s society is the literary work that expresses ideas, feelings, and thoughts through short verses. However, it played significant role in Heian period society, because it was not merely a piece of literature but people in Heian period used poetry in various ways to express their thoughts to the society. The poetry in the society were very critical for both men and women because it created the way to communicate with other people. In addition, the writing processes required skills which also led to the improvement educational thoughts and ideas among people. Lastly, the poetry represented the standard of beauty in the society among aristocratic women. The poetry represented more than just text.

Periods of time with peace and stability politically and religiously, paired with flourishing arts, are called "Golden Ages". One thriving, revolutionizing time like this occurred in Heian, Japan from 794 to 1185 C.E., under the rule of the Fujiwara family. Succeeding the Nara period, many aspects of the Heian culture, such as Buddhism and the writing system, were borrowed from China. However, in this time, Japan took those preconceived ideas and really made them their own, adding many new ones along the way. The peace and stability, as well as influential literature greatly contributed to this period’s golden legacy. Poetry during this time, most importantly Lady Murasaki 's novel, "Tale of Genji", reflected this time period and forever changed today 's writing, making this era a truly prosperous golden age.

In modern times, youth and beauty is an image seen everywhere. For example, a Versace billboard, magazine ad, TV commercial, all of which displays images of beautiful people. But what happens when this beauty fades? Shakespeare in his 12th sonnet talks about his experience and fading beauty. The purpose of this poem is to encourage a young man to not lose his beauty to the ravages of time. In order to do this, one must reproduce so beauty will live.

“The courtly lady…possesses a curiously hybrid gender. While maintaining stereotypically female sexuality, she also holds, in principle at least, the status of a feudal lord.” Burns’ statement insinuates a reversal of power dynamics between man and woman in the courtly love lyric, implying that the woman’s stereotypical beauty and sexuality in courtship, is a gateway to subverting and overpowering the lovesick male, making her a superior lord. The Amour Courtois lyric is deemed inconsistent with the representation of woman as an empowered “feudal lord” due to the sheer objectification of femininity and beauty. Poets such as Geoffrey Chaucer and William Dunbar commend a woman’s aesthetic appeal or satirise the lack of it, thus elevating medieval misogynistic expectations of physical beauty as a feminine necessity that objectifies women under the control of man’s advances. Throughout courtly love lyrics female beauty is a purely frivolous and superficial trait lacking predominant depth, to render woman as a “lord” would be poetically conflicting as the only power exemplified by female subjects in courtship is through the idolisation and sexual lust of the male devotee.

Though not named, the writer, Byron seeks to captivate the essence of a mysterious woman’s beauty through his almost fairy-tale description of her. Written in the 1700s at a time when women were expected to be delicate and assume the role of puppets for their puppeteer men, the woman was juxtaposed between conventional and unconventional norms of beauty. The first line is one such example of him describing her beauty in unconventional terms. ‘She walks in beauty, like the night’ Night is not normally described as being beautiful; writers usually attribute adjectives such as scary, dark, lonely and cold to night. Hence, from the beginning, Byron grabbed the reader’s attention by letting his audience know that this beauty was not just the usual