Anglo-Saxon Values and Ideals in Beowulf Essay

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    Anglo-Saxon Values Crossed with Christianity in Beowulf The heroic epic poem, Beowulf, is a reflection of many Anglo-Saxon ideals and concepts, but it also contains many clear references to Christianity. By 690 A.D., Christianity had spread to Anglo-Saxons throughout Great Britain, creating an overlapping of pagan and monotheistic beliefs. During the Dark Ages, the pagan religion of the Anglo-Saxons was marked by their belief in fate and scarred by their bleak, short, and violent lives. The Christian

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    Loyalty In Beowulf

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    Literature in a certain time period can reflect the ideals and values of the people who existed during the time period. values such as loyalty, heroism, and paganism conflicted with Christianity. Many of these deals from the Anglo Saxon period can easily be compared to the situations in the epic poem Beowulf Uniquely, loyalty is a highly valued ideal in the Anglo Saxon period. In Beowulf, loyalty is shown in the kingdom that Beowulf helps. Along with the fact that the village would celebrate often

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    History has shown that during the Anglo- Saxon time period, the ideals and values of the people were very important to them. The Anglo- Saxons were a people that inhabited modern day Britain. They migrated from the western part of the continent of Europe to Britain during the 5th century. The time period that Anglo- Saxon people inhabited Britain became known as the Anglo- Saxon period in English history. This period lasted between 500- 1066 AD. During this time period, stories had not yet begun

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    Heroes of epic poems typically embody the ideals that are valued by his or her culture. Beowulf is set in old Anglo-Saxon Denmark, thus the Hero must represent everything that the Anglo-Saxons value for them to praise him and love him. Beowulf, the leader of the Anglo-Saxons, embodies all the values of his culture such as bravery, Christianity, and success. Beowulf exhibits valor left and right throughout Beowulf. Bravery highly valued because the brave people are the ones who are willing to do more

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    The epic poem Beowulf shows a society much different from others in literary history, and it is very period of its time. A great deal of this novel is spent setting a background and introducing the values and peculiarities of Anglo-Saxon culture to the reader. In particularly, the ideals of masculinity are frequently and obviously portrayed throughout the story and mainly through the character of Beowulf. The poet who wrote Beowulf communicates the masculine values of Anglo-Saxon men through the

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    One of the first epic poems, Beowulf, written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet features the most heroic man at the time. The hero, known as Beowulf possesses, all the extraordinary physical appearances and character traits qualifying him to be an Anglo Saxon hero. Allegedly, he seems to be an invincible being with super-human strength and abilities that he uses to protect his allies. Beowulf never fears death; he is always encountering beasts and horrible monsters such as the evil Grendel and the

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    Beowulf, written by an unknown author, is the epic telling of a noble warrior named Beowulf who fights monsters and dragons. The 13th Warrior, a film about a banished Arab man who travels north and experiences a Viking life. Although different in some aspects, Beowulf and The 13th Warrior closely parallel in their structure and perspective to reflect Anglo-Saxon cultural and societal values. Beowulf begins and ends with a scene depicting the traditional and grand burial found in Anglo-Saxon culture

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    Endless quests for valor, constant battles for glory, and a continued dedication to the king is a common theme throughout Anglo-Saxon literature, but why? Reflecting on the history of literature, leading up to today, divulges a surprisingly conspicuous undertone of all written works. Literature is often influenced by and reflects the time in which it was written. After all; writers are human, and the human instinct to adapt to one’s environment often manifests itself in written works. There are many

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    a specific drive behind his or her actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the Anglo Saxon code is extremely prominent seen through the all of the actions of the main character Beowulf. This tale is an ancient story that has been told for generations, centuries even, mainly among areas located in Europe, such as Sweden and Denmark. The Anglo Saxon code greatly influences Beowulf's actions in the epic poem. During the epic, we see Beowulf, the epic hero, battle against three monsters: Grendel, Grendel's

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    In the translation of the poem Beowulf by Burton Raffel, the oppositional ideals especially regarding heroism in Christianity and the Anglo-Saxon culture creates a powerful distance between the two, increasing the prevention of Beowulf’s Christian audience from relating to Beowulf himself. Instances of Christian references in the translation are repetitively contradicted by the actions and motivations of Beowulf’s characters. The heroic values of the Anglo-Saxon culture are so much more conceited

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