PoSt-MoDeRnIsT aSsIgNmEnT

Now I already know that in Victorian age writers centered theirs works in an ideal life. Victorian Literature tends to be very emphatic, good person always win and bad person always lose; this is what we find in:

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (Alan Poe) :
Good people win, get justice and tell the truth. Dupin, could discover that the mysterious murderess in the Rue Morgue was made by an Ourang-Outang. This novel shows that the main character (Dupin) always tell the truth.

In the other hand we find modernist literature which principal characteristic is the “bad” side of humanity principally based on Two World Wars; we can find this characteristics in:

The simple art of murder (Chandler) :
In this case we read about detective stories in which we have to find if the stories that we are reading are fiction or reality. All the stories shows brutal murders guide for ambition of power; mainly based on dual personality of human being.

MoDeRnIsT LItErAtUrE

01. Which 2 readings did you choose?
Chandler, R. The Simple Art of Murder (USA, 1944-essay)
The Quiet American (Britain, 1955-novel)

02. Compare (3) and contrast (3) the reading you completed with the ppts. on Modernist culture and literature.

- The simple art of murder:
I believe that detective stories are a kind of intellectual game, because you have to find if the story you are reading is fiction or reality. Obviously crime is not a game. All the stories shows brutal murders guide for ambition of power. Moreover if you think about it is radiography of our society where manipulation and “convenient relationships” are the goal of a lot of people.

-The quiet American:
In this novel we found that the main character (Fowler) is the narrator of the story, he write in a kind of way that what is happening makes sense with his life. For this reason we can see him moving from a cynical position trying to not take place in the war to being an active participant in a murder (Pyle’s murder). And the worst in my opinion happened when Fowler justifies his participation in the murder mentioned before saying that Pyle’s murder was justified in political reasons.


03. In your opinion, do you feel the readings you completed are very good or excellent examples of Modernist literature?

I think both readings are very good examples of modernist literature because are a faithful reflection of this age, in both we find a kind of two faces, in which we find pious humanity but at the same time we know how really bad can be the human being, for example: Wars (The quiet American) and Murders (The simple art of murder).

04. Would you recommend these readings to your friends and/or family? Why/why not?

I would recommend both readings definitely to my friends and maybe my father, because I think both are really interesting book and a good “piece” of modern literature.

ViCtOrIaN LiTeRaTuRe (AsSiGnMeNt #1)

01. Which 2 readings did you select from the list?
- Poe, E.A. The Murders in the Rue Morgue (USA, 1841-short story)
- Poe, E.A. Annabel Lee (USA, 1849-poetry)

02. Using these readings, compare (3 examples) and contrast (3 examples) the works with the ppt presentations on Victorian Literature and Culture given in class.
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue:
Good people always win, get justice and tell the truth. In the case of these story Dupin who has a very good deduction capacity, could discover that the mysterious murderess in the Rue Morgue was made by an Ourang-Outang.
-Annabel Lee
It’s a romantic poem based on the dead of a young and beautiful woman, the narrator felt anger against God and his angels, because of the dead of his love.

03. Do you feel that the readings you completed are very good or excellent examples of Victorian Literature? Why/Why not?
I think that The Murders in the Rue Morgue is an excellent example of Victorian Literature because as I said before Edgar Allan Poe shows us the main character (Dupin) as a very good man who always tell the truth.
In the case of Annabel Lee, Poe shows us the sadness of losing someone loved. How this destroyed the heart and soul of the poet’s narrator.

04. Would you recommend these readings to your friends and family? Why/Why not?
I absolutely recommend this two works of Edgar Allan Poe, because The Murders in the Rue Morgue is known as the first detective story. And Annabel Lee is a really beautiful poem that let us know about the pain of lost someone due to dead, and keep the faith that will be together again.

ShAkEsPeArE

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.
It was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1450 and 1750.

2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.
-Cameroon English, -Australian English,-Guyanese English,-Jamaican English,-Canadian English.

3. One of the problems with Early Modern English was a lack of uniformity in spelling. Which 2 people (1-English, 1-American) helped establish standardized spelling?
Early Modern English lacked uniformity in spelling, but Samuel Johnson's dictionary, published in 1755 in England, was influential in establishing a standard form of spelling. Noah Webster did the same in America, publishing his dictionary in 1828; see American and British English spelling differences.

4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?
The Sovereign states that have given to Modern English official status are: 56 aprox.

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:I. First language? II. Second Language?
As a First Language: 309 – 380 million
As a Second Language: 199 – 600 million aprox.

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?
Since the latter half of the 15th century to 1650.

7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?
In Early Modern English, there were two second person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, which was both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun, (like modern French tu and vous and modern German du and ihr). (Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period, but remained customary for addressing God and certain other solemn occasions and sometimes for addressing inferiors.)
In modern English, we can see the disuse of the T-V distinction (thou, ye). The use of auxiliary verbs becomes mandatory in interrogative sentences and the rise and fall of prescriptive grammarians.

8. Which language families does Modern English belong in?
Indo-European, Germanic, West Germanic, Anglo–Frisian, Anglic.

9. Name 4 worldwide uses for modern english.
United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States of America between others.

10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of modern english around the world? Why?
In my opinion the greatest influence on the spread of modern English is the migration made it from other countries to the United States.

11. There has been a lot of controversy over the true authorship of Shakespeare’s writings. Which 3 people are also candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare’s plays?.
The 3 candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare’s plays are Francis Bacon,Christopher Marlowe and Edward de Vere.

12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.
The case for Oxford's authorship is based on perceived similarities between Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets; parallels of language, idiom, and thought between Oxford's letters and the Shakespearean canon; and underlined passages in Oxford's Bible that may correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays.

13. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, which according to the Folio Classification, fall into 3 categories. Name the 3 categories.
Comedies, Histories and Tragedies.

14. In which town was Shakespeare born?
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

15. Which famous London theatre (built by actors, for actors) is connected with Shakespeare's plays?
The Globe Theatre

16. Even though Richard III is the most performed play, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play. In your opinion, what does this portion of Hamlet's famous soliloquy mean:
To be or not to be, that is the question;(…)
In my opinion basically Hamlet’s dilemma was the pains of living v/s what could happen after death. In this soliloquy, he wonders if it is nobler to stand his misery, or to take action. That’s why we found Hamlet’s wondering if worth faces the “Sling and Arrows” or is better to die.

17. Name 5 post-Shakespearean artists whose work was heavily influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare.
George Steiner, Thomas Hardy, William Faulkner, Charles Dickens and Herman Melville’s.

18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?
Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V; Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; and Richard III.

19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?
Blank verse was Shakespeare's standard poetic form, and this is composed in iambic pentameter. This meant that his verse was usually unrhymed and consisted of ten syllables to a line, spoken with a stress on every second syllable

20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.
Richard Burbage, William Kempe, Henry Condell and John Heminges.

21. What were the Wars of the Roses (1377-1485)?
The War of The Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England, fought between supporters of two rival branches of the Royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York (the "red" and the "white" rose, respectively).

22. - Why was this war called the Wars of the Roses?
The Wars of the Roses had got its name because the house of York and the house of Lancaster. Both had a rose in their royal badges. The White rose for the house of York and the red one for the house of Lancaster.

23. - What were the names of the 2 houses which fought in this war?
The house of Lancaster
The house of York
(The "red" and the "white" rose)

24. - What prompted this civil war of the houses of rose to begin?
Following the early death of Edward III's heir apparent, there was a series of wars between the descendants of two of Edward III's younger sons: the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of York because they wanted the throne of England.

25. - How did the war end?
After many battles a period of comparative peace followed, but Edward died unexpectedly in 1483. His surviving brother Richard of Gloucester first moved to prevent the unpopular Woodville family of Edward's widow from participating in government during the minority of Edward's son, Edward V, and then seized the throne for himself, using the suspect legitimacy of Edward IV's marriage as pretext. Henry Tudor, a distant relative of the Lancastrian kings who had inherited their claim, overcame and defeated Richard at Bosworth in 1485. He was crowned Henry VII, and married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, to unite and reconcile the two houses.

26. - Which Kings of England were participants in the wars of the Roses?
House of York
Henry IV (1399 - 1413)
House of Lancaster
Edward IV (1461 - 1483)

AsSiGmEnT n 2 (Literature)

1.Approximately when was Middle English spoken?
Between the late 11th century and about 1470

2.What were the major factors which led to the development and the spread of Middle English?By that time the variant of the Northumbrian dialect (prevalent in Northern England) spoken in southeast Scotland was developing into the Scots language. The language of England as used after this time, up to 1650, is known as Early Modern English.

3. Match the following Old English words with their Anglo-Norman equivalent:
A. Pig = Pork
B. Cow = Beef
C. Wood = Forest
D. Sheep = Mutton
E. House = Mansion
F. Worthy = Honourable
G. Bold = Courageous

4. Compare & contrast the structure of nouns, pronouns and verbs, between Middle English & Modern English.

The grammar of Middle English is probably most similar to modern Dutch.
- In terms of Nouns, the strong -(e)s plural form has survived into Modern English. The weak -(e)n form is now rare in the standard language, used only in oxen, children and brethren; and it is slightly less rare in some dialects, used in eyen for eyes, shoon for shoes, hosen for hose(s) and kine for cows.
- In terms of Verbs, as a general rule, the first person singular of verbs in the present tense ends in -e ("ich here" - "I hear"), the second person in -(e)st ("þou spekest" - "thou speakest"), and the third person in -eþ ("he comeþ" - "he cometh/he comes"). (þ is pronounced like the unvoiced th in "think"). In the past tense, weak verbs are formed by adding an -ed(e), -d(e) or -t(e) ending. These, without their personal endings, also form past participles, together with past-participle prefixes derived from Old English: i-, y- and sometimes bi-. Strong verbs, by contrast, form their past tense by changing their stem vowel (e.g. binden -> bound), as in Modern English.
- In terms of Pronouns, the first and second person pronouns in Old English survived into Middle English largely unchanged, with only minor spelling variations. In the third person, the masculine singular became 'him'. The feminine form was replaced by a form of the demonstrative that developed into 'she', but unsteadily—'ho' remained in some areas for a long time. The lack of a strong standard written form between the eleventh and the fifteenth century makes these changes hard to map. The overall trend was the gradual reduction in the number of different case endings: the dative case disappeared, but the three other cases were partly retained in personal pronouns, as in he, him, his.

5. How is pronunciation different between Middle English and Modern English?
In earlier Middle English all written vowels were pronounced. For example:
'knight' was pronounced [kniçt], not [naɪt] as in Modern English.

6. What is the Chancery Standard, and how did it come into effect?
Chancery Standard was a written form of English used by government bureaucracy from the late 15th century, and because of the differing dialects of English spoken and written across the country at the time, the government needed a clear and unambiguous form for use in its official documents. Chancery Standard was developed to meet this need.

7. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
Geoffrey Chaucer

8. Describe the medieval pilgrims who journeyed from Canterbury to London.
The pilgrimage was a very prominent feature of medieval society. Pilgrims would frequently journey to cathedrals that preserved relics of saints. They believed that such relics had miraculous powers. Pilgrimages also represented the mortal journey to heaven through the struggles of mortal life.

9. Why did the pilgrims take this journey?
Canterbury was a popular destination within England. Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, had been killed in the Canterbury cathedral by knights who had misunderstood Henry II's order during a disagreement between him and Becket. Miracle stories connected to his remains began to spring up soon after his death, and the area became a popular pilgrimage destination. For that reason they wanted to find the holy blessed martyr.

10. It is thought that some of the stories in The Canterbury Tales originated in Italy. What was the name of the Italian book and who wrote it?
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.

11. The Canterbury Tales is considered an extremely important book, both in terms of English Literature & in the history of English writing. In your opinion, why is this book so important?

12. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is:
a. A collection of German folk tales, similar to Grimm's Fairy Tales.
b. A collection of Japanese ghost stories, similar to Kwaidan.
c. A detailed explanation of the proper etiquette & behaviour for all knights in Medieval Europe.
d. A medieval romance poem, with Arthurian themes.
e. None of the above.
f. All of the above.

13. Who is Sir Gawain?
Sir Gawain, the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king, accepts the Green knight’s challenge.

14. What is the challenge that The Green Knight proposes to the Knights of the Round Table?
Green night asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe, on condition that the Green Knight will return the blow one year and one day later.

15. What is the similarity between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Irish tale of Cúchulainn?
The earliest known story to feature a beheading game is the 8th-century Middle Irish tale Bricriu's Feast This story parallels Gawain in that, like the Green Knight, Cú Chulainn's antagonist feints three blows with the axe before letting his target depart without injury.

16. What is the importance of the pentagram/pentangle in the poem?
The pentangle on Gawain's shield is seen by many critics as signifying Gawain's perfection and power over evil.

17. How are numbers used to symbolize events in the poem?
The poet highlights number symbolism to add symmetry and meaning to the poem. For example, three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak's wife; Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days; Bertilak goes hunting three times, and the Green Knight swings at Gawain three times with his axe.

18. What is the significance of Sir Gawain's neck wound?
During the medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be so intimately connected that wounds were considered an outward sign of inward sin. The neck, specifically, was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will, connecting the reasoning part (the head) and the courageous part (the heart).

19. Which actor played The Green Knight in the film adaptation, Sword of the Valiant?
The actor who played in the film was Sean Connery as the Green Knight.

20. In many ways this poem is, in the modern sense, a soap opera. Compare Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight with a modern Chilean teleseries.

I think both are really similars, because they have everything; romances, fights, etc.

HoW I FelL iN lOvE wItH tHe FoRbIdDeN

Do not yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? II Corinthians 6:14.

That said my mother when I finally decided to confess her that a boy liked me and I was pretty sure that I liked him to. The confession was the most difficult thing I've ever done, because it was the first step to reconsider all of my religious beliefs.

Yes! I was a Jehovah's Witnesses and the confession wasn't the most difficult thing I had to do now that I think about it...

Old English/Beowulf - Assignment 1b part I

1. When was Old English spoken?
Between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.

2. Name 4 language groups which influenced the development of Old English.
-German influence.
-Latin influence.
-Norce influence.
-Celtic influence.

3. In the Phonology section, name 5 phonetical differences between Old English & Modern English.

Consonants:
-/w/ Old english: Velar and Aproximant
Moder English: Bilabial and Aproximant
-/ʒ/ Old English: It wasn’t used
Modern English: Palatal and Fricative.

Vowals:
-In Old english we can find 14 vowals, now on days we only have 12.
-The front mid rounded vowels /ø(ː)/ occur in some dialects of Old English.

Diphthongs:
-In Modern English we find eight diphthongs, in Old English it was only six.

4. Are there any similarites between Old English and Modern English? Name them.
I think that the similarites are the major part of the consonants, and some allophones.

5. In the Orthography section, enlarge the picture of the runic alphabet. How many letters (runes) are there in this alphabet?
There are 34 runes.

6. Which epic poem was originally written in Old English?
It was Beowulf.

7. In the See Also section, click on: Beowulf. Approximately when was Beowulf written?
Between the 8th and the early 11th century.

8. Even though Beowulf was written in England, the story takes place in which countries?
The story takes place in Sweden and Denmark.

9. In the poem, which 3 antagonists does Beowulf battle or fight against?
- Grendel.
- Grendel’s Mother.
- The dragon.

10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the story?
Beowulf died after the final battle against the dragon.

11. Who was the author of Beowulf?
The author of Beowulf is unknown.

12. What were the titles and the dates of the two film versions of Beowulf?
Beowulf (1999)
Beowulf (2007)