The Great Gatsbys American Dream Essay Example

The Great Gatsbys American Dream Essay The Great Gatsbys American Dream Corrupption â€Å"There are those, I know, who will reply that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and. mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is. It is the American Dream. † (Archibald MacLeish). This quote talks about how the American Dream is only a dream. The American is a life of personal happiness and material comfort, and is traditionally sought by the individuals in the U. S. It is only a fantasy. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows a great example of the causes and affects the American Dream has on people during the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald explains that the American Dream is unattainable through the characters and their actions and the symbolism throughout the novel. In the novel Fitzgerald indicates that the American Dream is unachievable through Gatsby’s unrealistic image of the dream. Gatsby has been in love with daisy for years and spent his life proving that he was worthy enough for her to leave her husband and take him back. Gatsby believed money could substitute for time: â€Å"Can’t repeat the past? [†¦]why of course you can[†¦] I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before[†¦]shell see†(Fitzgerald 117). We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsbys American Dream specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsbys American Dream specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsbys American Dream specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Although Gatsby recreated his past environment with money, he could not recreate the past feelings that were destroyed by time. Gatsby’s dream is bigger than himself. Critic Casie E. Hermanson writes: â€Å"it is the attempt itself and the firm belief that he can achieve the impossible that makes Gatsby more than the sum of his reality† (Hermanson 78). Gatsby’s dream was more than his own reality. It was too big of a dream for him which is why he was not able to achieve it. After Gatsby’s was killed nick realizes that Gatsby’s dream of the East Egg was not all that it was set out to be. Nick says: â€Å"After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction† (Fitzgerald 185). Nick later on in the novel realizes that Gatsby’s dream of the east was corrupt and it wasn’t as great as it was thought to be. Gatsby’s dream was not achieved, his dream killed him. Gatsby’s great American Dream was bigger than reality itself which is why it was not possible to achieve it. Fitzgerald uses lots of symbolism in his novel to get across the idea that the American Dream is not attainable. One of the symbolisms that Fitzgerald uses to symbolize the American Dream is Gatsby’s big mansion. Fitzgerald writes: â€Å"The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard – it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden† (Fitzgerald 9). Gatsby’s mansion symbolizes that the American Dream causes people to spend money irresponsibly and to live selfish lives. Materialism seems to be everything people think they need to achieve the American Dream which is why it is not possible to achieve it. Fitzgerald also uses the Valley of Ashes to symbolize the American Dream not being possible to achieve. Fitzgerald writes: â€Å"This is the valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the form of houses and chimneys and rising smoke[†¦]of men dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air† (Fitzgerald 27). Fitzgerald uses the Valley of Ashes to symbolize the result of everyone’s pursuit of the American Dream and their pursuit of wealth. It is filled with ashes like it’s been burnt out and is filthy. It represents societal decay and is basically a dumping ground for everyone who has failed at achieving the American Dream. In the novel Fitzgerald always describes Daisy with light like she’s angelic. Critic Casie E. Hermanson writes: â€Å"Daisy is dressed in white and associated with light and sunshine throughout the novel [†¦] Gatsby’s own devotion to her has a permanence that Daisy cannot live up to , yet Gatsby seems committed to an idea of Daisy that he has created rather than to the real woman she is† (Hermanson 77). Daisy is always bright and described with light in the novel, which symbolizes Gatsby’s image of her that he has created. In his mind she is angelic and perfect and bright. But she is not the woman he thinks she is. She is far from being an angel. The symbolism that Fitzgerald used in the novel shows that the American Dream does not lead to any success. Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is based around the immorality of the characters and how the unrealistic American Dream causes it. Gatsby’s American Dream causes him and Daisy to act immorally. â€Å"As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatsby and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth† (Fitzgerald 122). Gatsby’s dream is Daisy, who is one of the most immoral characters in the novel. As soon as Tom, Daisy’s husband, leaves the room Daisy cheats on him by kissing Gatsby. Gatsby’s Great American Dream was causing Daisy to be immoral and cheat on her husband. The American Dream is only causing immorality in the characters’ lives because it is so unrealistic and unreachable to Gatsby. Gatsby needed wealth to achieve his dream, eventually Tom figures out how he really got his wealth. â€Å"I found out what your ‘drug stores’ were. [†¦] He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter [†¦] I picked him a bootlegger the first time I saw him†(Fitzgerald 139). Gatsby’s only way of achieving his dream and winning back Daisy’s love is by becoming wealthy, so he became a bootlegger. Which is why Daisy chose Tom instead of Gatsby, it was a safer pick. Gatsby’s American Dream was so unrealistic and bigger than himself that he had to resort to immoral crime to try and achieve it. Not only does Gatsby create his own American Dream, but he recreates his whole past with lies to make his dream attainable. While Nick, the narrator of the novel, was getting to know Gatsby he caught him in his own lies when Gatsby told him that it took him three years to earn the money for his mansion. I thought you inherited your money†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ I did old sport [†¦] but I lost most of it in the big [†¦] panic of the war. † (Fitzgerald 95). Nick was surprised when Gatsby claimed that he earned the money to buy his house because Gatsby had preciously told Nick that he lived off of the money he inherited from family. Gatsbyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s American Dream is not only causing him to commit crimes and try and steal a married woman from her husband, it also causes him to live a lie and make everyone around him believe his lie of a life. The American Dream is causing all of this immorality because it is not realistic and it is nothing more than a fantasy. Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, indicates through its characters and their behaviors and through the symbolism in the novel that the American Dream is unrealistic and cannot be achieved. From Gatsby’s unrealistic, bigger than himself image of the dream and the crimes and lies that he goes through to attempt to achieve the dream and from the immorality and the other characters actions it is indicated that the American Dream is nothing but a dream. It cannot be achieved especially not with the unrealistic images that Gatsby and some of the other characters create in their minds about the dream. The topic of the American Dream is still important in the real world because it sets a goal. Although sometimes the goal for people to work hard for. It gives people a purpose or something to dream of and try and work hard to achieve. Of course it is sometimes highly unlikely that a person will achieve the dream but it gives a sense of hope or something to look forward to.

Immigration Essays - United States, Human Migration, Free Essays

Immigration Essays - United States, Human Migration, Free Essays Immigration For many immigration to the United States would be a new beginning during 19th to early 20th century. There were many acts and laws to limit the number immigrating to the United States. Many of these acts were due to prejudice and misunderstanding of a culture. One such act was the Chinese Exclusion Act. Form this one act many immigration laws and acts were made against foreigners. They hoped to control the number of immigrants arriving on the American shores. The Chinese Exclusion Act of May 6, 1882 was just the beginning. This act was the turning point of the U.S. immigration policies, although it only directly affected a small group of people. Prior to the Chinese Exclusion Act there was no significant number of free immigrants that had been barred from the country. Once the Chinese Exclusion Act had been in acted, further limitations on the immigration of ethnic groups became standard procedure for more than eight decades. Irish catholic, Mexican, and other races were not allowed the same freedoms that others were allowed. Even after a family had been here for generations there were not given the same freedoms. Since the arrival of the first Chinese Immigrants, racist hostility towards the Chinese always existed. They were predominantly male laborers, concentrated in California. They were vital to the development of western mining, transportation, and agriculture. Other races were also discriminated against, the Irish were not allowed to get jobs or live in certain areas of the cities. By 1880, the great fear of German-speaking and Irish-Catholic immigrants was over. Employers, who still sought worker-immigrants, and not just temporary workers, looked increasingly to southern and eastern Europe. When Italians, Greeks, Turks, Russians, Slavs, and Jews arrived in the United States in numbers, however, new anxieties arose about making Americans of so many different kinds of strangers. An 1880 this act gave the United States the one sided right to mandate to limit or even stop the immigration of Chinese laborers. In effect canceling the right of the Chinese to enter the country. Congress quickly complied and made a ten-year bill that the President signed on May 6, 1882. While exempting teachers, students, merchants, and tourists the Act suspended immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years. The law was renewed for a second ten-year period in 1892 and then made permanent in 1902. Chinese Exclusion Act had set a pattern for many other immigration laws and acts to come. The Immigration Act of March 3, 1891 was the first comprehensive law for national control of immigration. It established the Bureau of Immigration under the Treasury Department to administer all immigration laws (except the Chinese Exclusion Act). This Immigration Act also added to the inadmissible classes. The people in these classes were inadmissible to enter into the United States. The people in these classes were, those suffering from a contagious disease, and persons convicted of certain crimes. The Immigration Act of March 3, 1903 and The Immigration Act of February 20, 1907 added further categories to the inadmissible list. Immigrants were screened for their political beliefs. Immigrants who were believed to be anarchists or those who advocated the overthrow of government by force or the assassination of a public officer was deported. This act was made mainly do to the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. On February 5, 1917 another immigration act was made. This Act categorized all previous exclusion provisions and added the exclusion of illiterate aliens form entering into the United States. This Act made Mexicans inadmissible. It insisted that all aliens pay a head tax of $8 dollars. However, because of the high demand for labor in the southwest, months later congress let Mexican workers to stay in the U.S. under supervision of state government for six-month periods. The Gold Rush in California brought a large influx of Chinese laborers and was ended abruptly by the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. In between this time Thousands of Chinese immigrated or traveled freely from China and San Francisco. They were mostly young male peasants that left their villages to become contract laborers in the American West. They were recruited to extract minerals and metals, construct a vast railroad network, reclaim

An Analysis of Egalias Daughters

In the satire of the sexes, Egalia’s Daughters by Gerd Brantenberg, there is put forth a society different from which has ever been present in modern times. This would be a society where women were at the forefront and did the decision making, worked and held governmental positions. The men were portrayed in the way females live in present society, though it was often exaggerated to make that point. Men were dominated and ruled by women and had to do their bidding and cook for them and take care of the children, so on and so forth. By taking a hard look at how sexuality is imagined and experienced on all analytical levels and picking apart the social construction of gender in Egalia’s Daughters, society itself in the present can start to be unraveled as well. What is found in this book can transfer over to a point and parallel itself with present experiences of women and their struggle for equality, recognition and acknowledgement. In order to fully analyze the sexes in this book, the micro, meso and macro levels need to be looked at individually to observe where sexuality is imagined and experienced by both genders. On the micro level, the sexes are very different from one another in this book. The women are expected to be large in weight and wear pants and shirts. The men are often wearing skirts and blouses with a contraption called a peho which holds their genitals in place. This can be compared with a bra to women in society today. When Patronius Bram has to buy his first peho he’s struck with much anxiety and wondering. This means he’s beginning to enter adulthood and will attend the Maidmen’s Ball. Here is where boys expect to be â€Å"swept off their feet† by a certain woman and taken into a maidmen-room and engage in some sort of sexual activity. The boys expect it to be a wonderful experience and hope to have actual intercourse. The women on the other hand appear rather rowdy and in it only for the sexual relations. The whole goal of this ball is for the boys to be offered something called â€Å"fatherhood protection† from a woman. This can be compared to becoming engaged to be married in modern society today. Women view men as a sort of hindrance in this book—just view them as weak and by giving them fatherhood protection they’re doing them a huge favor. It’s the men that seem to actually love the women that choose them and try to not always focus on what’s going to happen sexually. On the meso level, it’s clear that there are certain norms regarding sexuality which are present in schools and the community. The classrooms in Egalia’s Daughters are dominated by the girls. There are many degrading comments coming from girls to boys. Boys are expected to be wearing their peho at all times when they leave the house even though it is often uncomfortable and not wanted. If they are seen without it it’s similar to the reaction of people in modern society seeing a woman who isn’t wearing her bra. Johnson writes in â€Å"Patriarchy, the system,† that socialization is just a process used to teach people how to participate in social systems (33). The men in this book are taught by what they are told to do and fall into specific roles that almost appear pre-determined. If they deviate from the norm, they are shunned which becomes evident at the end of the book when Patronius is trying to make changes and is persecuted for it and his ideas/beliefs. This correlates directly with feminists and the feminist movement that’s prominent in society today. The rules and expectations have been in place for so long it almost seems futile that true change will ever occur. However, as the book illustrates there’s always some others with the same beliefs and aspirations of equality. The women in the book don’t fully realize that though the society was built on equality, men are hardly equal to women. Johnson also writes â€Å"patriarchal culture is about the core value of control and domination in almost every area of human existence† (34). Though this is obviously a matriarchy, this domination is clear. Women make all the decisions regarding parliamentary laws and make the household decisions and control all finances. The men don’t usually work and are expected to watch the children (hence the term â€Å"housebound†) so they don’t have any access to money. They are made to be fully dependent on their woman. Even when engaging in sexual activity there are permissible positions and others that are regarded as dirty or deviant because the man is in control, which is unacceptable. It’s very interesting because the same can be said of modern society today. Women often have little access to financial means and have long since been expected to stay home with the children and let the husband work. This can actually be better explained when looked at on the macro-level. Though this book isn’t about a nation it’s fairly well-spread and established that women are in control of everything. There are some societies that differ in the treatment of men but it’s still a matriarchal situation. Gender in Egalia is socially constructed, similar to how it is in modern society—but opposite. Where men are considered inferior to women. Lorber writes â€Å"gender is one of the major ways that human beings organize their lives† (24). He goes on to describe how it occurs at birth when the genitalia are seen. In the book mothers often hope for a daughter like fathers in modern society often want a son. The reactions to certain events and punishments from women mold the men to be obedient and oppressed. When Patronius is telling his mother he wants to be a seawom diver she just tells him that no real menwim want to go to see. This immediately puts Patronius on a path of secrecy regarding his beliefs and ideas because he will just be told he’s not being realistic and his hopes dashed. He also can see from this that similar treatment will occur elsewhere because the society’s ideas are widespread and accepted. His little sister Ba is already demanding and abusive towards Patronius because she feels entitled since she’s a girl and he’s a boy. She ridicules him on being part of the frail sex and makes rude comments often. She’s been born into this society and her mother only encourages her by not punishing her when she ridicules Patronius. She’s just being a girl and that’s what girls do to boys. Sound familiar? Modern society would say the exact opposite, boys will be boys. So it can be said that Ba is not entirely responsible for the way she acts; it’s accepted and widespread although it certainly isn’t very civil. No one has a problem with it and it just begins a vicious cycle. In Egalia women are threatened by any uprising from men. Patronius tries to make changes that make men become more of an equal to women (though far from it) and he is shot down by the female lawmakers. Which are all of them—there are no men to have say in the laws and regulations. These men are looked at like all they are doing is stirring up trouble and are subject to ridicule and various shunning behaviors. This is also recognized by Hogeland in her article â€Å"Fear of Feminism† where she writes about feminism not being a fear of gender but a fear of the politics involved (18). Many men didn’t participate in any rebellion in Egalia because they feared repercussions or didn’t think their lives were all that bad and didn’t understand the magnitude of what was happening. This parallels directly to the feminist movement that occurred in the United States. As shown above, it’s evident that Egalia’s Daughters employs complete role-reversal of the sexes to illustrate the inequality that exists. By doing this every little think is analyzed and the reader can really see and pick out everything that contributes to one sex becoming more authoritative and powerful than another. Sexuality is present on all levels of analysis but experienced differently by each gender. Even in society today, when asking men and women their opinions and ideas on gender equality there will be very different responses. Men will often hinder change without even realizing it because they’re more privileged and don’t want to see their power leave them. The social construction of gender is also very easy to see throughout the book.

Narratives of Difference and Belonging Assignment

Narratives of Difference and Belonging - Assignment Example Interesting fact, illuminating statement, personal connection: An interesting fact mentioned in the article is that of the presence of the same set of things, starting from consumer products, to eateries, groceries, and shopping malls, which are seen everywhere in today’s globalized world. So there is a definite loss of individualism or uniqueness of a certain place, and one always ends up getting the same thing anywhere they go. This is something we are evidencing today in all parts of the world. There is always a McDonalds, a Cafà © Coffee Day or a Barista, and somehow the local flavor is slowly disappearing under the burgeoning pressure from these huge multinationals. I can personally connect to this observation, as wherever I have traveled looking for new things, I have always met these giants standing tall, dishing out the same set of standardized products. Author’s perspective/value position: The author feels that in this changed scenario of globalization and high-tech communication era, the youth needs to be first acknowledged as a source of power. Accordingly, their education should be offered in a different manner, inculcated with new values that would be more fitting in this hybridized world. To make this effective, the educators have to change their mindset or else as the author comments â€Å"We need new ways of thinking of and working with kids, otherwise we will become irrelevant as we produce education for categories of kids that no longer exist in the postmodern world† (Besley, 74). Validity/usefulness of the article for thinking about issues of cultural diversity: This article is very important in today’s context, as it speaks of the new age culture that we can see all around us.

Should Barry Bonds get into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Research Paper

Should Barry Bonds get into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame (argument in favor of Bonds) - Research Paper Example Whether or not the use of performance enhancing drugs is ethical or not is irrelevant as it is not a criteria for election. Even if it is eventually proven that Bonds did use PEDs, this alone is not a violation of Hall of Fame requirements. If ethical and moral behavior were a factor, many existing hall of famers may need to be re-examined and removed as even the great Babe Ruth was known to abuse alcohol. Regardless of personal conduct or ethical choices, Barry Bonds has not been banned from baseball and has not violated any of the criteria for being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Therefore, any consideration for his nomination should be objective and consider only his accomplishments on the field. One argument for preventing Bonds from entering the Hall of Fame is that he used PEDs which are not only a banned substance, but also would give him an unfair edge making his numbers invalid. Players who have been found to use illegal substances are often given an asterisk next to their record that places a question mark on the validity of the accomplishment. Yet, this assumes his batting was based on drugs alone. It is impossible to make this determination conclusively. Even if a player used anabolic steroids, scientific studies have mixed results making it difficult for an absolute conclusion to be reached. In fact, if PEDs were all it took to become a professional athlete the use of these drugs would be out of control in the amateur leagues as well. After an intense study of steroid use and it’s affect on athletes, they â€Å"conclude that although the data suggests that well trained athletes may have a greater strength gain while taking anabolic steroid compared with placebos, the data are insufficient to allow any firm conclusion about the efficacy of anabolic steroids in enhancing overall athletic performance.† (Braunstein, et al. 392). These results indicate that by taking steroids, a professionally trained athlete such as Bonds may ha ve gained strength, but this would not have had any impact on other hitting factors such as swing, eye hand coordination or the ability to determine which pitches to swing at or not. In other words, an athlete must still have talent and ability to be successful. If these drugs do assist in this, the impact appears to be minimal. Additionally, according to Hartgens, most studies prove that steroid use alone does not increase strength. â€Å"Based on available well designed studies it can be concluded that the impact of enhance the effects of strength training.† (528). Therefore, the use of steroids does not eliminate the need for an athlete to train and certainly would not replace a lack of ability or talent. The talent of Barry Bonds should not be called into question. Though it might be argued any edge he received from these drugs might have been cheating, it should also be considered that Bonds was not alone in taking steroids. This does not validate usage of the drugs, but it does demonstrate that even if these drugs did give an athlete an edge, it is not much of an edge if many other players are taking these same substances. In one confidential survey and testimonial of former users and coaches â€Å"suggest that around 80-100 percent of national/international standard body builders , weightlifters and field athletes use anabolic steroids.† (Choi,349). Though the use of anonymous individuals might be suspect, it does indicate that the use of steroi

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley Essay Example for Free

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley Essay Throughout the history of Earth, there have been many fascinating developments, the most prominent being the first civilizations, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. They had many similarities, such as characteristics of early civilizations and social structures, but they also had their differences. The most embossed differences included the divergent geography, prior belief, trade, relations with other civilizations, and politics. The earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt exhibiting indicator traits of civilization developed along the floodplains of great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, and the Nile in Egypt. People had settled in Mesopotamia by 7000 B. C. and the First Dynasty of Egyptian rulers was founded before 3000 B. C. , implying a much earlier period of occupation in the Nile River valley and delta. To protect themselves and channel the forces of nature, people living near the rivers created new technologies and forms of political and social organization. The geographical similarities were that both civilizations resided on banks of major rivers, Tigris Euphrates, and Nile. Another similarity is that both civilizations developed a writing system. It first appeared in Mesopotamia before 3300 B. C. E.  Cuneiform was the name of it, and wedge-shaped symbols represented words or syllables. Hieroglyphics were the Egyptians’ way of writing, and it had been developed by the beginning of the early Dynastic period. Pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or concepts. Literacy was confined to a relatively small group of scribes and administrators in both of these civilizations due to long period of study required to master the systems. Also, both civilizations had social classes, with the king and the royal families at the top, next were the priests, local leaders and artisans, and lastly, slaves and peasants occupied the bottom. Both Mesopotamians and Egyptians acquired substantial knowledge about mathematics, engineering, medicine, and transportation for various reasons such as, creating calendars, calculating the quantity of agricultural produce, building temples and pyramids, and practice astronomy. Egypt and Mesopotamia were in contrast to one another in many ways. Egypt emphasized strong central authority, while Mesopotamian politics shifted more frequently over a substructure of regional city-states. They were also culturally different; Egypt developed in relative isolation, all foreigners were considered enemies while Mesopotamia was a multicultural society. Also, Egypt was well endowed with natural resources and far more self-sufficient than Mesopotamia. They used papyrus reeds growing in marshy areas to make sails, ropes, and a kind of paper. Hunters pursued the abundant wild animals and birds in the marshes. Egypts art and architecture are very different from Mesopotamia. From pyramids to temples, rigid pharaohs to flowing art of Amarna, Egypts style was totally different from Mesopotamias. Mesopotamian art focused on less monumental structures. In Mesopotamia, women lost social standing and freedoms in societies where agriculture superseded hunting and gathering; whereas in Egypt, they are depicted with dignity and respect, could own properties, and inheritance from their parents was possible. Both civilizations traded differently but Mesopotamia was more productive due to technological advance. Egypt’s interests abroad focused on maintain access to valuable resources rather than acquiring territory. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ruled by kings, however, in Egypt, their kings were called pharaohs and they had significantly more power than the Mesopotamian kings of the city-states. Also, relating the above comparisons to larger global context, The Indus Valley is one of the worlds earliest urban civilizations, along with its contemporaries, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. One of the differences between these three civilizations is that there is a large quantity of metal in the Indus Valley than in Mesopotamia and Egypt, and most metals are utilitarian tools and everyday objects. However, more jewelry and other decorative objects have been unearthed in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Also, Indus Valley people were technologically skilled in irrigation and using the potter’s wheel. They also have a system of writing with more than 400 signs. Like the Mesopotamians, the people of Indus Valley had widespread trading contacts reaching as far as Mesopotamia. There is little known about the political, social, and economic institutions of Inds Valley, however, there is a statue called the â€Å"Priest-King† because some scholars believe it may represent someone with religious and secular authority, but the true identity of this person is unknown. Conclusively, certain traits are indicators of civilization such as: political system based on control of a defined territory, long-distance trade, and major advances in science and the arts are among others, which the earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley have exhibited. They were the first civilizations to develop high levels of political centralization and urbanization. Because little is known about the Indus Valley people, there is not a lot of information for their political and social status; however, they clearly possessed the technology which par with those found in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Analysis :: Literature Knighthood Essays

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Analysis Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written by an unknown author, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, between 1375 and 1400. This story tells us about the adventures of King Arthur's most noble, honest, and courageous knight in Camelot, Sir Gawain. The main action of the story focuses on a challenge given to Sir Gawain by the Green Knight. The knight challenges Gawain to the Christmas game where Gawain hits him with an axe now, and twelve months and a day later, the knight will return the favor at the Green Chapel. This section of the story deals with the second meeting of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and now it's the Green Knight's turn to return the favor. Gawain has traveled long and far to find the knight and uphold his end of the challenge and meet his fate. The Knight is very impressed by Gawain because a lesser man would have not kept his end of the bargain. All of this has led to the climax of the story with Gawain facing the knight, preparing to take the return blow from him and end the challenge. The knight raises the ax to hit Gawain, but Gawain flinches before it hits him. The knight calls Gawain a coward. This infuriates Gawain, and he swears that he will take the blow standing and not flinch again. He states, "But go on, man, in God's name, and get to the point! Deliver me my destiny, and do it out of hand, for I shall stand to the stroke and stir not an inch till your ax has hit home--on my honor, I swear it!" (Norton, 249). Gawain reacts this way because he wants to show honor and live up to his promise made earlier. Also, he feels embarrassment and anger. The knight then acts as if he is going to use the ax again, wanting to see if Gawain will flinch first. But Gawain doesn't flinch at all and stands there, "still as a stone, or else a stout stump" (Norton, 249). The knight mocks him, saying that his nerve is back, and now he must strike because the timing is right. He then builds up the mood, and to create suspense, tells Gawain, "Keep your neck-bone clear, if this cut allows!" (Norton, 249). This further infuriates Gawain, and he tells the knight that he is making too much of a scene.