06/14/13
Ms. Caleb
Monsters Lesson 02 Literary Background for Beowulf
3-2-1 Assessment Sheet
What are three key things you learned about the Dark Ages in this lesson? Please be sure to include at least two complete sentences for each one.
A. The Dark Ages developed in Europe due to the many invasions of the Barbarian Tribes. This destroyed the civilization of the Roman Empire. This era lasted about 600 years. During the Dark Ages the European Government was replaced by many small warring kingdoms. The Roman cities fell into destruction and many things had been ruined.
B. The Barbarians envied Rome’s wealth and their rich lands, because of this they became violent and started to attack the Roman’s powerful army. To keep the Barbarians out of The Roman Empire, the Emperor Hadrian ordered for a stone wall to be instructed across the entire northern frontier of Britain. This wall served its purpose for many years. C. Christianity had been adopted as Rome’s official religion. Years after this the Anglo-Saxdon’s did not want to convert to Christianity because it reminded them of the Romans. Eventually soon after the sixth century one by one they all began to convert to Christianity from worshiping the Pagan Norse God.
Explain two things that you would still like to know about the development of Old English. Please be sure to include at least one complete sentence for each one.
A. How did the language evolve?
B. What made this language come about as the 1st language
In one paragraph, describe how the language of English evolved during the Dark Ages. What were the influences that changed it over the years? Which ethnic backgrounds were involved in this evolution? Please write at least four sentences for this response.
A. Old English was a blend of German, Latin, and Celtic. It was adapted due to the continuous invasions of England. The romans invaded and brought along their Latin Influences which came to mix with the Celtics origin which ruled England until 55 B.C.
After that, about 410 A.D. the Anglo Saxons took over England and ruled until 797 A.D. When the Vikings also known as the Normans invaded English land and brought over their German language.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The third reason why medieval europe should be called the Dark Ages was disease. “Some historians estimate that 24 million Europeans died of the plague - about a third of the population” (pg.57) This was obviously a major ding to the population and the economy because people wanted more money to do stuff. “Rats and fleas were common. it’s no wonder people were often ill.”(pg.48) Since people were almost always ill lots of people…
- 515 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
F. The English language was known to be created during the Dark Ages. England was concurred by the Celts until 55 B.C. when the romans took over the territory. When the romans invaded they sent the Celtic population to Ireland which brought a little Latin into the language. However, when Germanic tribes invaded the language they adopted a small German and the mix was known as Old English. The ethnic groups that were involved in the evolution were the Germans- Saxons, Gaels, native Britons and the Normans. As a result, this brought a lot of change and new…
- 294 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
During the Dark Ages, the area of Britannia was invaded and conquered many times, by many different cultures. You had the German speaking Vikings, the Celtic speaking Celts, and the Latin speaking romans. All of them influenced on the English language, and in different ways allowed it to change. The influences came from war, stories, migration, and many other things. When you get all of those different people together you make a melting pot for language, which they will all try to make a common tongue to communicate to each other with. Thus leading to the evolution of the English…
- 315 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The aforementioned proof that the “Dark Ages” aren’t so dark is evident. Ranging from art to literature to paintings, this time period has had a lasting impact on the world as we know it. This being said think of all the things that would not be in place today, such as our judicial system which is what keeps this country from eroding into tyranny and anarchy. So take the time to change the way you look at the “Dark Ages” as these were what helped found the principles for the way of life you have today. That is why it is wrong to call the Middle Ages the “Dark Ages” it is actually one of the brightest spots in history.…
- 807 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Dark Ages were a time period involving the low point in the Middle Ages. These ages were a time of chaos and a decline in everything or having no stability of the resources or the economy in the Europe. The Dark Ages reflect hardships such as rage from raiders who wreaked havoc on the fields and a decline in control during this period. “They burned… violence of anarchy…” Frantz Funck Brentano a historian asserts the shoddy times in the ninth and tenth centuries in Europe. Brentano describes this atrocious time period by depicting the burning of churches, raids, and a dwindle in trade. Due to the decline in the economy, a chaos in architecture, and thievery this caused people to be poor and lose all possessions. Anglo-Saxon then writes,…
- 226 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
I will be discussing the origins, and spread, of the vernacular language. I will also assess and evaluate the impacts the spread of the vernacular language had on the cultures during this period of time.…
- 718 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Dark Ages were not actually dark. Some people believe that it was dark because of the fall of many empires. There was a lot more positives than negatives though. Advancements in many things occurred during this time. Some advancements were in writing and math. Universities were also created during this time. I am sure that after you read the following, you will think that the Dark Ages were not so dark after all.…
- 689 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Europe was in a dark age from 500 to 1500 AD because of the Black Death, Crusades, and the Magna Carta. First, the Black Death was a harsh plague that wiped out part of Asia and the Middle East, and killed a third of Europe. There was no stopping this horrid plague that spread all around because no one could hide or run, and once you have this terrifying disease, your dead in just a few days. According to the Black Death Document A, “[The Black Death] was such a frightful thing that when it got into a house, as was said, no one remained.” Second, the Crusades were violent wars that killed many Muslims and Jews. Lives were in danger... the Crusaders had no mercy for the innocent lives. According to The First Crusades document, “...the men…
- 230 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
“No better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” This is an ultimate description of the heroic events of Beowulf, an old Anglo-Saxon poem about a warrior who battles and destroys three horrifying monsters. Although written long ago, the emotions expressed within this work, emotions of bravery, valor, and ethics still speak to us centuries later. The anonymous author of the poem convinces us through the masterful use of various literary elements that emphasize its meaning and message. Conflict, imagery and setting are three literary elements that contribute to the effectiveness of the poem.…
- 882 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Ancient Rome was the most feared, wealthiest, well designed empire of its era. Many people felt like Rome was everlasting and it could withstand any threat posed against Rome, but then the unthinkable happened. The mighty Roman Empire had fallen. Possibly the biggest threat to Rome was Rome itself. With Rome falling, this led to the Dark Ages, which influence has been imperative to the advancement of modern day society. Without the fall of Rome, medieval way of life would have prolonged which would have delayed the advancement in technology, science, literacy, culture, art and governmental advancements, but many of its values still live in society today. One of the most important lessons the fall of Rome taught us, was…
- 2009 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
“There is not much poetry in the world like this; and though Beowulf may not be among the very greatest poems of our western world and its tradition, it has its own individual character, and peculiar solemnity;…” (113). Tolkien has successfully undermined the criticism of all of those opposed to how Beowulf was written. Tolkien also studies and analyzes how the structure of the poem fits into the meaning of the article. The most important point of Tolkien’s speech I find is that Tolkien finds this poem not to be an epic. In the speech that Tolkien gives, he is able to show how the critics are wrong, how the structure impacts the storyline, and why this poem does not qualify as an epic.…
- 911 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Over the past twelve hundred years, our language has changed, and we can examine the biggest instances through our written language. The story of “Beowulf” is an Old English tale written during the Anglo-Saxon period in Denmark, is an important poem because it shows us the history of our language. Since Beowulf is the oldest surviving piece of literature of its kind, it’s easy to compare more recent pieces of literature to it because it serves as a guideline. The ancient story that has been passed down for generations has taught scholars about the evolution of the English language by studying it.…
- 429 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Mitchell, Bruce and Robinson, Fred C.: "A Guide to Old English" Blackwell Publishers; 6th edition, June 2001…
- 2061 Words
- 33 Pages
Powerful Essays -
It was observed by the remarkable twelve-century chronicler Henry of Huntingon that an interest in the past was one of the distinguished characteristics of humans as compared with the other animals. The medium by which speakers of s language communicate their thoughts and feelings to others, the tool with which conduct their business or the government of millions of people, the vehicle by which has been transmitted the science, the philosophy, the poetry of the culture is surely worthy of study. It is not to be expected that everyone should be a philologist or should master the technicalities of linguistic science. But it is reasonable to assume that a liberally educated person should know smth of the structure of his or her own language, its position in the world and its relation to the other tongues, the wealth of its vocabulary together with the sources from which that vocabulary has been and is being enriched, and the complex relationships among the many different varieties of speech that are gathered under the single name of the English language. The diversity of cultures that find expression in it is a reminder that the history of English is a story of cultures in contact during the past 1,500 years. It understates matters to say that political ,economic, and social forces influence a language. These forces shape the language in every aspect, most obviously in the number and spread of its speakers, and in what is called “the sociology of language”, but also in the meaning of words, in the accents of the spoken language, and even in the structures of the grammar. The history of a language is intimately bound up…
- 1655 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
Dan McIntyre writes that “The main difference between Old English and Present Day English is that…
- 1402 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays