Pride In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight
Pride is a deep pleasure of satisfaction from one’s own achievement but is having too much pride a problem in today’s society? There are different kinds of ways to express one’s pride such as through an organization, sport, education or themselves. Imagine, a senior who recently been accepted to their dream college, University of Austin. That student will wear all the UT gear they can possibly find and represent their soon to be school. There are alumni’s who wear their college rings next to their wedding rings and even drivers who have the license plate of their graduating class and college. Even the people from Houston have pride to show off where they are from. Therefore, they throw up the “H-Town” sign up in the air or wear Houston gear of our sports or even skyline. Everybody has a bit
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in pride in them. Either in Gothic, Dystopian or any type of literature there has been shown some kind of pride in at least one character. Pride is either seen as being strong or damaging to one’s personality. However, if a person does not have any pride they look weak with no type of confidence yet, if there’s too much pride involved then they shall be considered conceited. According to Guy Winch (2014), psychologists believes that there are two kinds of pride such as Authentic pride which “arises when we feel good about ourselves, confident, and productive” while Hubristic pride tends to involve “egotism and arrogance” which is socially viewed as having low self-esteem. However, it all depends how one sees the type of pride within the person who shows it. For example, the protagonists from the novels; Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Time Machine, and 1984, have had characters who shown a form of pride.
Beowulf
Beowulf, introduces young Geatish warrior named Beowulf, who gained honor for defeating Grendel, a dreadful demon who lives in the swamplands of Denmark. Grendel was angered by the booming noise coming from the celebration from the Heorot, where warriors would be able to come together. Ever since that encounter the Danes were being terrorized by the demon every night which caused them years of suffering, fear and danger. Eventually, Beowulf overheard Grendel’s acts of violence and sails to Denmark with a group of other warriors to defeat the demon. King Hrothgar of Denmark accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight the monster and held a feast in honor for his heroic act. However, one of the Danes known as Unferth became envious towards Beowulf’s attention and claimed that the “heroic” warrior is unworthy of his reputation. On the other hand, Beowulf did not let the words of the jealous Unferth discourage him. He simply responded by bragging about his past accomplishments. Thus showing the Beowulf’s pride. By having Unferth doubt Beowulf’s capability he went to go fight the demon without any armor or weapons. He ripped off Grendel’s arm and defeated the monster with his own bare arms to prove his strength that he is stronger than the demon. As Grendel goes back to his swamp to die, Beowulf hung the dislocated arm as a trophy to show off his victory. On the contrary, this was not the end of Beowulf’s journey. It was only the beginning due to the fact that Grendel’s mother decided to plot revenge. The mother murders one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers, Aeschere which caused Beowulf to find the monster and dive into the murky swamp where she lived to destroy her. Once he found Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair he kills her and brings back her head as a prize of the king of Denmark. This gave the
[this is where you type about how beowulf’s pride came in the scene]
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starts off during a New Year’s Even feast at King Arthur’s home where a strange green figure known as the Green Knight intrupted the celebration.
At that moment, the unknown visitor challenges the court to play an unfamiliar game. The Green Knight’s rules was to allow the bravest man of all to strike him with his own axe. However, within one exact year the person playing the game must receive a blow in return. Of course, the king was surprised at the rules demanded by a man who he was not aware of but the Green Knight took his silence as a joke. By mocking King Arthur, he steps forward to take the challenge but everything changes once Sir Gawain stops his King and ask to take on the challenge instead. In one deadly blow, the axe cut off the knight’s head which concludes the game officially started. As the headless Green Knight picked up his head he reminds the young brave Gawain to find him within a year and a day at the Green Chapel. Although, Sir Gawain proved his loyalty towards his king, he felt uneasy
[explain how pride got the best of
him]
Time Machine
The Time Machine involved a man who invented a time machine that was able to send him off into the future in the year 802,701 AD. The Time Traveller found himself in a world filled with humanlike creatures called Eloi. Meanwhile as he began to examine their characteristics, he caught a little glimpse of a white-ape like creatures called Morlocks. He came to a conclusion that the Morlocks must live under ground which is why there was strange wells all around the area. The Time Traveller became friends with Weena, one of the Eloi from downing.
Quotes:
“the question had come into my mind abruptly: were these creatures fools?” (38)
“You see I had always anticipated that the people of the year Eight Hundred and Two (38) Thousands odd would be incredibly in front of us in knowledge, art, everything.”
“A flow of disappointment rushed across my mind. For a moment I felt that I had built the Time Machine in vain” (38)
“‘I thought of the physical slightness of the people, their lack of intelligence, and those big abundant ruins, and it strengthened my belief in a perfect conquest of Nature. For after the battle comes Quiet. Humanity had been strong, energetic, and intelligent, and had used all its abundant vitality to alter the conditions under which it lived. And now came the reaction of the altered conditions. ‘Under the new conditions of perfect comfort and security, that restless energy, that with us is strength, would become weakness. Even in our own time certain tendencies and desires, once necessary to survival, are a constant source of failure. Physical courage and the love of battle, for instance, are no great help—may even be hindrances—to a civilized man. And in a state of physical balance and security, power, intellectual as well as physical, would be out of place. For countless years I judged there had been no danger of war or solitary violence, no danger from wild beasts, no wasting disease to require strength of constitution, no need of toil. For such a life, what we should call the weak are as well equipped as the strong, are” 51
1984 Lastly, towards our last novel, 1984 introduces the protagonist, Winston Smith. A frail and thin thirty nine year old who is a low-ranking member of the Party who controls the society in London. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth where he alters any historical records to fit what Big Brother has said and done so the people can continue eating their lies. Although, Winston works for the Party he secretly hates Big Brother but where he lives there are no ways of expressing his hate without being killed. The party
in pride in them. Either in Gothic, Dystopian or any type of literature there has been shown some kind of pride in at least one character. Pride is either seen as being strong or damaging to one’s personality. However, if a person does not have any pride they look weak with no type of confidence yet, if there’s too much pride involved then they shall be considered conceited. According to Guy Winch (2014), psychologists believes that there are two kinds of pride such as Authentic pride which “arises when we feel good about ourselves, confident, and productive” while Hubristic pride tends to involve “egotism and arrogance” which is socially viewed as having low self-esteem. However, it all depends how one sees the type of pride within the person who shows it. For example, the protagonists from the novels; Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Time Machine, and 1984, have had characters who shown a form of pride.
Beowulf
Beowulf, introduces young Geatish warrior named Beowulf, who gained honor for defeating Grendel, a dreadful demon who lives in the swamplands of Denmark. Grendel was angered by the booming noise coming from the celebration from the Heorot, where warriors would be able to come together. Ever since that encounter the Danes were being terrorized by the demon every night which caused them years of suffering, fear and danger. Eventually, Beowulf overheard Grendel’s acts of violence and sails to Denmark with a group of other warriors to defeat the demon. King Hrothgar of Denmark accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight the monster and held a feast in honor for his heroic act. However, one of the Danes known as Unferth became envious towards Beowulf’s attention and claimed that the “heroic” warrior is unworthy of his reputation. On the other hand, Beowulf did not let the words of the jealous Unferth discourage him. He simply responded by bragging about his past accomplishments. Thus showing the Beowulf’s pride. By having Unferth doubt Beowulf’s capability he went to go fight the demon without any armor or weapons. He ripped off Grendel’s arm and defeated the monster with his own bare arms to prove his strength that he is stronger than the demon. As Grendel goes back to his swamp to die, Beowulf hung the dislocated arm as a trophy to show off his victory. On the contrary, this was not the end of Beowulf’s journey. It was only the beginning due to the fact that Grendel’s mother decided to plot revenge. The mother murders one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers, Aeschere which caused Beowulf to find the monster and dive into the murky swamp where she lived to destroy her. Once he found Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair he kills her and brings back her head as a prize of the king of Denmark. This gave the
[this is where you type about how beowulf’s pride came in the scene]
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight starts off during a New Year’s Even feast at King Arthur’s home where a strange green figure known as the Green Knight intrupted the celebration.
At that moment, the unknown visitor challenges the court to play an unfamiliar game. The Green Knight’s rules was to allow the bravest man of all to strike him with his own axe. However, within one exact year the person playing the game must receive a blow in return. Of course, the king was surprised at the rules demanded by a man who he was not aware of but the Green Knight took his silence as a joke. By mocking King Arthur, he steps forward to take the challenge but everything changes once Sir Gawain stops his King and ask to take on the challenge instead. In one deadly blow, the axe cut off the knight’s head which concludes the game officially started. As the headless Green Knight picked up his head he reminds the young brave Gawain to find him within a year and a day at the Green Chapel. Although, Sir Gawain proved his loyalty towards his king, he felt uneasy
[explain how pride got the best of
him]
Time Machine
The Time Machine involved a man who invented a time machine that was able to send him off into the future in the year 802,701 AD. The Time Traveller found himself in a world filled with humanlike creatures called Eloi. Meanwhile as he began to examine their characteristics, he caught a little glimpse of a white-ape like creatures called Morlocks. He came to a conclusion that the Morlocks must live under ground which is why there was strange wells all around the area. The Time Traveller became friends with Weena, one of the Eloi from downing.
Quotes:
“the question had come into my mind abruptly: were these creatures fools?” (38)
“You see I had always anticipated that the people of the year Eight Hundred and Two (38) Thousands odd would be incredibly in front of us in knowledge, art, everything.”
“A flow of disappointment rushed across my mind. For a moment I felt that I had built the Time Machine in vain” (38)
“‘I thought of the physical slightness of the people, their lack of intelligence, and those big abundant ruins, and it strengthened my belief in a perfect conquest of Nature. For after the battle comes Quiet. Humanity had been strong, energetic, and intelligent, and had used all its abundant vitality to alter the conditions under which it lived. And now came the reaction of the altered conditions. ‘Under the new conditions of perfect comfort and security, that restless energy, that with us is strength, would become weakness. Even in our own time certain tendencies and desires, once necessary to survival, are a constant source of failure. Physical courage and the love of battle, for instance, are no great help—may even be hindrances—to a civilized man. And in a state of physical balance and security, power, intellectual as well as physical, would be out of place. For countless years I judged there had been no danger of war or solitary violence, no danger from wild beasts, no wasting disease to require strength of constitution, no need of toil. For such a life, what we should call the weak are as well equipped as the strong, are” 51
1984 Lastly, towards our last novel, 1984 introduces the protagonist, Winston Smith. A frail and thin thirty nine year old who is a low-ranking member of the Party who controls the society in London. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth where he alters any historical records to fit what Big Brother has said and done so the people can continue eating their lies. Although, Winston works for the Party he secretly hates Big Brother but where he lives there are no ways of expressing his hate without being killed. The party