Favorite Arthur

                 Not to get all emotional, but I am a little sad to say goodbye to this class. In the last few moths, I have learned more than I thought there was to learn about King Arthur, and will for sure keep all the books (Okay, fine, it's probable that Avalon High will go to my little sister, but it still counts).
               

Today in class we touched on the many different Arthurs we have met on our journey through all the literature we have read, and I got to thinking about all of them. Ever since I was young, I have always wondered about the origins of legends. Some examples are (yes, I did actually wonder about these things. I have old diaries as proof): How the ancient Greek and Roman gods came to be, the beginnings of magic, and why we didn't have magic and such things anymore(bear with me, I was eight). Imagine my happiness as I read the first Harry Potter book. The first book in the series will always hold a special place in my heart because it is the book that started it all, and it is the book that explained and showed how everything in the wizarding world worked. 

Anyway, I compared all the different Arthurs we've met, and have come to decision. My favorite Arthur is the younger version in the Disney film that goes by Wart. I think I like him because he is the beginning of it all and the movie shows how the legend comes to be, and of course, being a 90's child, I will forever love anything Disney. 

I believe that Julia has already asked this in her blog, but I am curious as well, so I will also ask: Who is your favorite Arthur?

(4/5)

The Passing of Arthur (1/5)

      I know that this is late, however, I've been having trouble with the website, so bear with me as I catch up. Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Passing of Arthur", though beautifully crafted, nearly made my heart break. Personally, I love anything that has to do with the romance and magic that is associated with the Arthurian time period, and this ending of the legend left me curled up in bed with a mug of coffee and Disney's "The Sword in the Stone". Does anyone else feel this strongly, or is it just me? Even if you don't share my love for this time period, anyone with eyes can appreciate how beautifully this poem is written. One particular set of lines that drew my attention was "As from beyond the limit of the world/Like the last echo born of a great cry/Sounds, as if some fair city were one voice/Around a king returning from his wars" (Lines 288-292). I found these lines very interesting because the first line in this stanza almost makes an allusion that Arthur is leaving this world, not merely dying, and going to heaven after the long, violent years on Earth. After all, where else would Arthur go? He was the greatest Christian king ever recorded. Did anyone else wonder if he would become some high powered official (if they even have those), in heaven? Food for thought...

    Another line that I found interesting was "And the new sun rose bringing the new year" (Line 300). Though we did talk about this particular line in class, I can't help but wonder why or what caused the end of this era. Was it because Arthur was such a great king that there was no way anyone else could fill his shoes, or was it because God decided it was time for the world to move on to a new era? As someone who is really not religious in even the slightest of ways, I tend to lean towards option one. However, if option two is correct, what a fascinating book that could be!