End of the year post

Now that the class is over, I'd like to reflect on what we've learned throughout the semester. First off, I think that these readings not only provided some entertainment, but also taught real life lessons. Throughout all of the stories there was much betrayal between numerous characters, crazy random events, and some heart warming moments. As far as betrayal, that would be the cheating that went on between just about everyone (especially once we read Saga de Mantle). This proves that even the ones who are closest to you can hurt you and aren't the person you believe they are.  When the Green Knight appeared, and Gawain stepped up to take the challenge it showed bravery (before the end of the story). I feel that this could be a lesson saying that you just have to stand up for what's right sometimes, especially when it's something bigger than yourself. Lastly, I take King Arthur and Merlin's relationship as a bundle of heart warming moments. Merlin helped Arthur grow since he was a child and the fact that he stuck by Arthur's side the whole way shows that there are true best friends out there. Mostly everyone turned on each other so it was nice to know that at least 2 people remained loyal and close. I enjoyed this class and the different style of reading. Not everyday that I get to read stories during the medieval time era. I feel that I am leaving with not only some knowledge about King Arthur that I can discuss at cocktail parties like we said in class, but also a meaningful touch from all of them as well.

The Sword in the Stone

I really enjoyed this reading, mainly because it went to a completely different time period of King Arthur's life. We're so used to seeing him as the mighty king and him as an older man but never really saw where he started. I remember seeing the movie as a child and I like how it was made so young children could understand it. Most of the stories are intense so it was nice to have a
little bit of relief and a story that was about King Arthur's growth. I found a little bit of comedy in it as well so that was nice instead of being angry that someone is cheating or that there is a load of violence going on. Personally, I think this movie was made for kids because it sends out a powerful message saying that you really can be anything you want to be, as corny as it sounds. King Arthur was technically looked at as he was not meant to become a King. He had to work very hard to get his title and learn much on his own.Younger children can become discouraged easily so I think it's good to have a movie with such a powerful message. Merlin demonstrated such a good role model and a source of guidance. I gained much respect for him throughout this story.

King Arthur's Death

The talk of the past few classes has been on the death of King Arthur. We discussed a few terms relating to the poem and my group and I's was elegy. I found that discussing this word and its meaning helped me to better understand the context of the poem. It is a type of poem or song that is generally very sad regarding ones death. In that case, it made reading this poem not so enjoyful at first. Compared to most of the other readings, we're used to battles and crazy, energetic things occurring. I believe all of those stories were mad to build up to this poem. It was almost a shock when reading the poem because of how gloom it was. However it was calming and left you feeling like things were coming to peace. We built up this respect and honor for King Arthur because of his heroic moments and victories that took place so when it came to his end, it would effect us readers more emotionally. His stories give us something to remember and I think it was smart to make his last story into a poem considering poems are genuinely more in depth and have some type of deep meaning behind them.

Together til the end

So this reading of the Holy Grail was....wow. So many crazy things going on. One thing I really felt I could relate to this story was the round table. All of the knights went out on this quest together, knowing they were probably going to die, and that just displays honor to me. We're always discussing characteristics of a knight and that has to be one of the most important traits. The round table plays a part in this to me because it symbolizes that all of them are equal. The shape of the table gives everyone fair game and no favoring of one knight because of a certain spot. This being that they're all equal, had them all out on this quest together.

Green Knight Part One

So I wasn't in class when you all discussed the first part of the Green Knight, but I wanted to share a few things that ran through my mind. The way I perceived this was basically that this green knight shows up, randomly challenges King Arthur to beheading him but receive payback in a year, and for whatever reason Gawain steps up and wants to do it. I mean, I guess to me, if I knew in a year this would come back at me, I probably wouldn't cut off someone's head. I thought maybe if someone wanted to be so crazy to take on this kind of challenge, maybe it was a chance for Gawain to show that he is noble and cares for the king. At first I couldn't really understand why someone would "want" to do that, then again I'm not a knight. Gawain taking on this kind of challenge will forever have him remembered and maybe something good would come out of it doing such a thing. However, I still think its a bit crazy, interesting first part of the story though!

Good ole loyalty...not

So I know the big discussion has been Courtly Love in our lecture lately. The more I read these stories, the more I am beginning to hate Courtly Love. I don't think every single rule is bad (only about 98% of them) but really, some of them are so over the line and you couldn't pay me to be that way for someone. As I do believe that the mantle is just an object, and doesn't necessarily declare the true love of a couple, it still was crazy to see how quick the knights turned on their wives as if they were pieces of trash (kind of made me giggle). But what these knights didn't think of is that their wives have probably been fooling around with the other knights! I would have enjoyed reading about the knights trying the mantle on. When it comes down to it, everyone is pretty much disloyal in this story. Totally enjoyed reading it though. Props to Saga de Mantle.

The Knight of the Cart comments

I found this reading to be very amusing and entertaining. From the off the wall conversations, to the crazy, intriguing scenarios, I found myself having crazy looks and smurks on my face reading every page.

First off, I find it ironic how you could have someone come tell you that they
have your people held hostage and you basically just reply with saying "Oh that sucks". Then agree to abide by whatever this person requests.  Kay basically tells the King, "Hey I have your people, and there is no way you can get them back, oh, and you will die before you are able to save them". And the King literally just takes it.When I read this I was confused, considering my impression is that a knight will fight till the end and won't let anyone walk all over them. Then the queen is just handed over to Kay upon his request like it's a walk in the park.

What kept my mind racing was once the king, Gawain, and the knights decide to go find the queen and run into the dwarf,  the knight (Lancelot)  ends up roaming around in a cart while practically being tormented by other people. Talk about a sacrifice. They all are staring at him, yelling atrocious comments to the dwarf and neither the dwarf nor the knight decide to respond.That would be terrifying having everyone around you knowing your business and asking questions out loud about how you may be killed. Definitely not my cup of tea!

Okay, not trying to skip over numerous details, cause this reading is awesome, but I have to get to my favorite part. When the girl informs everyone of the paths to get to the queen, and how each one will involve encounters with extreme difficulty, this created a suspenseful kind of rush for me. My visualization consisted of a dark background and that serious, suspenseful kind of music when it sounds like all hell is about to break loose. I pictured Lancelot gaining confidence and the nobility that a knight consists of, and the determination to rescue the beloved queen.

Actually, he gains so much confidence, that it causes him to ignore a guard that is prohibiting him from crossing the ford, and is suddenly struck off his horse. Not exactly how we probably pictured that to turn out but hey, knights aren't perfect.

This reading was a roller coaster of emotions and I enjoyed every page, even with some of it seeming odd, but that's what makes it fun to read. I felt that I could understand the style of the way this was written because it seemed more modernized for me. Awesome reading!

Influence Map: King Arthur

Hey everyone! For the first blog post I decided to share my influence map and discuss the importance of each picture and what it symbolizes to me. I don't know very much about King Arthur so I searched for some examples that I thought represented a king.

When I hear King Arthur I think of a strong, noble man who was born during the Medieval time period. In my map I have 8 photos starting on the left with the musical "Camelot". I chose this photo because one of the first things we discussed in class that related to King Arthur was Camelot. The style of the two on the cover is a huge significance to me and make me think of King Arthur and how people dressed back in that time period.


The next picture is a knight on their horse fighting another knight with a sword. Because of my perception that King Arthur is strong, and the fact that he is a king, makes me visualize him fighting other knights.

Next is the picture of King Arthur sitting at the round table with all of his knights. They all have their swords lightly touching the table. This may signify that they are about to go out into a battle or it may be some type of ritual. I believe King Arthur to be caring of his knights and that he cares for them more than himself.

Now we have King Arthur holding a crown over his head. To me personally, this is the typical visualization someone would create when imagining a king. I believe most kings are confident, and the holding of the crown over his head symbolizes pride and honor.

In my fifth photo, there is the book "Legends of King Arthur Through The Ages". I haven't read this book but it is a book I would read because it would talk about numerous events throughout King Arthur's life. The old time print and scenery on the cover make me think about the time period King Arthur grew up in.

The largest and most influential picture in my map is King Arthur and the woman he is with. I don't know who she is, maybe his wife, a queen, or a stranger. She seems to have some type of control over him. There seems to be a serious situation going on and maybe it tests King Arthurs true strength. It is suspenseful and suspense comes to my mind when I think of King Arthur.

The crown makes me think of King Arthur and the materialistic item that symbolizes him as a king. Most people visualize a crown on a kings head, especially during Medieval times. The crown is a strong representation because only a king or queen has the power to wear it and is seen as sentimental.

Lastly, the last photo on the bottom left is a view of England. From what we've discussed in the past couple classes, I know some or maybe all of King Arthur's life took place in England. The way the buildings look and the sun shining over them resemble King Arthur and his surroundings.