Beowulf Is An Epic Poem - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1157 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/05/13 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Beowulf Essay Did you like this example? Beowulf is an epic poem written roughly between the 8th and 11th centuries by an unknown author. It is a masterful story born from Old English and has lived up to its heroic and virtuous protagonist, Beowulf. Primarily, Beowulf yearned to be immortalized by being remembered for generations beyond his death. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Beowulf Is An Epic Poem" essay for you Create order It is thanks to the contributions of many scholars that helped carry on the legacy of Beowulf through translating the archaic poem into Modern English, cementing itself into accessible text and never forgotten. Beowulf: A New Verse, by Seamus Heaney, published on February 15th, 2000, arguably has the most readable and therefore superior translation of Beowulf compared to prior translations. To appreciate the arduous challenge of translating Beowulf, it is important to note the obstacles translators had to face. James Shapiro, an English professor from Columbia University, who published an article to The New York Times titled, A Better Beowulf stated what those difficulties were. The first issue is that while translating from Old English into Modern English is not the most difficult part, it is actually the issue of the translation being too bland to read. Beowulf in its original form is complex, highly formulaic, rich in compounds, apposition, repetition and parallelism; and very few lines mesh well with the flow into Modern English (Shapiro). The role of a great translation, according to The Institute of Export and International Trade, is to disguise a translation as simply what the original text would had read if it was written in the language it was translated to. Mistakenly, many translators were too rigid in their translations and felt like an obvious translation. The second issue is that the original author of Beowulf had a very specific rhythm for each line in the poem, which followed a pattern called iambic pentameter. This means that each line will have ten syllables, and within that line, will have five stresses. Unfortunately, Modern English rarely follows these kinds of restrictions poetically. Scholarly translators that wanted to understandably maintain the richness of Beowulf, by forcing modern vocabulary into an iambic pentameter formula, often translated certain lines into a painful-to-read jog-trot (Shapiro). Without a sense of poetic rhythm, many elements of the story and the representations of the characters tend to fall flat. The duty of these translators was to ideally recapture the passion the original author intended, many of whom could not; until Seamus Heaney successfully cracked the code. Capturing the true essence Beowulf lies in properly representing the protagonist, Beowulf of the Geats, and the translations by Heaney proved to be the best representation. According to Melissa Snell, a historical researcher with a concentration of the Middle Ages, the first translation of Beowulf into Modern English was done in 1837 by J. M. Kemble. Beyond the fact that Kemble took on the task in the Nineteenth Century, and for the fact Beowulf has been translated into roughly sixty-five other modern languages, that means there have been multiple variations of the same character, Beowulf, way before Heaney finished his interpretation in the year 2000 (Snell). Many translators simply did not come close to expressing the passionate, noble, and virtuous Beowulf as the original author did. For example, as Salim E. Al-Ibia, an English Assistant professor of Al al-Bayt University, pointed out in his article titled, A Comparative Study of Three Modern Translations of the Old English Lines (675-702) of Beowulf most readers will feel the positive attitude toward Beowulf with Heaneys translation. Unlike a notable translation in 1952 by Edwin Morgan, Beowulf astonishingly has character traits of being flaunty and arrogant (Al-Ibia). To demonstrate a clear distinction between the language of Morgans and Heaneys translations, the confrontation between Beowulf and Grendel exposes the differences right away. In lines 675-679, with Morgans translations, of the epic poem, Beowulf is only depicted as the good warrior and Grendel has personified qualities of being able to boast in works of war. This is problematic because it diminishes how much of a threat Grendel is, and how even greater of a necessity Beowulf is. Essentially, Morgan is implying that theres been a war, rather than a one-sided bloody massacred rampage, between Grendel and the Danish. In contrast, Heaney proclaims Beowulf as that prince of goodness and proudly asserts that he is as dangerous any day as Grendel when it comes to fighting. Heaney undoubtably writes Beowulf as the present-day cape-crusader; a hero to fill ones despair with hope. Seamus Heaneys Beowulf is not only remarkable because of the fluidity the prose, but because of Heaneys background and method towards crafting the final translation. While the epic poem has cultural and locational ties to the Scandinavian area within its story, it is Heaneys Irish heritage that marries his translated Beowulf into an aspiring interpretation that prior translators failed to achieve. In an NPR radio interview from 2007, Heaney explains how he was able to dig into his Irish roots and write more expressively. Rather than use words such as defensive wall he used an Irish word from the seventeenth century called bawn (NPR). Given Beowulfs Anglo-Saxon origins, it also helped that Heaney was able to collaborate with Anglo-Saxon scholars. Heaneys earlier poetic works also enlighteningly followed iambic pentameter rhythm, giving him further credence for the quality Beowulf: A New Verse famed. Using these techniques allows for the story to maintain its richness in coming across as an ancient, epic tale but also mold his translation fluidly into iambic pentameter measure, in Modern English no less! It is no slight against for the many translators that endeavored to bring Beowulf into modern eyes. After all, they were performing the ultimate duty: immortalizing Beowulfs legacy for centuries after the fictious, glorious death. However, it is a laborious process to consider when there is a vast quantity of translations but few lacking genuine quality. Even fewer with as passionate and spirited verse as Heaneys translation. Beowulf, a timeless classic, inspired many scholars and translators, but it only took one procure the modern representation of Beowulf that would shower the story with as much love and excitement as the original author had done, centuries ago. Works Cited Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse. New York City: W. W. Norton Company, 2000. Print. Morgan, Edwin. Beowulf. London: The Hand and Flower Press, 1952. Print. Salim Eflih Al-Ibia. A Comparative Study of Three Modern Translations of the Old English Lines (675-702) of Beowulf. Journal of Arts and Humanities, Vol 7, Iss 2, Pp 66-72 (2018), no. 2, 2018, p. 66. EBSCOhost, doi:10.18533/journal.v7i2.1337 Shapiro, James. A Better Beowulf. New York Times, 27 Feb. 2000, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/27/reviews/000227.27shapirt.html. Snell, Melissa. What You Need to Know About the Epic Poem Beowulf. ThoughtCo, 26 Aug. 2018, thoughtco.com/beowulf-what-you-need-to-know-1788397. Translation of Beowulf Revives Epic Tale. Talk of the Nation. National Public Radio. 19 Nov. 2007, https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=16425752. What makes a good translation? The Institute of Export and International Trade. 12 Feb. 2018, https://www.export.org.uk/news/386348/What-makes-a-good-translation.htm

Romeo And Twelfth Night By William Shakespeare Essay

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Yue Yuen free essay sample

Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) Ltd. : Site Selection 1) How should the site selection factors listed in the case study be weighed? Are there any further factors which should be added to the list? (1) Site Selection factors Labour costs of the host country Population and demographics of the host country Host country’s physical infrastructure Presence of suppliers- GDP and economic stability foreign investment . Exchange rate volatility Size of the local market Desirability of the host country Presence of other labour-intensive manufacturing in the area Presence of other footwear manufacturers in the region Amount of foreign investment in the country Labour laws of the host country (2) Additional factors Financial institution. The risk of pandemics Shortage of essential basics such as clean water and electricity Labour’s education and technical skill level The host country’s supportive benefits such as tax benefits, preferential interest rates and more flexible infrastructure regulations The host country’s political stability and security . We will write a custom essay sample on Yue Yuen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2) What could be potential production sites for the company in addition to the four locations mentioned in the case study? (1) Guangdong produced 44% of the industry’s exports, Fujian 23% and Zhejiang 15% as majorities of China’s casual and athletic footwear. (2) Sichuan and Jiangsu and Shanghai are also big business in footwear production. Which site should the company select for its new manufacturing operations, and why? (1) The company’s selection should be Vietnam (2) The reason why Vietnam should be selected as below The government’s supports such as a combination of tax benefits Low labour cost and highly young workforce Convenient geographical location Dynamic economy and rising domestic consumption Political and economic stability Vietnam was Nike’s second largest producer.

Orientalism And Colonialism Essays - Orientalism,

Orientalism and Colonialism Orientalism and Colonialism Edward Said describes Orientalism as the ethnocentric way Europe approaches the Asian territories. Europeans looked upon the people of the Orient and Arabic states as "gullible" and"devoid of energy and initiative." The invasion of European nations proved a drastic decline in the natural prosperity of every nation they encountered. Europe forced the destruction of these once great lands by three methods; Anglo-based propaganda as a method of education, the deletion of history from the invaded land, as well as, the assimilation of their culture. European propagandists played an important role with the conquering of foreign lands. Domestic support fostered in the European belief that they were improving the lives of valueless, shiftless imbeciles. There is no doubt that the West felt significantly superior to the East. This theory not only holds true to the Arabic and Asiatic states, but also for colonized countries in South America and Africa. Europe used their technological might and arrogant attitude to exploit the globe. However, to gain support of domestic citizens, European writings were used to paint a picture of a clan of people living in darkness and void. The scholars of that day carefully selected the publicity of their new conquests by cloaking it with a sentiment of charity and Christianity. Little recognition was given to the past cultures of these people. The plan was quite simple. They wanted to invade the territory, strip it of all its history and rebuild its past in the manner the Europeans saw fit. This is a very wise move in the tactics to strengthen the West's cause. Not only does wreck the morale of the invaded country's inhabitants, but it sends a loud and clear message that the history is insignificant and inferior to western history. Deporting of local treasures, deleting historic records and documents and defacing historic structures intended locals to forget about the past grandeur and focus of the supposed bright future of the West. The third method used by the Europeans is the assimilation of culture to the countries they colonized. Eurocentric-based training and education children of the colonized states proved the modeling of natives that were European in mind and values however unchanged in the exterior. By assimilating native culture into their own they gain more control and authority in that area. Indigenous children learning western ways of culture and natives who aid in the European exploitation, successfully gives the West control the land. In addition, once a new culture is introduced to one generation, the possibility of successful reinstatement of the past culture is nill. In my opinion, the entire destruction of the majority of the world's nations was caused by Western influence. Before European intervention, ways of life were individualistic. In fact, the third world as we know it would not have been so if they were simply left alone. There are still clans of people in the world that live a perfectly natural and healthy life with their indigenous ways. Greed and competition for raw materials caused Europe to branch out and destroy the ways of life for millions of people around the world. After decades from the end of colonization, what has the third world received for the West? For the Aborigines, they have received the affliction of diabetes. For the Native American, there is an affliction of otherwise unknown ailments and sexually transmitted diseases. For the Inuit, they have been stripped of their land and are now the poorest population in America today. For the African, they have received a triple treat of enslavement, broken families and the rape of their land's resources. Orientalism is quite possibly the most inhumane theory the world has ever seen. By bringing destruction in their wake and their dawn, colonization has brought starvation, illness and poverty to infinite generations. We are now faced with countries that once ruled the world lying helpless until support comes from the industrialized nations. Exotic and priceless treasures of ancient civilizations now lay in the libraries of rich western men. What would possibly make men do this to millions of men, women, and children? Greed? Power? I disagree with both, I believe the word is indifference. This indifference comes from the bitter marriage of social Darwinism and old-fashioned insolence. Any humanist would see that before the west intervened, each individual culture conformed to their habitat, past experiences, and past knowledge. Even though they were not "modernized" they still would have survived on their own just as they had been for centuries. However, a race of people could not be heartless enough to admit their destruction with a clear conscious and no remorse. They would not their pack