首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Historical Background → The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and one of fou
Historical Background → The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and one of fou
admin
2012-01-14
87
问题
Historical Background
→ The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and one of four surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Although Beowulf was written by an anonymous Englishman in Old English, the tale takes place in that part of Scandinavia from which Germanic tribes emigrated to England. Beowulf comes from Geatland, the southeastern part of what is now Sweden. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, lives near what is now Leire, on Zealand, Denmark’s largest island. The Beowulf epic contains three major tales about Beowulf and several minor tales that reflect a rich Germanic oral tradition of myths, legends, and folklore.
→ The Beowulf warriors have a foot in both the Bronze and Iron Ages. Their mead-halls reflect the wealthy living of the Bronze Age Northmen, and their wooden shields, wood-shafted spears, and bronze-hilted swords are those of the Bronze Age warrior. However, they carry iron-tipped spears, and their best swords have iron or iron-edged blades. Beowulf also orders an iron shield for his fight with a dragon. Iron replaced bronze because it produced a blade with a cutting edge that was stronger and sharper. The Northmen learned how to forge iron in about 500 B.C. Although they had been superior to the European Celts in bronze work, it was the Celts who taught them how to make and design iron work. Iron was accessible everywhere in Scandinavia, usually in the form of "bog-iron" found in the layers of peat in peat bogs.
The Beowulf epic also reveals interesting aspects of the lives of the AngloSaxons who lived in England at the time of the anonymous Beowulf poet. The Germanic tribes, including the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, invaded England from about A.D. 450 to 600. By the time of the Beowulf.poet, AngloSaxon society in England was neither primitive nor uneu tured A
→ Although the Beowulf manuscript was written in about A.D. 1000, it was not discovered until the seventeenth century. B Scholars do not know whether Beowulf is the sole surviving epic from a flourishing Anglo-Saxon literary period that produced other great epics or whether it was unique even in its own time.C Many scholars think that the epic was probably written sometime between the late seventh century and the early ninth century. If they are correct, the original manuscript was probably lost during the ninth-century Viking invasions of Anglia, in which the Danes destroyed the Anglo-Saxon monasteries and their great libraries. However, other scholars think that the poet’s favorable attitude toward the Danes must place the epic’s composition after the Viking invasions and at the start of the eleventh century, when this Beowulf manuscript was written.
→ The identity of the Beowulf poet is also uncertain. D He apparently was a Christian who loved the pagan heroic tradition of his ancestors and blended the values of the pagan hero with the Christian values of his own country and time. Because he wrote in the Anglian dialect, he probably was either a monk in a monastery or a poet in an Anglo-Saxon court located north of the Thames River.
Appeal and Value
Beowulf interests contemporary readers for many reasons. First, it is an outstanding adventure story. Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are marvelous characters, and each fight is unique, action-packed, and exciting. Second, Beowulf is a very appealing hero. He is the perfect warrior, combining extraordinary strength, skill, courage, and loyalty. Like Hercules, he devotes his life to making the world a safer place. He chooses to risk death in order to help other people, and he faces his inevitable death with heroism and dignity. Third, the Beowulf poet is interested in the psychological aspects of human behavior. For example, the Danish hero’s welcoming speech illustrates his jealousy of Beowulf. The behavior of Beowulf’s warriors in the dragon fight reveals their cowardice. Beowulf’s attitudes toward heroism reflect his maturity and experience, while King Hrothgar’s attitudes toward life show the experiences of an aged nobleman.
Finally, the Beowulf poet
exhibits
a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human life and achievement. In Beowulf, as in the major epics of other cultures, the hero must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring. He must accept the inevitability of death. He chooses to
reject
despair; instead, he takes pride in himself and in his accomplishments, and he values human relationships.
Why does the author mention "bog-iron" in paragraph 2?
选项
A、To demonstrate the availability of iron in Scandinavia
B、To prove that iron was better than bronze for weapons
C、To argue that the Celts provided the materials to make iron
D、To suggest that 500 B.C. was the date that the Iron Age began
答案
A
解析
"Iron was accessible everywhere in Scandinavia, usually in the form of ’bog iron’ found in the layers of peat in peat bogs." Choice B is not correct because the author had already stated that the best swords had iron or iron-edged blades. Choice C is not correct because the Celts taught the Northmen how to use the materials, but they did not provide the bog iron. Choice D is not correct because the bog iron does not relate to the date, although 500 B.C. is mentioned as the time when the Northmen learned how to forge iron.
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/rXyO777K
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
Completeeachsentencewiththecorrectending,A-G,below.Writethecorrectletter,A-G,inboxes37-40onyouranswersheet
TheHistoryoftheGuitarTheword’guitar’wasbroughtintoEnglishasanadaptationoftheSpanishword’guitarra,’whichwas,
HowlikelyareThomasandNadiatovisitthefollowingattractions?Writethecorrectletter,A,BorCnexttoquestions6-1
HowlikelyareThomasandNadiatovisitthefollowingattractions?Writethecorrectletter,A,BorCnexttoquestions6-1
Completethesentencesbelow.WriteNOMORETHANTWOWORDSforeachanswer.SavingthejuniperplantBackgroundAfurtherstep
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.GENERALCOURSEDETAILSTheBiologycoursesareavailablefor
conversation/tocommunicate本题有关这位男士学日语的特定需求。录音原文中Iwillneedtobeableto…和I’llputdown提示其后为答案。由于题目要求不超过三个词,因此该空填写名词或者动词短语均可。
Whichattitudeisassociatedwiththefollowingpeopleduringtheconversation?ChooseSIXanswersfromtheboxandwritetheco
BiologyCardiacMuscleBasedontheinformationinthelecture,indicatewhethereachsentencebelowdescribesskeletalmuscle
随机试题
传统的西方法律思想史研究存在“吃偏食”的现象,即研究的范围、题材的主次、对象的脉络等受制于英语学术谱系,这种单一的考察重心限制了研究者的视角。而实际上,在非英语学术谱系中存在大量有价值的材料。这要求研究者把目光投向先前不够重视的领域。比如“一带一路”建设参
Foreignersoftenfailtoappreciatetheformalcodeof【B1】______inFrance.TheFrenchshakehandswitheveryone(family,childre
26岁,女性,停经45天,突感下腹坠痛及肛门坠胀感,少量阴道流血及头晕呕吐半天。体格检查:面色苍白,BP80/40mmHg,腹肌略紧张,下腹压痛。妇科检查:阴道少量血性物,宫颈举痛(+),后穹隆饱满,子宫稍大,附件区触诊不满意。本例最可能的诊
《中华人民共和国民法通则》第6条规定:“民事活动必须遵守法律,法律没有规定的,应当遵守国家政策。”从法官裁判的角度看,下列哪一说法符合条文规定的内容?(2012年卷一第10题)
施工风险管理中,风险评估的工作有()。
计算机的移动硬件设备包括()。
根据所给资料,回答下列问题。2014年,全国粮食播种面积112738.3千公顷,比2013年增加782.7千公顷。其中谷物播种面积94622.8千公顷,比2013年增加854.1千公顷,增长0.9%。全国粮食总产量60709.9万吨,比
一、注意事项1.申论考试是对考生阅读理解能力、综合分析能力、提出和解决问题能力以及文字表达能力的测试。2.作答参考时限:阅读资料40分钟,作答110分钟。3.仔细阅读给定的资料,按照后面提出的“申论要求”依次作答。二、给定资料
Earthquakesurvivorstrappedinrubblecouldonedaybesavedbyanunlikelyrescuer:Aroboticcaterpillarthatburrowsitsway
Themovementofthesuncreatesperiodsof________.
最新回复
(
0
)