Greek and Norse Mythology Essay Example for Free

Greek and Norse Mythology Essay Greek mythology and Roman mythology are almost identical. This is an accepted fact, as it is widely known that the Romans stole the Greek myths. However, it is very interesting to note that the mythology of the Vikings (Norse) has many similarities with the Greek myths. These myths are, by no means, identical to the Greek ones (like the Roman ones are), but there are very distinct commonalities between the two. I see two possible reasons for this besides pure coincidence. The first has to do with the fact that Norse myths were codified during the Viking era: 780 1070. This gives the Norsemen many centuries to become exposed to the Greek (or Roman) myths. The Vikings did travel as far east as the Caspian sea, which is further east than both Italy and Greece. The Norse myths were fashioned after the fall of the Roman empire. During the expansion of the Roman empire, the Romans were able to get all the way to Britain, which is farther west than the Scandinavian countries where these myths originated. The Vikings made many expeditions into Britain. So it is a very realistic thought that the Vikings could have been exposed to the stories of the Greek and Roman gods. It is also possible that the Vikings could have extrapolated parts of the Roman stories into their own. The only two existing primary sources of Norse mythology are the Prose (Elder) Edda, and the Poetic (Younger) Edda. These were written about one thousand to eight hundred years ago respectively. The second factor has to do with mythology as an extension of the society that fashions it. I see mythology as an attempt by a people to explain the powerful forces which affect and shape it, that are beyond its control, such as weather, the elements, and nature. I also see gods as being characters that have many similarities with the people within the society. The gods and goddesses are powerful beings capable of super-human powers, but nevertheless are characters fraught with very human frailties and flaws. In this way they created gods that had similarities with the common man in the society. This made the gods more tangible and easier to identify with. I think that this was necessary because they were not yet at the societal maturity level to have a single god on a cosmic plane. Most of the comparisons will be examining the similarities between major Greek and Norse gods, as well as creatures, stories and specific symbols which are featured in the mythologies.

Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? Essay -- Essays P

Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? Introduction With the commercial advent of the Internet and cell phones in the late 1990’s, technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and text messaging (TM) have achieved increasing prevalence in our society. These types of messaging technologies are widely used among adolescents today. To cite just one personal example of this widespread usage, my friend’s daughter, who is now 11 and lives in Ireland, got a cell phone last year, and, according to my friend, â€Å"was the last person in her class to get one.† This is quite an amazing change, given that ten years ago, instant messaging and text messaging were in their infancy, and cell phones were only readily available as tools for roadside assistance. Given the newness of these types of technologies, it is only in the last few years that educators have started to notice them and explore their effects on student behavior and performance. While there is supporting evidence to suggest that these technologies have a large influence on the social development of adolescents, an even more pertinent issue for classroom teachers is what effects these technologies have on the academic development of young people. In this article, I examine how students’ use of text messaging technology, specifically IM, affects their writing skills. How does IM use affect students’ interest in traditional writing (as learned in school)? In what ways does IM usage affect students’ writing ability? How does â€Å"IM-speak† change students’ views of what is considered â€Å"proper† language? How can classroom teachers build on student use of this increasingly popular technology? In this paper I provide a discussion of the current issues and current teacher pra... ...lts. If students understand where and when it is appropriate to use certain types of language, then allowing them to use IM-speak can be beneficial in building student-teacher relationships, in enhancing students’ comfort level in school settings, and in improving academic performance. IM lingo is evidence of the evolution of language, and as Brown-Owens, Eason, and Lader (2003) point out, teachers need to realize that – for better or for worse – IM is widely used among many adolescents and is consequently a strong influence on student academic performance. For who knows? Given its roots in other languages, sometime soon we may even be teaching IM-speak as a legitimate form of language. Works Cited: Connor, Amanda. "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?" From http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/oconnor.htm. Access Date: April, 2005

In the bed department by Anne Enright Essay

Anne Enright is a modern Irish writer who vividly portrays destiny of women and their life troubles. In the short story â€Å"In the Bed Department† Anne Enright creates a bright character of a modern woman depicting her grievances and life hopes. Thesis The short story portrays the role of fate and destiny in the life of an ordinary woman, her expectations, loosing hopes and life struggle. The story is related to life and struggle, portraying a woman who has survived the illusions that marriage and motherhood would provide lifelong companionship and identity, and who has come to recognize the existential solitude of all human beings. The main character of the short story, Kitty, is a middle age woman. Anne Enright portrays the development of the character through life chances and grievances faced by Kitty. Her husband had left her and â€Å"the judge avoided him the house† (Enright). She was depressed and her sons did everything possible to look after her, and then â€Å"they had made their way here, to outer suburbs and a decent life† (Enright). Through minor characters, the author shows that life chances and fate has a great impact on human happiness and social status. Her sons, a mother, a stranger who calls, Dublin men and a lover are aliens who cannot understand and support Kitty. For instance, the character of Tom symbolizes the last chance for her to be happy and loved. Although, â€Å"They [her sons] did not expect their mother to seduce old geezers in the front mom, and neither did the geezer (Enright). Desperation and depression are the main themes prevailing in the short story. Events and life experience is described through woman eyes which adds tension and emotional coloring to the story. A specific point of view helps readers to understand grievances and low status of women in modern society. The point of view shapes readers response forcing them to sympathize with Kitty. A point of view helps readers to feel that that the woman is suppressed by life grievances and lack of money. The tone of the short story reflects personal peculiarities and worldview of many women who cannot go beyond low social status and class. The story is full of symbols which help readers to understand the hardship and the role of fate in our life. For instance, a baby can be interpreted as a hope, new life and expectations: â€Å"At first she thought it was the change of life† (Enright). The main symbols of fate and loosing hopes are: number ‘thirteen’ and miscarriage. Using these symbols, Enright forces readers to rethink and reevaluate the role of life chances and misfortune an ordinary woman cannot resist. The surface of her story is limpidly clear and beguilingly placid, but her use of it is to enforce by close logic an impossible and often very shocking proposition driven with distinct and startling imagery (Fabb 2002). The setting of ‘a bed department’ can be compared with life of a human: â€Å"Nothing happened in the Bed Department. People bought a bed, or they did not buy a bed† (Enright). This setting depicts the gap between expected, traditional, usual things and reality people (readers) try to escape. Using this literary device, Enright shows that readers perception of the world is limited by traditions and values imposed by their society. â€Å"A bed† is a contextual symbol (Fabb 2002) which means family life and great expectations, hopes and life changes for the good: â€Å"Most people buying a bed were in love† (Enright). ‘Escalators’ is the main setting of the story which symbolizes ups and downs of Kitty’s life. This symbol represents destiny of an ordinary person: â€Å"The up escalator always mounting itself stir over stair; the down escalator falling like syrup, burying itself slowly in the flatness of the floor† (Enright). They can be interpreted as a life chance of every character that marks the significance of the events. Enright pays a special attention to the settings in the story which unveil inner psychological state of the characters, follow plot development and conflict resolution, and help the readers grasp the idea of loneliness and solitude (Cusk, 2004). The use of stylistic devices and expressive means supports vivid imagination and colorful visional representation of the story. Metaphors and similes help the author to appeal to readers’ imagination and feelings. The author uses such similes as â€Å"like a film†, â€Å"falling like syrup†, like â€Å"tombstones in a giant graveyard† to shape the atmosphere and underline important of all events and things depicted in the short story. In sum, Enright portrays that an ordinary woman is a passive victim of life circumstances and fate. Imagination is the main technique used by Enright to unveil the main message and support plot development. There are no lengthy descriptions in this story, but symbolic representation is aimed to appeal to imagination of readers and force them to create a picture of modern existence. Enright depicts that in our ordered and organized world one feels sometimes the need of a change, but she is weak and helpless to change her life suppressed by life circumstances and losing hopes. Works Cited Page Cusk, R. Mum’s the Word: The World Has Many Mothers but Little Sense of What It Might Be to Become One, Thanks to a Dearth of Serious Writing on the Subject. Rachel Cusk on a Sphere of Female Silence and Servitude. New Statesman, Vol. 133, August 23, 2004, p. 34. Enright, A. In the Bed Department. Fabb, N. Language and Literary Structure: The Linguistic Analysis of Form in Verse and Narrative. Cambridge University Press, 2002.

The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven Essay - 657 Words

Ludwig van Beethoven has had a huge impact on musical events. He began his works in the classical era; this era lasted from about 1750 to around the 1800. His musical career started when he was very young, he spent many years studying with Hayden Vienna where he spent the rest of his life. Beethoven is widely known for his nine symphonies and the creativity each one brought. Through this essay we will learn many things about Beethoven and his works. A symphony for starters is a musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements where at least one is in sonata form. A sonata is also a composition in several movements from one to eight instruments but a sonata form is a form of a single movement. Beethovens symphonies have†¦show more content†¦Beethoven struggled coming up with ideas for his works which is why in his previous symphonies he gained a lot of knowledge from Hayden and Mozart. (Charlton 2007). Beethoven wrote many more works in sonata form than Hay den and Mozart, he makes his works more powerful and more dramatic. (Charlton 2007). Examples of this are that â€Å"Includes a powerful crescendo that leads to a climatic return of the first theme at the start of the recapitulation† (Charlton 152). As you can see there are many differences they have among these composers. Beethoven’s earlier symphonies were written around 1802. Most of his earlier works were mainly influenced on Hayden and Mozart. You can see through his first symphony how much Mozart and Hayden are really exposed and how they helped Beethoven create his works. His fifth symphony is more in the middle period but this shows his symphonies becoming stronger and longer. This is when he begins to put more work into them, creating ideas and not using them until they are perfect. His fifth symphony is a â€Å"Rhythmic motive that has three short notes followed by one ling note† (Charlton 152). During Beethovens later works he soon realized that he wa s going deaf. He realized this more in the middle period when the height of his career was really taking off. He worked harder and harder to succeed and that’s what he showed through his ninth symphony. His ninth symphony the Missa Solemnis, was completed in 1824. Although this was not his mostShow MoreRelatedThe Life And Works Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1016 Words   |  5 PagesThe Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven (Beethoven, Favorite Classical Composers). This quote by Ludwig van Beethoven shows just how confident of a composer he was. When people to day think of Beethoven they may think of some of his famous works such as Missa solemnis, his Ninth Symphony, or his Pastoral Symphony. Other people may see Beethoven as a deafRead MoreLudwig Van Beethoven, One of the Greatest Composers of the Roomantic Period1099 Words   |  4 PagesThe Life of Ludwig van Beethoven Multitudes of music books recount the life of Ludwig van Beethoven and his contributions to music. There are many different texts that provide hard evidence that he was an individual who went on to become one of the best-known composers of all times. The early life of music saw many composers try to succeed with writing and publishing music. However, Ludwig van Beethoven emerged to become a crucial figure during the transition from Classical to Romantic erasRead MoreThe Classical Romantic And Modern Era1058 Words   |  5 PagesLudwig Van Beethoven was German Composer Pianist I have never thought of writing for reputation and honor. What I have in my heart must out; that is the reason why I compose Ludwig Van Beethoven piano compositions were published at the age of thirteen. 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Beethoven began to take an interest in music fromRead MoreA Short Research Paper On Ludwig Van Beethoven1269 Words   |  6 PagesA Short Research Paper on LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN MUS 1030 Walters State Community College Robbie Poteete, Instructor NIC NIX APRIL 22, 2016 Although there have been many famous composers over the years, probably none are as well-known as Ludwig van Beethoven. Regardless of one’s particular preference of musical style, almost everyone can quickly recognize Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, Ode to Joy, or Symphony 5. Beethoven â€Å"was born during the age of the Enlightenment, came to maturity duringRead MoreMusic Compare and Contrast1570 Words   |  7 Pageshave it easy. Neither did Ludwig van Beethoven who grew to be one of the most successful composers of all time. Taking in the world and challenges around them, both of these artists overcame many obstacles to become what they are known for. Their fans have followed and have been inspired by them. The band Thirty Seconds to Mars and Ludwig van Beethoven came from two different eras and have rough times in their youth but overcame to succeed in the music world. â€Å"[Ludwig] Beethoven’s father, JohannRead More Ludwig Van Beethoven Essay1285 Words   |  6 Pages German composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born December 1770 and spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria. His first teacher was his alcoholic father, who worked as a musician at the Court of Bonn. Teaching him day and night, Ludwig suffered from his fathers harsh and erratic behavior. For a time, he and his father played at the Church. As his fathers alcoholism increased, Ludwig became the main musician. Beethovens talents were discovered at an early age, and he was sentRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1600 Words   |  7 PagesLudwig van Beethoven is known for much of his musical accomplishments. One of his most famous is that he is deaf and yet one of the best musical composers of the classical and romanic area. Beethoven has always been one of my personal favorite composers. When I grew up and started taking piano, Beethoven s Fur Elise was my first large classical piece. Ever since that point on I insisted that when we were in Germany we see his home, and that we did. In this essay I will be explaining Ludwigs Youth