Mert Çanğırı
12010003007
Tuba Geyikler
January 26, 2016
ENGL 431
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH IDENTITY British nation has an extremely large history; it is full of wars, examples of assimilation, cultural alienation and new formations of new identities. Once a country in which many different nations lived, now it is a united kingdom where there is no cultural imperialism left and every nation forming this united kingdom has right to say what to do. Of course, many struggles and effort have been made throughout the history to unite people or nations living in that area, and by looking back to the history, it is quite possible to describe how now’s British identity has evolved. This paper will explain how British nation has evolved from the …show more content…
For example, Beowulf, was written by the Anglo-Saxons during the 11th century. Although the story takes place in Denmark, Beowulf is considered the milestone of the Old English Literature. The reason for that is even though the story takes place in Denmark, the way of living and people of that time were similar with what was going on in Great Britain at that time, and most of all, it was written in Old English—a language spoken by Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf gives many clues about the lifestyle of its time—which is the crucial element to define identification of a nation. Themes that are extremely important in Beowulf are: loyalty, commitment, faithfulness, generosity, courage and so on. Loyalty, for example, was an important aspect for unification of the tribes, it is Beowulf’s loyalty that brought him to the Geats. Living in a geography where they are almost constantly exposed to dangers of war, naturally, shaped their way of identification. Men were to be warriors, and women were to be housekeepers, teachers, wives and caregivers. This is also present in Beowulf, one of the female characters, Queen Wealhtheow, functions as a peace weaver in the society and encourages her people. Another female character, Hildeburh, also functions as a peace-weaver, but fails in her role. Men, on the other hand, were the ones who held the power in their hands and were the ones who went to war. From this perspective, we understand that Anglo-Saxon society were highly patriarchal. Thus said, the identities of the people were strictly drawn: men to be warriors and women to be
12010003007
Tuba Geyikler
January 26, 2016
ENGL 431
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH IDENTITY British nation has an extremely large history; it is full of wars, examples of assimilation, cultural alienation and new formations of new identities. Once a country in which many different nations lived, now it is a united kingdom where there is no cultural imperialism left and every nation forming this united kingdom has right to say what to do. Of course, many struggles and effort have been made throughout the history to unite people or nations living in that area, and by looking back to the history, it is quite possible to describe how now’s British identity has evolved. This paper will explain how British nation has evolved from the …show more content…
For example, Beowulf, was written by the Anglo-Saxons during the 11th century. Although the story takes place in Denmark, Beowulf is considered the milestone of the Old English Literature. The reason for that is even though the story takes place in Denmark, the way of living and people of that time were similar with what was going on in Great Britain at that time, and most of all, it was written in Old English—a language spoken by Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf gives many clues about the lifestyle of its time—which is the crucial element to define identification of a nation. Themes that are extremely important in Beowulf are: loyalty, commitment, faithfulness, generosity, courage and so on. Loyalty, for example, was an important aspect for unification of the tribes, it is Beowulf’s loyalty that brought him to the Geats. Living in a geography where they are almost constantly exposed to dangers of war, naturally, shaped their way of identification. Men were to be warriors, and women were to be housekeepers, teachers, wives and caregivers. This is also present in Beowulf, one of the female characters, Queen Wealhtheow, functions as a peace weaver in the society and encourages her people. Another female character, Hildeburh, also functions as a peace-weaver, but fails in her role. Men, on the other hand, were the ones who held the power in their hands and were the ones who went to war. From this perspective, we understand that Anglo-Saxon society were highly patriarchal. Thus said, the identities of the people were strictly drawn: men to be warriors and women to be