Old English literature

Women had not been given the opportunity to express what they were thinking nor the time to learn because their roles in society were to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Virginia Woolf makes an interesting statement in “A Rooms of One 's Own” which is, “Women must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Women were not important to society because of gender inequality and as a result, women were silenced. The “room” in a literal perspective means that women…

Jocasta, Oedipus’ mom/wife eventually finds out that Oedipus is her son. Jocasta confused and broken by what she has done kills herself. Hamlet always wondered why his father died, and now that he encountered his ghost, finds out that his uncle killed Old Hamlet. Oedipus searching for an answer of who his parents actually are was revealed that his "mother," Jocasta is his biological mother. Despite the fact that they achieved their answers, it didn't satisfy them enough. They felt betrayed by…

According to recorded history and fact, there was never a woman who had the brilliance of Shakespeare during his time. This could be for several reasons; one being that women were not schooled as men were at the time, and another that even though they may have tried to follow the path to brilliance, they were forced into the stereotypical and traditional life of a housewife (at the time). A third is the fact that the frustration of not being able to engage in their genius drove them to madness…

The role of women in society is, to this day, ever changing in England. Women are not proportionately represented in the media, now, or in early English eras such as the Medieval Times. In early English literature, there was not a single female author to be published until the fifteenth century. This can partially explain the beginning of women’s oppression, as it stemmed from a lack of representation. Today, women are still underrepresented in the media, but not to the same degree as during the…

Brontë has an interesting look on hope. In her poem called “life” she explains some days you might have rough cloudy days, causing you to trudge but hope will pick you up and your despair will vanish. On the other hand, Emily Dickinson has a slightly different look comparing hope to an undefeatable bird. The theme they have in common is hope, though it is described In different ways it has similar qualities. In Charlotte Bronte’s poem, “Life” she explains life will not be perfect, you will wake…

perception of it will. The old English poem, “The Wanderer”, and the Early Modern English poem, “Love (3)” by George Herbert, both share the theme of love and Christianity. However, since they are from two different literary periods, the way they are written and their opinion over the topic are going to differ. After the Romans failed to conquer England, the Germanic tribes took over in 450 AD and changed the culture of England. This was the beginning of the Old English literary period. Two of…

Mr. Mahmud Ullah, Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, University of Dhaka, told me to read lots of books, and to be an inquisitive learner. His speech impressed me a lot, and I spent some of my best days in reading books, especially of literature. I had gone through the texts of the modernist writers, i.e. Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, and David Herbert Lawrence as a consequence of my reading. Finding their writings very intriguing relating to class, gender, and race,…

As a distant relative of Hamlet once asked, “To read or not to read, that is the question.” English students around the world have been doing just that with the plays by William Shakespeare for years; however, more often than not, they exhort their teachers to cut the famous literature out of the lesson plan. These writings are crucial to the development of high schoolers’ minds and must continue to be taught. The first reason why we should read Shakespeare is because of the complex themes found…

Pieces of Literature are written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a wonderful novel, receiving high praise from many non-academic organizations including but not limited to The Atlantic, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek. While it has received many raving reviews, it is no work of literature. This novel should be taught in school, however, The Hate U Give should, under no circumstances should be taught in English class.…

At the University of Oxford, Tolkien served as a professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature. Tolkien’s keen interest and emphasis for Anglo-Saxon literature and philology is evident in his trilogy, The Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit. Tolkien had a deep understanding of multiple Indo-European languages such as Old English, Old Norse, Finnish, Old High Herman, and several others, demonstrating a vast philological foundation to work from when it came to creating his own…