Beowulf Beowulf and Beowulf Essay Beowulf

Beowulf Beowulf and Beowulf Essay Beowulf Beowulf: Beowulf and Beowulf Essay Beowulf Beowulf Essay Beowulf’s appearance is one of greatness, arrogance, and confidence. When Beowulf and his team of Geats arrive at the Danes land, the first thing that the watchman notices is the greatness and boldness of the men that sailed to his land, especially Beowulf. The watchman states, â€Å"†¦ Nor have I ever seen, Out of all the men on the earth, one greater than has come with you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as he examines Beowulf and his team (161-163). The watchman was confused as to why the Geats walk his land so openly and without secret, and even thinks their greatness is a cover-up made so that he may let them enter further into his land as spies. Beowulf is one of the oldest English epic hero. He’s a great one too. Beowulf, however, is prepared for this unfriendliness, and he answers his questions like a born leader, stating, â€Å"We are Geats. Men who follow Higlac†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as part of a grand speech he gives to the watchman, which results in his team being able to go on into the land (173-174). I thought in my opinion that it was a fine speech. He was able to speak to Hrothgar after that. â€Å"..Strongest of the Geats-greater/and stronger than anyone in this world.† (110/111) â€Å"..he was loved by the Geats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (118) â€Å"..the bravest and best of the Geats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (121 Beowulf makes sure that everything he does will only aid him in obtaining fame and glory. This is seen clearly whenever Beowulf fights Grendel. Before the fight, Beowulf explains, â€Å"†¦ My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which shows that he indeed cares about people’s thoughts of him (264-266). From the quote, it was clear that Beowulf does not want to carry weapons because it will give people something to talk about. It would have been much easier to use weapons against Grendel, but he wanted to fight fair. Unlike Beowulf, Hrothgar is not as brave. He wishes to save his people from this monster but he is aged and more emotional than Beowulf. In most of the story Hrothgar is either sharing his wisdom with Beowulf or grieving. Beowulf also does another thing that may

The History of Samurai in Japan

The History of Samurai in Japan Samurai were a class of highly skilled warriors that arose in Japan after the Taika reforms of A.D. 646, which included land redistribution and heavy new taxes meant to support an elaborate Chinese-style empire. The reforms forced many small farmers to sell their land and work as tenant farmers. Over time, a few large landholders amassed power and wealth, creating a feudal system similar to that of  medieval Europe. To defend their riches, Japanese feudal lords hired the first samurai warriors, or bushi. Early Feudal Era Some samurai were relatives of the landowners they protected, while others were simply hired swords. The samurai code emphasized loyalty to ones master- even over family loyalty. History shows that the most loyal samurai were usually family members or financial dependents of their lords. During the 900s, the weak emperors of the Heian Era lost control of rural Japan and the country was torn apart by revolt. The emperors power was soon restricted to the capital, and across the country, the warrior class moved in to fill the power vacuum. After years of fighting, the samurai established a military government known as the shogunate. By the early 1100s, the warriors had both military and political power over much of Japan. The weak imperial line received a fatal blow to its power in 1156 when Emperor Toba died without a clear successor. His sons, Sutoku and Go-Shirakawa, fought for control in a civil war known as the Hogen Rebellion of 1156. In the end, both would-be emperors lost and the imperial office lost all its remaining power. During the civil war, the Minamoto and Taira samurai clans rose to prominence. They fought one another during the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. After their victory, the Taira established the first samurai-led government and the defeated Minamoto were banished from the capital of Kyoto. Kamakura and Early Muromachi (Ashikaga) Periods The two clans fought once more in the Genpei War of 1180 to 1185, which ended in victory for the Minamoto. Following their victory, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate, retaining the emperor as a figurehead. The Minamoto clan ruled much of Japan until 1333. In 1268, an external threat appeared. Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of Yuan China, demanded tribute from Japan, and when Kyoto refused to comply the Mongols invaded. Fortunately for Japan, a typhoon destroyed the Mongols 600 ships, and a second invasion fleet in 1281 met the same fate. Despite such incredible help from nature, the Mongol attacks cost the Kamakura dearly. Unable to offer land or riches to the samurai leaders who rallied to Japans defense, the weakened shogun faced a challenge from Emperor Go-Daigo in 1318. After being exiled in 1331, the emperor returned and overthrew the shogunate in 1333. The Kemmu Restoration of imperial power lasted only three years. In 1336, the Ashikaga shogunate under Ashikaga Takauji reasserted samurai rule, though this new shogunate was weaker than that of the Kamakura. Regional constables called daimyo developed considerable power and meddled with the shogunates line of succession. Later Muromachi Period and Restoration of Order By 1460, the daimyos  were ignoring orders from the shogun and backing different successors to the imperial throne. When the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, resigned in 1464, a dispute between backers of his younger brother and his son ignited even more intense fighting among the daimyo. In 1467, this squabbling erupted into the decade-long Onin War, in which thousands died and Kyoto was burned to the ground. The war led directly to Japans Warring States Period, or  Sengoku. Between 1467 and 1573, various daimyos led their clans in a fight for national dominance, and nearly all of the provinces were engulfed in the fighting. The Warring States Period drew to a close in 1568 when the warlord Oda Nobunaga defeated three powerful daimyos, marched into Kyoto, and had his preferred leader, Yoshiaki, installed as shogun. Nobunaga spent the next 14 years subduing other rival daimyos and quelling rebellions by fractious Buddhist monks. His grand Azuchi Castle, constructed between 1576 and 1579, became of symbol of Japanese reunification. In 1582, Nobunaga was assassinated by one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide. Hideyoshi, another general, finished the unification and ruled as kampaku,  or regent, invading  Korea in 1592 and 1597. The Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo Period Hideyoshi exiled the large Tokugawa clan from the area around Kyoto to the Kanto region in eastern Japan. By 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu had conquered the neighboring daimyo from his castle stronghold at Edo, which would one day become Tokyo. Ieyasus son, Hidetada, became shogun of the unified country in 1605, ushering in about 250 years of relative peace and stability for Japan. The strong Tokugawa shoguns domesticated the samurai, forcing them to either serve their lords in the cities or give up their swords and farm. This transformed the warriors into a class of cultured bureaucrats. The Meiji Restoration and the End of the Samurai In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the beginning of the end for the samurai. The Meiji system of constitutional monarchy included such democratic reforms as term limits for public officials and popular balloting. With public support, the Meiji Emperor did away with the samurai, reduced the power of the daimyo, and changed the capitals name from Edo to Tokyo. The new government created a conscripted army in 1873. Some of the officers were drawn from the ranks of former samurai, but more of the warriors found work as police officers. In 1877, angry ex-samurai revolted against the Meiji in the Satsuma Rebellion, but they later lost the Battle of Shiroyama, bringing the era of the samurai to an end. Culture and Weapons of the Samurai The culture of the samurai was grounded in the concept of bushido, or the way of the warrior, whose central tenets are honor and freedom from fear of death. A samurai was legally entitled to cut down any commoner who failed to honor him- or her- properly. The warrior was believed to be imbued with bushido spirit. He or she was expected to fight fearlessly and die honorably rather than surrender in defeat. Out of this disregard for death came the Japanese tradition of seppuku, in which defeated warriors- and disgraced government officials- would commit suicide with honor by disemboweling themselves with a short sword. Early samurai were archers, fighting on foot or horseback with extremely long bows (yumi), and used swords mainly for finishing off wounded enemies. After the Mongol invasions of 1272 and 1281, the samurai began to make greater use of swords, poles topped by curved blades called naginata, and spears. Samurai warriors wore two swords, the katana, and the wakizashi, which were banned from use by non-samurai in the late 16th century.

Paper #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper #2 - Essay Example For instance demonstrations against the war in Iraq, or campaigning on environmental issues by the environmentalist lobby shows that there is plenty of political activity in the United States that bypasses the main political parties. The Democrats and Republicans have made efforts in recent elections to increase voter turnout particularly in marginal states or the larger states such as California and New York. The political parties sometimes target particular social groups to increase their share of the popular vote, for instance African – Americans, Hispanic –Americans, and women. In marginal states or close elections extra turnout in these groups makes all the difference between victory and defeat. The actual electoral system for presidential elections came under greater scrutiny in the wake of the 2000 election which hung in the balance for weeks whilst judges considered the validity of spoilt ballot papers in Miami. Even the strongest supporters of the Electoral College have never claimed it is a proportional system, though the candidate with the largest number of votes generally wins. However neither of the main political parties would support another electoral system, as they would not expect such a close result again. Another problem is related to the time between the presidential election and the inauguration of the next president, there is only three months for legal decisions to be made in. Patterson notes that pressure groups, the media, and television coverage can have a profound affect on American politics and society. Those influences can sometimes be regarded as beneficial and sometimes detrimental (the category chosen can depend on personal subjective opinion). Patterson is not alone in suggesting that some pressure groups seem to have an unhealthy influence upon American society and politics. The media has great influence over public opinion, and has the power to