2. A critical part of a culture can be witnessed from its literature and writing. This definitely holds true for the Anglo-Saxtons as they portray a uniquely essential part of their culture through their poems: their internal conflict between Paganism and Christianity. A famous piece of Anglo-Saxton poetry that envelops the idea of cultural struggle is “The Seafarer,” which depicts a wandering seafarer lost in a storm in search for land and purpose. Through this poem, Anglo-Saxtons relate themselves to the seafarer wandering through a storm, symbolic of life, in search of land, a firm foundation. Paganism renders them, “wretched and sorrowful,/on the ice-cold sea.” However, there is an essential tone shift in the poem which shifts to the glories of Christianity and the greatness of God. After accepting Christianity, the seafarer states that, “[his] spirit/out in the waterways,/over the whale’s path,/ it soars widely/ through all the corners of the world.” He has found a purpose in life, driven Christianity which creates a firm foundation and structured order. Although the Anglo-Saxtons kept some of their traditional values such as ritualistic burials and high regard for strength and war, they were overcome with this new belief which became integrated into their lives. This is further proven by their integration of science and religion which were both held in churches and monasteries. Ultimately, the Anglo-Saxtons found a way to merge two conflicting cultures and incorporate them into their society.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Asherp4t3 Anglo-Saxton Synthesis #2
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Your comparison of "The Seafarer" to the internal search of the Anglo-Saxon people have to find their true faith is very well thought out. Our team finds this analysis to be quite profound and very strong. The Anglo Saxons really showed a great struggle between tradition, being Paganism, and the new and great calling of Christianity. While Paganism morals and beliefs upheld the tradition within their present culture, Christianity ushered in a new and daring time spiritually and culturally. This shift in religious beliefs marked a new venture into the unknown and the start of a new age. We also really appreciated how your team related the findings of Christianity to a strong religious "foundation." We believe that this really set the stage to usher in a new era. Overall, you communicated the themes of this poem very well while showcasing the Anglo-Saxon period terrifically. Good work!
ReplyDeleteMs. Wylie Period 1 Team 6
Nicole Lussier
Lillie Moffett
Lauren Wakabayashi
Sooji Hong
Wylie period 5 Team 9 Audrey Ford Misael Rivera Nicki Quiles Gus Shettleroe
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This synthesis clearly shows how Anglo-Saxons used their religion in their literature to represent their culture. You showed a perfect example of the use on how Anglo-Saxons combined Paganism and Christianity in their lives and literature. Yet what you did not say was how their burials conflicted with those of the Greeks. You presented no signs of how the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxons cultural conflict had an effect on each other. There is a sense that you misunderstood the question and responded by using the religion of Anglo-Saxons as the culture conflict, instead of using the conflict between the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxons with their burials.