Joyce Alexander, Lilian Coie, Kevin He, Matt Wong
In AD 597, the Pope sent Augustine of Canterbury to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Roman Christianity. This event, sparking a century of religious conversion from paganism to Christianity, was one of the biggest influences on the thought, culture, and literature of the Anglo-Saxons. Edging away from paganism, like that of the Greeks, the Anglo-Saxons embraced new ideals and redefined their cultural values.
One manifestation of the conflicts in culture between the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxons were their burial practices. The Greeks buried their dead, while the Anglo-Saxons burned their dead on a funeral pyre. The process of cremation was considered a heathen practice. As mentioned in the poem, “The Seafarer”, a man should “fire the funeral pyre, for fate is set more surely, God more great.” In poems such as “The Seafarer,” a mixture of both paganism and Christianity can be seen. God is referred to in the singular sense, indicating Christian influence, but the concepts of fate (or “wyrd”) and cremation are also included, indicating pagan influence.
In approximately AD 600, the idea of Heptarchy took shape. Heptarchy was the concept that the different Anglo-Saxon tribes could unite to make seven different kingdoms. As these kingdoms took shape, conquests began for the supreme unity of England. Thus by necessity, The Anglo-Saxon people were warriors. This warrior-type was reflected in literature, as seen most notably in the epic Beowulf. That being said, the Anglo-Saxon hero differed enormously from the Greek hero. The Anglo-Saxon hero was one of brute force, while the Greek hero was often more cunning. This difference reflected the Greek emphasis on logic and thought, an emphasis that was mostly missing from Anglo-Saxon culture.
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ReplyDeleteYour group did a great job introducing new ideas and cultural values, such as the conversion of paganism to Christianity and Heptarchy. Also, you linked Greek and Anglo-Saxon culture well by comparing their burial practices and literature’s heroes with one another. However, perhaps consider explaining why cremation was a heathen practice. Also, adding more Greek values and facts to support the difference between the heroes would strengthen your analysis, such as how the Greek heroes are doomed to failure against more realistic antagonism, like Oedipus, whereas the Anglo-Saxon heroes combat unworldly forces and generally succeed, like Beowulf. Incorporating an example of a Greek literature would further your claim. In addition, it would be helpful to include events from Beowulf when explaining the funeral pyre and Anglo-Saxon burial practices.
ReplyDeleteAsher Period 4 Team 5
Sara Jan, Lia Lohr, Joanna Tung, Tiffany Yin