Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings Analysis

Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings Analysis Humans are very complex beings. From sentience arrives emotions, both negative and positive, which create the beings we know as our friends, our enemies, and the rest of the world. In this rendition of the classic work Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings reinvents two characters from the medieval tale of King Arthur, including the King and Sir Gawain. In this legend, King Arthur meets a mysterious rogue knight when separated from his men on a hunt during the Christmas season. The knight hands him a riddle, What women desire most, in which he must solve in three days time, or else the rogue knight will slay him and take possession of his kingdom. Eventually, King Arthur encounters a woman who can accurately answer the riddle, although she herself is a disgusting old hag. What is even more horrendous is that she offers a high price for her services: The hand of a knight in marriage. Arthur reluctantly accepts, and defeats the rogue knights riddle. As Arthur arrives safely back to the castle, Sir Gawain agrees to become the ugly womans husband, for the honour of his king. Although initially unhappy, Gawains mood is altered for the better when his bride turns out to have been under a curse, and is actually a beautiful lady. In order to permanently rid her of the curse, Gawain gives his wife what all women desire, to have her own way. Throughout this tale, Sir Gawain is depicted to be a courageous, arrogant, immature, and loyal knight, effectively making him a multifaceted character. Sir Gawain is obviously a very courageous man. As stated, he is usually the first to come forward to the king when the king requires an undertaker for a quest. King Arthur had not even ventured into the details of the endeavour, when Sir Gawain burst out, Sire, I beg you, let me defend you! Grant me the quest' (Hastings 179). This proves his courage, since he seems to be willing to tackle any problem, even if the details are unclear. Sir Gawain only further proves his mettle when he proposes to the Loathly Lady, who is able to make the other knights sit as Stills as statues, [and] hardly able to believe their eyes (Hastings 179). Madam, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] will you honour me with your hand in marriage' (Hastings 179) was the line possibly well-rehearsed by Gawain, but however, to be able to speak it so fluently and so convincingly under the hideous gaze of the Loathly Lady is certainly a feat not to take lightly. Based on the above examples, Sir Gawains courage is a force to be reckone d with, as it seems to be able to overrule his common sense. Being at foundation a man, it seems he has a less knightly characteristic: an overwhelming sense of arrogance, displaying his multifaceted personality. When King Arthur finally explains the quest, Gawain looked stunned, but his spirit never faltered (Hastings 179). Upon hearing the fact that he must propose, he faltered, as he and his pride were prepared for battle, not for something as unexpected as a marriage to an abhorrent bride . As a result of being the only volunteer and as a victim of knightly chivalry, he was forced to marry the Loathly Lady, and as a consequence of the self-embarrassment, his pride suffered. In shock of his actions, he moved through his wedding in a trance. After the wedding, he thought to himself, Was he to spend the rest of his life shackled to a creature more hideous than the demon of a nightmare (Hasting 180). Upon his courage intercepting his mind and causing him to propose to the Loathly Lady, his inner sense of pride was disintegrating. In order for him to be so dismayed, he must have had inner thoughts that he would court a beautiful young lady, instead of an ugly old hag. Upon realizing the reality of his situation, he must have noticed the cons of having such an unappealing bride, in which every solution resulted in having to hide the Loathly Lady, therefore deducting an aspect of adulthood, demoralizing him and stripping him of what little may have been left with his arrogance. Due to this episode, Gawains pride as a member of the round table was temporarily diminished. His courage and arrogance may be explained by another trait he houses: his immaturity as the youngest Knight of the Round Table in the castle of Carlisle. When the king explains he does not know how he may save his honour, Sir Gawain leapt up, scattering the ivory chessmen at his feet (Hastings 179). As he was the only knight the rush to the kings aid, it is clear he lacks experience, since no other knight had done the same. Another contributing factor is the fact that he is very superficial, only studying appearances instead of personalities. When The pair [Gawain and the transformed Loathly Lady] were so happy and so much in love (Hastings 181), it is obvious that their love cannot be anything deep, since they only met the day before the quote, so their love is a shallow, sexual love, rather than a deep romantic love. Being young, immaturity is unavoidable. His final trait, which is the most obvious of all characteristics among a group of knights, is their loyalty, more specifically to their king. As previously stated, he is always the first to come forward (Hastings 179). Along with being courageous, this statement may also represent loyalty, as he takes it upon himself to help the King in whatever way he can. After hearing the quest Gawain had replied Take me to her, Sire, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] I will marry her tomorrow.' (Hastings 179), which continues to prove his strong sense of loyalty, which prevents his arrogance from allowing him to refuse, and keeps his courage at a constantly effective level. Sir Gawains loyalty keeps a constant hold upon him. The knight, Sir Gawain is a multifaceted character, since he is loyal as he is arrogant and courageous as he is immature. He obeys all orders given to him by the king, but his sense of pride is at the same time corrupted by the arrival of his loathly wife. His courage is tested to the limit when he marries the Loathly Lady, but when the Loathly Ladys curse was broken, it shows how shallow Gawain really is, displaying immaturity. By incorporating a mix of positive and negative traits into the composition of Sir Gawains personality, Selina Hastings has effectively recreated the complex character of a human being. It illustrates the nature of human life, as nobody is perfect.

Benjamin Franklin :: essays research papers

Benjamin Franklin took pride in almost every aspect of his life. There are many instances in which one could call him a vain man. Franklin writes to Ezra Stiles and speaks of his portrait being hung at Yale. Franklin complains that the portraits he has of himself do his stunning features no justice, and are certainly not worthy to be hung at Yale. He suggests that a new portrait be painted. Franklin clearly has issues as to how he will be remembered, and also how obsessed the man is with his looks. He writes, â€Å"I do not think any one of the portraits you mention, as in my possession, worthy of the place and company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall cheerfully pay the expense.† This vanity of Franklin’s is presented in his â€Å"Apology for Printers† as well. He argues that printers print silly things not worth reading not because they want to, but because people are uned ucated and like to read mindless garbage. Franklin, in his mind, has set himself on a higher pedestal than the everyday man. He has a better education therefore he is a better person. He writes, â€Å"They sometimes print vicious or silly things not worth reading, it may not be because they approve such things themselves, but because the people are so viciously and corruptly educated that good things are not encouraged.† Franklin also presents a vain attitude toward religion. He goes as far in his letter to Ezra Stiles as to indicate Jesus Christ as merely a good philosopher, and he himself does not care to take the time that religion requires. He believes that he will find the truth for himself. The man put himself above others’ intelligence and beliefs and disregarded them as distractions and wastes of time for him. He says, â€Å"I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize u pon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble.† Franklin clearly displays his vanity throughout his writings. Benjamin Franklin often used his own sarcastic sense of humor to win over his audience. An example is Franklin’s â€Å"Apology for Printers,† in which he defends himself after accepting and printing a routine announcement of the sailing of a ship with a captain thought to be anticlerical. Benjamin Franklin :: essays research papers Benjamin Franklin took pride in almost every aspect of his life. There are many instances in which one could call him a vain man. Franklin writes to Ezra Stiles and speaks of his portrait being hung at Yale. Franklin complains that the portraits he has of himself do his stunning features no justice, and are certainly not worthy to be hung at Yale. He suggests that a new portrait be painted. Franklin clearly has issues as to how he will be remembered, and also how obsessed the man is with his looks. He writes, â€Å"I do not think any one of the portraits you mention, as in my possession, worthy of the place and company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall cheerfully pay the expense.† This vanity of Franklin’s is presented in his â€Å"Apology for Printers† as well. He argues that printers print silly things not worth reading not because they want to, but because people are uned ucated and like to read mindless garbage. Franklin, in his mind, has set himself on a higher pedestal than the everyday man. He has a better education therefore he is a better person. He writes, â€Å"They sometimes print vicious or silly things not worth reading, it may not be because they approve such things themselves, but because the people are so viciously and corruptly educated that good things are not encouraged.† Franklin also presents a vain attitude toward religion. He goes as far in his letter to Ezra Stiles as to indicate Jesus Christ as merely a good philosopher, and he himself does not care to take the time that religion requires. He believes that he will find the truth for himself. The man put himself above others’ intelligence and beliefs and disregarded them as distractions and wastes of time for him. He says, â€Å"I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize u pon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble.† Franklin clearly displays his vanity throughout his writings. Benjamin Franklin often used his own sarcastic sense of humor to win over his audience. An example is Franklin’s â€Å"Apology for Printers,† in which he defends himself after accepting and printing a routine announcement of the sailing of a ship with a captain thought to be anticlerical.

Economics Internal Assessment Essay

The article discusses the effects of a severe flood in the areas of Thailand to the rice production. The rice production falls to 22 from 23 million metric tons. Supply is quantity of goods and services that producers are willing and able to produce at a given price and time period. The decrease in supply of rice in Thailand is shown by the following graph: The graph above shows that the effect of flood in Thailand decreased the rice crop’s supply. The supply curve shifted to the left from S1 to S2, moving the equilibrium point from point E1 to point E2. The equilibrium price then rises from P1 to P2 and the equilibirum quantity moves to the left by 1 million metric ton. The increase in the price of rice brought advantages to the country. One of it is the increase in the total revenue of rice producers. Rice is a commodity good where the price elasticity demand is inelastic. Price elasticity demand is the responsiveness of quantity demand to the change of price. Inelastic refers the condition where the quantity demanded is less responsive to the change in price. The following graph shows an inelastic demand curve of rice market. As the total of producer’s gain is greater than the total number of loss, the producer receives an advantage of higher revenue from the tragedy in Thailand. Total revenue is the result of the multiplication of the quantity sold to the price of the product. Despite the advantage, the rise in price of rice has brought disadvantage to the customers. As the quantity supplied of rice is decreased, therefore they are unable to buy a larger quantity of rice and as its price goes up it increases their portion of real income spent on rice, as it is a staple food. Thus, it results to the opportunity cost of decreased remaining real income that could be spent on other goods. Opportunity cost is the cost of the best alternative good sacrificed when a choice is made. Due to opportunity cost, the producers of non-commodity products would then be harmed as the quantity demanded for their product falls and therefore their total revenue decreases. To survive, producers will raise the price and thus harm the consumers. Thus, a solution shall be made to avoid further loss of customers. One of them is to apply a maximum price of rice in the country. Maximum price is the price set up by the government below the equilibrium price in order to help the customers, due to the high prices of certain commodity products. As seen on the graph, the maximum price is set at Pmax, below the equilibrium price of Pe. With the imposition of the policy, the customers are able to purchase rice at low price. However, with rice supplied at the maximum price, customers are demanding rice at point QD, while the quantity supplied is at Qe, which leads to a shortage. Shortage is the excess demand of goods and services. In consequence, to satisfy the demand of customers, black market might arise. Black market is a situation where the product is sold illegally at a higher price than Pmax. The seller of the rice might also apply unfair practices to customers such as rationing, where the amount of product is shared equally among customers, creating limitation of consumption. Another solution to avoid shortage is to import the supply of rice from overseas. Import is when a country purchase goods and services overseas. The supply curve then shifts to the right and Pmax becomes the new equilibrium price, thus black market and rationing would not arise. Though it would still bring disadvantage to the domestic producers of rice. The imported rice would be a new substitute good to the high-priced domestic rice. The quantity demanded for locally produced rice will decrease and thus the total revenue of the local producer decreases. Another disadvantage is the occurrence of trade deficit, because the country’s import increases and we assume the export remains constant. Trade deficit is the negative balance where the country’s import is greater than it’s export. Looking at the advantage given by maximum price solution, it is more beneficial for Thailand to increase the producer’s revenue rather than to prevent illegal practices. Thus, implying maximum price as a solution is more effective compared to importing supply of rice.

Essay on Geography and Demographics of Togo, Africa

Country of Togo, Africa Geography and Demographics Officially known as the Togolese Republic, Togo is a small country of only 21,925 square miles with an average density of 253 people per square mile. Togo is twice the size of Maryland and lies on the southern coast of West Africa. It borders Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Benin to the east. Togo borders the Gulf of Guinea and is only thirty-two miles long, the only port being at the capital, Lomà ©. Togo is low and sandy, but hills crisscross the central section, savanna in the north, and savanna and woodland areas in the south. Togo has two rainy seasons, one in April that last four months, and one in September that lasts three months. According to a 2009 estimate, the†¦show more content†¦In 1884 Germany signed a treaty under the King Mlapa III, which declared Togoland, as the German’s called it, a protectorate. Togoland underwent considerable economic development under German rule. Lomà © was selected as the colonial capital in 1897, a modern town was laid out, and in 1904 a jetty was built. Three railways were constructed to open up the interior. Exploitation was confined to the coastal and central areas and was exclusively agricultural. German administration was efficient but marred by its harsh treatment of Africans and use of forced labor. After the German’s surrender in World War I and the country was occupied by colonial troops, the Togolese welcomed the British forces. Through the League of Nations in 1922, the western part of the colony was administered by Britain, the eastern part by France. In 1946 the British and French governments placed the territories under United Nations trusteeship after World War II. British Togoland joined the Gold Coast, which in 1957 became the independent nation of Ghana. In 1959, French Togoland became an autonomous republic of the French Union until its independence in 1960. Togos first democratically elected president, Sylvano Olympius, was overthrown in 1963. The government of Nicolas Grunitzky was also overthrown in 1967 in a coup led by Gnassingbà © Eyadema. Gnassingbà © Eyadà ©ma then served as president for thirty-eight years and became the longest-serving leader in African history. AfterShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages1800s in what is best conceived as a â€Å"long† twentieth century. The 4 †¢ INTRODUCTION contributions by Jose Moya and Adam McKeown and Howard Spodek consider in nuanced detail key developments in transport and communication technologies, demographic trends, and socioeconomic shifts that represented watershed transformations in where humans lived, how they earned their livings, and their unprecedented ability to move about the globe. Moya and McKeown set the patterns of migration in the twentiethRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesMany emerging markets continued to experience growth during a period in which developed countries saw their economies stagnate or decline. The global political environment remains volatile and uncertain, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa and continuing tensions in Iran, North Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan, especially as the U.S. role in these latter two countries evolves. On the economic front, failure to conclude important trade agreements, including the so-called â€Å"Development† RoundRead MorePrimary Sector of Economy17717 Words   |  71 Pagesnormally considered part of this sector, especially if the raw material is unsuitable for sale or difficult to transport long distances.[1] Primary industry is a larger sector in developing countries; for instance, animal husbandry is more common in Africa than in Japan.[2] Mining in 19th century South Wales is a case study of how an economy can come to rely on one form of business.[3] Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of the primary sector, with the logging and oil industries