The Green Knight Calls! Essays -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essa

The Green Knight Calls! The passage in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from line 203 to line 278, sets the stage for the rest of the poem by introducing the Green Knight's challenge to King Arthur. The haughty and reckless Green Knight rides into Arthur's court, demands the attention of the knights and issues a challenge to exchange blows with his axe. The Green Knight's axe is a symbol of the judgment that is to come to men at the end of their time in this world. The confidence possessed by the Green Knight in riding thus into Arthur's court, is later shown to be due to the enchantment put on him by Morgan Le Faye. The Green Knight's confidence and his challenges to the court create a caricature of the bravery of knighthood and excessive pride is indeed the excess that this cautionary tale warns against. Sir Gawain meets the challenge but his actions show that even the bravest knight must not be too proud or sure of himself. The Green Knight's Challenge! The scene begins with the continuing description of the Green Knight as one who had come with "no helm, nor hauberk neither." The Green Knight has no helmet or armor. In his hands are a holly branch and an enormous green axe. The axe is described as having a head an ell in length. An ell is equivalent to forty-five inches. This is no ordinary axe. He claims that the branch shows he comes in peace but the axe belies his deadly mission. Although his green color may symbolize rebirth and the coming of spring, surely the axe is reminiscent of the executioner and the coming day of judgment. The Green Knight rides directly up to the dais and demands the audience of the "captain of this crowd." At this point, no one has addressed him or tried to stop him. Surely go... ...th. That judgment can come upon you in your finest hour, in the midst of a party. Sir Gawain ultimately learns the lesson that men must be mindful of their pride. Although he almost completely resists the temptations set before him by the Green Knight, he does falter slightly, although only for fear of his own life. He thus realizes that the flesh is weak, even in the most noble of men. He takes on the belt that saves his life as a symbol to remind himself of his own weakness. He becomes wiser for having faced death because he realizes that symbols, like the green belt he wears, like the cross of Christ, can be powerful reminders of lessons and ideas forgotten in the rush of daily life and human vanity. Credits "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton 1993 202-254

The Curriculum-What Is To Be Taught?

In making instructional decisions the instructors must consider the following factors which include what is to be taught, how it should be taught and the student’s needs. John Dewey was very instrumental in bringing the concept of decision making theory into the educational field. He further presented it in a process that was known as the reflective thinking which involved four phases which are; the problem phase, the criteria phase, the solution phase, and finally the implementation phase. (Auerbach, 2003)The Curriculum-What Is To Be Taught? Is the curriculum guaranteed such that is it taught in a way that it was intended? Is the curriculum viable such that it can be adequately addressed in the time available? Is the curriculum rigorous such that it ensures that all the students’ areas have been adequately challenged? Is the curriculum relevant such that it fosters smooth transitions between the elementary schools, the middle schools, the high schools, the post seconda ry schools and later to the world of work?Are the decisions about the curriculum uniformly applied to all the students?   Is there a lot of emphasis on mastering predetermined and common curricular objectives? Is the curriculum used standard for all the students?   Is the curriculum relevant to the students?   Does the curriculum have an outline that allows for the differences in the students backgrounds, abilities interests and prior knowledge and for the differences in the expectations from the community?

The Effects Of Nuclear Family On Children - 1551 Words

As Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model suggests, the nuclear family typically provides the first and most important environment in the child’s early development (Siegler, Eisenberg, DeLoache, Saffran, Graham, 2014). However, due to its strong influence on the child and to the intensity of early attachments, any disruptions to the family’s structure threatens to trigger a series of â€Å"risk factors† that most children are not equipped to handle (Kostelnik, Soderman, Whiren, Rupiper, Gregory, 2012). Amongst these disruptions, parental divorce and family reconstitution present stressful and disturbing challenges for children. Young children –in particular five years and younger— are in greater risk of failing to cope with such circumstances, as their cognitive and social development has not yet provided them with the necessary mechanisms to understand and handle the complexities of the circumstances (Elliott Richards, 1991; Kostelnik et al ., 2012). Under these events parental support becomes vital, and an array of tools that parents can use to help their children to successfully navigate these difficult situations is available. In many countries, picture books addressing divorce, remarriage, and stepfamilies are often used as effective useful venues to aid children cope with these stressful situations (Mo, 2007). In light of these statements, and using the impact of â€Å"family conflict and marital dysfunction† in children’s emotional development as a framework (Kostelnik etShow MoreRelatedThe Decline Of The Nuclear Family1084 Words   |  5 PagesDecline of the Nuclear Family† In 1970, 40% of couples were married with children. 2013 marked a new low as only 19% of household were married with children. A nuclear family is usually described as a heterosexual marriage with the average of 2.5 children, became synonymous with the American dream philosophy in the mid-1940s. 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