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Paper Two

Ashley Yanchuck May 8, 2019 ENG 225-IN Paper Two Don Quixote - Harmful Message Contemporary readers develop by seeking for novels and messages that can held close to their heart, soaked in, and acted on. Within this category of readers, you will find many that are drawn to works with deeper hidden messages, others scream the moral of the story. In some cases, the reader may even have to look through irony to understand the developing theme. One of these ironic and satirical pieces is Don Quixote . The piece exposes readers to many adverse topics. Through reading Don Quixote , a reader will encounter themes of mental illness, which can hinder the progression and growth of such a developing contemporary reader. Don Quixote , a satirical, mock-heroic novel, was constructed by Miguel de Cervantes in the Spanish early sixteenth century. The plot revolves around middle-aged, controversial hero, Don Quixote, who becomes consumed by the acts of chivalry witnessed in a series of ...
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Don Quixote

Irony is expressed in many forms as demonstrated in Don Quixote.  For example, during the dinner with the Duke, Duchess, Sancho, and Don Quixote, the Duke and Duchess pretend to be higher in a social status than everyone else, and continue to feed lies to Sancho. The Duchess, although appears to not be such a maleficent character, ironically gains pleasure from this act. Second, the quotation "I shall never be fool enough to turn knight-errant. F or I see quite well that it’s not the fashion now to do as they did in the olden days when they say those famous knights roamed the world," explains another form of irony well. It is ironic that although the innkeeper recognizes this, as do others in the story, they either still stay, such as Sancho, or encourage the knight-errant, as the priest does. Even though these characters know that it is outdated and not worth the time, they ironically still encourage Don Quixote to continue this lifestyle for pleasure to themselves. Finally,...
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Journey to the West

Enlightenment is known as having the complete understanding of something or the act of giving the knowledge to someone else. This theme is present in  Journey to the West , as it is demonstrated through the story of Tripitaka, and his disciples as they journey to defeat evil. Through the many journeys that are endured throughout the story, enlightenment is encountered. A teaching of Buddhism is that all actions are done through conscious decision and development. Therefore, the act of becoming enlightened was also done consciously. Similar to the Monkey, we all strive to reach a state of enlightenment, even though we are sinners, unlike Tripitaka. Although he is pure in spirit, Tripitaka does hold flaws that prevent him from initial enlightenment. He fears danger and without his disciples he could have never reached that state.  "He had discarded his earthly body, he was cleansed from the corruption of the senses… his was now the transcendent wisdom that leads to the Further S...
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Dante

What is love? There are many types and forms of love, as seen in Dante . The love for a lover, a guider, or even a higher power is what guides Dante through the epic. The first example of love in this epic is Beatrice leaving heaven to ask for Virgil to assist Dante in his journey through hell, as he speaks about her love, "love that first moved me from the blissful place..". Although terrifying, the journey is fueled by Dante's love for Beatrice, for Virgil, even for God. Dante becomes a witness to many of other types of love, like that of power and wealth, or the love in the form of lust, as spoken, "love to a single death brought him and me". There are circles of individuals in hell that are damned with these types of love. Ultimately, Dante forms a secure love connection through this journey with God, "the primal love supernal".  There are so many forms of love that are explored, and it is demonstrated that the strong, pure, bonds are those that cr...
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Beowulf

The theme of fame and glory is prominent in the epic, Beowulf . Beowulf is viewed as a youthful character, one who claims fame and glory as his great accomplishment. His belief is "let whoever can win glory before death," signifying a race to a goal of total fame and glory. He has much to learn from his brother, King Hrothgar, who holds values of protecting his people close to his heart. As stories of the great Grendel erupted, naturally Beowulf, due to his characteristics, wished to slay the monster and gain fame and glory from doing such. Beowulf longs to be the hero of the people, but for the wrong reasons. Beowulf gains fame from the murders he commits, Grendel, and Grendel's mother. Following the death of Grendel's mother,  King Hrothgar proclaims to Beowulf, "Your fame is renowned wherever men journey...You hold power with balance, with wisdom of mind,". This excerpt delivers the idea that Hrothgar is thanking Beowulf for saving his people, but also ex...
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Paper One

Ashley Yanchuck Paper One English 225-IN The Epic of Gilgamesh proves to be an exceptional piece of writing that all should enjoy in their lifetime. There are many themes that one can grasp and cherish through their analysis of this work. A deeper dive into the words and their true meaning will uncover these. Through reading The Epic of Gilgamesh , one may encounter themed life lessons in the form of death being inevitable, love and friendship holding high value, but most importantly, morality being a larger part of basic survival than it is sometimes considered to be. In this original piece, The Epic of Gilgamesh , there is no known author. This makes the piece even more interesting as there is a mystery to be solved within the lack of knowing where this work came from. It is known that Gilgamesh is the oldest poem from the early Babylonian times. Understanding the time frame, being that this piece is so ancient adds to the excitement in discovering the takeaways that sti...
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Odyssey

In Homer's Odyssey , there are multiple examples of the theme revenge. Many characters had journeys involving revenge and took different views on the impact that the revenge had on each character. It does explain why the journey of Odysseus was so long and enduring. There are original fears and known consequences from the idea of revenge, as Hermes advised Aegisthus, "Don't murder the man, don't court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes..". The word "beware" indicates that revenge is something to fear and be mindful of as a consequence. After the deed was done, it was told, "Orestes took revenge, he killed that cunning, murderous, Aegisthus..". In many cases, the actions of one character brings the revenge that then sets the tone for the next scene. For example, Zeus' revenge is what begins the journey of Odysseus. Revenge holds a negative connotation throughout the Odyssey  as does in everyday life. It is something that is fea...
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