Maisha's Brit Lit Journal

Le Morte d'Arthur/Sir Gawain Comparison The two texts both involve Sir Gawain and King Arthur, but their main difference lies in the representation of sir Gawain's character. While in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain outwardly shows a very self-deprecating and underconfident attitude, through his actions in the later parts of the book, he shows clear thought and comprehension of what he must do to solve or maintain his composure in a situation. An example of this can be the starting of the book with Gawain's deprecation of himself for claiming himself as less valued, and contrasting this attitude with his reaction to Queen Guinevere's attempts at seduction; where he perfectly balances his knightly composure by remaining chivalrous to her as well as preserving his chastity.  Contrarily, in Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Gawain shows a much more grounded, rigid, and confident demeanor as he advises Arthur regarding his relationships with the traitor, Si...

The Book of Margery Kempe Questions 1) What kind of person does Kempe present herself to be, and for what purpose?  Support your answer with details from the text. 2) What conclusions can you draw about each of the following: a) Kempe's religious beliefs b) Kempe's illness c) English society in Kempe's time 3) Kempe undergoes a transformation during her illness.  What does this transformation symbolize? 4) Some critics feel that Kempe was mentally unstable and should not be taken seriously.  Others see her as a strong-minded woman who insisted on the validity of her own spiritual life.  Do you agree with either of these opinions or do you see Kempe differently? Why?

Le Morte d'Arthur Questions: 1. King Arthur trusted Sir Gawain's opinion more than Sir Lancelot--since he was a traitor, and Gawain advises against it.  2. King Arthur realizes issues bigger than a battle between him and Lancelot are taking place inside Britain: Sir Modred, his son, is trying to take over the rule of Britain without his permission; and so he returns. 3. When Arthur fights Modred, both troops lose most of their people, leaving only a handful of survivors including King Arthur and Sir Modred. Shortly after, Arthur gives a deathly blow to Modred and Modred fatally wounds Arthur in return. 5. In terms of internal conflict, King Arthur was affectionate to and trusted both Sir Lancelot and Sir Modred. But at some point, both of them betray his trust in different ways; which still, ultimately leads to Arthur having to physically fight them both; representing the external conflict of the situation. 9. The statement can be agreed with because, throughout the n...