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@kadenheadington I think that Jane is definitely influenced by what her friends may say, but i don’t think she generally takes advice, especially from people she is not very close to, to heart.
@dmcluckey I think that the people who would have read the book back then, would mostly consist of feminists and other people who support women’s rights.
Jane is surrounded by many female characters in the story,and it makes her aware of the inequality between men and women. Many of the female characters act as opposites or foils to Jane, which essentially shapes her adult life. Helen is Jane’s best friend from the time they first meet until Helen’s death. Helen was everything to Jane, when she had nothing. Helen definitely heavily influenced Jane’s life. We know more of the female characters than the male antagonists, because of the fact that Jane is the protagonist of the story and generally makes friends with girls more than men. Plus, many of the male characters of the story are evil and cruel, such as Mr. Brockelhurst. Do you think Mr. Brockelhurst shaped the way that Jane viewed men?
@kadenheadington I think that myths can definitely influence what a person believes in, but I do not think that it can actually change someone’s life style.
@taylornicholas13 I think that the Greeks made mythology so detailed because it helped them believe that what they were creating was actually true.
I agree with:++ Myths explain the unexplained. They reveal our fate after death, and the reasons for crises or miracles, and other puzzles — and yet they retain and even encourage an aura of mystery. Myths also satisfy our need to understand the natural world; for example, they might state that a drought is caused by an angry deity. This purpose of mythology was especially important before the advent of modern science, which offered the Big Bang theory to replace creation myths, and it gave us the theory of evolution to supplant myths regarding the genesis of humanity. And yet, science creates its own mythology.
I agree with this statement because the Greeks created mythology to answer and explain their unanswered questions about life.
Do you think the Greeks fully answered their questions about life and how it was created?@angeliacastaneda Arthur would not have any wisdom to guide him in his journey as king and would not have been as successful in making England a better place,
@angeliacastaneda Arthur would not have any wisdom to guide him in his journey as king and would not have been as successful in making England a better place,
@lizzytrinh Yes, I think that if Merlyn told Arthur about his fate to be king he would have been more self-righteous, thereby making him unworthy to pull the sword from the stone.
One way that the quote from “The Goshawk” relates to King Arthur’s life is that, given his status as king, he is motivated to act serious and responsible. The concept of this quote is embodied by Arthur’s life philosophy that “might is only to be used for right.” Hence, it is a true statement that just because one has the “talent” to kill a person, sometimes it is better to direct your abilities into an activity that is less harmful to society, in this case, hunting rabbits.
Why do you think that Arthur changes his ideal from “might makes right” to “might is only to be used for right?”@taylornicholas13 I think that they were able to see past his lacking appearance because of his noble character and reputation early in his life.
@angelicacastaneda I think that the point at which Lancelot sleeps with Guenevere is the turning point at which his moral compass starts to fade. It was not Guenevere’s fault directly, but his own character flaw that allowed this change from good to bad choices to happen.
Although Lancelot’s whole life prepared him to be a man of chivalry and integrity in any situation, when his best friend, King Arthur, leaves on a quest, he abandons his morals to fulfill his desire for Guenevere. This can be analogized in modern society as adolescents are raised up with moral guidelines, but are not always strong enough to resist worldly desires when the opportunity is prevalent.
In Book III, Lancelot, the protagonist, is consistently faced with new tribulations that defeat his self-confidence, ultimately preventing him from truly discovering his purpose in life.
What could Lancelot have done differently to better achieve a state of self-knowing and confidence?@dchin I think that Book I had a more light-hearted mood because of White’s continuous use of humor. Humor was primarily utilized to explain the story of Kay and Arthur’s childhoods.
@taylornicholas13 I think that the novel would be much more intense, and considerably less enjoyable to read.
White uses sarcastic comments as well as situational irony to create a humorous atmosphere throughout the novel. Sarcastic remarks are used in Chapter 7 of Book I, prior to and during a jousting tournament between Sir Grummore and King Pellinore (White 69). Situational irony can be found in Chapter 9 of Book II, when Sir Grummore and King Pellinore attempt to cheer up Sir Palomides by dressing up as the “Questing Beast,” since the real “Questing Beast” mistakes them as her mate and their plan backfires (White 268).
I think that White uses humor as a tool to lighten the mood of the book, given that the story mainly consists of bloody fights, wars, and subsequently, death. This lightening of the mood assists in my overall appreciation and enjoyment of the story.
Yes, humor has a place throughout classic literature, used to balance out tough situations and sorrowful events. Humor ultimately succeeds so well due to the fact that even in different cultures and different places in time, humor can be understood and appreciated by all whom experience it.
How does T.H. White use humor to balance out tough situations in “The Once and Future King?”@taylornicholas13 I think that King Arthur and his cousins always felt like outsiders and they just want to be accepted by others just like anyone else. An example of this could be found in Book II when the Orkney brothers decided to kill a unicorn to impress their mother. I think that it will affect their lives because they will always try their hardest to be accepted.
@dchin I think that the author named the Orkney brothers with all similar names, except for Agravaine, to show the similarities between them. I think he named Agravine differently because he wanted to show that this brother was not like the others. He stands out as the cruelest of them all, being the “bully of the family” (White 214).
Both Kay and Arthur’s relationship and Agravine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth’s relationships are structured around the fact that each group depended on one another to overcome hardships in their upbringing; however, they differ in that Kay and Arthur’s relationship becomes chaotic when Arthur unexpectedly inherits the throne, while the brothers from Orkney bond over their desire to please their mother, the queen. In “The Sword and the Stone,” Arthur stands up for Kay to Merlyn when Kay feels left out since Merlyn only transforms Arthur into animals during his “tutoring” (White 88). In “The Queen of Air and Darkness,” the brothers of Orkney ally over the fact that they all want to avenge their family by feuding with the Kings of England after Gawaine inspires them with the story of their grandmother, Igraine (White 219).
In Book II, WHite switches the subject of the story between Orkney and England to amplify the feuding between the rival families.
The two kingdoms unite at the end of Book II when it is revealed that Morgause is actually Arthur’s half-sister and that the brothers from Orkney are his nephews, meaning that they all share the same bloodline, resolving the desire to feud any further (White 312).
Question 1: Why does Merlyn let Kay think that he is going to be king, when he knows that it will be Arthur?
Question 2: When Arthur realizes that he is fated to be king, does he realize Merlyn’s intentions in only transforming Arthur during his “tutoring?”
