1800 Century English Literature Essay

Introduction Poems have been used for centuries to communicate, hide, preserve and transform meaning that in normal parlance would lose its significance. The significance of poems is as vital as the human race as is echoed by the words of John Keating who said, â€Å"We don’t read and write poems because it is cute. We read and write poems because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Therefore, poems can tell a story, vividly describe an object or situation, express the feelings of animate and in-animate things beyond what the normal sentence structure ever will (Kurkland). The use of language as a vehicle or tool of delivery is paramount through out histories of all cultures. Linguistic importance is noted in many poems written before the 1800 because they capture historical moments and great deeds of men which normal language would not do much justice.   Hero and Lander is a fragmentary poem   by Christopher Marlowe who lived in the 1550s , a retelling a love story of two people, first written by a Greek poet Masseus Grammaticus but retold by Marlowe in a unique sensual and erotic way that captured the hearts of many of his contemporaries and was considered a master piece. The battle of Maldon is a poem named after a famous battle fought towards the end of 10th century between the English and the Vikings. The poem describes the events of the battle and the gruesome experience endured by the fighters, the act of courage(folly)by the main character in the poem King Brithnoth, who was the English leading his army against the Viking invasion.   The two poems underscore the importance of linguistic devices and reveal the major concerns of the period in terms of human development. They are a passionate account of their subject and strive to deliver a vivid and moving account of the times using style and symbolism to carry their emotionally laden subjects. Comparison and Contrast In Battle of Maldon, the opening stanza begins at a high note. †Then he ordered each of his warriors his horse to loose Far off to send it and forth to go, To be mindful of his hands and of his high heart†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Battle of Maldon The king is urging his soldiers on for a combat. He does not give them time to think of going back or of retreat. He also encourages them to be brave. In Hero and Lander, the beginning is as dramatic as the one on Battle of Maldon. â€Å"On â€Å"Hellespont, guilty of true-love’s blood, In view and opposite two cities stood, Sea-borderers, disjoined by Neptune’s might;..† The fact that there is guilt is already a foreshadow of revelations of sins ahead. The heart , which is alluded to in these first few lines (by true love and blood) is also mentioned in Battle of Maldon , to bring out the urgency and tense condition the subjects in the poems are experiencing. The key similarities and differences between the two cultural periods represented by these narratives While Hero and Lander was written during the period of romanticism in Europe when most of the scholarly work was based on the liberal arts, intellectual development based on theology religion and the arts took centre stage. It was the period of Shakespeare and human beings were more concerned with topics such as love, justice, war, among others. The battle of Maldon was however written when human beings existed to serve the wish of their kings, battles were fought as often as duels and everything was done with the aim of battling an enemy and protecting boundaries. The battle of Maldon elevates moral triumph over physical victory. Though the king is defeated, his action of letting the Vikings into his territory, â€Å"Then did the earl, in his overweening heart Lend land too much to that loathed people. Then ‘gan he call out – across the cold water Brighthelm’s son, and all the band listened. â€Å"Now room is meted you, come swiftly to us.† (The battle of Maldon)   This is an act chivalry because he chooses not to fight a battle with an enemy who is greatly disadvantaged. In doing this, he was able to make a level-battling field for his opponents who later butchered him mercilessly. However, king Brithnoth dies, his act of bravado lives in the poem to this day. His country men who also stand by his body to fight until death also display the solidarity, patriotism and loyalty demanded of any subject. The others who fled portray an influence of insincere and coward-like men who decided to flee their own brothers while they are being butchered. Though some of the texts in the beginning and the end of the original manuscript were burnt in a fire, the background to the poem completely captures the heroic act of Brithnoth who decides to fight to death instead of the option of paying off the Vikings. Both poems seem to be concerned with a central object in the human body, the heart. They try to explain how the heart is an important component on moving men to act in either cowardice, bravery or foolishness.   In contrast, the two poems also address different topic altogether. While the battle of Maldon addresses courage, morality and loyalty (virtues), Hero and Lander focuses on the passion and intensity of love and its effect on human beings. While the former is drawn toward principles and virtues (objective), the latter is drawn toward human suffering and happiness. However, both poems advocate for dying for a cause. In the battle of Maldon, the cause is honor while in Hero and Lander, its love References Daniel J Kurkland 2000. www.Critical reading.com http://www.criticalreading.com/poetry.htm â€Å"The Battle of Maldon† translated by Barridge Wilfridge.   1997-2009 http://www.battleofmaldon.org.uk/index.htm â€Å"Hero and Leander, Christopher Marlowe – Introduction.† Poetry Criticism, Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 57 Gale Cengage, 2004. eNotes.com. 2006. 11 Dec 2009 â€Å"Hero and Leander†, by Christopher Marlowe http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/british-authors/16th-century/christopher-marlowe/hero-and-leander/