English IV Midterm Exam Flashcards
Feudalism included all of the following
a system of land tenture based on military service, knights and code of chivalry, and a religious concept of hierarchy
The Magna Carta is famous as the document that
established even the king must obey the common law
Contributes to the decline of Feudalism in England
An outbreak of Black Death, increase in number of people living in towns and cities, and emergence of a merchant class
William the Conqueror
Leader of Normandy
King Harold
Leader of Saxon
William the Conqueror defeats whom?
King Harold
One of the dominant forces of the Middle Ages everywhere in Europe was
church and organized religion
An important characteristic of feudalism was its
fixed class position
England’s participation in the Crusades resulted in
intro. of advanced Arabic mathematics; new, advanced concepts in medicine and science; intro. of new words into language
Poetry of Medieval common people was
ballads
First writer of period to achieve real greatness in English literature
John Wycliffe
Morality Plays
Dramatic allegories of vices and virtues
Miracle Plays of Middle Ages were
rough dramatizations of tales from the Bible
Miracle Plays were
performed in open market place or town square on wagons as stages
Common ballad topics and themes included
tragic love, jealousy, and faithfulness
Is in early Ballads
simple refrain; direct, simple narrative; and incremental repetition
Tone of Ballads
serious and tragic
In the ballad “Bonny Barbara Allen” Barbara Allen was cruel and vindictive toward Sir John because he had
slighted her when drinking toasts
From Barbara Allen’s reaction to the death of John Graeme, the reader can infer that she feels an enormous sense of
remorse
Barbara Allen’s death is symbolized in her
requesting that a narrow bed be made
A cottage door was left unlocked in “Get Up and Bar the Door” because a
husband and wife were both stubborn
All are characteristics of Medieval Ballad
contained supernatural elements, strong beat, and a part of oral tradition
“For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wald lie down,” repeated in every stanza of “Lord Randall” is an example of
refrain
Repetition of lines with a new element introduced each time to advance the story is
incremental repetition
In “Barbara Allen” Barbara Allen shows her lack of concern (callousness) for Sir John in the statement
“Young man, I think you’re dying”
Theme of “Get Up and Bar the Door”
pettiness of arguments
Normans are characterizes as
superb soldiers, excellent administrators, and emphasized law and order
Medieval Romances consisted of
love interest, tales of chivalry, wonders such as enchantments, giants, and dragons
System of ideals and behavior codes that governed both knights and gentlewomen during the Middle Ages
Courtly love and chivalry
Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered for King Henry II
St. Thomas a Becket
“The Three Ravens” has an element of supernatural
red doe
Tone of “The Three Ravens”
admiring of the love between the knight and his mistress
Its a mystery of why his lover kills him in
“Lord Randall”
Theme of “Lord Randall”
betrayal
Words at the end of lines in “Lord Randall” are slant/half rhyme
son/soon
Suspense is built in “Lord Randall” by using
question and answer format between mother and son
Mood of “The Three Ravens”
serious
Wars of Roses was named because
1 side symbolized red rose and the other symbolized white rose
Theme of “Bonny Barbara Allen” involves
effects of unrequited love
Tone
poet’s attitude toward his subject
Early ballads came from
Latin
Nursery Rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” actually refers to
people stricken with the Black Death
Symbolism in “Bonny Barbara Allen” involving red rose and brier
red rose- Sir John’s true love for her
brier- shows her vindictiveness, cruelty, and cold-hearted
Humor at the end of “Get Up and Bar the Door”
wife is more concerned about winning the bet, instead of what the strangers have to say
The Medieval Period begins in
1066
The Medieval Period begins with
the Battle of Hastings
What were the 3 languages of England during the Middle Ages and who spoke them?
Normand-French
Anglo Saxons-English
Church-Latin
Chivalry gave rise to what form of literature?
Romance
What is the greatest English example of this genre?
“Sir Gawain and Green Knight”
Who was Thomas a Becket? How did his struggle with King Henry II affect the king’s power and the church’s power?
Thomas a Becket becomes archbishop of Canterbury. He becomes very religious and sides with the pope instead of Henry II (his friend and person who appointed him as bishop). Henry did this to gain power. Henry’s knights assassinated Thomas because Henry felt backstabbed when Thomas sided with the pope. Because of this the church gained power which leads to the corruption in the church.
Who were the Crusades?
Crusades were a series of wars and wanted to free Jerusalem from the Muslims(Turks).
What was the Hundreds’ Years War?
A series of wars between England and France
What two weapons helped bring about the demise of both castle and knight as symbols of military power in the Middle Ages?
long bow and yard long arrows
What did the word ballad originally mean?
“dancing song”
William the Conqueror writes
The Domesday Book
What is the most famous morality play?
Everyman
What is the War of Roses?
a civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster
York-symbol-white roses
Lancaster-symbol-red roses
Anglo Saxon Period
449 to 1066
What is Anglo Saxon Poetry characterized as?
use of caesuras to aid the memory, frequent use of alliteration, and frequent use of kennings
What does the Anglo Saxon term for wyrd mean?
fate
Important source of history from this time period written by Venerable Bede is
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Characteristic of Early Epics
included a legendary hero
Founder of Canterbury Cathedral and first Archbishop of Canterbury was
St. Augustine
Words Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are derived from the names of
Anglo Saxon Gods
A written literature began to evolve in Britain with the coming of
Christian Church
Venerable Bede
“Father of English History and Literature”
First Historical record to be written in English was initiated by Alfred the Great and known as
Anglo Saxon Chronicle
Alfred the Great managed to unify Britain temporarily by
defeating the Danes (Vikings)
Anglo Saxon invaders had these characteristics
loved, adventure and glory, hard fighters, and a sense of loyalty
Principal function of Anglo Saxon scop was
recite songs and tales
Germanic tribes are from the period derives its name from
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
During the Anglo Saxon period the religious beliefs were
Christian and pagan
Anglo Saxon religion revolved around the manly virtues of
bravery, fighting, loyalty, and generosity
An epic is
a long narrative poem
Building that had a central place in Anglo Saxon society was
a mead hall
Germanic tribe instrumental in naming the language English and island England were
Angles
Common tongue from which most modern English languages ultimately derives is called
Indo-European
Origins of our English language can first be traced to
Germanic tribes
During the Anglo Saxon period _____, _____, and ___ made important contributions to English language.
Celtic, Latin, and Old Norse
Germanic languages arrived in England in
5th century, with Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
Old Norse, spoken in the north of England, was the language of the invading
Danes(Vikings)
Powerful Influence of the Church in Anglo Saxon England is shown by the fact that most writing at that time was written in
Latin
The Old English alphabet, used before the introduction of Christianity, was called
Runic Alphabet
Old English, Anglo Saxon language, has given us our
basic vocabulary, plural and possessive endings, and our past tense endings
What caused the most changes in the language during the Anglo Saxon history?
Invasions by warring groups
Most important example of Old English literatures is the poem
Beowulf
3 major historical periods for English language are
Old English, Middle English, and Modern English
