The Wife of Bath

Love

Trickery 

Knowledge

Quest

Revenge 

"What is the thing women most desire? Beware the axe and say as I require."

As the knight is charged with rape and he is required to answer the queen's one question, he runs into the problem of his ability to answer. This brings about the theme of knowledge prevalent in the story. As the knight travels around, none of the people he asks can give him the same knowledge or ideas, until he runs into the old woman. In his quest for knowledge, he is introduced to another theme, one of trickery, when the old woman tricks him into marrying her as she knows that he in honorable and wouldn't refuse. 

"My lady and my love, my dearest wife, I leave the matter to your wise decision."

The knight demonstrates the knowledge that he has learned when he allows his wife to make the decision herself, giving her the power and getting the best of both worlds for himself. In a way, he also gets revenge for the trickery that the woman pulled on him at the beginning of the story, as it seems that she did not notice that he followed her own advice. In the end, by allowing the wife to make the decision, he not only received a beautiful wife, but a trustworthy and loving one as well. 

The theme of variety of opinion when regarding knowledge is something that remains to be prevalent in the world today. Depending on opinion, the advice or information that you could receive is vastly different. With so many different ways of thinking, it is often impossible to find the "correct" answer unless it is backed by science or another tangible means of proving something's existence. Using the same example as The Wife of Bath, the question of what women want would still have a variety of answers depending on who you asked. 

The idea of a quest for knowledge is something that can still be seen today in the form of, for example, religious pilgrimages. During pilgrimages from one place to a far-away church, people will walk long distances for the purpose of feeling more knowledgeable or feeling closer to God. The reliquaries, which contain dead parts of Saints, are something that everyone travels to see. This can be compared to the knight's quest to find the information that he desired, although it was not of religious roots.

Federigo's Falcon

Greed 

Love

Illogicality 

Sacrifice  

Self--betterment 

"My lady, since there is no one else, this good woman here, the wife of this workman, will keep you company while I go set the table." 

   

 This quote depicts how Federigo lost everything he had when he went on his blind pursuit of love for Monna. Federigo believed that if he poured everything into his love for her, she would reciprocate. But that was not the case, and Federigo ended up living a lonely life on a farm where his only true company was his falcon. Even though Federigo ends up marrying Monna, the love that he has for her is not truly returned, but rather acknowledged. Monna doesn't truly love him. She was just making the best out of a bad situation. 

"My lady, ever since it pleased God for me to place my love in you, I have felt that fortune has been hostile to me in many things...Fortune worked to make it impossible for me to give it to you; and why this is so I shall tell you briefly." 

When read with a solid understanding of the plot, this quote truly exemplifies the illogical fallacies that Federigo followed throughout his life. He tried to make himself a better person in the eyes of Monna, and in the process of doing so, lost who he truly was. He ends up killing his one true companion for a person who never even gave him a second glance. Bouncing off of the themes of greed and illogicality, Federigo is shown to be rather foolish with how he pursues things in his life. 

   The theme of unconditional love found in Federico's Falcon relates eerily well to the real world. There are millions of examples of people who bring themselves harm or discomfort in order to try and "win over" the person that they love. They feel as if they need to be something that they aren't not, and this causes misunderstandings between people. I find this desire to impress is something that everyone goes through, including myself. 

The idea of unreciprocated love is prominent in both Federigo's Falcon and the real world. No matter how hard you love someone, they may just simply never reciprocate that love. They may settle for you, like Monna did for Federico, but not actually love in the same way. This ties back in to doing foolish things in order to impress others. If an individual feels that the person they love does not feel the same way, they will go off and try to change their mind, turning into someone else in the process. 

Beowulf and Grendel

                                                                       Self Discovery

                                                                Grendel Quote
        "But deer, like rabbits and bears and even men, can make, concerning my race, no delicate distinctions. That is their happiness: they see all life without observing it. They're buried like crabs in the mud. Accept men, of course." (8)

          Grendel is desperately looking for something in his world to compare himself to. He has nothing that is truly like him, so he simply observes his surroundings and notices things that may help him to distinguish his own identity. He makes the observation that men do not truly understand their what is around them. In fact, he is almost satirical. At this point in the novel, Grendel has begun to realize that the is alone in this world, and that no one will truly understand him and his intentions.

       

           During younger years of my life, I also struggled to find out who I was. I liked to observe those around me, particularly those who made it look like they knew what they were doing, and try and see if I could pinpoint what made them successful and try some of it for myself. I think that this observing was helpful to understand others, but it was my decision to choose my own path that ultimately made me into who I am today.



                                                                   Beowulf Quote
       
             "And a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when the fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line." (20-25"


            At this point in Beowulf, they are talking about how the children of the throne must be intelligent in the way that the communicate so that when it comes time for them to rule, they will be respected. This is the case for Hrothgar as well as Beowulf's king. They both had to make sure that stye were well respected and widely known before they took the crown. This ties back to the theme of reputation, as these heirs need a positive reputation in order to be successful.

                 It is important to have a good reputation in general. IF you are well liked by many people, then your life, in return, will be easier. More friends and less enemies always equals an easier existence. All through my life I have tried to make a good reputation for myself, and I feel that I have been successful. I have been blessed with many friends, and hopefully I have very little enemies. However, a clash of opinions is always going to give one a bad reputation with those whose opinions are opposite of yours. This is a simple fact. Without opinions, life would mean a lot less and feel a lot different.

Island

Isolation

Individualism

Journey 

Spirituality 

Peace

"All Gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours."

The people of Pala are largely Hindu by nature, but are different and unique at the same time. By believing that they give the gods the power over themselves, they are not ruled by their spirituality. Will Farnaby hears this as he tours the island after his shipwreck, and this leads him to reconsider his own spiritual life, which is mostly atheistic. This allows Will to realize that he has the power to give the otherworldly beings influence over his own self, and this turns out to be a key aspect as he falls in love with the isolated island and the people that inhabit it. The use of the word power allows for an easier depiction of who this power belongs to in Paleness society.

"...two-thirds of all sorrow is homemade, and so far as the universe is concerned, unnecessary."

The people of Pala believe in a society in which sorrow is contagious and should not be shown in public, as it will affect others' moods. This quote is effective at showing how most of the sorrow that we have in our lives is not necessary, and that a different approach to the matter will cause the sorrow to dissipate. Will enters the island with the sorrow of how his own life is panning out, and the idea that this sorrow can be alleviated changes his way of thinking. The use of the word universe causes a feeling that our sorrows are minuscule when in comparison to the whole world and galaxy.

I found that many of the societal ideas presented in the Island align with what I imagine a utopia to be like. The idea of sorrow being something that is highly manufactured in our own heads is something that really stuck with me. I know try and be as happy as possible around others in order to try and brighten their day and make sure that my mood does not affect them negatively. Also, I find myself to be very conscious of the natural world, just as the Paleness islanders were, which is a connection that was formed as the novel was read.

Our world today could benefit if some of the ideas from the novel were implemented, such as population control, making life more simple, no armies, peace, and a ramping up against crime. The human population would be happier in general if many of these ideas were actually set into place. However, this would never happen as the world is too set into its ways to truly change. Will Farnaby brings examples of the outside world with him to Pala, and it is shown how the island utopia has conquered many of the problems that society faced and still continues to face.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog in the Night-Time

Isolation 

Love 

Fear 

Identity

Truth





"And maybe it is easier living on your own looking after some stupid mutt than sharing your life with actual human beings."


Written just after Christopher discovers the truth about his mother, this quote signifies the fear of isolation that Christopher's father struggles with. The only person he has to reach out to is his son, who most of the time wants nothing to do with humans whatsoever. This is the point where he conveys that life would sure be easier without Christopher's behavior, but at the same time would become much more empty, as Christopher is all he has. The memories are now raw of how his wife left, and having to explain why he covered it up does not help Christopher's father.


"Life is difficult, you know. Its bloody hard telling the truth all the time."




This quote connects the theme of truth or the lack of to the acts that Christopher's father committed. He ended up killing Wellington because he did not want to accept the truth, and he ultimately lied to Christopher in order to lesson the blow. Yet, this quote also proves that lies often come back to bite you, as shown with the father and son's crippled relationship. This quote can also be tied back to Christopher, as he has a tendency to lie to an extent by withholding the whole truth. 

As an introvert myself, I understand how life might be seen as easier if lived in isolation rather than with other. Is this a good idea? For sure not, but it would have its pros. Christopher's dad is living in virtual isolation, as Christopher does not behave adequately in any social situations. He sees the pros that Mrs. Shears is enjoying by living away from the influences of people, and he is remotely jealous of her lack of responsibility to others.




Within the context of the world, truth is something that is necessary to hear, but it may not be something that we are wanting to hear. The truth can hurt, just as it hurt Christopher and his relationship with his father. Yet through this hurt is an understanding that must be achieved. Once this understanding is found between Christopher and his father, they can slowly begin to reform their bond from the damage that the truth caused. This is true of most things, as even the most hurt of relationships can be rebuilt, even if it not back to their original form.