The Song of Rolan - the Foundation of French Literacy Essay

The Song of Rolan - the Foundation of French Literacy - Essay Example As the paper outlines, a large number of top knights and Duke Roland of the Brittany Marches were killed in the massacre. Ganelon accepted the task, certain that he would die. He threatened Roland, "If God should deign that I come back again then I shall stir up such a feud with you that it will last as long as you're alive!" (Anonymous, 1957, 20, pp. 289-291). Emperor Charlemagne was firm about sending Ganelon and said his command must be followed implicitly. Ganelon had no other option, but to comply with the order.  In the fight against Muslims in Spain Charlemagne made great strides and Saragossa was the only surviving city ruled by the Muslim King Marsile. Knowing the might of the army of Charlemagne, he dispatched messengers to Charlemagne promising his conversion to Christianity and submission of treasure. In return, he urged him to go back to France. Charlemagne too wished to buy peace as he and his men were tired of the long war. The issue was about the selection of a mess enger who would represent the King at Marsile’s court. The choice fell on Ganelon, stepfather of Roland. Ganelon, however, viewed this selection with suspicion and feared that he was being sent deliberately to die in the hands of the cruel pagans. He had always hated his stepson and he thought that he had an opportunity to settle scores with Roland.  Joining the Saracen peace ambassadors, Ganelon talked at length with Blancandrin as they rode together back to Saragossa. He spat venom against Roland and blamed him for inciting the Franks for the war that was fought without intermission. â€Å"If someone killed him," said Ganelon, "we might all have peace" (Anonymous, 1957, 29, pp. 391). Blancandrin was greatly excited about this observation and both of them pledged to each other and decided to design a plot to get rid of him. Roland was brave but failed to gauge the consequences of his actions and due to this weakness, treacherous Ganelon succeeded in outwitting his knightl y companions and his army.  

Jokes in English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jokes in English - Essay Example One of the main reasons why this is possible is because of the adoption of the English language in various parts across the world. It has therefore become common for most learning institutions to incorporate English as one of the core or optional subjects. Students are required to learn several skills in speaking, reading, listening, and writing in the English language. However, an essential part that every instructor needs to know is that jokes play a very huge part in developing these skills (Sosothikul, 2007). English language and its culture embrace jokes to a high level making them an essential part that is not worth foregoing. It is believed that the best way to understand the English language then one has start reading English jokes as it enables one to practice things such as phrasal verbs and the slang, which is essential for everyday life. Objective of the study The objective of this study is to help English students to understand how they can utilize jokes in broadening th eir understanding and use of the English language. ... The study will therefore utilize the various texts and articles available to create a comprehensive understanding of English jokes. Study question The study seeks to answer the question on how are jokes utilized in teaching and understanding the English language? Jokes in English Jokes When it comes to English, there are several sources of short jokes available on the internet, inside English texts, and speeches. Jokes originate from various situations, memories or sometimes converted from one language to another. In his contribution to English jokes, Dundes (1985) tries to explore explores the Jewish folklore which is a rich source of jokes owing to the fact that the Jews are always big on humor. In the article, he identifies how the translation of Jokes to English affects their meaning and if the converted jokes continue to hold the same humor and influence (Dundes, 1985). Jokes in English have become a common way of life and their origins date a long time back in history. John Cle ese is a common household name in the UK and various parts of the world. He has had several contributions towards humor and comedy in Britain and across Europe and the United states (Tebbe, 2008). In an article on John Cleese, Tebbe (2008) explains the origins of jokes and their contribution to the comedy industry in the UK. One thing is however evident that the origin of jokes cannot entirely be studied because to an extent we can say that comedy has been there since man existed. Influence on people Jokes have different and varying influence on people across different platforms. A good joke at home would or may have a different impact were it told at work place. This is because the jokes touch on several subjects in people’s lives and some end up being offensive while some