Poem Analysis: A Gentle Parent's Love

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Questions and Answers

What percentage of English vocabulary is derived from French and/or Latin?

50%

70%

60% (correct)

40%

Which language is English considered to be a part of?

Proto-German Language

Latin Language

West Germanic Language (correct)

Romance Language

Who mainly spoke Norman French?

The Roman rulers

The Anglo-Saxon elite

The Anglo-Norman elite (correct)

The Viking invaders

What historical event in 1066 had a significant impact on the English language?

The Battle of Hastings Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the language spoken before the 1066 Norman invasion?

Old English Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate percentage of English vocabulary derived from Latin?

60% Signup and view all the answers

Who won the Battle of Hastings in 1066?

William of Normandy Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the famous embroidered cloth that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest?

The Bayeux Tapestry Signup and view all the answers

In what year was the computer animated film Beowulf starring Ray Winstone as Beowulf released?

2007 Signup and view all the answers

Who portrayed Beowulf in the 2017 TV series Once Upon a Time?

Torstein Bjørklund Signup and view all the answers

What type of commentaries were included in Old English literature?

Religious Signup and view all the answers

Which comic book publisher released the Beowulf Dragon Slayer comic series in 1975-1976?

DC Comics Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the saint whose life was translated into Old English?

St. Edmund Signup and view all the answers

What is unique about the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?

It is a history of the Anglo-Saxon peoples Signup and view all the answers

Who wrote and illustrated the manga adaptation of Beowulf published by Antarctic Press in 2006?

David Hutchison Signup and view all the answers

When was the original Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written?

9th Century Signup and view all the answers

What is the title of the 2007 graphic novel adaptation of Beowulf by Gareth Hinds?

Beowulf Signup and view all the answers

What is the genre of the Biowulf adaptation by David Hutchinson published in 2007?

Cyberpunk Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of Old English poetry?

It is alliterative Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the poem that illustrates the alliterative style of Old English poetry?

The Wanderer Signup and view all the answers

What is a unique feature of the Old English language?

It has many kennings Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate date of the earliest manuscript found of Old English literature?

7th Century Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary influence on the language that developed from the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain?

Germanic Signup and view all the answers

What is unique about Old English in terms of its use of word endings?

It relies heavily on inflections Signup and view all the answers

What was initially used to write Old English?

Runes Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of runes in England by the late 9th Century?

They had fallen out of use and gained a mysterious image Signup and view all the answers

What was J.R.R. Tolkien's profession?

Professor of Old English Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the gold ring with runic inscriptions?

It was a magic spell for stopping bleeding Signup and view all the answers

What was the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's work in The Lord of the Rings?

Old English poetry and Anglo-Saxon English culture Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of much of Old English prose?

It is Christian Signup and view all the answers

What does the speaker's gentle parent do?

Covers them with their own clothes Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of the speaker's growth?

The speaker becomes capable of taking care of themselves Signup and view all the answers

What is the object described in the Old English poem?

A key Signup and view all the answers

Where does the object hang in the Old English poem?

By a man's thigh Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'familiar hole' in the Old English poem?

The opening of the garment Signup and view all the answers

What is the dough described as doing in the Old English poem?

Swelling and standing up Signup and view all the answers

What is the speaker's relationship to the 'gentille parente'?

The speaker is a child of the parent Signup and view all the answers

What is the tone of the speaker's description of the 'gentille parente'?

Warm and grateful Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

History of English Language

French, Italian, and Spanish are languages derived from Latin, known as Romance Languages in English.
German, Dutch, and Flemish are West Germanic languages, derived from Proto-German.
English is also a West Germanic language.
A large percentage of Modern English vocabulary is derived from French and/or Latin, approximately 60%.

Historical Event: The Battle of Hastings

The historical event that influenced English vocabulary is the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which led to the Norman Conquest of England.
William of Normandy won the battle, and it marked the beginning of an Anglo-Norman elite in England.

Old English

Old English refers to the language spoken before the 1066 Norman invasion.
It is a Germanic language developed from the language of Germanic tribes that settled in Britain between the 5th and 7th centuries.
Old English is largely unrecognizable as English due to its grammatical structure and vocabulary.
It has little Latin influence despite the Roman occupation of Britain.
Old English uses word endings (inflections) and some prepositions to convey meaning.

Old English Writing

The earliest Old English writing did not use the alphabet, but instead used runes.
Later, a modified alphabet was introduced by Irish Christian missionaries.
Runes were used from the 5th to the 9th century, after which they fell out of use in England and gained a mysterious and magical image.

J.R.R. Tolkien and Old English

J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor of Old English at the University of Oxford.
He drew inspiration from Old English poetry and Anglo-Saxon culture for his books, including The Lord of the Rings.
The people of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings speak Old English, and Aragorn introduces them with lines from the Old English poem "The Wanderer".

Old English Literature

Much of Old English prose is Christian, including saints' lives, homilies, and translations from the Latin Bible.
A notable exception is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a history of the Anglo-Saxon peoples written in the late 9th century.
The chronicle was written under the reign of Alfred the Great, who launched an educational program in Old English, leading to many translations of Latin books into Old English.

Old English Poetry

Old English poetry does not rhyme, but instead uses alliteration, where the alliteration must always happen on stressed syllables.
The earliest manuscript of Old English literature dates back to around the 7th century.
Kennings, compound words or expressions that convey an object using two or more words in a figurative way, are a characteristic feature of Old English poetry.

Features of Old English

Old English has many kennings, which convey an object using two or more words in a figurative way.
Examples of kennings include "whale-road" for the sea and "ring-giver" for a king.
Old English poetry does not use rhyme, but instead uses alliteration and kennings to convey meaning.

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Description

Analyze the poem about a gentle parent's love and care, exploring themes of nurturing and growth. Understand the poet's message and emotions expressed through the verses.