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Mr. Steen

English 11 (III)-CP

5 February 2005

Thesis:            Today’s customs and lifestyles are much different compared to those of the Medieval time period.

What Once Was

            A girl and her friend put their bags over their shoulders and walked slowly behind the crowd out of their English class.  Her friend seemed groggy, his hair disheveled as if he had his head in his book once again, and had drool running onto his desk.  “Honestly...,” she said as they began to walk down the hallway. “You really should stay awake next time.  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is really an excellent poem.” Not fully looking where he was going, he slammed the door shut in the face of a girl who he had pushed in front of and didn’t even look back.  She shook her head and said “Really, it would teach you something.” Her friend looked up and sighed “Okay, so what can some poem the crazy English teacher rummaged around for teach me?”  The girl walked toward her classroom merging away from her friend and said, “Today’s customs and lifestyles are much different compared to those of the Medieval time period.”  The boy looked back, rolled his eyes and muttered “Write a book about it.”

Dear Mr. I can’t appreciate anything–

     I really think that you are missing out on what we discuss in English class. Since you appeared to be so interested in wanting me to write about this subject I decided to do so.  I really think that you will learn something from all this.  I believe you once said that you thought Medieval was when people used to listen to 8 track tapes.  Well, you are wrong.

     In Medieval days, for instance, your clothing would be much different. In Sir Gawain, the poet describes dress as being, “[jeweled]...armor...stockings...helmets” and “steel shoes...wrapped all around with well-hinged metal, and fastened tight by golden cords.”  Could you imagine yourself wearing heavy clothing made of metals and having a horse with its “mane hung long, combed and curled, braided strand for strand”?  I doubt you see even past the point of cars.  There were no cars. If you were to show up at a castle it wouldn’t be your typical $200,000 wood bi-level either.  They had to have giant castles made of stone, “wall[s] he could see a high-roofed hall...pinnacled towers–carved and crafted by ingenious hands” and draw bridges, all for protection.  The windows for instance, were built wide on the outside and narrowed so that if anyone were to shoot arrows through them they would have to have an excellent eye to hit a person.  I have a notion that if homes were designed like this today there wouldn’t be so many shootings.

   If you had listened in class you would have known all about the Christmas party that Arthur had held in his own castle.  No, he wasn’t “lying about or sitting long at a time” during the “fifteen days” of celebration.  He had a huge feast where he had invited many people where they “sang and danced.” The castle was decorated with “fringed silk, velvet carpets [and] embroidered rugs.”  The setting was far from our $15 pre-lit Christmas trees. Around the table they all had certain sitting arrangements where they would eat a “double feast” laid out on “a long table–on trestles.” The best part was, of course, that the seemingly endless amount of food was all something that took effort to receive.

     That’s right, they hunted.  I remember when your father tried to get you out on those cold days after deer. You froze your butt to the log you were sitting on!  The people living in Medieval times saw hunting as both a sport and for food. It explains “great broad arrows flying at every turn, cutting deep in brown hides.” They would do it to show they were manly as well.  They even hunted fox just for the event of being able to keep after it.  There were other games as well.  In Sir Gawain, it mentions how men would “ride in combat, fight for his life, man against man.”  It would be like a live video game in this day.  Knights would take on great offers.  Such as (you really should definitely know this for the test) how the Green Knight offered “let them swing its weight as they like, and I’ll sit without armor and invite them to strike as they please.” Although very rare an offering,  Gawain took this on. Knights would take on all kinds of things though; men today look like little boys compared to them.

     In the poem, knights and men in general demonstrated certain manners towards women. This is an idea called Chivalry.  You see, men had to treat women with kindness: opening doors for them, escorting them, acknowledging the eldest first as “he saluted the old one [by] bowing low”, nothing most males would do today.  The women would receive “a courteous kiss and chivalric words” upon entrance.  The men would then “pledge themselves their servant” and take them arm in arm.  Sir Bercilak’s (a.k.a the Green Knight’s) wife had interests in offering Gawain more than words (if you know what I mean), but as a chivalrous knight Gawain must refuse: “to take that kind of honor for my own would be too sinful,” he said. You must realize that what was given to Gawain during his stay he must give back to Sir Bercilak, including the kiss he received from his wife.  I’m sure you wouldn’t want to give much more than that to another man.  Knightly virtues were taken very seriously, as you can tell.  Gawain ended up taking it perhaps a bit too seriously, wearing a mark that was a “sign of bad faith–mark of my sin: I’ll wear it on my waist as long as I live” and he did so, because he felt that he broke so many ‘rules’ of being a Knight by taking on an offer, lying to Bercilak and being scammed over in the end by the Green Knight.

     Since I figure I have completely tired your eyes by now, I hope that you have at least learned something.  Maybe next time you will appreciate your car and your packaged meals.  Maybe you’ll even hold open the door for us ladies instead of slamming it so rudely in our faces. Is my thinking too wishful?

Sincerely,

     Your dearest  Gawain fan

            The next day when English class rolled around, her friend was late as usual but this time he looked quite a bit more out of breath than he usually did.  His books hanging half way out of  his hand, he looked interestingly at the teacher and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve been seriously putting forth a lot of out of class effort.”  The teacher gave a smirk and said “You’re mother has finally gotten your report card, has she?”  The girl’s friend walked neatly  to his seat saying hello to the young ladies along the way.  After class had ended, the girl got up from her seat and asked her friend if he was feeling ill because he had not only stayed up all period but also seemed to have remarkable comments about the poem.  “No, I am feeling quite alright.  How about yourself?,” he replied holding out his arm to her.  She looked strangely at him and he took her arm instead, held the door to the hallway open  and walked along with her.  “Did you really take all that to heart?,” she said surprised, as though she were a morning glory at dusk.  He looked down at her, gave a small look of thought and said, “No.  I just wanted to make sure I got you back for belittling my packaged meals in that letter.  I have to say though, I may want to stay awake for the violent parts.”  He laughed out loud this time, and the girl rolled her eyes trying not to laugh and slapped him across the arm, saying, “For the record, I’m pretty sure that works for both time periods.”