I chose the word "sin" for my paper. I chose this word because sin is a word I grew up hearing about. I've learned that sin is bad, but I feel like the definition has altered a lot in the culture. Sin is also a word that depends on a person. What one person views as sinful, another could view as completely justified. As times change, morals change. Cultures begin shifting on the point of view of what is really sinful and what is not. In some cities, like Las Vegas ("sin city"), sin is almost fun. To some people, sin means indulging in guilty pleasures. Others believe sin is something in faith. It is morally wrong choices that can affect whether a person goes to heaven or hell. I believe, however, that there is a definitive sin. I do not believe that sin affects if a person goes to heaven or hell. Being a Christian, I believe that it is through Christ that people go to heaven, not through sin. Sin is still an interesting word to research because its meaning changes with every person and through each generation.

Code of Chivalry

In medieval times, knights were expect to have combat skills and strength, but along with this, they were expected to hold to a special code of principles. It was the honor code of the knight. Chivalry originally referred to an aristocratic warrior code involving individual training and service to others. Over time it has come to refer to the knightly traditions of bravery and honor. The code was first documented in a song called "The song of Roland." It said:

• To fear God and maintain His Church
• To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
• To protect the weak and defenceless
• To give succour to widows and orphans
• To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
• To live by honour and for glory
• To despise pecuniary reward
• To fight for the welfare of all
• To obey those placed in authority
• To guard the honour of fellow knights
• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
• To keep faith
• At all times to speak the truth
• To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
• To respect the honour of women
• Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
• Never to turn the back upon a foe
  
  

Wealtheow's Internal Monologue

I must remain strong. I must not show fear. For the sake of this peace, I cannot break. I can’t believe it was almost a month ago that my brother gave me over to this old man. I guess he could be worse. He’s good to me. But do I love him? He told me he loved me. I had to respond back, didn’t I? But do I really love him now? Sure. But he could almost be my father.  He might even be older than my father. I keep thinking about how my brother said that I would go to love him. I hope I will. I don’t want to feel like this marriage is only for politics for the rest of my life. I mean, I know the reasons behind this marriage is political, but I want it to blossom into something more. I want to love him. 

Maybe I can’t love him completely right now because I’m so scared? I’m scared for my people. I hope that we do not go to war against them. But I should be scared for them most. I feel so selfish for being scared of the monster that attacks the Meadhall. I should be willing to give my life at any moment to save someone, but I can’t help but worry for my own dear life. Am I selfish? I know that I should be wanting to give up my life to save another, but I don’t want to die. Oh no, I can feel a tear coming down my face. I can’t show sorrow. I can’t show weakness. 

I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. I have a good life. I am with a man who is good to me. I’ve known my entire life that I would be married off for a truce, so why do I feel so depressed now? I can’t help but wonder what life would be like if I could marry any man I wanted to. But then again, maybe that would have been harder. I would have had to let my feelings known to another man. I can’t do that. Once they see pain, they will see weakness, and they will not view you as a leader. I must lead by example. I will hold my head up high. I will be a role model to young children. I will not show fear. I will not show sorrow. I will not show powerlessness. I am strong and I will be seen as strong.

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was born in 849 AD in the village of Wanating in Oxfordshire. He was the youngest son of king Æthelred. In 871 AD, he defeated the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown. The next year he took his brother's place at the throne as king. In 878 AD, Alfred the Great successfully defended his kingdom against an invasion by the Danes once again as he defeated them in the Battle of Edington. (www.bbc.co.uk). By managing to protect his kingdom, Alfred perhaps saved the existence of English.  After the attacks, he built up his kingdom so that it would not be threatened by the danes again. He advocated order and established a new code of laws. He believed much in the importance of education, so he arranged that books be translated from Latin into Anglo-Saxon. Alfred died in 899 AD and was buried in Winchester. Alfred the Great became a legend to the English people. Because of his great reign as king and his victory over the Danes, he is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great" (wikipedia.com). 

Works Cited

"Alfred the Great." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. 

"Alfred the Great." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 

Barbara Johnson: Three Key Ideas about Frankenstein

1. Motherhood: impossibility of finding an adequate model for what a parent should be

2. Woman Writer and Feminism: hidden femininity within a book of men

3. Autobiography: A tale of 3 autobiographies (Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, nameless Monster) and how events from Mary Shelley's life story are subtly used.

The information I learned from this critical analysis really opened my eyes to the reasons behind the book. Learning the back story of how Mary had mixed feelings about child birth helped me relate to the story about why Frankenstein was disgusted with his creation as it relates to a representation of maternal rejection. The analysis also helped me connect the death of Mary's mother when she was an infant with the fact that none of the the characters had mothers. This critical analysis gave me a new understanding of the novel.

The Mind of Frankenstein: Creating the Monster

In this passage, Mary Shelley really shows the complex attitude Victor Frankenstein had towards his work at this early stage. She shows through his narration that Frankenstein was obsessed with his work as it made him feel powerful in that he was the only person in the world with the key to creating life. Frankenstein saw himself as more than a creator or a father, but he was a god. He wanted to be worshipped by his creation because it was he who would give life to this being. He sought praise and felt like he deserved because he was making life out of nothing. Subconsciously, Frankenstein knew that he was doing something dangerous and reckless as he refers to his hands as “profane fingers.” He also describes the horrors of his secret toils. Frankenstein knew that he was being crazy, nevertheless, he carried on with his task. He shows how crazy he really was as he describes how he would go to graves to find bones and body parts for his creation. What he was doing was horribly and morally wrong. Frankenstein subconsciously realized this, yet he was too blinded by power and thirst for knowledge to stop what he was doing. He describes his state of mind as he was in a passing trance. No longer relying on his thoughts but going through an unhealthy routine with little to no rest. He mentions how this obsession took control of his life as that he put his health behind his other tasks and grew pale with study. The desire and passion for knowledge can be a good thing, but Frankenstein showed how it can be taken to the extreme and quite possibly destroy someone’s life. This all-consuming passion caused him, as he describes, “to lose all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.” This is a fascinating passage because it dives into what was going through Frankenstein’s mind as he continued to work on his creation.

Does a Monster Have to Be Bad?

A character that really intrigued me in Frankenstein was the monster created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein views this monster as a horrific and disgusting creature that is deceitful and completely evil. When the monster gave his story, however, I got the impression that overall he was a good creature who made bad decisions after the hurt he felt from rejection clouded his judgement of what was morally right. When he told his story about watching, learning, and loving this family only to be abused when he revealed himself, I was touched and felt sympathetic. Frankenstein thinks that the monster is just a master of deceit, but I believe that he expressed what he genuinely felt. If he felt nothing, he would have never visited Frankenstein after he died on the boat. It was Frankenstein who simply could not look past the ugly exterior to see the beautiful personality the monster had. I do not think that the monster should have gone around killing everyone that Frankenstein loved, but I can still understand the hurt he must of felt before going on a murder rampage. I think that if the monster had been loved and cared for, the entire fiasco that occurred could have been avoided.

10 Books Most Memorable to Me

1. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins. For a while I put off reading as something that was more of a chore than an enjoyment. I picked up this book and I could not set it back down. It took me a day to finish the first and a total of 3 days to read the rest of the series. It changed my entire perspective of reading and influenced me to begin reading books by different authors.
2. The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer. As embarrassing as it is for me to admit, the twilight saga is very memorable to me. Before the Hunger Games trilogy, the Twilight Saga is what first sparked my reading in middle school. I was obsessed the the stories until the first movie came out. I saw it and thought it was one of the worst movies I ever saw in my life. It was just atrocious. Nevertheless, the books still remain very memorable to me, no matter how horrible the writing might be.
3. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins. Although this book is also under The Hunger Games series, I felt that it should have its own spot because it impacted me on a different level than the first two books. While the beginning books were purely entertaining for me, I felt the final book had a deeper meaning. It really dove into the political issues and showed extremists on opposite parties. It showed me that there are extremes on both sides of the political spectrum.
4. Blink of an Eye, Ted Dekker. This book was one of the best books I have come across. It was captivating from the very first chapter and it felt like the ultimate novel containing everything from action to romance. 
5. Prophet, Frank Peretti. Although I have not read this book since the seventh grade, this book still remains clear in my memory. This book actually influenced my thoughts on abortion. It opened to my eyes that abortion was more than a belief on life versus choice but it is also a matter of health. Part of the story revolved around a politician's daughter who died after giving a partial-birth abortion. This novel might have been a little mature for my twelve-year-old self, but there is no doubt that it influenced me profoundly.
6. Nightmare Academy, Frank Peretti. I read this book in sixth grade and it is probably so memorable to me because it really freaked me out. I don't remember much about it except the general plot and this horrible scenes that haunt me to this day. 
7. House, Ted Dekker. I read this book in seventh grade and I loved it because it was and still remains one of the scariest novels I have ever read. After reading Nightmare Academy, I wasn't sure if I was into scary novels, but this novel changed my mind. It was so suspenseful the entire time and I was so captivated by it. I'll admit I had a few nightmares, but I believe that they were worth reading this book.
8. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote. This novella was just beautiful. I read it because I planned to watch the movie afterwards and they were completely different. In my opinion, the novella was a masterpiece while the movie was almost degrading to the original story.
9. Macbeth, William Shakespeare. Normally I am not a fan of tragedies, but I found this story completely fascinating. This was also the first work of Shakespeare that I was able to read without any sort of help from sparknotes, so I felt very accomplished after finishing this book.
10. Thr3e, Ted Dekker. This book is very memorable for me because of the amount of twists this story held. There were new plot twists and surprises with every chapter. It was a crazy thriller that I probably won't forget any time soon.