[alert-success] HEL - William J. Long [/alert-success]
[alert-warn] UNIT II : ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD[/alert-warn] [alert-primary] Anglo-Saxon Life [/alert-primary]
[alert-primary] Anglo-Saxon Life [/alert-primary]
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In
the past, there were three tribes in northern Europe. They were called
the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes. They took over Britain in the 5th
century and made it their home. After driving the native people into
the deep mountains of Wales and Scotland, they divided the whole island
between themselves.
Angles
settled in the east midland and made the kingdom of East Angles. Saxons
took over the south of the island and made small kingdoms like Wessex,
Essex, and Sussex. Jutes lived in the southeast corner of the island.
Over time, Britain became home to seven kingdoms. In the 700s, these
small kingdoms joined together to form a single country called England.
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, who are often called Anglo-Saxons, were the first people to call themselves English. Their
language is called "Old English," and it is the basis for all English
language and literature today. The history of English literature began
when the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain.
Almost
all of the Anglo-Saxon literature, also called Old English literature,
was spoken poetry. It could be passed down from one generation to the
next by word of mouth. Most of the time, no one knew who made it. It was
written down long after it was first said.
During
the Anglo-Saxon time, there were two kinds of poetry. The first was the
poetry of the pagan gods, which was shown by Beowulf. The second was
the poetry of the gods, which was shown by Caedmon and Cynewulf.
Anglo-Saxon
prose came out in the 8th century. Alfred the Great and Venerable Bede
were two well-known prose writers of the time.
It is this great and hidden life of
the Anglo-Saxons that finds expression in all their
literature. Anglo Saxon's life comes
down to five great principles: their love of personal freedom, their
respect for nature, their religion, their respect for women, and their
struggle for glory as the driving force in every noble life. This life
is always expressed in early poetry.
Our First Speech
The songs of Widsith and Deor are the first words of our first recorded speech. These
songs may have been brought to Britain by the Anglo-Saxons when they
first took over the country. At first glance, these songs in their
native dress look strange, like they were written in a foreign language.
But if we look closely, we can see that many of the words have been
around in English language.
Dual Nature of our language
The
English we speak today is based on this old, strong Anglo-Saxon
language. There are two different groups of words. The first group is
made up of simple words that talk about everyday things. The Anglo-Saxon
people gave us these words. The second and larger group of words are
those that add style, variety, or decoration to what we say. They came
to us from the Celts, Romans, Normans, and other people we've met over
our long history.
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