Tuesday, February 25, 2020

The Foundation of French Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Foundation of French Literacy - Essay Example It relates to historical incidents of battle of August 15, 778 in which the rear-guard of Charlemagne’s retreating Frank forces is attacked by Basques. A large number of top knights and Duke Roland of the Brittany Marches were killed in the massacre. Ganelon was the master architect of this great act of betrayal. When he was picked by Roland for the peace mission, his relatives and other knights expressed their sympathy as they firmly believed that his life would not be safe. 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 ci ty 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 selection of a messenger 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 Gan elon, "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 knightly companions and his army. Roland’s flaw was his superlative confidence and pride, and he was unwilling to reacquire aid for him and for his army at the time of war, when the situation demanded it. Viewed from this angle he was a poor tactician. Ganelon departed with his retinue. While travelling to Saragossa, he got enough time to talk with his accomplices about the intended plot to kill Roland. Both of them reached to the outdoor assembly of Marsile, who was seated in surroundings that displayed his grandeur. As planned, the meeting began with a stormy start as Ganelon told Marsile that if he failed to accept the terms and c onditions set forth by Charles, he would be doomed to meet his death after the capture. Marsile reacted violently and moved to attack Ganelon, but controlled himself well in time. Ganelon stuck to his assertion and was able to impress the Saracens with his candid disposition. Marsile read Charlemagne’s letter aloud for the benefit of those present in the court, in which he mentioned Basan and Basile, the executed Frankish representatives, and, if interested in saving his life, he must depute his uncle the caliph as the hostage. He warned him about the impending death if he failed to comply and he might have to die "in squalor and disgrace." (Anonymous, 1957, 33, pp. 437) Ganelon told them about the danger posed by Roland and to the question when the war would end he categorically stated

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Canadian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Canadian Studies - Essay Example It, therefore, means that Asians of the Muslim faith, for example, are encouraged to live like they would in their country of origin and so are other ethnicities (Richter, 2011). On the basis of Multiculturalism, the Canadian Society is today a mosaic of cultures where most immigrants live in homogenous communities around people of their ethnic affiliation, prompting critics to term the policy as a recipe for building ghettos. The mayoral election in Calgary where two of the three leading candidates fit the usual politician stereotype and the third was totally off the mark on ethnic and religious grounds, opened doors to deeper thought on the success or failure of multiculturalism as a Canadian policy. Even though campaigns for this seat were issue-based, especially on the part of Mr. Nenshi, there were underlying discussions on his faith and whether a person who confesses Islam was suitable for a mayoral seat in a Canadian city.In an interview with The Globe and Mail, a Canadian news outlet, Nenshi said, â€Å"It would have been so easy to have an article, just a fun human-interest article in August, about what its like fasting through Ramadan while youre campaigning. What its like at a debate, not drinking water. I didnt do that. I didnt do that because I didnt think it was a relevant question (theglobeandmail.com, 2010)." These sentiments underscored the fact that one is free to practice their faith in Canada without much public scrutiny. If the Nenshi scenario were in the United States, more articles would have been written about his faith and the entire election would have been about religion with less focus on the candidate’s capabilities. Having come from behind in opinion polls and rallied the whole city behind him, received support from across ethnic and cultural divide, there is evidence that Multiculturalism policy is yielding results in Canada. According to Day (2000),