A New Update On My Career Plans

 

I hope all my readers are doing well and that they enjoyed a good Christmas. That said, I would like to affirm some new plans I have for my career:

First, I want to complete my B.Ed. in English Education. I'm no longer going to minor in history, or add it, as a double major. 

Second, I want to be an English teacher as soon as I get my degree. I have a great passion for English literature, especially Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Renaissance. 

A Poem for Parents Whose Young Child has died

I wrote this poem to be recited or read by those that have suffered the death of an infant or young child in their household. Considering, that this is a great grievous subject, it was my intention for my work below to reflect such headache of those bruised by such hardship.  

I wish that I had seen you grow, 

I desired this more than you will ever know, 

From the cradle to the grave, 

I regret that you, I could not save, 

My heart is forever wounded, 

In my memory, you are always included, 

A great emptiness is now left inside, 

For you, I have longed cried, 

I hate our new departing, 

I miss you my dear darling. 

A tribute to Venus

 I just wrote another poem. I keep saying that I am not going to write anymore for a while, but more and more, words and rhythm come into my head. 

Oh, Venus, I cannot state how much I love thee, 

Your beauty has overcome me, 

I adore your thick golden curls, 

You are greater than the description of words. 

Over all, you are superior, 

Even Helen of Troy was inferior, 

No kingdom has known such a goddess, 

Indeed, you are flawless. 

You are cuter than fairies, 

Your lips taste like strawberries, 

Your figure is short and small, 

It is desired by all. 

The champions now gather, 

Your heart, they wish to capture, 

The competition is a sport, 

For you, to court.

This poet looks above, 

as he desires your love. 

A Poem on the reality of Death

 Given my love for the play Everyman, I have been inspired to write a poem on the universal reality of death for each and every individual. Enjoy. 

Enjoy youth while it lasts, 

and do daily partake in mass, 

life ends so swiftly, 

at death, the soul does forever flee. 

Wet Weeping tears are a sad sight, 

mourning has no sunny light, 

death takes many, day by day, 

and the soul does move far away. 

Pity, are they, who never knew salvation, 

Life, they took for granted, 

At judgement all will God meet, 

As each bow at His Holy feet, 

Death does take all his way, 

Though not all end in the same place, 

For the damned, life ends tragically, 

But for the saved, life ends joyfully. 

Repent and believe, 

From sin, run and leave,

Live in holy ways, 

For the Trinity all of your days.  

A Poem to the Virgin Mary

I wrote this poem to the virgin Mary. Enjoy! 

Once in a humble stable, 

Mary, did hold the Savior in a straw cradle,

His birth came in April, *1

to save us from Satan's sickle. *2

To cleanse all from original sin, 

Christ was born from this blessed virgin, 

In Bethlehem was He born, 

as the shepherds did of Him adore. 

Mary, blessed of all maidens, 

was unaware that her son would be taken, 

on a cross He would die, 

for the whole world, His blood would supply. 

Dear lady, in all of your loveliness, 

you are indeed heaven's radiance. 

You are the greatest queen, 

that the angels have ever seen. 

All Christians desire your intercession, 

they honour your bodily assumption. 

 

1*-Some early Christians believed Christ was born in Spring. 

2*-Some early Christians believed that Christ died on the cross to save us from Satan. 

Why medievalists need to read The Consolation of Philosophy

 

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius is often considered the most important work of early Medieval literature. The work, being autobiographical, philosophical, as well as literary, has inspired many key medieval people down through history including King Alfred the Great of England, Geoffrey Chaucer, Dante Alighieri, and Queen Elizabeth I of England. Additionally, Both Alfred the Great and Geoffrey Chaucer, made translations of it into English. 

The impact of The Consolation of Philosophy cannot be underestimated. Literary scholar, Jay Ruud, believes Boethius was second only to Saint Augustine of Hippo, among Latin writers that so greatly impacted the medieval world *1. C. S. Lewis said of The Consolation of Philosophy ''Until about two hundred years ago it would, I think, have been hard to find an educated man in any European country who did not love it. To acquire a taste for it is almost to become naturalized in the Middle Ages'' (Lewis, 1964. p. 75) *2. 

With all of that said, I would like to now proceed in discussing both the author, Boethius, and his masterpiece, The Consolation of Philosophy. As always, I hope you are inspired by my humble thoughts on such a great work. 

Anicius Manlius Severerinus Boethius was born in Rome in AD 475. He came from a noble family and was in close relation to two Roman Emperors. When his father died, Boethius was adopted by Symmachus, a noble. In Symmachus's house, Boethius cam to learn Latin literature. Eventually, Boethius arose to political power under the reign of King Theodoric. Accused of treasonous engagements, Boethius was sentenced to death after a prolonged torture in AD 525. It was during the time of his imprisonment, that Boethius penned his famous work: The Consolation of Philosophy. 

Boethius describes in his work of how he had been unjustly punished in contrast to many others that had a fairer trial. It is unfortunate, that Boethius was later executed based on a conspiracy about him, that he wished to overthrow his king. 

I am not going to discuss each of the song in The Consolation of Philosophy here. Let me just discuss the first two songs, to give the reader brief overview of the book's opening. 

In Song I, Boethius speaks to the Muses and implores them to help him with his pen. He speaks of both his old age and his nearness to death. Suddenly, a woman of great authority appears to him and takes command over him. The woman sends away the muses and has him listen to her own lament. After the second song, the woman tells him that now is the time for healing. She, likewise, speaks of how she has protected and sustained Boethius throughout his life. Furthermore, the woman claims that Boethius has forgotten himself, and only by remembering her, will he remember himself. To all of this, Boethius does not respond, though she in turn, says to him, that he is not in danger. 

Last, there is much theology to learn in The Consolation of Philosophy. Boethius discusses the role of man with his freedom of the will, and its inclinations towards and evil. To him, a man that is evil is like an animal and devoid of the happiness made possible to humanity through eternal life with God.  Subsequently, Boethius attempts to reconcile man's free will with God's sovereignty in his book. Likewise, Boethius believes happiness can only arise from within and not from external goods. His stoic philosophy is a major theme throughout his work. No doubt, the work greatly impacted Christian thought for many centuries. 

The use of the wheel of fortune (above) became standard in the Middle Ages largely due to Boethius.  

1* Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature by Jay Ruud p. 86

2* The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C. S. Lewis p. 75

Further References: The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C. S. Lewis.  

Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature by Jay Ruud. 

Another Poem to Venus

Here, in this poem, I again write to the Roman goddess, Venus. Venus was known as Aphrodite to the ancient Greeks. I frequently use the Roman names of gods as they were the names used by most writers in Medieval English literature. 

Venus, your beauty does blind the sun, 

Your caring charm is inferior to none, 

In all of your sweet splendor,  

You do find grace for those under.

Jupiter has long desired you for wife, 

Indeed, none can resist your sight, 

For you, the gods will fight, 

each is tested by his might. 

At your first appearance, 

I did adore you in an instance, 

You are the golden prize of Mount Olympias, 

For you, I will go the great and long distance. 

I do wonder when, 

your grace I will win. 

A Poem to Emily

 

I wrote this poem. Merry Christmas! 

No one is more cuddly than Emily, 

 nor is anyone more silly. 

While some prefer to go on a crusade, 

Emily prefers to be with her flowers and stay. 

Emily doesn't know about many things, 

in her garden, she stays and sings. 

A Poem to a Medieval maiden

 I wrote this poem. Merry Christmas! 

Your white face is warmer than winter, 

Your bright smile is sweeter than summer, 

for you, this knight will endeavor, 

to win your heart's love and favour. 

You are the glory of nature, 

And incomprehensible to the average reader,  

You are the loveliest mortal creature, 

to be with you, would be the greatest future. 

Gorgeous and graceful is she, 

whose love is desired by me. 

A Poem to the Roman goddess Venus

I wrote this poem. Venus, known as Aphrodite to the Greeks, was the Roman goddess of love. She is frequently mentioned in Medieval literature. 

Oh Venus, your hair is made of golden leaves, 

you are always in my daily dreams, 

your sight is always good and graceful, 

your presence is always calm and peaceful, 

the sunshine is but your shadow, 

compared to you, all else is shallow, 

dear goddess of love, you have enchanted me, 

from your powers, I do not desire to be free. 

My poem to Christ for Christmas

 I wrote this poem:

Long ago, the blessed Virgin smiled,

today, we celebrate the Christ Child,

In Bethlehem was born our King,

let us now raise our voices and sing,

Behold, the Lamb of God has come,

to bring salvation for some,

Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity,

did never lose His Divinity,

For us, he sufferred and died,

to make holy and new His blessed bride.

A Review of Paradiso by Dante Alligeri

 

                                                           1. Brief Overview of Paradiso 

So, I have now finished The Divine Comedy by Dante. My favorite of the three poem-books would have to be Paradiso. I feel Dante has been setting up his entire story since the beginning for this one. After all, without the knowledge of damnation for the wicked in Inferno, I'm not sure any reader would otherwise truly appreciate the beauty of heaven that we see next and last, in the trilogy. 

In the first two books, Virgil has led Dante through the tormenting fires of hell, the creepiness of limbo, and the suffering atmosphere of Purgatory. Virgil however, does not appear in Paradiso, and a young woman by the name of Beatrice, succeeds Virgil's role as Dante's guide to the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Paradiso shows us some of the greatest saints from history that now reside with our Lord Jesus including Saint Thomas Aquinas (Canto X) and Godfrey de Bouillon (Canto XIV). In fact, Canto XIV exults martyrs and crusaders to be in one of the highest celestial residencies. Canto XIII, finally takes the reader to Christ and the Virgin Mary, that reign nobly from Heaven's top level. 

                                                      2. Theological Themes in Paradiso 

As usual, our Italian poet finds opportunity to discuss theology in verses 19-24 of Canto V of the Paradiso. Dante touches on a very important theme in The Divine Comedy in this particular passage, as the freedom of the will, which he below discusses, is the reason that many will not go to heaven. 

                                          The greatest gift that in his largess God

                                          Creating Made, and unto his own goodness

                                          Nearest conformed, and that which he doth prize                       

                                          

                                           Most highly, is the freedom of the will, 

                                          Wherewith the creatures of intelligence 

                                           Both all and only were and are endowed. 

                                                       (Longfellow, 2008, p. 516)

The freedom of the will is a great gift from God according to Dante. Indeed, much of Christianity relies upon its understanding of the freedom of the will. Dangers arise quite often when some theological traditions go the extreme of limited God's authority and power by man's free will, while others hold to radical views as fatalists and maximum predestinarians. Ultimately, the scriptures do teach both the freedom of the will (John 7: 17, 2 Peter 3: 9, Galatians 5: 3, Proverbs 1: 29)  and predestination (John 1: 12-13, John 6: 44, Ephesians 1:11). Christians must keep in mind that both are Biblical and true, even if our senses and minds cannot comprehend their reconciliation with one another. 

Paradiso ends on a joyful note of the threefold circle of the blessed and Holy Trinity in Canto XXXIII. After a long, long journey, Dante has succeeded in showing us the afterlife for the those in hell, purgatory and heaven. 

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. -Revelation 21: 4 (KJV). 

                                           

To be British is to be Protestant: Pre-Post

 

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” -Ephesians 6: 12

Let me start off by starting what will likely get stones thrown at me: To be British, is to be Protestant. Yes, I know that I am saying something politically incorrect. Nowadays, many people accept religious pluralism. Society accepts Islamophobia, Anti-Catholicism, Anti-Semitism as great enemies of democracy, but criticism of Protestant Christianity (especially White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Christianity) is totally more acceptable. The media has a way of defending multiculturalism, black supremacy, interreligious dialogue, ecumenism, feminism, atheism, agnosticism, universalism, and even Roman Catholicism (as long as Roman Catholics do what Pope Francis says of course). Ultimately, the historic beliefs of Protestant Christians are now seen as the enemy of globalism. Supporters of nationalism are labeled as white supremacist by the radical left. After all, loving your heritage is apparently racist in case you didn't know (if you are a white person that is). Those that wish to return to the Christian ideas of the classical and medieval past, or even to those of the Victorian age, are somehow accused of every criticism in the dictionary from the communist (known nowadays as ''socialist''). The left is quite hypocritical towards the ideas of traditional protestants. For the feminist it is okay that Muslim women cover their heads, though if a Christian woman wears a chapel veil in church, she is seen as holding ''oppressive views against women.'' It is okay for the supporters of Black Lives Matter to support black history month and honour the heretic Martin Luther King Jr. (who denied the Trinity, and questioned the Virgin birth), but Christians that denounce slavery yet honour their founding fathers or select confederate heroes are seen as ''white supremacist.'' For the liberal activists, it is okay to have marches for LGBTQ, but not for traditional marriage. 

No one on earth is more hypocritical than the leftist. That is a fact that I am strongly convinced of. Their accusations of Christians as being racist, white supremacist, anti-women, are almost always unfounded. I have seen much more racism on the left towards the right than vice versa. Ultimately, the feminist, the LGBTQ, and the BLM all use each other for their leftist agendas. Each of these three groups are out for their own benefits, but they unite whenever they can to suppress laws against abortion or illegal immigration. The BLM supporters in particular, find a way out of every situation in which their supporters have inflicted violence upon Americans by resorting to accusations against their opponents as racist. The Democratic party has made plenty of use of these three groups, that serve as puppets for their greatest regime: globalism. Yes, the leaders of the left use all other social or fiscal issues to enable them to have a total global control. The feminist, perhaps the least abominable of these three sects, have been for decades mislead by a corrupt political party that covers for its own Pedophile leaders. 

Concerning globalism, I think Britain is finally on the better path than it has been in decades. The British realize that the European Union has for a longtime been taken advantage of in terms of fiscal and social issues. I am less optimistic about America than I am Britain. My lack of optimism for America is for several reasons including the higher population of Roman Catholics in the United States than in the United Kingdom. As many of the papist worship their Antichrist leader in the Vatican, and follow the discretion of their leftist bishops concerning political issues, I doubt any sense of hope concerning many of the Roman Catholics voting for conservatives anytime soon. More and more, I see now why many American Protestants felt Roman Catholics did not belong in this country. I do blame many of the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church for the success of the Democrats in the recent elections. 

While most people would probably not doubt Britain's Christian heritage, many Roman Catholics would staunchly claim Britain's heritage to be Roman Catholic. I disagree. Britain has been a Protestant Reformation, as evidence against Britain's more recent Protestant nature, I don't think the pre-reformation heritage of the British isles in any way supports current Roman Catholicism. It is often forgotten that many in Northern Europe (including Britain) were trying to reform the church from within at least a century before Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Thesis (Bevington, 1975, p. 939). Further, as I have discussed in previous posts, I don't believe the British Church before 1066 was theologically identifiable to what it became after the Norman Conquest. After the Norman Conquest, the Anglo-Saxons were largely suppressed by the Normans, whom tended to support the reforming papacy of the eleventh century more than did the Anglo-Saxons. However, even in the following centuries, many Anglo-Normans continued to dispute with the papacy over the authority of the monarchy vs. the papacy. Thus, in my view, Britain was never a pro-papal supremacist island. 

I know, I am getting off topic. I just feel that I have so much to say at once. Now, that I have gotten all of that said, let me reflect on why a love for British literature leads one to Protestantism as it did for me. 

Everyman- Sources

 Here the sources that I used for my research paper:

Everyman

Echard, S. D, and Rouse, R. (Eds.). (2017). The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain. John Wiley and Sons, LTD.

Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

Cantor, N. F. (Ed.). (1999). The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Penguin Books LTD.

Southern, R. W. (1970). Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages. Penguin Books.  

Tanner, N. (2008). The Church in the Later Middle Ages. I. B. Tauris.

Griffith, B. W. (1991). English Literature. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Mcgrath, A. E. (1999). Reformation Thoughts: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Kantor, Elizabeth. (2006). The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature. REGNERY PUBLISHING, INC.

Ruud, Jay. (2006). Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature. Facts on File.

Bevington, David. (1975). Medieval Drama. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Lewis, C. S. (1964). Letters to Malcolm. Harper One.  

Milner, B. C. (1970). Calvin’s Doctrine of the Church. E. J. Brill.

English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Crossway Bibles.

Everyman-Conclusion

 Much can be learned from the character Death in Everyman. As previously seen, Death serves as an ambassador from God to Everyman (64-65) and (72-73). Death also serves as a reminder to Everyman that judgement awaits him. The success of Everyman as a beloved morality play can largely be attributed to its portrayal of Death. This one character signifies the one thing all of humanity at some point shares in common: death itself. While a play based on the theme of death may at first seem depressing, or too concerned with the earthly state, Everyman shows death as something to not be feared for the Christian (880-887). Christians after all, have full assurance that at death, they will be with their Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4: 17, Hebrews 12: 13). Likewise at death, Everyman looks foreword to being with Christ (885-887).   

Everyman on Organized Religion and Theology

 

The role and understanding of Death is strong in Everyman's understanding of salvation, as Death is the one that proclaim of God's coming judgement to him (105-111). In many ways, Everyman portrays a Protestant understanding of salvation as much as a Roman Catholic one. Achieving salvation is one of the most important themes in the play. While at first glace, Everyman may seem to teach works based salvation to the average Evangelical Christian, nothing could be further from the truth. First off, Everyman teaches the necessity of grace of salvation (as Roman Catholics and Protestants both believe). It is God that is the initiator for salvation (66-68) and only from God's grace can Everyman benefit as proven by Everyman's need for the sacrament of confession (540-544). While many Evangelical Christians may find Everyman to downplay the role of Sola fide with its strong emphases on the role of the sacraments for salvation, that is not to say that the play teaches Roman Catholicism either. Everyman identifies salvation with the sacrament of confession (540-544), with pilgrimage (66-70), with the Virgin Mary (552), and with extreme unction (711). However, salvation is never understood with the papacy. Of all the commands Death gives to Everyman, he never tells him about the submission to the Roman Pontiff as being necessary for salvation. The lack of emphases on the necessity of being in communion with and submitting to the Roman pontiff for salvation directly contradicts the infamous Unum Sanctum of Pope Boniface VIII, which teaches just the opposite. In this way, Everyman echoes the Protestant position that the head of the church is not the pope but Christ Himself (Psalm 118: 22, Matthew 24: 13, Ephesians 5: 23, Colossians 1: 18). In the play, God never understands Himself, or His authority with the bishop of Rome. In fact, the papacy is hardly mentioned in the play at all (126). Everyman puts much emphases on the sacraments for salvation, and by so doing, shows that Everyman on his own cannot achieve reconciliation with God (66-70) and (540-544). Further, while the sacrament of confession aids Everyman on his pilgrimage (540-544), so does the sacrament of extreme unction before Everyman's death (617-618). Knowledge informs Everyman of the seven sacraments that Everyman must take for salvation (706-711). Knowledge also guides him to the priesthood to receive the benefits of Christ (707). Interestingly enough, Five Wits speaks to Everyman while identifying the priesthood with the keys of the kingdom (715-717), though never makes mention of papal supremacy or infallibility. Five Wits also credits God for these sacraments as means of grace (727) and understands that it is God Himself that gives to Everyman salvation (731) while never referencing any role of the papacy as an the source of salvation for Everyman. Everyman was written in the fifteenth century when many in northern Europe (the ancestors of the later Protestants) were trying to reform the church from within (Bevington, 1975, p. 939). Besides the papacy, Death, much like the Protestants less than a century later, never understands indulgences or the honoring of relics (neither of which are mentioned in the play) as essential for salvation. Also, like the later reformer, John Calvin, who understood salvation as a process (Milner, 1970, pp. 62-65), Everyman does understand salvation as a process (552-553). 

What happens after death according to Everyman? The play holds to a common medieval view, which is that purgatory is a place for Christians, that at death, have to be purged for the consequences of their venial sins (617-618). While purgatory has been accepted by some reformed and evangelicals theologians in recent years, it has always been a controversial one. That said, C.S. Lewis discussed his support of the doctrine of purgatory in Letters to Malcolm and described his view of how the earlier understanding of purgatory in Medieval times had changed by the time of the Protestant Reformation (Lewis, 1964, pp. 145-147). While many Evangelical Christians will disagree with Lewis's opinion of what happens for the believer after death, they would likely find it interesting that Lewis believed purgatory was once held as a place for purification, though later, it was more emphasized for the sake of suffering. No doubt too, it can be said that the emphasis of suffering in Purgatory for those after death, rather than the purification from it, served as a money making machine by the church of Rome during the sixteenth century by insisting that the faithful pay for indulgences to earn their way to heaven. Much of the Roman Catholic understanding of what happens after death, is simply not dealt with in the play. 

Everyman-literary themes of Death

The literary treatment of the character Death is most significant in the play. The lines in Everyman whether spoken by Death, or one of the other characters, are often in rhyme scheme. Everyman uses alliteration when speaking to Death, ''To give a reckoning longer leisure I crave,'' (101).  Death frequently uses ending rhyme when speaking (64-65), (72-73) and (90-92). Good Deeds uses ending rhyme when speaking to his friend Everyman about those that have forsaken the holy pilgrimage (871-872). The Doctor, closes the play while also using frequent ending rhyme in the last stanza (904-901). The use of such poetic devices in Everyman give the play a natural smooth reading to the interpreter looking for literary themes therein. 

Poetic devices aside, Everyman is a play about the hard road to eternal life. A great theme in the play is about the role of Everyman as he heeds Death's warning about coming judgement (146-149) and so prepares for his salvation (184-186). Ultimately, Everyman demonstrates that when one passes from this life, so do all the beauties of the person with it (904-906). The soul is all each human is left with after death (918-919). The body, whatever earthly gifts it beholds, is temporary (904-906). Where each person will be eternally is based on one's works (914-917). Like the Bible, which teaches that one's unrepentant deeds can keep one out of Heaven, (1 John 3: 8-10, Revelation 2: 5, Hebrews 10: 26) the play shows that despite Everyman's own unworthiness, he is willing to change after Death's proclamation of judgement. Goods and Fellowship, on the other hand, take the message delivered to Everyman by Death too lightly (280-282) and (414-419). At this point in the play, Everyman could have easily turned back from his pilgrimage after seeing his friends, Goods and Fellowship forsaking him. Instead, his conviction to follow God is more important to him than man's opinion of him. The fact that Everyman is one of the few among humanity in the play to take God's judgement seriously, is a reminder that Christians must follow God's commands despite what is popular. Everyman is a constant reminder that there is good and evil in life (albeit more evil). Everyman speaks for the few within humanity that are out to follow God's commands, and the same could be said, for the faithful, that hold fasts to Christ's commands (Luke 13: 23-24). 

Everyman-Paragraph on the Personification of the character Death

This is for my upcoming research paper of English 102: Composition and Literature. After the Introduction Paragraph, this is the second paragraph in my essay. 

 Personification is a ''Figure of speech that attributes human characteristics to inanimate objects or animals'' (Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, 2012, p. 2010). While personification is used frequently in Everyman, it was done in a way that would have made it easily understandable to those of its time. Everyman follows many social conventions of its day. As an example, personification is shown in those born to the gifts of fortune like Fellowship and Goods, while showing others such as Strength and Beauty, to have gifts of nature. However, only some gifts are eternal, as represented by characters like Good Deeds, and only those that are good are good because of God's grace in the sacraments (Ruud, 2006, p. 217). With all this said, the character Death has been commanded by God to warn Everyman of the coming judgement (Everyman 64-73). Death, as a preacher of judgement, importantly personifies the reality that all will someday die as he goes to warn Everyman of the coming judgement (Everyman 64-73). Death, in perhaps irony to his own name, shares the most important message that Everyman will ever hear: at death, all men will face God on Judgement day (Everyman 157-160.) Everyman comes to adhere to God's command by going on a pilgrimage (Everyman 241-247). However, Fellowship quickly forsakes Everyman when he hears that Everyman has been delivered this message from Death (Everyman 262-269) and (Everyman 287-288). While Everyman is mortal like Fellowship and Goods, and will like them and all humanity someday die, only he heeds Death's message about the coming judgement. In the same way, the Bible teaches that the vast majority will not inherit eternal life due to their rebellion against God (Matthew 7: 12-13) and (Romans 2: 6). Despite facing rejection from Fellowship and Goods from joining him on his journey,  Everyman holds fast to his pilgrimage to be with God as his friend Good Deeds accompanies him (Everyman 649-652). Like Death's warning of God's coming judgement for the wicked, the Bible teaches God's desire for all to repent (2 Peter 3: 9) despite man's own sin bringing on himself his own destruction (Romans 14: 23). The fact that all will meet God someday, either to be with Him eternally or apart from Him forever, is a reminder of how death takes all to the grave, both rich and poor. Death, ultimately serves as an ambassador in the play, preaching a message that many would rather ignore, though the reality he preaches of, is one that no one will be able to someday ignore.  

Everyman-Introduction

 I got a research paper for English 102: Composition and Literature coming up. Because of this, I thought I'd show my paper here piece by piece to get suggestions from friends to add any helpful corrections so as to further help in raising my score. I've talked of analyzing Everyman for a while, so here is my opportunity to do so.  

For many years, the use of the theatre has inspired and bewildered readers. Like the ancient Greeks, who used drama to convey their religious faith, the Medieval Church used it to teach doctrines of the Christian faith. In the Middle Ages, it was fairly common to see plays performed just outside the walls of parishes. While Christian plays were originally taken only from the Bible, Christian drama came to include stories with allegorical themes not found in the scriptures. What now is called Morality plays, refers to those works of literature that taught theological themes without being explicitly based on Biblical stories. The use of Christian drama as a literature to inspire the faithful to think of God's mercy and judgement was in many ways a form of entertainment to people in the Post-classical world as are movies and television to those in the modern world today. In the late fifteenth century, one such work of Medieval drama was written: The Somonyng of Everyman. The play, a true classic of the Medieval theatre, was probably written around AD 1485 and has been performed since at least 1510. Like many other works of the time, the author of Everyman, as it is commonly referred to, remains anonymous. The reason for this was because many medieval writers did not want credit for their work. Everyman remains one of the greatest works of English Literature as seen in its evaluation of various literary themes. The play demonstrates the Christian faith through its sheer allegory, and by demonstrating the great influence of death upon all of creation because of man's sinful desires and actions. Death, one of the lead characters in Everyman, is personified as the cold nature that he represents. Of all the characters that give influence in this drama, perhaps Death is the most significant. The fact that Everyman personifies the character Death as the doorway to eternal life or damnation is demonstrated in its understanding of Death as a universality, the treatment of Death within its literary themes and poetic devices, and its view of organized religion with regard to Death.