Blog Assignment II

Meg Bogin gives many examples of how women were made pawns of men during the Middle Ages. On pages 10 and 11 Bogin talks about how women were simply meant to bear children and nothing else. They were seen as incarnations of Eve, who was the first sinner and therefore all women who followed her were also sinners. If she was sterile or only had daughters, she could be placed in a convent. On page 24, Bogin makes another strong point, showing that women were pawns of men. There, she mentions how women were rarely allowed to appear in court and even where they were(Germany, she mentions here) she says that one man's testimony was equal to three women's testimonies. But perhaps the most disturbing example of masculine domination can be seen on the next page, page 25, where Bogin talks about the regular occurrence of rape during the Middle Ages. She talks about how it was not uncommon for noble women to be raped by guests that were passing through, or how the Lord had a right to the serfs wife on their wedding night. All in all, things have changed for women since then. Today, women are no longer the pawns of men, at least in western society. Women can vote, can appear in court, can serve in government and own property everywhere. However, one could make the argument that in certain areas of the world, particularly in the Islamic Middle East, little has changed for women. In an area such as the Middle East, women are still relegated to a secondary role in society.

Favorite Poem

The first poem by Castelloza on page 119 is my favorite poem. You can feel her pain as she writes, suffering from her lovers indifference and cruelty.

Blog Assignment I

If you go back to the Middle Ages, most Christians believed that dying in the service of Christ was noble and glorious. When the Crusaders headed to the Holy Land, to capture Jerusalem, they may have seen "The Song of Roland" as an inspirational poem. The event that takes place in The Song of Roland are basic to the idea of the Crusades. I think the main reason this poem would have been popular with Crusaders is the simple fact that it could serve to inspire the Crusaders. What is more heroic and inspirational than men dying for their faith against evil pagans? One area which I believe would have been of great inspiration to the Crusaders is Turpin's death. We can see in laisse 166 it says "Against pagans ever a champion. God grant him now his Benediction!" Here it is implied that Turpin died heroically and in the service of God. Similarly, another example of a glorious death would be, of course, the death of Roland. In laisse 176 archangels take Roland's soul, once again implying a glorious and beneficial death. The poem goes far beyond a battle between pagans and Christians in the Pyrenees. The entire poem carries the basic message that it is good to die in the service of God and that divine intervention will occur, allowing Christians to prevail. The most obvious point regarding divine intervention can be seen at the very end of the poem, in lassie 180 when God allows Charlemagne and the Franks to destroy the pagans, getting revenge for the dead Roland.