Bøger af Julian Binder

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1.0, University of Tubingen (Department of English), language: English, abstract: When hearing the name 'Saint Patrick', people nowadays think of a bearded, often staffbearing, Irishman who was the first to introduce Christianity to the Emerald Isle, who chased the serpents out of Ireland, and who made use of a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. This is the conventional representation of Ireland's National Apostle, and this is what a very high percentage of Saint Patrick's Day visitors would give as an answer if you asked them who Saint Patrick has been. However, this depiction of Ireland¿s patron saint is as different from the 'real Patrick' who lived most likely between the end of the fourth and the middle of the fifth century A.D. as is the modern, secular way of celebrating March 17, 'Saint Patrick's Day', with parades, rugby matches, and green beer from its traditional, religious origins, the feast of St. Patrick's 'falling asleep', which had been celebrated as early as the ninth century. Neither was he Irish, nor was he the first to introduce Christianity on the island, nor did he chase any of the poisonous snakes out of Ireland as there simply were none in the country after the most recent Ice Age. So, in fact, the prevailing popular image of Saint Patrick is ¿ at least historically speaking ¿ distorted and inaccurate. What may be the reason for such a misrepresentation of the 'real Patrick'? Allanah Hopkin gets to the core of the problem by stating that ¿[m]any people still confuse the Saint Patrick of legend with the very different historical figure.¿ In her work The Living Legend of Saint Patrick, she points out the different developmental stages of the representations of Patrick over the centuries. According to her, even Patrick's earliest biographers elevated Patrick¿s life to that of a secular hero.In the following lines, a brief overview of the sources on the 'historical Patrick' will be provided. Then, a chronological reconstruction of Patrick's life and mission will be attempted on the basis of the saint's Confession. It is also an aim of this paper to find out what kind of man Patrick was and what role he played in the conversion of Ireland to Christianity.

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,0, University College Cork (Department of Geography), language: English, abstract: The aim of this paper is to briefly analyse the various changes in Irish politics, economy, population and culture after the Great Famine, and to discuss whether this dramatical event in Irish history was a watershed or not.By interpreting the inadequate measures of the British government to help the Irish people during the Great Famine between 1845 and 1849 as an attempted genocide, nationalist movements stoked hatred against the ¿blackhearted¿ British and such receptions of the Famine entered folk memory. It does not have to be mentioned that this hatred and these allegations had a further effect on Irish-British relations as well as on Irish politics.In addition, there was not only a change in the island¿s political and cultural landscape, but also in the economy and the demography of post-Famine Ireland. In the words of the female historian Mary E. Daly, ¿there is little doubt that the famine was a significant event in the nineteenth century Irish history, but its precise impact is a matter of some considerable debate¿. Indeed, nobody would nowadays question that the second half of the century confronted the people with completely different attitudes and conditions than in a pre-Famine context. Anyway, ¿the big question is to what extent the famine can be held responsible for these changes¿. Was the Great Famine a watershed in Irish history? Was it a complete turning point or did it just work as a catalyst for already existing and initiating tendencies and changes?

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1.0, University of Tubingen (Department of English), language: English, abstract: In short, Beltane, sometimes also spelled 'Beltaine' in Ireland, 'Beltiunn' in Scotland, 'Shenn da Boaldyn' (the Calends of May) in Wales, and also formerly known as Cetshamhain, was ¿ and in some places still is ¿ a very important feast in the Gaelic world which marked the beginning of the warm half of the year, and which was especially associated with fertility and the victory of a solar deity over the powers of darkness. With the approach of summer and a new harvest to come, growth and protection of crops and livestock played a very important role, particularly among peoples which depended entirely on agriculture. For this reason, it does not seem surprising that the old Celts had, already in pre-Christian times, certain rituals in order to appease the deity associated with the sun and to bid for protection of their cattle and their harvest. On May Eve and May Day, Beltane fires were lit in order to honour and to encourage the power of the sun, and libations and other sacrifices were made to the respective gods and animals, as can be seen in the example above. However, there does not seem to have existed a unified way to celebrate Beltane. Local variations and different traditions can be observed, and it is very difficult to make universally valid claims concerning the procedures of the Celtic Beltane feasts in different areas. It is, nevertheless, the aim of this paper to provide a very brief overview of this very important Celtic feast. In the following lines, the most important days of the Celtic ritual year will be introduced, and it will be attempted to answer the questions ¿what is Beltane?¿, ¿where does the name come from?¿, ¿how was it celebrated?¿, and ¿why was it so important?¿ Moreover, some interesting Beltane traditions and rituals will be presented, and a very brief overview of some present-day Beltane survivals and revivals will be provided.