Alfred the Great Allusion

Alfred the Great, the only king in British history to ever be called great, was
born in 849 as the fifth son Aethelwulf, king of the West Saxons. Around this time,
many kingdoms were threatened by Viking raids and in 870 the Vikings attacked the
last independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom Wessex in which Alfreds elder brother died.
In 871 at the age of 21, Alfred took his brothers place and became the king of
Wessex. Over the next few years, Alfred managed to defeat the Vikings at the battle
of Edington and make peace with them in the treaty of Wedmore. If hadnt been for
his victories against the Vikings, there would probably be no England of English
language today.
That was a little bit a history about Alfred the Great, but none of that
information really matters for you to understand this allusion. All you really need to
know is that he was a king and important. Right now in the book Dunstan is
receiving his Victoria Cross from the king and for a moment when their eyes meet,
Dunstan has a revelation. read part of book What Dunstan is saying is that he is
being decorated as a hero, and he is a hero to everybody that is at the reception,
but he knows that he only did what he did because he was scared. He also mentions
how people need heros. Then, Dunstan compares himself to the king. read part of
book Like Dunstan, the king is only standing where he is because his ancestors
were also kings and like heros, people need kings. Any king names couldve been
used here, but Davies probably chose Alfred the Great, Charles the First, and King
Arthur because they are recognizable by a lot of people. Finally, Dunstan explains
why he and the king dont question why they do what they do. read part of book
This allusion to Alfred the Great is used to compare Dunstan to the king and
emphasize the theme of self sacrifice in the novel. Both Dunstan and the king have

duties to fulfill and although they may not want to, they are obligated to. This
allusion also develops Dunstans character by showing that Dunstan has the
qualities of a king.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/alfred_the_great/http://www.historyextra.com/article/5-

facts-about%E2%80%A6-alfred-greathttp://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensofEngland/TheAnglo-Saxonkings/AlfredtheGreat.aspx