Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman once said: “[b]ooks are the bearers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature is silent, science is paralyzed, thought and speculation are at a standstill. Just like Barbara mentioned in her quote, literature has always reflected the historical event that was happening at the time the books were written. For example, the expansion of Christianity and the belief in immortal life as the hero of their own epic, during the Anglo-Saxon period, is illustrated in the famous epic; Beowulf. Beowulf himself always summons the lord before his battles and attempts to fight Grendel on his own heroic journey. The inhumane behavior of the British towards Irish farmers is reflected in Jonathan Swift's satire, The Modest Proposal. Jonathan criticizes and satirizes the British landlord's callous behavior by offering to eat babies. Criticisms towards the industrial revolution and the reminiscence of natural life were presented in the poems “The Inverted Tables” and “The World is Too Much With Us”. They suggest that it is best for us to abandon city life and return to natural life. Rather, historical events and literature are integrated with each other. Social, religious and political issues have always been the most popular subject for various writers to satirize, criticize and symbolize. Specifically, Beowulf had a significant impact on the immigration of Anglos, Saxons, and Jutes with their belief in Christianity. Three tribes had arrived from Denmark, Germany, Holland and the Frisian Islands. (Collins 1) When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in England, they also brought with them the religion, Christianity. (James 1) However, Christianity did not spread until Saint Augustine arrived in favor of the miss...... middle of paper ...... will be passed down from generation to generation. Despite the fact that the characters are imaginary and it is fiction, this epic reflects the religious and indigenous belief of immortality with Beowulf being on the side of God and achieving victory in the war against Grendel who is the synecdoche of satan and the demons who are punished by the divine Lord. If Beowulf has Grendel for his ruthless behavior, The Modest Proposal has a British owner for that. Works CitedQuotesJames, Edward. “Anglo-Saxons” BBC November 5, 2009. January 3, 2010 Pacey. Desmond. Our literary heritage. Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd, 1982. Stenton, Frank. Anglo-Saxon England. 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971. 812. Kennedy, Charles. Beowulf, the oldest English epic. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. 121.