The European island of Great Britain has been an influencing force on the modern world and we could not live our lives without the feats and discoveries of Great Britain. Britain is responsible for some of our greatest literature, for example the legend of Robin Hood and the works of Shakespeare. We also associate Britain with leading the Industrial Revolution, discovering the life saving penicillin, and radar. Britain is also responsible for many other countries’ political systems. They were the first to create a “by and for the people” system that is “a source of envy and inspiration for many nations” (1). Although Britain has transformed the modern world, Britain would not be what it is without its own influences. Whatever we think of as Britain today we owe to the first people to settle there. The Celts, the Romans, and the Anglo-Saxons tremendously influenced the culture of what became Great Britain. …show more content…
According to the textbook pages two through sixteen, the first influential group were the Celts in fourth century B.C. They were tall blond warriors who identified themselves as Brythons (or Britons.); this is the source of the name Britain. The Celts’ religion was a form of animism, meaning spirit. They believed spirits were everywhere and were controlling the world around them. To please these spirits priests called druids would perform ritual dances and occasionally sacrificed humans (2). This mythology has had an influence on generations of writers. For example Thomas Malory, a fifteenth century writer, took the Celtic myths about a warrior named Arthur and produced Le Morte D'arthur, which became a representation of the English way of life. Another writer, twentieth century William Butler, used the Celtic myths in his