Monday, November 7, 2011
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 2: In an essay analyze Grendel, focusing on the character’s nature. Begin your character analysis of the monster with a sentence stating your general assessment of Grendel as a character. Then, support your assessment with details from the epic.
In the epic Beowulf, Grendel is the character that is feared and dreaded by all. Grendel represents evil and hatred throughout the world. This is shown as he tries to overcome and destroy everything in his path. It is clearly seen that Grendel does not display any moral values or good intentions as he rips his enemies into shreds and devours their bodies. His twelve year war with the people of Heorot has cast a blanket of sorrow throughout the. Even the King, Hrothgar, is heavily burdened with pain and sorrow for the destruction of his people by the evil monster Grendel. The character of Grendel is portrayed as immoral and evil through the scrutinizing of biblical illusions, Grendel's motives, and Grendel's actions.
Grendel’s origin leads all the way back to the biblical allusions of Cain. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, was the first murderer by killing his brother, Abel. Grendel is described negatively multiple times throughout the story and is seen as a frightening creature to most, if not all, people. In the poem, He is described as a monster “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death” (Raffel 21). Grendel's comparison with Cain's evil action show that he is of evil origin. This quote proves that Grendel has no intention of being well mannered, but rather has the intention to hurt and torment others. Later in the story, it is revealed that Grendel "never dared to touch King Hrothgar's glorious throne, protected by God," (Raffel 23). This biblical allusion represents that the power of good will always triumph over the power of evil. Although Grendel is known as a blood thirty, treacherous monster with no morals, it is seen that he does have some form of boundary that he refuses to cross. Grendel, however, does not obey these boundaries out of respect, but rather out of fear that he will be vanquished.
Grendel’s motives are cruel and barbaric. His first and most obvious motive is that he enjoys feasting on human flesh. It seems as though Grendel enjoys the taste of humans and likes how the warriors are inferior to his mighty strength. Grendel also enjoys seeing the warriors frustrated and helpless without the power of their weapons to stop him. "They could hack at Grendel from every side, trying to open a path for his evil soul, but their points could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron could not scratch his skin, for that sin-stained devil had bewitched all men's weapons, laid spells that blunted every mortal man's blade," (Raffel 33). Grendel knows that manmade weapons could not slay him. Grendel's possession of this power only intensifies his evil motives. With no one able to stop him, Grendel can regularly walk into Heorot and "satisfy his hunger."
Throughout the story, Grendel displays actions of both violence and wickedness. While performing his actions, Grendel seems to demonstrate that he has no thought processes and does not display any emotion to what he is doing. The only emotion that Grendel displays is the enjoyment he gets when gorging himself with the flesh of humans. Although the men of Hrothgar and his men are afraid of Grendel, they still had the courage to fight back. As the story progresses, however, Grendel’s routine visits to terrorize Heorot cause Hrothgar’s men to lose faith. "He slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their bed, and ran off with the bodies," (Beowulf 22). The soldiers began to see him as a beast incapable of being stopped. Grendel’s ability to snatch up a hundred men without making a sound frightened even the bravest warriors. As Grendel struck Heorot numerous times more, Hrothgar's courage began to leave him. Eventually, it got to the point where everyone who could run from Grendel took the opportunity.
In Beowulf, The character of Grendel is portrayed as immoral and evil, which is proven through the scrutinizing of biblical illusions, Grendel's motives, and Grendel's actions. Grendel eats whenever he is hungry, and he preys on the humans living in Herot. Grendel resides in a marsh that is dark and foreboding and is portrayed as a monster. Grendel constantly terrorizes and feasts on humans (in the epic they say he ate thirty in one night). Grendel symbolizes a great evil that is put there for a hero to defeat. On top of that, Grendel is in a humanoid form. This symbolizes that Grendel is also part of an old saying that the greatest enemy of man, is man itself. Grendel is the greatest enemy of man; he is a man that seems unstoppable, well at least until Beowulf stops him.
Journal 3
The epic closes on a somber, elegiac note—a note of mourning. What words or images contribute to this tone?
It is no surprise that the poem Beowulf ends with an elegy to the hero's victories and wisdom. Beowulf proved to be the ideal Anglo-Saxon king holding the ideal Anglo Saxon traits: brave, generous, and wise. According to Burton Raffel's translation, the Geats "...have lost the best of kings, Beowulf-- He who held our enemies away Kept land and treasure intact, which saved Hrothgar and the Danes--he who lived All his long life bravely..."
Because of Beowulf's impressive reign, none of the dragon's treasures, the spoils of war that would usually belong to the victor, would go to any of the people, but rather be burned on Beowulf's funeral pyre.
Beowulf died as he lived: in honor and courage and glory. His epic example of heroic ideals earned him the praise: "...that no better king had ever Live, no prince so mild, no man So open to his people, so deserving of praise."
Journal 4
Grendel demonstrates an attitude of love and hatred towards language. According to Grendel, the Shaper sings about reality wrapped within lies. The Shaper uses language to pronounce the “lies” of his stories to the people of the mead hall. Truth falls before the Shaper as he turns losing situations into winning ones. He gives hope to the people, even if none currently exist. He distorts the truth within his story turning them into lies. When facing Grendel, Unferth also spouts lies with his bold words of “hero” and “courage.” When facing Unferth, Grendel is understood for the first time by a human being. This takes Unferth by surprise as he says “You can talk!” Grendel says “sooner or later or later the harvest virgin will make a mistake in your haystack.” Grendel tells Unferth what he believes about in heroes and he also displays how much is language has changed since the beginning of the story. Humans as a whole sing at funerals, turning what was once a sad, hopeless ceremony into a place of happiness and fun.
It isn’t clear how Grendel can both understand and speak to the humans. The people, thinking he is a monster, are, therefore, somewhat surprised when they hear Grendel’s words. This occurrence brings attention to the subject of language. Grendel gives little thought to the language that connects him with the humans. Grendel use of language, however, shows his own attempts of being an “artist.” In Grendel, it is his account of life throughout the novel that is his crowning achievement. The monster, in a sense, becomes the “artist”. “I had become something, as if born again. I had hung between possibilities before, between the cold truths I knew and the heart-sucking conjuring tricks of the Shaper; now that was passed: I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone.” This passage occurs in Chapter 6, just after Grendel has bitten off the head of a Scylding guard, thus marking the beginning of his twelve-year war with Hrothgar’s Danes. For Grendel, taking this decisive step in creating his own identity is a liberating, empowering event. It is from his account that we know what he thinks of both the Shaper and humans. In addition to writing the novel as a whole, Grendel draws attention to the poetry he uses throughout the novel. “Grendel is crazy O, O, O! Thinks old Hrothgar makes it snow!” “Pity Poor Grengar, Hrothdel’s foe! Down Goes the whirlpool: Eek! No, no!” These quotes occur in chapter 7 and demonstrate Grendel’s transition from simple language to more complex sentence structures. Grendel shows his improvement as a poet, by revealing the higher quality of poetry he uses later in the story. Grendel writes one of the chapters as a screen play. Grendel is witty, and is proud of it. He, “a stupid monster”, is clever, humorous, creative, and highly intelligent, as he demonstrates his language. Ultimately, the novel is about reality vs. art. Grendel's philosophy comes down on the side of reality, and humans on the side of art. Yet, reaffirming his philosophical beliefs, Grendel uses his artistic style of view to entertain himself and survive his tediousness of existence.
It isn’t clear how Grendel can both understand and speak to the humans. The people, thinking he is a monster, are, therefore, somewhat surprised when they hear Grendel’s words. This occurrence brings attention to the subject of language. Grendel gives little thought to the language that connects him with the humans. Grendel use of language, however, shows his own attempts of being an “artist.” In Grendel, it is his account of life throughout the novel that is his crowning achievement. The monster, in a sense, becomes the “artist”. “I had become something, as if born again. I had hung between possibilities before, between the cold truths I knew and the heart-sucking conjuring tricks of the Shaper; now that was passed: I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone.” This passage occurs in Chapter 6, just after Grendel has bitten off the head of a Scylding guard, thus marking the beginning of his twelve-year war with Hrothgar’s Danes. For Grendel, taking this decisive step in creating his own identity is a liberating, empowering event. It is from his account that we know what he thinks of both the Shaper and humans. In addition to writing the novel as a whole, Grendel draws attention to the poetry he uses throughout the novel. “Grendel is crazy O, O, O! Thinks old Hrothgar makes it snow!” “Pity Poor Grengar, Hrothdel’s foe! Down Goes the whirlpool: Eek! No, no!” These quotes occur in chapter 7 and demonstrate Grendel’s transition from simple language to more complex sentence structures. Grendel shows his improvement as a poet, by revealing the higher quality of poetry he uses later in the story. Grendel writes one of the chapters as a screen play. Grendel is witty, and is proud of it. He, “a stupid monster”, is clever, humorous, creative, and highly intelligent, as he demonstrates his language. Ultimately, the novel is about reality vs. art. Grendel's philosophy comes down on the side of reality, and humans on the side of art. Yet, reaffirming his philosophical beliefs, Grendel uses his artistic style of view to entertain himself and survive his tediousness of existence.
Journal 5
Grendel demonstrates an attitude of love and hatred towards language. According to Grendel, the Shaper sings about reality wrapped within lies. The Shaper uses language to pronounce the “lies” of his stories to the people of the mead hall. Truth falls before the Shaper as he turns losing situations into winning ones. He gives hope to the people, even if none currently exist. He distorts the truth within his story turning them into lies. When facing Grendel, Unferth also spouts lies with his bold words of “hero” and “courage.” When facing Unferth, Grendel is understood for the first time by a human being. This takes Unferth by surprise as he says “You can talk!” Grendel says “sooner or later or later the harvest virgin will make a mistake in your haystack.” Grendel tells Unferth what he believes about in heroes and he also displays how much is language has changed since the beginning of the story. Humans as a whole sing at funerals, turning what was once a sad, hopeless ceremony into a place of happiness and fun.
It isn’t clear how Grendel can both understand and speak to the humans. The people, thinking he is a monster, are, therefore, somewhat surprised when they hear Grendel’s words. This occurrence brings attention to the subject of language. Grendel gives little thought to the language that connects him with the humans. Grendel use of language, however, shows his own attempts of being an “artist.” In Grendel, it is his account of life throughout the novel that is his crowning achievement. The monster, in a sense, becomes the “artist”. “I had become something, as if born again. I had hung between possibilities before, between the cold truths I knew and the heart-sucking conjuring tricks of the Shaper; now that was passed: I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone.” This passage occurs in Chapter 6, just after Grendel has bitten off the head of a Scylding guard, thus marking the beginning of his twelve-year war with Hrothgar’s Danes. For Grendel, taking this decisive step in creating his own identity is a liberating, empowering event. It is from his account that we know what he thinks of both the Shaper and humans. In addition to writing the novel as a whole, Grendel draws attention to the poetry he uses throughout the novel. “Grendel is crazy O, O, O! Thinks old Hrothgar makes it snow!” “Pity Poor Grengar, Hrothdel’s foe! Down Goes the whirlpool: Eek! No, no!” These quotes occur in chapter 7 and demonstrate Grendel’s transition from simple language to more complex sentence structures. Grendel shows his improvement as a poet, by revealing the higher quality of poetry he uses later in the story. Grendel writes one of the chapters as a screen play. Grendel is witty, and is proud of it. He, “a stupid monster”, is clever, humorous, creative, and highly intelligent, as he demonstrates his language. Ultimately, the novel is about reality vs. art. Grendel's philosophy comes down on the side of reality, and humans on the side of art. Yet, reaffirming his philosophical beliefs, Grendel uses his artistic style of view to entertain himself and survive his tediousness of existence.
It isn’t clear how Grendel can both understand and speak to the humans. The people, thinking he is a monster, are, therefore, somewhat surprised when they hear Grendel’s words. This occurrence brings attention to the subject of language. Grendel gives little thought to the language that connects him with the humans. Grendel use of language, however, shows his own attempts of being an “artist.” In Grendel, it is his account of life throughout the novel that is his crowning achievement. The monster, in a sense, becomes the “artist”. “I had become something, as if born again. I had hung between possibilities before, between the cold truths I knew and the heart-sucking conjuring tricks of the Shaper; now that was passed: I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone.” This passage occurs in Chapter 6, just after Grendel has bitten off the head of a Scylding guard, thus marking the beginning of his twelve-year war with Hrothgar’s Danes. For Grendel, taking this decisive step in creating his own identity is a liberating, empowering event. It is from his account that we know what he thinks of both the Shaper and humans. In addition to writing the novel as a whole, Grendel draws attention to the poetry he uses throughout the novel. “Grendel is crazy O, O, O! Thinks old Hrothgar makes it snow!” “Pity Poor Grengar, Hrothdel’s foe! Down Goes the whirlpool: Eek! No, no!” These quotes occur in chapter 7 and demonstrate Grendel’s transition from simple language to more complex sentence structures. Grendel shows his improvement as a poet, by revealing the higher quality of poetry he uses later in the story. Grendel writes one of the chapters as a screen play. Grendel is witty, and is proud of it. He, “a stupid monster”, is clever, humorous, creative, and highly intelligent, as he demonstrates his language. Ultimately, the novel is about reality vs. art. Grendel's philosophy comes down on the side of reality, and humans on the side of art. Yet, reaffirming his philosophical beliefs, Grendel uses his artistic style of view to entertain himself and survive his tediousness of existence.
Journal 6
Journal 6: Certain motifs, or recurring ideas, such as the journey, exile, and fate, appear frequently in many Anglo-Saxon works. What recurrent motifs have you found in the three works? Cite evidence in the text to support your answers.
Motifs, reoccurring ideas, of journey, exile, fate, religion appear frequently in Anglo Saxon works. “The Seafarer,” written by Burton Raffel, is about a man, who is reminiscing and evaluating the life as he lived it. The Seafarer’s main themes are of exile, hardship, and loneliness. In the poem, lines 1-33 describe the hardships the man faced through his journey of life on the sea, and lines 33-66 describe his yearning of the sea despite these hardships. Although the man is described as resenting the hardships he faces in his isolated world, it is conveyed that the man still holds a feeling of emotional attachment to the sea. Phrases such as “my feet were cast with in icy bands” and “How wretched I was… alone in a world blown clear of love,” convey the amount of difficulties the man had in his journeys. It also represents that the exile theme that is so common amongst Anglo-Saxon literature. Despite this, the quote “The time for journeys would come eagerly over my soul called me eagerly out, sent me over the horizon, seeking foreigner’s homes,” shows that the man is thrilled and excited about the thrill each journey brings. In a way, it is his fate to wander the sea and embark on these difficult journeys. Lastly, quotes such as “Thus the joys of God are fervent with life” and “With the angels, life eternally blessed in the hosts of heaven,” end the poem with a religious connection, another theme prevalent in Anglo-Saxon literature.
The “Wanderer” is told from the view of a man who is in solitary exile and ruin. Once upon a time, this man lived in prosperity serving and helping is lord. Now his kingdom was gone, never to return to is again. The poem starts out with the phrase, “The lonely traveler longs for grace”. Immediately, the story throws the Anglo Saxon motifs of exile and loneliness towards the readers. While in exile and hardship, the man conveys his past stories as a warrior in his lord’s band of retainers. He remembers that in the days of prosperity how he served his lord so proudly in times of need. “When, young and yearning, with my lord I yet feasted.” The man shows that he yearns for the brighter days once more, and concludes with an admonition to put faith in God. In a sense, it can be said that fate turned against this poor man to put him in such exile and hardship. The man feels that he can regain his former glory by finding wisdom beyond earthly values through a new salvation of God.
Grendel is told from the view of a murderous monster born in the form of Cain. Grendel is riddled with reoccurring Anglo-Saxon themes involving journeys, hardship, and loneliness. Throughout the novel, Grendel is seen constantly going to the mead hall to pick out his latest victims. These mead hall raids can be seen as a reoccurring journey that is occurring over and over again. Grendel also feels lonely and wishes that someone or something could understand his views on the worlds. He is infuriated by the shapers words and resolves to violence to prove such heroic stories wrong. Grendel can be seen as a misunderstood, confused individual. In the beginning of the novel, Grendel wants to make peace with the humans, but what human would dare befriend a hideous monster such as Grendel. This conveys the motif of loneliness. The humans endure hardship and misfortune, another Anglo-Saxon motif, as Grendel terrorizes the mead hall.
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