...being. In both novels Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, and Grendel, by John Gardner, it primarily focuses on the malicious conflict between the human civilization and creatures out of the ordinary, considered to be monsters. The main discrepancy was a monster named Grendel and Beowulf a hero from a kingdom terrorized for years, by Grendel himself. The monster was said to have killed many people, however, his reasoning was unsure. Without remorse the warrior slain the monster to stop the terror in which Grendel created; however, the reason the beast killed so many people was because of the lack of understanding between him and the society, this in...
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...a Russian bully who rules the streets of his neighborhood, and Grendel, a terrifying monster who can never be loved by God, are two bullies who, though they are worlds apart, share many of the same characteristics. Like red, Grendel enjoys petrifying his victims with his intimidating presence. Red has an advantage over the other boys because he is much bigger than them. “Red could stop any boy and say impressively the one word “money”(490). He appears to be unbreakable with his strong build, but the reader should know that just like any other bully, red is a coward deep down. Grendel’s appearance would send chills through pretty much anyone’s spine since he is the Devil’s child. Grendel is described as a “powerful monster, living down in the darkness” (ii 1-2). Even though he is a demon, he’s still capable of being a coward. He insists on feeding on the lives of innocent people who stand no chance against him. If that isn’t pure cowardice, I don’t know what is. However, Grendel works alone while Red works with his “lieutenants.” Red needs the assistance of other boys so that he may look much tougher than he actually is. “Two or three lieutenants, in peaked caps back to front like Red’s, trotted at his heels”(490). The reader should automatically know that this is the first sign of normal kid who is just putting on a show. All he wants is control over the neighborhood and this is his way of getting it. Grendel stands on his own, unlike Red. His presence alone is enough to intimidate...
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...Monsters are everywhere in the world we live in. Some swiftly killing their victims while others slowly painfully end their prey. Cancer is one of these many deadly “demons” that plague this world. Likewise in the epic Beowulf, there are monsters that are very destructive to people just as cancer destroys people lives today. In Beowulf Grendel kills and causes fear to innocent people effectively ruining their lives. Cancer is very similar to the effect that Grendel has on the Danes. Cancer eats people alive and ruins lives. likewise Grendel literally eats people alive. Page 31 paragraph 290 “..Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper.”Cancer causes fear and is very meticulous. Grendel returns every night and terrorizes the inhabitants of Herot. page 26 paragraph 90 “... how Grendel filled nights with horror…” Cancer kills you regardless of who you are. Grendel only takes prisoners to kill them later page 25 paragraph 35 “ … snatched up thirty men and smashed them…” “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” – Jim Valvano...
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...Tori Krug British Literature Coach Cardwell September 13, 2011 Analysis on Grendel The swamp creature known as Grendel was said to have been a direct descendent of Cain. Grendel is described as a monster who likes to terrorize the Danes. He is strong, tall, and prays on Hrothgar out of vengeance and jealousy. Grendel killed by torturing his victims in the worse way he can imagine. Grendel killed his prey by torture. “ Grendel snatched at the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins and bolted him down, hands and feet; death and Grendel’s great teeth came together.” This shows that Grendel shows no sympathy for his kill. He doesn’t care that he’s killing innocent people because he had a “...lust for evil.” Grendel is very strong and big. He would have to be if he can carry a lot of men, dead weight, from a mead hall all the way back to his cave in the swamp. “...snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.” Grendel prays on Hrothgar and the rest of the Danes out of vengeance and jealousy. Grendel is jealous of men because he wishes he could feel all the emotions that they feel. Grendel and monsters like him was shut away from men. So Grendel can’t feel love and happiness like the rest of the men. “ The Almighty drove those demons out, and their exile was ...
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...Roslyn Marshall Mr. Lerma English 1B 1 December 2014 Word Count: 3,399 Grendel: A Symbol for the Unknown In the history of human civilization, stories have always had an educative role. In the literary works of fiction, authors use diverse images and symbols in order to trigger a particular reaction from the audience. Some authors, however, use traditional images in new contexts challenging the audience's perception of those iconic characters. Authors often argue that characters can have different meanings and symbolism in different cultures and different times. The best example of these new meanings is seen through the writing about iconic monsters in different time periods. From the analysis’ of Beowulf and Grendel: The Truth Behind England’s Oldest Legend by John Grigsby and Grendel by John Gardner, the character of Grendel in both books is the symbolic meaning of how society is afraid of the unknown. When people are confronted with an unfamiliar circumstance, it is human nature to twist the unknown into something frightening and unacceptable....
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...Beowulf essay In Beowulf one if the main themes is revenge, this is shown many ways during the story. Beowulf is our main character in the story , also we have the king that he will help known as King Hrothgar. Beowulf will face many creatures in his journey during this story the important ones are Grendel followed by his mother then finally the dragon. One of the very first times we see the theme is when Grendel comes up for revenge on the King Hrothgar’s people. The next timers when Grendel's mother comes up from her swamp to seek revenge. Finally the last major time the theme comes up is when the dragons reign of terroir will be put to rest. Beowulf is called upon by King Hrothgar when Grendel kills many of his me (lines 35-39). The reason Grendel was so angry with them was because they were singing joyful songs about God. This made Grendel boil with hate so he took action seeking revenge on the king's people. Grendel was mad...
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...vs. Dark In the epic poem Beowulf, a battle between light and dark arises throughout Heorot, and even though it looked as if darkness had fallen over society, light broke through the darkness, ultimately shining back onto civilization. This darkness that has fallen over Heorot follows Grendel, the monster from Hell, with every step he takes. Only coming out at night to terrorize the people, this darkness seems to be unbeatable, and all hope seems lost. But, Beowulf, a warrior who “swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one” (Beowulf 417-422) has come to Heorot with the intention of driving out this darkness. This epic battle that is soon to take place will help to illuminate the difference between the light of Heorot and the darkness of Grendel. Leading up to the battle Heorot looks to be elegant and shining with beauty, but once Grendel and darkness enter into the halls, all of this goes away, and turns dark. Beowulf is called to the rescue, and brings with him the light that will ultimately defeat Grendel, and show that light will defeat darkness in the darkest times. As the light begins to fade away in the halls of Heorot, Grendel arises from is lair and uses the darkness to create a fear of death. While the night sky is over-head, the soldiers are unable to see what lurks in the shadows, and the “{soldiers} sworn to stay after dark and stem that horror with a sweep of their swords. And then, in the morning, this mead-hall...
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...super human being that in the final moments ultimately sacrificed his own life for the sake of his kingdom. Beowulf, the film is about a monster slaying, heroic, seemingly superhuman man that sails to Denmark to slay Grendel, the demon spawn offspring of King Hrothgar and Grendel’s mother, a water demon portrayed by Angelina Jolie. King Hrothgar closed the mead hall in following an attack of Grendel, but Beowulf is adamant that in order to draw out Grendel, they must reopen the hall and celebrate. Beowulf encourages his men to sing, knowing how Grendel does not like loud noises, and as he guessed, Grendel is pained and irritated by the noise and attacks Beowulf and his men. Beowulf, wanting a fair fight, undresses and takes on Grendel unarmed. Grendel is in fear of Beowulf and tries to escape once his arm is wrapped in a chain, but Beowulf uses the door to rip Grendel’s arm from his body, ultimately killing him. Beowulf is awarded the...
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...Beowulf fighting Grendel When Grendel had returned to Herot again he found that Hrothgar’s home was much more defended than before. Grendel, incredibly upset, went up to the door and tore it open, rushing into the hall angrily. Inside, he found all of Beowulf’s sleeping soldiers throughout the hall. Grendel was extremely joyous to find so much fresh meat for himself. He was ready to take these lives that night. Little did he know this would be his last meal. Many watched him, waiting to see those sharp claws. Grendel approached a Geat and took hold of the poor soul, tearing him to shreds with his powerful jaws. He drank all of the soldier’s blood and finished the deed with one strong bite. Grendel then moved to another still body, clutching the next victim in his claws. Before he could make another move however, Grendel was immediately seized in his prey’s hands. Beowulf had grabbed onto his claws, bending them backwards as he leaned towards the beast on one arm. In that moment,...
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...The brave and strong Geats were ready to battle through all that faced them. Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon that ended Beowulf’s life were all descendants of Cain. In the Anglo-Saxons period, all the evil acts were believed to be existed because of Cain. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother Abel. As stated in the poem, “…monsters born/ Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God…” (Lines 19-20). Beowulf won many battles and destroyed the Evil with only fourteen men because he was the bravest, strongest, and the most powerful warrior among the Geats. Beowulf was the bravest among the Geats. He “chose the mightiest men he could find, the bravest and the best of the Geats” (Lines 120-121). Grendel, a progeny of Cain, had the appearance of Evil. Grendel was banished by God living “in a hell/ Not hell but earth” (Lines 18-19). Grendel was made up of both, half human, half beast, brutal, and wicked. The brave Beowulf must fight this creature with bare hands. He defeats Grendel with his bravery. Although Grendel was dead, the evil was still there, Grendel’s Mother. Grendel’s Mother attacks Herot and takes Hruthgar’s closest friend in revenge of his son. She runs missing with one victim “to save her life” ( Line 410). Beowulf, the strongest among all, “leaped in to the lake” (Line 450), described by Hruthgar to battle Grendel’s Mother. She welcomed Beowulf to the bottom of the sea. Grendel’s Mother tried to harm him but Beowulf’s tight ring-woven mail...
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...different circumstances in the tale. Reading Beowulf brings out lots of similarities with many pieces of literature from the Ancient Greek and the Modern literature. The Beowulf carries is similar to many Greek dramas that focused on a protagonist who was turned out to be a tragic hero. There was an element of belief in the gods who had super- human powers and had unique and ultimate special skills of their own, and overcame unsurmountable problems. However, in Beowulf, there is no Greek or Roman gods, but there are other supernatural beings defined as monsters that exist and are difficult to win over. Beowulf is extra-ordinarily strong, agile, and super intelligent. He is portrayed as one who overcomes many obstacles and was able to kill Grendel and his mother and the others in the sea. In addition, the wide character list and meaningful names is similar to those of other types of literature of the early eras. The story of Paradise lost opens in hell. Satan and his followers are recovering from defeat after they waged war against God. They decide to build a palace, known as Pandemonium, where after holding a meeting they decide to agree on whether or not to return to battle. Paradise Lost is all about man’s disobedience to God and his subsequent fall from God’s grace. Milton states in the prologue that he intends to “justify the ways of God to...
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...The “Descent” is where the hero crosses the threshold from the mundane into the unknown and goes through massive development while facing both internal resistance as well as external challenges. The “Initiation” is where the hero reaches the highest peak and undergoes the “Ordeal”, then winning the biggest challenge and reaches “Apotheosis” (Campbell). In the stage “The Hunt” in the “Hero’s Journey”, the hero must draw on power from within themselves to keep persevering. “Hunter and victim were bound like kin, for they both mystically participated in the trans mutability of the life force” (60-64 Campbell). “… she has taken up the feud because of last night, when you killed Grendel, wrestled and racked him in ruinous combat since for too long he had terrorized us with his depredations. He died n battle, paid with his life; and now this [powerful other pne arrives, this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman’s death. Or so it seems to thanes in their grief, in the anguish every thane endures at the loss of a ring-giver, now that the hand that bestowed so richly has been stilled in death.” (1333-1344 Beowulf). Grendel’s mother set out to avenge her son and kills many and captures a friend. Beowulf pledges to kill the monster for Hrothgar again, proving he is willing to defend nations and proving...
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...warrior Unferth. Unferth, envying Beowulf, denounces Beowulf’s legendary accomplishments and predicts Beowulf to suffer a less than pleasant demise at the hands of Grendel. The nature of the attack against Beowulf is distasteful and ultimately untimely, especially since Beowulf would be risking his life for the sake of Unferth’s fellow Danes. However, Beowulf responds forgivingly to Unferth, humbly correcting the details within Unferth’s flawed knowledge. Beowulf concludes his retort courageously proclaiming, “He [Grendel] knows he can trample down you Danes to his heart’s content, humiliate and murder without fear of reprisal. But he will find me different. I will show him how Geats shape to kill in the heat of battle.” The poise displayed in Beowulf’s response is an accurate representation of the idealized qualities of a medieval warrior. As the poem progresses, Beowulf’s idealized honor and integrity begin to create a deep sense of obligation and duty within him. Early in the poem, Beowulf hears accounts of Grendel’s destruction of Herrot, Hrothgar’s majestic mead hall. Immediately Beowulf devises a plan, hires men, and orders boats, thrusting himself into a battle that was not necessarily his to fight. Thus, one could argue Beowulf felt obligated to end Grendel’s reign of terror. Shortly after slaying Grendel, Beowulf again displays an awareness of duty when Grendel’s mother extracts revenge upon Herrot, killing one of Hrothgar’s best men, Aeshere. Instead of leaving Herrot...
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...The last fight Beowulf faces before his tragic death is against the “slick-skinned dragon” (2274). Although it is not mentioned that it (the dragon) is one of the “[enemies] of mankind,” its actions of terrorizing the people are out of revenge, just like Grendel and his mother (1275). Over time this dragon becomes the warden to “the heathen trove” (2217), thus claiming the treasures as his own. When a man trespasses and steals the gem-studded goblet, the dragon sees it as stealing what is rightfully its, without being replayed. Thus, “the intruder [unleashes] its fury,” starting the dragon’s reign of fury as an action to gain of justice (2280-1). The dragon never receives a repayment for his stolen property, similar to Grendel’s mother, and...
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...Guide E period Beowulf * The Wrath of Grendel Grendel, a murderous, powerful monster lurks outside Hrothgar’s a Danish King’s, extravagant party. God drove out the demons, but they split into many forms of evil spirits, fiends, goblins, monsters, and giants. Grendel is a demonic monster. At night, when the party ended, Grendel ate 30 guests and left blood everywhere. In the morning, the people of Herot and Hrothgar mourned the deaths of Grendel’s victims. However, Grendel came again and ate all of Hrothgar’s soldiers, leaving Herot bare. Hrothgar was incredibly saddened by this. However, God protected him and no help came from the pagan sacrifices. The only protection came from God. * The Coming of Beowulf In the land of the Geats, ruled by Higlac, Beowulf was the greatest and strongest of all the men. He decided to go to see Hrothgar, because he has heard of the horrors Grendel brought. The Geats egged on his adventure, so Beowulf took a crew of the mightiest men he could find and set forth on his journey. They arrived at the Danish shore and were questioned by the guard, who thought they might be raiders or pirates. Beowulf explained they were Geats; his father was Edgetho, a famous soldier and explained why they were there. The guard lets them pass. They enter Herot and are called to see the King. Beowulf is greeted by Hrothgar and explains why he is there. He says he will fight and kill Grendel without fear, and if he looses to mail his armor...
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