...You can be part man, but man can’t be part beast. Nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy award in 1972, Grendel is a mythology, fantasy, and poet-modern novel. It was written in 1971 by an American author John Gardner. In this novel, two interrelated subjects stood out to me and they are isolation and jealousy. They work together perfectly in this novel. In my perspective, Grendel is a large, carnivorous, sneaky, bearlike monster. He spent the last twelve years locked in a war against humans (pg. 1). Grendel lived in a cave with his mama. Grendel was disgusted by his mama because her humanistic qualities. One day young Grendel discovered a door leading to the human side of the world. His curiosity leads to him getting stuck in a tree. A group of Danes discovered Grendel and that was his first interaction with humans. The Danes thought Grendel was fungous or a spirit (pg. 10). The Danes tried to help him until he scared them (pg. 11). After meeting the Danes, Grendel was awed by the humans and started spying on them (pg. 4). He watched them during their savagery and loving ways. One night, he heard the Shaper sing and it confused him so he went the Dragon for advice and information on the Shaper (pp. 26-32). The Dragon is an omniscient character. He told Grendel that life is pointless and Grendel adopted his point of view and...
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...“…More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence.” 1. violence in literature can have “cultural and societal…implications.” 2. authors may use violence in the interest of “plot or thematic advancement.” 3. violence between characters may reveal their innermost feelings. 1.) At the onset of the story which bears his name, Grendel is portrayed as a terrifying monster who terrorizes Hrothgar’s mead hall whenever possible, taking a few men or women for dinner each time. Throughout the introduction of the novel, Grendel makes it know that should he not kill them they will eventually kill him. What caused this fiend to become determined that preemptive strike was the best choice? Grendel narrates his first and very violent, encounter with humans from a very helpless stand, as he is hanging from a tree. At the first sight of alarm, the humans sent spears and other weapons threw Grendel’s arms and legs. This action, more than ensuring that Grendel was physically paralyzed, signified Grendel’s realizationthat the humans would kill him if he ever gave them a chance, and through pain set in cement the idea that the best way to prevent that was to strike first. “It’s Greek to Me” 1.myth is literature is a “body of story that matters” 2. greek and roman mythologies are ingrained into our psyches and culture. 3. many characters in literature may have parallels in mythology. 2.) An ancient, silent, loving mother and an elderly, wise man whose prowess with words and the harp...
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...lunatic fit of religion, I jump. (10) | Critical Response The words used are informal, giving us a feeling that the character is trying to relate to use. Most of the words are denotative, giving us a specific meaning to hold onto, while some are less clear which gives more mystery to the passage. The diction is mostly concrete, speaking of the chasm and his voice, not of other abstract ideas mentioned previously in the chapter. The words are also cacophonous, not sounding pleasant together and further expressing the distress Grendel seems to be experiencing as the monster he is. The words are mostly monosyllabic, making it easier for us to understand. The diction used clearly expresses the idea that Grendel pretends to be intrigued by the idea of the dark chasm seizing him, he also understands that this would only be possible if he gave in and jumped. | Personal Response I think this quote relates to me because I too, often talk to inanimate things as if they could hear me, while still realizing they can’t. I mostly do this when I am lonely, which relates me to Grendel in this instance. He seems like the lonely type. In a way I pity him, in a way I don’t. I’m sure if he tried hard enough he could find some friends, and stop talking to dark chasms, threatening them to kill him. I like this quote because Grendel realizes the frailty of...
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...Grendel, the Zodiac, and Western Philosophy Due: Thursday, November 5th! 1. Aries—the Ram: Part One: Zodiac: The sign of Aries marks the beginning of a new cycle of the zodiac; however, there is nothing unique or special about this new cycle, b/c it is just like the cycle that has just ended. According to Grendel, the ram (Aries) acts the same way he did “last year at this time, and the year before, and the year before that.” All has happened before, all will happen again. Part Two: Philosophy: Orphisim. Orphisim is the belief that the body is a prison and that human souls are divine and immortal but doomed to live (for a period) in a “grievous circle” of successive bodily lives (reincarnation). As Grendel stares at the ram in Chapter One, he laments and curses at the interminable cycle of life, that everything (like the ram wanting to mate) has happened before and will happen again. Grendel is frustrated by being trapped in his own “grievous circle” of seasons and life....
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...Of Monsters and Men: How Humanity Incites Monstrousness in Grendel and Frankenstein All too often on a daily basis do people judge others based on their physical appearance or other superficial criteria. Generally, close-minded individuals perceive anything foreign or a deviation from the norm as offensive or even as a threat. We would like to think that we are not prone to such a fault, but this foible is ingrained in human nature. Literature has examined this aspect of humanity on a magnified scale by using monsters as a metaphor for those we judge; the novels Grendel by John Gardner and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are as much character studies on humanity as they are stories about monstrousness itself. The monsters in each novel certainly...
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...presented in the poem, it is apparent that there are evidences that will identify the characteristics of Christianity. On the other hand, the belief of paganism was also included in the lines of the poem. There is a presumption that poem “Beowulf” is influenced by a Christian author shown by the Anglo-Saxon understanding of the concept of beauty, which begins with the story of Creation in Genesis Chapter 1 of the Bible, where God created the world in seven (7) days. The language or the text used in the poem presented the concept of “scop”, which originated from the Old English language which means to shape. God is being referred to as the Great Shaper and all the beauty seen by the Anglo-Saxon were fruits of God’s creation. The term “scop” can also represent a poet. In this poem, the Anglo-Saxons considered the fact that the author made use of beautiful words and imagery to create a poem is comparable to God’s work when he created earth. This can be read in the lines “The clear song of a skilled poet, telling with mastery man’s beginnings, how the Almighty had made the earth” (Beowulf 86-98). Another proof that the author is a Christian is when there was mention of the story of the two brothers Cain and Abel. This can be substantiated in the lines “Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel, the Eternal Lord had exacted a price” (Beowulf 86-98). The presence of the word God is evident in several occasions in the poem such as “Afterwards...
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