...RESPONSE ASSIGNMENT # _3_ Beowulf In the beginning of Beowulf, King Hrothgar of Denmark built a great mead hall where he and all his warriors could party, eat, and enjoy stories. Even though it was a place of joyful spirits there was a demon named Grendel who would always terrorize the people of Denmark and their mead hall. They would fight back in effort to make the demon leave them alone, but he was too powerful and would kill the warriors. This lasted for years and the Danes couldn’t find a solution to defeat Grendel. Eventually, in time, a Geatish warrior named Beowulf heard the troubles that King Hrothgar and the people of Denmark were going through because of the demon. Beowulf took on the task to defeat the demon. Prior to the battle Beowulf came unarmed and expects to fight Grendel with his bare hands. Grendel is terrified and eventually Beowulf rips the demons arm off and he flees back to the swamp where he soon dies. King Hrothgar and the Danes praise Beowulf for his victory over Grendel. Because of the death of Grendel, his mother, another swamp demon, went to seek revenge for her son’s death. This is where Beowulf and a few of the servants travel the swamp to defeat her. Just as he did before, Beowulf defeated Grendel’s mother, but during the battle he used a sword large enough for a giant instead of his bare hands. Beowulf began to make a buzz around the kingdom naming him the bravest warrior in all the land. Eventually Beowulf ascends to the throne of the...
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...Loyalty defines a person’s great devotion to another. These two works of literature integrated this theme of loyalty in both The Kite Runner and Beowulf. Beowulf from the epic poem Beowulf emphasizes the importance of loyalty. Beowulf is extremely loyal, as perceived in his commitment to his king Hygelac, to his entertainer Hrothgar, to his own loyal men, such as Wiglaf, and to his people. In contrast, Hassan from the “Kite Runner” shows loyalty for his friend Amir. It is in Hassan’s letter, years after their separation, that puts Amir on the way to redemption. And so, Hassan saves Amir twice, previously as a boy and later in the future, even after his own death. In both The Kite Runner and Beowulf, the authors express loyalty from friendship and from commitment....
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...Ms. Beaudoin English IV Honors Scholars and critical readers have various opinions about the themes of Beowulf. Choose one statement to argue for or against a particular extent and in a well-developed, proofread paper support your choice with examples and quotations from the text of the epic. 1.) Beowulf presents an ideal of loyalty. The failure to live up to this ideal on the part of others points up the extraordinary faithfulness of Beowulf. 2.) Beowulf is a blending of Christian traditions with a folk story that praises loyalty, courage, and faith in the face of extreme danger and even death. It presents a model of a human being willing to die to deliver others from terrifying evil forces. 3.) Beowulf is the story of a dual ordeal—an external battle with vicious opponents and an internal battle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and self-concern. 4.) Beowulf is the universal story of life’s journey from adolescence to adulthood to old age. The hero grows in wisdom about self about the world through the pain and triumph of personal experience. Requirements: (1) 3 full pages. (2) Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced, proper MLA format. (3) Work Cited page (Note this is a translated excerpt from your textbook). (4) Submission of typed hard copy in class. (5) Upload to Turnitin.com by 7am on due date. (6) Write choice of topic number on back of hard copy. Penalties: -5/period(s)...
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...In the poem Beowulf the idea of warrior culture is described through literary, poetic and real life situations. Beowulf is an epic poem about a hero who sparks up an old rooted allegiance to help save the Danish people from a terror far greater than anyone has ever seen. However, this is only the beginning of his journey as he ends up defeating the monster and later dies in his old age fighting off a dragon in his last breathe. The journey itself is one that displays the warrior culture that lives within the Anglo-Saxon period and through the lenses of literary, poetic and real life situations the reader is shown how society was built and society had valued. From the very beginning of the poem we see that weapons and gifts are a big part of the warrior culture, they represent honor, glory, pride and status within a society. Anglo-Saxon society in literary terms was centered on a warrior chieftain and his retinue of loyal followers who were expected to defend him to the death. Loyalty is essential and is rewarded by the chief's generosity...
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...Revered by many, Beowulf is considered to be one the most renowned Anglo-Saxon poems of all time. In the poem, Beowulf faces death defying feats that no ordinary man would be able to complete, thus giving him the hero status. Beowulf encountered many battles, where he selflessly put his own life on the line to stop evil from tormenting the Danes. But does Beowulf actually fulfill his role in kingship? Although Beowulf traveled across seas to save the Danes did he actually had what it take to be crowned the honor of the king or was it a curse? Was he deceived into becoming something he wasn’t? The main theme of Beowulf is heroism shown through the transformation of Beowulf from a great warrior to a devout King. This involves far more than physical courage. It also means that Beowulf the warrior must fulfill his obligations to the group of which he is a key member as a thane. Beowulf's transformation is portrayed through three separate and increasingly difficult conflicts - with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon shows a clear division between Beowulf's youthful heroism as a warrior and his mature heroism as a reliable king. There is also a clear-cut network of social duties depicted in the poem. The king has an obligation to behave with generosity. He must reward his thanes with valuable gifts for their defense of the tribe and their success in battle. This is why King Hrothgar is known as the "ring-giver." He behaves according to expectations of the duties of a lord...
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...From the medieval period we would read Beowulf. This text is the best one text to sum up the period with it’s style and several themes. The style is an epic, which brings up in a class discussion what that is and how it applies to the medieval time period. Therefore, we can talk about the ideas of comitatus, Paganism versus Christianity, leadership qualities, and loyalties as themes. The class is also open to the discussion of the elements of literature back then such as: frame narrative, alliterative verse, caesuras, and scops (who told the stories before they were written). The story of Beowulf, containing many of the ideas and elements of literature during the medieval period and so much to teach on, is clearly the best story to chose from...
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...its geographical circumstances, cultural influences and niches. The English language has undergone a series of transitional changes since its origins dating back to c.400 A.D. whilst Britain was under occupation by hosts of Germanic tribes. Detailed throughout the literature that still exists in our modern world, it is possible to trace links between the English language and its development throughout different cultures and historical time periods. The study of the development of the English language has been used to represent the specific ideals and notions that pertain to particular cultures throughout history. Anglo-Saxon poetry express its cultural identity and values that underpin Anglo Saxon society, through ancient texts such as Beowulf exploring notions of heroism and servitude. Middle English literature such as The Millers Tale, unmasks the inner feudal system that deciphers the hierarchal structure within Middle England. The Holkam bible through both visual representation and literature highlights the Biblical understanding at the time and cultural barriers that were associated. The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer is an example of Middle English poetry that represents the societal structure of the time through language. The Miller’s Tale expresses the hierarchal structure in Middle England through denoting each individual characters social standing within society. The Miller’s Tale entails the story of a carpenter who falls in love with a juvenile/adolescent girl...
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...Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. Preserved in a single manuscript (Cotton Vitellius A XV) from c. 1000, it deals with events of the early 6th century and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750. It did not appear in print until 1815. Although originally untitled, it was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar’s splendid mead hall, Heorot, has been ravaged for 12 years by nightly visits from an evil monster, Grendel, who carries off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them. Unexpectedly, young Beowulf, a prince of the Geats of southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to cleanse Heorot of its monster. The King is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes him, and after an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy, the King retires, leaving Beowulf in charge. During the night Grendel comes from the moors, tears open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, whose powerful grip he cannot escape. He wrenches himself free, tearing off his arm, and leaves, mortally wounded. The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot. But at night...
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...Old and Middle English Literature In many works from the Old English period, which was approximately between 600-1100, there were many distinguishing characteristics, which included heroism, a strict class system, religion, and teachings of moral behavior. Some different characteristics of Old English literature, which is a language derived from Old German, include a strong belief in fate in a very poetry dominated era. Many of the poems are called elegies of that time, which were sorrowful poems, such as “The Wanderer.” Another large characteristic of Old English literature is that of praising or honoring heroes of any kind, especially ones that prevail in battle. Some of these include the Cross from, “Dream of the Rood,” Beowulf from Beowulf, the lost hero in “The Wanderer,” Judith from “Judith,” and the biggest hero who is included in almost all poems and pieces of Old English literature, Christ. Many of these works express much religious faith having to do with Christianity. The Anglo-Saxon people also had a very strict class system. Going along with the faith they believed in the Great Chain of Being, which said that when God made the entire world each creature was put in their position. God made a monarchy and put the members of that high status position there for a reason and did the same for a person who was a slave, God made them that and put them in that position in society. The people on the top of the chain are supposed to help the others on the lower end...
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...shall we! As a professor at Oxford, Tolkien, while grading papers, one of the students left this phrase on a blank page of his answer book. "In a hole in the ground there lives a hobbit (Tolkien Society, 2002.)" Curiosity got the best of Tolkien as he set out to discover what a hobbit was. Answers to his discoveries were revealed in stories he told his children, stories he embellished and those stories manifested themselves into the book called the Hobbit and eventually The Lord of Rings. The Lord of the Rings stories were inspired by many myths but none more prevalent than the Germanic poem called Beowulf. Tolkien explained to his editors that "Beowulf is among my most valued sources (Colbert page 21). Many similarities exist between Beowulf and the Lord of the Rings. For example, the hellish Orcs in the LOTR come from orcneas. This word was also used for monsters in Beowulf (Colbert page 22). Another example is the setting. LOTR displays large mead halls, where "Tolkien expert Thomas Shippey notes, the Elf Legolas (one of my favorite characters, I might add) describes Meduseld (the...
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...and His Greatest Enemy Beowulf is an epic poem created by the the ancient Anglo-Saxons of Britain. For a poem to be an epic, it has six requirements: long and narrative, involves a long journey for the hero, the hero must overcome obstacles, long prideful speeches, the poem takes place over a long period of time, and the hero reflects the culture from which he comes. The poem was recited as early as the sixth century when stories were passed along orally by scops who were traveling storytellers. Since stories were passed on orally, the authors of many Anglo-Saxon poems are unknown. Beowulf was passed on orally for centuries until the eleventh century, it was finally written down by scholars. Since then the story about the mighty Beowulf has become a polyglot epic poem translated by hundreds of people such as Burton Raffel who translated the poem into modern day English. The poem grew from past traditions such as the monsters, loyalty to the chief, and the decent to unknown regions of the earth were familiar element of Celtic and Scandinavian folk tales. By combining different traditions and later adding Christian ideas into one story, scops created a cultural reference point for Anglo-Saxons to learn from. Since there are various traditions blended into Beowulf, there are underlying themes such as heritage, pride, respect, gifting, good versus evil, strength, and customs. A major theme of the poem is pride. One can believe that the pride of Beowulf led him to his own downfall...
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...concepts of good and evil presented in Beowulf? Does this reveal anything about Anglo-Saxon society? Beowulf is the greatest surviving Old English poem, an epic that recounts the main events in the life of a legendary hero named Beowulf. Beowulf’s destiny is to fight and conquer the monsters that terrorize the kingdom of the Danes. Many events in Beowulf are directly related to the Bible, making the constant battle between good and evil one of the most important themes. Beowulf is a courageous, strong and loyal warrior. He is brave, and he has self confidence bordering on insanity, but he’s also generous and kind towards others. Beowulf shows that he has confidence when he fights Grendel without weapons. When he defeats Grendel, he demonstrates that men are capable of destroying evil if they wish to do so. Beowulf’s qualities make him the epitome of a hero. “Beowulf emphasizes values that were important to Norse warriors, such as courage, loyalty to one's king and comrades, and honor for those who fight and die bravely. The story emphasizes how fragile life and fame can be. Like any person, Beowulf must find meaning in his world while accepting the fact that he will eventually die. He meets that challenge by facing danger bravely and trusting that the story of his deeds will cause him to live on in the memories of those who hear it.” (from the New Catholic Encyclopedia) Goodness is represented throughout the poem by the characters of Beowulf, King Hrothgar and Wiglaf. Evil is...
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...The Power of Knowledge Knowledge can be approached in different ways and numerous interpretations are considered. Knowledge can be stimulated through humility or ignorance. I have selected three separate texts that illustrate the connection human aspirations and knowledge has in common and the impact hierarchy rankings have on one’s insight. The literary analysis essay interprets and defines the term “knowledge”. The meaning focuses around learning, instruction, insight, philosophy, and proficiency. The texts that will be used throughout the essay as sources are: Beowulf translated by Michael Swanton, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and the author is Geoffrey Chaucer, and The Tempest which is a product of William Shakespeare. Characters from the chosen texts demonstrate their perception of knowledge and wisdom based on the significance of superficial existence. People’s assumed power and privilege promote certain actions they could partake in when trying to fulfill personal desires. Acts of knowledge can be either appropriate or inappropriate gestures. It is difficult to distinguish right from wrong deeds the overall circumstances has to be examined and the answer lies in the outcome of the decision when wisdom was applied. There is good and evil in everyone, selfless or self-centered choices formulate one’s character and the observed perception others have. The texts educate the reader that karma usually constructs challenges or rewards depending on if your knowledge was practiced...
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...LITERATURE OF THE OLD ENGLISH AND THE OLD IRISH PERIODS (600-1100 A.D.) 1- OLD ENGLISH HISTORY AND LANGUAGE Initial literatures are spoken and that oral literature have been many amplifications, later appear the texts. Beowulf was oral first and then became written. There are lots of fragments written literally. Some texts were lost and now we only have fragments. These texts are writing in manuscripts, there weren’t books in that period. In particular there are four manuscripts that contain most of English literature: Cotton Vitelius, Exeter Book, Junius Manuscript and Vercelli Manuscript; they are from 10th century. However the poetry and the texts contain the literature from 9th century, but they originated in 7th century orally (all of them originated orally before they appear written). That manuscripts tell some things about the society of this period of time, so we know details of this century. This period is the Anglo-Saxon period, before them there were the Britons who were invaded by some different people. They spoke different dialects of old English, the stronger kingdom was Wessex, which dialect was the most important and it called “west saxon”. Beowulf was writing in this dialect. In 597 appeared the Christianization. This means that the English became Christian, it became familiar with the church language: Latin. Latin is the culture language. The entry of Christianity is the entry of the culture in Britain. 2- WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE ANGLOSAXON PERIOD ...
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...would seem perfectly normal to a person from medieval times. For example, a reader from the XXI c. would likely question the possibility of transmutation occurring in “The Three Werewolves”, or the nutritious capability of the magical apples in “From the Voyage of Mael Duin”, in contrast to the medieval reader. Medieval literature consists of the recorded stories that people used to tell each other most often. Most Celtic stories are told by Christian churches because many of the Celtic themes overlap with Christian beliefs such as the ability to survive fire, to breathe under water, to have power over nature, etc. – properties which are often attributed to saints. Those stories are also a representation of their customs, traditions, and habits. Many of these elements of story-telling are taken by the Christian Church and implemented in religious teachings. As a result there is a set of magical numbers reappearing in Christian readings (three, seven, forty, etc.) Furthermore, many biblical themes and references can...
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