Helpful Links

Anglo Saxon Culture:

http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/medieval/anglo-saxon.html

Beowulf Background info:

http://www.lnstar.com/literature/beowulf/

Grendel:

http://www.grendel.org/grendel/beowulf.html

Beowulf online:

http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/beowulf/

(Journal 1) Fictional Heroes

For many years kids have grown up watching superhero cartoons (DC or marvel comics). You don’t need to be super, to be a hero! A hero is a man or woman who is distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility as well as strength (physical, mental and even spiritual). One of my favorite fictional heroes is wonder woman; as a kid I always used to look up at her because she embodied all I believe in. She fought for peace, love and sexual equality (with the help of her indestructible bracelets as well as her lasso of truth). Wonder woman resembled the Greek Goddess Aphrodite as well as represented the typical Amazonian female; strong and independent. Wonder Woman fights crime and is highly skilled in armed and unarmed combat as well as a great strategist. She usually will confront the evil in the cities, such as crime and robberies, and at times will also beat other superheroes (like Batman, and Big Barda, and Black Canary). Wonder Woman is simply the ideal superhero in a female form.

(Journal 2) - A Modern Hero: Firefighters

A hero is someone outstanding in the community. Beowulf fits all the characteristics of a hero; he is brave, loyal and courageous. Whether it is a single person or a group of people, there are many heroes out there. It doesn’t matter if they are young or old, strong or weak; all it takes is to have courage and be willing to expose yourself and your life to danger to help or save others. Personally I believe that firefighters are like Beowulf himself. They are willing to help people anywhere at any time of the day. They sometimes even risk their own lives to save the lives of others who are in danger. They might not necessarily save a community of people all the time, but they have saved the life of their members. Families are like communities themselves, so in a way, they also save familial communities. Fire fighters are the unrecognized heroes all around the nation and all around the globe.

(Journal 3)- Grendel's Language Evolution

In the novel Grendel we see how Grendel’s language evolves as the narrative carries on. Initially the narrative begins with Grendel as a kid, who just began to explore the world that surrounds him. Grendel is inquisitive of the human nature, as well as his surrounding, though he despites them greatly (not only them but nature itself). Isolated since birth, Grendel is lonely and misunderstood; he has no one to help him develop the communications skills, therefore he has to do develop this skill on his own. This is why Grendel constantly watches the civilizations develop from spying them from tree tops and such. When the Shaper is introduced to the plot, Grendel is immediately attracted to what he talks about; he is attracted to poetry. The novel itself is an interior monologue, which happens to be from an interior and restricted point of view. Though the humans cannot understand a word Grendel says, he understands the human language perfectly. Later on, he acquires the usage of swear words from the surrounding towns people; these help him express his feelings of frustration. Grendel is a combination of an aspiring poet as well as a good writer by the end of the twelfth chapter.

(Journal 4) Beowulf; Anglo-Saxon writing at its finest.

The epic poem Beowulf embodies the ideals of the entire Anglo-Saxon culture. Anglo-Saxons placed high significance on loyalty and courage as well as personal fame and recognition. Beowulf, a hero willing to defend his honor and die a worthy death, is willing to do anything in order to become “immortal”. Beowulf captures the core of Anglo-Saxon warfare, it also lets the reader know that law and order even in those days, was the responsibility of the leader. People made their names by gaining riches and defeating monsters. Loyal dependency was basic to Anglo Saxon life; it grew out of a need to protect the group (their tribe) from all terrors and enemies. “… A powerful monster, living down/ In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient/ As day after day the music rang/ Loud in that hall, the harp’s rejoicing”(Raffel).

(Journal 5) Monster Analysis: Grendel

Grendel, the villain from Beowulf retells his story from his personal point of view in the modern novel Grendel. Grendel is a highly intellectual and observant creature, he is misunderstood by many and “neither proud nor ashamed” (Gardner 6) of himself. If we look closely at his actions, Grendel kills animals but he doesn’t do it for a sport. He lives of off these animals that he hunts. Grendel constantly questions and cries like a young child would, which lets us see his immaturity to some extent. Grendel is also a very curious creature; he believes that this was a spell he cursed with when he was younger, though he is steady like a wild animal and observant of the dealings that go around him. He is ungrateful of nature and possesses an extreme dislike for the human race for they are the roots of his immense hatred. When it comes to motives, we can’t say there are many to pick from. Grendel’s individual craving to discover the world around him has gotten his mind entangled in a series of mazes. In the novel he constantly asks “why not” as if expecting to get some type of reply back from the background, which makes him even more frustrated. He possesses many characteristics that can make him similar to humans; they both seek knowledge of the world around them. Very often the ignorance of a creature’s or person’s background will make others more hostile towards it, which generates large conflicts between the two. Grendel also is desperate for some company seeking a friend, seeking somebody to talk to, just someone to keep him company.
Grendel is a very sarcastic creature, he is deep and emotional, and he is also indirectly self-conscious. He is constantly judging his persona, calling himself a “poor old freak” (Gardner 6). He is a irrevocably pessimist person, always looking at the negativity of situations and never finding the ‘bright side’ of things. He cannot be blamed, for he has never had the opportunity to truly experience the positive things of life, or life itself. People and the times he has come across with them have not made this image of life any better. People will usually freak out or attempt to attack him or even kill him. Their most immediate reaction is disgust as well as running away. When it comes to the setting, it can be inferred that Grendel lives in what is now Denmark, for Beowulf is the parallel epic during the timeframe. Grendel spends most of his life in the woods and in his cave, only watching the outer world by hanging from trees and looking at the events as a far away spectator. Grendel can be the symbol of many things throughout the narrative, but the most prominent ones can remain as the following. One, his being evil; he is referred to as the son of Cain, so by nature he is evil himself. Two, he can represent the human curiosity and the personal and constant seek of knowledge. The journey is endless when seeking for knowledge but Grendel will forever remain as the ‘monster’ of the epic Beowulf, owner of his own tragedies.

(Journal 6)- Grendel's Philosophical Journey

The modern novel Grendel is structured with a series of philosophies for every chapter. The book possesses various forms of structure, ranging from artist falsehood and themes of nihilism as well as personal death and its significance, in Grendel as well as in Beowulf and in the Anglo-Saxon period. The book skips around the various stages of Grendel’s growth and begins in spring; the first chapter is ruled by Grendel’s childhood and his early formulations of world-views. During this chapter Grendel ventures for the first time into the outer world. Some things seem odd to him, yet he is curious (like any other young creature) to endeavor and find out what the world that surrounds, or lies above him, is like. Chapter 2 was characterized by its solipsist philosophy. His infamous quote “I alone exist” is the perfect example of the philosophy implemented in this text; solipsism is the idea that one’s own mind is all that exists. Chapter three is centered on the Shaper’s philosophy which is powered by the Shaper’s words and what he makes his audience believe. The Shaper, after all, shapes history whichever way suits him, and also the shapes the opinions of the people. The fourth chapter is structured on certain theologies from the Old Testament. In this chapter Grendel spies from a tree that looks towards Herot in order to listen to the Shaper’s beautiful poetry. At that point, the Shaper decides to sing about the creation of land and the division of goodness and evil. Grendel, a descendant of Cain, then realizes that he is a child of darkness and evil. He initially does not fully comprehend the magnitude of such notice, yet he acknowledges he is a child of darkness and is willing to accept it. Grendel finds epic poems so moving that he wants to be part of them, even if he has to be the villain, as long as he is accepted into the community.
In the fifth chapter we see a lot of Alfred Whitehead’s philosophy, which is mainly portrayed by the dragon (who is really a figment of Grendel’s imagination). The dragon embodies this philosophy/approach to the natural existence of things, which is better understood in terms of process rather than things themselves (means of alteration, rather than set stabilities). He also rejects all materialism in favor of a philosophy that centers itself on concepts of life; Whitehead replaces materialism placing organisms instead of substances, and events instead of parameters of space and time. The dragon is the rational part of his thinking and the Shaper is speaking or appealing to Grendel’s emotional side which this causes a confusion to make decisions.
The sixth chapter deals with a skeptical philosophy; Grendel agrees that he does “alone exist” but makes all the other existent creatures his foes. Chapter seven revolves around the character Wealtheow (Hrothgar’s wife) and her peacemaking position. Wealtheow was given to Hrothgar in marriage to prevent the slaughter of her brother’s tribe. Her name meant server for a greater good, she is the peacemaker, and her goal is to make the community a whole. She is also a symbol of hope and unity as well as the Christian communion. From Grendel’s point of view, Wealtheow is beautiful for she represents all women living in a masculine society. Chapter eight is structures with the Machiavellian Statecraft philosophy, which is typically a term claiming that an action is cruel, manipulative or overly dictatorial. This chapter portrays the battle of the powerless against the powerful; Hrothgar is at this point an old man, constantly fearing an upraising of a possible government overthrow. Hrothulf, now an older man, wants to overthrow what he looks upon as a violent government. He believes that the only reason why the people are split into two social classes, and kept that why, is through violence. The ninth chapter worked around the hypocrisy of the four young priests. Ork, a blind old priest believes he just met “The Destroyer” or their ultimate God, which they place at the top among the other Gods they worship. He is the one who sets the limitations of human kind, though his existence is the ultimate irrationality. They believe that in order to be remembered you must die an honorary death or else perish with time.
The tenth chapter is based on the pessimistic philosophy of Nietzche. Nietzche is a nihilist in the descriptive sense that he believed that there was no longer any real substance to traditional social, political, rural and religious values. With the death of the Shaper, the essence or substance of the things he sang about, have now also died with him. The eleventh and twelfth chapters are structured on John-
Paul Sartre’s philosophy, which Gardner himself disagrees on. According to Sartre, humans are basically isolated individuals in an accidental world where God does not exist. Men must create their own values, though these won’t have any meaning outside the individual’s consciousness. Grendel is based on meta-fiction by portraying a world completely opposite to what Beowulf portrays. In the end Gardner makes his beast endorse or accept this nihilistic view of the world as his own.
In Gardner’s hands Grendel is a parody that mocks other specific authors and their philosophies, by bringing out the points of contrasting philosophies or anti-heroes. If we look at the overall analysis of the book itself, Grendel is very insecure of what to do and how to do it. It takes Grendel twelve chapters to finally make a decision on his real views of the world. Grendel has watched men evolve and yet he is attracted to poetry and eventually rejects it. The Shaper talks about beautiful ideas, and gives some stability and hope to the community (which Grendel wishes to be a part of it but then realizes he can’t therefore he goes against it).

(Journal 7)- Anglo Saxon Literary Structures

Anglo-Saxon works of literature have many different literary structures. Alliteration and the use of kennings as well as motifs are just some of the examples that they have used in their works. The Wife’s Lament and The Seafarer are two old English poems which incorporate a recurring idea and a journey which are also motifs. These two poems come from the Exeter Book, which is one of the few surviving manuscripts of Old English. The Seafarer is a classic poem narrated by an old seafarer who is recalling the events of a lifetime. This poem is commonly referred to as an elegy or a poem that mourns the death or laments of a person or the laments of something lost. There are many motifs in this poem itself: the journey of life, or the fate of living in the sea. “How the sea took me, swept me back and forth in sorrow and fear and pain…” The seafarer has attempted several times to live on land but has never been successful; he keeps going back to the sea. There is a recurring idea: sorrow. “On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow”. The poem does begin with a man’s praise which eventually switches to a praise of God (lines 105-124), though he is ready to face his fate “Under his lord. Fate is stronger and God mightier…”.
Anonymous poem The Wife’s Lament is yet another poem with the content of motifs: exile, the journey of a new life without her ‘lord’, a new fate without him. The female speaker tells the audience about her sorrow. “I ever suffered grief through banishment…. A friendless exile in my sorry plight…” she has been exiled. Her lord has departed and she is all by herself with no one to protect her, much less claim her. The speaker has lost all faith of whatever possible good fate she might face in the future. Awaiting for her beloved she waits, expecting and grieving for him to come back someday. “Grief must always be For him who yearning longs for his beloved.” Both of these poems share a common journey, they both face this sort of personal or forced exile, using a similar motif.

(Journal 8)- Grendel, A Parody

Grendel is often referred to as a parody of Beowulf, and we can see its mocking imitation by defying all the things Beowulf embraces, and all that Anglo-Saxon literature stands for. Beowulf strongly represents the great hero ideals that Anglo Saxons valued and the protagonist himself embodies; Beowulf is strong and loyal, is known and respected among his people and is a leader; he is passionate for what he believes in and fights for what he knows to be is right. Beowulf, the epic and the character, are very contrary to Grendel. Beowulf the character believes in birth and renewal he is optimistic and he is a pattern-maker. On the other hand, Grendel (the character) is a mechanistic beast, pessimistic and nihilist. He embodies the complete opposite ideal of the epic Beowulf, a story of bravery and loyalty. Grendel a mocking imitation of Beowulf due to the fact that it Grendel personifies existentialism and believes that his perceptions make up reality.

(Journal 9)- The Seafarer and The Wife's Lament, A Comparison

The Seafarer and The Wife’s Lament, both traditional Anglo Saxon poetry, both reveal the traditional Anglo Saxon ideals of love, glory, personal freedom, and, most importantly, loyalty. Both of these poems have (more prominently in The Wife’s Lament) traits of loyalty. In the Seafarer we see this loyalty to God towards the end of the narrative and also a loyalty to life in the sea. The seafarer tries to go back to the life on land, but he cannot do so due to his loyalty to the sea, he feels home and connected to it. The author himself acknowledges that life on land might bring happiness to many and also the harshness of the sea, but his loyalty remains with it. In The Wife’s Lament there is a more obvious loyalty; the loyalty to her lord, who we supposed to be her beloved husband. In the narrative her lord has disappeared, leaving her alone and vulnerable to the atrocious people that surround her. Her lord seems powerful many people seem to be plotting against him and she will defend him even if this takes her life. These are perfect examples of true loyalty they were reliable and always trusting what they loved. These are just some of the few Anglo-Saxon writing at their finest.