OBJECTIVE:
Analyze how authors/texts use parallelism and juxtaposition, and what overall/larger themes or commentary emerges as a result.
WARM UP:
Analyze how authors/texts use parallelism and juxtaposition, and what overall/larger themes or commentary emerges as a result.
WARM UP:
- The poet describes Grendel’s mother as “war-thirsty” (1497). Consider how the scop describes Finn when he comments, “[a]nd thus in his turn to war-minded Finn / came fierce sword evil, in his own home,” and what we said in class about this moment as an example of the poet’s criticism on war and the heroic code (115). Is Grendel’s mother being describes a “war-thirsty” a good thing? Explain why or why not? THEN, look at how the poet describes Beowulf and the Geats on page 139 and provide analysis of why this description is meaningful, and in what way? In other words, analyze the diction the poet uses to describe Beowulf and his people in this moment, and answer the SO WHAT? Question.
- Looking at the description of where Grendel’s mother lives and consider how the setting is described. What might these descriptions suggest in terms of Beowulf and the warriors’ decision to go to where Grendel’s mother lives? What parallel to another setting in the text can you identify? So what? How might this function as poetic commentary on the battle itself? On Grendel’s mother? On Beowulf and his men? On the natural/known world versus the unnatural/unknown worlds?
“Then the troop of nobles climbed up high into stony hills, the steep rock-lands, / through narrow files, and unknown way, / dangerous cliffs over water-snakes’ caves” (1408-11)
“Soon enough she … held / the kingdom of waters for a hundred winters, / fierce and kill-greedy, saw that some human / came to explore the water-devil’s home” (1497-1501)
“strange sea-creatures / with word-like tusks thrust at his armor … The noble prince then saw he was [in] some sort of hall, / inhospitable, where no water reached; / a vaulted roof kept the rushing flood from coming down; / he saw firelight, / a flickering blaze, bright glaring flames. // then he saw the witch of the sea-floor, / towering mere-wife” (1510-9)
“They then left that place by the narrow path. / They marched glad-hearted, followed the trail, / reached familiar ground” (1632-4)
1. Grendel's mother being described as "war-thirsty" is not a good thing. The text demonstrates when war is justified and when it is not justified, due to the devastation it can cause. Being described as "war-thirsty" means that Grendel's mother seeks out war whenever she can, which would not be a justified cause for war. On page 139, Beowulf is described as being a "warrior Geat", the "strongest man of champions", and a "man of the War-Geats". This indicates that Beowulf and his people are known for being warriors and for fighting in wars. This would mean that they fought in enough wars to gain that reputation. Fighting that many wars could mean that many of the wars were not justified and were instead fought for power or glory. In that case, the text draws parallels between Beowulf and Grendel's mother, who are both fighting unjustified wars.
ReplyDelete2. The place where Grendel's mother lives is described as joyless, unfamiliar, and unknown. Its bleak description seems to be the opposite of Heorot, which is lively, joyful, and full of gold and treasures. This serves to demonstrate the contrast between Heorot and the Danes, which are known and familiar, and Grendel's mother and her lair, which is unfamiliar and unknown. This could be used to show how Beowulf and his men venture into an unknown territory full of unknown dangers to take revenge, and how this was not a wise decision to make.
1. Grendel’s mother being described as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing, because she is also described as wicked and evil, and her “war-thirst” drives her to kill one of Hrothgar’s close friends. Beowulf is described as “battle-furious” and “savage in battle-lust,” during his fight with Grendel’s mother. This belligerent, evocative diction is meaningful because it parallels Beowulf to Grendel’s mother. This parallelism seems to suggest that the actions of both characters were wrong, as they propagated a cycle of violence that resulted in more death and destruction. War was an important part of this society, and while waging war in defense of a fallen comrade was thought to be honorable, the text seems to suggest that killing to punish an act of killing is no better than killing in the first place, as it accomplishes the same end.
ReplyDelete2. Grendel’s mother’s home is described as being filled with water, “unknown,” and populated by strange, unnatural monsters. These descriptions might suggest that in deciding to go where Grendel’s mother lives, Beowulf and his men are entering the world of the unnatural and the unknown. The description of the hall where Grendel’s mother is waiting for Beowulf also draws parallels to Hrothgar’s hall. This might function as a poetic commentary on battle itself because it suggests that the two sides of a battle are similar, thus neither side can be completely good or completely evil. Therefore, Grendel’s mother is paralleled to Hrothgar, in that maybe the only reason she is waging war against the Gaets is to honor and avenge her son who they killed. Beowulf and his men are then paralleled to Grendel and his mother, as they are entering an enemy’s home with the intent of causing death and destruction. The parallelism between the two settings also might suggest that the known/unknown “worlds” are defined only by one’s perception, and not by the actual reality of the spaces. Beowulf and his men feel stark unfamiliarity and unease in the “unknown” land of Grendel’s mother, and are relieved when they finally leave. Despite the similarities to their homeland, the men are blinded by the apparent “evil” of the place and unable to recognize it in any way.
Grendel's mother being described as war-thirsty is not a good thing. When she is described as someone that wants revenge, she is described with negative diction. Moreover, as the poet describes Beowulf and the Geats on page 139
ReplyDelete, he makes them sound like the victims in the battle; he justifies their violence toward Grendel's mother. This is important because it emphasizes the poet's goal to illustrate the flaws in the heroic code. The society only justifies war or violence when they deem necessary, but perceive it as something malicious when it is done to them.
ReplyDeleteGrendel's mom being described as war thirsty is not a good thing. This means she is always looking for violence without any reason, which beowulf criticizes. The Geats are described as battle-furious, battle-lusting, and bold. He is also descirbed as a champion. These words have different implications than “War thirsty”. War thirsty comes off as blood thirsty, menacing, and looking to provoke a fight. Battle furious, meanwhile, implies that the Geats are simply trying to be brave and fight off her evil.
2. Grendel’s moms home is described as dark, dingy, and unknown. It presents as a foreign, scary place, that is devoid of human life. This suggests that Beowulf and his warriors decision to go into her home is one of bravery. They don't know what awaits them. This parallels to the setting of the dragons cave. Both are dark, lonely places that humans shouldn't venture into. This could be a commentary on the battle itself because in order to fight these battles, the warriors have to go into a dark place. They have to go into the root of these problems, where Grendel's mom and the dragon live. This suggests that they have to become evil, in a way, in order to fight the battle against evil. They have to seek out violence and war in the way Grendel's mom and the dragon would. It suggests that maybe Grendel and his mom, and Beowulf and his warriors aren't so different after all. This also is the difference between the natural and unnatural world. The natural world presents the known, while the unnatural presents the scary, but just because you know something, that doesn't automatically make it good.
1. Grendel’s mom being described in a “war-thirsty” way is not seen as a good thing. Grendel’s mom fights to avenge her son’s death, but the poet’s attitude toward her approach is that it is not worth it because all it does lead to more death. This leads to an unending cycle of war and grief happening over and over again. Beowulf and the Geats are described as the War-Geats, grouping them in a similar category as Grendel’s mom using the word “war” to describe them. The poet uses words like battle-furious, combat-hardened, strongest, warrior. This diction exemplifies the poet’s strong dislike and disapproval of war. However, when Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s mom it is seen as more justified because it is against evil/villain to protect the people.
ReplyDelete2. The setting of where Grendel’s mother lives is described as a cave that is an unknown and strange place that is dark, evil cold, gray, and joyless. These descriptions suggest that this is not a good place to be and that no one knows what they’re getting themselves into. Grendel’s mom’s cave is a place of mystery where no man has gone before, and no one knows what it is like. This parallel’s to the dragon’s cave later in the poem where Beowulf goes to fight. This parallelism shows that it is unsafe to go to battle in places where one is unfamiliar and unaware. This lack of knowledge can stand for Beowulf’s lack of wisdom in that he is reckless in courage and does not always think of the greater good when he goes to figth, but instead thinks of the glory he will gain through winning the battle.
1. The poet suggests that Grendel's mother being described as "war-thirsty" is not a good thing. In the section when the scop speaks about the Finns and how the battle brought war and violence to all, the scop is suggesting that it is not a good thing to be "war-thirsty". The text criticizes war and says that war affects everyone; it affects the soldiers fighting and the soldiers' relatives and family back home. This is also suggesting that violence because of revenge is bad and war is unjustified because of the consequences of the motivation. Since Grendel's mother is fighting because she is seeking revenge for what Beowulf did to her son, the poet is suggesting that this is not a good thing. The poet describes Beowulf and the Geats as "battle-furious", "victory-bright", "bold", and "strong". This description is meaningful because the diction suggests that the soldiers are all-powerful and are ready to destroy Grendel's mom.
ReplyDelete2. She lives in a dark cave underwater. It is described as somewhere that has never been explored and it is filled with strange creatures. The speaker is juxtaposing the known with the unknown. It suggests that Beowulf and Grendels mom have more in common than we think. Both kill, both want revenge, both protect their family, but the difference is that grendels mom is evil when she does it whole Beowulf is heroic and praised when he does it. The poet says that the known worlds are lively and happy and refers to the light motif, while when he speaks about the unknown worlds, he is using the dark motif and refers to them as dark, dull, and ominous places. He suggests that the known worlds are common to people and are inviting whereas the unnatural placed are not inviting and are scary. It also suggests that Beowulf and the warrior's are willing to risk their lives to protect their people, but also to maintain their reputation. This setting might be a parallel to where the strange creatures live which is described as dark and unknown. This might suggest that this battle is going to be a hard-fought one. Grendel's mother will be difficult to defeat, but Beowulf and his men might have a chance.
1. Grendel’s mom being described as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing because it implies that she is reckless and too eager for violence and battle. Similar to Finn’s characterization, Grendel’s mother continues the cycle of violence and destruction, as encouraged by the Heroic Code, which the poet criticizes and denounces. The poet describes Beowulf and the Geats as “War Geats” and “battle furious", which provides a parallel between Beowulf and Grendel’s mom that compares both of their recklessness and eagerness for war and violence, which the poet suggests are unjustifiable reasons for battle.
ReplyDelete2. Grendel’s mom’s living place is described as joyless, unknown, and filled with creepy and strange monsters. This description suggests that Beowulf and his warriors are very brave and heroic to travel to this unknown and mysterious place where Grendel’s mother lives, but also that they reckless and unsure about their travels and what the outcome of the battle may entail. This can be compared to the Mead Hall, which is described as joyful, filled with community, and well-known. This comparison provides a juxtaposition to comment on exile’s detriments and horrors and what a joyless and unknown place it can be, like Grendel’s mother’s living place. Furthermore, it comments on the
1. I believe that she is described as war thirsty. Similar to how Finn is looked down upon for turning to war and therefore exemplifying a “fierce sword evil” Grendel’s mother is described as “fierce and kill greedy”. The scop
ReplyDeleteuses this diction in order to describe these as negative events that took place because war and the heroic code as bad things. Whereas the heroic code may use the word fierce to describe a man who is courageous and battles many others in order to gain faith and wealth, the scop here uses fierce in a negative connotation. When war is described throughout the epic when Beowulf and the Geats participate in war and battle words like “warrior” and “victory bright blade” are used in comparison to “sharp weapon” and “water-devil” when describing Grendel’s mother. This goes to show that because Beowulf and the Geats represent those in the community that are fighting based on what they have learned from the Heroic code their fights are viewed as part of the community and what is best for the Kingdom, therefore justifying war. However, when Grendel or Grendel’s mother is discussed war is not justified due to the fact that they are exiled members of society and outcasts who simply bring trouble to the community. Beowulf is viewed as a hero who saves kingdoms while Grendel’s family is viewed as monsters who destroy these kingdoms. Both fight battles and take lives, yet the war and deaths are viewed in different lights depending on what side they are on.
2. The descriptions of her home suggest that they are going to a place similar to hell. With references to snakes and the home of the “water devil” one can identify that the men are trespassing into a dangerous area where they do not belong. Similar to the story of creation when Eve goes into the garden that she should’t and is tempted by the snake, the men travel into the unknown area where they encounter chaos and evil just as Eve did. This can also be a reference to the story of Cain and Abel told in the beginning of the text. The story mentions that the unholy spirt was “fierce and ravenous” once again using fierce as a bad thing that brings reckless behavior. The darkness where Cain and all of his offspring are from is parallel to Grendel’s mother’s home, an empty cave where “no water reached” (water can be seen as a symbol of life). The battle itself can therefore be viewed as (didn't finish :/ )
1. No, I think it is similar to how Finn is described. Both of their motivations is to fight war vengeance , which are both unjustified. Their fighting is unjustified since they are both seeking revenge for their purposes and not for the good of the rest of the community. The diction that is used to describe Beowulf glorifies his action. The text uses words such as bold,strongest, combat-hardened and battle-furious. These words describe Beowulf as if he is the Hero and not the villain. His actions are justified in the text because he is fighting evil, which is Grendel's mom . It does not seem to describe Beowulf as a someone who is interested in pursuing his own interests, but the interests of the people. Anything Beowulf does is far r and for a good reason.
ReplyDelete2. The description suggests that the warrior's decision to go to where Grendel's mother lives is that they are courageous and determined to go anywhere to evil, even if it's unknown and mysterious. The place where Grendel's mother loves is juxtaposed to Heorot. Where Grendel's mother lives is joyless and unknown, and Heorot is is joyful known to everyone. This functions as commentary on battle itself, in that battle can take one anywhere. Also, since Grendel's mother is from the unknown world, she is outlasted and seen as a villain, whereas Beowulf and his men are seen as great and familiar becaus they from the known world. Character like Grendel's mother are victims of othering so they are cast aside and seen as unnatural or ignored.
Grendel’s mother being described as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing because she is already characterized as evil. Her war-thirst is negative because she wants to harm the protagonists, the warriors. The poet describes Beowulf as “the warrior Geat” (l 1538), and says that he is “battle furious” (l 1539). These two descriptions are equally as savage as the description of Grendel’s mother, but since it is Beowulf, the connotation is more glorious and powerful. It shows that Beowulf and his people are strong and more capable of victory than other groups, motivated by their rage and skill.
ReplyDeleteThese descriptions of Grendel’s mother’s dwelling suggest that Beowulf and his men are venturing bravely into the unknown, uncharted world. They are at the forefront of discovery, bravest men around, because no one else would dare to enter such a strange, unknown place. The location parallels the dragon’s cave. Both the dragon and Grendel’s mother live in caves and hoard treasures that men cannot even begin to imagine. The parallelism employed functions as poetic commentary on the battle itself by demonstrating that this battle is not unique, that there will always be a fight that transpires between two sides in a similar setting until the end of time. It also shows that Grendel’s mother is not a unique nemesis. There will always be an enemy like Grendel’s mother to fight the good. It comments on Beowulf and his men by saying that the brave are always the ones who will seek out enemies, and though there is no shortage of evil in the world, theres are a select few who are courageous enough to battle the evil. The poem comments on the natural/known world as safe and pleasant, versus the unnatural/unknown worlds as foreign and frightening.
1) Considering the context of the scop of King Finn, the author describing Grendel’s mom as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing. Because King Finn was “war-minded”, he brought evil into his kingdom. Grendel’s mom being war-thirsty will bring unfortunate luck to her and her home. On page 139, the author describes Beowulf’s victory over Grendel’s mom as a heavenly victory; God helped him out in this battle. In the next page, we see Hrothgar and his people leaving while Beowulf’s men stayed behind. They are very loyal to Beowulf.
ReplyDelete2) Where Grendel’s mom lives is hard to get to and very unfamiliar territory. This might suggest that the men are uncomfortable being there because it is unknown to them where they are. This juxtaposes Heorot, where it is very nice and familiar compared to where Grendel’s mom lives. This could describe how uncomfortable this new territory is to them and how they don’t know what will happen to them while they are in this unfamiliar spot.
1. Grendel’s mother description as “war thirsty” is not considered a positive characteristic because it is a title suggestive of her lust for the violence inflicted on the men. The warriors during Beowulf’s period considered violence a grotesque and evil thing when inflicted on their kin, but valued its effectiveness in dealing out vengeance. The description of Beowulf’s violence on page 139 is shown as almost holy and righteous. The diction used about his ability to survive Grendel’s Mother’s attacks makes it seem as if some godly intervention is occurring, wanting Beowulf to win. This description is significant because it demonstrates warriors significant difference between their opinion of violence inflicted on them and personally dealt violence.
ReplyDeleteTo describe Grendel mother as war-thirsty is true because that is how she is described by the poet, and to some extent this is a good thing because it shows that she is willing and ready to fight. On page 139 the poet seems to portray Beowulf and the Geats as fortunate because Grendel’s mother the war-thirsty woman she is succeeded in pinning Beowulf down to the ground and slashing across his chest only for her advances to be halted by the “hard ring-netting”, and then he was miraculously able to find a sword in the middle of a battle that could defeat anything and anyone. The way the words are phrased makes the whole page seem very dramatic and unrealistically lucky towards Beowulf.
ReplyDeleteThe setting Grendel’s mother is described in is bleak and inhospitable, these descriptions describe Beowulf and the warriors as courageous for going to a place they know nothing of. You can compare the desolate area to a place full of mirth and jewels, Heorot.
The setting where Grendel's mother lives is described as a cold, joyless, and strange place. This suggests that the place where she lives is unfamiliar to Bewoulf and the warriors as they show their discomfort with a place that is differen to what they are used to: othering. This shows that they are hesitant to travel to where she lives. Another setting that acts as a parallel to where Grendel's mother lives is the mead hall. The mead-hall is a familiar place and therefore viewed to be like home. This could function as social commentary by suggesting that Beowulf and the warriors fall into human nature as they ostracize the unfamiliar, Grendel's mother.
ReplyDelete1. Describing Grendel's mom as "war thirsty" is not a good thing. She has been implicated as evil throughout her entire characterization so why would this line be any different. Her war thirst is to unjustly avenge her son and attack the protagonists in the piece. While the heroic code does support vengeance, in many ways, Grendel started it, and as the two descendants of Cain are on the side of the dark, their vengeance is evil and not right. On page 139, Beowulf is described as battle-furious. While this may seem similar to the term war-thirsty the former is a direct result of the vengeance Grendel's mother has sought. Beowulf is now retaliating in their fight and is beyond angry, however it is not a result of his own lust for battle but a direct effect of Grendel's mother's attacks. Christianity does not support unprompted violence, but as Beowulf is the hero, his fury is seen as justified and therefore Christian in nature.
ReplyDeleteThe domain Grendel's mother inhabits is characterized as dark, dangerous, and full of unsightly and unnatural things. In layman's terms, she lives in a cave beneath a lake. However in Beowulf she lives in a lake almost of fire, and filled with monsters of all sorts. This description turns the mere into a realm of mystery and fright. By describing it this way it infers that Beowulf and the warrior's decisions to venture there is one of bravery and discovery. This lake is a place where no one has come out alive: there is no prior knowledge of theists that inhabit it or the geography under the water, and yet the men take heart and voyage onward. This parallels the dragon's cave,a s both are places relatively untouched by man. They are both accursed and dark, however through the actions of heroes they are alight (a light shines out of the cave after Beowulf defeats Grendel's mother, the dragons cave is explored and lit up by candle light as Wiglaf and the other thanes mourn Beowulf's death). These descriptions tell us that monsters dwell in the shadows, and the only way to bring goodness or light to these far reaches of the earth through heroism. These two setting represent the unknown world while places such as the mead hall represent the known world. The known world is a place of joy and laughter and happiness, while the unknown world is terrifying and dangerous. When the two cross paths (i.e. Grendel in the mead hall) fear and turmoil are spawned. However, while the known world is a place of comfort, it is in the unknown world where one achieves their greatest accomplishments, building their reputation far and wide.
Grendel's mother being described as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing. Morally, it shows when and how war is justified, for example when a loved one is lost. Although that may be the case in this event, revenge is a terrible game that is a continuous spiral that causes deeper wounds. Beowulf and the Geats use a negative tone to describe the anger and lust for revenge for her beloved son.
ReplyDeleteGrendel's mother lives in a dark cave where no light can reach. One could assimilate this with the idea of Hell. By going to Hell, they seem to be going to fight the devil and his followers. This goes off to show the fight between the parallels of the devil and Jesus as Beowulf and Grendel and later his mother.
1. In a later part of the poem Finn is described as "war-minded" which is characterized as negative because he brought evil to his own people through death, and destruction when he decided to engage in battle. This shows that describing Grendel's mother as war-thirsty is not a positive thing because everything associated with war and violence ultimately ends up hurting not only the people the violence was enacted on but one's own community as well. One's community also receives the effects of grief and possible physical destruction of their land as well as the enemy. During another part of the poem as Beowulf is battling Grendel's mother he is described as "battle-furious" and every action he commits is war related, for example, his "war-strokes". This gives the impression that the motive for all of his actions is the need to be successful in battle rather than the protection of others.
ReplyDelete2. Grendel's mother's home is described as joyless, cold, dark, and strange, yet at the same time nobody is really certain of how it is because few have dared to travel there. This suggests that Beowulf and his men are extremely courageous and brave because they have volunteered not only to defeat an evil being, but to travel into the unknown as well. This location is paralleled to the mead hall as well as causes a juxtaposition in the text between the unknown and known. The mead hall is the place where Grendel and his mother come and kill the Geatish people in a gory and violent way. In contrast to Grendel's mother's home the mead hall is characterized as a joyous place used for celebration within a community. Suggesting that the known is a place where people communicate in an including way whereas the unknown is used for the isolated and exiled. This commentates on the battle itself between Grendel's mother and Beowulf saying that each side of the battle is not fully good nor fully evil because each side holds the same aspects of their enemy.
Grendel's mother being described as "war-thirsty" is not a good thing. The scop has characterized war in the past as having destructive tendencies. Finn who was also described as "war-minded" ended up meeting his end due to the hands of war and revenge. Because of the negative nature that the scop seems to be placing on war, it is fair to say that Grendel's mother being described as "war-thirsty" is not a good thing. The description of Beowulf and the Geats is shown by the text to be meaningful. The poet uses different more positive diction to show the fight between Grendel and Beowulf's mother. The poet characterizes the Geats by war by using the words "War-Geats", however when describing Beowulf as he's fighting Grendel's mom uses "the strongest man of champions afoot" to characterize Beowulf. The poet's diction suggests that war in relation to Beowulf does not mean the same thing in relation to Grendel's mom. She is described as having a thirst and a need for war that is shown by the poet in a negative connotation. Beowulf is seen as a champion that is fighting on the side of God.
ReplyDeleteThe description of where Grendel's mom lives suggests that the decision to go to was reckless due to the fact that they are in an unknown place with unknown creatures. They decide to go to the unknown place knowing they have know clue of what they are expecting. This also functions to show that the natural world such as the mead-hall and Heorot are seen as normal places that are synonymous to community but unknown places are seen as dangerous and are seen as evil and reclusive. This may show that the text demonstrates that places that are unknown are villanized by society in contrast to known places which are seen as normal.
2. Humans are naturally afraid and uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and unknown. Grendel’s Mother’s home is both of these things and the warriors decision to travel with Beowulf there is meant to emphasize their courage a lust for revenge. Her home is a complete contrast to Heorot where familiarity and comfort are feelings that are ever present and appreciated by the people. However, it parallels to the cave of the dragon where there are boards of gold and men would never even dream of venturing until Beowulf calls them all to arms. It is under the leadership of Beowulf that adds to the poetic commentary of the battle, describing the warriors as drawing strength and courage from him.
ReplyDeleteGrendel's mom being "war thirsty is not a positive thing. Since she is war thirsty, Grendel's mom really enjoys partaking in warfare, even if she doesn't have a reason to. In this case, she is fighting out of anger that her son is dead. This is not justified, as Grendel is already dead, and there is nothing she can do about it. She has a lot of rage and hatred inside of her and she takes it out on the people in the meadhall.
ReplyDeleteThe author describes Grendel’s mom’s home using words such as stony, narrow, unknown, dangerous, and water. This shows that the soldiers who came to her home were brave, because it does not seem welcoming. The description might also show that the battle might have been easier for Grendel’s mom since it was on her turf. Therefor, the soldiers worked really hard to win the battle, as they were at a disadvantage since there were not familiar with the land.
1. Grendel's mother being described as “war-thirsty” is not a good thing because it gives her a negative connotation, especially since earlier in Beowulf, the scop uses a story to try to show the men in the mead hall how destructive war is to all people. The scop criticizes the heroic code in this story and attempts to teach the men in the mead hall a lesson. When the scop calls Finn “war-minded,” his intention is to portray Finn negatively, that evil was brought to his home because he is “war-minded.”
ReplyDeleteBeowulf and his people are described as valiant and “bold” (1563) when engaging in combat against Grendel’s mother. This description is meaningful because it shows the favor the speaker has towards Beowulf and heroes in general by using positive diction to describe the violence they are inflicting versus using negative diction to portray Grendel’s mother.
2. These descriptions of where Grendel’s mother lives suggests in terms of Beowulf and the warriors’ decision to go to where Grendel’s mother lives that the men are brave to venture into such an unknown and weird world, but also that they may be hesitant because they have never experienced a place like where Grendel’s mother lives. The speaker uses “othering” to set up the portrayal of the place where Grendel’s mother lives as a place to attack because it is different from what the men know, therefore it is evil and must be fought and defeated. This is parallel to where the dragon lives because of the diction used that hints at an unknown place, such as “hidden” (2243) and “barrow” (2241). This functions as poetic commentary by setting up the end result of the battle. Because the speaker uses this diction to predict that because the dragon and Grendel’s mother place is unknown/unnatural, it automatically makes them a lesser opponent to Beowulf and capable of being defeated. There is juxtaposition between where Grendel’s mother lives and the mead hall because it sets up the situation of the unnatural/unknown world versus the natural/known world. The speaker uses words such as “strange” to describe where Grendel’s mother lives which implies the sense of unknown, therefore evil while the mead hall is described as a place of familiarity and community, where brotherhood is celebrated and happiness encouraged.
1: The poet describes Grendel's mother as "war-thirsty," which is not a good thing. She wants revenge against those who killed her son, which the speaker understands to be unjustified war. Retaliating against those who have hurt your loved ones causes a cycle of revenge, which is seen to be unjustified in war. Similarly, Beowulf and his warriors are described as "War-Geats," suggesting that they participate in this cycle of revenge by seeking battle against Grendel's mother, after she killed one of their men. Both Grendel's mother and Beowulf are viewed as taking part in unjustified war by seeking revenge.
ReplyDelete2: Grendel's mother's home is described as a dark, unknown place. Because it is an unknown, unnatural place that no man has seen, Beowulf and his warriors most likely decided to go there to reveal this unknown place and see it for themselves. Her cave is a dark, unknown place, which is a parallel to the dragon's cave later in the story. The dragon's cave is also described as "unknown to men." Both of these places are similarly described, showing that they are parallels. This functions as poetic commentary by viewing the known, such as the mead-hall, as natural, whereas the unknown is unnatural and not normal.