I agree with John Niles when he states that Beowulf "outdistances" the audience. As Niles states: "we know too little of his everyday humanity, his normal human feelings, to be able to see him as an extension of ourselves."
As an audience, we receive little insight about Beowulf's inner thoughts and emotions, and any information about his childhood is very subtle. His heroism is overly-done, and his strength and virtual perfectionism in his pride and loyalty set Beowulf on a scale much higher than our own. Modern readers are unable to relate to Beowulf because he is almost unreal. He is described as having the "strength of thirty men." He can outwit the most evil demon, Grendel, and even rip off the fiend's arm with his bare hands. This fantastic strength and confidence is unreal to modern readers.
In addition, the change in times may account for the lack of empathy for Beowulf. The setting of Beowulf was a time of a "shame culture," as Jones points out. The "vital principle is the pursuit of honor and avoidance of shame." Of course, in a time like this, pride, honor, and boasting, are valued. Nowadays, people do not appreciate people who are too proud. There is a disconnect in the time periods.
Something that I find interesting about Beowulf is that it seems to be over-analyzed. The poem has been criticized and dissected in every way possible, and people still cannot agree. As I have already stated, I believe that Beowulf is not a realistic human character. I find it a bit ridiculous that people go so far as to analyze his relationships with "father figures" and how they may have influenced his character. I think what is really needed to grasp the concept of this poem is an understanding of the setting and times, and the knowledge that pride and honor were the motivating forces that drove most every action of any "hero" of the time.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Monthly Blog 2
The authors of Beowulf and Grendel had colliding views about history and mankind. In Beowulf, men are portrayed as pure, honest, and valiant, where history is honored and respected. The author of Grendel, however, depicted men as wasteful, barbaric liars who changed history so that every respected man died with honor.
Originally in Grendel, Grendel just wanted to fit in with the humans. Then, throughout the outbreaks of wars, Grendel began to notice how cruel and truly inhumane the humans could be. Grendel noted in the story that the men were "wasteful" because they did not even eat the things they killed; they simply killed for the thrill of killing. The author of Grendel was also sure to include the way men boasted of themselves without end and how they beat women when the females "deserved" it. Grendel, the evil, malicious monster of Beowulf, was disgusted with the humans' behavior.
The author of Grendel furthered his belief that mankind is barbaric through his depiction of Beowulf. Grendel did not depict Beowulf as the brave hero like the poem did. In Grendel, Beowulf was described as a sincerely crazy man who was born to kill others. Beowulf supported the wars where creatures and men were uselessly murdered and left to rot. He was, by no means, a hero and was doubtingly even human in Grendel's eyes.
In addition, the author of Grendel believed that men change history to their liking. In the story, Grendel listens to the Shaper tell wonderful stories and poems about heroes and bravery and ancestry. But Grendel begins to realize that these stories are not all complete truths. When Unferth crawled up to Grendel's cave, Unferth stated that even if the others could not find his body and had no idea how he died, the Shaper would make it that he died with honor. No matter what the honest truth was, history could be altered to make a better poem. In Beowulf, the poems and stories and songs were where a lot of information about the past came from; it was all the reader had to make judgements from. So, the author of Beowulf either believed all the stories were true or thought nothing wrong in altering the facts of the past.
In conclusion, the author of Grendel differed from the author of Beowulf in that he felt mankind was far from heroic, and history is simply something that is tampered with in order to make it more pleasing.
Originally in Grendel, Grendel just wanted to fit in with the humans. Then, throughout the outbreaks of wars, Grendel began to notice how cruel and truly inhumane the humans could be. Grendel noted in the story that the men were "wasteful" because they did not even eat the things they killed; they simply killed for the thrill of killing. The author of Grendel was also sure to include the way men boasted of themselves without end and how they beat women when the females "deserved" it. Grendel, the evil, malicious monster of Beowulf, was disgusted with the humans' behavior.
The author of Grendel furthered his belief that mankind is barbaric through his depiction of Beowulf. Grendel did not depict Beowulf as the brave hero like the poem did. In Grendel, Beowulf was described as a sincerely crazy man who was born to kill others. Beowulf supported the wars where creatures and men were uselessly murdered and left to rot. He was, by no means, a hero and was doubtingly even human in Grendel's eyes.
In addition, the author of Grendel believed that men change history to their liking. In the story, Grendel listens to the Shaper tell wonderful stories and poems about heroes and bravery and ancestry. But Grendel begins to realize that these stories are not all complete truths. When Unferth crawled up to Grendel's cave, Unferth stated that even if the others could not find his body and had no idea how he died, the Shaper would make it that he died with honor. No matter what the honest truth was, history could be altered to make a better poem. In Beowulf, the poems and stories and songs were where a lot of information about the past came from; it was all the reader had to make judgements from. So, the author of Beowulf either believed all the stories were true or thought nothing wrong in altering the facts of the past.
In conclusion, the author of Grendel differed from the author of Beowulf in that he felt mankind was far from heroic, and history is simply something that is tampered with in order to make it more pleasing.
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