Summery and Response of Webster’s Article on Archeology in Beowulf

This sets the foundation for the story and creates a basis for the characters to thrive upon.Beowulf is a story that can only teach us the pure meaning of things and how they reflect on one another.

For example, after a family has arrived on an unfamiliar environment through a rocket, n the text, it states, “The wind blew, whining. At any moment the Martian air might draw his soul from him, as marrow comes from a white bone.” This means that a party of humans had reached some environment that was unfamiliar because in the text we learn that the humans had emerged from a “rocket” that came from Earth and that they were currently in a “Martian” setting. Further into the text, when the family is told that they cannot return to their home, it states, “For a long time there was only the sound of the wind in the late afternoon. Alone, thought Bittering. Only a thousand of us here. No way back. No way. No way.” This text means that the humans who had approached Mars as their new home would be forever lost there, and this is because in the text we learn that “atom bombs hit New York,” causing all the “space rockets” to explode. This text also means that the silence that was roaming the family was due to the fact that they were speechless because in the text we learn how that their old and favored home was gone. This is important because it shows how the author chose to mention that the wind was whining, how the martian air was threatening, and only the sound of the wind because he wanted to lay out the mood of “foreboding” for the readers. Many of the decisions that the author made involving the mood were to include several minor details that add to the reader’s feelings and signal some upcoming events in the

Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye is about a character named Beowulf who has to fight evil by using strength, but by also using cleverness. Beowulf’s name means “bee hunter” and Beowulf loved bees. In the story a hall is built it is called Hall Heorot. “By day it towered above men’s heads like a second sun, so bright were it’s walls and roofs”(p. 5). Once the hall is made, a monster comes and eats people at night.

Beowulf is a story of great courage and triumph over adversity. But over the whole story there is a hanging sense of dread and impending death. This is shown by the sense of impending death, the strong sense of doom, and the nature of luck throughout the story. These play a mojo role in shaping how the story

Beowulf does not undergo much character development considering what he goes through. His personality and leadership traits remain static throughout the story unlike most other stories that involve a similar plotline. This both shows great strength as well as the inability to change which is often considered a weakness if this stillness is viewed without context. In the case of Beowulf this primarily brings out his strengths as a hero and allows the story to move at a quicker rate and not focus on character development, but on other aspects of the poem, this being the alliteration and beauty in the writing far beyond the plot itself. Beowulf is a consistently strong warrior that stays honorable through the poem, but just increases his levels of glory through each enemy defeated as well as each year of peace after he attains a full level of sovereignty.

Another literary element that offer meaning to the poem is imagery, by simply allowing the readers to envision the events of the story. In the first part of the story (129-134), Beowulf is described as coming over “seas beating at the sand” while “the ship foamed through the sea like a bird.” This scene truly guides the readers to admire the vivid description of how proud and tough the ship looks. This ship in this case, becomes a metonymy for Beowulf himself, who is certainly proud and strong, resulting in the readers’ admiration. Additional imagery is used describing the mere, or lake, discussed above, with “storms [an] waves splash[ing] towards the sky, as dark as the air as black as the rain that the heavens weep” (440-442). This clearly illustrates how dreadful Grendel and his mothers’ home is. It intensely aids us to picture how grotesquely unpleasant the lake actually is. Near the end of the tale (lines 651-653], Beowulf “[strides] with his shield at his side and a mail shirt of his breast….. Toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs.” While Beowulf awaits the battle, the description of his armor and the details of each entry help us to respect how ready he is for his concluding battle. Even as an elderly man, Beowulf is a hero beyond compare. In closing, the use of imagery greatly enriches the readers’ experience of this heroic epic.

Beowulf is influenced by the Anglo-Saxon time period as it has several characteristics of an epic poem. A characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon time period is the use of alliteration and kennings. This is used in the text to bring attention to certain areas of the poem. An example can be found on page 39, “as they willed, and you struggled seven long nights to survive,” (Raffel). This expression brings about the attention of the reader that Unferth was not as strong or manly as Beowulf. Similarly, the author uses kennings to make his writing colorful, thus attracting his readers. An example in the text is “light-of-battle” meaning sword. Another characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic hero.

Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history, it was originally written in Anglo-Saxon, and it was told orally with many literary devices so it could be remembered throughout generations. It shows what their society was based on back in the Anglo-Saxon era. Although throughout history the poem has been changed to fit our modern day society. For example, having different values and morals and how we look at religion has all changed. In the Beowulf poem and movie there are many similarities and differences in Religion, Characterization, and Morals it highlights the value and beliefs of each society.

4. Write a short paragraph about something from the class reading that reflects Anglo Saxon culture and/or belief

It takes Beowulf time in order to fully understand what makes him such a powerful warrior through the power of the Almighty God. He is able to defeat his enemies through the aid of God and his companions, for Beowulf now understands that he is never alone. The poet drives home the importance of religion and the importance of of noble behavior in order to praise the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture. This gives modern readers a good insight to what exactly the warrior life was like back in the Anglo-Saxon

Writers are often able to convey their messages and opinions on a subject of their interest or a piece of literary work. This can be done through either direct statements by the writer or done in a more secretive, discrete way. It is also possible for the reader to make his/her own judgments or interpretations based on the writings, whether the author wanted you to perceive it in that sense or not. There is this same idea present in the poem of Beowulf. Beowulf is believed to have originated between 700-750 AD, which was the 6th century. It is considered to be the first great work of English national literature. Some scholars believe that the original story of Beowulf was told by a Pagan, passed down through word

The purpose of Beowulf shines through it’s Old English roots. While reading the novel, the reader may notice the use of Old English on the left side pages. Although this may be confusing to some, to others it connects the book to the original ancient story that was portrayed in song form long ago. This connection to the past creates a sense of urgency to the new writing, as if the Old English writing, though meaning the same thing as the new writing, has importance to the overall story as a whole. Without the use of Old English in the novel, the overall purpose and importance of the story that was once told hundreds of years ago would begin to fade. The use of Old English also brings a seriousness to the novel, as though to remind those who read it that the words were once true to those who believed the stories. Thus leading the reader to believe that the story of Beowulf was made and explained out of honesty and made to inform the people that it was told to.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is said, "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people" (Beowulf 5). That being stated, it is very apparent throughout the entirety of the story. The main character, Beowulf, quickly comes to a position of power once defeating multiple atrocities and executing numerous heroic deeds. The people in the city admire Beowulf and abide to his ways; but once offered kingship, he declines. Throughout the epic poem, it is obvious that Beowulf would rather be a hero than a king because of the individual representation that comes with it, the rewards, and the self-reliant aspect.

Even though Beowulf serves as a primary document, it still, however, has a mystery behind it. Some of the

 We must dismiss, of course, from mind the notion that Beowulf is a “narrative poem,” that it tells a tale or intends to tell a tale sequentially. The poem “lacks steady advance”: so Klaeber heads a critical section in his edition.