Jessica Dudman
Ms. Peifer
10 IB
12-9-08
Many values in this tale are repeated and reinforced. One such values is that of personal bravery and pride. "I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away" (Heaney 2535-2537). This sort of ideal is very prevalent through out the story and shows the societies favoritism towards the overly brave. Another less prevalent one shown in this section is loyalty. "we pledged our loyalty to our lord in the hall, promised our ring-giver we would be worth our price" (2634-2626). Which is a bit odd for in many cultures loyalty to a leader is one of the most prevalent values.
This section of the story has some differences from the others. The most obvious ones are the fact that after this fight Beowulf dies, and he had assistance in defeating the monster. "he caught the hero in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs into his neck. Beowulf's body ran wet with his life-blood" (2690-2693). Beowulf's death befitted a hero like him. One of his kinsmen helped him defeat the dragon. "now the youth was to enter the line of battle with his lord" (2625-2626). The kinsmen made it possible for Beowulf to defeat the dragon but he had never need assistance before.
Beowulf lived his long life well by their values and he was given a death appropriate to that. "After many trials, he was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world; as was the dragon" (2341-2343). This foreshadows that Beowulf and the dragon would kill one another which is a respectable death for a warrior with the added pride of being able to take down their foe with their last act on Earth. "for the king, this would be the last of his many labours and triumphs in the world" (2709-2711). This adds a kind of bittersweet tone but also implies that it was a good death.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Beowulf LRJ #2
Jessica Dudman
Ms. Peifer
10 IB
12-9-08
This tale is full of societal values. "It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning" (Heaney 1384-1385).This encouragement of revenge shows a strong value on pride, specifically a warriors pride. It is different from some other cultures in which forgiveness is encouraged. The also felt that it was necessary to do great thing before they die, "Let whoever can win glory before death" (1387-1388). This implies that what ever their belief in the after life is it is connected to how much they achieve while they are alive.
Beowulf was such an amazing, one of a kind hero and to make that really clear to the audience they gave him some unrealistic abilities. "It was the best part of a day before he could see the solid bottom" (1495-1496). Here Beowulf is swimming to the bottom of the lake in full armor, with his weapons and it takes him most of the day to do it. No one else could do that because they would need to breathe. Another point in the story makes it even clearer just how special Beowulf is, "only Beowulf could wield it in battle" (1562). And now Beowulf is going to kill the monster with a giant sword.
There are lots of interesting phrasings in the story but one of my favorites is, "Bear up and be the man I excpect you to be" (1395-1396). Part of the reason this line is so amusing is because our current society has a similar phrase but it is more often used as a joke. It also shows a societal value and adds to the tone of the story. Another line I enjoy is, "the dismal wood, mountain trees growing out at an angle above grey stones" (1414-1416). The detail in this quote is wonderful, it is very easy to imagine what that place looked like and it adds more af a feeling of forboding to the story.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Beowulf LRJ #1
Jessica Dudman
Ms. Peifer
10 IB
12-5-08
The values in This Old English society have a lot of focus on war and fighting but they also have other interesting ideals. For instance the have a lot of emphasis on respect and giving freely to others, "a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him" (Heaney 24). This shows that in their society it was important to be respectful for one wouldn't do well in a fight if they had no friends to help them. They also had interesting burial practices. "launched him alone out over the waves... bewailing him and mourning their loss" (Heaney 46-49). They sent the body out on the water towards the next life, all though they didn't seem particularly worried about what happened to the body and goods afterwards.
Alliteration is an interesting way of getting a readers attention and it shows more of the oral tradition which the original story was. one such alliteration is, "the path to power among people" (Heaney 24). The emphasis on the words starting with p connect the important ideas in the line. It emphasises the desire for power and influence while also later giving advice on how it should be gained. An other alliteration connects the warrior mind set of the culture to the family, "four times a father, this fighter prince" (Heaney 59). the combination of fighter and father really catches the eye, and adding four implies that he is a blessed father because he is a fighter.
Kennings are used often in the tale and they can be a bit confusing for some of the phrases don't quite match up with modern phrasing. On the other hand they give a lot of descriptive detail. "that dark death-shadow" (Heaney 160). This is describing Grendel and is a forbidding and accurate description. The Old English language often had many kennings for just one noun. For example the sea could be, "the swan's road" (Heaney 200). All though swans don't swim in the ocean it gives a sense of beauty to the idea it represents. One kenning that sounds odd when translated to modern English is, "word-hoard" (Heaney 258). It stands for speech or the character's knowledge of words but it just doesn't quite sound the same.
Ms. Peifer
10 IB
12-5-08
The values in This Old English society have a lot of focus on war and fighting but they also have other interesting ideals. For instance the have a lot of emphasis on respect and giving freely to others, "a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him" (Heaney 24). This shows that in their society it was important to be respectful for one wouldn't do well in a fight if they had no friends to help them. They also had interesting burial practices. "launched him alone out over the waves... bewailing him and mourning their loss" (Heaney 46-49). They sent the body out on the water towards the next life, all though they didn't seem particularly worried about what happened to the body and goods afterwards.
Alliteration is an interesting way of getting a readers attention and it shows more of the oral tradition which the original story was. one such alliteration is, "the path to power among people" (Heaney 24). The emphasis on the words starting with p connect the important ideas in the line. It emphasises the desire for power and influence while also later giving advice on how it should be gained. An other alliteration connects the warrior mind set of the culture to the family, "four times a father, this fighter prince" (Heaney 59). the combination of fighter and father really catches the eye, and adding four implies that he is a blessed father because he is a fighter.
Kennings are used often in the tale and they can be a bit confusing for some of the phrases don't quite match up with modern phrasing. On the other hand they give a lot of descriptive detail. "that dark death-shadow" (Heaney 160). This is describing Grendel and is a forbidding and accurate description. The Old English language often had many kennings for just one noun. For example the sea could be, "the swan's road" (Heaney 200). All though swans don't swim in the ocean it gives a sense of beauty to the idea it represents. One kenning that sounds odd when translated to modern English is, "word-hoard" (Heaney 258). It stands for speech or the character's knowledge of words but it just doesn't quite sound the same.
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