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.
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