In chapter two of Grendel, Grendel gets trapped in a tree.While in that tree he learned or understood three things about life.For example he states, “...I understand the emptiness in the eyes of those humpbacked shapes back in the cave” (Grendel 21). He can now relate to those who suffered in his cave until they became a pile of bones.Also while Grendel was stuck in the tree he , “ understood that the world was nothing” (Grendel 21). To him all we do is pose our hopes and fears to a “mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity” (Grendel 22). The last thing Grendel got out of his experience is that “I alone exist” (Grendel 22). He makes this last statement because he has been calling upon anyone to come to his rescue and no one has arrived.…
In the book Grendel, the author made the decision to use the character Grendel as the narrator. He knew that the readers would understand more about Grendel’s feelings. To know the real Grendel, you need to read it from his point of view, not anyone else’s. The story made more sense because it was written in stream of consciousness. Stream of consciousness means that the author writes down everything that he is thinking. In Grendel we got to read everything from his heart, his true feelings about everything. The story would have been really different if we hadn’t gotten to see who he was and what he was all about.…
In the novel “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, the author writes about a young boy named Max who wreaks havoc while wearing a wolf costume. He is told to go to sleep by his mother, and he soon is transported into a jungle. He finds a boat and sails to a land inhabited by ferocious monsters called “Wild Things” where he is crowned king because he is the wildest one of all. He holds an event where his kingdom can go wild, and he soon decides to go home. Despite the Wild Thing’s dismay, he goes home and finds that his mom brought his supper and it was warm. A leader who disciplines…
Meanwhile this can be followed by the idea of hope for the world that lies within Grendel. This hope provides evidence for Grendel’s lack of damnable intentions. This is demonstrated during his time spent with the dragon, pages fifty-seven through seventy-four. The dragon is largely selfish and nihilistic, however Grendel refuses to believe the negativity presented by the dragon. On page seventy, one may read the dragon speaking of all of the world being consigned to oblivion. That is, he states that eventually all current occurrences will be meaningless. “You don't know that!” Grendel simply debates. Additionally, page seventy-one the dragon is speaks of the little to no effect that even an apocalyptic age would have on the world over time.…
In the beginning of the novel, Grendel declares his hatred towards his surroundings. "The sky ignores me Him too I hate, the same as I hate these brainless, budding trees, these brattling birds" (6). It seems that his addiction to hatred leaves Grendel impermeable to any outside guidance. Through mainly intimidation, Grendel never lets others communicate. His mother, for instance, is completely mute and riddled with anxiety in his presence. Grendel's stubborn ways begin to wane as the Shaper emerges. Before, Grendel never listened to anyone, he only talked to himself. "Talking, talking, spinning a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin" (15). Then, the Shaper comes with his well-versed stories and Grendel is fascinated. Suddenly, it becomes apparent that emotion, communication and expression are the remedy to infinite sadness. As the Shaper plays for only Hrothgar at a distance, the powerful expression of his song lures Grendel out of hopelessness and into happiness. "My heart was light with Hrothgar's goodness, and leaden with grief at my own bloodthirsty ways" (48). The music makes such an impression on Grendel, because he is now disgusted by his old, vicious ways. The Shaper's expression is legendary to Grendel; it causes the first diverge from his…
Summary: In the very first chapter of the novel, Grendel is being introduced as any ordinary monster you could imagine, rage filled and rowdy. He describes to the reader an encounter with a ram that, despite being yelled at and violently threatened, ignores him and continues on with his ram-like activities. After throwing a rock and screaming towards the sky in…
The story focuses on Grendel’s different philosophies of thought. He observes the local humans, the Scyldings’ development as a civilization and as individuals. His first encounters with the outside world are both bewildering and melancholy. His encounter with a bull and humans leads to his search for personal meaning and his desire to torment the humans. All these things show that Grendel is not a monster, but a non-human who possesses human-like qualities, such as emotion and thoughts.…
Continuing, this now leads to the next point. That is, the curiosity found in Grendel helps to prove his actual morality. This is shown through his observance of animals, nature, and humans. The first example of this can be located on page six. Here Grendel is speaking of watching a bull go about it’s daily business. The bull mindlessly stares off into the distance, simply enjoying the cool breeze. With this, Grendel is agitated. “Why can’t these creatures discover a little dignity?” he ponders to himself. All throughout the recollection of Grendel’s life, he frequently mentions stopping to watch the sky and life around him. In a like manner, Grendel has also observed the humans. He found himself interested in the human impact on the environment…
Grendel has a difficult time trying to find his place in his own world, and this is made even more difficult by watching the brute, unthinking creatures who seemed to live and breathe without one iota of angst. Towards the end of the novel every piece of mechanical imagery comes together when the goat arrives. Even as it is injured, bleeding, and dying, the goat keeps climbing forward. Unlike the ram, which frustrates Grendel, and the bull, which amuses him, the goat haunts him with its mindless persistence. As the goat keeps climbing toward its imminent death, it also foreshadows Grendel’s upcoming death. While Grendel scorns the stupidity of nature, the novel also asks us to consider whether Grendel, who goes willingly to Beowulf, though…
In the novel Grendel, by John Gardner, portrays Grendel's characteristics altering as he meets new characters; throughout his journey to mankind. Mankind teaches him vast new knowledge he's never understood. His nihilistic and solipsism is formed through the characters in the novel; envy and anger are also shown. He plays big roles in terrifying the Danes and somewhat of the Geats; they mold him into the monster they fear the most. The characters, shaper, man, and the dragon shape Grendel into the monster he so desires. They teach him of lies, false glory, brutality, never ending violence, and wisdom.…
Grendel views the world as an open space of “nothingness” to which he entered, to which the nothingness where it must end. He comes to the realization that his own, along with every other individuals existence is merely just a flash in time, "in a billion billion billion years, everything will have come and gone several times, in various forms" (page70). He possesses the belief that all men are mechanical. He is given the opportunity to observe and study them, introducing him to the idea of conformity, with the desire that he too can find meaning in this…
The city of Chicago was one of the worst places to be at during the 1960’s. No one had good paying jobs. The town alone was run down on the Southside.…
Gawaine Le Coeur-Hardy, a strong and easily deceivable young man, who is forgetful, cowardly, and naive is perceived as incapable of completing any task. Throughout the story “The Fifty-First Dragon” written by Heywood Broun, Gawaine is shown as a cowardly boy who attends a school that is unlike any other. The professors at this school offer jousting classes and classes that teach their students how to kill dragons. Gawaine, too scared to involve himself in jousting, chooses to hide from his instructors leading him to almost be expelled. The professors of the school made the decision to have Gawaine become a dragon slayer. To their surprise Gawaine used his strength to kill off the dummy dragons with ease. When he was told that he could go out and kill his first dragon Gawaine asked if he could have a cap of invisibility due to the fact he was scared but his professors offered him a magic word instead. He then…
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” (H. P. Lovecraft). The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is set in a controversial religious part of history that uses strict morals and disquietude to install panic of the unknown. In The Crucible, the reader can see that Abigail is a depraved, vengeful, manipulative, evil minded young girl who uses fear and spite to dictate the world around her. Using her vengeful and nasty, unforgiving past of witnessing her parents getting bashed in the head right next to her pillow helped her form a wall to hurt others before they hurt her. To be above everyone else at all times by using her evil mind, malicious words is how she sees success and safety in herself.…
lake I call home. The night seems to match my soul as the darkness consumes around me and the…