beowulf taking a stand essay

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An introduction to beowulf.

The long Old English heroic poem known to modern audiences as Beowulf is probably the most famous product of the rich literary tradition of Anglo-Saxon England (which flourished in the period c. 650-1100). The poem tells the story of Beowulf, a heroic warrior, and later king, of the Geats (a possibly mythical Scandinavian tribe). The events of the poem are set during the Germanic 'heroic age' - a period stretching from the fourth to the sixth century by modern reckoning but described by the poet simply as geardagas ('days of old').

During the course of the poem, the young Beowulf travels across the sea from his homeland in order to help the Danish King Hrothgar, whose people have suffered for twelve years at the hands (and teeth) of a man-shaped and man-eating creature known as Grendel. Having been graciously received by Hrothgar and promised great rewards, Beowulf awaits Grendel's coming by night in the royal hall Heorot. In a scene of great drama and suspense, the poet describes Grendel's approach out of the misty darkness, his sudden and violent entrance into the hall, and his ferocious hand-to-hand encounter with Beowulf. The hero is, of course, victorious, and the fight ends with Beowulf ripping off Grendel's arm at the socket and with Grendel fleeing back into the darkness, mortally wounded. The relief that this victory brings to the Danes is, however, short-lived, as the very next night Grendel's (unnamed and previously unmentioned) mother attacks the hall and kills one of Hrothgar's chief counsellors by way of revenge for her dead son. Once again, Beowulf is called into action, this time going on the offensive and descending through a mere into a subterranean cave-like hall to fight and ultimately kill this ferocious woman (described in the text as ides aglæcwif - 'a lady, a fearsome woman').

Beowulf's exploits amongst the Danes take up most of the first two-thirds of the 3,182 lines of the poem. In the remainder of the poem, Beowulf returns home to the Geats, where his hard-won glory is celebrated and rewarded by his uncle King Hygelac. Fifty years pass, and Beowulf, now an old man, is king of the Geats when his people are menaced by a fire-breathing dragon. Roused once more to heroic action, Beowulf leads an expedition to the dragon’s barrow, where he intends to fight the creature in single combat (as in the days of his youth and glory). The old king is, however, overmatched in his final battle. Seized by the neck in the dragon's mighty jaws, Beowulf is able to win victory only with the help of his young kinsman Wiglaf and at the cost of his own life. The poem ends in elegiac mood, as celebration of Beowulf's heroism mingles with lament for his death and with fearful predictions regarding the fate of his people.

Such a bare summary makes the plot and structure of the poem sound straightforward, but one of the distinctive characteristics of the artistry of Beowulf is the way in which the poet skilfully moves backwards and forwards along a linear narrative timeline, interweaving the main events of the poem with a plethora of inset and secondary narratives. Foreground and background merge in this consummate example of so-called 'interlace' structure, so that the exploits of Beowulf himself are inextricably immersed within a richer background of heroic legend. The success of this narrative technique is one of the many astounding features of the poem. Although many of the events and characters mentioned in Beowulf (including both Hrothgar and Hygelac) are more or less familiar from other early medieval written sources, Beowulf himself is not mentioned elsewhere. It seems likely that the narrative core of the poem was the invention of the Anglo-Saxon poet, part of whose achievement was to 'place' this new narrative material so seamlessly within the wider corpus of Germanic legendary history.

The individual responsible for this remarkable achievement has remained elusive. Beowulf survives in a single manuscript copy (now held in the British Library: Cotton MS Vitellius A.xv), probably produced around about the year 1000. Beyond this fact, however, the poem's origins are obscure. Like most English verse from this period, the poem is anonymous, and the approximate date of composition has long been a topic of (sometimes acrimonious) debate amongst scholars, with estimates ranging from the mid seventh to the early eleventh century. Faced with such a lack of solid evidence, we can deduce little about the circumstances in which the poem was produced. Like other surviving Old English poems (though to an even greater degree), the language of Beowulf is marked simultaneously by an astonishingly creative and poetic verbal inventiveness - particularly evident in the use of uniquely-occurring descriptive compound words - and by a layer of verbal formulas and 'type scenes' which recur both throughout the poem and throughout the surviving corpus of Old English poetry. These latter features, which may seem dangerously close to cliché for a modern audience, point to the ultimate origins of Old English poetry in an essentially pre-literate, oral, and performative tradition. It seems unlikely, however, that Beowulf is itself in any real sense an oral composition. Most scholars today would accept that the poem is (very largely if not entirely) the product of a single poetic vision, the work of a literate and Christian poet probably working within a monastic or courtly milieux.

That the poet was a Christian writing for a Christian audience is clear. Grendel, for example, is explained by the poet-narrator as a diabolical descendant of Cain, the first murderer, from whose off-spring, according to the Old Testament and to Judeo-Christian Apocrypha, arose the various races of giants. This contextualizing knowledge is not shared, however, by the characters who inhabit the heroic world of the poem. Looking back to the heroic age, the poet is looking back into the pre-Christian Germanic past of the Anglo-Saxon people. The assumed Christian perspective and beliefs of the poet and audience stand in uneasy juxtaposition to the ill-defined but definitely pre-Christian and fatalistic beliefs of the characters themselves. Beowulf, Hrothgar, and other actors in the poem often frame their behaviour in terms of a moral imperative that in many ways approximates the basic tenets of Christianity, but, ignorant of the teachings of Christ, their perspective is limited by the reach of human life on earth. According to Beowulf himself, fame amongst men is the best that can be hoped for a dead warrior:

'Ure æghwylc sceal ende gebidan worolde lifes; wyrce se þe mote domes ær deaþe; þæt bið drihtguman unlifgendum æfter selest.'

( Beowulf 1386-89, 'Each of us must await the end of life in the world. Let he who may achieve glory before death - that will afterwards be best for the dead warrior.')

The poignant irony of such a statement could not have been lost upon an audience for whom life in the world was merely a precursor to the eternal reward (or punishment) to be experienced in the world to come.

As an Old English poem, Beowulf is a unique and incomparable literary artefact - the only known surviving example of the efforts of a supreme master working within a mature and remarkably long-lived poetic tradition. Its superlative poetic qualities have been recognized by generations of modern readers, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that Beowulf was both widely known amongst and frequently imitated by other Anglo-Saxon poets whose work also survives. There are, to be sure, difficulties associated with the appreciation of the poem today. Most notably, modern readers must overcome the barrier caused by the language of the poem, recognizably English but a form of English in use a thousand years before our own time. But such barriers are far from insuperable, especially given the availability of many excellent and sympathetic modern translations. The effort is well-rewarded. We need not seek an excuse to read and study Beowulf today; the poem is its own best justification.

If reusing this resource please attribute as follows: An Introduction to Beowulf at http://writersinspire.org/content/introduction-beowulf by Daniel Thomas, licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (2.0 UK).

Sitting Down to Take a Stand

Free Articles

We need to change American life as we speak to make it better. There are to many problems happening around America and we need to do something about it. I would change gun control, child obesity, and animal cruelty. Once we change most of these problems I think America would go a little more better then it already is. The history of firearms has changed dramatically since the late 1700s. Should automatic rifles and handguns be protected by an amendment written nearly 200 years ago?

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Should the second amendment be abolished altogether? If so, why? Reason being because there are too many killing in America due to gun control or someone has been shot or killed like the kids at that school. Guns need to be maybe taken off the streets. I understand it’s to protect you but most of the time its not. Maybe only store clerks or people who really needs a gun for protection should have a gun. An example would be a police men so they can protect their selves from the criminal.

But gun control needs to be in control instead of getting out of control. America is the fastest country. But the fattest people in our country is children. What makes the children fat is too much eating, not eating right, not exercising, and so on. Some reasons why kids is fat is not just because it taste good it’s because they are either lonely, bored, their parents eat, or just think it’s okay. Kids needs to be more active and attend gym more so they can be fit and well to do anything and move around anywhere as they please.

We need to stop giving them fast foods all the time and go to the grocery store and buy healthier food. Parents need to stop eating to so they won’t have that impact on their children. Animal cruelty has also gotten out of hand a lot. I heard about this dog being chain up to a car and dragged. This needs to change as well as the others because no one should be abusing pets at all. If you didn’t like the pet why would you get it in the first place.

Some people are abusing their pets because they think it’s alright to because they paid money for their pets, no its not alright pets are basically like humans just like us, what if you was chained up and dragged wouldn’t you be scared for your life and wish you can change your owner. People need to see that and say “I shouldn’t of done that” because it will come back and hunt you for the rest of your life and you will feel guilty that’s why we need to change that and put people in jail.

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Argumentative Essay on Beowulf

Beowulf is the study of a dual ordeal: An external battle with vicious opponents and an internal battle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, betray, and revenge.

Introduction

Beowulf is one the oldest and popular Anglo-Saxon poetry it involves a hero who fights extraordinary powers and evil spirits in his lifespan to keep his people safe. It is an example of dual ordeal where the hero deals with evils in the society as that attacks not only his physical being but also his mind. The dual trial in the story occurs when the hero is confronted by vicious opponents as well as internal battles with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and revenge. In the poem, Beowulf the peom can be said to be a dual odearl as the hero fights supernatural powers and evil spirits as well as fighing his internal battles. This statement can be justified by this study and dicusssion.

External Battles

Exteranal battles are when an individual is confronted by the eternal powers such as a fight with a different person, conflict between an individual and the community, or when a soldier face the enemies in the battlefield. The first battle that Beowulf's face involves a character known as Grendel who was describe using words such as this monster grim haunting the marches marauding round to health fen and fastness and a banished creation of Cains kin (Beowulf 101-108). There are various conditions that Grendel put forth to make the fight fair for his opponent. For example, Grendel says that he hereby renounce sword, and the shelter of the broad shield according to Beowulf (436-437). Despite the difficulty that was faced in the battle against this vicious creature, Beowulf managers to win the fight as soon as he rips the handoff the monster. From this fight, we see that the hero Beowulf fights fearlessly despite the fact that his opponent was an extraordinary being. However, ripping off the arm of Grendel and winning the first battle is just the beginning of his many more coming battle in the future.

The second opponent with extra powers was the mother to Grendel. She came to battle to avenge her son who died in the hands of the hero Beowulf. She puts a dangerous and fearful battle held under water to show how furious she was towards Beowulf. Beowulf had a sword that was given to him by Unferth, but the weapon fails him. However, he manages to find a magical sword which seems to have been directed to him by fate. This magic weapon is used to kill the fearfulness and dangerous opponent. As if the battle was not enough for the victory, Beowulf seeks and seizes Grendels body as a trophy for his fight. It was this conflict and action that brought fame to Beowulf and at the same time restoring peace in the kingdom of Hrothgars. The fight against the evil Grendel and his mother who came seeking for revenge is a good example of the external fights involving spirits. The mother and son in this battle represents the supernatural powers that Beowulf defeated in his youth to restore a lasting peace in his kingdom.

The last fight that Beowulf fought involved a fierce dragon. This battle happened after Beowulf had ruled his country for close to 50 years. This happened to be his last battle in the field, and it resulted in his death, leaving the kingdom without a king, or a hero to take his place. However, before he could die on the battlefield at the fate of the dragon, Beowulf ensured that the enemy dies so that he could leave the kingdom with peace. He slew the dragons head before he could take his last breath. The dragon was a very fierce creature that scared all other Beowulfs men away from the battlefield. However, since Beowulf wanted to maintain his pride and at the same time providehis people with a land free of threat, he could not run for his safety. In other words, he chose pride and power over his safety.

INTERNAL BATTLES

Other than the external, fierce, and supernatural fights that Beowulf fought and won, there were the intimate encounters involving pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and self-concern. In each and persons mind, there are always questions relating to the ways in which they handle the external conflict. The manifestation of eternal fights can be judged form the internal perspective of the individual in question.

During his reign, Beowulf and the community believed that fame and pride were the top achievements a man could achieve. It is evident from the time that Beowulf arrived in the kingdom that it was pride which was his primary source of motivation as described by his arrival to the Kingdom where the leader of the troop unlocked his word-hoard (Beowulf 258). He also carried himself with great pride even in the face of a battle as fierce as that of the dragon spitting fire. It can be said that Beowulf was faced with a struggle between choosing his safety against the pride. However, he chose pride over security and faced the dragon fearlessly and won the battle always to be remembered for his pride and fame.

On the one hand, the internal conflict between Beowulf and his greed for fame and power led him to fight for his community ("Beowulf (Modern English Translation) By Anonymous"). On the contrary, the dragon can be seen as a symbol of greed, and Beowulf took the challenge for his greed. Over the cause of the poem, we see many fighting battles which at the end of the day fails to satisfy the need for the combat. In other words, one may be tempted to ask if the fights were worth it or people were just fighting for their heart desires.

On the other hand, cowardice can be depicted in the last battle when Beowulf men refuse to get involved in the fierce fight against the dragon. These meant flee the battlefield leaving only Beowulf and his successor in the battlefield. Lastly, throughout the poem, our hero, Beowulf puts his self-concerns away from the actions he undertakes, such as fighting for the greater good of his people (Norris 435-438). In this case, the men in the battlefield can be said to have betrayed Beowulf for their own fears and self-concerns.

From the discussion and evidence provided in this study, we can conclude that Beowulf is not just an epic poem about superheroes who fight for their communities; but it is a tier of the dual ordeal. Beowulf not only battles the evil spirits and fierce enemies in the society, but he also confronts other fights internally. Of the many issues that he faces n his internal being, pride, greed, self-concern, and betrayal.

"Beowulf (Modern English Translation) By Anonymous." Poetry Foundation. N.p., 2017. Web. 2 Oct. 2017.

Norris, Robin. "Resistance To Genocide In The Postmodern Beowulf." Literature Compass8.7 (2011): 435-438. Web.

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