The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

    In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, a man lives in a state of indecisiveness. Not sure whether or not to go to a party, he's very conscious of his surroundings while contemplating. He refers to a cat on a windowsill as 'yellow fog'. The fog could allude to the idea that he doesn't really have a clear idea of what he wants. The importance of the color yellow could mean different things. One being that it completely contrasts with the idea of fog so that you can truly understand that the man is really unsure. The second, is that yellow could mean he's being a coward for the reasoning behind not going to the party. The cat symbolizes the man who looks into the party from the outside. The cat who slips from the window and then cowardly "curled once around the house" to the safety of himself.

    The man in this poem you can tell is very timid and cautious of women. He claims things like he has 'known the eyes already' or 'known the arms already' - 'all of them'. So you can tell that he's more of a stand-off-ish kind of man who seems to observe more than actually act on any of them. The older man is self conscious about his appearance because he knows that he's balding and is very thin. He even claims he's more like Polonius than Hamlet in the ways that he's less charismatic and resolute. Even though he's afraid of women and making a fool of himself, he still wants to find someone to love and to love him back. This makes him troubled.

    "I grow old... I grow old..." He realizes that time is passing and he's running out of time. He alludes to Homer's Odyssey in the final last lines by believing that he'll never be able to make up his mind about going to the party, or going after any woman in general. "I do not think that they will sing to me..." 'sea girls' sang to hypnotize the sailors, and keep them there until they died. She, in a way, made up the sailors mind. The man doesn't believe he's going to make up his mind or have any woman help make it for him. He'll be indecisive until the day he dies.

Not My Best Side - Life

     Not one speaker in the poem is common in the traditional sense of their name. Looking at the main idea of the poem and connecting it to the meaning in life is that living in a long-established way of how things are done is boring and expected. It'd be much better to be unpredictable and live the way you want to, then live it in a way that you're supposed to. Living the way you're expected takes out the excitement and joy in life. Being spontaneous is much more fun.

Not My Best Side ..... aka this writing.

      In the three-part poem of Not My Best Side by U.A Fanthorpe there is one evident idea in all three parts. The different perspectives of the piece all have something in common, and the title is an indicator.  The Dragon, Maiden, and the Knight aren’t typical characters like they are accustomed to being. None of them are very conventional.
      The first perspective, seen in the eyes of the Dragon, is an obvious example of how he’s not a traditional dragon. The Dragon’s upset because he thought he was given bad publicity in the photo. The one who painted it left off his feet, which he questioned what two feet actually are to a monster.  A dragon shouldn’t ask philosophical questions. He wasn’t impressed with his conqueror or his victim, and he actually thought he was the one tied to the string and held onto by the lady. The Dragon wants to be taken seriously as a warrior, but feels that he’s not. Ordinary dragons don’t have feelings, and shouldn’t be worrying about the things this one is. He’s untraditional.
      The second perspective, seen in the eyes of the Maiden, proves that she’s seriously crazy…or delusional. A maiden customarily is supposed to wait for her rescuer, go willingly into his arms, and then later marry him. The fact she questioned being rescued by someone of her own kind because she claims she’s actually ‘likes’ the dragon is ridiculous. She’s very superficial when it comes to making her decision. She finds the dragon attractive because she can see who he is, but she questions the knight because she can’t actually see his face.  She’s a very untraditional maiden.
      The third perspective, seen in the eyes of the Knight, proves that he’s arrogant, arrogant enough to talk to a dragon before he kills it. A knight is generally an honorable man set out to do his job and aware of what could go wrong. This Knight boasts about his equipment, armor, and horse. Feeling invincible, he questions both the maiden and the dragon if they want to be killed/rescued even though it’s rhetorical. The knight believes that the dragon helps the spear and horse building industries because it’s what’s needed to fight. Without the Knight killing the dragon, he’s afraid it’d endanger those jobs - an interesting and unneeded worry for the moment when he’s in reach of the dragon. He seriously doesn’t take the dragon seriously, as a normal knight would have.
      “Don't you want to carry out the roles that sociology and myth have designed for you?” It’s extremely ironic that the Knight asks the Maiden and Dragon this question. The Dragon just wanted to be taken seriously, and the Maiden couldn’t decide whether or not she wanted to be rescued because she liked the dragon (who ironically enough thought she was ugly).  It’s witty that it’s the Knight asking the question when he’s not even carrying out a role that’s traditional. Not one speaker in this poem is common in the traditional sense of their name. None of them showed their best side.

Lying In A Hammock

1.    A lonely man, lying in a hammock, slowly watches the day go by him as he regretfully realizes he’s wasted his life. He’s very aware of his surrounds as if he’s not really needed to be aware of anything else. You can tell that he’s sad and somewhat of an outcast.
2.    He’s lonely and depressed. He’s discontent knowing that he’s wasted his life as he slowly watched it go by.
3.    You can tell he’s alone because there’s an empty house, and the only sounds are cowbells. There are droppings of last year’s horses that haven’t been picked up, which may hint that there’s not really anyone there to clean it up. He’s sad because there’s no one around, which could mean he maybe wanted a family sometime in his life. 
4.    He’s lying in a hammock, at William Duffy’s Farm which hints at the fact that he’s at someone else’s farm, not his own. He’s also in Pine Island, Minnesota.
5.    The poem is filled with many earthly colors like bronze, green, and the colors of the sunlight shown in between the trees. It must be mid-summer because the horse droppings are ‘blazing’. Blazing is a scorching term, not only a warm sunshine feel like you could get in the spring.
6.    The succession goes from a nature-mellow feel to lonely and emptiness, where it concludes at the speaker feeling regret. The time of the poem moves slowly from midday to darkness showing how his feeling slowly turn into gloom.

LitTerms 9/27

Cacophony:  Noun: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Example:

Jabberwocky
By Lewis Carol

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

Carroll used lots of cacophony all through the poem Jabberwocky to create suspense and make the boy killing the Jabberwocky even more heroic. Most of the cacophonies Carroll used were not real words but they still made the poem seem unpleasant.


Caesura: Noun: A break between words within a metrical foot / pause near the middle of a line or any interruption or break.

Example:

"Hwæt! We Gardena || in gear-dagum
þeodcyninga, || þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas || ellen fremedon."


In Beowulf it’s marked in print by an extra space between the words.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 2651. "...I would rather my body were robed in the same burning blaze as my gold-giver's body than go back home bearing arms..." Wiglaf, the only one to stay with Beowulf told the other men how pathetic they were. Even though it was his first time fighting he still understood the concept of never leaving your lord and if his lord died, he'd die there fighting too.

Ln. 2682. "...It was never his fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made by iron..." It's ironic that he had told his men earlier that he would 'rather not use a weapon if I knew any other way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel'. Swords made by men never worked.

Ln. 2706. "...Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound..." Wiglaf let Beowulf kill the dragon, but Beowulf should have let Wiglaf kill the dragon because it would have been good for Wiglaf to have some fame. Beowulf should have finally let another warrior do something other than watch.

Ln. 2729. "...Now is the time when I would have wanted to bestow this armor on my own son..." failure to create a successor - there's no one under him in his blood line, no heir to take over his throne when he dies.

Ln. 2749. "my going will be easier for having seen the treasure..." Beowulf is greedy, just like the dragon, and just like Hrothgar told him to not be.

Ln. 2997. "...that I have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die..." Yes, on the die he died they are all rich, but that doesn't mean he left them well. They're all in trouble.

Ln. 2804. "...it will loom on the horizon..." Grendel (besides his head) and his mother corpses lie deep in the water where hell consumed them, and Beowulf wants a barrow to be placed on the horizon where the light touches it (heaven).

Ln. 2844. "...bought and paid for by Beowulf's death..." It's ironic that Beowulf died trying to kill a dragon that guarded treasure that could pay for his wyrgild...

Ln. 2890. "...a warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame..." Dying would be easier than living a life of shame knowing you were to cowardly to stand by the man who led you. Everyone was to know of their fear.

Ln. 2911. "Now war is looming over our nation, soon it will be known to Franks and Frisians, far and wide, that the king is gone..." Wiglaf is very smart, and is able to predict that the worse is still to come. Beowulf didn't prepare them.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 2332. "...unaccustomed anxiety and gloom confused his brain..." like what Grendel and Grendel's mother did to Hrothgar. Beowulf now needs to be KING not warrior like Hrothgar had done.

Ln. 2342. "...he was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world; as was the dragon..." Foreshadow to them BOTH dying.

Ln. 2345. "...was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague. He had scant regard for the dragon as a threat..." He wanted to face this battle alone because he believed he was powerful enough to do it. He no longer only believed that he was invincible, but also that other creates had no power that matched his. He completely degraded what the dragon was capable of.

Ln. 2406. "...the one who had started all this strife and was now added as a thirteenth to their number..." The slave has to pay for what he did - finish what he started. It's ironic that he stole the gold cup to be free, but was then taken by Beowulf to be a warrior against the dragon. Stealing the cup was a bad idea.

Ln. 2419. "...He was sad at heart, unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain..." Wyrd. Foreshadow. He's too selfish to not die.

Ln. 2497. "...always there at the front of the line; and I shall fight like that for as long as I live, as long as this sword shall last..." The front is the most important part of the line - they get all the action.

Ln. 2513. "...as king of the people I will pursue this fight for the glory of winning..." HE HAS LITERALLY LEARNED NOTHING. Static character. He doesn't fight the dragon to protect his people - just for the glory of having to say he had done it.

Ln. 2540. "...trusted in his strength entirely..." In his other two fights he believed in his strength, fate, and God. He now only believes in himself which shows how being too successful got to his head. Maybe because he no longer believed that God was helping him is part of the reason he died? His pride is his downfall.

Ln. 2572. "...for a shorter time than he had meant it to: that final day was the first time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle..." FINALLY. Wyrd.

Ln. 2586-2599. "...failed when he unsheathed it, as it never should have..." the sword failed - being at the front of the line was now useless. He now needed help, but his hand-picked men broke ranks and ran for their lives. Beowulf is not a great king. The 50 years he ruled he didn't teach them anything, how to be a good warrior - he didn't set them up to succeed after he died. People were afraid of Beowulf, but what happens when he's not around anymore? Beowulf is the Grendel of the land of the Geats. He needed help.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 1992. “…well known troubles…” Hrothgar’s well-known troubles have been fixed so it’s now their well-known slaying of their troubles. Nations will be more willing to attack the Danes.

FREAWARU:
She’s a peace-pledge that failed. She’s merchandise. Heathobards and Danes couldn’t keep the peace at her wedding.

Ln. 2114. “…wintry heart…”  Winter is mentioned again, but in a less deathly manner. Meaning old age this time, I think it means that winter, usually at the end of the year, refers to the end of someone’s life – old age.

Ln. 2181. “…watched and controlled his God sent strength and his outstanding natural powers…” Really? Beowulf? He flaunted it.

Ln. 2201. “…Hygelac fell and the shelter of Headred’s shield proved uselessagainst the fierce aggression of the Shylfings…the wide kingdom reverted to Beowulf…” Hygelac dies in a raid. Beowulf acts as a counsellor to Heardred (proves he's respectful because Heardred's mother wanted Beowulf to be king instead, but turned it down because Heardred was blood to the throne) until he dies when Swedish rebels kill him. Beowulf then took the throne when the king and his heir were dead.

Ln. 2209. “…for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land…” Beowulf is king for 50 years which parallels the Hrothgar who ruled for 50 years too.

Ln. 2249. “…my own people have been ruined by war…” why not him too? How could his whole race have died and have him be the only one left?

Ln. 2277. “…and so he mourned as he moved about the world, deserted and alone, lamenting his unhappiness, day and night, until death’s flood brimmed in his heart…” Backs up the theme transitory nature of life, and it can also allude to the Wanderer.

Ln. 2276. “…he is driven to hunt out hoards underground, to guard heathen gold through age-long vigils, though to little avail…” The dragon really has no reason to guard the treasure other than greed. He doesn’t do anything with it… just basks in its beauty.

Ln. 2282. "...he hurried to his lord with the gold-plated cup and made his plea to be reinstated..." A slave is the one who found the cave, stole the gold-plated cup, and tried to give it to his master to be let free.

Ln. 2299, "...but he worked himself up by imagining battle..." The dragon, angered by greed, gets excited by imagining battle.
DRAGON - BEOWULF
     ^   (GREED)   ^
Treasure            Fame
Neither of them have very good reasons to do what they do.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 1743. “…grown too distracted…” he’s too distracted by his ego!

Ln. 1756. “…the goods he hoarded are inherited by another who lets them go with a liberal hand…” Hrothgar tries to tell Beowulf to not be greedy because when death comes, possessions become not important.

Ln. 1760. “DO NOT GIVE WAY TO PRIDE” Downfall of Beowulf. He had way too much pride.

Ln 1770. “…fifty years…” Hrothgar is a good king because he has ruled for a long time.

Ln. 1810. “…He said he had found it a friend in battle and a powerful help; he put no blame on the blade’s cutting edge. He was a considerate man…” Beowulf giving Unferth his sword back restored any dishonor he had towards him. Beowulf is respectful when returning it even though it did him no good. This proves he’s not like Heremod.

Ln. 1833. “…want to support me by word and action in your hour of need…” Beowulf is loyal to Hrothgar as Hrothgar is loyal to Beowulf, and Beowulf is loyal to Hygelic as Hygelic is loyal to Beowulf. A good trusting circle!

Ln. 1850. “…Geats won’t find a man worthier of acclaim as their king and defender than you, if only you would undertake the lordship of your homeland…” Hrothgar thinks that there could be no better king for the Geats than Beowulf even though he’s not in the blood line to become king. Foreshadow to Beowulf ruling.

Ln. 1856. “…Geat nation and us neighboring Danes, into shared peace and a pact of friendship in spite of hatreds we have harbored in the past…” Beowulf is like a peace-pledge between the two nations even though he’s not a woman.

Ln. 1873. “…two forebodings disturbed him…” these forebodings proves he’s a good king because he can feel for people.

Ln. 1900. “The guard who had watched the boat was given a sword with gold fittings…” Beowulf is a good leader because he rewards and thanks the guard for watching his boat. He’s not like Heremod.

HYGD-MODTHRYTH
Hydg, an Anglo queen, is a perfect example of a good queen who weaves peace. Modthryth is Hydg’s opposite. She had any man that wasn’t her father tortured and killed if they looked at her. She oversteps her powers by doing that.
Hygd<--Modthryth-->Offa<--Anglos (England)

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 1495. “…it was the best part of a day…” Beowulf swimming towards Grendel’s mother takes a day which parallels Beowulf’s earlier story about swimming for a day and killing sea monsters. He prevailed then, so maybe he will now!

Ln. 1501. “…so she lunged and clutched and managed to catch him in her brutal grasp…” Grendel’s mother capturing Beowulf parallels Beowulf grabbing Grendel with his bare hands too. His body ‘remained unscathed’ which is the opposite of Grendel because Grendel was harmed by Beowulf’s grasp.

Ln. 1534. “…might of his arm. So must a man do who intends to gain enduring glory in a combat. Life doesn’t cost him a thought…” Beowulf depends on his arms once again because he thinks it will make him more famous. I think this basically means that by only thinking of himself and his glory, he doesn’t need to think twice about whether fighting Grendel’s mother without a weapon is a good idea or not. Also, if he were to die in that fight, he would forever be famous… STILL!

Ln. 1547. “…the mesh of chain-mail on Beowulf’s shoulder shielded his life…” Beowulf isn’t harmed by Grendel’s mothers grasp or by a blade. He’s twice as strong as Grendel!

Ln. 1553. “…holy God decided the victory…” Christian statement. Wyrd.

Ln. 1558. “…an ancient heirloom from the days of the giants…” the sword was not made by men but the descendants of Cain. It’s ironic that the only sword or weapon that can kill any of his descendants is what the giants themselves had made.

Ln. 1570. “…a light appeared and the place brightened…” after Beowulf beheaded Grendel’s mother the place brightened (part of hell is gone), and the light showed.

Ln. 1584. “Beowulf in his fury now settled that score… Beowulf cut the corpses head off…” Beowulf wanted to take revenge for every gross act Grendel had committed. By taking his head he proves that Grendel is in fact dead by the arm wound he had given him the night before. This contradicts to the idea of honoring the dead, he doesn’t honor the dead by cutting his head off.

Ln. 1689. “…how war first came into the world and the flood destroyed the tribe of giants…” Genesis 6.4. ‘Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went into the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.’ Cain’s offspring were killed by the flood.

Ln. 1708. “…your own warriors helping hand…” Beowulf doesn’t really help his men – he babies them instead. He’s too caught up in himself to help them learn anything or understand the meaning of a good warrior.

Ln. 1732. “…He permits him to lord it in many lands until the man in his unthinkingness forgets that it will ever end for him…” Hrothgar warns Beowulf of his ways and tries to make sure that all his fame doesn’t destroy him. He tells Beowulf of Heremod, a bad king, and tries to teach him true values. Beowulf doesn’t understand that he’s not invincible which foreshadows his death.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 1220. “…you are known to all men far and near, now and forever…” she’s making his head grow bigger. He has fame now because he has killed Grendel.

Ln. 1233. “…how could they know fate, the grim shape of things to come, the threat looming over many thanes…” foreshadow to Grendel’s mother coming to avenge her son’s death.

Ln. 1241. “…already marked for death…” Wyrd. He’s fated to die.

Ln. 1250. “…they were the right people…” the men went to sleep that night knowing that Grendel was dead, but still prepared for whatever the night could still bring. All of their weaponry was laid out in a way they could access it easily. They were always ready to protect their lord – they were the right people. BUT. Was Beowulf? He does things for his own purposes – fame and glory.

Ln. 1270. “…Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him…” he’s completely full of himself. He thinks he’s capable of anything and is forgetting he’s still just a man.

Ln. 1339. “…this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman’s death…” Theme of good vs. evil. She avenges her son’s death just like any human would do. No one knew she existed until Grendel had died so she only came out and hurt people when she had a purpose to.

Ln. 1385. “…to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning…” This is definitely a Pagan statement; Christians would rather mourn and forgive than wreak havoc upon those who have hurt them.

Ln. 1386. “…For every one of us, living in this world meaning waiting for our end…” This backs up the theme of the transitory nature of life.

Ln. 1435. “…his freedom in the water got less and less…” the water itself is kind of like an underworld or hell in this poem where those who are cursed go. Water may be the one place where they have any freedom at all. This sentence is litotes. He dies in the one place he has freedom… ironic.

Ln. 1455. “…another item lent by Unferth…” an apology from Unferth for giving Beowulf a hard time. Hrunting, the sword, had never failed the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle.   ---It’s weird that this is stated because if that’s the case, and if that’s what was believed, why didn’t the people try to use that on Grendel to fix that problem?

Ln. 1468. “…he was not man enough…” Unferth is officially considered weak, and because of that he lost fame and repute. He should have never questioned Beowulf.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 1017 “…The Shielding nation was not yet familiar with feud and betrayal…” Foreshadow. The Dane’s REAL protector from invaders was Grendel and because he died, other nations will use that to their advantage to take their land. News spreads fast of dying monsters.

Ln. 1025 “…hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts in front of hall-troops…” Litotes. Beowulf LOVES attention, fame, and treasures – the fact that it’s stated as ‘hardly a shame’ is an understatement. It’s not a shame at all – it’s basically rubbing it in their face because the hall-troops themselves couldn’t fix the Grendel problem.

Ln. 1036 “…the harness of one included a saddle of sumptuous design, the battle-seat where the son of Halfdane rode when he wished to join the sword-play…” The fact that Hrothgar gave Beowulf gold-bridled horses is important because it’s a suggestion of royalty. The saddle proves again the bond between two family members, and the thankfulness that Hrothgar has towards Beowulf (giving him something of his own). Eight horses though…. Importance?

Ln. 1052. “…And compensation a price in gold, was settled for the Geat Grendel had cruelly killed earlier…” Grendel’s one and only murder for the night was one of Beowulf’s warriors. Hrothgar honors the dead by paying Beowulf the wyrdguild for his life.

Ln. 1057. “…Past and present, God’s will prevails…” this is a very Christian statement.

Ln. 1059. “…Whoever remains for long here in this earthy life…” This backs up the theme of the transitory nature of life.

Ln. 1070-1157 (POEM) The war between the Danes and the Freshlin’s sets up a theme of ambush. It foreshadows an ambush in Hereot.

Ln. 1166. “…under a cloud for killing his brothers…” Unferth killed his own kin. He really can’t compare himself to Beowulf or make Beowulf look bad by having done that.

Ln. 1175. “…You want to adopt this warrior as a son…. I am certain of Hrothulf…” Wealtheow is looking out for her immediate kin. She’s afraid that Beowulf will kill her children to become king. She wants Hrothgar to think about his actual children before adopting Beowulf.

Ln. 1218. “…be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance to these two boys and your bounty will be sure…” Wealtheow is worried about her children and asks Beowulf to watch over things. She foreshadows the future in a subtle way.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 778. “…there was any power or person upon earth capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall unless the burning embrace of a fire engulf it in flame…” there is nothing strong enough to hurt Hereot but fire. It’s one weakness is a foreshadow to its downfall.

Ln. 785 “…a God-cursed scream…” the meaning of the name of the monster that made the sound.

Ln. 794. “…worked to defend their lord’s life…” Beowulf’s warriors who are under Hygelac’s rein know that protecting their ‘lord’ and being brave with him is the most important thing a warrior can do. (Unlike that in the end of the poem when under Beowulf’s rein, they become afraid and flee.)

Ln. 802. “…that no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s arty could ever damage their demon opponent…” The monsters with Cain’s curse are protected by the curse. God wanted to protect Cain so everyone knew who he was, and he and his kin could forever live in exile.
    Beowulf, by killing Grendel, basically saved him from living in an exiled world forever. Because God wants Cain’s offspring to be cursed forever, it could be that Beowulf, by killing Grendel, could now be cursed. Long live Cain!

Ln. 834. “… the whole of Grendel’s shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp…” a trophy that was won by Beowulf even though he was still unsatisfied that he wasn’t able to finish Grendel off completely. It then sat in Hereot.

Ln. 851. “…hell claimed him there…” Grendel is dead, but is restricted from heaven. Even though he’s free from exile in the living world, he’s still exiled from Heaven. Hell is the only place he’s welcome – living or dead.

Ln. 859. “…anyone better to raise a shield or to rule a kingdom…” foreshadow to Beowulf ruling a kingdom even though he’s not an heir to any king.

Ln. 885. “…Sigemund’s glory grew and grew because of his courage when he killed the dragon, the guardian of the hoard…” A foreshadow to Beowulf killing the dragon, and his fame growing because of his courage. Dying in battle gives a warrior the most glory and fame even though they can’t enjoy it.

Ln. 888 “…without Fitela…”  Sigemund was left to face the worst by himself against the dragon when his friend abandoned him. A foreshadow to Beowulf’s men leaving him to fight the dragon by himself (even though that’s what he wanted all along).

Ln. 945 “…So now, Beowulf, I adopt you in my heart as a dear son…” even though they are already family as nephew and uncle, Hrothgar looks at Beowulf like a son because of how proud he is of him. Beowulf’s respected.

Ln. 979. “…There was less tampering and big talk then from Unferth the boaster…” this is another litotes. Unferth has nothing to say now to Beowulf because he’s proven himself. Unferth knows that if he continues to talk he’ll have to prove his worth (but he has none).

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 500-529 “…Unferth, a son of Ecglad’s, spoke contrary words. Beowulf’s coming, his sea braving, made him sick with envy… Are you the Beowulf who took on Breca in a swimming match on the open sea, risking the water just to prove that you could win? It was shear vanity made you venture out… and then he out swam you, came ashore the stronger contender.  …This time you’ll be worsted; no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel.”
    Unferth is jealous of Beowulf because he is so highly regarded; he tries to make him look bad. He makes it seem like Beowulf lost when him and Breca swam against each other. Beowulf corrects Unferth saying that they each swam holding a sword, a naked, hard-proofed blade for protection against the whale-beasts. They swam side by side until the dark and wind drove them apart. That night he was pulled to the bottom of the ocean where he killed nine sea-monsters.
    Beowulf will literally do anything to make sure his reputation doesn’t get ruined and he continues to look good. He’s selfish on a level to where he only thinks of himself and his fame. Unferth is somewhat right – Beowulf is vain to a certain level.  Oh, and Unferth doesn’t think Beowulf can make it through the night without Grendel killing him – great confidence.

Ln. 587 “…you killed your own kith and kin, so for all your cleverness and quick tongue, you will suffer damnation in the depths of hell…” Killing kin is the worst thing you can do. Unferth is everything a good warrior isn’t; he has killed kin, is a coward, can’t handle his beer, and is envious towards Beowulf. Beowulf points out that if he was as good of a warrior as he’s claiming himself to be, Grendel wouldn’t have been a problem.

Ln. 659. “ …keep in mind your fame…” When Hrothgar tells Beowulf good luck and gives him the hall to guard, he tells him to mind his fame. I think that means that Beowulf should remember his reputation and all of what he’s said to the people of the mead-hall and Wealtheow. He’ll need to be courageous and not back down against Grendel because in the Anglo-Saxon culture, you’ll die with fame if you die in a battle.

Ln. 696 “…but the lord was weaving a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats… the truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has…”
This is a foreshadow to the Geat’s success because of Beowulf. The last sentence is a very Christian statement.

Ln. 733 “…but his fate that night was due to change, his days of ravening had come to an end…” Wyrd. Grendel’s foreshadow to dying.

Ln. 754. “…He was desperate to flee to his den and hide with the devil’s litter, for all in his days he had never been clamped or cornered like this…” Grendel didn’t know what to do when Beowulf surprised him. Grendel saying he wanted to hide with the ‘devil’s litter’ reiterates the fact that he was exiled by God who won’t save him.

Ln. 764. “…it was the worst trip…” this is quite a funny litotes. The worst trip ended with him dying… so it’d definitely be his one and only ‘worst’ trip. 

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 340 “…The man whose name was known for courage, the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet…” Beowulf: Bee Hunter – A kenning for bear. A Native American Totem and Meaning site defined a bear as; industrious, instinctive, healing, power, sovereignty, guardian of the world, watcher, courage, will power, self-preservation, introspection, and great strength. Beowulf has almost all of these things to a certain extent, but one that’s not listed is that bears are a lot of the time loners. Beowulf tends to do things his way and by himself. He may have warriors with him, but they don’t have great responsibilities. Also, he doesn’t have a family - he’s never seen with a harlot, wife, or child.

Ln. 380. “…a thane, they declared, with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand…” Grendel slaughtered 30 men, and so this suggests that Beowulf is stronger, equally as strong, or even twice (30x2) as strong as Grendel is. Beowulf has a chance to defeat Grendel.      “Now Hold God has, in His goodness, guided him here…” The Danes can’t decide whom to believe in. They asked for the devil, got Beowulf, and are now giving God the credit. Which actually, kind of makes sense. They asked the Devil to simply kill Grendel… but instead (they believe) God sent a God-like figure, Beowulf to save them. …a much more godly decision. haha

Ln. 397. “…But shields must stay here and spears be stacked until the outcome of the audience is clear…” The Danes are still wary of Beowulf and the Geats– they are protective of their people and kin. 
Ln. 400. “…a party remained under orders to keep watch on the arms…” Beowulf is wary of the Danes.
Both the Geats and Danes are cautious of each other even though they already know that there’s a connection between them (Beowulf-Hrothgar).

Ln. 409-424 “…I had great triumphs…I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them). This whole section is part of Beowulf’s boasting resume to make him seem more able to fight Grendel.

Ln. 435 “…to heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand us how it will be…” Beowulf makes it seem like he’s trying to boost Hygelac’s fame trying to fight Grendel without any weapons when really he’s just trying too boost his own. He’s a badass.

Ln. 450 “Moor-nest” Moor- swampy area. Where Grendel lives.

Ln. 455 ”…Fate goes ever as fate must…” Wyrd – whoever wins and whoever dies, it’ll be fate that decides. Beowulf believes a lot in fate, which from there connects into Christianity.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 144. ”…Grendel ruled in defiance of right, one against all…” Grendel’s lineage is Cain, which gives us a different look at Grendel. Since he was born or made into a world where he was exiled, he has a reason to be upset or angry with God and what he had created. I think this is saying that he feels alone. Being exiled, Grendel continues to cause mischief because he’s already had the worst punishment he could get. He doesn’t want to do right because he doesn’t need to.

Ln. 147 “…For twelve winters, seasons of woe, the lord of the Shieldings suffered under his load of sorrow…” Twelve winters is the ‘season of death’ and twelve winters specifically can hint at Christmas/Christmas Eve again. Lord of Shieldings is Hrothgar’s other name, an honor of lineage. 

Ln. 149 “…before long the news was known over the whole world…” Grendel ironically makes peace. Peace may not be present in Heorot, but definitely between them and other countries. No country wants to attack a place where a monster is.

Ln. 156 “…nor pay the death-price…” payment would be a substantial fine to the family of the victim. Wergild (motif).

Ln. 164. “…So Grendel waged his lonely war…” the tone of this almost makes it seem like he doesn’t really want to be at war at all. He might just take his hurt out on other people. Maybe he just wants attention…. (Like Beowulf…) 

Ln. 168. “…But the throne itself, the treasure seat, he was kept from approaching; he was the Lord’s outcast…” King’s of the time were chosen because of two reasons: God either chose them or they were known as God’s descendents. Maybe Grendel couldn’t approach the throne because God, the one who had exiled him, had blessed it.

Ln. 175. “… Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to idols, swore oaths that the killer of souls might come to their aid and save the people…” They were hoping that the devil would kill Grendel, they didn’t know God well enough to pray to him. Christians identified the old pagan gods with devils. (It’s ironic that they were hoping for the devil when they got a god-like figure like Beowulf who destroyed him with his bare hands.) Pagan failing.

Ln. 310. “…majesty lodged there, its light shone over many lands…” its in contrast with the darkness inside of Grendel. Grendel darkens the palace with his hate.

Ln. 318 “…I’m away to the sea, back on alert against enemy raiders…” they either had a lot of confidence in Beowulf or they thought others had heard that he was on his way to slay Grendel. Grendel being there made it so there was peace between the Danes and other countries – they didn’t need to be on alert.

Beowulf Journals

Ln. 83. “…The killer instinct unleashed among in-laws, the blood lust rampant...” Alludes to the future destruction of the hall as a result of a feud between the Danes and the Heatho-Bards. Hrothgar’s daughter Freawaru (kind of looks like ‘free-a-war’… oddly enough) becomes a peace-pledge between the two nations, but Beowulf predicts that hostilities will flare up again, leading to the burning of Heorot.


Ln. 87. “…it harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man’s beginnings, how the Almighty had made earth…” Grendel, the monster in Heorot doesn’t like the place where people are happy. He’s the “a fiend out of hell”, the opposite of god. He works his evil in the world when the ‘Almighty’ made the earth a “gleaming plain girdled with waters”. 

Grendel: There are several Anglo-Saxon words that share the same root as Grendel. The Old English word Grindan, for example, and from which we derive our word grind, used to denote a destroyer. But the most likely origin of the name is simply the fact that Grendel is an onomatopoeic term derived from the Old Norse Grindill, meaning a storm or Grenja, meaning to bellow. The word Grendel is strongly reminiscent of the deep-throated growl that would be emitted by a very large animal and it came into Middle English usage as Grindel, meaning angry. (Cooper)
The interesting onomatopoeic term Grindan meaning sharp can be connected to the sound of a sharp cry of pain – piercing, shrill, high-pitched, penetrating, harsh, strident, ear-splitting, deafening. He can’t speak – only wail/scream. This could be another punishment.


Ln. 104 “…he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price…” Cain killed his brother Abel (kin) when God wouldn’t respect his giving’s like he did Abel’s.  The Creator is God, which is another Christian reference. Killing of a kin is one of the biggest sins in the Pagan culture and is a theme throughout the poem.

Ln 110 “…the Almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of exile…who strove with God time and again until He gave them their reward.” Cain’s family is cursed because of his wrongdoing. It’s ironic that God’s reward is death.

Ln. 123 “…he grabbed thirty men…” Number 30 denotes, in a higher degree, the perfection of divine order, as marking the right moment. It was Grendel’s right moment, but there was no divine order to it because it wasn’t sacred.

Ln. 128 …the wassail was over, they wept to heaven and mourned under morning…” Heaven is again another Christian reference, and so is wassail. Wassail: spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for Twelfth Night and Christmas. There is something significant about Christmas here…

Beowulf Journals

Beow ruled the Danes after Sheafson. Beow’s only child, Halfdane ruled after and had four children of his own: Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga, and a daughter. Halfdane, according to an early source, says that his mother was Swedish making him half Danish/Swedish. Ironically enough, his daughter was a peace pledge between the Swedes and the Danes.

HEIRS: Shield’s  Beow  Halfdane  Hrothgar

Ln. 70. “…meant to be a wonder of the world forever…” Heorot: Meaning “Hall of the Hart” (male dear) or “Stag” a symbol of royalty. Hrothgar made a great mead hall. The tone of this sentence hints at the fact that it was MEANT to be. It foreshadows that it doesn’t end up being forever.

Ln. 71. "… it would be his throne-room and there he would dispense his God-given goods to young and old – but not the common land or people’s lives..” This makes Hrothgar a good king. He rewards his people with treasures and gifts that he is able to give (a theme). Even though he has the power to do so many things, he won’t give commonly used land away or unlawfully kill his people.

Ln. 81. “…. The hall towered, its gables wide and high awaiting a barbarous burning…” another foreshadow to hint that the great hall Heorot doesn’t last.

Beowulf DJ's

Pg. 3 Shield Sheafson: He was a ‘foundling’ (an infant that has been abandoned by its parents and is discovered and cared for by others) but then became a good king (paet waes god cyning). He made Danes rich, was feared by other nations, and the world was at peace because of him (they had to ‘yield to him and pay tribute’).

Whale Road: An old kenning for the ocean. Kenning: Compound expression with a metaphorical meaning.

Shield  Beow. God gave him the child (Christian reference).


Ln. 27. ‘…he crossed over into the Lord’s keeping.’ (Christian reference). When Sheafson died, his warrior band set him out to sea in a boat where “they decked his body no less bountifully with offerings than those first ones did who cast him away when he was a child and launched him alone out over the waves”.   – This must just mean that when he was discovered he was found in a boat filled with treasures. It’s ironic that he was sent out into the world when he was young the same way he left it – alone, and rich. This sets up the theme of how burials honor those who die.

The Monsters and the Critics

    Christopher Tolken’s, The Monsters and the Critics, is a very interesting perspective on the monsters and some of the other aspects of Beowulf through his eyes and different critics. Examples that Tolken provides us with shows that critics plays down important aspects of the poem, like the monsters themselves because it’s been used ‘as a quarry of fact and fancy far more assiduously than it has been studied as a work of art’.  People looked too much into seeing Beowulf as a historic peace of Anglo-Saxon writing, which takes away from the actual poem itself. He points out that if you’re looking at just the poetry itself it ‘overshadows the historical content’, and also that the author of Beowulf used ‘an instinctive historical sense-a part indeed of the ancient English temper of which Beowulf is a supreme expression; but he has used it with a poetical and not an historical object’. People take the story itself of Beowulf too seriously when trying to view it. Tolken’s main point is that Beowulf has a greater importance when viewed as a poem so it should be enjoyed as one, monsters and all.
   
    I think Christopher Tolken had a lot of valuable arguments especially regarding the critic Ker, a great scholar, who basically called the monsters a childish flaw. He stated that ‘the great beauty, real value of Beowulf is in its dignity of style. He called the construction curiously weak, in a sense preposterous, and the disproportions that put the irrelevances in the centre and the serious things on the outer edges.’ However, if you were to look at Beowulf in the simplest sense you would see that Beowulf’s dignity comes from him fighting the monsters. Another interesting critic, Mr. Girvan doesn’t think Beowulf’s theme fits into the actual poem, and also that the monsters weren’t anything but a bad mistake. Tolken rebutted with the fact that more than one poem in the recent year have been inspired by the dragon of Beowulf, and the ‘high tone, the sense of dignity, alone is evidence in Beowulf of the presence of a mind loft and thoughtful’, proving that the theme that Beowulf has was there for a reason and was well thought out. Plus, ‘such a man would write more than three thousand lines (wrought to a high finish) on matter that is really not worth serious attention; that remains thin and cheap when he has finished with it”, he pretty much sarcastically states that who would put in so much time to write a three thousand line poem and have it mean absolutely nothing.
I find it kind of ironic that the title of this piece is the monsters and the critics. Some people can think of the critics too as monsters who can't simply see the beauty of Beowulf as a poem. If people could just read the poem how it is and not dissect deeper into the poetry of the story, maybe they’d see the beauty of the monsters too.