Analysis Of Beowulf's Poem 'Human'

Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently. Grendel and his mother are represented as monsters, through their physical appearance, as well as their horrific killings. The monstrosity of Grendel is directly seen through his physical appearance, as depicted when his hand is exposed in the hall as a trophy, after he was injured during his battle with Beowulf. During this scene, the beastly appearance

Examples such as prejudice and guilt are very conspicuous between Victor and Creature; their actions cause them to view each other as a target of hostility and anathema as Victor says, “ For this purpose I will preserve my life: to execute this dear revenge will I again behold the sun and tread the green herbage of earth, which otherwise should vanish from my eyes forever” (173). Both despise each other for their actions, Victor desires the Creature’s death since it brutally murders his friends and families leaving him tormented, while the Creature wants Victor to experience its pain from loneliness and retaliation destroying the female creature who would be his salvation. In the end, guilt from their actions plagues both of them resulting to their ends. Christian bible references consisting mainly of God, Satan, and Adam and Eve apparent throughout the Creature as it compares itself , “[...] no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam’s supplication to his Creator [...] He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him” (119).

/ War is kind,” to showcase the fact that war is ugly and painful not only for those who perish in it (the men whose deaths are described), but also for those who grieve because of it (the women whose lives are forever changed by war). Additionally, verbal irony can be found in stanzas two and four, in which Crane chooses words that, taken literally, speak of the glory of war in order to highlight the shame of it. For instance, Crane writes, “These men were born to drill and die / The unexplained glory flies above them / Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom – / A field where a thousand corpses lie” (Crane 8-11). Here Crane is stating that no man is born to simply drill and then die, regardless of what the rhetoric around the glorious battle may claim, and that such rhetoric (“Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom”) hides the true hideousness of war (“A field where a thousand corpses lie”). Overall, “Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind” is an expression of Crane’s sadness over the glorification of war and death.

The humans classify Grendel as a “monster” but does this mean he truly is one? From reading Grendel, I took away that he let society's idea of himself captivate who he thought he really was. Grendel had the potential and the curiosity to be harmless, but he let the powerful words and actions of the humans, the Shaper, and the dragon take over his thoughts. In a way, the humans were just as much monsters in this book for not accepting Grendel, and making him become the monster he was. If the humans were to accept Grendel and they were able to understand each other, prevention of further catastrophes probably could have been

Furthermore, during his supposed execution at the hand of the “monster”, Gawain shows fear by flinching, an act that conflicted with the chivalric code. The Pearl Poet writes, “As down it[the axe] descended with death-dealing force/ And his shoulders shrank a little from the sharp iron” (4.2265-4.2268). This incident only reinforces that when the physical norm of humans is challenged by monsters, the conventional understanding of human nature falls

The aspect of ‘Divine Displeasure’ is attributed almost perfectly to Grendel, the monster of Beowulf and the terror of Hrothgar. Both authors paint a grotesque picture of their creations and how they both desire to destroy beauty; Aesthetic Iconoclasm, that is shared between the two figures. However, both authors present their monsters separate to one another in philosophy; with Grendel being a mindless savage and the Monster being more contemplative and questioning the nature of its own creation. ‘Monster’ characters have always been a target of both folk tales and pagan myths since the dawn of humanity, the very concept of a monstrous creature harkens back to the primal fear instinct of facing a dangerous predator that presents a danger to humanity. Grendel from Beowulf is the perfect example of this hysteria and

In the beginning of the tragedy Othello tells Brabantio to “Keep up your bright swords signior, for the dew will rust them” (1.2.72-73). This statement gives the reader insight to Othello’s level-head and smart decisions, before he allowed jealousy to cloud his vision. Othello becomes convinced that Desdemona has cheated on him with Cassio; therefore, he is angered and beings to seek revenge for a crime that was never committed. Iago tells Othello “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (3.3.187-189).

Some say that humanity is not corrupt due to people being conciliatory and polite and kind. Although many will say that humanity is not cruel, the deeds that humans have done are which makes humanity cruel. For example, war and the violence, teaching and troublesome students, and bullying and the fond of hurting others are all reasons why humanity is corrupt. The horror of human nature is shown through war and the fear shown in any circumstances shows the horrors that humans come up with. In Lord of the Flies, “The terrors of the unknown,” and “The beast is human,” the beast signifies fear and the savagery of human nature through allegory in order to reveal that humanity is corrupt.

The novel the ‘Lord of the Flies’, by William Golding has a main theme that touches on the human condition – ‘the struggle between civilisation and savagery’. Golding advances in his writing techniques, showing symbolism and characterisation throughout. Golding chose to create a ‘Beast’ that would soon cause an emotional ‘rip’ between the boys. This beast is a symbol for the evil and the malice that resides within the children. Characterisation is shown with Ralph displaying different concepts like leadership and order, Piggy, intelligence and reason, Simon kindness and Jack, savagery.

As Grendel’s mother avenges her son by purging Heorot hall, she “[pounces] and [takes] one of the retainers / in a tight hold, then [heads] for the fen” (1294-1295). The utilization of the word “pounce” in describing Grendel’s mother’s ambush against Heorot Hall reveals that her predatory nature. Despite the prevalence of invasions during this period, Grendel’s mother is viewed as vulgar due to her inhuman style of combat. Thus, the poet’s manipulation of wording allows him to exhibit the crudeness of Beowulf’s inhuman