Annotation In Beowulf

When a text is difficult I tend to read it twice, the first time I make sure to read through it while extensively annotating any forms of literary devices and vocabulary that may disrupt my ability to understand the text as per the authors intent. However, the second time I read through the text I take a different approach to annotating. I annotate any lingering questions or things that may stand out or confuse me by looking into shifts of tones, settings and word choices that can be described as unconventional or unordinary. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney was difficult to interpret due to it portraying a story, but being shaped as a poem (can tell by authors utilization of line breaks). Nevertheless, there were some places that especially caught my interest and some places that confused me.

Beginning on line 217 until line 223, the literary device

“Over the waves, with the wind behind her and foam at her neck, she flew like a bird until her curved prow had covered the distance and on the following day, at the due hour, those seafarers sighted land, sunlit cliffs, sheer crags and looming headlands, the landfall they sought.” The intrinsic description of the boat portrayed as a bird and as a woman interested me. The author was able to capture my attention and draw me in deeper by connecting an object to things that are beautiful in itself. Beowulf was a great and noble warrior. However, that did not mean that everyone liked him. Unferth was jealous of Herot’s interest in Beowulf. With envy beginning on line 499 and ending on line 528 Unferth tries to publicly humiliate and discredit Beowulf. With a condescending tone the audience (I) began to