What is a monster? Is it a Child abuser, cancer, or maybe even drugs? Monsters can be anything from something Internal to people or beings for example monsters like Grendel and the dragon from the great epic poem Beowulf. One of the biggest modern day monster to a lot of people whether they are involved or not is drugs. Like Grendel from from Beowulf drugs can physically hurt people, but they also can cause an internal conflict, conflict like the fear and lament; that Grendel caused the kingdom of Herot.
What scares children and grown people alike? What has remained part of our society as an archetype since the beginning of written literature? Monsters! Most monsters fit a general archetype; almost all monsters are universally hated, viewed as scary, and seen as hideous. Monsters, seen through a lens of fear, are often often are pitted against heroes in adventure stories.
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
Monsters come in many forms. Monsters could be what people sees as villains in movies, scary Halloween pictures or simply the “creatures of the night. The word “monster” became a way of explaining the seemingly inexplicable. People create and ascribe meaning to monsters, endowing them with characteristics derived from their most deep-seated fears and taboos. In David Mill’s story, Derealization, the monster motif is used to encompass a bigger idea that the monsters that the readers are afraid are the ones that actually lies within their true
While the boys were afraid of the beast Simon was the only one that came up to realize the truth of the beast. He figured out that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. This shows the beast symbol has grown throughout the events to make us realize the depth of it. Where the symbol doesn’t end here as readers we know that the beast isn’t real. However, the Lord of the Flies turns out to be the beast.
One of such being the skimmers. These beasts are only known as unstoppable killing machines, but Rodda wants us to think of them in a different way. These creatures aren’t just genocidal maniacs, they are the physical embodiment of fear. They force the people of Weld to run and hide in their home when nightfall comes, they are stuck there to listen to the horrifying screech of the skimmers as they huddle in the darkness, fearing their possible death. This makes the reader fear the skimmers as well, and is exactly what the people of Weld are
In the epic poem, Beowulf, there are clear distinctions between an epic hero and a monster. Beowulf is the prime example of a epic hero possessing characteristics such as superior strength, courage, and loyalty. On the other hand, Grendel and Grendel’s mother are characteristized as evil and immoral based off of their actions. These characteristics are presented throughout the poem, and monsters are given grotesque, hideous appearances to further prove that they are evil. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother reaction revealed how the full presentation of a character can allow readers to react differently than before and even sympathized with them.
In Rod Sterling's tale, “Monsters Are Due On Maple Street,” he similarly explains this in a real situation in any place, such as Maple Street. He goes on to show his readers and watchers of the “Twilight Zone” that humans have several weaknesses that cause them to turn against each other. For example, their panic over sudden change, their speedy inferences, and their gullibility. These are common weakness that people are born with that may not only help them but destroy them as well. In conclusion, “we have met the enemy, and it is us.”
In Beowulf, Grendel the dragon is looked at in a very negative light, as an evil character. This is due to the strong descriptive words that the author uses, such as: “a powerful monster…in darkness…growled in pain” (pg.41 L. ). These words paint a clear picture of Grendel, and it supplies you a feeling for how evil the beast truly is. The epic states that Grendel was “spawned in that slime” (pg.41 L.), giving a very dark image of what he was conceived into. Grendel is a character of true evil.
The Power of Fear Fear is a power harnessed by evil to gain an advantage over good. Some forms of evil, such as the monsters in Beowulf, use this intense power to such an extent that they embody individual human fears to completely control and annihilate their enemies. Of the three monsters Beowulf faces in his life, the fatal foe, the unstoppable dragon most effectively embodies fear.
Grendel remains in an inner conflict with his beliefs throughout the entire story. He is directed by two compelling desires in which play a role in introducing him to the divergences between good and evil. The Shaper convinces him with his meaningful music, whereas the dragon persuades him through his ideology of nihilism. Both the Shaper and the dragon play a part in influencing his views on the human society.
The Green Knight and Grendel are two characters that represent the face of evil and horror. Grendel is the typical monster. He is massive and malicious. On the other hand, the Green Knight is innovative and capable of living decapitated. Both being similar in the fact that they are meant to portray the same type of character (antagonist), they are different in the way they challenge the protagonists and how they grow as characters.