Sir Gawain Part 1 and 2

Hey group! FIrst of all, I have a question about the poem in gerneal: What is the relation between King Arthur and the Arthurian Romantic period and the Christian and Catholic? (mass) faith and fellowship of the late 14th century? Now, onto the poem, I just read Part I and II of "Sir Gawain and The Green Knight" I found this poem somewhat gothic with the use of the supernatural, green knight. For instance, after Gawain decapitaes the knight "with a roisterous rush he flings around the reins,/Hurtles out at the hall-door, his head in his hand" (171 lines 457-458). I find this very surprising; a human knight would not be able to ride out of there alive, let alone, headless.

This green star, the pentangle, which appears on Gawain's armor signifies the five virtues, five fingers, and five senses. However, what does it mean by "never to fail by his five fingers?" (175 line 641). I do not quite understand. Is it to fight the Green Knight? This pentagon I believe reminds Gawain the five most important beliefs in his life. Such as loyalty, honesty, generosity, chastity, and piety. I also find the change of the seasons very symbolic at the beginning of Part II and the fact that the poets descriptive change of the seasons relates to the changes of Gawain's state of mind: "After Christmas there came the cold cheer of Lent, The keen cold lessens, the low clouds lift/ Fresh falls the rain in fostering showers/ On the face of the fields; flowers appear" (172 lines 502, 505-507). I have not read the rest of the poem, but I wonder what the game signifies in society and character: A jokester? I also wonder if gawain is going to die and if so at least he died in respect for his uncle, King Arthur. I find this poem very interesting and dramatic; it definitely keeps me wondering what is going to happen next. There are a lot of hidden religious meanings in this text which I do not understand, but I recognize that the religious context is there. I also want to comment on the color of the knight-Green. I believe green signifies nature, wealth, and envy, but is that true in this case?

End of "Beowulf": the dragon

"Beowulf" is an amazing tragic yet heroic poem. I loved this early writing! My favorite part was the dragon. I think that this poem has to have some inspiration on reality in the society at the time. Therefore, what does the dragon signify? Does the dragon signify the justice system? Hence, killing the thief for taking a cup from his (founded) treasure. I believe that the dragon was serving justice on the thief who interrupted his sleep. Hence the saying, "You get what you deserve."

I looked up some dragon myths and I find some of these very interesting and I am stretching the connection between the two. However, I find these links interesting. In the first link, http://www.polenth.com/myth/asia/dragonking.html, it states, "Angering [a] dragon could cause bad things to happen, such as floods (or in this case war). Making sure the dragon is happy, such as giving them offerings (for example, we do not know how the dragon obtained this treasure, only that he found it and claimed it to be his), is the way to ensure this does not happen." Even though,the author of "Beowulf" probably was not familiar with Chinese myths, he was familiar with Scandinavia. For example, Beowulf was said to be a scandinavian ruler. With this said, the second link, http://www.polenth.com/myth/europe/fafnir.html, states that the king of the dwarves leaves equal amounts of treasure to his three sons. When the mountain threatens to cave in, two of them hide their treasure under a dragon stone (the stone is a dragon). After five years and a day, the dragon takes on human form, allowing Siegfried to take the treasure." I believe that the author knew of these different tales of the dragon and how the dragon is surrounded by treasure, sets things on fire, and guards possessions, and he uses these myths to his advantage to attract a wider audience. (possibly?)

However, I also believe that a great warrior such as Beowulf has to go out with a bang and on top and there's nothing scarier than a dragon that is "slick-skinned, " shoots out fire, and an enormous creature. The author has a way to manipulate the readers into liking Beowulf as a human being, a warrior, and a gentleman. Personally, I did not want Beowulf to die, even though, he was 70 years old. And even though, Beowulf was cocky, arrogant, and eager to obtain fame (with a price of course such as gold, jewels, etc.), I considered him to be confident, loyal, and a nobleman. I did not even realize he was arrogant until in class today. Whoever the author of "Beowulf" is he knew how to use language to manipulate, stories to entertain, and mythical creatures to make his main character seem extremely tough, brave, and unstoppable.

Picture of Beowulf's Sword

This is the sword Beowulf used to defeat Grendel the dragon from hell. This sword is quite powerful and magical.

The Wanderer

Sorry that it a while to post this but I did read it before I read Beowolf so I apologize for the tardiness...lol!!! Ok, so I think that the story, "The Wanderer," is very scary and yet sad!! It shows some loneliness to this story if you want to put it. The beginning of the story explained how the wanderer was walking on that frost - cold sea. I felt terribly saddened when I read that part because I could imagine how it must feel to lose his/her lord and the people you care about, even if they are the ones that were fighting with you on the battlegrounds. He's like a walking soul waiting to go to the afterlife. Sometimes, I be worrying about what be going through his mind when he be traveling. On paragraph four, it stated, "he who has experienced it knows how a companion sorrow is to a man who has no beloved protectors." I think that it means that since that his beloved friends and/or family are no longer with him; he has nobody to protect him. Even if that's true, he still could've brought a weapon of some sort to protect him. I agree where the speaker says, " the wise man must be patient, must never be too hot - hearted, nor too hasty of speech, nor fearful, nor too glad nor too greedy for wealth." It may not be the whole quoting, but what I'm trying to say is that you wouldn't want to give yourself to the darkness, unless you want to see the devil. What I thought to be scary was when there were some words that he had spoken when he started to remember the large number of battles on paragraph nine. After he had spoken those words, I was trying to make out that the precious things (valuables) he had once before are gone.

Hey everyone. I just finished reading Beowulf, I've never read this before, so I was interested in the story since it was written so long ago. I got a little confused in some parts of the story, but all in all I really enjoyed this writing.
It seems like this is a very religious story, since the author referred to God many times. Beowulf seemed to be a big believer in God, he thanked God many times through out the story, and refereed to God as the Almighty Power many times. I especially liked how Beowulf spoke of God as the decider of his faith, and the only person who really decided how the fights would end. Starting on line 1656, Beowulf is speeking, and this is right after he defeated Grendel's mother, he says, "It was a hard-fought, a desperate affair that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal." I really like this quote, because at this time, he has defeated two creatures, Grendel and Grendel's mother, and while most people would become cocky and self absurbent, he did not. He still is reffering to God as the person that helped him win, and God is the reason why he is still alive at that moment.
It seems to me that the author of this story believed in God, or good (at least that's what I got from the story). I felt like Grendel and his mother represented evil, while Beowulf portrayed the good, and good always defeated evil in this story.

Beowolf Pt. 1: ~The Beginning - The Heorot is Attacked~

Beowulf is about a courageous survivor, who stood up against a filthy, mean, demon (Grendel) to protect his people, and to seek revenge for the murders Grendel committed. In the beginning, it explained how the lord has to take care of his thanes and to give them a bonus for their courageous acts in return for having a warrior to defend him and fighting in his wars. To me, I can probably say it's like equivalent exchange, where if one person does something for you, you have to owe him/her back with a price. I really don't know why Hrothgar had needed to put a "death-price" for killing Grendel. If it means sacrificng you own life or someone else', then that's totally crazy!!! But if it has something to do with a code of honor, then I can understand that.
~Heorot is Attacked~
The people noticed that a demon came from the depths of hell. Grendel's the name and conquering is its game (well plus killing lol). When Grendel showed up, the people were petrified and I know as much that they were frightened like they were about to pee in their pants. So while the people started to run, the beast took 30 men from their resting place and did whatever he want with them in his den. That's the harshest thing you can do is take 30 dead people from the grave and do whatever you like. If I had the guts to do that, God the Almighty would have to strike me down 10,000 times. I felt so bad for the prince on lines 128 - 144 because he was sitting in his throne powerless and unable to help his guards, and the fact that there was nothing else that he could've done. The one thing I didn't get was on line 131. It stated that he was humiliated and by the loss of his guard(s). To me, I feel that it might be saying that he was embarrassed that they didn't put much effort into fighting the demon. If that's so, why didn’t' the prince got up and did anything? I understand that princes make commands and everything, but now that the guards have been defeated, I believe that he should do something for his people. Ever since the fight, it been nothing but hell since Grendel arrived, and the thing about it was that no Dane couldn't stop him.

Picture of Grendel in the 2007 film

Hey all! I finally figured out how to post pictures. In the 2007 Beowulf movie, the director decided to portray Grendel as the evil, ugly, viscious, and horrific monster that he is in the text. For example, the picture to the left.

After discussion in Class on Beowulf

I was thinking today while we were having our discussion and after Dr. Kilgore raised an interesting thought that the author is relating his story to real life events and controversial subject. As the author was writing this story the spread of Christianity was taking over the country, along with the belief in one God, and only God himself was to be believed in. This God was immortal, just like the monster and dragons. I think that possibly the author links the belief in God who is immortal to the opposite contender of the evil monster to represent the devil; hence, good versus evil.

The Wife's Lament

I have finished this poem, “The Wife’s Lament,” and I thought of it as horrifying and crazy. The speaker made a lot of crucial details in this poem that got me at awe. The poem is about a woman who's married to a nobleman that got her exiled (well not exactly) because of a feud. Her husband had gone away across the storm - tossed sea, away from his people, while the woman was to find shelter. My question is why didn't he help her provide with any decent shelter? At the time, I thought that the reason why he lefted was because he was going away for battle and that he knew that he wasn't coming back, or that he was going to leave her and the people for good. On the fourth paragraph of the poem, the speaker is explaining how she was told to live in a cave under an oak tree. But at the same time, she's feeling overtaken with the desire to go be him again. Desires like these can be everlasting, but can hurt you at the same time. It seems to me that she wouldn't be so reckless for the person she loves if she had felt that she was forced to live at a place where she wouldn't be happy. What's interesting about this poem is that the husband's wife whose been forced to live in a bad - natured shelter, knows that it's her husband's fault for hurting her feelings, and yet she still loves him and longs for him. I was trying to give you an idea that the husband's kinsman is the blame for their separation; not the husband himself. But throughout the whole poem, the wife is grieving for the separation away from her husband, and explaining about her terrifying experiences. During my reading, I was wondering and imagining what her life was like when she was with her husband and getting into a feud.

Pictures..

This is a picture of the acutal first page of the Beowulf Manuscript

Beaowulf 1st part....

This is my first time reading the epic poem Beowulf and wow, so far it has kept my attention and kept me reading and wondering what will happen next. When I first starting reading I was so confused with all the names. I had to go back and reread to make sure I was straight on which character was which. I'm still a little confused on the narration of the poem. Is the entire poem from Beowulf's perspective or are there others talking as well? Old English writing is very different from the material I read today. So far I am enjoying the history and creativity of this era.
I am so fascinated at how the story is Mythical but has a religious view. I love how the writer contributes God's will into the story. Lines 100-114 we see a story from the bible about Cain and Abel. I am a christian and my values of my daily living are based around putting God first in all that I do. In the poem it states in Line 1055 "God's will prevails" In the battle between Beowulf and Grendel I see as a fight of Good vs. Evil. Beowulf puts all his faith in trusting God and is able to overpower and kill Grendel. Grendel is a furious, monstrous Demon such as the Devil who can not be beaten by a kind-hearted man like Beowulf.
I find Beowulf's character very intriguing; He comes to Hrothgar, willing to lend a helping hand and is so humble. Line 676 Beowulf is called "That prince of Goodness" he is grateful, fearless, and defeat less. Beowulf Reminds me of a Superhero; but yet is unique in his own way.
I'm still trying to understand lines 1070-155 from my understanding its another poem relating Beowulf's battle with the attack in Friesland?
Well thats all for now until I finish reading..

Beowulf: pgs 29-69

So I just finished reading the assigned reading in Beowulf (FYI I have never read this epic or seen the movie). I found this unknown author to be very creative, spiritual, and mythological. As the book explains the history, they say that "now widely believed" the author is Christian (31). I do not see how this could be controversial based on "Beowulf" this epic is definitely about God, following God, respecting God, and believing in Judgment Day. I am confused on the fact that Grendel, the devilish monster, who is "malignant by nature," can be killed by Beowulf' the son of Ecgtheow's strong, forceful handgrip? Or the fact that Grendel can not be killed by weapons but his mom can? In lines 801and 802 state, "that no blade on earth, no blacksmith's art could ever damage their demon opponent" (50). With this said: why would Beowulf be able to decapitate Grendel's mother; when they both come from the same ghost and demon family? I absolutely love this poem so far; "Beowulf" reminds me of Homer's epic "The Iliad" I compare Beowulf to Achilles, the warrior who can not be defeated, who seems untouchable. Why did the author base this story on "preternatural evil, which inhabits the dangerous and demonic space surrounding human society" (31)? I feel that the author is approaching the ruling of Kings and the importance of kinship at that time in history.
This link below is a website that I found with a picture of Grendel. For some reason I am very curious about the way Grendel looks. I imagine him to be extremely enormous, very stong, and really ugly. In the movie(2007) (the second link), Grendel is portrayed how I imagine: deformed.

http://www.lone-star.net/literature/beowulf/grendel.gif
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2007_Beowulf/2007_beowulf_013.jpg

Connection between "The Wanderer" and "The Wife's Lament"

Hey guys! I was wanting to comment on an easy way to remember "The Wanderer" and "The Wife's Lament" by Dede. I might be stretching this connection, but I consider the Wanderer to be a man of war, a past noble and rich figure, and someone who dedicated himself to the troops and who is in search of the Lord (his wife). However, now, he is a lonely man who remembers when he had to "cover his gold-friend in the darkness of the earth" (112). This wanderer is now roaming the Earth in search of companionship, the Lord, and the comfort of happiness. Therefore, the woman in "The Wife's Lament" could be the wife of the wanderer who awaits for her husband (who she refers to as the Lord) to get back from war. For example, she says, "First my lord went away from his people here across the storm-tossed sea" (114). Meaning her husband went to war. She longed for his return and love, but he never made it home (hence, the wanderer is roaming an unknown country). The young wife spends the rest of her life alone, waiting for her husband. I connect these two because the wanderer leaves (his wife?) to go to war and does not return, while the wife is waiting for the return of her husband (who never makes it home). In relation to a military marriage and deployment, a husband and wife is separated. The husband goes to fight with his comrades and serve his country, while his wife stays at home and takes care of the house hoping her husband returns. I believe that in the last paragraph of "The Wife's Lament" explains these emotions, "Should a young person ever be sad, harsh care at heart, he must then at one and the same time have heartache and a glad countenance, although he suffers endless surging sorrows"(114).