Beowulf: Can You Relate?
In the early stages of life, make-believe stories play a big part in a child’s upcoming and imagination. At some point we believed in those make-believe stories that were read to us, but when we mature we get a sense of what is fiction and non-fiction. That does not mean that when we get older, we do not enjoy or learn something from those stories. Beowulf, like many fiction stories/poems, includes elements we would usually not relate to, but still enjoy, and elements we can relate to as well.
The epic poem, Beowulf, there are a lot of elements that make it seem fiction-like in genre. “In Beowulf, nature is represented most vividly by the demon Grendel and his mother, who live in haunted swamps and terrifying black …show more content…
That is what we can relate to in Beowulf. From Beowulf himself traveling overseas to defeat a monster to help a town that he has never been to, the overly formal speeches Beowulf would voice, and the 100 line long battles Beowulf fought, excitement and adventure is everywhere. Barry Tharaud describes the poem in his article, Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf, “We are shown glimpses of life that is harsh and dark and filled with uncertainty-“. Who would not want to read that by just his simple review? What usually peaks our interest in a story is mystery, thrills, and also a lot of excitement. Beowulf not only exerts these qualities but goes above that. “In Beowulf, as in all medieval literature, the natural world represents not beauty or poetic inspiration, but rather a dangerous, chaotic and menacing force.” (Striesguth 74) We readers want a nice adventure that includes heroes, dragons, monsters, fierce battles, deaths, and kingdoms, Beowulf includes all of this and even more, “Beowulf illustrates the dawning of an age in which raw courage and heroism are giving way to the temper of nobility and the spirit of magnanimity.”(Striesguth 87) Therefore we can share a peak in interest in this poem because how adventurous and impressive this poem
In the early stages of life, make-believe stories play a big part in a child’s upcoming and imagination. At some point we believed in those make-believe stories that were read to us, but when we mature we get a sense of what is fiction and non-fiction. That does not mean that when we get older, we do not enjoy or learn something from those stories. Beowulf, like many fiction stories/poems, includes elements we would usually not relate to, but still enjoy, and elements we can relate to as well.
The epic poem, Beowulf, there are a lot of elements that make it seem fiction-like in genre. “In Beowulf, nature is represented most vividly by the demon Grendel and his mother, who live in haunted swamps and terrifying black …show more content…
That is what we can relate to in Beowulf. From Beowulf himself traveling overseas to defeat a monster to help a town that he has never been to, the overly formal speeches Beowulf would voice, and the 100 line long battles Beowulf fought, excitement and adventure is everywhere. Barry Tharaud describes the poem in his article, Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf, “We are shown glimpses of life that is harsh and dark and filled with uncertainty-“. Who would not want to read that by just his simple review? What usually peaks our interest in a story is mystery, thrills, and also a lot of excitement. Beowulf not only exerts these qualities but goes above that. “In Beowulf, as in all medieval literature, the natural world represents not beauty or poetic inspiration, but rather a dangerous, chaotic and menacing force.” (Striesguth 74) We readers want a nice adventure that includes heroes, dragons, monsters, fierce battles, deaths, and kingdoms, Beowulf includes all of this and even more, “Beowulf illustrates the dawning of an age in which raw courage and heroism are giving way to the temper of nobility and the spirit of magnanimity.”(Striesguth 87) Therefore we can share a peak in interest in this poem because how adventurous and impressive this poem