Introduction
The extract is from Beowulf the poem. Grendel is described as a man-eating demon; the assumption is that he is in the form of a human he is Cain’s kin. While it is not clear if he is in human form possessed by a demon the above lines show that he is not loved by the Lord and is defined a monstrous evil who stalkers the marshes for human flesh. Monsters were not considered favored by the gods and thus were exiled to live alone in places that human could not inhabit. However, at times, they did appear within human dwellings causing murder and destruction of humanity.
Literary commentary
Historical context
The extract is assigned by scholars to be in the first half of the eighth century or the sixth century (Yorke, p.22). The text …show more content…
The use of Alliteration helped define Grendel’s home which is hellish and a wasteland (Bogan, p.2). The image present in the mind of Grendel’s home is a horrible place. The alliterations help set the image of Grendel as a monster who lives in place humanity cannot inhabit. A sense of fear is gained from the use of alliteration which is that a monster exists in the moors, a place that is not safe for a man to enter. The literary device of kenning is used in the description of who and what Grendel. “Over exiled monsters, for a while, those the creator had banished” the description of Grendel is a monster that is cursed and banished by God. The use of assonance is seen in the words “lord, feud”emphasizes the notion that Grendel does not reside with other humans (Bogan, p.3). The assonance is vital for it shows that Grendel is not recognized by man and by God by just like his ancestor Cain. Cain is repeatedly used as an allusion that is from the bible. Cain is an allusion for he is a familiar figure within the bible stories. “Moors in his hold” is a symbolic representation of Grendel home in which moors are considered inhabitable for humans. The figurative use of the uplands means that Grendel is living alone and a desolate wasteland within contact with …show more content…
The extract is intertwined with paganism and Christianity which were dominant during the assumed centuries. The middle ages were obsessed with the ideology of evil and Cain who was cursed by God for murdering his brother. What the monster alluded in the extract is called Grendel who is a descendant of Cain. The excerpt portrays him as a creature that lives alone and banished due to the sense of his ancestor. The western ideology and paganism are founded on the metaphor of monsters that were in reality deformed humans rejected by society. Deformation was described as an act of God due to evil thoughts of the family lineage and was treated as taboo. The monster theme as it appears on the extract described a creature who lives in heal and is set on terrorizing humanity. During the average times evil was synonymous with biblical Cain, and in the excerpt, Grendel is described as Cain’s kin. Humankind banished evil as God did, however, the connection between a mighty God who could erase evil from the face of the earth and a God who was bent on revenge was never sought. It is to be noted that moral condemnation was a subject not to be taken lightly in the medieval times. The extract on Beowulf uses several literary techniques to advance its theory on monsters and Christianity. The use of alliteration helps capture the home of Grendel, and the image presented cement the
The extract is from Beowulf the poem. Grendel is described as a man-eating demon; the assumption is that he is in the form of a human he is Cain’s kin. While it is not clear if he is in human form possessed by a demon the above lines show that he is not loved by the Lord and is defined a monstrous evil who stalkers the marshes for human flesh. Monsters were not considered favored by the gods and thus were exiled to live alone in places that human could not inhabit. However, at times, they did appear within human dwellings causing murder and destruction of humanity.
Literary commentary
Historical context
The extract is assigned by scholars to be in the first half of the eighth century or the sixth century (Yorke, p.22). The text …show more content…
The use of Alliteration helped define Grendel’s home which is hellish and a wasteland (Bogan, p.2). The image present in the mind of Grendel’s home is a horrible place. The alliterations help set the image of Grendel as a monster who lives in place humanity cannot inhabit. A sense of fear is gained from the use of alliteration which is that a monster exists in the moors, a place that is not safe for a man to enter. The literary device of kenning is used in the description of who and what Grendel. “Over exiled monsters, for a while, those the creator had banished” the description of Grendel is a monster that is cursed and banished by God. The use of assonance is seen in the words “lord, feud”emphasizes the notion that Grendel does not reside with other humans (Bogan, p.3). The assonance is vital for it shows that Grendel is not recognized by man and by God by just like his ancestor Cain. Cain is repeatedly used as an allusion that is from the bible. Cain is an allusion for he is a familiar figure within the bible stories. “Moors in his hold” is a symbolic representation of Grendel home in which moors are considered inhabitable for humans. The figurative use of the uplands means that Grendel is living alone and a desolate wasteland within contact with …show more content…
The extract is intertwined with paganism and Christianity which were dominant during the assumed centuries. The middle ages were obsessed with the ideology of evil and Cain who was cursed by God for murdering his brother. What the monster alluded in the extract is called Grendel who is a descendant of Cain. The excerpt portrays him as a creature that lives alone and banished due to the sense of his ancestor. The western ideology and paganism are founded on the metaphor of monsters that were in reality deformed humans rejected by society. Deformation was described as an act of God due to evil thoughts of the family lineage and was treated as taboo. The monster theme as it appears on the extract described a creature who lives in heal and is set on terrorizing humanity. During the average times evil was synonymous with biblical Cain, and in the excerpt, Grendel is described as Cain’s kin. Humankind banished evil as God did, however, the connection between a mighty God who could erase evil from the face of the earth and a God who was bent on revenge was never sought. It is to be noted that moral condemnation was a subject not to be taken lightly in the medieval times. The extract on Beowulf uses several literary techniques to advance its theory on monsters and Christianity. The use of alliteration helps capture the home of Grendel, and the image presented cement the