Grendel Essay - 768 Words

In both works, Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel himself is generally given the same connotations. He is given kennings, called names, referred to as the evil spawn of Cain, and even viewed as a monster; but why? Why in both books is he a wicked, horrible, person who is harshly excluded from everyone? After stumbling upon John Gardners book, it was halfway expected that some excuse would be made for Grendel; that he wasnt really the inexorable monster the thanes in Beowulf portrayed him as. But all it really did was make him worse. What is the message we are being sent about Grendel? In Beowulf, we hardly know anything about Grendel. His name is barely mentioned and instead he is given an abundant amount of kennings. In Grendel, we learn†¦show more content†¦Ignorance is the real nature of the relationship in these two books in that maybe it was meant to be that way for a reason; and if wed just get the chance to be exposed to the painful, existential ways Grendel lived his life, wed realize it could happen to anyone. But we could also realize that we refuse to let it happen; and is the real meaning of Grendel. Mankind does have aShow MoreRelatedGrendel : Evil Essay833 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, Grendel by John Gardener, Grendel is a human-like creature capable of rational thought as well as feeling emotions. Early on in the story Gardener depicts Grendel as being very observant, critical and somewhat spiteful of the world around him. He describes himself as a murderous monster who smells of death and crouches in the shadows. Grendel watches the humans from the shadows of the trees and at first it seems as though they are the real monsters, slaughtering and pillaging all forRead More Beowulf v. Grendel Essay1084 Words   |  5 Pages Janell Touchette Period D 3/6/05 Beowulf/Grendel Test 1.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;An anti-hero is the opposite of a hero. It is the character that goes against all the traditional values of society. Grendel has strong traits of the average anti-hero. He lives in a cave with his mother in the middle of no where. Everybody in the land refuses to accept him, even as the lowest of their kind, and they are constantly trying to kill him. He is deprived the rules and consequences of society by notRead MoreIs Grendel Truley Evil? Essay1135 Words   |  5 PagesIs Grendel Evil or Victim to Circumstance? : How humanity has a tendency to put labels on people they don’t really understand. In the epic of Beowulf, one of the warrior’s biggest adversaries is a creature from the swamp named Grendel. Although the character of Grendel is present for only a short portion in the story of Beowulf, Grendel signifies one of the important messages in the text about humanity. In Beowulf, Grendel is called a ‘monster’. However, if observed closely, analyzing theRead More Grendel Vs. Beowulf Essay928 Words   |  4 Pages Grendel nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One of the most compelling and highly developed characters in the novel Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous poet, is the monster, Grendel. Even though these pieces show two different sides to Grendel they are similar in many ways. Grendel evokes sympathy toward the hideous monster by making him seem like the victim, while Beowulf portrays him as being the most loathsome of enemies. The reasons behind Grendelamp;#8217;sRead MoreGrendel vs. Beowulf Essay examples969 Words   |  4 PagesGrendel One of the most compelling and highly developed characters in the novel Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous poet, is the monster, Grendel. Even though these pieces show two different sides to Grendel they are similar in many ways. Grendel evokes sympathy toward the hideous monster by making him seem like the victim, while Beowulf portrays him as being the most loathsome of enemies. The reasons behind Grendel#8217;s being, his killing,Read MoreCompare and Contrast: Beowulf and Grendel Essay604 Words   |  3 PagesThere are many similarities and differences between the movie Beowulf and Grendel, to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, wasRead MoreGrendel Vs Movie Comparison Essay1056 Words   |  5 PagesSometimes they change the book to make it more interesting, modern, or to save money and time. For example they sexualized grendels mothers to make it more interesting and modern. Filmmakers changed the original story when they wrote Beowulf the movie to modernize it, make it interesting to catch the watchers, and to save time and money. In the book Beowulf had slayed Grendel and Grendels mother got very upset destroyed the herot hall. She took the Geats trophy back home (grendels arm). She goesRead MoreDo the Evil Deserve Sympathy in Grendel or Beowulf? Essay1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe Poem Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel. and the novel Grendel by John Gardner, it appears evident that the character Grendel gains more sympathy from the reader than that of the character Beowulf. Sympathys definition, as previously stated implies that one, in this case the reader, can share feelings with another, Grendel, most often said feelings are that of sorrow. One instance, when you can particularly sympathize with Grendel, happens to be when he gets stuck in a tree, and Hrothgar andRead MoreGrendel Essay761 Words   |  4 Pagescharacteristics. In the literary pieces of John Gardner’s, â€Å"Grendel,† unknown author of, â€Å"Beowulf,† and Robert Louis Stevenson’s, â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,† the characters are portrayed as having both qualities of good and evil, proving there to be a duality of decency/immorality, righteousness/depravity, and virtue/evil. The character, Grendel, in Gardner’s, â€Å"Grendel,† is a prime example of this inseparable bond between right and wrong. Grendel is originally wrongfully viewed as solely a complete andRead MoreEssay on Grendel1169 Words   |  5 Pages In 1971, American author John Gardner wrote Grendel. With a mastermind of creativity, John Gardner successfully retells the classic epic poem, Beowulf. He captures the reader by giving an interesting view of order and chaos, good and evil, hero and monster, allowing the monsters point of view to be seen. On July 21, 1933 John Gardner was born in Batavia, New York. He was the son of a preacher and diary, and his mother taught English. They were very fond of Shakespeare and loved