At first i thought reading this would be boring, but by the 2 episode i grew to like it and wanted to keep reading. I thought the words would be as difficult as shakespeare but it is actually less difficult. Some of the words i have never heard but most of the words you can put together and make out what their saying. I really liked the main character Beowulf because of his courageousness. He stood up to all the monsters in the book. He knew something had to be done about Grendal eating everybody everynight so he did what he had to do. He is a true contender.
The event that stuck out the most is the end. In the end of the book he fought his last battle before he died. The last battle was with the dragon. He succeed in all his other battles but he took a lost to the dragon but he went out like a real hero. That is why it stood out to me because of the way he died. Beowulf had a lot soldiers that was suppose to be with him but they all got scared and ran to save their own lives. But he did not give up he kept going and fought all by himself. Wiglaf was the only one that did not betray him. And for that before he passed he handed down all his treasure, jewels, and gold to him. He was old and I think because of that was the only reason he had lost the battle. He stood up when everybody else was scared to, and everybody respected him for that.
I like that he was created by the gods and he look like a regular man but has more power than the average man. It was a male dominant culture. There wasnt to many female warriors, there was only men that fought. In the story Beuwolf they had a warrior tradition. The warriors was really highly respected. They throwed parties for Beuwolf because they thought a lot about him. Being a warrior means a lot. They had to fight a lot of battles against demons and dragons.
2. Think about what you know about the Anglo-Saxon's culture. How well does Beowulf illustrate what the Anglo-Saxons believed? Give at least three separate examples, and back them up with direct evidence from the poem.
1) Being a warrior in Anglo-Saxon's culture is very important to them. They give them the up most respect. They showed Beuwolf how much they appreciated him when he died by burying him in a special way. "With sorrow, The Geats then cremate the corpse of their greatest king. They place his ashes, along with all of the dragon's treasure, in a huge burial mound by the sea, where it can be seen by voyagers."
2) In the anlo-saxon culture being a warrior is important to the warrior himself. He takes pride in protecting his society. When he succeeds in a battle he feels like he protected his society from whom ever he was battling with. "Beuwolf carries the head of Grendel to King Hrothgar and then returns gift-laden to the land of the geats, where he succeeds to the throne." "For Beowulf, the price of this last victory will be great."
3) Constantly getting attacked by monsters from swamps and different places is also apart of their culture. They always have to be on the lookout for some foreign creature that is out to harm them. "He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night slaughter."
3) How does this story compare to the hero stories from our culture? Provide at least one example of how Beowulf is similar, and one of how he is different. You should provide some evidence from the text to support what you claim.
The Heros that you read about in our culture is very similar to Beuwolf. Everybody looks up to him and he known for being strong and taking out the bad people. Just like the heroes we read about. The typical heroe is really friendly and nice to their own society and does their best to protect them. "I already knew that all my purpose was this: to win the good will of our people or die in battle"
4. What do you think of the way Beowulf dies? Write a 2-3 paragraph response on how you feel about the ending of the story. If you don't know where you are going with this, you should talk to me about it. It is especially important to support your opinions with some evidence from Beowulf.
I personally think this has the best ending of any heroic stories I have ever read. He died in the best way ever (I know that sounds weird). It was a tragic ending but at the same time it was a happy ending. It wasn't the happy ending that first pops up in your head but it still was a happy ending. To me the way he died leaves a big repsonsibility for the next hero, because the society is going to exspect him to do things like Beuwolf or better.
When it was time to fight the dragon Beowolf team left him by hisslef to fight by himself. The only person that was there with him Wiglaf. Together they killed the dragon. Wiglaf didn't want to see Wiglaf die miserably and alone, and it ended up that he didnt. Beowolf died in a peaceful way. He died knowing that he and Wiglaf sucessfully beat the hardest battle that he ever fought. In the end he gave Wiglaf some treasure that meant a lot to him. He felt like he had done his duty of protecting his people. "For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank Our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth-For all of this, That his grace has given me, allowed me to bring to my people while breath still came to my lips"
