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Two kinds literary analysis questions
Literary analysis of Two kinds
Two kinds literary analysis questions
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Two kinds literary analysis questions
Literary analysis of Two kinds
Two kinds literary analysis questions
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Grendel in the novel is different from the Grendel shown in the epic poem Beowulf because Grendel shows a different side of himself. Grendel in the novel is much more complex, whereas in the epic poem, he is much more epic and destructive. However, in both the novel and the epic poem, the reader is able to see how short tempered he is in both. This helps the reader get a better insight of how Grendel actually feels throughout the novel rather than the way he is perceived in the poem, because it takes into perspective on how he lives his life and feels throughout the entire war. Grendel is much more epic and destructive in the poem, than the novel.
Throughout time, the meaning of the word “hero” has changed throughout the world. Everyone has their own perspective of what qualities and characteristics “heroes” should have. In today’s modern world, we hear the word “hero” used constantly in tabloids, on the news, or in plain conversation. What exactly is a hero? Who, or what, can be classified as heroic?
“He awoke in the basement of Gacy’s home his body naked and pressed into a pillory like rack which held his arms and head. John Wayne Gacy a powerful, heavyset man was also naked, his fat, hairy belly sticking out obscenely. Gacy showed his victims various whips and instruments of torture along with number of strange looking sexual devices explaining lasciviously how he intended to use these implements on him. The assaults and torture went on for hours” (Nash 1247). A candidate that measures up to this disturbance would be the monster from Beowulf, Grendel.
Medieval literature shows the change of heroes throughout centuries. For the English medieval times, two story’s heroes stand out: Le Morte d'Arthur’s Lancelot and Beowulf’s Beowulf. Lancelot, the patient, humble, and chivalrous knight, is contrasted by Beowulf, a boastful, proud, and rowdy viking. It clearly shows how stories have changed in their depiction of protagonists. Both Beowulf and Lancelot are great warriors and leaders but that is where their similarities end.
The thing that stands out when reading the stories of Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and the Canterbury Tales is that the writers use Christianity to show conflicts in human nature. Also with these stories taking place in different times with writers who have different opinions about Christianity and how it has influences Society. For example, in Beowulf, the writer chooses to mash up the ideas of Christianity and paganism because during the time that the writer was transcribing the story there were missionaries trying to convert the Anglo-Saxons that lived in Britain, so the missionaries used Beowulf as a way to reach the pagans. This is also been done to other stories like in the Viking legend Thor god of thunder where at the end of the story the world
King Arthur’s death compares to Beowulf’s death because they both die in battle. King Arthur dies beside his people and Beowulf dies for his people. Both had a strong love for their people. Both King Arthur and Beowulf died an honorable death. As well as both of them having a certain pride.
In the stories of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Arthur, readers see that each story has a heroic character and problems they have to overcome. It is shown in Gilgamesh that he goes on a great adventure to the ends of the earth to figure out how to become immortal. Beowulf jumps into a bloody lake and doesn’t surface for a couple days in order to find and kill Grendel’s mother. Lastly, Arthur goes home to reclaim his throne from his son, Mordred, and kills him. There are also other similarities.
Heroism is multifaceted and varies in size and form. Heroism is represented differently within the epics "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." "Beowulf" is set in 1066 and tells the story of Beowulf, a hero, who willingly fights a monster to save a kingdom. " Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is set during the medieval period at King Arthur’s court and tells the story of Sir Gawain, a knight of the aforementioned Court, who sacrifices himself to save his king and peers. Beowulf shows his heroism through physicality, while Gawain shows his heroism through mentality.
Compare/Contrast Essay Beowulf is an epic hero, who is a strong and powerful man who comes from Sweden to Denmark to help a village that is being attacked by a man-eating monster named Grendel. Arthur, is a romantic hero who is the courageous king of Camelot who is a devoted leader and will do anything to protect his kingdom and people. Even though Beowulf and Arthur are two different heroes, they both share similar traits such as devoted followers, the use of magical weapons, and courageous traits throughout the story. Both epic and romantic heroes had devoted followers that helped them throughout battles. Beowulf was very strong, but when the people of Denmark thought he needed help.
The poem and movie of “Beowulf” are very different and they are also sort of similar. There are a lot more differences between the two than you would expect and while some of them are minor differences others are drastically different. Most movies are very different from the book they are made from. The biggest differences between the movie and poem were the three battles. The three battles have drastic differences.
Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.
Everybody likes rooting for a hero. And throughout the evolution of storytelling, from stories written in stone to those in tablets, heroes have always played a huge role in the stories we tell. As literature evolved, and more legends and tales began to appear in different cultures, the idea of a traditional epic hero was established. Stories like "The Epic of Gilgamesh," and "The Odyssey," set the mold for this type of heroes, an influence that can clearly be seen when analyzing literature. In fact, most of these characters, regardless of the time and place they were created in, shared similar characteristics to the two kings.
Stories contain many characters with some that stand out more than the others. A person is considered the protagonist depending on who is telling the story and what story is being told. The protagonist is the main character in a literary work. Whether good or evil, the audience sympathize with the protagonist and understands the motif of the character. Beowulf is a protagonist whose encounters with evil proves him to be a strong heroic warrior.
Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.
The Webster's definition of a hero is “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities”, this also happens to be one of the qualifications of being an epic hero. There are many things that can be used to compare and contrast Beowulf as an epic hero and a modern day hero, but you’ll find that the human idea of a hero was primarily the same in 700 CE as it is now although the job descriptions of hero’s have changed. In today’s time a person is usually considered a hero if they help the public good, like a police officer, soldier, firefighter and so on. In Beowulf’s time a person was considered a hero if they were a great warrior. When looking at the characteristics of what makes Beowulf an epic hero and the characteristics