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Examples Of Diction In Beowulf

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Beofwulf’s structure, events, diction, and the story of a complete warrior depict what a true epic poem looks like. The poem shows the reader many events and tragedies that create a long line-filled poem. Beowulf endures many journeys throughout the narrative that solidify as heroic and truly legendary. Many unlikely and superhuman abilities are displayed throughout Beowulf as well. Structure, heroics, and superhuman abilities in the narrative Beowulf, which tells of Beowulf’s journeys, provide a great example of an epic. The structure of Beowulf is set up so well that it has to be an epic. For starters, this poem reaches the required length of an epic. Beowulf is an astonishing 3182 lines long, the one that was read in Mrs. Switzer’s class …show more content…

For example, many long speeches are given throughout. “Who’s soldiers are you, you who’ve been carried in your deep-keeled ship…” (Raffel 152-212). Beowulf’s soldier goes back and forth with the Geats explaining how Beowulf has kept the land safe for so long. The Geats then explain how they are looking for the Prince, Healfdane’s son. Also, the poem uses an elevated diction with a formal tone throughout. “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day the music rang” (Raffel 1-3). There is an obvious tone that makes the reader read as if they are telling a scary story while still being quite …show more content…

For example, Beowulf was a serious and worthy subject who was head and shoulders above everyone else around. “In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats - greater and stronger than anyone in this world” (Raffel 109-113). Next, a lot of action included feats of superhuman strength. “Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper” (Raffel 310). Grendel was so strong that he could humans and chewed their bones. Finally, throughout the whole poem, Beowulf has Gods or supernatural beings that take part in the action to affect the outcome. Beowulf, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon, the serpentine creatures, and the sea monsters that Beowulf fought in the past have all affected the outcome of the

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Passed down through various societies for multiple generations, the poem Beowulf is a true literary masterpiece. While first spread by word of mouth, the work was later transcribed, translated, and transformed into numerous forms of literature and media. Due to this, we know that their is not one true Beowulf. As Professor Martin Foys once said, “each generation gets the version of Beowulf it deserves”. These various adaptations led to differing tales of the conquests of Beowulf, as is the case with the first of the three agons, Beowulf’s clash with Grendel.

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In the poem, Beowulf follows the adventures of the hero described in Campbell's monomyth. In order to be acknowledged as an epic, a story must have many stages, according to the monomyth format. The hero’s journey consists of three main stages. These stages are separation, initiation, and return. And ofcourse, Beowulf encounters each one of these stages

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The protagonist of the epic poem "Beowulf," Beowulf, is a model of the traditional epic hero archetype. He exhibits many of the conventional characteristics of this archetype throughout the poem in his different heroic deeds. But at the same time, the traits of contemporary heroes have evolved over time, and Beowulf may be viewed in a different light than those we cherish and adore now. Strength and combat prowess are two of the essential qualities of an epic hero. Beowulf is known for his tremendous strength and fighting prowess, both of which are displayed throughout the epic.

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Beowulf conquers three battles throughout the story which appear physical in nature, but turn out to be internal conflicts in the end. Beowulf is a heroic poem that focuses on the development of a hero, Beowulf. He fights a dragon in his final battle which represents his self-consciousness and ego. Unknown Anglo-Saxon writers wrote this poem between the years 700 and 750; the poem reflects their values of bravery, loyalty, community, and honor. Three individual sections show Beowulf's development as an epic hero displaying different battles in each which also represent an internal struggle with himself.

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660 Words | 3 Pages

In the epic poem Beowulf, the theme good vs. evil guides Beowulf through his many endeavors and conquests. This theme shows the different values of Beowulf and helps supplement the reasons for Beowulf’s actions throughout the poem. The author uses situational, symbolic, and character archetypes to enhance the plot of the poem and to provide justification for the themes of the epic poem. The situational archetype and theme good vs. evil is a major driving force behind Beowulf’s actions in the poem.

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Daniel Tong Professor Michael Call IHUM 201 20 March 2017 A Study of What the Demon Grendel Denotes in “Beowulf” The epic poem "Beowulf" is one of the oldest surviving pieces of Old English literature and cited by many scholars and historians to be one of the most important works in the canon of English literature. Though some critics will argue that the late discovery of “Beowulf” and the even later date of the first known publication in the 19th century means that the epic poem’s influence on the development of the English literature was only more prevalent with modern authors and poets (New World Encyclopedia), the significance of the poem is no less important overall. The fabled legend is set in Scandinavia during the Medieval Ages.

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Title An Epic is a long narrative poem. The Epic “Beowulf” by an unknown author is about a legendary hero, who was an Epic Hero from noble birth. Beowulf is a great Hero, he was larger than life and he is a well known Hero. Beowulf is successful in battle by defeating a lot of monsters in different settings, and he was willing to sacrifice his life for others.

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The study of Anglo-Saxon literature cannot be complete without an in-depth analysis of, ‘Beowulf’, one of the oldest and greatest poems ever written in the history of English Literature. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to introduce Beowulf as the epic of English poems and to describe features that make this poem an indispensible part of English literary history twelve hundred years down the road. Unfortunately, due to cultural and political turmoil, much of Anglo-Saxon literature was destroyed by the time it reached us. Amongst few of the rare surviving works is Beowulf, a three thousand lines poem with an origin not to be exactly known.

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An epic is a long narrative poem that uses serious and elevated language and is typically about a hero on a quest or matters of life and death. The epic, “Beowulf” is about Beowulf, the epic hero, being on a quest to defeat the monsters and become king. Beowulf is known as a hero for both his extraordinary characteristics and his willingness to risk himself for the greater good. He is expressed as an epic hero for his larger-than-life abilities and his enthusiasm for being a savior, as well as having wisdom. Beowulf is an epic hero because he has all the epic hero characteristics of being extraordinary.

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The poem remarks a biblical reference as “Grendel … A kindred of Cain” first surfaces. Moreover, the poem often alludes to God as well as the worlds of Heaven and Hell further elucidating the Anglo Saxon views. Beowulf clearly demonstrates his acknowledgement of God countless times: In fact, Beowulf could well have been slayed by Grendel’s fiendish mother had “God not saved him [Beowulf].” The presence of religious influences are reinstated by the glut of glorifications and innuendos of Christianity and the concept of God within the Anglo Saxon society. Even the mighty King Hrothgar depicts these values showing his scarce concern for material objects “Sharing the gifts God had bestowed on him” signifying his compassion, a requisite for Christian

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf is a fantastic representation of an Anglo-Saxon epic poem. The poem starts out like a typical epic poem. The call to arms of the struggling Danes which is shown in both the movie as well as the poem. The hero endures resistance and deals with adversity before he finally triumphs over evil and rescues the Danes. It demonstrates many aspects such as the fight between good and evil as well as a hero, the hero also typically recites a geilp and the monotheistic influence.

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806 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

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The story of Beowulf includes figurative language, which is one reason why it is considered an epic. In the story, several things are exaggerated, and one example of this is on page 2, Scyld Scefing, a relative of Hrothgar the king“ sword was so long and heavy that no one else could lift it.” This statement was written to emphasize to the reader that Scyld Scefing is stronger and more powerful than the average human, and the show of power in the quote demonstrates that he is a formidable enemy. Also, many things in the book are compared, and an example of this can be found on page 2, “..his [Scyld Scefing’s] eyes blazed like bonfires when he was angry...”

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1363 Words | 6 Pages

Very little is known about the epic poem Beowulf besides that the story was told during the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically between the years 500-1100. The author is unknown, due to the fact that the story was originally told verbally and not documented until much later. Like many stories told throughout the ages, Beowulf consists of many archetypes. An archetype is a recurring symbol found in literature, such as the Hero archetype. In this epic poem, the hero, Beowulf, travels from his homeland to Denmark to save a kingdom from an awful beast that has been attacking men late at night for over twelve years.

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445 Words | 2 Pages

Beowulf is an epic poem about supernatural and heroic characters. An epic poem is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. Beowulf has a lot of twists and turns that make it entertainment. The poem is full of alliteration, action, and supernatural events. Alliteration is shown all throughout the poem.

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