3/4/20 Alicia Yu PD 7

3/4/2020

Alicia Yu #32

Period 7

Modern Mythology 2020

Aim: How does the final chapter of Grendel illuminate the paradox of good and evil?

Do Now: Reflect on Beowulf’s words to Grendel. How do they echo the Dragon? How are they different?

Beowulf tells Grendel that there will be rebirth and this echoes the Dragon’s words. Beowulf and the Dragon differ in the way they view the world. The Dragon promotes the idea of nihilism where there is no meaning in life, so there is no point of trying. Beowulf on the other hand also sees the world nihilistically but he sees in a way where since nothing matters, you might as well make the most out of it.

Why does Grendel never use Beowulf’s name?

Cornelia says that Grendel doesn’t use Beowulf’s name because Grendel doesn’t want to admit that Beowulf defeated him. Kelly added on by saying that Grendel is trying to dismiss Beowulf’s presence as much as possible. Grendel is trying to not give Beowulf the power of a name.

After the Do Now, we moved onto discussing about Archangel Gabriel.

Search the biblical history of the Archangel Gabriel. What is his role, according to the Old Testament?

• divine messenger
• guardian of truth
• angel of the apocalypse

How does the imagery and symbolism of the Archangel Gabriel manifest itself as Beowulf?

Kelly starts off by saying that Beowulf arrives to bring the end of Grendel. This ties in with the idea that Archangel Gabriel is the Angel of the Apocalypse because with an apocalypse comes rebirth just like how Beowulf is going to rid the evil, Grendel and bring a new beginning.

How does this function in our mission as a class to discover the importance of Gods, Monsters, and the Apocalypse?

Steven begins the conversation saying that the society back then was mainly Pagan and with the arrival of Beowulf can be seen as the end of the savage Pagan society. With that comes with a revival of Norse society but with Christianity instead.

Consider Archangel Gabriel’s role as a protector of new life and messenger of rebirth when thinking about the aim. How does this play into ancient Norse mythology?

Dejon starts off by saying that there is a clear parallel with the events of Ragnarök. Steven adds on by saying that during Ragnarök, there is a lot of chaos and fighting but they wake up and there is hope waiting for them. Beowulf’s represents the hope that people have after Grendel is defeated.

After that, we moved onto doing group work where we discussed John Gardner’s letter.

Group Work: Reading a letter from John Gardner. Read the letter from John Gardner to a. small group of students and a teacher. What does this highlight about your interpretations and expectations for Grendel?

Alan states that we over analyze things at times and he puts a lot of meaning into the book but it is up to the reader to interpret the text the way they want. It ties in with the message throughout the book that even if something is pointless, it may be worth doing because it can give you purpose. 

Student Reflection: 

Today, the lesson was mainly geared towards the idea that there is always multiple different ways to view things and not just one correct way. For example, nihilism is a big theme within the story of Grendel but there were two ways that nihilism was portrayed throughout the book. One way was that nothing matters, but we might as well make something out of it so that we have purpose. A different way to view nihilism was that since nothing matters, there is no purpose of trying. In Gardner’s letter, he goes on to say that he was actually trying to be positive despite the negativity we saw throughout the story. This applies to real life because we should always try our best to have a positive mindset and see the positive in things.