3/4/20 Kenton Zhang Period 8

3/4/2020

Kenton Zhang

Blogger # 33

Period 8

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’s speech and whisperings to Grendel carry the same message as the Dragon’s nihilistic view on life as we know it: we are small, insignificant in the face in grandest of all schemes. Beowulf describes it as “a meaningless swirl in the stream of time, a temporary gathering of bits, a few random specks, a cloud….” However, mere lines after saying this, Beowulf throws his own spin on the idea, stating, “... where the water was rigid there will be fish, and men will survive on their flesh till spring…. Strong searching roots will crack your cave and rain will cleanse it: The world will burn green, sperm build again. My promise.” Beowulf is putting a positive twist onto the Dragon’s words, saying that although the existence of a person means nothing in the end, there will always be more to come after, and that nothing can be permanently gone. Grendel’s wrath upon the world will soon be forgotten and leave no trace, leaving only the survivors to rebuild and continue prospering as they were before.

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

Archangel Gabriel acts as God’s messenger, appearing to David to explain a vision, to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary to tell her that she was pregnant with Jesus Christ. Gabriel acts as God’s messenger, proclaiming the most important pieces of knowledge to those God finds favor with. In addition, Gabriel is also known as the angel of the apocalypse, symbolizing the end of all things.

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

Grendel mentions seeing fiery white wings during his encounter with Beowulf, which not only parallels the Dragon, but also angels in general, known for their pure white wings. Beowulf is already seen as a Christ-like figure, and his dispatching of Beowulf could be seen as a connection to Christ’s purging of sin from the world, as Beowulf is the embodiment of all sin. During the fight, Beowulf is constantly whispering into Grendel’s ear, telling him things and blatantly contradicting everything Grendel was told by the dragon. In this way, he acts as a messenger, sending his own message of living life to the fullest despite its insignificance to Grendel’s own ears. Finally, much as Gabriel is the harbinger of the world’s end via the apocalypse, Beowulf brings a final end to Grendel by killing him, ensuring that Grendel will never be able to terrorize anyone ever again.

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?

In Norse mythology, there is said to be an apocalyptic event known as Ragnarok in which the world will be ravaged by the forces of evil, and countless amounts of death and carnage will take place. However, once all is said and done, the world is said to be rebuilt by those remaining, and there will be life and fertility once again. This parallels both Gabriel’s role of rebirth and Beowulf’s speech to Grendel.

Why does Grendel never use Beowulf’s name?

Grendel repeatedly says that his defeat at the hands of Beowulf was purely chance, all an accident. By not using Beowulf’s name, Grendel never directly acknowledges him, and thus refuses to accept that a hero was able to disarm and destroy him so. In another way, the fact that this “nameless” hero was able to completely bring down the embodiment of sin may be an analogy to the general idea of heroes defeating evil; because Grendel depicts the entirety of sin, he could be considered not too much of anything and thus a generic idea of evil. Likewise, Beowulf is never directly named, and can be a generic idea of a hero defeating evil.

Letter from John Gardner

Gardner’s letter can be epitomized from the last sentence: “Remember that art is a balancing of opposing points of view, an attempt to zero in on truth without cheating on the argument.” Throughout the letter, he constantly mentions different viewpoints and analyses of his work from several different people, giving his critiques. He does not often say that any idea regarding Grendel is wrong, and when he does, he adds at the end that it is still worth considering this “incorrect” idea. There are many different possible interpretations of the events of the book, and Gardner doesn’t want to force one upon the readers; rather, he wants things to be open to interpretation and “balancing” different ideas into one cohesive whole without forcing itself and saying its “truth” outright.

Reflection

Gardner teaches that there are multiple ways to treat everything in life, major or otherwise. People like the Dragon and Beowulf will tell you how to live your life, but in the end it will be up to you to figure out how. It’s your life, after all, and everything is in your hands. Even on a smaller scale, you can treat or view things a certain way, and there will inevitably be people who disagree and tell you otherwise; however, just as before, whether you heed their word or not is up to you. Even if everything may seem pointless in the world, you are still in control of everything you do, and you can still live your fullest.