Darkness by Erika Debnam

GRENDEL-image

ErikaDebnam — 2015-10-22 04:19:24 UTC

Initially, I believed that Grendel was the stereotypical monster seen in most horror films. I now believe that he is a frustrated human being with mental and/or emotional struggles. I see Grendel as very tall, due to his ability to "snatch up thirty men". He must also be skinny, as he "slipped through the door". There is clearly something very abnormal about Grendel, but I don't think one would recognize it upon just looking at him. I see Grendel as a considerably strange person who looks as if they have underlying problems. He seems to be quiet, mysterious, and prone to losing control.

GRENDEL-music

ErikaDebnam — 2015-11-05 00:54:36 UTC

Grendel definitely relates to the song Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. The line "I can't control myself" refers to Grendel's incessant terrorizing of Hrothgar's meadhall. "No one will ever change this animal I have become" displays that Grendel is permanently the way he is, and there is nothing anyone can do about it to make him stop killing. The lyrics "Help me believe it's not the real me" display Grendel's inner conflict, as he did not plan on being a horrible person. This song truly verbalizes the way Grendel is feeling; he has turned into an animal (or monster) and is no longer regarded as being human.

CLASSMATE'S VIEW

ErikaDebnam — 2015-11-05 00:54:50 UTC

I chose to post Jamie Sartin's image displaying her view of darkness. Jamie is in 8th period, and mentioned the woods being one of the primary things in the world which display the characteristic of darkness. I completely agree, as the woods are very common areas where darkness may be found. I even have an image of them as my background! She also mentioned the way one's mind will begin to wander, as being surrounded by darkness can make you believe that something is lurking nearby. I can relate to this as well; darkness has a very creepy vibe associated with it.

NEWS ARTICLE

ErikaDebnam — 2015-11-05 00:55:01 UTC

SCHOLARLY ARTICLE

ErikaDebnam — 2015-11-05 00:55:08 UTC

After reading the article "Slaying Monsters", I learned that the story of "Beowulf" could have been available to modern English speakers forty years beforehand, if only Tolkien had published his translation upon completion. I began to wonder how literature would have been affected if the "Beowulf" translation had been published sooner. Would epic heroes more often face defeat than victory? I also discovered that Beowulf killed Grendel. On top of this, he killed Grendel's mother, and even fought with a dragon which ultimately leads to his death. At first, I did not consider Beowulf to be a murderer. After discovering not only his murder of Grendel, but the other creatures on top of that, I now think that Beowulf is just as much of a murderer as Grendel was; he just figured that he had good intentions when doing so. Many believed that "Beowulf" was somewhat of a mess, as it mixed pagan and Christian ideas. To me, this reflects The Dark Ages perfectly; everything was indeed a mess. People were still unsure of their faith. Tolkien believed that the true subject of "Beowulf" is death and defeat, which I also agree with. In the end, even the epic hero himself is defeated and faces death.