Beowulf LRJ#1

1. In Beowulf, the Dane society valued a mead-hall called Herot. Herot was basically a place for people to read poems, eat, play music and interact with one another. It was the center of the Danes community. As shown, "So Hrothgar decided he would build a mead-hall,/ the greatest the world had/ ever seen, or even imagined./ There he would share out/ to young and old alike/ all that God gave him/ (except for public lands and men's lives). Another thing the Danes valued was religion. In Herot a poet would teach them all they needed to know about God and the creation of earth and people. This is shown in, "The Poet Told how the world/ came to be, how god made the earth/ and the water surrounding,/ how He set the sun and the moon/ as lights for people/ and adorned the earth/ with limbs and leaves for everyone."

2. Alliteration is used in Beowulf to make characteristics and descriptions more detailed. Alliteration is shown in the line, "The old king sat sadly". This puts emphasis on the way the king feels and how he is moving about. Alliteration is also shown in, "Poets sang sad songs throughout the world". This shows how the poets felt, and it creates a livelier and thicker description of the way they are singing, and how they are interacting with the rest of the world.

3. A kenning is a word that replaces a noun, which usually describes something. Kennings are shown in Beowulf such as "Well-braced", which describes the ship being strong and sturdy. It is used again in "War-clothes" which is shows a different and more interesting way of describing armor, and "sea-guard" which is just a different form of the protector of the sea. Kennings are much more interesting ways of saying boring nouns, and they give off more of a powerful meaning.