Beowulf LRJ #2

1. One value in the battle with Grendle's mother is revenge. Grendle's mother was very mad at Beowulf because he killed her son Grendle. She was furious because of this and wanted to seek her revenge and kill Beowulf for what he had done. This is shown in, "So his mother, greedy/and gloomy as the gallows,/ went on a sorrowful journey/ to avenge her son's death." Another value of this society is the need to help. They fill each other with confidence and help each other through tough times. This is shown when Beowulf is giving the king hope. '"Do not sorrow, wise king!/ It is better for a man/ to avenge a friend/ than mourn much."'

2. Basically the entire story of Beowulf is unrealistic. The monsters and amazing events that happen in it would never exist or happen in reality. "Grendel's mother, a monster/ woman, she who lived in/ the cold streams,/ thought of her misery." This is unrealistic because there are not any monsters that attack people on land that dwell in the water. These unrealistic touches to the story make it much more exciting and eventful. Without them the story would be more dull and boring.

3. My favorite quotes in this story are the ones that add suspense. "They did not know,/ that grim fate/ would come to many nobles/ after evening fell/ and powerful Hrothgar/ went to his house to rest." This quote keeps the reader wondering what will happen next. It gives a small clue to what will happen but there is still a big part missing. "Hard edged swords were drawn in the hall,/ swords off the benches,/ and many broad shields fast in hand,/ though they forgot about helmets/ and broad mail shirts when/ terror seized them." I like this quote because it shows how the soldiers were prepared to fight, but one little mistake left them all for death. I really like how it's worded as well. It uses very good details when describing the armor and it has a powerful way in telling how Grendel’s mother killed the soldiers.