Journal 1

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that has survived since the Anglo-Saxon time period and has been rewritten to modern English. Beowulf, a great Geat hero, has been asked by Hrothgar to kill the monster Grendel has been terrorizing the mead-hall and killing the people who sleep there. Described as a descendant of Cain, born as a monster, Grendel leaves his home to go feed on humans in the mead-hall. The character of Grendel is portrayed as an evil monster. This is proven by study of his ancestry, actions, and personality.
Grendel is a monster born of Cain, terrorizing Herot. He was born a murderous monster due to his ancestry. “He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God”. (19-22) Grendel was banished by birth and feel hatred towards man. He gets back at man by killing the men that sleep in the mead-hall. Grendel is a monster banished by birth, seeking revenge from the people who banished him.
Grendel would constantly eat and terrorize the Danes until Beowulf arrived to help. Grendel would often leave his home at night looking for people to eat. “The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws; he slipped through the doors and there in the silence snatched up thirty men”. (34-37) He was a monster great in size; causing him to be easily feared. He would kill up to thirty men at a time and spared no bodies until his thirst for blood was full. Grendel was a large monster who would murder and eat people at night.
Grendel is shown throughout the story with a dark and gruesome personality. As Grendel attacks Herot, it seems as though he is only directed towards evil. “No savage assault quench his lust for evil”. (53-53) This quote proves how evil and cruel Grendel is at heart. The quote also shows how no matter how many people Grendel kills; his quench for evil will never be satisfied. Grendel is shown throughout the story as a dark monster who has a great need for evil.
Different things such as ancestry, actions, and personality portray Grendel as an evil monster. Grendel, being banished by birth from men, seeks his revenge throughout the story. He was a large monster and would seek his revenge by eating people in the dark of the night. These acts portray him as an evil monster who wants nothing but death. Although Grendel may have been doing what came natural to him, he paid the price for his evil ways in the end.

Journal 2

Beowulf is essentially one of the greatest resemblances of the Anglo-Saxon culture besides the discovery of burial sites at Sutton Hoo. It reveals the war culture the Anglo-Saxons cherished and how important being a hero was to them. It basically shows how men back then used to live life and how highly regarded some people were. The poets were regarded as very important people due to the fact that they had the collective memory of their entire culture. Many nights, men would gather and poets would tell great stories involving the making of the universe and how humans came to be. Beowulf was one of these stories that was told. Some of the reasons Beowulf is such a great story are the universal themes that are seen in the story. One of the most important themes seen in the story is good vs. evil. This can be seen throughout many stories through all times and all cultures. Another theme seen in Beowulf is the concept of growing up from a boy to a man. Beowulf starts off a young man and ages to a very old king by the end of the story, but he doesn’t just age physically he also ages mentally. He becomes much more emotionally mature throughout the story. Beowulf is great resemblance of Anglo-Saxon society and also shows universal themes seen throughout history.

Journal 3

Grendel begins to narrate the story as if he loves writing in complex grammar; however his language changes throughout the story. He starts off speaking in complicated literary stylistics. He arranges the text in ways others would speak. He also changes the text throughout the story and writes as if he were writing an epic himself. As the story progresses Grendel becomes more and more distant from the human’s world. He becomes further annoyed with the humans and how they believe there is a purpose and reason for life. He begins to sink back further into his metaphorical cave. As he begins to hate the human’s more, his language more simple and elementary. His final sentence is “Poor Grendel’s had an accident, so may you all,” which is a simple, rudimentary sentence. Grendel starts off with a love of complex writing but begins to hate humans more and becomes more elementary in his language.

Journal 4

In the novel, Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel’s philosophical views are altered throughout many segments of the novel. Grendel’s thoughts and actions are influenced by various elements including the Shaper, the Dragon, as well as the general nature of humans and animals. Grendel’s confusion and misunderstanding of his surroundings have a strong effect on him. One example is his interaction with animals occurs with the ram, bull, and goat. In each instance, Grendel is rather intrigued yet misguided into an angry expression. With the ram, Grendel attempts to show dominance, which occurred in the introductions of the novel, by yelling at the animal, but the ram does not flinch or move. In direct opposition, when Grendel displays dominance over the goat, during the climactic section of the novel, the goat again did not respond. Grendel then kills the animal rather than leaving it alone as he did with the ram. This shows a sharp change in philosophical views, which influence Grendel’s actions. Throughout the novel, Gardner displays philosophical theories that Grendel attempts to comprehend and claim his own, which strongly affects his judgment and personal attachments. One of the other philosophical journeys Grendel went on was when he met the dragon. The dragon seemed to have all the answers to life, which is exactly what Grendel was looking for. The dragon told Grendel that all of life was meaningless and time would pass everyone by. Grendel eventually took to this type of existentialism even taking a sadistic approach killing humans for joy. Grendel goes on a long journey throughout the story changing his view on Earth throughout the story.

Journal 5

In the classic epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is described as a terribly dark and hateful monster who wants to kill all humans. In Gardner’s Grendel, we see the truth behind Grendel’s loneliness and how he feels the need to be accepted by humans. John Gardner develops the character Grendel by making him a narrator that describes how the Anglo-Saxon culture has developed and been integrated in religion, philosophy and human interactions. Grendel questions the Anglo-Saxon social interactions. Because Grendel is a social outcast, the human’s religion and means of life does not affect him strictly emotionally, but his narration evolves and changes as the novel progress. Throughout the novel, Grendel is in opposition to Anglo-Saxon government and does not understand their religion, but is heavily influenced by the Shaper and his poetic nature. As Grendel continues his study of the Shaper, an evolution in Grendel’s narration occurs, which is specifically shown in Chapters 7 and 8. In these chapters, Grendel’s narration changes from a direct paragraph form to a more poetic usage. Grendel begins to use parenthesis and italics to influence his views or specific ideas. This shows his social and philosophical evolution, which is a general trend in the novel.

Journal 6

Grendel is a novel by John Gardner which in many ways is a parody of the epic poem Beowulf. Grendel talks about the different things that Anglo-Saxons held dear and mocks them. In Beowulf there is very much Anglo-Saxon society due to the fact that Beowulf was written around the Anglo-Saxon culture. Grendel exposes the brutal and vicious nature of what Anglo-Saxons believed to be the purpose of their life and the idea of heroism. Within Beowulf, heroism is seen in the hero Beowulf, but Grendel mocks and ridicules those who embody traits of heroism. Unferth is defined as an Anglo-Saxon hero, but Grendel humiliates Unferth by throwing apples during his boast. Grendel spares Unferth in each killing spree as a sign of humiliation to the trait of heroism. The Dragon who influences Grendel into a nihilist state of mind does a great job of pushing Grendel towards his cruel, nihilistic nature. Red Horse finally influences Hrothulf to embark on a rebellion, claiming it is heroic in a sense. In Beowulf, Beowulf is the embodiment of an Anglo-Saxon hero, however in Grendel; Beowulf is an average man who boasts of truly false feats that seem impossible. In all, Grendel is a great humiliation of the Anglo-Saxon culture and what they felt was important to life.