Journal 6

Every chapter in Grendel has a zodiac sign that the chapter represents. Throughout the story, Grendel has shown something from every part of his life. The beginning is his past and then it goes back to the present and then back to the past.

The first chapter has the zodiac sign of Aries. The first chapter opens up and it is the beginning of spring. Grendel has a flashback of when he was just born and exploring the forest and going deeper and deeper into the forest farther away from his cave. Grendel’s philosophical view in the first chapter is Orphism.

As chapter two starts, Grendel encounters a bull. The bull represents the zodiac sign of Taurus. During this, most of the characteristics of a Taurus are portrayed either by the bull or by Grendel. Grendel’s philosophical view in the second chapter is Solipsism. Grendel’s view is very solipsist because he has the mindset that he is the only one that exist and nothing else.

In chapter three, the zodiac sign that is represented is Gemini. Grendel sees the Shaper and listens to what the Shaper has to say. For some reason the Shaper is very persuasive and gets Grendel to believe things that he normally doesn’t think are true. Grendel’s philosophical view in the third chapter is sophism. Sophism is where they are capable of changing the truth.

In chapter four, Hrothgar tells his people that they want to construct another meadhall. Grendel finds a dead person that was killed by its own kind. Cancer is the zodiac sign that was represented in this chapter. Cancer is the crab which was mentioned in the chapter. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter four is the Old Testament. Grendel is learning to see the good of the people but also the evil of the people such as killing their own kind. He saw two lovers but then he saw fighting and violence.

In chapter five, Grendel meets a dragon that explains life to him and the importance of certain things. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Leo. The Leo is the dramatizer. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter five is nihilism. Nihilism is that values are unjustifiable. Nihilists believe in nothing.

In chapter six, Grendel gets attacked by guards and realizes that the dragon put a charm on him where weapons do not harm him. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Virgo. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter six is ethical egoism. Ethical egoism is where people do things in their own self-interest.

In chapter seven, Hrothgar and Hygmod are about to battle but Hygmod offers Hrothgar a gift, Wealthow, to avoid fighting. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Libra. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter seven is skepticism vs. New Testament.

In chapter eight, Hrothgar’s nephew, Hrothulf, comes to live with him because Halga was killed. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Scorpio. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter eight is Machiavellianism. Machiavellianism is a person who has a tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain.

In chapter nine, Grendel pretends to be The Destroyer and asks Ork to give him a synopsis of a metaphysical theory he has been working out. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Sagittarius. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter nine is whitehead’s process. Whitehead’s process is the general theory of reality.

In chapter ten, Grendel watches a goat try to climb a mountain but keeps falling so Grendel just kills him. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Capricorn. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter ten is Nietzsche. Nietzsche believes that God is dead and it results in radical perspectivism.

In chapter eleven, Beowulf comes to destroy Grendel. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Aquarius. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter eleven is existentialism. Existentialism emphasizes the primacy of individual existence.

In chapter twelve, Grendel is defeated by Beowulf. The zodiac sign that is represented in this chapter is Pisces. Grendel’s philosophical view in chapter twelve is Empiricism. Empiricism is a theory that the origin of knowledge is sense experience. This is Grendel’s final view at the end of the novel.

Journal 5

Grendel is a fierce, strong monster that observes the human life form around him in anger and aggravation. Grendel is the antagonist in the poem Beowulf and the narrator in the book Grendel. Although the kingdom of Herot sees Grendel as a cold hearted evil creature, the book Grendel sometimes portrays Grendel as a semi-kind creature. At one point he took this woman, Wealtheow, and took her to his cave. He planned on raping her but instead he let her go. At some points Grendel does have a dark side though. Grendel saw a body of a Dane in the forest that was killed by another Dane. He was trying to show the humans how even they can be, but instead they saw him as the villain in their world on their land. He knocked down the door to the meadhall and asked for mercy but the Danes did not understand him. They chase him out of town. Grendel does occasionally show a sensitive kind side but for the most part, his thoughts and actions portray him as an evil monster which is strongly brought on by the actions of others.

Grendel isn’t just given the name of a horrible monster, he takes on the role. He is full of anger and rage. Grendel is a disgusting monster, eating the Danes and fighting everything that crosses his path that he doesn’t like. Beowulf is brought to destroy Grendel because Grendel keeps scaring and killing off the Danes. Some of this is not his fault because the Danes did not know how to react to a new creature such as Grendel that they have never seen before. When Grendel is a mere infant, the humans came across him and thought he was a tree spirit. When they started to talk Grendel realized that he could understand him but when he talked back they could not understand him. He started to talk louder and freaked out the humans. Ever since, they have lived in fear of Grendel.

Beowulf and Grendel both are set around 700 AD but no exact date is known. At this time, war, battling, and fighting are the main activities that take place. Fighting among clans and among friends was very common. They took out their anger through violence which was something that aggravated Grendel greatly. He didn’t see why people would kill people of their own kind. At this point Grendel believed that no one else existed except for him. No one else mattered.

This starts to get into the symbolism behind Grendel. Grendel could symbolize many of things. He could symbolize evil, the devil, hatred, or even immortality. In the story Grendel, Gardner compares Grendel’s lair to hell, so in a way, Grendel would be the devil. This follows the symbol of immortality because the devil is immortal. The dragon ends up making Grendel immune to human weapons which to the humans they thought he was immortal from dying all together. Grendel is also full of hatred. He comes from a horrible family that is cursed forever. Grendel also tends to find something about everything that he hates. The music that the harpist played upset Grendel even though it wasn’t horrible. He just didn’t like the meaning that represented the Danes as a group that they were proud of. In the end, Grendel could be portrayed as a good creature or a bad creature. He didn’t really start any of the mess he is in, but he did make things worse.

Journal 4

Anglo-Saxons had the same social class system as in Beowulf. They had a kingdom that had a king and an army. Peasants worked the fields and animals roamed free. Heroes were huge and honored greatly when they came to the kingdom. If a hero wanted, he could have the people go against the king and follow him but they don’t. The go to the kingdom and honor the king with their services. Staying loyal is a huge symbol in the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf came to Hrothgar’s kingdom to help him get rid of an evil monster that was disturbing his kingdom. All Hrothgar wanted was to keep his kingdom and his people safe. Beowulf wanted to honor the king and do as he asked. Beowulf risked his life for a king he just met but Beowulf believed that death brought something greater. This gave Beowulf the advantage of a hero because he had the mindset of one. Anglo-Saxons were strong people and loved power. Beowulf defeating Grendel would give the kingdom power such as the Anglo-Saxons desired. Loyalty and power were themes that occured in Beowulf regularly and also fit in with the Anglo-Saxon society.

Journal 3

Grendel, in the beginning, has never talked to a human or heard them speak. When he finally encounters a human, it happens to be the king of the kingdom. They believe Grendel is a tree spirit. When Grendel heard them talk he realizes that their language is somehow kin to his. He tries to speak to them but sees that they don’t understand him. As Grendel begins to grow up he acquires new words, mostly vulgar words and uses them a lot. When Grendel becomes much older, he becomes more poetic after his encounter with the Shaper and listening to his music. Grendel seems to dislike language because of its various tongues but appreciates the poetic rhythm and the quality of words. He becomes frustrated with the fact that humans can’t understand him and that his mother does not speak. Although the humans can’t understand him, he still learned from them.

Journal 2

A real life hero that reminds me of Beowulf is my Uncle Roy. He is a police officer for Mandeville. Every day he risks his life to save victims from criminals. He comes close to death when he gets a call about an armed person. He never knows if something will happen to him but yet, he still does it. My uncle is a brave man for joining the police force and helping save peoples’ lives. Beowulf also risks his life for other people that he doesn’t even know. He destroys the town’s enemy kind of like how my uncle does for the city. He defeats the evil in the city by putting them away in jail. Beowulf only protected this city from major danger once, my uncle, on the other hand, saves the city’s life daily. In my opinion, he is braver than Beowulf ever was.

Journal 1

A fictional contemporary hero is Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman protects people from bad guys. These bad guys are either regular people or monsters. Wonder Woman is from a planet other than earth. She has a lasso and wrist bans that protect her from bullets. She occasionally helps Superman and other super heroes with problems going on in their town. Wonder Woman is a princess from her planet, but she goes to help other planets. The trouble she faces is mostly from people trying to take over planets. Wonder Woman represents female strength. She gives people hope for peace. Wonder Woman gives women hope that they can be what they want and do what they want.