Please read the Introduction and respond to the following prompts. Use complete sentences, display critical thought and use quotes when asked.
1. Paraphrase some of the praise that Grendel received upon publication. Use a quote as support.
2. How does Grendel change between John M. Howell and John Gardner. Use quotes as support.
3. Paraphrase some of the differences between Beowulf and Grendel. Use quotes as support.
4. Which theme of Gardner's have we already explored this year? In which text(s) would we find it?
5. What does the text say "nihilism" means? What do you think of the concept?
Due: Before class on Wednesday, 4.10 (B3) & Thursday, 4.11 (A2)
1. Paraphrase some of the praise that Grendel received upon publication. Use a quote as support.
2. How does Grendel change between John M. Howell and John Gardner. Use quotes as support.
3. Paraphrase some of the differences between Beowulf and Grendel. Use quotes as support.
4. Which theme of Gardner's have we already explored this year? In which text(s) would we find it?
5. What does the text say "nihilism" means? What do you think of the concept?
Due: Before class on Wednesday, 4.10 (B3) & Thursday, 4.11 (A2)
B3
ReplyDeleteEnrique
1. Upon Grendel's publication it brought Gardner "not just critical but popular success" (Grendel: Introduction) and it was highly spoken of as a literary tour de force. Grendel was also named the book of the year by big writing companies such as Time and Newsweek.
2. Beowulf written by John H. gave Grendel the image of a villain, a "symbol for 'darkness, chaos, and death" (Grendel: Introduction). While John G tries to make the audience see Grendel as a creature who "has a weakness for poetry" and that "even a monster can be affected" by the arts (Grendel: Introduction).
3. Some differences between Grendel and Beowulf are that there is more attention given to the villains of the story. It also touches on Grendel's mother with her inarticulateness it shows "the importance of language in the development of a civilization" (Grendel: Introduction). On the other hand in Beowulf Grendel's mother is seen as a monster more monstrous than Grendel (who already is seen as a symbol of extreme chaos), which states that she isn't seen in anyway as an importance for something good.
4. At the very end of the text it states that heros sacrifice themselves for the better good, so that's one thing we have explored this year, sacrificing. We have seen this in the Iliad, when Achilles decides to go to war when he could easily just stay home and rest. But he sacrifices himself, to give the Greeks a better chance at winning the Trojan War.
5. The texts states that "nihilism" is the belief that there is no purpose to existence. I actually don't believe in this because there is actually a purpose to life at least when you are existing in this world, like giving yourself a title or actually just being there for your family and friends, because to other people that is meaningful and has some purpose to it even though it might be minor.
1. His novel was praised as "a literary tour de force", meaning an impressive achievement that has been accomplished with great skills. In his book, he is able to bring about the struggle between good and evil, while keeping in line with the other themes present in the original story.
ReplyDelete2. Grendel in Gardner's version is a "three-dimensional character" who has "a sense of humor and a gift for language". He seems to be trying to put forward the power of art, and how even a monster can be affected by it.
3. While Grendel is a "symbol of darkness, chaos and death", Beowulf is a noble hero, who's deeds are all done to gain honour and respect, and like most other hero's, has superhuman strength. Beowulf has a life of joy and success, where else Grendel is a monster living with hate all his life. They are opposites in their ways of life, and so it is appealing to readers when the perspective is reversed.
4. We have seen the theme of a hero's sacrifice and achievement of immortality (whatever form that is), in previous texts. This theme was present in the Iliad, Gilgamesh, Osiris. Immortality could be in the form of being remembered in posterity, and most commonly that was the most deisred form of immortality, for it was the most achievable.
5. Nihilism is the belief that there is no purpose to existence. I would say there was a point in time that I believed in this, but then this concept was a bit disheartening in terms of getting inspired into achieving something, however parts of me still resonate with this concept.
1. When Grendel was published in 1970, it was praised as a “literary tour de force”. Also was inspiration for Grendel, and many other movies and novels. Which meant it was a big accomplishment, or task for the author to do.
ReplyDelete2. John M. sees Grendel as a character that represents “darkness, chaos, and death”. But according to John Gardner, he sees Grendel as “ a sense of humor and a gift for language”. We can see that they have different perspectives towards Grendel. John M. probably sees Grendel in more of a character perspective, on the other hand John Gardner sees Grendel along with the story and focus on the literature perspective of Grendel.
3. We can see that the big difference is that Beowulf is more of a ideal hero character, and Grendel is a monster. Beowulf is praised by his people, and lives a successful life as a hero. On the other hand Grendel is represented as “darkness, chaos, and death”, and is feared and hated by the people.
4. We have gone through the theme of achieving immortality in Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is human yet god, although his destiny was to face death. Gilgamesh’s fear was death, and fails many trials of gaining immortality. At the end Gilgamesh accepts his death, just like Beowulf.
5. Nihilism is the belief that there is no purpose of existence, and I don’t believe this is true. People believe that we all live for some reason and existence, which i think is true. Our existence might be important to people like our families, or friends.
1) Grendel had received recognition by gaining the title, “book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines” and was acknowledged “as a literary tour de force”.
ReplyDelete2) Generally, Grendel is portrayed as a dark, chaotic and deathly in John. H’s point of view while John G says that “a monster can be affected by” the allure of art since Grendel had “a weakness for poetry”. Not only that, John G also made Grendel seem witty and had “a gift of language”.
3) Beowulf and Grendel are both different in terms of how the minor characters are portrayed. In Beowulf, Unferth is known to be a minor character that is jealous of Beowulf. On the other hand, he had become a major character in Grendel as he “foil for Grendel”. Similarly, the dragon’s and Grendel’s mother’s roles were built up in the book Grendel while not in Beowulf.
4) Gardner’s theme, which was “the hero’s sacrifice and achievement of immortality”, was conveyed through Gilgamesh and The Illiad. Achilles and Gilgamesh wanted immortality. Hector in The Illiad sacrificed himself for his brother and his people.
5) Nihilism in the text says that there is no purpose of existence. I would argue with that concept, as life does have a purpose. Even though, we don’t feel like we have one, but we do, as we were born and raised around that purpose. For example, we were educated to study and get a job to survive life. That’s how I see it. It’s all meant to be.
1. Published in 1971, Grendel by John Gardner is a highly successful and critically acclaimed novel. It was praised as “a literary tour de force and named a book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines”.
ReplyDelete2. John M. Howell describes the original character Grendel as being a “symbol for ‘darkness, chaos and death’ ”. John Gardner’s version of Grendel is more of a “three dimensional character”, a monster vulnerable to the power of art.
3. One main difference is that Gardner’s version of Grendel sheds more light on the minor characters. A relationship between Grendel and the dragon is made, in order to “expand the concept of nihilism”.
4. Examples of heroes’ sacrifices for achieving immortality can be identified in various epics, such as Gilgamesh and the Aeneid. Gilgamesh embarks on a long and troublesome journey in hopes of learning how to attain immortality, in this case in the form of life. Aeneas strives to fulfill his destiny of founding Rome so that his name would live on for centuries.
5.The text defines nihilism as “the belief that there is no purpose to existence”. My argument would be that as individuals, we influence what is around us, such as other people, just by existing and interacting with them. We are therefore giving them purpose to take action or simply feel a certain way. I would like to think that as a whole, if our existence was in fact meaningless, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.
1. The book "Grendel was the first of John Gardner's novels to bring him not just critical but popular success". Even the Newsweek magazines and Time has stated that this novel is the book of the year.
ReplyDelete2. The big difference i saw was the perspective. With John M, he said that "Grendel is a symbol for "darkness, chaos, and death,", but instead in Gardner's book Grendel "was shown as a three-dimensional character with, in Howell's words, "a sense of humor and a gift for language."
3. Gartner concentrates on the villain, which totally changes the point of view of the readers. He especially emphasizes Grendel's mother "through her inarticulateness, the importance of language in the development of civilization".
4. Gartner developed new kinds of writing such as "the struggle between good and evil", which i can relate to the Osiris story.
5. Word nihilism is defined as "the belief that there is no purpose to existence". To be honest, this doesn't make sense to me because I always believed that there was purpose in life, and it does! Enjoy life.
1."Grendal was published in 1970 and was the first novel of John Gardner and brought him critical but popular success". It was praized a a literary tour de force and was named book of the year by Time and the Newweek magazine.
ReplyDelete2. The difference is that Grendel is a three dimensional character who has a sense of humor and has a strong feeling to art in John Gardner`s version.
3.Grendel is known for being the symbol for "darkness, Chaos and death" and Beowulf is a heroic super human who slays monsters for him wealth and becomes rich, while Grendel is a sad monster who lives in a gloomy cave.
4.Gardener`s theme is the heroic sacrifice and achievement of immortality. We se this in the illiad how Achilles wanted immortality and Hector sacrificing him self for his people and his family.
5.Nihilism means there is no purpose of existence. I disagree to this, because every life has meaning and propose to it.
1. Grendel was known as the "the literary tour de force" and given the title, "book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines".
ReplyDelete2. John H symbolizes Grendel as "darkness, chaos and death" while John G represents Grendel as "a three-dimensional character" who has "a sense of humour and a gift for language".
3. The difference between the book Grendel and Beowulf is how Unferth is the "minor character in the original poem", but is the major character that "foils for Grendel". Similarly, other minor characters' roles such as Grendel's mother and the dragon are emphasized.
4. The theme of "the struggle between good and evil" can be seen in Osiris, Isis and Horus. For example, Set is the evil one who is trying to take Osiris' power to rule Egypt. We also see the theme of immortality in both Gilgamesh and The Illiad. Gilgamesh and Achilles are the two characters who wanted immortality.
5. Nihilism is the "belief that there is no purpose to existence". I disagree with that concept since I believe that there is a purpose in life, but it is wether we know it or not. However, I still do not know my purpose in existing, but I feel like Fate has decided my path in life. All I need to do is to encounter it.
1) John Gardner's Grendel was published in 1970, and received many positive praises for its "literary tour de force and named a book of the year by Times and Newsweek magazines (Grendel Introduction).
ReplyDelete2) John M. Howell reviews that Grendel represents "darkness, chaos, and death", whereas John Gardner describes Grendel more "three dimensional" in his own version (Grendel: Introduction). Grendel is viewed differently from the original story of Beowulf, which makes the story more interesting.
3) As mentioned before, I am assuming that there are major differences between Grendel's perspective and Beowulf. In Beowulf, we see him as a brutal monster, but in Gardner's text, Grendel "develops the theme of heroism" and creates a new connection between the dragon, which is a minor character in the narrative (Grendel: Introduction).
4) We have already discussed the theme of heroism and immortality, which is present in stories like Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Aeneid, and Hercules. Gilgamesh strives and takes on a journey to reach immortality, but fails in the end. We also see this i in The Labors of Hercules when Hercules achieves immortality after performing his deeds.
5) The introduction describes nihilism as "the belief that there is no purpose to existence" (Grendel Introduction). I think this concept varies upon others because sometimes I think that there's no point in life because we're living under ridiculous laws, rules, culture, religion, etc. But if you think scientifically, psychologically, or philosophically, everything happens for a reason. I'm writing this blog for a reason. Why? Because I like this class.
1. In his book, John Garner brings about the struggle between good and evil, whilst at the same time being able to keep in other themes from the original story. John Garner’s novel was praised as "a literary tour de force", which meant that it something that has been achieved with great skill.
ReplyDelete2. John Gardner’s version of Grendel is said to be more of a monster vulnerable to the power of art. On the other hand, John M. Howell states that the original character Grendel was a “symbol for ‘darkness, chaos and death’ ”
3. One main difference is that Gardner’s version of Grendel sheds more light on the minor characters, everyone has a purpose. A relationship between Grendel and the dragon is made, in order to “expand the concept of nihilism”. In Beowulf, everybody is a minor character in a sense, not one goes into clear detail.
4. There are themes such as hero's sacrifice and achievement of immortality, being remembered for generations to come, in previous texts. This theme is present in the Iliad, Gilgamesh, and Osiris. Immortality was the most common one, because every text showed that someone wanted to be remembered for generations to come.
5. Nihilism is defined as "the belief that there is no purpose to existence". I think that this concept really sums up Grendel and the whole mythical setting.
1) The novel "Grendel" when published in 1970 was known as a "literary tour de force" and was named 'Book of the year' by the Time and Newsweek magazines.
ReplyDelete2) John M. Howell uses "darkness, chaos and death" to symbolize his Grendel, on the other hand John Gardner's Grendel has "a sense of humour, and a gift for language" and he would even have a "weakness for poetry".
3) Gardner's version of Grendel is seen as a more brighter character than the Grendel in Beowulf. Gardner also develops the minor characters (Grendel's mom and Unferth) in Howell's story that would "foil for Grendel". Beowulf was also the main character of Howell's story while Grendel was the antagonist but Gardner's story has Grendel as the protagonist and it has a different perspective that amuses the readers.
4) The theme we have explored till now is the theme of struggle between the good and the evil. It can be seen most in the text "Osiris, Isis and Horus". The fight between Set and Osiris is and can be the depiction of evil versus the good.
5) Nihilism is the rejection of all religious and moral principles. Which is most often in the belief that life is meaningless. I disagree with this concept about life. We all must have some purpose existing in this world, people's worlds. We just have to find what to do, and how to do it. Life is more of a test, a challenge given to you to see if you can endure it or not, many has given up. But fate will decide, well, you can twist things around and control fate if you have the will to.
1. Once it was published in 1971, it became the "book of the Year by Time and Newsweek magazines" (Grendel: Introduction). Along with it, it was considered a "literary tour de force", and this is how Grendel not only received "critical but [also] popular success" (Grendel: Introduction).
ReplyDelete2. John M. Howell's Grendel is the one we know of. It is the one which was in Beowulf, it has " 'darkness, chaos, and death' " in it (Grendel: Introduction). But Gardner's version, Grendel becomes very comical, and he gains " 'a sense of humor and a gift for language' " (Introduction: Grendel). Grendel also struggles with "poetry", and this type of character is seen a lot in movies with comical supporting actors (Grendel: Introduction).
3. Well first of all is Grendel itself and how he has turned into a comical character, as mentioned above. Additionally, the "minor character[s]" play "major" roles in Grendel, such as Grendel himself, Unferth, Grendel's mother, and the dragon (Grendel: Introduction). In Grendel, we also see the monster's mother become more dominant, than in Beowulf, due to her "inarticulateness", which shows us how important language is to a culture (Grendel: Introduction). In Grendel, we also see a "relationship between Grendel and the dragon" (Grendel: Introduction). The "concept of nihilism" is also present in Grendel (Grendel: Introduction).
4. The article mentions about the development of the theme of heroism in Grendel, and we have explored it a million times. We saw this in every text, like in the Iliad, or Aeneid. We can also find it in any text which talks about a hero performing great deeds. Of course, the point of it is to keep reminding ourselves that the ancient people valued an honourable death over a cowardly life, because an honourable death brings immortality, in the form of fame.
5. The article explains it and what it says is that nihilism means that there is no point in existence of anything.
I would have contradictory views within myself. From one perspective I totally agree because at the end of the day, we will all die form global warming and humans will disappear and in the end, there would be nothing beneficial done by us humans. And anyways, we will just die and if there were life to appear again, then they might not ever even know we were here. We are all born and then die, that's it.
On the contrary, I would not agree as well, because on a smaller scale, existence does matter. It causes reproduction and growth of animals, including humans. And when you are talking about performing great deeds, that means there is a purpose to your life. And this is how I have two views upon it.
1. The amazing story of Grendel, by John Gardner was the book of the year for Time and Newsweek magazines and "was praised as a literary tour de force."
ReplyDelete2. In Beowulf by John M. Howell, Grendel is recognised as "darkness, chaos, and death" (Grendel: Introduction). Where in Gardeners version, Grendel is a three dimensional character and the protagonist of the book. Grendel teaches the moral of life in this version.
3. Although there are many differences between Beowulf and Grendel, the most noticeable difference was that Beowulf was a "hero" while Grendel was the antagonist and the "evil" guy. Unlike Beowulf, "Grendel strives...to escape from his baseness" (Grendel: Introduction).
4. One of Gardners theme we could see from what we read is "the hero's sacrifice and achievement of immortality". We have seen this in many previous readings including Gilgamesh and the Iliad.
5. In the text, Nihilism means the belief that there is no purpose to existence. I disagree with this since we do have a purpose to live
1. Upon publication, Grendel gathered utmost attention from various points of view; from critics to pure enthusiasts, the novel experienced a showers of vivid sentiment. It was received as “a literary tour de force” and was chosen to be “a book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines” (Grendel: Introduction).
ReplyDelete2. John M. Howell expressed Grendel as “a symbol for ‘darkness, chaos, and death,”; a pure, and simplistic view upon villainy, which could be considered a stereotype of literary classics (Grendel: Introduction). On the other hand, John Gardner illuminates Grendel with human analogy and expresses Grendel as “‘a sense of humor, and a gift for language’”(Grendel: Introduction).
3. “Grendel” and “Beowulf” share the same backbone, yet ultimately contradict one another’s themes. Where Beowulf exhibits the luster and glory of heroism, Grendel constrains the spotlight against the shadow of the “so-called” villain. The monstrous and fearsome fiend, Grendel, as seen in Beowulf, is a figure that “strives, however comically to escape from his baseness” (Grendel: Introduction). Gardner forces our perception of evil to overturn, and makes tangible the erratic emotions of a monster.
4. We have explored the theme of “sacrificing to achieve immortality” in various myths that we previously read. In Heracles, Heracles sacrifices himself to grueling tasks, and ultimately “dies” to attain immortality. We have also seen this in Gilgamesh, and The Iliad; in The Iliad, immortality is depicted as the idea of your name being remembered through the history.
5. The text says nihilism is the belief that there is no purpose to existence. I think this is a very unreal, yet a shockingly true concept that we never embrace in everyday life. Gardner depicts nihilism through the friendship of two monsters, Grendel and the dragon; I believe this says that no matter what you are, your existence is basically unimportant, and one does not live with a destined purpose that peers assume one to have. A dragon should not be presupposed as a fire-breathing monster, nor Grendel a destructive tantrum, for their “friendship” has nothing to do with such so-called “purposes” of a villain. Ultimately, no one has a purpose. We exist as if we were ants randomly scattered in a barricaded plate; we chose how we interact with one another by making ourselves believe that we each have different purposes in life, which are ultimately illusions created by society.
1. Grendel, by John Gardner, was publish in 1970 and gave its author "popular success". It was also chosen as the "book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines".
ReplyDelete2. Grendel in John Gardner's story is a "three-dimensional character". He first is a barbaric creature. But later on in the story, he changes and gets more civilized. On the other hand, Grendel in Beowulf is no more than just a monster. He represents "darkness, chaos, and death", and get slaughtered by Beowulf.
3. Each minor character in Beowulf is changed into a "major character" and has their own story. Unferth shows "moral force that enables society to advance", Grendel's mom emphasizes "the development of civilization", and the dragon depicts "nihilism".
4. We've already read numerous times about "heroism" this year. Any mythology that had heroes, such as Gilgamesh, always stressed how powerful and great they were. We've also read about darkness losing against light. All the evil characters were destroyed or nearly destroyed by the good people.
5. Nihilism means "the belief that there is no purpose to existence". I don't agree with this concept. If there is no meaning to existence, then all the people who have contributed to the world would be meaningless. However, without them, we would be in the fields chasing animals.
JOSHUA
ReplyDeleteIt was an astonishing work completed in 1970 and published the following year, which brought Gardnar, “not just critical but popular success” (Grendel: Introduction). It was also widely considered as a “literary tour de force”, as well as being the the book of the year, according to the Time and Newsweek magazines.
In John H’s version, he was considered as a “relatively minor character”, as well as being the “symbol of darkness, chaos, and death”, and ultimately, a villain. On the other hand, John G gives us a new perspective, that Grendel is a “three-dimensional character, with a sense of humor and a gift for language.
Ultimately, we can say that the two stories have reversed perspectives. One major difference we see is the characters. Beowulf was generally respected, gifted, intelligent, and most of all, he was an iconic epitome of the human race. However, Grendel was despised, evil, underrated, and defined dread, or possibly angst.
From the previous reading, Gilgamesh, we see a repeated pattern throughout the narrative, or even the whole text book we studied. They sacrifice things, and strive to fulfill their hopes, particularly, desperately trying to achieve immortality, as well as attaining that.
According to the text, it is “the belief that there is no purpose to existence”. Its obviously a subjective question, but personally, it does make sense to me. No matter what you achieve, how gorgeous you look, how much swag you have, we eventually become older. Beauty is diminished, and people will eventually forget you. Then we die, which is depressing, haha....
1.”The novel was praised” and is popular “as a literary tour de force and named a book of the year by Time and Newsweek magazines” It brings that new perspective into this world and shows “the struggle between good and evil, the clash between order and disorder”.
ReplyDelete2.”According to critic John M. Howell” Grendel is represented as “a symbol of darkness, chaos, and death”. However “In Gardner’s version” “Grendel becomes a three dimensional character”and he is a “sense of humor and a gift of language.
“Teaching Beowulf, the source of inspiration for Grendel”. Grendel is a minor character in Beowulf, but in Beowulf’s world he is “a symbol of darkness, chaos, and and death”. In Grendel , the protagonist is a “three dimensional character” and acquires a “sense of humor and a gift of language”.
Gardner develops heroism throughout his story. Heroism is one of the main pushing themes in our stories such as Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Iliad, and etc... Heroism was the motion that keep our stories moving, our characters dreamt to attain get treasures and abilities through acts of great heroism.
5. He explains nihilism “the belief that there is no purpose to existence”. I support this concept and appose it at the same time. Nihilism is true towards the lives of most of us, we are expandable resources, just another glass of water. We work extensively and die unaccomplished, but I believe certain individuals can break this barrier. Certain individuals who have great dedication and live by morals, they follow no existing concept of nihilism, and they live accomplished and die accomplished.
1. After Grendel had been published,it lead to "not just critical but popular success".The novel had even been praised "as a literary tour de force and named a book of the year by Time and Newsweek".
ReplyDelete2. In the first version of Grendel, the monster is a symbol of "darkness, chaos and death", but Gardner was able to create a character with a "sense of humor and a gift for language".
3.Beowulf and Grendel might have a similar back round, but they are two stories with different values and morals. For example Unferth, as a minor character, could be definitely compared to Grendel since they both develop "the theme of heroism".
4.Continuing on heroism, it is one of the major concepts of this story. Further on, we have already read several texts that are also based on that trait; Illyad,Aeneas, etc.
5.Gardner says that nihilism is a belief that there is no purpose of existence, with what I would probably disagree. It's not for us to decide to whether be born or not, so we are pretty much powerless about it. Even if you personally don't have any reason to exist, you are fully responsible for hurting the people that are close to you, so forget about yourself and think of them. If there are no people that care about you, maybe that's something to think about...
1. John Garner shows the challenges that good evil behold, while at the same time keeping the main storyline going. Almost like one of those side articles you will see in magazines or newspapers. He had been praised after writing this novel and had achieved the title of "tour de force and one the award for Time's and Newsweek's book of the year.
ReplyDelete2. From the novel Beowulf, Grendel is represented as “a symbol of darkness, chaos, and death”. However in the novel Grendel, “Grendel becomes a three dimensional character” and we start to have sympathy for the monster unlike in Beowulf where none of us cared for him the slightest bit.
3.From Grendals perspective he is trying to teache "Beowulf, the source of inspiration for Grendel”.
but in Beowulf’s eyes he is “a symbol of darkness, chaos, and and death”. But in both sides the significant barrier between the two is language. And that is what seperates Grendel from even his mother.
4. This was a hard one, but i believe we have seen Heroism in the past texts and have seen similar traits for violence,change in character and the need for blood in things like Aenied, Illiad e.t.c
5.I believe that the text says that "nihilism" is the belief that living is pointless,and that it is nothing but a test. I dont see how this is true for there is a perpose in life and you have the ability to somewhat control your life and the concept just seems silly to me.