The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

J. Alfred Prufrock is a lonely man of unquestionable issues. He seeks love, but cannot withhold it. It's ironic that the poem is entitled The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock because, this man has never experienced or possibly ever will experience love to which he can sing about. Throughout the poem Prufrock is judging the woman around him, constantly finding things about them that he finds unattractive, yet he yearns for love to fill the lonely void inside him. His shallowness truly lies within his insecurities, he has no self confidence what so ever. For example in line 40 he he says "Do I dare? and, Do i dare? time to turn back and descend the stair with a bald spot in the middle of my hair (They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!") My morning coat, my collar mounting to my chin, my necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin (They will say; "But how his arms and legs are thin!') He believes that if he attends this party, woman will talk secretly about him. But he makes the same judgments towards women, he continuously finds something wrong with women, to avoid loving them. He is ultimately afraid love and commitment, he is also afraid to put himself out there because he is worried that he will be let down, his major fear is rejection. His problem, is most likely the type of women that he surrounds himself with. In the poem the line "In the room women come and go Talking of Michelangelo." is stated twice, because these women are only talking about Italian artist to sound intelligent, which is just another characteristic that irritates Prufrock. It is possible that he has not experienced love, because he just continues to associate himself with the wrong kind of women. 

He also alludes to Hamlet, saying that he is in no way like hamlet, but actually the two are very similar in the way that they are both extremely melancholy. Prufrock is capable of finding love, he just underestimates his abilities to do so, which makes him lonely, which makes him sad. Hamlet is bitter about the state of affairs in Denmark, and the murder of his father, which makes him contain a deep sadness as well. By description it would appear that Prufrock is growing, and time is running out for him to ever experience love. With his choice of woman, and his noticeable insecurities there is no telling whether or not Prufrock ever will find the love that wants yet avoids. 

Not My Best Side

In U.A. Fanthorpe's poem "Not My Best Side" the dragon, the maiden, and the knight do not portray the same thoughts and personalities as they do in the traditional stories. The main idea of the poem directly lies within in the title, because each character is showing a different less appealing side, then they would in the conventional tale.

Dragons, for example, are usually giant fearless creatures who destroy anything and everything in their past. They capture maidens, and kill knights, and there confidence is extraordinary, but the dragon is this poem shows none of those characteristics. The majority of his section is filled with complaints about the painting that he is in. He doesn't like the angle is was painted at, and he is upset that two of his feet weren't in the painting. He also has no interest in the maiden that he has captured, he actually finds her quite ugly. All he is worrying about is what people are going to think of him, when usually a big strong dragon doesn't care, all they want to do is kill, and capture, but this dragon shows little confidence or interest in those tasks.

Traditionally maidens are supposed to be pure at heart and pure at mind, but this maiden is in no way like that. She is very much attracted to the dragon who has captured her and she has no interest in being rescued, by the possibly ugly knight. Her lust towards that dragon is very strong, and her supposed "pure" mind is actually quite dirty. Unfortunately, her little crush must end because the dragon was defeated, which meant she might as well run off with the Knight who "saved" her, because she needs to think about her future.

The knight in this story cares little about the maiden he is saving and more about his credibility as a Knight. He has all the latest horse, and weapons, and he is the most qualified to slay the dragon. He wants to finish the job that was assigned to him and he doesn't understand why this maiden won't just get out of his way so he can rescue her and add another achievement to his already stacked resume. He portrays a more modern mind then the customary knight, and work is most important to him.

Each speaker from each section is showing a different side, then readers would usually see or expect, and the sides they are showing are pretty unpleasant which is why the poem is called "Not My Best Side". There is also humor added to the usually serious love story.

Lying In a Hammock At William Duffy's Farm In Pine Island, Minnesota

1.) The man is lying on a hammock, in the summer, he is watching a butterfly that is sleeping on a bronze trunk, and is blowing back and forth because of the wind. The man can hear the cowbells on the cows down the ravine, and he can smell the horse droppings from last year. The horse droppings are also turning gold because it is extremely hot outside, and then the man sees a chicken hawk fly above him looking for his home, and then he says to himself that he has wasted his life.

2.) The person in that hammock has let time pass him by, he seems to be looking around taking everything around him in, and realizing that everything around him is changing, but he himself is letting life pass him by. There is a suggestion that he is an older man based on the fact that in the end he states that he has wasted his life, if he were young he would still have an opportunity to live his life.

3.)It wasn't until the final line that I actually discovered the regret of this person, when I first read the poem I thought that he was just very relaxed, and pleased with his surroundings, but then when I reread it with the last line i realized that he is watching time pass him by, and realizing that he was wasted his own life.

4.) The farm where he is lying in the hammock does not belong to him. It also tells us where the speaker lives, which is Pine Island, Minnesota.

5.) The speaker uses every sense besides taste to describe his surroundings, and most of his descriptions are dealing with time, and time passing by for example the cowbells following one another into the distance, the last years cow droppings blazing up into golden stones. It all centers around time passing and loneliness, which symbolize the mans live, meaning that he has let time pass him by, and by doing so he has wasted his life and he is most likely very lonely, and example of that is the empty house, and the chicken hawk looking for home.

6.) Some feelings that are conveyed in this poem are loneliness, and regret, I also got a sense of relaxation, and appreciation of this mans surroundings, but the main idea is that time has passed him by and he regrets that he has wasted life. And now all he seems to have left to do is lie in a hammock and watching everything else change around him.

Beowulf DJ # 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58

51.)"Beowulf's ancient iron-grey sword let him down in the fight. It was never his fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made of iron." Line 2680

Beowulf's weapons do not work in battle. No man made weapon that he has tried to use has worked for him, this could be a message from "the Almighty"  telling him to use his god given strength to kill the monsters, not the iron work of another man.

52.)"He lunged at the enemy lower down so that his decorated sword sank into its belly and the flames grew weaker." 2700

Beowulf did slay the Dragon, but Wyglef took a stab at the Dragons stomach which caused his fiery breath to die down which gave Beowulf the opportunity to finish it off. All this time Beowulf has refused help from other warriors, but without it in this battle he would have died and the Dragon would have most likely lived and went to destroy the Gete country, leaving Beowulf unsuccessful. It makes me wonder, if Beowulf would have trusted his fellow warriors the way that he trusts himself in battle, the could have quite possibly became as strong as he was. Making the Gete land quite invincible.

53.)"No king of any neighboring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me."Line 2740

When Beowulf ruled the Getes he provided protection based on fear, nobody ambushed the Getes because they knew they would fail. His death is a foreshadow to the Destruction of his country and they ultimate wipe out of his people. Without Beowulf countries will attack the Getes as they please and most likely win because Beowulf never trained his army because he was so focused on his own fame.

54.) "God himself, mankind's keeper, True King of Triumphs, allowed some person pleasing to Him- and his eyes worthy -- to open the hoard." Line 3050

The treasure is only significant if it is given to someone pure, Beowulf needed to see the treasure before he died, and in the end the treasure was burned above his grave because he was in fact the most pure of the land. It was connected to Beowulf, because he was the lord of his people and without him the treasure meant nothing, especially since the Getes fate now was doomed.

55.) "Often when one man follows his own will many are hurt." Line 3080

Beowulfs decision to attack the Dragon alone hurt his entire country. It was not a smart decision because he was no longer the invincible warrior that he once thought he was. He was old, and if the dragon hadn't have taken him old age would have. Just like any other man Strength dies with age, and he could have given the opportunity to some other young strong warrior but he chose to go it alone, and he was successful in killing the dragon but failed in leading his people.

56.) "They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people, and keenest to win fame." Line 3180

Beowulf was a great man, he respected his people the way that they respected him, and he never lost his temper with a friend, or someone who didn't deserve it. Which was one side of him, which made him a great warrior and a great King. But being great comes with a cost, his fame meant the world to him, he spent all his life trying to be the greatest warrior of all time, and he spent a lot of his time making unnecessary decisions just to prove to be even more great. He was a man of two personalities which in the end is what brought him to death, he chose his fame over his people.

Beowulf DJ # 47, 48, 49, 51

46.)"his own home, the best of buildings, had been burnt to a cinder, the throne room of the Getes." Line 2340

This is another parallel to Hrothgar and Beowulf because Hrothgar's home was burnt down as well. The author was obviously trying to set up a relationship between the two characters because there similarities are quite extreme. In a sense they are the same, but they both shine in different roles.

47.)" After many trials he was destined to face the end of his in this mortal world; as was the dragon, for all his long leasehold on the treasure." Line 2340

Beowulf's life will end in the battle against the Dragon, but he will not die until he has slain the Dragon, as his one last victory. Of course Beowulf, being the over achiever that he is, cannot die peacefully, his life must end in his most ultimate fight. Throughout Beowulf's entire career he has proven to be the most experienced strongest warrior there is, even at old age he is slaying dragons, but he is not invincible, that is what separates him from god, he has the power to protect his people just as god does, but he cannot protect them forever, his life will end just as any other mans would.

48.) "This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of the battle will doom your lord away." Line 2530

Beowulf's believes that this fight belongs to him and him only. His arrogance once again shines brightly, because he once was the greatest warrior of all time, and he still believes that he owns that title, but it is only because he never gave any other man any room to become as great as him. He focused only on his own strength even when he had become king, and he didn't pay any attention to building the strength of his countries warriors, which after his death, will cause a great deal of problems for the Geat people. His pride and his arrogance(tragic flaw) are will ultimately destroy his country, that he for so long helped build and protect.

50.)"No help or backing was to be had then from his high-born comrades; that hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives to the safety of the wood." Line 2600

His warriors, after all these years will no longer stay by his side. It is usually an honour to die by your king, but for these warriors all they have done is watched there king battle great monsters alone. He has never asked for there help or trained them to fight alongside him, they are only there in case something goes wrong and even then Beowulf would find someway to help himself and they would become useless, they feel that they are worthless warriors in there own country which is why they decide to save their own lives and escape from the dragons fiery murder.

Beowulf DJ # 42, 43, 44, 45,

42.)"Until one began to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl from the steep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow where he guarded a hoard." Line 2220

The dragon signifies evil, and greediness. He wants the treasure all to himself, even though there is really nothing he can do with it. Each monster appears at night, which is a reference to hell, each of these monsters are outcasts of god. Each of there lairs are below ground, which is related to where hell is as well.

43.) "Death had come and taken them all in times gone by and the only one left to tell their tale, the last of their line, could look forward to nothing but the same fate for himself: he foresaw that his joys in the treasure would be brief." Line 2240

The man who stole the treasure from the dragon is simply taking back what belongs to the people of his country. He is the last one left so this treasure really has absolutely no value anymore. Because treasure is connected to society and your lord, without a lord to honour treasure with, or a society to show of treasure to it has no worth. And this man can also be connected to the character from the poem "The Wanderer" both men are exiled from there country only because they are the only ones to survive. They are possibly the same exact person.

44.)"Pillage and slaughter have emptied the earth of entire peoples." Line 2270

This is an anti-war statement. Its referring to all the unnecessary ambushes that have happened between these countries that have wiped out entire populations and cultures for no good reason. Only because of greed and fame, people have died, and there country is no more than empty land, that will be taken over by other countries because land is money, and money rules all.

45.)"The first to suffer were the people on the land, but before long it was their treasure-giver who would come to grief." 2310

This is a foreshadow to the death of Beowulf. The dragon is attacking his country and destroying his land, and he needs to take action as soon as possible but this probably means the end of his life because he feels the need to go into battle, even though he is quite old. And it is no longer his job to be a warrior he is supposed to king, and this is tragic flaw, he still after all these years of being king cares mostly about his fame, which will finally end along with his life.

Beowulf DJ # 37, 38, 39, 40, 41

37.)"Then suddenly the vehement mother avenged her son and wreaked destruction." Line 2120

Grendels mothers only reason for destruction was to avenge her son, although she is a monster this in a way represents the strength of Woman. The evil female monster cares for her child as any mother would, and she shows that when she goes on a rampage trying to retrieve her dead sons arm. She, like other woman, are not as destructive as the men in her life at this time but when disrespected she takes necessary action to earn back the respect. You could almost compare Grendels mother to Modhyrth because she will not let men disrespect her or her family and when they do they pay for it.

38.)"These, King Hygelac, i am happy present to you as gifts. It is still upon your grace that all favor depends." Line 2150

Beowulf gives his king all the treasures that he received from Hrothgar, because again his greatest treasure is his fame. And Beowulf is also very respectful to his lord. He maybe the greatest warrior of all time, but he understands that he does not have more power because he is more powerful, his manners are what help make him so successful. Which is another reason why he honoured those gifts to his king. He believed that he fights for his country, and his lord.

39.)"So ought a kinsmen act, instead of plotting and planning in secret to bring people to grief, or conspiring to arrange the death of comrades. The warrior king was uncle to Beowulf and honoured by his nephew: each was concerned for the others goods." Line 2170

The relationship between Uncle and nephew in this time was almost more important that then relationship between father and son. Just because Beowulf and Hygelac are not actually blood related does not mean they do not share the same bond that any other uncle and nephew would. Beowulf gives Hygelac a lot of respect and treats him like a real uncle, and they both honour each other graciously through out the poem.

40.) "Thus Beowulf bore himself with valour; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk, kept his temper and, a warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers." Line 2180

Beowulf is arrogant, has to much pride, and sometimes takes on challenges that are just for show. But he is extremely respectful, well mannered, and civil. He takes all his anger on those who truly deserve it in battle, which signifies a true warrior. His Greatness not only shines in his strength but also in his attitude. Which is not only characteristics of a good warrior, but also a good king. He may not be as strong a king as he is a warrior, but he will still be a legendary one.

41.) "The battle-famed king, bulwark of his ealrs, ordered a gold-chased heirloom of Hrethel's to be brought in...This he laid on Beowulf's lap and then rewarded him with land as well." Line 2190

Beowulf has no direct line to Hrethel but he was raised by him, and as an adopted son he was honoured with land and Hrethels sword because he deserved it. This is a foreshadow to Beowulf continuing the "family" tradition and one day becoming King. This is also another example of the relationship between uncle and nephew.

Beowulf DJ # 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

32.) “Even a queen outstanding in beauty must not overstep like that.” Line 1940

Woman have no rights, they don't have a right to kill men for looking at them and they don't have a right to even gain respect. The fact that this queen is killing men for treating her like a piece of meat is considered overstepping her boundaries, shows how worthless woman truly were in this time. They were just there to make babies and keep "peace" between two countries which usually failed anyways. 

33.)"Haereth's daughter moved about with the mead-jug in her hand, taking care of the company, filling the cups that warriors held out." Line 1980

Just another example of the insignificance of woman. In my opinion woman in this time were pretty much slaves. They were nothing but property owned by men. They did what the men said, and if they didn't they were killed or punished brutally. Men just passed them around as "peace-treaties" to avoid ambushes. They had no say in who they married, what they did, or really who they were. Woman in this time were slaves. 

34.) "Your undertaking cast my spirits down, I dreaded the outcome of your expedition and pleaded with you long and hard to leave the killer be, let the South-Danes settle there own blood-feud with grendel." Line 1990 

Hygelac did not like the idea of Beowulf going to help the Danish. Losing Beowulf would be a huge tragedy to the Getes. Without him they will not be as strong in battle, any force can attack them and lose just because of Beowulf. He is the Greatest Warrior of there time, but it seems to me that Hygelac does not have as much faith in Beowulf has Hrothgar does. The Danish king knows that Beowulf is the only one who can kill Grendel which is why he asks for him to do it. Hygelac does not have as much faith, so he begs Beowulf not go because he is worried that he will not return, which would mean that The getes were doomed for ambush, Hygelac cares less about Beowulf and more about the fate of his country. 

35.) "But generally the spear is prompt to retaliate when a prince is killed, no matter how admirable the bride may be." Line 2030 

This is a foreshadow that Freawaru will be a failed peace-pledge, despite that fact that she is beyond Gorgeous. No beauty can lessen the hate between two countries. Especially when both the countries are known for there drinking, and when people drink they tend to say things that cause a fight which will lead to another war. Beowulf sees this happening which is why he doesn't think that Freawaru's peace pledge is a good idea at all. 

36.)"The deadly violence came down on Handscio and he fell as fait ordained, the first to perish, riggid out for the combat." 

Beowulf is making it seem like Handscio died in battle, when really he sacrificed that warrior just so he could see how Grendel moved. This in my opinion just shows how Beowulf thinks only about himself in battle and how he can gain fame for himself. He let one of his fellow warriors die, one who i am sure  always had his back, but he did not return the same respect. Although it was smart to watch grendels technique, a warrior lost his life just to help Beowulf gain fame. 

Beowulf DJ #27, 28, 29, 30, 31

27.) “Geats won’t find a man worthier of acclaim as their kings and defender than you, if only you would undertake the lordship of your homeland.” Line 1850  

This is a foreshadow that Beowuld will someday become king. Even though that is not what he wants it most likely will happen because Hrothgar, and I'm sure many more think that he is the most worthy for the title. Beowulf is no doubt the greatest warrior of his time, so from fear alone he will be a good warrior, because nobody will want to mess with him. I think since the two are already so similar, Beowulf will rule very similarly to Hrothgar, even though Beowulf is much more of a warrior then a king, so he may not be as great of a king as Hrothgar. 

28.) “Geat nation and us neighboring Danes, into shared peace and a pact of friendship in spite of hatreds we have harboured in the past.” Line 1850

Although it is usually a woman, Beowulf has become somewhat of piece treaty between the Danes and the Getes. It is ironic because Beowulf has never had a woman, that is not something he cares about at all. So the fact that he has taken on a woman's job by becoming a peace-treaty is quite interesting. Even though in this time, or possibly ever, a woman would probably never have the strength of Beowulf, this could be a feminine characteristic of him. 

29.) “Then the earls’ defender furnished the hero with twelve treasures.” Line 1870

The number 12 has been a motif in this epic Poem. 12 in the bible represents the "perfect number" and it all centers around government and governmental perfection. Hrothgar, the great ruler of the Danes, Perhaps the "perfect ruler" awarded Beowulf with 12 treasures. Possibly signifying that Beowulf succeeded his mission perfectly. 

30.) “The guard who had watched the boat was given a sword with gold fittings and in future days that present would make him a respected man at his place on the mead-bench.” Line 1900

Like i have mentioned before the guard of the mead-hall is a Christian character in a pagan story, he stands out because it seems as if he has already accepted Christianity into his life. And the gift he was given that will "make him a respected man" is a foreshadow that in the future he will do something that will earn him fame. The sword he was given was obviously a great sword, that he will eventually use and it will create greatness for himself, and he will successfully guard the mead-hall. 

31.) “Great Queen Modthyrth perpetrated terrible wrongs. If any retainer ever made a bold to look her in the face, if an eye not her lord’s stared at her directly during daylight, the outcome was sealed:” Line 1940

Queen Modthyrth signifies the strength of woman, she is undoubtedly a bad ass, because she does not wanted to be looked at by men as a peace of meat. This is the only way she can earn respect, which was hard for woman to do in this time. Woman were just peace treaties, and wives. They had no actual significance, but Modthryth makes sure that she is not looked at that way. She is a strong woman in a time where woman had absolutely not significance what so ever. She is the symbol of the strength of woman. 

Beowulf DJ #22, 23, 24, 25, 26

22.) “The Geat captain saw treasure in abundance but carried no spoils from those quarters except for the head and the inlaid hilt hilt embossed with jewels.” Line 1620

This is another example of how Beowulf really wants nothing to do with the treasure. All he cares about is his fame. Killing Grendel was a major accomplishment, one that he could really only achieve, and the only way to prove that it was him who killed Grendel was to swim back down the "hell-like" lake and behead the monster. It wasn't completely necessary for him to do, but in Beowulfs eyes it was just another thing that he could be known for. His greatest treasure is fame. In my opinion Beowulf is a little bit arrogant. All he cares about at this point is his own greatness he does unnecessary things and he demands no help which is just over the top, and will eventually come back to bite him in the but. 

23.) “Then the gold hilt was handed over to the old lord, a relic from long ago for the venerable ruler.” Line 1680

Hrothgar is a man who cares deeply for his country. He made the mistake of thinking that all was right and good and no more bad would come to his land, and then Grendel attacked. He wanted to do what was best for his people so he asked Beowulf a man who wasn't even from his country because he knew he could get the job done. Hrothgar was a great King, and Beowulf knew that which is why he honored him with the hilt that saved his country. Beowulf and Hrothgar may not have been related but they had a deep connection both were similar in the fact that they were passionate about what they did, Hrothgar in a sense was a father figure to Beowulf. 

24.) “O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, enternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.” Line 1760 

Hrothgar is warning Beowulf not to get to much pride. This is a foreshadow for whats to come later in the Poem. Beowuld already has too much bride and he has not even completely lived. But there is a chance that Beowulfs pride will get the best of him and it will end fatally for him or for the rest of his country, because he believed way to much in himself and not enough in his fellow warriors. He is not giving them a chance to blossom and become as great as him. 

25.) “I came to believe my enemies had faded from the face of the earth. Still, what happened was a hard reversal from bliss to grief.” Line 1770

Hrothgar is giving an example to Beowulf about what too much pride will do to you. This is just another similarity between the Danish ruler and Beowulf. Hrothgar had to much faith that his country was finally at peace and nothing was going to invade or attack them and then Grendel, the jealous monster attacked. 

26.) “He said he had found it a friend in battle and a powerful help; he put no blame on the blades cutting edge. He was a considerate man.” Line 1810

Although Unferth was pretty nasty to Beowulf before, Beowulf did not return the same attitude. He did not rub in Unferths face that his sword was worthless and he actually was the greatest warrior of all time. Beowulf may be arrogant, but he is has good manners. He knows that he is far greater than Unferth but he doesn't feel the need to tell Unferth off because that would be beneath him. His fame speaks for itself. 

Beowulf DJ #17, 18, 19, 20, 21

17.) “Now help depends again on you and you alone. The gap of danger where the demon waits is still unknown to you. Seek it if you dare.” Line 1380

The place that Grendels mother lives, here is in some way is like hell. Especially at night, the descriptions of the “hell like” layer consist of things like “the water burns” and “the mere bottom has never been sounded by the sons of men.” It is also possible that this is a home to all the decedents of Cain who are not accepted by god, which could mean that it is in fact hell, or at least the gateway to hell.

18.) “Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark.”  Line 1390

Beowulf has spent the majority of his life trying to build fame for himself. He has no wife, no child; nothing besides the name he has built for himself. Although he has become the strongest warrior of his time, he has way too much pride. He cares way too much about gaining fame and not enough about helping other warriors become great. Which will soon get the best of him.

19.) “The gallant man could see he had entered some hellish turn-hole and yet the water did not work against him because the hall-roofing held off the force of the current; then he saw firelight, a gleam and flare-up, a glimmer of brightness.” Line 1510

Beowulf invading grendels moms lair is a parallel to Grendel attack the Danish Mead-hall. But although they have similar setups, as an outsider invading a “great hall”, they have completely different outcomes. When Grendel invaded the Hrothgars hall Beowulf killed him, but when Beowulf invaded Grendels moms layer he succeeded in beheading her.

20.) “Then he saw a blade that boded well, a sword in her armory, an ancient heirloom from the days of the giants, and ideal weapon, one that any warrior would envy, but so huge and heavy of itself only Beowulf could wield it in a battle.” Line 1560

Beowulf’s sword could not kill Grendels mother because man made it, but a sword made by a giant could kill her. This probably has something to do with the mark of Cain. Just as Beowulf could not directly kill Grendel, he also could not kill Grendels mother with a man made weapon.

21.) “Meanwhile, the sword began to wilt into gory icicles, to slather and thaw. It was a wonderful the way it all melted as ice melts when the father eases the fetters off the frost and unravels the water-ropes.” Line 1610 

When Beowulf beheaded Grendel, the sword melted because it was the end of Grendels line. Grendel and his mother were the last two monsters from there family. The hilt of the sword told stories all about Grendels ancestors from the beginning of the Monsters culture, On the hilt it talked about a flood that destroyed the tribe of giants, the "Almighty" caused the flood to drown the Monsters. This story connects to Noahs Ark in the bible. The flood that Noah built the ark for is possibly the flood that was meant to wipe out the monsters. 

Beowulf DJ #11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

11.)"So now, Beowulf I adopt you in my heart as a dear son. Nourish and maintain this new connection, you noblest of men; there'll be nothing you'll want for, no worldly goods that won't be yours." Line 940

Hrothgar is trying to create a connection between the two countries. "Adopting Beowulf as his own son" establishes a relationship that will keep peace between the two countries. In certain aspects Beowulf is the peace treaty, Hrothgar has also probably learned that you can not cross Beowulf in his prime, if the Danes were to attack the Getes with Beowulf fighting, it would probably end badly for them. I feel that there is an underlying connection between Beowulf and Hrothgar because never before has Hrothgar put so much trust in a warrior and Beowulf is not even from the same country, plus the similarities between the two are pretty abundant and throughout the poem there are parallels set up between the two kings.

12.)"But death is not easily escaped from by anyone." Line 1000

This is a foreshadow to later things to come, it is clearly a line written by the monk, and i believe that is means that although many think Beowulf is invincible, even he cannot escape death. At the time when Beowulf kills Grendel he is at his prime age, he is undoubtedly the strongest warrior at this time, but the downfall to that is, he knows it. He is filled with so much pride, he does everything to gain fame for himself, which is his tragic flaw.

13.)"Saga of Finn and his sons, unfolding the tale of the fierce attack in Friesland where Hnaef, king of the Danes, met death."Line 1060

The Finn episode is telling a story about the death of Hildeburh's brother and the death of her son, it tells the story from a woman's point of view which is rare in this time because women were so outspoken. Hildeburh was a failed peace pledge, and her failure lead to the death of her brother and her son. It has also been said that the relationship between uncle and nephew is almost stronger then a relationship between a father and son and in this case, although they both die because of an ambush these two warriors are buried alongside one another despite the fact that they were fighting against each other.

14.)"Fate swept him away because of his proud need to provoke a feud with the Frisians."

This passage is referring to Hygelac the Geat, who attack the Frisians for no real reason and was killed, he made a terrible choice attack the Frisians but it was because he had to much pride, which is a foreshadow to what is to come for Beowulf, having a lot of fame and strength is somewhat a good thing but it tends to get overused, Hygelac was proud and certain that his country would beat the Frisians in an ambush, but he was wrong and he payed for it by dying in the unnecessary battle.

15.)"Men were drinking wine at that rare feast; how could they know fate, the grim shape of things to come, the threat looming over many thanes as night approached and King Hrothgar prepared to retire to his quarters?" Line 1240

The man are all cheery and happy (and completely wasted) because they think they are safe now. Beowulf has slain Grendel and they no longer have to worry about him lurking in the nightfall. But this is a foreshadow that it is not over. There is something that will soon attack them that is possibly much worse then Grendel. In the story of Cain there is not only one monster but multiple descendants of Cain who are not accepted by Christ or society, it is possible that there will be more ambushes by these descendants based on the jealousy of the acceptance of Christ.

16.)"Grendels bloodied hand. It was a fresh blow the afflicted bawn. The bargain was hard, both parties having to pay with the lives of friends." Line 1300

Grendels mother is attacking only out of revenge. Beowulf attacked her son, and then used his arm as a trophy, which upset the motherly monster. Even as a monster a mother still has the same connection to her child, and even though grendel was a flesh eating jealous monster she still grieved his death, and she still felt that he needed to have a more respectful burial. 

The Monsters and the Critics

J.R.R. Tolkiens essay, The Monsters and the Critics, Outlined two main arguments, first being that Beowulf has been over criticized as a piece of history when in fact it should be looked at as a piece of literature. The critics were trying to use Beowulf as a source of Anglo Saxon history, rather than looking at the poem like it is a work of art which is what should've been done. Tolkien also argued that the monsters in Beowulf are nothing more than monsters, but former critics disregarded the monsters because they didn't think it taught anything about history. But Tolkien responded to that by saying “It is just because the main foes in Beowulf are inhuman that the story is larger and more significant…. It glimpses the cosmic and moves with the thought of all men concerning the fate of human life and efforts; it stands amid but above the petty wars of princes”, which refers back to his main argument that this essay needs to be looked at as an art form not a piece of history. 


I personally thought this essay was brilliant, although hard to understand, it's detail and arguments really made realize the excellence of the epic poem, and opened me up to new ideas about the monsters, and Beowulf as an art form. Although I wasn't criticing it as a historical document, because truly i don't believe it is one. There may be some history in it, but I agree with Tolkien that it should be looked more at as a piece of literature. 

Beowulf DJ# 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

6.)Never, since my hand could hold a shield, have I entrusted or given control of the Danes' hall to anyone but you" Line 660

Hrothgar has never in his life allowed someone to defend the Great Hall against Grendel to protect the Danes, and the fact that he is allowing Beowulf, a Gete, whom he just met guard it shows Beowulf's significance. Although some may think he's quite cocky, he has the right to be because he has won many impossible battles. But the fact that he makes his battles so much harder for himself in order to gain credit if he wins shows that he may have to much pride, which is a foreshadow to something bad to happen to him when he goes after something that is to difficult.

7.)"The truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has." line 700

This quote not only is a christian quote, it also means that everything that happens is decided by fate. Beowulf and Grendels fight, will ultimately be decided by fate so if Beowulf loses, he was fated to lose. It is up to the "Almighty one". No strength will overcome what he chooses for you. Which Beowulf has accepted, even though he strongly believes that he will come through with a win, because he has been so successful in the past and he is of ultimate strength.

8.)"God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping." line 710

When god Exiled Cain he placed a mark on Cain, the look of the mark is unknown but it most likely represents Cains curse, and it was passed on to Cains offspring, which means Grendel most likely has the same mark. Cains curse was that anyone who killed Cain would provoke the vengeance of god, Grendel obviously had the same curse, which is why Beowulf chopped of his arm so he would bleed to death. But  I think since Beowulf technically did kill Grendel by chopping off his arm, God will in the future will punish Beowulf because Grendel had the mark, and he wasn't supposed to be killed.

9.)"Then an extraordinary wail arose, and bewildering fear came over the Danes" line 780

Grendels name stands for a storm, or a scream, or a wale. The "extraordinary wail" is in fact Grendel yelling because he himself is like a whale, and the sounds he makes since he doesn't speak English are like the sounds that whales make, loud thundering sounds. Grendel, ultimately symbolizes a whale, just by the sounds that he makes.

10.)"With his death upon him, he had dived deep into his marsh-den, drowned out of his life and his heathen soul: hell claims him there." Line 850

Grendels death meant that he was free from exile, he no longer had to suffer with Cains curse. He no longer had to suffer from jealousy because the others who spoke a language he couldn't speak, were getting more attention from god. It maybe possible that Grendels death was a blessing, he no longer had to live with the curse that he was born with. And hell in this case awaited him deep in a lake, which relates to the "underworld" and how hell is underground which is a reference to the bible.