Digressions in Beowulf
A prominent stylistic feature in the poem Beowulf is the number and length of digressions. “Much of the controversy surrounding the poet’s digressiveness has arisen from the fact that we have not yet discovered or admitted why he digresses in the first place” (Tripp 63). In this essay we hope to help answer that question.
The longest digression, almost 100 verses, is the story of Finn, which is here explored. In “The Finn Episode and Revenge in Beowulf” Martin Camargo states:
The allusive manner of its telling has long taxed the abilities of philologists to determine the precise sense of the lines, while its position within the narrative has challenged the ingenuity of a growing number of critics who have sought to establish (or to question) its relevance. . . .(112)
The Finn Episode begins with Hrothgar’s scop:
the harp was plucked, good verses chanted
when Hrothgar’s scop in his place on the mead-bench
came to tell over the famous hall-sport
[about] Finn’s sons when the attack came on them:
Hnaef of the Scyldings, hero of the Half-Danes,
had had to fall in Frisian slaughter (1065-70)
We learn here that the scop is singing about a Danish hero, Hnaef, and his band of warriors who are attacked by the Frisians/Jutes, a tribe that lived on the European coast directly opposite the British Isle. In other words, the Finnsburh Episode presents the sudden, abrupt stoppage of the peaceful existence of the Danes. This story is told by the scop right ...
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...ork, Robert E. “Digressions and Episodes.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Camargo, Martin. “The Finn Episode and Revenge in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977.
Greenfield, Stanley B.. “The Finn Episode and its Parallet.” In Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co.: 1975.
Tripp, Raymond P. “Digressive Revaluation(s).” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Wright, David. “The Digressions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
Francis, Erik Max. Beowulf. From The Harvard Classics. Volume 49. P.F. Collier & Son, 1910. Etext version by Robin Katsuya-Corbet. Online. Internet. November 26, 1998. Available HTTP: http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/beowulf/
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. “Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Compact Edition. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2008. 929-970. Print.
Anonymous. “Beowulf.” Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. Seamus Heaney, trans. New York: W.W. Norton &Company Ltd. 2001. 2-213. Print.
After having helped found what would be the world’s most popular and largest software company in 1975, Bill Gates officially found himself to be the richest man alive at the ripe, young age of only thirty-one. Gates had never imagined that the thirteen year old boy who loved to program computers in his parent’s garage would one day find himself to be considered the world’s wealthiest man alive, having a total net worth of $76 billion. Having began on his own, tinkering with computers and computer software, Gates later created the seed of Microsoft, or what was originally called Traf-O-Data in the summer of 1972. (Fast Facts) It wasn’t until two years later, with the help of his co-founder, Paul Allen that Microsoft was born, transforming the technological world in ways that the people had never seen. The birth of Microsoft changed the ways of old computers, making way for faster newer and more innovative technology, along with bringing on a strong competition with their rival company, Apple Inc. With this grand cooperation, Bill Gates was also accumulating a large mass of money, gradually finding himself to top the charts of the Forbes World Billionaires List. (Fast Facts) Despite being well known for his contributions to Microsoft, Bill Gates’ most profound impact on the American culture was in medical and educational advances provided by The Gates foundation, paralleled by his philanthropic views and aid in the lives of the both poor and wealthy.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. Beowulf The Fight at Finnsburh, edited by Heather O’Donoghue. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Abrams, M.H., ed. Beowulf: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
Beowulf was written between the eighth and tenth centuries by the Anglo-Saxon’s. Throughout the long poem, many digressions were used across the text. Beowulf, after he returned home from Heorot and greeted his King and Queen, the author wrote of a Queen by the name of Queen Modryth. The author created a digression while writing of Queen Modryth to present the correct etiquette of a Queen, establish a parallel with Queen Hygd and provide a better understanding of how digressions are used.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
Becoming the richest man in the world, Bill Gates is one of the most influential men. Not only is Bill Gates one of the most influential figures in the world, but he is also one of the most influential figures in the business world. Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. Gates was born into already well established family. “His father, William Henry Gates Jr., was a successful lawyer, and his mother, Mary Maxwell, was chairwoman of United Way International.”(Stevenson).
Bill was born on October 28th, 1955 his parents are William H. Gates Sr and Mary Maxwell Gates. Since he was a child he was interested in computers. “His education started at a local private school known for tough academic standards. When he was first introduced to computers he would skip class to work with the machine. After getting in trouble he gave up computers to focus on education for a year. He dropped out of harvard after his sophomore year because of his success with computers”(Mcguire 1). He was so interested in computers he dropped out of Harvard one of the best schools in America to pursue computers. Due to all of Gates knowledge on computers he was easily able to get a job “Gates' first professional job came soon after he and his computer friends wrote The Problem Report Book, a 300-page manual they compiled after going through the garbage bins of Seattle's Computer Center Corporation (CCC) and finding all the programmers' errors. CCC officials were so impressed with the boys that they gave them jobs”(Mcguire 1). Gates was easily able to get a job by just finding errors in a computer software because of how much he knew about computers. Bill Gates past knowledge of computers helped him become who he is
On October 28, 1955 William H. Gates III (nicknamed "trey") was born in Seattle. His father was a lawyer (William H. Gates II) and his mother was a schoolteacher. He also had two older sisters who were in high school when Bill was born. Bill attended a public elementary school before he moved to a private school in North Seattle named Lakeside. Lakeside's strong academics enabled Bill to actively get involved with computers (which were the love of his life next to baseball) and use his superior intellect. This was the beginning of a long and successful career in computers. Bill combined his intellect and visions of technology along with his active participation in may charities to make our world a better place.
William Henry Gates, also known as “Bill”, has established himself as the richest man in the world. He is the youngest self made billionaire, and perhaps the best businessman in the world. As you read along, you will learn what Bill Gates’ accomplishments were, what his beliefs were, and why this topic is so important. Bill Gates is important because not only did he change the computer technology in America, he also became the biggest, strongest, richest and the most powerful company in the world.
“ A computer in every home, and Microsoft software on every computer.” ( "Bill Gates." News) This is a comment and later a slogan of Bill Gates and Microsoft. Bill Gates is one of the richest men of the world because of his intellect, still he spend $28 million dollar to charity. Mr. Gates is one of many great Americans, who achieved a lot for our world. Bill was a genius even in his early life and had great accomplishments outside of Microsoft. Also Bill has many different great projects.