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beowulf symbolism essay
deeper meaning behind beowulf
Symbolism in the epic story Beowulf
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Throughout literature there are constant themes that require the reader to recognize certain events as more than what they literally are presented as. Thomas C. Foster explains the symbolism of a meal in his novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor by stating, “Sometimes a meal is just a meal…More often than not, though, it’s not”. His belief is exemplified in the epic poem Beowulf [B], translated by Seamus Heaney, through symbolism the poem expresses a sense of camaraderie and community that comes with sharing a meal.
The epic poem Beowulf is laden with sensory details about each feast. The significance of the feast is accentuated by the occasion of the feast. According to Thomas C. Foster, “whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion…the coming together of the faithful to share sustenance,” (8). The faithful are the Danish people against Grendel, and the meal is a shared understanding, like the food, the desire to vanquish this monster that is terrorizing them. The act of sharing a meal emphasizes their connection and joint opposition to Grendel. Upon Beowulf’s arrival the king of the Danes, Hroth-gar, decides to throw a feast in his honor. The feast is depicted as welcoming and amiable. The Danes hospitality is illustrated by how, “a bench was cleared in the banquet hall so the Geats could have room to be together and the party sat, proud in their bearing, strong and stalwart,” (B 15). It is important to acknowledge how the Danes made room, for the Geats, which again emphasizes their shared motives and encourages the feeling of camaraderie between the two groups of people. The ideas of shared goals, space, and sustenance are the underlying messages that are symbolized by the inclusion of this first feast. Fos...
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...from their interactions during the meal.
Thomas C. Forester recognized the significance of the shared meal in literature, and his explanation was depicted in his novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor. This idea that the meal has important value to the understanding of a piece of literature is exhibited in Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf. Heaney depicts the worth of including meal scenes in literature through manipulating the banquets to illuminate the need of peace and community in times of violence, as well as to demonstrate the veneration the characters feel for their hero, Beowulf.
Works Cited
Donoghue, Daniel, and Seamus Heaney. Beowulf A Verse Translation. New York: Norton, 2002. Print.
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines. New York: Harper, 2003. Print.
To begin, our impeccable Beowulf holds a god-like stance among the people he meets, all of whom seem to know him already, whether it be for previous deeds or otherwise. He was renowned by the Gea...
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to
In conclusion, the brilliant novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster is a fantastic novel that helps grasp the basic ideas and structure that makes up a work of literature. Foster’s laid-back attitude made a major contribution to the great tone of the novel, and made it easier to understand. Many connections were included in the novel, along with some great quotes. After reading this novel, I have a better idea of what to look for when reading a novel.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. New York: Harper Collins Books, 2003. Print.
A writers mind is very intellectual, they tend to have an unparalleled vision within their sense of understanding. The differences of this vision, compared to the levels of understanding, shows itself transversely throughout the novel Grendel and the epic poem Beowulf. Both forms of literature are distinct in the plot and setting, but Gardner’s perceptiveness of Beowulf in his novel differs from the view of the unknown author’s relay of Beowulf in the poem. In the poem, Beowulf is portrayed as an epic hero, brave honorable, and dignified, with vast generosity and munificent loyalty. While in the novel, he is portrayed as an unsettling stranger that connives his way into everyone’s life by his dangerous nature and entrancing stories.
There are a plethora of different themes, motifs, and symbols to choose from in Beowulf. A recurring theme throughout Beowulf is generosity and hospitality, along with the importance of ones identity. One portion stands out the most against the first theme and it is; The Finnsburg Fragment. A motif that came to mind while reading Beowulf had to have been the importance of the Mead Hall. Something else to think about is the relation to the fall of the hall in The Finnsburg Fragment being told right after Beowulf’s victory against Grendel.
One of the first literary work studied by our class was “Beowulf,” the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The poem is packed full of Christian and Pagan elements that are constantly fighting for the dominant position. In order to understand these thematic elements portrayed throughout “Beowulf,” we must first discover
Without much thought, authors use brilliant techniques in order to portray the images and stories that they wish to tell. The novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C Foster, helps readers discover the hidden truths among literature and the brilliant techniques that the authors use as well as learn how to add innovative concepts into their writing in order to portray exactly what they are trying to say. It is evident that in A Thousand Splendid Suns the author, Khaled Hosseini, unconsciously uses some of the brilliant concepts that Foster addresses in his book. Khaled Hosseini, the accomplished author, habitually uses the concepts by Thomas C Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, therefore making Hosseini an iconic author.
...slaying Grendel’s family and a dragon. Needed by the Geats and the Danes, Beowulf is central to the poem, however it is impossible for him not to be an outsider when he is superior to every single character in every single aspect.
What goes through your mind when you read? Do you read deliberately, looking for certain aspects, or do you read as a blank slate? When reading, professors expect a deliberateness that will help you to uncover meanings that are not readily apparent. Thomas C. Foster in his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” expands on this concept. He endeavors to instruct his readers in the way he believes they should read, in order to get the most out of each book. He concedes that, “When lay readers encounter a fictive text, they focus, as they should, on the story and the characters” but to truly read like a professor you must also divert a portion of your attention on “other elements of the novel” such as “memory… symbol… [And] pattern” (Foster, 15). Foster clarifies
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines. New York: Quill, 2003. Print.
Author unknown “Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology Of Poetry. shorter fifth edition. Ferguson, Margaret W. , Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy. New York, New York: W W Norton , 2005. 2-9. Print.
Foster, Thomas C. How to read literature like a professor. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.
Beowulf displays vulnerability and regret during his dying moments, allowing the reader to form connections to him. The forces between pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the conclusion, which clarifies which aspects of Christian beliefs Beowulf has adapted throughout the poem and which pagan beliefs he still holds on to, leaving the reader more satisfied. Furthermore, the ending includes some uncertainty which enables the reader to create their own hypothesis after the poem’s final pages. By using these techniques to create a meaningful ending, the Beowulf poet has produced an epic that has survived thousands of years through oral retellings and printed texts which continue to be read, studied, and translated making Beowulf accessible to an even larger