Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay about identity
Identity essays
Shakespeare analysis essay introduction
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Text to Self:
In Grendel, Grendel has a keen hatred for the human race. This detestation stems from the abuse Grendel received from people for simply for being himself, a putrid, yet innocent, monster. Everyone has experienced cruel judgment from others, and I am certainly no exception. School, being the social contest that it is, makes it easy for the lines of who we are and who others think we are to not only become blurred, but interfere with our perception of ourselves. Take me for example. I know that I am an intelligent, serene, and kind person with a bright personality, though upon introduction, I'm often perceived as introverted and cowardly. Because of these assumptions, I must remind myself that I have no need to prove myself, as those who are meant to uncover the me underneath will. This is, however, often easier said than done, causing me to become frustrated with myself. As with Grendel, the world's opinion of me not only causes me to struggle with myself, but with them as well.
Text to Text:
In Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Grendel is portrayed as a monstrous demon desc...
Grendel’s last words were, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident...So may you all.” Grendel’s last thoughts were confusion, confusion whether it was joy what he felt, or if it was only terror what abounded in his heart. The animals gathered around him , and he said, “They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction” (Gardner 174). Grendel noticed the animals’ reaction towards his suffer. Therefore, Grendel’s last words meant to affect the animals gathered around him mainly, because they were contemplating his death as an enjoyful success.
"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive...." Joseph Campbell made this comment on the search for meaning common to every man's life. His statement implies that what we seem bent on finding is that higher spark for which we would all be willing to live or die; we look for some key equation through which we might tie all of the experiences of our life and feel the satisfaction of action toward a goal, rather than the emptiness which sometimes consumes the activities of our existence. He states, however, that we will never find some great pure meaning behind everything, because there is none. What there is to be found, however, is the life itself. We seek to find meaning so that emptiness will not pervade our every thought, our every deed, with the coldness of reality as the unemotional eye chooses to see it. Without color, without joy, without future, reality untouched by hope is an icy thing to view; we have no desire to see it that way. We forget, however, that the higher meaning might be found in existence itself. The joy of life and the experience of living are what make up true meaning, as the swirl of atoms guided by chaotic chance in which we find our existence has no meaning outside itself.
Grendel is a classic hero versus villain story, but it’s written through the perspective of the “villain.” In Grendel, a novel by John Gardner, The main character and narrator Grendel watches and gives his input as society advances in many different ways such as divisions of class and war. The book Grendel can also be seen as a first-hand account of the ruinous effects of labels on a malleable-minded individual such as Grendel. In the novel Grendel, John Gardner uses characterization by using the villain archetype to convey the central idea that heavily enforced labels in society can be detrimental on an individual's natural and unique persona.
John Gardner’s Grendel portrays a monster searching for his purpose in life. The characters know the meaning of their lives, but Grendel tries to discover his role and what life has to offer him. Grendel discovers his identity through other characters’ actions and beliefs. In Grendel, John Gardner illustrates the contrasting views of each character to show their view of society and the influence they have on Grendel.
Grendel is born a neutral being, perhaps even good, but nevertheless, without hate. The transition which he undergoes to become evil is due to misunderstandings between himself and humans and also meeting with a dragon who is questionably evil. As a young “monster”, Grendel knew nothing other than the cave he lived in and his mother who could not speak any distinguishable language. He was a playful creature who seemed to be like a “bla...
Archetypes refer to the persistently recurring symbols or motifs in literature. The term itself has its origins in ancient Greek and continues to play a prominent role in analyzing literature. Archetypal images and story patterns encourage readers to participate ritualistically in basic beliefs, fears, and anxieties of their age. These archetypal features not only constitute the eloquence of the text but also tap into a level of desires and concerns of civilization. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, integrates many of the common archetypes that still exist today. The outcast archetype is one that particularly expressed the desires, anxieties and values of the people who lived during the Beowulf era. Grendel, a character of monstrous appearance and hazily human emotion, is portrayed as the principal outsider in Beowulf. The incorporation of a banished character against his fellow society effectively expressed the anxiety and fears that the Anglo-Saxon culture felt towards seclusion and abnormality, caused by a societal absorption in family lineage and traditionalism.
An innocent, joyless, outcast lurks in the depths of the earth. He is feared by all due to his violent behavior and thirst for humans. Stories about this monster stretch across lands, intriguing the one and only Beowulf. In this notorious Epic, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Grendel is the Frankenstein of this poem, the Joker of this time period, the Lord Voldemort of this book. Basically, Grendel is the villain and when there’s a villain there’s a hero. Our hero today is Beowulf, who challenges Grendel and he trounced not only Grendel but Grendel’s mother as well. Not only are Grendel and his mother villains but they also played the role of being the outcast/scapegoat. Symbolically they play the role
{1} Grendel, it seems, actually didn’t have too much exposure to humans before the start of the poem. He “hunted the moors” (17), likely subsisting on animals he had killed. The reasons why he started killing humans aren’t entirely clear; he had “growled in pain, impatient / As day after day the music rang / Loud in that hall” (2-4). He could also come across as merely curious, as he was “wondering what the warriors would do in that hall” (31-32). This raises a noteworthy attribute of Grendel – though he is often animalistic, he frequently is described as thinking, wondering, or otherwise displaying a human-like nature. The humans think of him not as a raging beast, but as a calculating criminal. But how calculated were these crimes? Grendel doesn’t seem to have planned his war on Herot, especially not that first night. The statements “[Grendel’s] Thoughts were as quick as his greed of his claws” (35) and “delighted with his night’s slaughter” (40) give the
Grendel is confused for a long time as to why the people ostracize him, and eventually he turns to violence to cope with it and to feel better. The chaos when Grendel arrives is described as: “a panic after dark, people endured raids in the night, riven by terror” in which “all were endangered” (192 / 193, 159). The mere reason for Grendel’s raids on the people of Heorot is because they ostracize him and make him feel like an outcast. Grendel’s revenge on the townspeople shows that exclusion never does anyone good, it can only harm people. This demonstrates the consequences of society’s inclination to judge people, and how it can hurt the one judging more than the one being
Beowulf who was destined for greatness is a structure of the perfect human being. He possessed a great amount of strength, courage, and attractiveness. He was the shown respect from his peers. People looked up to him and valued his time. Grendel on the other hand didn’t receive such mercy. Grendel only acts of what he knows. He doesn’t know friendship and love, but he does know loneliness. His instinctual reaction to anything happy or enjoyable is demonic, which is why he slaughters the Danes because they play loud music, laugh together, and represent brotherhood. He doesn’t understand the values of family and friendship. Grendel embodies the harsh reality of what humans could be. Even though he is portrayed as a monster, he shows his emotional side throughout the story. The constant repulsion of Grendel doesn’t help him understand the wrong he is doing. It is self-fulfilling prophecy; Grendel is the result of Cain’s actions and because of them he suffers in a lonely
Over the course of my childhood I faced an obstacle of my identity as a child, I was becoming everyone else image of me instead of creating my own portrait. Unfortunately, I began to dress, talk, and behave like the people around me, I became a product of my environment. Myself started to change I gained a reputation of this little girl with a careless attitude, and a malicious looking face. I wasn’t being recognized by my own family members, and it started to affect my relationship at home. I started slacking in my studies, and just started diminishing myself and my personality. The issue was focused in middle school when I joined the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Scholars after school team. I was a fanatic about learning about
Did you do it anyway so that people would like you? In “The Wave” by Todd Strasser, some of the characters experience this problem. “The Wave” is about a history teacher who is trying to replicate the holocaust so that his students can have an easier time understanding how the Nazi party became so powerful,despite being the minority group. This experiment has issued some positive and negative effects. “The Wave” helped students perform better in class and also eliminated social groups. However, “The Wave” also caused fighting and peer pressure among students. Ben Ross creates “The Wave” as a way to demonstrate how the holocaust happened. The wave has helped students quite a bit. (Strasser, #65) “Remarkably enough,even though with the large class size, they finished the lesson quickly.” Students are learning a lot faster now thanks to “The Wave”. That’s not the only positive effect. On page 61, Strasser writes, “Mr.Ross for the first time I feel like I’m part of something,something great.” “The Wave” is not only helping class performance,but it’s also eliminating social cliques,which is helping outcasts to actually have friends and people to talk to.
Introduction: Throughout life, many people never come to the conclusion of who they are or what their purpose in life might be. I personally know this from experience. I never quite knew what type of personality I had or what “clique” I should belong to: the jocks, the preps, or just the quiet kids in the background. I was always worried about what others thought of me and tried my hardest to just fit in where I was welcomed. But one event occurred to me when I was fifteen
At the beginning of middle school, my shyness led me to be secluded with very few people. I was the kid who sat alone in the cafeteria and ate my lunch quietly. One day, however, a group of kids approached me and sat down. I remember their warm smiles and the way they talked to me. From then on, they included me in all of their activities and were always so kind and caring. They helped me break free from my insecurities. I was always afraid of not being able to fit in, but through them, I realized that I just needed to be who I was. I knew there were more people like me in the world who needed an opportunity to express themselves. I recognized the importance of accepting the identity of others since it makes each person a unique being who carries their own story that can’t be interpreted just by their appearance. The only reason why I can have my
The character, Grendel is viewed in a different light in the book Grendel. Grendel is pitiful in Grendel, however, Gardner uses this pity to arouse sympathy for Grendel by giving him human traits and emotions and by using first person. This novel is actually narrated by Grendel, which offers understanding of the beasts innermost feelings, as well as evoking sympathy from the reader. In Grendel, the antihero has human traits: he walks on two legs and speaks a language similar to the Danes. He also has strong emotions of fear, anger, and sorrow as well as intellect. Grendel has a sense of alienation and just wants to fit in. The point of view of the book Grendel allows the reader to see another side of Grendel.