Beowulf and Story Essay

Submitted By yettawin22
Words: 625
Pages: 3
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English 4 2A
Be Doers of The Word
16 September 2012
Beowulf Essay
Beowulf and Imagery Blood, war, demons, devils and dragons are forms of imagery from the epic Beowulf. The story that was passed down for thousands of years from generation to generation from speech before actually being written down gives us the indication that imagery was used in passing of the story to help the delivery and the passing of the story from storyteller to storyteller . Beowulf is known for its insightful imaginable imagery used to influence the delivery of the story. “ He slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them… the blood dripping behind his back.” (ll 35-39 pg 21-22) These lines allow for the reader’s mind to construct a vivid picture of a demon like creature carrying dead warriors over his back. This picture allows the mind to carry on the picture much longer than words just on a page. Plus as the saying goes “one picture can hold a thousand words” Beowulf consists of so much imagery that it is as if the reader is reading pictures instead of words off the page. The imagery flows so well from one line to the next that’s it more like a movie or play than epic out of a book. Therefore this one example allows readers to share the story as vividly as they read it to listeners. Then listeners can share the story in the same way. This is how it worked for thousands of years until eventually a Scop or scribe wrote it down. “ Protected by God-god , whose love Grendel could not know.” () This quote uses a religious reference to connect to the reader. That could force a picture in the mind of the reader of one feeling unloved by god. If this connection is strong enough it can relate to a reader’s experience. This connection or relation to a reader’s life experience helps the delivery even more than imagery itself because there’s that connection between the reader and the story. Now the reader has done more than just memorize words off the page, he has now reached an understanding of the message, theme, or whatever is to be delivered through the telling of the story. Teachers of today and storytellers of the Anglo-Saxon era used this technique to help students or the next generation interpret the meaning and lessons of the story. Since literature was as important as Anglo-Saxon’s
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