Name: Desmond Maddox and Brad Hollis Period 7 Directions: Answer the following questions with a partner. You may use your book but not other people. Think about the questions before you answer them.
The point of this exercise is to critically think about ideas and themes from the book. 1) What characteristic of humanity does Hrothulf provide the book? Why does
Gardner want to do this? Explain both parts with evidence. Hrothful represents the characteristics of innocence in humanity because he loses his father and is taken by Hrothgar he is very polite and humble after
Halga’s death.”I watch in glee they take in Hrothful; quiet as the moon , sweet scorpion, he sits between their two and cleans his knife.” Gardner does this to instill the idea that bad things will happen in this world, being an existentialist.
Things have no purpose in his idea, so he gets his messages across to the reader to provoke bad connotations, yet feeling no emotion to himself, he does so anyway to project his emotions.
2) Explore the old man's speech on government. What is he suggesting?
The first principal that he talks about is the idea that government is beneficial to those who already have power, and very detrimental to those who don’t have power. The old man says, “It is simply the pitting of power against power, where the issue is freedom for the winners and enslavement of the rest,”(119). When he speaks of the winners, he is referring to those who have power, and the rest are just common people like himself. The majority of people in society are commoners like the old man. When he discusses government, he has a sour taste towards the government. He comes off as being very anti government when he suggests that it’s a skewed system. “But I’m a simple man, you see, and that’s exactly what I do. All systems are evil. All governments are evil. Not just a trifle evil. Monstrously evil.”(120). This quote simply suggests that his overall idea of government is that it’s completely a flawed and evil system that only benefits those who already have power.
3) What is Grendel's purpose in being so destructive? (122123)
Throughout the book, Grendel has displayed destructive and disgusting behavior. Although he is a monster, his origins of anger are unknown until pages
(122123). He is a monster by nature, and he is destructive because he was born that way, and he realizes this.”I’m a machine, like you. Like all of you. Bloodlust and rage are my character. Why does the lion not wisely settle down and be a horse?”(123). Grendel asks this question because by nature he realizes that animals motives are powered by instincts. In Grendel’s case, being the monster he is, his instincts are to do evil and monsterlike doings.
4) What is the significance of the Hart’s death? Explore any symbolism
In Chapter 9 of Grendel, one of Hrothgar’s bowmen pursues what is a hart, which is similar to a deer. The deer is characterized as being a beautiful and innocent creature when it is compared to an angel, which is the most beautiful thing in all of literature. “The antlers reach out, motionless, as still as tree limbs overhead or the stars above the trees. They’re like wings, filled with otherworldly light.”(126).
Despite the fact that the deer is an innocent and beautiful animal, the animal dies anyway in vain. This further attributes to the idea of existentialism because he dies, yet there is no significant impact as a result. You would like to think that something would be made out of this
