This chapter overall is... well... depressing. That poor goat! I know that this isn't the last chapter, but it seems as though it comes full circle. The goat, just like in the beginning, the mechanical universe, Grendel's dislike for his mother... Is Gardener trying to tell us something? We all know he's coming to the end of his days, but it seems as though there's going to be a twist in the plot! This chapter wasn't dull in any sense, but you could feel Grendel's boredom, with this mechanical life. Another loop to the beginning is that, now that the Shaper is dead, Grendel and Hrothgar create their own future...
That goat section was really gross.... :( the stupid thing just would not get into it's tiny brain that keep going up=Death and pain!!!! But NOOOOO!!!! It just keeps on doing what it's always done and kept climbing (or trying to) so that it can reach the top. Stupid goat. A very important person to Grendel dies. The Shaper. His death effects Grendel. Grendel doesn't kill the person he thought about killing. Kinda weird what grief does to you...
This chapter is really sad. :c Grendel slaughtered that poor goat. It is also very creepy how the goat acts so mechanical even after being pelted by rocks. I'm really sad that the Shaper died also. He really made the story interesting in the way that he effected Grendel without even talking to him directly. It was also sad how Grendel's mother is just trying to help him and protect him but is thought of as crazy by Grendel. :c
First reaction to this chapter: That's so sad and gross what Grendel did to the goat! Second reaction: The goat being mechanical reminds me of the bull being mechanical. The theme of a mechanical universe seems to have come to a close. I think it really brings you back to Grendel's earlier philosophies and outlook on life. But now instead of just observing the mechanicalness of the universe, Grendel is so beyond that thought and more advanced than that thought that it infuriates him. Another thing that kind of wraps up the mechanical theme is that we can now see the bull and the goat as foreshadowing the persistence of Beowulf. I like all the "subtle" hints at Beowulf's arrival and Grendel's death. It's just made so obvious, especially since we've read Beowulf and we know what's going to happen. There are just so many intimations in this chapter, it would be hard to not realize what will happen, even if you hadn't read Beowulf. Another thing I really liked was Grendel becoming more complete by feeling different emotions he hadn't experienced before the humans. Now he has been in love, felt scared, felt angry, has been upset, has been sad, and he has grieved. I think it's interesting that a creature like Grendel would form human emotions just from observing them. I think it's good that the Shaper died in some ways, but bad in others. It's good that he can't tell more lies or change the past and future anymore. It's bad that now Grendel and Hrothgar don't really know what to do or who/what they are. The lies gave them purposes, so what will they do without them?
Okay, I'm not gonna lie. As disgusting and depraved as the goat scene was, it was at least a little comedic in the way Grendel was offended and attacked, and in how the goat reacted so mechanically. This was another great return to the mechanical view of the universe though. Grendel made this observation the most in the beginning and I'm happy to see it return. I was very sad to see the shaper die. He was the main force of conflict driving the plot forward in the beginning. He gave Grendel purpose, and made Hrothgar the main he was. He stablished all the character roles. I'm curious to see what happens now that he is gone. This chapter was also very foreboding and ominous. I love the way John Gardner shows that Grendel's mother senses danger and tries to protect him. I love the sort of animalistic, innate sense she has that requires no thought. She simply senses danger and is trying to protect Grendel. What was especially creepy was her warning, "Beware of the fish." the cryptic warning is really a great subtle hint. I can feel Grendel's life coming to a close.
Grendel seems like he is starting to dislike everything. Grendel is obviously coming closer and closer to the end of his life. Grendel seems like he just done and ready to go. He seems very bored and does not like they way of life that he has. Grendel and Hrothgars similarities are very easy to see. I found it really interesting looking at these similarities. they are so different but so alike. Overall this chapter was very kinda weird to read but i enjoyed it.
Grendel, why do you care so much if the shaper was just another human to you? See this must confuse him. The shaper means nothing, yet he means absolutely everything, giving Grendel meaning to his life, and his words were absolutely beautiful. It sturred his heart like no other, and in a way only the beauty of words can. It's so weird, how else can he know about love and human behaviour if he's lived with his mother alone his entire life. Who told him that the Shaper sang songs for the wife of another? It's so stunning, the way i imagine the statues of the Gods to be. I think that they shine like perfect gold in the sun, with the weird ability to never rust. Like imperial immortality. You know, my comments end up being about something totally irrelevant to the entire chapter itself, but hey, my mind harbours some damn colorful images. And the statues seem to stay in mine. Is that even the right chapter where the statues are mentioned. It's plaguing my mind. Oh no.
this chapter first gave us a very disturbing example of how Grendel has been completely transformed more than once. Gardner gives a very detailed horrific description of Grendel's encounter with a goat. he realizes how even after he beats the goat with a rock, it continues to try so very hard to complete its task. Grendel sees the goat in a mechanical way and starts to rethink his nihilist view on the world. i think this is a very well chapter. we also get to see a lot of foreshadowing. grendels mother starts to sense the coming of beowulf. i think the rest of the book is just going lead to his death. the only thing we know for sure is that he is going to die.
Hahahaha, stupid goat. I mean like really, I can get that he is just being mechanical and doing what he always does, but his skull cracked open? From a rock? That, I think, would be to much pain to even bear, let alone standing right back again and trying to climb the mountain. :| And something kinda important happens in this chapter, well, a few important things happen. 1, we hear for sure news that Beowulf is coming, and Grendal just shrugs it off, thinking the lady telling that to her children is just lying. 2, the Shaper dies! That means no more stories, lies, and making Grendal go literally insane. And 3, this makes Grendal realize that he and Hrothgar are by themselves again. No one to tell or shape who they are. No more Grendal being the murderous demon monster that terrorizes everyone, (though everyone already knows he is) and no more Hrothgar being the great heroic king that saves his town from the scary monster named Grendal.
At this time in the book Grendel and his mother both have this sense that something bad is going to happen. Since we have read Beowolf we already know what is going to happen so its interesting to read as Grendel tries to figure what is going to happen while as the reader you already know. Grendel is basically waiting for the inevitable to come but he doesn’t know when or what it is. It’s the waiting that is killing grendel and he doesn’t know how much more he can take. I can relate because the more time is in between a big event the more anxious and paranoid you become. Grendel’s mood starts to swing here and there as he talks about the goat being mechanical going back to his ideas of the world. Overall, this chapter is a real bummer.
In this chapter I think the thing about "Tedium is the worst pain" is a pretty interesting concept. It also must make you go so crazy because you know you are waiting for something bad to but you don't know when it will happen. Also, in this chapter the very old women tells the story of Beowulf to some children. Grendel was acting very mean and rude about the Shapers death which was kind of weird. Grendel is also kept inside the cave by his mom in this chapter. nihil ex nihilo
Blah blah blah, goat. OH NO! Not that gross in my opinion. The goat is pretty stupid... but that's because it's a goat. Goats are not that smart of an animal. Any way, the Shaper is dead! That made me kinda sad and happy at the same time. I know he sort of created this whole universe and what not (universe as in the village being what it is today.), but he just made everyone believe his lies so easily. I am sad, though, that the Shaper and his LOVER (heh heh) Weren't able to see each other because it would have looked suspicious for a married woman to go she a dying man... I guess. Grendel, of course, goes through a state grief and depression because he was... connected, you could say, to the Shaper. The Shaper created everything and now that he's dead, it's only Grendel and Hrothgar now. They have to create the rest and only one will succeed...
My first thoughts to this chapter was ew, gross, and poor goat. The goat just keeps going and going, and doesn't know when to stop, similar, to the bull in the beginning of this book. The goat was moving mechanically and doesn't seem to feel pain or death nearing itself. It was also odd to see Grendel's reaction towards the Shaper's death. It seems that Grendels has a soft spot for the Shaper, even though he knows all the Shaper really is is a lier. It seems as Grendel has become the Shaper himself, and that's what makes him mysterious. In my opinion, I find Grendel a hypocrite because he knows the Shaper is pretty much a lier, but he becomes one too.
This book has continued to grow more and more depressing. For starters, Grendel mutilated a goat and seems to have created a kind of zombie thing... And the shaper died. He was such a huge character in Grendel's life, even though they never met face to face. His death showed Grendel what true grief was like, and it scared him. He acted very weird. Continuing the trend of weird events, Grendel's mother seems to have a sense of what is coming. Her warning to Grendel to "Beware the fish" is an obvious reference to the immanent arrival of Beowulf, though he doesn't know it.
THAT POOR GOAT :C I feel so bad for that goat. It just stood there and kept climbing up the hill while being hit. It had its skull cracked open and was hit by multiple boulders but it just kept climbing. Grendel is so mean to goats :c. The shaper also dies. Which means that he can't tell stories that make Grendel angry anymore. It also means that Grendel and Hrothgar are both back to the point they started at. Beowulf's arrival is also foretold by an old lady to a group of children who shortly after are eaten by Grendel. O.O
In this chapter, I really was interested by how Grendel takes on an emotion that he has never really dealt with before. I was really interested when Grendel tries to hide his grief by making fun of or finding humor in the Shaper’s death. What I find interesting is that when the Shaper dies, Grendel doesn’t really have a total grasp on what he is feeling. It is kind of similar to when Grendal falls in love with Wealtheow, he doesn’t really know what he is feeling. Something else that also interested me was when Grendel tried to cover up his grief by trying to find humor in the Shaper’s death. I was interested by that because that is something that a human might also do. For example, if someone was told that they never had to go to school again, they would be sad because they wouldn’t ever be able to see their friends again regularly, they might try to cover it up by saying that they are happy because they would never have to do schoolwork or homework again.
I found the beginning a bit disturbing because of the goat's mechanical climbing and gory death. Grendel had felt so affected by the Shaper's death, even though Grendel tried to mock the Shaper to cover up his grief. He had an attachment to the Shaper and once he died, Grendel had lost his role model and his source of poetry. With Beowulf's arrival coming very soon, Grendel's mother has been acting up and being more protective of him, yet he doesn't know what she knows. Poor Grendel doesn't know that he'll killed by Beowulf.
Grendel is waiting, like everyone else, just for anything to happen at this point. The mentality of "the shaper is dead, now what?" is very interesting in this chapter because it pertains to both Grendel and Hrothgar. Hrothgar is no longer the all trusted hero king, and Grendel the evil nature of everything in the world. This is a chapter of a basic sense of "what now?" Everyone is waiting for something to happen between Grendel and Hrothgar and everyone else.
I really feel bad for Grendel in this chapter. He knows he has these certain emotions like grief and mental pain from his "mentor" dying. I think its tough that he is not in line and gets mad that he feels these type of emotions. Its also the way he deals with the waiting of something that will tear apart his "tree" of Hrothgar and himself. I think that this waiting is killing him. The sad thing is, it literally will. When the fish comes, he will die.
Tisi chapter was annoying for several reasons. First off, Grendel is trying to get this goat off his mountain, by throwing boulders at it. The goat is determined to reach the mere. I guess it just annoys me (and Grendel) how mechanical this goat's actions are. Next, Grendel's mother learns about his destiny. and tries to protect Grendel from "a giant across the sea who has the strength of thirty thanes". Grendel's mother is becomes insanely protective. Since the Shaper isn't there any more to shape their thoughts, they feel alone, because the Shaper gave them faith.
21 comments:
This chapter overall is... well... depressing. That poor goat! I know that this isn't the last chapter, but it seems as though it comes full circle. The goat, just like in the beginning, the mechanical universe, Grendel's dislike for his mother... Is Gardener trying to tell us something? We all know he's coming to the end of his days, but it seems as though there's going to be a twist in the plot!
This chapter wasn't dull in any sense, but you could feel Grendel's boredom, with this mechanical life. Another loop to the beginning is that, now that the Shaper is dead, Grendel and Hrothgar create their own future...
That goat section was really gross.... :( the stupid thing just would not get into it's tiny brain that keep going up=Death and pain!!!! But NOOOOO!!!! It just keeps on doing what it's always done and kept climbing (or trying to) so that it can reach the top. Stupid goat.
A very important person to Grendel dies. The Shaper. His death effects Grendel. Grendel doesn't kill the person he thought about killing. Kinda weird what grief does to you...
This chapter is really sad. :c Grendel slaughtered that poor goat. It is also very creepy how the goat acts so mechanical even after being pelted by rocks. I'm really sad that the Shaper died also. He really made the story interesting in the way that he effected Grendel without even talking to him directly. It was also sad how Grendel's mother is just trying to help him and protect him but is thought of as crazy by Grendel. :c
First reaction to this chapter: That's so sad and gross what Grendel did to the goat!
Second reaction: The goat being mechanical reminds me of the bull being mechanical.
The theme of a mechanical universe seems to have come to a close. I think it really brings you back to Grendel's earlier philosophies and outlook on life. But now instead of just observing the mechanicalness of the universe, Grendel is so beyond that thought and more advanced than that thought that it infuriates him. Another thing that kind of wraps up the mechanical theme is that we can now see the bull and the goat as foreshadowing the persistence of Beowulf.
I like all the "subtle" hints at Beowulf's arrival and Grendel's death. It's just made so obvious, especially since we've read Beowulf and we know what's going to happen. There are just so many intimations in this chapter, it would be hard to not realize what will happen, even if you hadn't read Beowulf.
Another thing I really liked was Grendel becoming more complete by feeling different emotions he hadn't experienced before the humans. Now he has been in love, felt scared, felt angry, has been upset, has been sad, and he has grieved. I think it's interesting that a creature like Grendel would form human emotions just from observing them.
I think it's good that the Shaper died in some ways, but bad in others. It's good that he can't tell more lies or change the past and future anymore. It's bad that now Grendel and Hrothgar don't really know what to do or who/what they are. The lies gave them purposes, so what will they do without them?
Okay, I'm not gonna lie. As disgusting and depraved as the goat scene was, it was at least a little comedic in the way Grendel was offended and attacked, and in how the goat reacted so mechanically. This was another great return to the mechanical view of the universe though. Grendel made this observation the most in the beginning and I'm happy to see it return. I was very sad to see the shaper die. He was the main force of conflict driving the plot forward in the beginning. He gave Grendel purpose, and made Hrothgar the main he was. He stablished all the character roles. I'm curious to see what happens now that he is gone. This chapter was also very foreboding and ominous. I love the way John Gardner shows that Grendel's mother senses danger and tries to protect him. I love the sort of animalistic, innate sense she has that requires no thought. She simply senses danger and is trying to protect Grendel. What was especially creepy was her warning, "Beware of the fish." the cryptic warning is really a great subtle hint. I can feel Grendel's life coming to a close.
Grendel seems like he is starting to dislike everything. Grendel is obviously coming closer and closer to the end of his life. Grendel seems like he just done and ready to go. He seems very bored and does not like they way of life that he has. Grendel and Hrothgars similarities are very easy to see. I found it really interesting looking at these similarities. they are so different but so alike. Overall this chapter was very kinda weird to read but i enjoyed it.
Grendel, why do you care so much if the shaper was just another human to you? See this must confuse him. The shaper means nothing, yet he means absolutely everything, giving Grendel meaning to his life, and his words were absolutely beautiful. It sturred his heart like no other, and in a way only the beauty of words can.
It's so weird, how else can he know about love and human behaviour if he's lived with his mother alone his entire life. Who told him that the Shaper sang songs for the wife of another?
It's so stunning, the way i imagine the statues of the Gods to be. I think that they shine like perfect gold in the sun, with the weird ability to never rust. Like imperial immortality. You know, my comments end up being about something totally irrelevant to the entire chapter itself, but hey, my mind harbours some damn colorful images. And the statues seem to stay in mine. Is that even the right chapter where the statues are mentioned. It's plaguing my mind. Oh no.
this chapter first gave us a very disturbing example of how Grendel has been completely transformed more than once. Gardner gives a very detailed horrific description of Grendel's encounter with a goat. he realizes how even after he beats the goat with a rock, it continues to try so very hard to complete its task. Grendel sees the goat in a mechanical way and starts to rethink his nihilist view on the world. i think this is a very well chapter. we also get to see a lot of foreshadowing. grendels mother starts to sense the coming of beowulf. i think the rest of the book is just going lead to his death. the only thing we know for sure is that he is going to die.
Hahahaha, stupid goat. I mean like really, I can get that he is just being mechanical and doing what he always does, but his skull cracked open? From a rock? That, I think, would be to much pain to even bear, let alone standing right back again and trying to climb the mountain. :| And something kinda important happens in this chapter, well, a few important things happen. 1, we hear for sure news that Beowulf is coming, and Grendal just shrugs it off, thinking the lady telling that to her children is just lying. 2, the Shaper dies! That means no more stories, lies, and making Grendal go literally insane. And 3, this makes Grendal realize that he and Hrothgar are by themselves again. No one to tell or shape who they are. No more Grendal being the murderous demon monster that terrorizes everyone, (though everyone already knows he is) and no more Hrothgar being the great heroic king that saves his town from the scary monster named Grendal.
At this time in the book Grendel and his mother both have this sense that something bad is going to happen. Since we have read Beowolf we already know what is going to happen so its interesting to read as Grendel tries to figure what is going to happen while as the reader you already know. Grendel is basically waiting for the inevitable to come but he doesn’t know when or what it is. It’s the waiting that is killing grendel and he doesn’t know how much more he can take. I can relate because the more time is in between a big event the more anxious and paranoid you become. Grendel’s mood starts to swing here and there as he talks about the goat being mechanical going back to his ideas of the world. Overall, this chapter is a real bummer.
In this chapter I think the thing about "Tedium is the worst pain" is a pretty interesting concept. It also must make you go so crazy because you know you are waiting for something bad to but you don't know when it will happen. Also, in this chapter the very old women tells the story of Beowulf to some children. Grendel was acting very mean and rude about the Shapers death which was kind of weird. Grendel is also kept inside the cave by his mom in this chapter. nihil ex nihilo
Blah blah blah, goat. OH NO! Not that gross in my opinion. The goat is pretty stupid... but that's because it's a goat. Goats are not that smart of an animal.
Any way, the Shaper is dead! That made me kinda sad and happy at the same time. I know he sort of created this whole universe and what not (universe as in the village being what it is today.), but he just made everyone believe his lies so easily. I am sad, though, that the Shaper and his LOVER (heh heh) Weren't able to see each other because it would have looked suspicious for a married woman to go she a dying man... I guess. Grendel, of course, goes through a state grief and depression because he was... connected, you could say, to the Shaper. The Shaper created everything and now that he's dead, it's only Grendel and Hrothgar now. They have to create the rest and only one will succeed...
My first thoughts to this chapter was ew, gross, and poor goat. The goat just keeps going and going, and doesn't know when to stop, similar, to the bull in the beginning of this book. The goat was moving mechanically and doesn't seem to feel pain or death nearing itself. It was also odd to see Grendel's reaction towards the Shaper's death. It seems that Grendels has a soft spot for the Shaper, even though he knows all the Shaper really is is a lier. It seems as Grendel has become the Shaper himself, and that's what makes him mysterious. In my opinion, I find Grendel a hypocrite because he knows the Shaper is pretty much a lier, but he becomes one too.
This book has continued to grow more and more depressing. For starters, Grendel mutilated a goat and seems to have created a kind of zombie thing... And the shaper died. He was such a huge character in Grendel's life, even though they never met face to face. His death showed Grendel what true grief was like, and it scared him. He acted very weird. Continuing the trend of weird events, Grendel's mother seems to have a sense of what is coming. Her warning to Grendel to "Beware the fish"
is an obvious reference to the immanent arrival of Beowulf, though he doesn't know it.
- William
THAT POOR GOAT :C I feel so bad for that goat. It just stood there and kept climbing up the hill while being hit. It had its skull cracked open and was hit by multiple boulders but it just kept climbing. Grendel is so mean to goats :c. The shaper also dies. Which means that he can't tell stories that make Grendel angry anymore. It also means that Grendel and Hrothgar are both back to the point they started at. Beowulf's arrival is also foretold by an old lady to a group of children who shortly after are eaten by Grendel. O.O
In this chapter, I really was interested by how Grendel takes on an emotion that he has never really dealt with before. I was really interested when Grendel tries to hide his grief by making fun of or finding humor in the Shaper’s death. What I find interesting is that when the Shaper dies, Grendel doesn’t really have a total grasp on what he is feeling. It is kind of similar to when Grendal falls in love with Wealtheow, he doesn’t really know what he is feeling. Something else that also interested me was when Grendel tried to cover up his grief by trying to find humor in the Shaper’s death. I was interested by that because that is something that a human might also do. For example, if someone was told that they never had to go to school again, they would be sad because they wouldn’t ever be able to see their friends again regularly, they might try to cover it up by saying that they are happy because they would never have to do schoolwork or homework again.
I found the beginning a bit disturbing because of the goat's mechanical climbing and gory death. Grendel had felt so affected by the Shaper's death, even though Grendel tried to mock the Shaper to cover up his grief. He had an attachment to the Shaper and once he died, Grendel had lost his role model and his source of poetry. With Beowulf's arrival coming very soon, Grendel's mother has been acting up and being more protective of him, yet he doesn't know what she knows. Poor Grendel doesn't know that he'll killed by Beowulf.
Grendel is waiting, like everyone else, just for anything to happen at this point. The mentality of "the shaper is dead, now what?" is very interesting in this chapter because it pertains to both Grendel and Hrothgar. Hrothgar is no longer the all trusted hero king, and Grendel the evil nature of everything in the world. This is a chapter of a basic sense of "what now?" Everyone is waiting for something to happen between Grendel and Hrothgar and everyone else.
I really feel bad for Grendel in this chapter. He knows he has these certain emotions like grief and mental pain from his "mentor" dying. I think its tough that he is not in line and gets mad that he feels these type of emotions. Its also the way he deals with the waiting of something that will tear apart his "tree" of Hrothgar and himself. I think that this waiting is killing him. The sad thing is, it literally will. When the fish comes, he will die.
Tisi chapter was annoying for several reasons. First off, Grendel is trying to get this goat off his mountain, by throwing boulders at it. The goat is determined to reach the mere. I guess it just annoys me (and Grendel) how mechanical this goat's actions are. Next, Grendel's mother learns about his destiny. and tries to protect Grendel from "a giant across the sea who has the strength of thirty thanes". Grendel's mother is becomes insanely protective. Since the Shaper isn't there any more to shape their thoughts, they feel alone, because the Shaper gave them faith.
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