The Clock Struck Against Grendel
Time plays a major role in the novel Grendel. Grendel lived in the very turbulent time period of the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages was a time of much fighting and very little intellectual growth by the common people, a time in which the great majority of the people lived in poverty and were slaves in the feudal system; a time when religion and lords ruled the state, a time of much gloom, dispair, and uncertainty about the future by the general population. In a time like this, it is no wonder that heroes were created. They were the only hope and joy that many of the people had in their lives. In order to have heroes, there must also be monsters. That is where Grendel fit in. He played out his role as his time period allowed and as fate dictated. The dragon explains to the monster Grendel: "You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes t hem what they are for as long as they last. You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves. The exile, captivity, death they shrink from--the blunt facts of their morality, their abandonmen
The Shaper set Grendel's fate. The Dragon pushed Grendel into this fate. Grendel was a mere pawn in the hands of these two very clever players, and Grendel was angry. He was angry that the humans were afraid of him, despised him. He was angry that he lived the way he did. He was ashamed of what he was, but Grendel was sucked into his fate set forth by the Shaper due to his actions and his mind set. Grendel could not have changed his fate. Once the Shaper had sung what was to happen, nothing could persuade the eager ears that listened, that what was to come, would not. Grendel was doomed. Grendel's purpose in life was to scare and torment the humans of his time. That was his call, his fate, his role in human history. But why Grendel? First and foremost, Grendel was different. He was half human and half beast. He was from the lineage of Cain, the evil older son in the story of Adam and Eve, which meant that he could only be evil. That is what the Shaper said at least. Grendel was needed, definitely not wanted or called upon, but he was needed as a challenge for someone to overcome. He was an obstacle that had to be mastered. He was something to defeat so that the winner could be looked up to, could be a hero. ...the men still drinking, getting louder and braver, talking about what they were going to do to the bands on the other hills....All the bands did the same thing....They would listen to each other at the meadhall tables,...and when one of them finished his raving threats, another
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dark Ages, Shapers Grendel, Shaper Grendel, Struck Grendel, Grendel Grendel, Adam Eve, dark ages, monster grendel, set grendel, fate shaper, shaper set,
Approximate Word count = 1025
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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