Grendel: The Cursed Race
“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes- courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, and so on- can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us. Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion, even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless” (Eric Hoffer). This too is true for Grendel, for in Grendel by John Gardner, he is split into two souls, one full of compassion and another filled with hate. Grendel is clearly not the slobbering beast portrayed in Beowulf but an individual full of thoughts that is driven to evil by his exile from society. Grendel is portrayed as two separate individuals, the logical man wishing to coexist with humanity and the murderous brute whom kills for no reason. Before he goes to see the dragon he is innocent and curious
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 606
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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