Here I go again only like, two weeks behind. There were some really awesome themes that we discussed and I noticed as I read Beowulf. One of them, as have been discussed already in the blog, is the weaponry and its effectiveness. Cambridge already described how the 3 items correlated to a story in the Bible, and I thought it was really cool how a sword, which should be able to “put a hurtin’” on someone…didn’t.
Another theme that we discussed that was pretty amusing to me was the role of women, or lack thereof. It seemed like the only time you really knew a woman’s name was when she was married to an important male character. Otherwise she is just the ole ball and chain without a name.
The idea of “death-price” was a really interesting point for me. I really felt like it related to the idea of “eye for an eye”. Basically I think it comes down to vengeance. “You killed my brother so I am going to kill yours” sort of thing. Seeing death-price in the poem made me think of the strong kinship that has been prevalent in all of the readings thus far. They are all about the brotherly love…
One thing that I couldn’t believe was how Hildeburh’s husband was killed by her family. I can’t even begin to fathom what that would be like. I mean, in-laws are hard to deal with in the first place, let alone when they are murderers…
Overall there was a lot of ambiguity in the story, especially in regard to gold and treasures. They are such a crucial part of the story, but in the end it seems like they really don’t matter. Page 100 lines 3166-3168: “They let the ground keep that ancestral treasure, gold under gravel, gone to earth, as useless to men now as it ever was”. It is just funny because I feel like the idea of gold being so important is such a big deal, but it really isn’t. When you die none of that stuff really matters. In reading the ending, I felt like that tied in to the last line that describes Beowulf as “keenest to win fame”. I think it means that when your life is over, your legacy is all you have left. If that’s the case, then the only thing that matters is doing everything you can to make your life worthwhile and to make a difference. You can be as rich as A-Rod, but what does he stand for? I would rather be like Warren Buffet and make my life about using my wealth and intelligence to help others.
It took me a little bit before I got into this story, but I really enjoyed it overall….I promise….don’t judge me on my late posting J
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