Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part A
NOTE: I started reading King Arthur but honestly got a little bit bored, so I am going to read Beowulf for my second part of Week 12.
The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).
The Young Beowulf
Pure Athlete:
Beowulf reminds me a lot of some people I played sports with in high school, specifically one kid I played football with a year younger than me. This guy came into his freshman year and was already one of the strongest people in the weight room and was pretty fast too, just naturally gifted. He worked hard too, but he just was uncoordinated and not that good at football. It was kind of a shame and he ended up quitting after sophomore year. Hopefully, Beowulf is able to fix his deficiencies and become a great warrior because it is obvious that he has a lot of potential!
Beowulf Lands in Daneland
Stubbornness:
I like Beowulf's stubbornness. It takes that kind of quality in a hero to stay true to their goal or honor even when their men may be scared or unsupportive of action, as seen in this story. Beowulf strikes me as fitting the archetype of a lot of the Greek heroes that we read about, specifically a mix of Oedipus and Hercules to me.
Build Up:
I have read the battle with Grendel before and I know how big it is in Beowulf's story. Whereas we read a lot of stories that are more succinct and get straight into the battle, this one does not. It goes through the character dialogues and the journey leading up to the battle in detail. While this postpones the eventual payoff of the battle with Grendel, every word that goes by is only building up the fight more and will make it even better when we finally get there!
The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).
The Young Beowulf
Pure Athlete:
Beowulf reminds me a lot of some people I played sports with in high school, specifically one kid I played football with a year younger than me. This guy came into his freshman year and was already one of the strongest people in the weight room and was pretty fast too, just naturally gifted. He worked hard too, but he just was uncoordinated and not that good at football. It was kind of a shame and he ended up quitting after sophomore year. Hopefully, Beowulf is able to fix his deficiencies and become a great warrior because it is obvious that he has a lot of potential!
Beowulf Lands in Daneland
Stubbornness:
I like Beowulf's stubbornness. It takes that kind of quality in a hero to stay true to their goal or honor even when their men may be scared or unsupportive of action, as seen in this story. Beowulf strikes me as fitting the archetype of a lot of the Greek heroes that we read about, specifically a mix of Oedipus and Hercules to me.
Beowulf is as stubborn as a donkey. Source: NeedPix
Build Up:
I have read the battle with Grendel before and I know how big it is in Beowulf's story. Whereas we read a lot of stories that are more succinct and get straight into the battle, this one does not. It goes through the character dialogues and the journey leading up to the battle in detail. While this postpones the eventual payoff of the battle with Grendel, every word that goes by is only building up the fight more and will make it even better when we finally get there!
Comments
Post a Comment