How Do the Literary Devices Found Throughout Beowulf Help to Convey the Morals and Values of the Anglo-Saxon People?

- Pages: 3
- Word count: 521
- Category: Grendel
A limited time offer! Get a custom sample essay written according to your requirements urgent 3h delivery guaranteed
Order NowThe anglo saxon people valued bravery, strength, heroism and loyalty through good deeds. They also had a strong desire to fight of evil. Beowulf is the hero that plays out what the saxon people stood by and carries out many qualities and they are clear to see throughout the poem. In his country he is the strongest warrior when he defeats grendel and the other monsters. In the novel the literary devices help to convey the morals and values of the anglo saxon people by giving the readers examples.
The moral of the story is played out within the poem through the many literary devices these include epics, foreshadowing, eleg long narrative poem about a hero.
Beowulf boasts of his great strength in the beginning of the poem when he tells Hrothgar that he has come to help them defeat Grendel. There is notable imagery as he explains that he has defeated sea monsters and other beasts in the interest of his countrymen: ‘Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood.’ Here, we can envision Beowulf coming out of battle and covered in blood; it gives us an image of a great warrior, like Rambo.
â once he arrives ⊠and boasts of his numerous past achievements, which will qualify him to fight with grendel.â
Beowulf chooses to rely on this strength in his battle with Grendel; he enters battle without a weapon. Many of us would think it unwise, but he emerges from the battle victorious. The battle is described vividly, demonstrating Beowulf’s superhuman strength:
âBeowulf then announces he will fight the monster that night without weapons.â
The author of the poem uses hints or clues that help readers understand what is going to happen next.
âBut beowulf longed for fame and leaped back into battleâ
There are three central conflicts: Grendelâs domination of Heorot Hall; the vengeance of Grendelâs mother after Grendel is slain; and the rage of the dragon after a thief steals a treasure that it has been guarding. The poemâs overarching conflict is between close-knit warrior societies and the various menaces that threaten their boundaries.
âThey wrestled she ripped and tore and clawed at himâ (beowulf’s battle with grendel)Â
he funeral of Shield Sheafson, with which the poem opens, foreshadows Beowulfâs funeral at the poemâs end; the story of Sigemund told by the scop, or bard, foreshadows Beowulfâs fight with the dragon Elegiac- Beowulf’s fight with the fire breathing dragon, he ends up dying.
â… and found his lord [beowulf] bleeding profusely, his life at an endâ.
Irony- given the sword that is supposed to ânever failâ but doesn’t work against grendel.
âBut her guest discovered that no sword could slice her evil skin ..â the author calls Beowulf a âguestâ when he is about to go into the lake and kill Grendelâs mom, facing possible death. It is ironic because a âguestâis often referred to a respected visitor, not a person who is about to murder the âhostâ.
âBut her guestâŠâ