Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful and joyous time of year in which people obviously give thanks and reminisce on all of the good times they have had over the year. I am thankful for all of my class and schoolmates because they have helped shape who I am today even if only a little bit. I would love to express my thanks for everyone in my 1st period British Literature class under the teaching of Mr. McCarthy, however time and space limit me to only shout out a few. I am especially thankful for my classmates Amy, Ciara, and Charles because they are amazing group workmates and they always help me understand what we are covering more in case I didn’t at first. Amy for example, reads every text into depth and takes a plethora of good notes and if ever we have trouble finding texts to support whatever claim we make in response to a question that is asked for group work, she can easily check her notes to see if she has anything and most time she does. Ciara also reads every text in detail and she has a very strong ability to analyze stories very well. Her analysis helps me open my mind and think about the text on a higher level than what I would have originally thought. Charles is the group participant who always runs everything in his mind to make sure that everything makes sense and all of our fact are in order and correct. I am thankful for these three people especially because they help and contribute to my understanding of texts that I have read but may not have completely comprehended. The group of people I am most commonly in always contributes into getting out group work done and I am thankful for them as I am everyone in my English class. Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.

So is he dead?

Macbeth, after everything that happened, was it all worth it? My answer would be without a doubt no. Macbeth, who began as a hero and virtuous person and who once could be trusted, completely ruined his reputation and his life. Not only is his reputation ruined but he as a person takes a turn for the worse. He begins to quickly become ungodly and begins to view killing many people sort of as no big deal. He could hardly look at himself in the mirror anymore and the arrogance that he built up as a result of being who he was and talking to the witches caused him to be blinded to the fact that it was still very possible for him to get killed just as any other man. On top of all of the madness and murder and deceit he had to go through in order to earn his title, his reign was very short lived because when you kill someone’s entire family or all their friends of course they’re going to come after you and want to kill you. This being said, eventually someone, somewhere, somehow will more than likely end up being successful. Another reason why all the bad things Macbeth did weren’t worth is because he had to live with the fact that he didn’t earn his way to the top as he did with earning the title of Thane of Cawdor, he arrived to the top with murder which is close to the biggest sin in existence. So many people who learned of what he did resented this man, whom they had once looked up to. Therefore, no I do not think that all Macbeth went through to become king was worth it especially seeing how short of a time his reign extended because the killer got killed. All he went through to reach the top…just to die so quickly after his victory. The deceit, the murder, the ruined reputation, the destroyed soul, the ignored morals, and primarily the greed. Being Thane of Cawdor would have been just fine.

Cruelty/Macbeth

"And fill me from the crown to the toe, top full of the direst cruelty"(Macbeth/Shakespeare Lines 42-43). This line in Shakespeare's Macbeth said by Lady Macbeth is of great significance. This statement shows how even though Lady Macbeth felt that her husband was too nice and kindhearted to commit such a crime such as killing the king, she was not. However, this still shows that even Lady Macbeth is aware that it takes a cruel, almost heartless person to kill a perfectly innocent man like the king. The significance of this is so great because it sort of shows Shakespeare's view on things such as killing. Only a truly, purely cruel person like the sort that Lady Macbeth says she wants to be would be able to commit this crime with no remorse. Also, someone of this same level of cruelty in their body would be able to kill a perfectly innocent person for their own gain. This too also shows greed. Macbeth had already been promoted to the Thane of Cawdor which was a big accomplishment for him, but for his wife it seems that was not enough. The thoughts and strong considerations of her killing the king for her and her husband formed almost immediately after the promotion. Macbeth on the other hand, was beginning to consider it but his good virtues prohibited him from acting upon it and it seemed that he was fairly content with where his current position was. To be filled from the crown to the toe would be to fill one's entire body in every section with cruelness and evil. For one to want to be royal this badly is very significant in the play of Macbeth.

No New Tale to Tell

“Others again, and some that what most mattered was that we should be cossetted and flattered. That’s very near truth, it seems to me; A man can win us best with flattery” (Coghill Line 75). The act of flattering and pampering a woman to win her over, I think is a very timeless idea. Since the beginning of time, men have tried to woo women by complimenting them, buying them flowers and chocolates, and spending time with them. The idea behind this is to indirectly show the female that she is to be treated like a queen and nothing less. What woman doesn’t want to be treated like a queen even if only in moderation? Also, typically the first step in getting a woman is to approach her with a nice, heartfelt compliment. Whenever a person feels flattered by another, they will begin to develop sort of a soft spot for that person in their heart because flattery is a way of showing affection and when a person is being shown affection, they begin to see people differently. When someone feels that another person thinks they are beautiful or loving or talented, even if they don’t want to believe it, they will continue to want to be around the person even if because of the simple fact that they make them feel good on the inside and about themselves. Thus, making this a timeless way to at least initiate the process in winning over a woman. Times change, but the basic feelings of people no matter the age, the decade, religion, ethnicity, etc., tend to be a commonality amongst most people. Especially, when dealing with a world that is primarily based on what society thinks and people tend to be judged based on society’s point of view. This being said, women tend to be more subject to want to be seen in the more positive view of society. Therefore, when anyone, but typically especially a man, gives a woman a compliment and begins to flatter her and pamper her, the way she is viewed in society begins to increase in a positive light. So, as a female, I feel that the idea of treating a woman like a queen in this way is a very timeless way of winning her over because of the natural feelings a person gets when this is done.

Modern Day Grendel

So, there are many answers to the question of who would be considered a modern day Beowulf, but in order to complete the series, we must find a modern day Grendel as well. Contrary to popular belief, Grendel was not just a bloodthirsty killing machine by nature; he had an ulterior motive which gave him what he believed to be a reason to kill. However, in the process of trying to change the face of things and the ideas of people in the place which he lived, many could say he ended up making it worse. The act of him worsening the situation in which the people were in was more than likely unintentional, however, the bad things occurred nonetheless. With that being said, on a very far-fetched scale, I believe that some modern day “artists: as the so commonly tend to be referred could be considered Grendel-like people. Many new artists were advertising “good music” when they first began and some have quickly deviated from this ultimate goal due to the influences of the “reality” of what is around them. “Artists” such as Kanye West are pretty good examples. When Kanye West really and seriously first began his pursuit in hip hop music, he wanted to, like 90% of all other people in existence that make music, change the face of the music in which he specialized. Some of his earlier songs such as “Jesus Walks” and “All Falls Down” did not necessarily have a positive view on the world, but it was more so portraying a transition in which he may have gone from seeing the world as peaches and cream to the reality of which it was. However, I don’t believe that when this music was made, he was fully on the “dark side”, but just had time in his life which he came to several realizations. Now, looking at the music which he has recently been featured in or that he has written, there is a strong sense of vulgarity and anger and many bad and dark things found in the words which he uses. So, I compare Kanye West to Grendel because in the end, from all of his “realizations” and influences from other hip hop artists, he began to demean and tear down and “kill” the face of hip hop along with many other people. Now, I won’t go into too much depth about his modern songs because I try to sway away from listening to them as I am not very fond of certain songs by him, but the gradual and bitter turn that his music took could be in comparison to Grendel’s mindset and outlook on life.

Truth

So the question remains; was the Shaper or the dragon telling the truth? Well, I feel that the primary objective at which the Shaper was aiming in and of itself was truthful and real, however certain things that the Shaper did were hypocritical in a sense. The Shaper was truthful, in my opinion, in the sense that he talked a sung about the glories of God. Even the dragon himself stated “It happened, and you know it, but knowledge is not cause” (Gardner 63). So, if there still has to be a cause for everything even if it is just simply a part of your knowledge, then what is that cause? What in fact is the cause of so much hatred and bitterness running through the veins of Grendel’s ancestors and the dragon? The Shaper gave the cause which was from something which has occurred ages ago with the murder of Cain’s brother Abel. The reason Abel murdered Cain was because he felt God favored Abel over him so apparently, even Cain in all of his evilness wanted to please God. Why would anyone want to please a being that they felt was either untrue or not glorious? Yes, the continuous bitterness of the concept of people praising God for all he has given them could be understandable on the opposite side given that there as a long history of the practice of evil being punished by God. Therefore, if one comes from a long line of evil and hatred and is taught this evilness and hatred, then they will, according to history, automatically reap the consequences of wickedness. So, I feel the Shaper is truthful in what he says in his songs for the most part because the graciousness of God has proven to be true. The Shaper is the type of person to encourage people to do better and those who are doing wicked things are in all actuality despite how it may look are being punished. Those of Grendel’s sort are living a horrific life and although it may seem as though Hrothgar is gaining so much beauty and wealth and happiness, he is constantly at war with other people. In no way, shape, or form is war luxurious. However, I do feel that the Shaper was hypocritical in the sense that he and his men sort of worshipped Hrothgar as though he were a god and that is a very big sin to commit.

Who is a modern day Beowulf? To some extent, someone such as President Barack Obama because after hundreds of years of terrible racism,  prejudices , and stereotypes, he overcame and was able to achieve what no other man of his sort could do- he became the first African American President of the United States. Now, aside from the fact that this in and of itself made him the one “strong man” unlike all the others who defeated the metaphorical monster of racism and stereotypes, but it also helps in comparing the sense of piety found in Beowulf and President Obama. For example, the president exemplifies a love for his nation simply because in the he act of running for president it shows that he had his nation’s best interest at heart. Also, President Obama shows a love for his family publicly because he often does thing with them and in nearly every speech he gives he takes time to thank every one of his family members for their part in helping him get where he is currently. Lastly, President Obama shows subtly his thanks to God for the blessings that have been bestowed upon him, however as the President of the United States, he has to reduce the level of religious views which he portrays as everyone may not share those same views. Other people have tried to run and become the first African American President of the United States such as Jesse Jackson however, those attempts failed. President Obama however, was able to overcome the stereotypes and struggles which come along with the job. The metaphorical stereotypical and racist  monster as mentioned before had managed to catch several other people and “ate” them alive leaving them currently in a state still of defeat. President Obama is a current day Beowulf because he managed to overcome what no one else was able to or thought was possible.

Hello, I am Candace and this is my British Literature blog. I hope you enjoy reading my posts and I hope you find interest in them. I am currently a sophomore attending Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and I enjoy singing and running primarily. I enjoy going into depth analyzing things such as song lyrics because sometimes being overly analytical helps one see life in an entirely different light. I like to read books with a lot of mystery and suspense and I enjoy singing songs with deeper meanings than what one sees on the surface. I really enjoy Whitney Young and the people there. Attending this school has given me an opportunity to be able to go in depth about the things I read. So I hope you enjoy my posts!