This old favorite from British literature is worth re-reading for the sense of values and meaning that

underlie its stark story. For me, it improves with age, and I wonder if that is true for you all as well? For your discussion, I would like you to consider a couple of questions: 1. What would you say is one of the central meanings in this story? Is it about physical courage? Moral fortitude? Human community vs. isolation? The meaning of death? Please rely on your own thinking to answer this question--do NOT feel the need to consult SparkNotes or some other brain to figure this out. I am asking you individually what you think the point of the epic is and why you think so. 2. How would you rate Beowulf in comparison to the other epics we have read? Think about complexity of plot, depth of character, thematic importance, etc. Did reading the other epics affect how you responded to Beowulf at this juncture? Please answer one of these by midnight Thursday (10/25) and be sure to use italics when you refer to the epic's title (and not when you refer to the character). Have fun and think for yourself!

As I re-read Beowulf perhaps for the fourth time in my life, I realized this poem is about audacity, resolution, and the guardian of all fears and dreams who is the central character, Beowulf. I did not realize that Beowulf was written by Scandinavians, the original Vikings. The Vikings were a community oriented people who protected their own to the ends of the earth. Beowulf tells the story of these magnificent people with feuds, and defeating of monsters that could have haunted their imaginations and dreams. As I think of the Scandinavians, I think of swords, great dining halls with walk in fire places, animal skins, and hunting, as described in Beowulf. When the hunters gathered in these great dining halls, I think they talked about their dreams and thats how the story of Beowulf came about; a collection of these peoples imaginations, fears, dreams, and folklore. The importance of Beowulf shows courage, audacity, and overcoming fears. The trials of Beowulf as revealed in his battles with Grendel, Grendels mother and the dragon show these significant themes in the epic. The fact that Grendel only attacks in the night, signifies that the Scandinavians naturally afraid of the dark and what lurked in the night outside of their forts. Beowulfs courage to go out in the night in order to kill Grendel and his mother shows the courage that overcomes the fear of the dark. The funerals/pyres that take place throughout this epic also show that heroes do get their last wish, as Beowulf is respectfully buried with the dragons treasure. The importance of the funerals shows the reader that heroes are to have a proper burial with a celebration for death (courage to die for something) and life (overcoming the fear) at the same time.