Beowulf LRJ (#1)

Karl Wichman
Ms. Peifer
10IB 4th hour
December 9, 2008

In this time period, there are many apparent values that are present. One of these is the values of pride. It is quite obvious that Beowulf has feels much pride and has a lot of courage and faith in his own ability. For him, failing isn't an option. "Hrothgar,the wise men among my people advised that I seek you because they know my strength--they saw me come from battles stained in the blood of my enemies, when I destroyed a family of giants,when I endured pain all night,killing water monsters,grinding them to bits,to avenge for the Geats those who asked for misery.And now I shall, alone, fight Grendel." (Breeden, ep. 3) Beowulf's confidence is very high and he knows the task at hand must be accomplished no matter what happens. Of course this value is repeated several times throughout Beowulf and is the element that makes him truly heroic.

(Note: could not find any examples of alliteration on online translation. Instead i will argue the effect of the lack of alliteration from the translator.)
In Breedens translation of Beowulf, there are no frequent uses of alliteration in the language as in the original. This inconsistency in the transition from the original language has a fairly negative effect on the effectiveness and the smoothness of the story. It causes the epic to become less poetic in general and causes it to lose its voice. Instead of hearing a voice poetically or musically recite a tale of heroism, you hear a more modern and straight forward story that has no tricks or subtleties in diction. A theme found more commonly in the modern world.

Identifying kennings in the Breeden translation of Beowulf is also a challenge. Of course changing over from old English caused a natural loss in this unique literary property. There are, however, several excellent examples of how the old English would use titles or similes to express a certain element or character. For example Grendel is labelled as "Hell's friends, God's enemy"(Breeden, ep. 3). Another excellent example is the change from the simple word joint to "bone-locks"(Breeden, ep. 3). These examples and more that have made the transfer to modern English add much more depth to the story and also helps avoid a lot of repetition. These both add immensely to the effectiveness of the story and language. Every time you hear a new name or combination of nouns, your forced to used much of your imagination.