Beowulf LRJ #2

Much like in the first portion of Beowulf, characteristics along the lines of immense physical strength, possessing a warrior's complex, fighting for the rights of men, warding off evil and that the only honorable way to die meant dying in battle are all highly valued among the Anglo-Saxons during the time Beowulf was written, which was around 1,000 A.D. All of these qualities can be inferred when Beowulf says, "I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. As I sat in the boat with my band of men, I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, in the fiend's clutches. And I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall." (Heaney, 632-638)

As far as how unrealistic the story is, (as if a monster that was able to eat 30 men in one felled swoop was realistic in the first place) the story gets REALLY exciting when Beowulf gets to actually fight the monster who was able to eat 30 men in one felled swoop, also known as Grendel, the spawn of pure evil. Beowulf lies in waiting for Grendel to come close, "[Grendel's] talon was raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed; he was bearing in with open claw when the alert hero's comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly." (Heaney, 745-748) I did mention before that Grendel was able to eat 30 men at one felled swoop, right? So the fact that one extremely valiant man is taking on a monster large enough to devour 30 men in less than a moment's notice makes this part of the story especially interesting, seeing how the first listeners of the story would've had reactions ranging from petrified, heart-rendering shrieks of "Holy crud!" to a more subtle and reflective, "...Whoa..."

Personally, my favorite quote in Beowulf is, "The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape." (Heaney, 749-753) from the battle scene between Grendel and Beowulf, which is by far my favorite imagery in Beowulf, as well. This is because the of impracticality it adds to the story as a whole and because of entertaining picture the paints in one's mind.

The Sundiata LRJ

I typed this yesterday, but as misfortune would have it, I didn't publish it. I hope I can get at least partial credit...

The Epic of Old Mali

The Epic of Old Mali has multiple similarities to The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid and even more differences. Similarities, such as honor, feats of physical strength, and devine intervention. Differences include characteristics of the main character, location, and the amount of gods.

All of these epics portray the main hero honoring a friend, family member, or the hero's homeland. In The Epic of Old Mali, the hero Mari Djatta wishes to wipe away the insult towards his mother, so he asks her, " 'Do you want just the leaves of the baobab or would you rather I brought you the whole tree?' " (Pickett 106-107) and, "with all his might the son of Sogolon tore up the tree and put it on his shoulders and went back to his mother." (Pickett 108). This was Mari Djata's first amazing feat of physical strength, as well. This was made possible by God, and Mari Djata's mother glorifies God by singing, " 'Oh day, oh what a beautiful day, of day, day of joy; Allah Almighty, you never created a finer day.' "

As for differences, Mari Djata is portrayed as humble despite his amazing physical strength,whereas Odysseus from The Odyssey is portrayed as a clever trickster. Also, The Epic of Old Mali takes place in what we know as Western Africa, whereas The Iliad and The Aeneid take place in the region of modern-day Turkey (that's where Troy was located) and The Odyssey takes place throughout various areas in the Greek-Meditteranean.