Grendel and Beowulf Aspects of Myself
The Grendel and Beowulf Aspects of Myself
Someone once said, “The things you hate most in others, are the things you hate most in yourself.” I see two sides of people: their positive side, and their negative side. Most of me, my Grendel aspect, wants to see the negative sides of people. It is easy to fall into the familiar habit of just noticing all the bad qualities about a person. However, my Beowulf aspect strives to see the best and positive qualities of people, and aims to put aside their negative sides and embrace their positive sides. I strive to see this in myself too. Sometimes I tell myself that I should not do the things I do. But then, I realize that the things I do are what make me who I am, and without them, I would not be me. I’ve learned that just focusing on what I need to change in myself and working towards the goal of overcoming and conquering is perhaps the biggest and best step I can take in finding contentment and kindness towards others and then towards myself. It is much easier to point out another's shortcomings rather than to change my own, but if I am able to see what I dislike about others and use it to better myself, I know that I can conquer my inner Grendel.
In the story of Beowulf, Grendel is used as a symbol of evil. Im not saying that the side of me that sees the bad traits of people is "evil," but it is the side of me that my Beowulf side aims to subdue and change. A quote from Beowulf says that, “Inside Heorot there was nothing but friendship. The Shielding nation was not yet familiar with feud and betrayal.” (1016-1018) Most of the time, the “evil” in Beowulf consists of demons like Grendel, sea monsters, and dragons. Occasionally, however, we can find hints that another kind of evil can come from inter-tribal feuding. Human beings can create their own evil without needing monsters to represent it for them.
The Beowulf part of me is constantly being challenged by my other side, my Grendel side. I see someone, and
Someone once said, “The things you hate most in others, are the things you hate most in yourself.” I see two sides of people: their positive side, and their negative side. Most of me, my Grendel aspect, wants to see the negative sides of people. It is easy to fall into the familiar habit of just noticing all the bad qualities about a person. However, my Beowulf aspect strives to see the best and positive qualities of people, and aims to put aside their negative sides and embrace their positive sides. I strive to see this in myself too. Sometimes I tell myself that I should not do the things I do. But then, I realize that the things I do are what make me who I am, and without them, I would not be me. I’ve learned that just focusing on what I need to change in myself and working towards the goal of overcoming and conquering is perhaps the biggest and best step I can take in finding contentment and kindness towards others and then towards myself. It is much easier to point out another's shortcomings rather than to change my own, but if I am able to see what I dislike about others and use it to better myself, I know that I can conquer my inner Grendel.
In the story of Beowulf, Grendel is used as a symbol of evil. Im not saying that the side of me that sees the bad traits of people is "evil," but it is the side of me that my Beowulf side aims to subdue and change. A quote from Beowulf says that, “Inside Heorot there was nothing but friendship. The Shielding nation was not yet familiar with feud and betrayal.” (1016-1018) Most of the time, the “evil” in Beowulf consists of demons like Grendel, sea monsters, and dragons. Occasionally, however, we can find hints that another kind of evil can come from inter-tribal feuding. Human beings can create their own evil without needing monsters to represent it for them.
The Beowulf part of me is constantly being challenged by my other side, my Grendel side. I see someone, and