The Style of Beowulf
A consideration of the stylistic features in the classic poem Beowulf involves a study of the poetic verse, the vocabulary, alliteration, litotes, simile, kennings, variation and double-meaning or ambiguity.
The poetic conventions used by this poet include two half-lines in each verse, separated by a caesura or pause. The half-lines are joined by the oral stressing of alliterative words in the half-lines, both consonants and vowels (Tharaud 34). “At least one of the two stressed words in the first half-line, and usually both of them, begin with the same sound as the first stressed word of the second half-line” (Donaldson 67). When a word was stressed in the first half-line, its alliterative counterpart was stressed in the following half-line; the words could either complement each other, like holy/heaven or sin/enemy, or they could contrast each other like happy/wretched or warm/winter.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena preatum
monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah (4-5)
The repetition of the “s” sound in line 4 and of the “m” sound in line 5 illustrate alliteration, and this occurs throughout the poem, providing to the listener what the rhyme of modern-day poetry provides – an aesthetic sense of rightness or pleasure.
The vocabulary of the poem is remarkable in several ways. First of all, about one-third of the vocabulary is compound words. For the concept of “the sea” there are 50 different compounds; likewise there are 50 compounds for the concept of “a battle;” and 30 words for “king” (Chickering 5). It is truly amazing that in this poem of about 3000 lines there are 4000 vocabulary entri...
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...as involved a study of the poetic verse, the vocabulary, alliteration, litotes, simile, kennings, variation and double-meaning or ambiguity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977.
Donaldson, E. Talbot. “Old English Prosody and Caedmon’s Hymn.” Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co.: 1975.
Magoun, Frances P. “Oral-Formulaic Character of Anglo-Saxon Narrative Poetry.” In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.
Tharaud, Barry. “Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print.
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
The alliteration used is to emphasize rhythm in the poem. On the other hand, the poet also depicts a certain rhyme scheme across each stanza. For example, the first stanza has a rhyme scheme of this manner a, b, c, d, e, a. With this, the rhyme scheme depicted is an irregular manner. Hence, the poem does not have a regular rhythm. Moreover, the poet uses a specific deign of consonance, which is present in the poem (Ahmed & Ayesha, p. 11). The poet also uses the assonance style depicted in the seventh stanza, “Seven whole days I have not seen my beloved.” The letter ‘o’ has been repeated to create rhythm and to show despair in the poem. On the second last line of the seventh stanza, the poet uses the style of consonance, “If I hug her, she’ll drive illness from me. By this, the letter ‘l’ is repeated across the line. The poet’s aim of using this style of Consonance is to establish rhythm in the poem and add aural
Bigfoot is, without a doubt, the most recognized mystery in all of North America. The apelike being has reportedly been sighted thousands of times since the beginning of the 19th century. According to eyewitness testimonies, Bigfoot, also known as Sasqautch, is a gigantic beast that towers in at eight feet tall and weighs as much as six hundred pounds. Reports also say that the monster’s form is well built and usually covered in a thick, brownish fur. Many have asked if such a creature could possibly be roaming through the wilderness of North America and around the world, and the answer is yes. The amount of evidence supporting such a creature’s existence is astonishing. From footprint casting and fur samples to video evidence and numerous human sightings, Bigfoot’s existence cannot be doubted.
Hanning, Robert W. “Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Prudentius to Medieval Drama. Ed. William H. Jackson. New York: Scribner’s, 1983. Vol. 1 of European Writers. George Stade, ed. in chief. 14 vols. 60-62.
In more recent years more contemporary Beowulf enthusiasts are publishing a version in Hungarian (by Gyorgy in1994); doing photographic representations of the poem (Swearer, etc. in 1990, etc.); doing a meditative translation (Hudson in 1990); doing an Augustinian translation (Huppe in 1994); a translation based on syllabic meter (Greenfield in 1982); writing a novel, Eaters of the Dead, based on th epoem (Crichton in 1978); retelling the poem as a rock musical (Wylie in 1974); and the list is endless. Each approach strives to reinterpret Beowulf in the local and contemporary idiom (Osborn 341).
Shippey, T.A.. “The World of the Poem.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987..
Robinson, Fred C. “Apposed Word Meanings and Religious Perspectives.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Throughout the 150 year history of Bigfoot many concerns have raised, the most in number have been from Native Americans. The Karok Indians tell of an “upslope person” who lurks far up in the mountains (Gaffron, 22-24). Some medicine men have told stories of “snow-walkers” that haunt the Forrest depths (Short). The creatures North American habitat covers over 125,000 square miles of forest, contained in the states of Oregon, Washington, and California, constituting a large number of Native American tribes to encounter and frighten (Gaffron, 22). This phenomenon is not just a Native American one told by medicine men, and tribe leaders, Bigfoot plays an enormous role in the ancient folklore of such civilizations as, the Russians, Greeks, and Anglo-Saxons (Brunvand). These civilizations have been around for hundreds of years, and have been telling stories of Bigfoot long before any one; they hold the true key to Bigfoot’s history.
Over the past century and a half, the spur of Bigfoots existence has questioned many researchers and non-believers alike. Extensive research and findings have sparked many to seek out if there is another creature amongst our woods. Bigfoots existence is limited to substantial evidence such as sightings, footprints, and somatogenic traces. Ben Radford the author of “Bigfoot at 50 Evaluating a Half-Century of Bigfoot Evidence” explains effectively of the possible existence through extensive evidence and theories whether the beast actually resides among us.
One of the most well-known urban legends told is the story of Bigfoot. Much of the research has shown that there are several names assigned to the mammoth ape. According to Napier (1973), Bigfoot would be the creature found mostly in Northwest America, Sasquatch would be a creature named in British Colombia, the 49th parallel in the north-west states of America and Northern California, and the Abominable Snowman, or the Yeti would be the creature named in the Himalayas. Of course, “Wild Man” and “Savage” have also been names used to identify the creature. There’s been thousands of sightings across the world, but there have also been many misidentifications where those who think they have seen Bigfoot have really just seen an ordinary animal or person. Arment (2006) states an individual’s perception may color the eyewitness account. Such misidentifications include: hermits, fugitives, refugees, bears, gorillas, and simply people making up stories or rumors. In addition to sightings, there have been photos, videos, movies, and TV shows that strongly indicates the possibility of the existence of this creature. Though there is much evidence from sightings, myths, and recordings that Bigfoot exists, there is also much proof that it could all be a hoax. Incorrect sightings have led skeptics to argue over the existence of this being stating Bigfoot is really just a fable. So one has to ask oneself, does Bigfoot really exist or is it just another urban legend?
There is little scientific knowledge when it comes to mentoring effects on future outcomes; in addition posing confusion as to how these programs continue to emerge. A major component in regards to program effectiveness is in measurement or evaluation of its structure (Deutsch, N., & Spencer, R., 2009). This is done by conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews (Deutsch, N., & Spencer, R. (2009); Karcher, M., & Nakkula, M. (2010); Diehl, D. C., Howse, R. B., & Trivette, C. M. (2011); Osgood, 2012; Williams, 2011). Studies gives the researcher insight into knowledge that otherwise wouldn’t be known, in order to understand mentoring reactions and relationship styles better (Karcher, M., & Nakkula, M. (2010); Christens, B. D., & Peterson, N. A. (2012); Diehl et al., 2011; Leyton‐Armakan, J., Lawrence, E., Deutsch, N., Lee Williams, J., & Henneberger, A. (2012); Meyer, K. C., & Bouchey, H. A. (2010).
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by Birgit Leidenfrost, Barbara Strassnig, Marlene Schultz, Claus-Christian Carbon, and Alfred Schabmann (2014). Leidenfrost et al (2014) explored the mentoring relationships in the academic setting to determine a baseline for mentoring effectiveness. According to the authors, mentoring, which includes both formal and informal, follows a predictable path with four phases: initiation, cultivation, separation and redefinition by the mentee, and preparation for separation by the mentor. Leidenfrost et al (2014) identified that although mentoring relationships with a high level of activities and an equal number of motivating and informing messages rated the highest, any mentoring relationship resulted in improved academic performance by the mentees over no mentoring relationship at all. The authors identified an opportunity for the ongoing development and continuing education of
People ride bicycles for various reasons. Some people ride bicycles for sport, fitness purposes, as a mode of transportation, fun activity, and some people ride bikes to simply relax and clear their mind after a long day. Regardless of the reason you ride, it is important to know the factors that contribute to bicycle and helmet safety. A study in 2014 shows that 103.7 million people rode a bike that year and 34 percent of Americans age three or older rode a bike at least once in that year (“Study: 103.7 Million Americans Ride Bikes”). The importance of bicycle safety cannot be underestimated. According to the 2008 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts, there were 182 bicycle crash injuries and four fatalities. In 2008, children 14 years old and under