Lacey Rose DeLucia, 4/15/21, PD 8, Day C

Lacey Rose DeLucia
Modern Mythology
4/15/21
Period 8
Day C



Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.


I have really enjoyed reading the novel Grendel because of the depth of the story and how there can be different interpretations for the elements. Today, some of the main points we discussed were the symbolism of the goat and the children that never come home and also the nihilism of the death of the shaper. In my group, we discussed how the goat was the responsible, determined, and practical Capricorn that represented the constant struggles of humans and also a biblical reference of how goats are considered independent, unlike lambs. At one point Grendel says something like “it is the business of goats to climb” (Gardner 71). An interpretation of the goat can be the primitive version of Grendel who followed his natural instincts and was not caught between ideologies of the Dragon or Shaper. Just like how the goat mindlessly climbs “upward towards the mere the goat will never reach” Grendel hopelessly tried to find companionship or someone to understand him (Gardner 71). Both the murder of the goat and the children reflect Grendel’s restlessness and his attempts to erase anything that resembles his former, innocent self, especially since there is no going back for him now. Additionally, the “Nihil ex nihilo,” which translates to nothing comes from nothing, may address how the ideology of Hrothgar’s people becomes empty when there is no Shaper to tell it and how the meaninglessness of the Dragon wins (Gardner 75). In this way, Grendel is nothing again if his role as a monster was based on the Shaper and his stories, and this foreshadows the coming of the end for Grendel.



Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

Throughout reading Grendel, I have learned how to look at a text from different perspectives and recognize when a text alludes to a symbol or contextualization. For example, the Dragon seemed to be a very controversial character. He always imparted his nihilistic beliefs to Grendel, but at some points, he was telling the truth. The Dragon was like the serpent in the Bible that asks Grendel to question ideology. The main point that he tells Grendel was to find his own foundation in what is objectively real, even if it is materialistic. In contrast, the Shaper may be filling people’s heads with illusions but he affirms existentialism and the meaning of life. With all of this taken together, it is difficult to decide who was the one that influenced Grendel to become the murderer - the Shaper that depicted him as a monster or the Dragon who told him the true nature of humans. The skills I have practiced while reading Grendel have made my critical perception much more complex, especially when analyzing morality, and I no longer look at characters through one dimension.


How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?


These skills apply are relevant to other classes and the real world. The ability to recognize allusions and bring in outside contextualization helps in my history class to understand Supreme Court cases and their decisions. Additionally, seeing the depth and complexity of a situation is essential to keep up with politics. For example, Biden’s stimulus checks were two-thousand dollars including the previous six-hundred dollars that were sent. However, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was advocating for a true additional two-thousand dollars. Considering the districts she represents and also her own background and previous jobs it is understandable that another six hundred dollars seem necessary. However, with Biden trying to keep the peace, aiming for bipartisanship, and intending to send the checks as soon as possible it made more sense not to push the deal too far. In these cases, acknowledging the underlying motivations and context of each person helped to see the merit and complexity of both sides and allows for a more informed opinion. This also allows me to be independent of the bias of news reporters and instead decide based on all of the facts.

Works Cited

Gardner, John. Grendel. A.A. Knopf, 1971.