Shifeng Xie, Period 6, 3/21/23

 Shifeng Xie, Period 6, 3/21/23

Literacy & Learning

• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

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

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

During our monsters unit, we dissected John Gardner’s novel Grendel, a novel where a monster recounts his experiences as he interacts with humans, battles with the hero Beowulf, and grapples with his existential existence, ultimately questioning the nature of good and evil, and the significance of his own monstrous identity

I think this story reflects a prevalent issue in modern society, which is racial profiling and stereotypes. People instinctively form a thought or opinion about whatever they see, based on perceptible qualities. In Grendel’s case, people instinctively see Grendel as a threat due to his physical qualities, as he is described as a “large, hulking creature” having “matted fur, sharp claws, yellow eyes, and a fearsome countenance” And because of their assumptions and clouded judgment, they are unwilling to approach Grendel despite Grendel’s want to fit in with the humans. Similarly, society often makes assumptions about others due to their physical qualities, like skin color, height, gender, etc. to make an initial analysis of others and determine their next course of action based on the initial analysis.

Our dissection of Grendel has caused me to rethink my approach to analyzing people. While it’s fine to make assumptions about a person based on the perceivable physical qualities, you should still keep an open mind as you never know what really goes on in the person’s life. This new approach has reaped me many benefits, as it’s given me a chance to meet many people who I might not have met previously had I not been open to approaching people despite first impressions.