Grendel And Satire

1487 Words6 Pages
AP English 11 27 September 2011 Grendel and Satire One of the most important qualities of life is a sense a humor. While seriousness is very significant, life would feel boring without humor. Humor contributes to the diminishment of dullness in life and transforms a situation from serious and bland to relaxing and fun. Humor also plays an important role in literature. Two works of literature that help portray the effect of humor are Beowulf, written by an unknown author, and John Gardner’s Grendel. The poem Beowulf tells the story of a kingdom suffering from the constant attacks of an evil beast named Grendel, and the young hero who defeats Grendel, among other foes, and progresses to the position of a loved and heroic king. Grendel tells the story from the point of view of the beast, delving into the thoughts and emotions of Grendel, and giving insight to his side of the story and how every event played out in his eyes. Beowulf provides an example of an interesting, but serious and intense situation. In Grendel, Gardner shows the effect of incorporating humor by retelling the story in a different point of view, using elements of satire, or the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize a person’s vices. Three techniques used by Gardner to satirize Beowulf are irony, burlesque, and caricature. One element of satire John Gardner uses is irony, the expression of a meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, or a situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Gardner uses many examples of satirical irony throughout Grendel. One such instance takes place when, in Grendel, Unferth appears at the home of Grendel, arriving battered and exhausted from the obstacle of getting past other beasts on the way to Grendel’s home. Unferth says to Grendel “You talk of heroism as noble

More about Grendel And Satire

Open Document