Post by jamiezimmerman on Aug 30, 2013 20:46:12 GMT
Many of the Dragon's sentiments resonate throughout the novel - this crucial scene presents many thoughts and notions that reoccur several times over and raise questions concerning our very own humanity.
One thing that I personally and constantly question is the purpose of humanity; we have a day-in and day-out struggle, blandly trying to find a meaning in our lives and forging definitive answers where we can. Oftentimes we find our answers in music. The Dragon speaks directly to this notion when he says to Grendel:
"[They have] uneasy feelings that all they live by is nonsense. They have dim apprehensions that such propositions as 'God does not exist' are somewhat dubious at least in comparison with statements like 'All carnivorous cows eat meat.' That's where the Shaper saves them. Provides an illusion of reality - puts together all their facts with a gluey whine of connectedness... He knows no more that they do about total reality - less, if anything: works the same old clutter of atoms, the givens of his time and place and tongue. But he spins it all together with harp runs and hoots, and they think what they think is alive, think Heaven loves them. It keeps them going" (Gardner 65)
Think about how the Danes are lulled back into relaxation by the Shaper's songs. The effects of his music are spellbinding and almost hypnotic, reassuring humans that everything is right in the world. However, Grendel, who is by no means entirely human, is also drawn into rapture when he first hears the Shaper's music: "I was so filled with sorrow and tenderness I could hardly have found it in my heart to snatch a pig! Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry" (Gardner 44). Clearly, music and poetry speaks to more life than just humans.
Questions: Do you agree with the Dragon? Is this how we make our way through the universe - patching ideas together into a ragged picture of humanity? Is art a universal language that merely provides comfort when we need it most? Is art restricted to human understanding only? Or is art the ultimate language, the end-all, that serves as a set of directions for ALL forms of life?
One thing that I personally and constantly question is the purpose of humanity; we have a day-in and day-out struggle, blandly trying to find a meaning in our lives and forging definitive answers where we can. Oftentimes we find our answers in music. The Dragon speaks directly to this notion when he says to Grendel:
"[They have] uneasy feelings that all they live by is nonsense. They have dim apprehensions that such propositions as 'God does not exist' are somewhat dubious at least in comparison with statements like 'All carnivorous cows eat meat.' That's where the Shaper saves them. Provides an illusion of reality - puts together all their facts with a gluey whine of connectedness... He knows no more that they do about total reality - less, if anything: works the same old clutter of atoms, the givens of his time and place and tongue. But he spins it all together with harp runs and hoots, and they think what they think is alive, think Heaven loves them. It keeps them going" (Gardner 65)
Think about how the Danes are lulled back into relaxation by the Shaper's songs. The effects of his music are spellbinding and almost hypnotic, reassuring humans that everything is right in the world. However, Grendel, who is by no means entirely human, is also drawn into rapture when he first hears the Shaper's music: "I was so filled with sorrow and tenderness I could hardly have found it in my heart to snatch a pig! Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry" (Gardner 44). Clearly, music and poetry speaks to more life than just humans.
Questions: Do you agree with the Dragon? Is this how we make our way through the universe - patching ideas together into a ragged picture of humanity? Is art a universal language that merely provides comfort when we need it most? Is art restricted to human understanding only? Or is art the ultimate language, the end-all, that serves as a set of directions for ALL forms of life?