Post by clairem on Aug 14, 2013 20:39:25 GMT
I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED THIS SAME THING AS A GUEST!!! I don't know if that matters or not but I am reposting it just in case.
When looking back through my sticky notes for Grendel I attempted to group together certain reoccurring concepts that I found. An interesting idea that was constantly brought up in the novel was the importance of time as well as the insignificance of our actions in the grand scheme of things. For starters, whenever the concept of time was brought up in Grendel it was capitalized showing that it is believed to be a true entity with force, “‘Mere ripple in Time’s stream’” (Gardner 61). Also, Time was always discussed in a woeful and hopeless tone because though time is vast in the universe, an individual’s time is not. Whenever talked about, time was always a scary concept as it made people and Grendel realize how one’s life must come to an end even as time continues on, as though they never existed. For example, on page 115, the Ork says to Grendel, “The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination” (Gardner 115). Grendel further discusses this matter as he distressingly realizes that all we do in our lifetimes is ultimately insignificant, “But my own history one second ago, has vanished utterly, dropped out of existence. King Scyld’s great deeds do not exist “back there” in Time. “Back there in Time” is an allusion of language. They do not exist at all” (Gardner 128). Time is such a vast illusion because though there is an infinite amount of time no one will ever be able to experience everything that it holds because of death. When looking at the bigger picture of time it makes us realize how our lives truly are a small piece of the bigger picture and how our existence truly can go unnoticed. This view on time and our significance can definitely translate to our own perspective as humans in our world. Gandhi once said, ““Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Is this quote by Gandhi parallel to the beliefs of the characters in Grendel? Is it a good thing for humans to realize that we are not the center of the universe but rather a small dot on the timeline of the universe? Why is it that the idea of insignificance and the ‘perishing’ of time washes a wave of fear over the characters in Grendel? Do humans in the real world have this same fear?
When looking back through my sticky notes for Grendel I attempted to group together certain reoccurring concepts that I found. An interesting idea that was constantly brought up in the novel was the importance of time as well as the insignificance of our actions in the grand scheme of things. For starters, whenever the concept of time was brought up in Grendel it was capitalized showing that it is believed to be a true entity with force, “‘Mere ripple in Time’s stream’” (Gardner 61). Also, Time was always discussed in a woeful and hopeless tone because though time is vast in the universe, an individual’s time is not. Whenever talked about, time was always a scary concept as it made people and Grendel realize how one’s life must come to an end even as time continues on, as though they never existed. For example, on page 115, the Ork says to Grendel, “The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination” (Gardner 115). Grendel further discusses this matter as he distressingly realizes that all we do in our lifetimes is ultimately insignificant, “But my own history one second ago, has vanished utterly, dropped out of existence. King Scyld’s great deeds do not exist “back there” in Time. “Back there in Time” is an allusion of language. They do not exist at all” (Gardner 128). Time is such a vast illusion because though there is an infinite amount of time no one will ever be able to experience everything that it holds because of death. When looking at the bigger picture of time it makes us realize how our lives truly are a small piece of the bigger picture and how our existence truly can go unnoticed. This view on time and our significance can definitely translate to our own perspective as humans in our world. Gandhi once said, ““Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Is this quote by Gandhi parallel to the beliefs of the characters in Grendel? Is it a good thing for humans to realize that we are not the center of the universe but rather a small dot on the timeline of the universe? Why is it that the idea of insignificance and the ‘perishing’ of time washes a wave of fear over the characters in Grendel? Do humans in the real world have this same fear?