I have a discussion question to answer for my AP Lit class that I haven't quite figured out.
Why does Beowulf begin and end with a funeral?
Thanks
2007-01-09 10:10:12 · 4 answers · asked by Kaleas 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I'm jealous. I wish we were reading Beowulf in AP Lit. As to your question, you should read the essay on Beowulf by Tolkien (yes, the one who wrote LOTR). He speculates that Beowulf is not a heroic poem, it is an elegy, a tribute to the life of a spectacular man. Also, the two funerals gives a sense of completion and continuity to the poem.
2007-01-09 10:36:01 · answer #1 · answered by violingrl07 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure, guess that's how people remember the story. "It began with a funeral and ended with one." Many books don't make since ispecially ones that are written from an old folklore.
2007-01-09 18:39:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It shows completeness. Everything ends with death, death is inevitable no matter how great the hero is.
2007-01-09 20:53:08 · answer #3 · answered by faerijo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please repost under Home->Education->Homework Help
2007-01-09 18:15:01 · answer #4 · answered by Ralph 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋