Question

Read the following excerpt fromBeowulf. That murderous spirit was named Grendel, huge moor-stalker who held the wasteland, fens, and marshes; unblessed, unhappy, he dwelt for a time in the lair of the monsters after the Creator had outlawed, condemned them as kinsmen of Cain—for that murder God the Eternal took vengeance, when Cain killed Abel. No joy that kin-slaughter: the Lord drove him out, far from mankind, for that unclean killing. Select two words from this excerpt that have strong connotations. Explain the connotative meanings of each of these words. Then analyze how the words contribute to the reader's understanding of Grendel's character. Be sure to use specific details from the excerpt to support your ideas

Answer 1

Unclean killing has a strong connotation. Unclean meaning impure, vile, corrupt, or tainted. Killing meaning slaughter, execution, or carnage. The words help the reader to understand that he is a monster. These two words are synonymous with the descriptions of the character. Other words in this excerpt that give the same connotation are murder, vengeance, killed, Kin-slaughter. The reader sees this repetition of maleficent words and can piece together by just a few sentences that the character of Grendel is a dark, evil soul.