Friday, May 22, 2020
The True Meaning of Terrorism Essay - 813 Words
The True Meaning of Terrorism Think of the word terrorism. What is the first thing that comes to mind? One might think of kidnapping, assassination, bombing, or even genocide and guerrilla warfare. Because it is such a broad and complex issue, an all-encompassing definition is hard to formulate. The United States Department of Defence defines terrorism asâ⬠¦ The calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious or ideological. Terrorism, then, is a type of political crime that makes use of murder and destruction or the threat of such violence in order to promote change. It is aâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦In 1991, The Red Army Fraction assassinated Detlev Rohwedder, the head of the government unit responsible for rebuilding the East German economy. One of the more famous incidents caused by revolutionary terrorists is the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. [T]he group responsible was demonstrating its hatred of U.S. policies in the Middle East.(4) Political terrorism, or right-wing militants, tend to follow an extreme authoritarian ideology and conduct anti-government activities. Political terrorists in the United States tend to be heavily armed groups organized around such themes as white supremacy, Nazism, militant tax resistance, and religious revisionism.(5) Two of the more famous incidents in the United States are the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Branch Davidian cult standoff in Waco, Texas. Nationalistic terrorism is designed to promote the interests of minority ethnic or religious groups that have been persecuted under majority rule(6) The most popular nationalistic terrorist group would have to be the Irish Republican Army (IRA). This group uses terrorist activities with the goal of unifying Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland under home rule. Nonpolitical terrorism is the term used to describeShow MoreRelatedThe Legal Definition Of Terrorism960 Words à |à 4 Pagescitizens would define terrorism as using force to influence or change a political decision, ââ¬Å"the legal definition of terrorism has very high importanceâ⬠(Hodgson). This is because it determines which actions count as acts of terrorism, and hence who is regarded as a terrorist, but also because the definition of terrorism opens up a range of controversy of police and prosecutorial powers. Terrorism has always been an iffy subject to talk about and define. In its original text, terrorism was closely associatedRead MoreTerrorism is not a derogatory moral classification; rather, it is a mode of warfare1600 Words à |à 7 PagesTerrorism is not a derogatory moral classification; rather, it is a mode of warfare. Terrorism is a tactic, yet it is a term used derogatorily to describe a certain group of people because of events in the recent past. Because o f a sweeping generalizations about those that commit act of terrorism, terrorism has been turned into a ââ¬Å"dirtyâ⬠word to describe people, instead of the act that the word actually defines. Why do people decide to use terrorism as a derogatory moral classification? What causesRead MoreMedia Influences Terrorism779 Words à |à 3 PagesTerrorism has been a controversial topic ever since the 19th century, during Napoleonââ¬â¢s invasion of Spain in 1807 (White, Jonathan, et al. 123). The termââ¬â¢s meaning has changed over time throughout history, and has sparked debates over its true definition (White Jonathan, et al. 7). It was not until after the 9/11 attacks, when the media started to bring terrorism in its headlines. By then, terrorism became a popular topic for its drama. Drama attracts audiences to read, watch, or listen to theirRead MoreTerrorism, I Am A Muslim And I Am Against It1461 Words à |à 6 Pages â⬠¢ What is terror? â⬠¢ What is the Islamic Jihad? Method I will present facts about terrorism, furthermore I want to uncover facts about a well known terrorist organization; Al-Qaeda . On the other hand I will seek the true meaning of Islam as a religion in order to define the meaning of Jihad. Finally I will discuss those facts from my perspective to sum up a conclusion. Terrorism The word terrorism means using violence and force against innocent civilians in order to obtain personal demandsRead MoreArticle Review: Terrorism and Jihad973 Words à |à 4 Pages Article review: Terrorism and Jehad According to Muzaffar Assadis article, Terrorism and Jehad, contrary to the image presented in Western popular culture, the practice of holy war in Islam is not synonymous with a bloodthirsty desire for violence. This is demonstrated by the recent fatwa issued against terrorism by the Indian Islamic seminary Darul Uloom of Deoband. This school is highly respected and the significance of this proclamation should not be underestimated. Moreover, this isRead MoreEnglish Speech: Terrorism Essay example506 Words à |à 3 Pages English Speech: Terrorism Good (morning/afternoon) and welcome to my speech. Today I would like to enlighten you with a subject that I feel strongly about. That subject is terrorism and what it has done to the world. My personal opinion is that terrorism is something that is causing havoc in this place called earth and it should stopped before it gets out of our hands. The word terrorism in the English dictionary means violent action for political purposes.Read MoreImplementing An Effective Punishment For An Offender1653 Words à |à 7 Pageswithin the criminal justice system. In considering an effective punishment for an offender, the law must be mindful of both the moral and legal rights of a number of parties, including the society, the offender, and the victim, in order to achieve true justice for all (Warren 2005) - a process proving controversial and almost impossible in many cases. Whilst aiming to provide a system in which citizens trust, respect, and understand (Warren 2005), the criminal justice system seeks to sustain a societyRead MoreThe Rise Of Islamic Civilization872 Words à |à 4 Pagesfasting is custom a month out of every year, almsgiving, in other words, is a ââ¬Å"tithe to support poor and unfortunate Muslims,â⬠and the pilgrimage is to Mecca, which must happen during oneââ¬â¢s lifetime (211-212). Islamic religion finds Allah, the one true god, and his direct transmission in the Qur ââ¬â¢an. Furthermore, Islam, as a belief and a society, spread quicker than any other religion or civilization previously or ever since. It promoted ââ¬Å"the organization of Muslims as a communityâ⬠(Jones 4575). TheRead MoreTerrorists versus Muslims1151 Words à |à 5 Pagesdiverse religious tradition including more than 1 billion people and millions of our fellow citizens who overwhelmingly reject the murder of random strangers as an expression of their faith. Terrorism is the expression of a violent ideology that has, disturbingly, taken root among some Muslims. Debates over the meaning of terms such as ââ¬Ëjihadââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËSshariahââ¬â¢ are at least as complex as Christian debates over ââ¬Ëjust warââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ësocial justice.ââ¬â¢ For an outsider to assert that Islam should be generally identifiedRead MoreGlobalization And The Spread Of Information Through Mass Communication985 Words à |à 4 Pageson the ancient, but continuous act of terr orism. It will also focus on how the knowledge on terrorism is sometimes only limited to Islamic terrorism and people can miss other perspectives from various religious groups, who also beget extremists, such as the Saffron Terror and the Westboro Baptist Church. ââ¬ËContemporary Terrorism and the War on Terrorââ¬â¢, by Colin Wight focuses on the spread of terrorism and the influences through the years that has made terrorism the way it is today. Wight places a heavy
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Post Modernism vs. Modernism - 870 Words
Modernism vs. Post Modernism The ideas of modernism and post modernism are fundamentally different. Modernism is the belief that human beings can improve their environment, using scientific knowledge, technology and putting all of those things into practice. Modernism is prevalent in the field of arts. The concept of post modernism looks at the ideas behind modernism and questions whether they really exist. (wikipedia) Modernism began in the early 1800s. It emerged with Manet and Baudelaire in painting and literature respectively. It was initially called avant-garde and today it means to change the current state of being. In the late 1800s developments in science and technology dominated most of modernist thoughts. Some of theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Logically this makes post modernist thought eligible for scrutiny under its own rules. Some of the post modern thinkers are Martin Heidegger and Michel Foucault. Michael Foucault wrote We must see our rituals for what they are: com pletely arbitrary things, tired of games and irony, it is good to be dirty and bearded, to have long hair, to look like a girl when one is a boy (and vice versa); one must put in play, show up, transform, and reverse the systems which quietly order us about. As far as I am concerned, that is what I try to do in my work. Heidegger added: ...thinking begins only when we have come to know that reason, glorified for centuries, is the most stiff-necked adversary of thought. (Chagani) These two proponents of post modernism were concerned that thinking would be limited by the standards set in society. They believed that breaking away from these norms was the only way to continue growing. Chagani, Fayaz (1998). Post Modernism. Retrieved December 4, 2006, from Geocities Web site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9095/postmodernism.html Post Modernism. Retrieved December 4, 2006, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_modernism Modernism. Retrieved December 4, 2006, from Wikipedia Web site:Show MoreRelatedModernism vs. Post-Modernism1338 Words à |à 6 PagesModernismà sociologically, is a discipline that arose in direct response to the social problems of modernity (Harriss 2000, 325); the term most generally refers to the social conditions, processes, and discourses of 1438-1789 and extending to the 1970s or later (Toulmin 1992, 3ââ¬â5). Modernity may also refer to tendencies in intellectual culture, particularly the movements intertwined with secularization and post-industrialà life, such asà Marxism,à existentialism, and the formal establishment ofà socialRead More Modernism vs Neo-Traditionalism Essay1058 Words à |à 5 Pa ges Modernism vs Neo-Traditionalism: A debate on the merits and failures of two major competing paradigms in architecture and urban planning. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Beyond the term modernism underlies one of the greatest ideas in architectural development. Modernism was meant to provide more green areas, cheaper housing and more efficient use of space. This was to be accomplished by creating vertically dense spaces with the use of the new inventions of the nineteenth century, such as steel, glassRead MoreModernism Versus Postmodernism918 Words à |à 4 PagesModernism vs. Postmodernism Post-modernism follows and shares many of the same ideas as modernism. Though, at the same time, they differ in many ways. These distinctions can be seen in the two works of literature, ââ¬Å"Death of a Salesmanâ⬠by Arthur Miller and ââ¬Å"Glengarry Glen Rossâ⬠by David Mamet. ââ¬Å"Death of a Salesmanâ⬠represents the modernist literature. Modernism is a style of literature that came about after World War I in Europe. It emerged in the United States in the late 1920s. ModernismRead MorePostmodernism : Modernism And Postmodernism2457 Words à |à 10 PagesThis paper outlines, argues and evaluates the key ideas used in debates about modernism and postmodernism. In order to understand and evaluate the key ideas the terms modernism and postmodernism had to be defined. I found much difficulty in finding a clear and concise definition of the two terms and so I researched and formed a train of thoughts into one definition. Modernism, beginning in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century within Europe and America, was a movement mainly pioneeredRead MoreThe Contributions of Post Development Theory3644 Words à |à 15 Pagespolitical ideologies. This was the moment also to commence to make some certain judgments regarding the project of development and its basic tenets which led to the raise of the new approach called Post Development (PD) theory. PD has also some common roots and values in the fundamentals of Post-modernism as well. These theories emerged during the 1980s and reached their climax during 1990s. However, since the rise of these theories, in the development agenda, some critiques and debates has come outRead MoreModernist Modernism : High Modernism Vs. Low Modernism1944 Words à |à 8 Pages Modern or Modernist? High Modernism vs. Low Modernism Damian Sun 1238719 University of Waikato ââ¬Æ' Modernism was a movement that was developed during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Modernism developed due to the changes happening in societies at the time. Around the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century there was a rise in the industrial societyââ¬â¢s where there were advancements in technologies and machines, and a rapid growths in cities. This lead to aRead MoreThe Developments Of The Twentieth Century Essay1603 Words à |à 7 PagesThe emergence of the anti-aesthetic was key to these developments, challenging society the conventions of traditional ââ¬Å"high artâ⬠. The change in medium-specificity also questioned society as to what defined art? Artists approached these shifts in modernism by embracing and accepting the modernizations in the world. These new accommodations of the world are seen in the works of art by Marcel Duchamp, with his Fountain, Andy Warholââ¬â¢s 100 Cans, and Robert Morris Untitled. Artists would be inc ompatibleRead MoreEssay about Walter Gropius and The Bauhaus Movement1312 Words à |à 6 Pages Simplicity vs. over simple? The Bauhaus, meaning house of construction was the most influential art school that combined the fine arts and the crafts as one. The Bauhaus was a modernist movement founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar Yet, the Memphis Group was a post modernist movement. Established by Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis Group was a group of Italian designers and architects. Founded in Milan in 1981, the group challenged the perception of ââ¬Ëgood designââ¬â¢ through ornamental pieces. TheRead MoreNational Identity- A Semse of a Nation as a Cohesive Whole Essay1273 Words à |à 6 Pagesbrings back the national identity of a country, no matter how subtle it may be. Architectural styles have constantly been challenged and questioned throughout history so why cant this one? A key issue that arises from this is the idea of Preservation vs Modernisation. Preservation is a key aspect in keeping a national identity but this should not hold back the evolution of a country. Sentimentality should not take centre stage and preservation should only be acknowledged if the architecture can fulfilRead MoreStrengths And Weaknesses Of Postmodernism713 Words à |à 3 Pagesdisciplines, postmodernism arose in response to the dominant idea of modernism, which is described as the social condition of living in an urban, fast-changing progressivist world governed by instrumental reason. Postmodernism or postculturalism, a term often also used, offer a very different and much more radical version of constructivism. They are strongly opposed to the universalist premises of realism, liberalism, Marxism and post-Marxism, and are highly critical of the general phenomenon of the
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The second is the exegetical or neoAugustinian Free Essays
Our work is a literary analysis of `Beowulf` that focuses on the literary work but not history of the poem. Itââ¬â¢s going to be research how the story could be viewed as heroism with the death of the hero. We will write a custom essay sample on The second is the exegetical or neoAugustinian or any similar topic only for you Order Now But at first we should review critical writings. Two main critical approaches have dominated the field in the last thirty years. The first is the application to Old English verse of the oral-formulaic theory that Milman Parry and Albert Lord developed out of their study of contemporary South-Slavic oral poetry. 1 The second is the exegetical or neoAugustinian form of interpretation associated particularly with the name of D. W. Robertson in the area of medieval English literature. 2 A major reason for the popularity of the first two theories is that they seem to offer structured approaches to a poetry that for many modern readers lacks any clear and familiar structure. Imagine for a moment the naive first reactions to Beowulf of a reader hitherto accustomed only to modern literature (i. e. , literature in Modern English, since Shakespeare). Such a reader will respond quickly and positively to some of the poemââ¬â¢s descriptions of violent action; will find curiously attractive some of the exotic atmosphere of mead-hall and dragon-mound; and may experience familiar emotions when reading a few highly lyrical passages. But surely he or she will find large sections of the poem imaginatively inert ââ¬â slowmoving, redundant, didactic, often simply opaque. Such a reader -I might as well confess that this devilââ¬â¢s advocate I have in mind is myself at a very early stage ââ¬â may wonder why in the world the poet has chosen to direct his attention where he does. Why does he keep tirelessly making the same points and telling the same kindsof illustrative stories over and over, yet spend so pitifully little time on the literary things we have been taught to think important? On characterization, for instance, with its problems of development, complexity, clear motivation; on richness of detail in the natural and physical background; on informal, natural, and ââ¬Å"realâ⬠interactions between people; on a broad or ââ¬Å"roundedâ⬠or ironic view of the world the poet presents. If we judge Beowulf by novelistic standards, it shows us a cast of ornately dressed and stuffed (or stuffy) mannequins, always ready to restate the obvious, acting out rituals as obscure as they are strenuous. The importance of Beowulf in establishing, from a literary-critical viewpoint, the definitive epic style in Old English poetry cannot be exaggerated. Beowulf and the Waldere fragments were held to constitute ââ¬Ëthe only narrative poems in an old Teutonic dialect that in respect of their scale can be compared with the epics of other landsââ¬â¢. 3 For most readers today the epic quality of Beowulf is not in doubt. 4 Since Beowulf was obviously ââ¬Ëepicââ¬â¢, it must be an originally orally composed poem to which Christian colouring was later added. 5 Now look more closely at the strange text of Beowulf. On written pages, written (at least in this sole surviving manuscript) about the year 1000, though probably copied from earlier versions, 6 we find a text largely composed of formulas. A concrete instance may serve to illustrate this idea of limitation. That highly conventional beast the dragon is a simple example. If a dragon, a wyrm, a draca, appears in a given passage, we can be sure that the terms applied to it and the actions it performs will all lie well within a small compass of convention. In what follows, the numbers in parentheses indicate my rough count of the ââ¬Å"formulaicâ⬠epithets and phrases applied to various aspects of the dragon in Beowulf. The count can only be approximate, since there is much overlapping. It will be noted at once that some aspects are copiously, even redundantly, exemplified and restated. Though there is ample variation within each of these tight clusters of patterns, and though this variation indeed forms a striking feature of the style (admittedly one our novice reader will need some time to appreciate), the examples of variation never range far outside a drastically restricted number of fixed bases. We might call these bases normal expectations. Oral poetry as we see it in Beowulf is precisely, almost forbiddingly, the poetry of normal expectations. They appear in all its patterns. More specific terms for some of these patterns (though my use of terms will lack the rigorous clarity of definition the theorist demands) include the following: epithets habitually attached to characters or objects (ece drihten ââ¬Ëeternal lordââ¬â¢ or eald sweord ââ¬Ëancient swordââ¬â¢, the attributes riveted tight to their nouns); type-characters (the gracious mead-pouring queen Wealhtheow); traditional narrative sequences (voyages, gift-giving, fights); gnomic assertions of permanent ethical values (swa sceal man don ââ¬Ëthus should a man [always] doââ¬â¢); certain heavily symbolic objects (weapons, ships, halls, barrows); stock settings and props (benches to sit on, cups to drink from); habitual use of contrast to highlight and define (the pairing for effect of good Sigemund and wicked Heremod); certain recognizable emotional tones or attitudes (boasting, the ââ¬Å"elegiacâ⬠tone), with their own characteristic vocabularies. Such a catalogue is only an inc omplete outline, and in any case is deficient because it cannot show the complicated interweaving of these separate constituents that is so fundamentally typical of the verse. Although medievalists are perfectly familiar with flat type-characters of the kind we find in Beowulf, such characters may present some problem to readers more accustomed to the subtleties of characterization in later literature. Traditional types ââ¬â the venerable and wise old king, the intensely suffering woman, the hero oddly and remotely wrapped in his sacred violence, the ravening monster from hell, the ââ¬Å"twistedâ⬠young king unceremoniously pitched headlong off Fortuneââ¬â¢s Wheel ââ¬â these types can seem childishly simple. Exactly: they are indeed the archetypal folk characters of our fairy-tales. Let us first consider the case of Unferth, a character who has constantly been made more interesting than he really is, obsessively rounded by the critics into more complex and pleasing shapes. If Unferth really is a traditional type-character in medieval literature, then variants of the basic type should help us find the proper category for him. Some classifications that have been suggested would label Unferth as Evil Counsellor, or All-Licensed Fool, or Official Court Guest-Tester, or Tolerated Coward (like Sir Kay in some Arthurian tales), or Raw Youth (like the rustic Perceval), perhaps in need of the guidance of a seasoned warrior-mentor who will polish his manners and heighten his courage. Yet Unferth seems to wander across the boundaries between these categories in a confusing way. He may be some new type unrecorded elsewhere, a combination of several types, or even no type at all but a new invention of the poet, though this last is unlikely. The major stumbling block to critics, of course, has been the disparity between the fact, on the one hand, that Unferth is shown not only as failing the explicit test of heroism at the mereââ¬â¢s edge (1465-71a) but as being sharply condemned by Beowulf (in the heat of the flyting, 581b-94) not only for cowardice but for having killed his own brothers, and the fact, on the other hand, that he evidently retains a place of honor at Hrothgarââ¬â¢s court and generously lends Beowulf his sword, an act for which the hero warmly thanks him. In terms of the dominant heroic values of the poem, how can Unferth thus show himself to be both bad and good? Unferth has important role as a spokesman for the community of Danes. Beowulfââ¬â¢s notable tact in his successive parleys with the Danes he met as he made his way to Heorot seemed to be evidence for his own awareness of this potential tension. The Danes must determine whether the Geat is nothing but a wandering showoff and braggart, coming fordolgilpe and forwlenco, out of foolish boastfulness and pride. If he is, it would be truly humiliating for them to betray their own desperate need for help by treating such a heroic charlatan with respect. Thus, even if Beowulfââ¬â¢s very well-chosen words had placated some of the Danes, it is likely that not all were ready to embrace the visitor. Unferthââ¬â¢s sharp challenge of Beowulf may thus dramatically fill a psychological need for the Danes as a whole. At the least, taking Unferth as the spokesman for many Danes obviates any necessity to explain why they show no disapproval of his challenge to Beowulf. Unferth does not stay around in the hall long enough to be killed by Grendel. But seeing him as one of these boasters over the ale-cup would explain later references to Unferth as a braggart. We should remember that we do not ever hear Unferth bragging, though the poet tells us (499-505) that Unferth dislikes hearing any warrior praised as being any better than he is, an attitude consistent with being a braggart. But his only speech, the challenge to Beowulf, is no brag. There Unferth makes the charge that it is Beowulf who is an empty braggart with a low heroic credit rating, whereas Breca, Beowulfââ¬â¢s competitor in the swimming-race, is not. Later, when Unferth gives the sword Hrunting to Beowulf to use in the mere-fight, the poet tells us that the Dane does not remember what he had said when he was drunk (1465-68a). What must be referred to here is not the occasion of his attack on Beowulf which we witnessed but some boast we never actually heard (but can infer from Hrothgarââ¬â¢s description just quoted), since the poetââ¬â¢s remark is immediately followed by the statement that Unferth himself did not dare to risk his own life in the mere. This is not a very distinctive failure. Neither did any other Dane. In this, Unferth once again seems merely representative. But only if he had been a conspicuous braggart in the past would his behavior now be considered reprehensible or even noteworthy. That the poet sees Unferth as representative Dane may, however, find some additional support elsewhere. It should be noted that Beowulf himself takes Unferthââ¬â¢s attack on him to be a Danish attack, one that requires a counterattack as much against the whole nation as against Unferth individually. In his reply (starting at 581b) he begins by addressing Unferth quite personally indeed, pointing out that, while he knows evidence that Unferth has killed his own brothers (a serious charge of fratricide later validated by the poet, 1167-68), and perhaps by treachery, if the phrase peah pin wit duge ââ¬Ëthough your wit is keenââ¬â¢ (589) implies some clever plotting, there is even more sensational evidence, twelve whole years of it, that Unferth has not been giving Grendel any trouble whatsoever. But Beowulf then moves on at once to broaden the charge to include all Danes. Eower leode (596) is a plural really addressed over Unferthââ¬â¢s head to the listening Danes, and it is followed by the plural terms Sigescyldinga, leode Deniga, Gardenum. None of these people, though they may not be brother-slayers, have ever given Grendel any trouble either. It will take a Geat to do that. Unferth is then a symbol of national rather than merely private inadequacy. The closing lines of Beowulfââ¬â¢s reply modulate out of mockery and into reassurance. Here Unferth may well stand for the Everydane who, the hero promises, will be able to go happy and safe to his morning mead in Heorot next day, after Grendel has been taken out of the way. But before we speak further of comradeship, we must deal with Beowulfââ¬â¢s devastating assertion that Unferth will be damned for killing his brothers. The remark is made in the context of a Germanic flyting or word-battle. Unferthââ¬â¢s challenge follows close on a long boasting speech by Beowulf (407-55) and Hrothgarââ¬â¢s description of the failure of the Danish hall-boasters to survive their encounters with Grendel. This combination of speeches sets up a testing situation. If the Danesââ¬â¢ many boasts about defeating Grendel could never be carried out, and if Beowulfââ¬â¢s boast about beating Breca in the swimming-contest could never be carried out, why then should anyone expect that the heroââ¬â¢s present boast offers any promise of fulfillment? Such is the gist of Unferthââ¬â¢s speech, but its tone is even more important. It is full of the taunting terms of hot heroic competitiveness: wunne ââ¬Ëstruggledââ¬â¢; ymb sund flite ââ¬Ëcompeted in swimmingââ¬â¢; he ? e ? t sunde oferflat ââ¬Ëhe beat you at swimmingââ¬â¢; h? fde mare m? gen ââ¬Ëhe had greater strengthââ¬â¢. All this language is couched to stir the quick anger of any proud and touchy rival. Even though brother-slaying can be viewed as a terrible crime, as it certainly is by Beowulf when he wants to be accusatory, it can also be mentioned rather neutrally and casually, as I think is done here. Unferthââ¬â¢s virtue of great courage or spirit is in the main clause, and he is granted amnesty for fratricide in the subordinate clause. Critics have not generally accepted this particular subordination of importance, but I see no reason not to take this passage as straightforward and without any bitter irony, even though the poet himself may be more critical of Unferthââ¬â¢s murderous past than the Danes seem to be. But this does not mean that the text here contains a patronizing allusion to the Danesââ¬â¢ lamentable and inexplicable blindness to Unferthââ¬â¢s real and rotten nature; it merely shows that they are not presently engaged in a flyting with him. A flyting would be the appropriate occasion to dredge up and bring forth such bits of past scandal, but the duration of a flyting is limited and time-bound. Yet, though Unferth is thoroughly beaten in the flyting and proved to be inferior to Beowulf in heroic achievement, he does not seem to be especially humiliated in this scene, partly because the poetââ¬â¢s eye is, as always, on Beowulfââ¬â¢s greatness and partly because Unferth as a Dane must accept the evidence that only a nearsupernatural hero could have made any mark on Grendel. The Danes would much rather have saved their own great hall themselves but plainly they could not. So now they cheerfully set to work restoring Heorot to order (991 ff. ), and, though nothing is said about it, one would not be entirely surprised to hear that Unferth was turning to and joining in the task. If then we see the argument between Unferth and Beowulf as coming to a full stop here, it seems most unlikely that Unferthââ¬â¢s later loan of a sword to Beowulf for the fight with Grendelââ¬â¢s mother is to be construed as a reopening of hostilities, or as a malicious act reflecting ill-feeling and resentment. It has been surmised that Unferth might know Hrunting to be a defective weapon. 7 How to cite The second is the exegetical or neoAugustinian, Papers
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