GRENDEL CHAPTER ONE STUDY FOCUS

(Be Prepared to Discuss Textual Evidence to Support Each of the Study Guide Questions)

PHILOSOPHY: ASTROLOGY: Astrology is one of the oldest belief systems we have. This system portrays history, slave to the cycle of stars, as a constantly repeated, preordained, inescapable cycle of events. The individual, Earth, and its environment are viewed as a single organism, all parts of which are correlated with each other. Cycles of change that are observed in the heavens are therefore said to be reflective (not causative) of similar cycles of change observed on earth and within the individual.

ZODIAC SIGN: ARIES, THE RAM: energetic, innovative, original, pioneering, assertive, quick-tempered, strong drive, leader, ambitious, extroverted, sometimes aggressive, competitive, enthusiastic, self-reliant, and self-assured.

  1. What evidence supports the philosophy of astrology in this chapter?
  2. What evidence supports the zodiac sign of Aries, The Ram in this chapter?
  3. What does Grendel's relationship with nature -- the ram, the sky, grass, the doe, the baby bird, owls, and wolves -- reveal about his own personality?
  4. What do the various phrases Grendel uses to describe himself reveal about his selfimage and how it was developed?
  5. What is the significance of the scene wherein Grendel challenges the "dark chasms"?
  6. What does Grendel mean when he speaks of "playing cat and mouse with the universe"?
  7. What does it mean to "see all life without observing it"?
  8. Describe Grendel's mother and his relationship with her.
  9. From Grendel's point of view, what is man?
  10. Juxtapose Grendel’s observation of the ram (p 6) with his narration about his own “stirrings” on bottom of page 8 and top of page 9. How are these similar? What in essence is he saying about his actions? How does this support his claim on page 8 that he is “locked in [a] deadly progression of moon and stars”?

GRENDEL CHAPTER TWO STUDY FOCUS

(Be Prepared to Discuss Textual Evidence to Support Each of the Study Guide Questions)

PHILOSOPHY: SOLIPSISM: Solipsism is the philosophical idea that knowledge of anything outside of one’s own mind is unjustified – we can’t verify that anything exists beyond our own thoughts. Grendel is being solipsistic when he says, “I alone exist;” he’s suggesting that everything else exists only because he perceives it.

ZODIAC SIGN: TAURUS, THE BULL: determined, efficient, stubborn, cautious, placid, persistent, enduring, introverted, conservative, conventional, materialistic, stable, industrious, dependable, and one generally having significant financial ability.

  1. What evidence supports the philosophy of solipsism in this chapter?
  2. What evidence supports the zodiac sign of Taurus, The Bull in this chapter?
  3. In a flashback to his early childhood, what is Grendel's relationship with the "large old shapes" and with his mother?
  4. What is the significance of the scene wherein Grendel catches his foot in the crack in the tree trunks and is attacked by a bull?
  5. What does Grendel mean when he says "there was nothing, or, rather, there was everything but my mother"?
    How is this statement a loss of innocence?
  6. Explain what Grendel means when he says, "I create the whole universe, blink by blink."
  7. How does Grendel's first meeting with men affect him? Why does he fear them more than he fears the bull?
  8. How is Grendel's world view and self-concept affected by his experience with men? How does this event affect his relationship with the "old shapes" and with his mother?
  9. Find evidence throughout these chapters that support Grendel’s view that "the world is all pointless accident."