Anglo-Saxon Riddles

I am your voice when you are not speaking,

The white snow is my battle ground,

I can give a dialogue or answer a debate question,

My ally, who attacks the snow with a loud pound,

There are many species of my kin,

But you will mostly see me in my fair-haired skin.

I am the main thing you use to study during the demon’s hours,

You can find me anywhere, God’s source I will shower,

Call me your pal; I won’t help you study,

But I make your apparition clear, just like a first-class buddy,

Use me wisely and we’ll make it together,

For overusing me will cause you bad weather.

Obesity: More than a simple Illness

Many Americans are aiming for the perfect body whether if it’s for being more attractive or for being more active. However, there are a number of people who are considered “obese”. In fact, over two-thirds of all Americans are considered obese. Obesity does not only affect adults, but also children as well. Obesity is debatably one of the leading causes of death mainly because it affects not just the said people who are obese but also the people around them.

            The problem with obesity would be the types of food Americans eat. The majority of food available in America is either fast foods or other fatty snacks (sweets, TV dinners, etc.). According to Sue Widemark, fast foods “not only doesn’t take up room in the stomach, it also provides high numbers of calories.” She believes that vegetables are more suitable to reduce chances of obesity. Widemark states that “Vegetables tend to fill us up and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and even contain cancer preventing materials.” 

So why do so many Americans eat fast food more than 5 times a week? Many food companies are advertising unhealthy foods more than healthy alternatives. This would tell people that fast foods are more affordable or more delicious than healthy foods. Also, say for example, a businesswoman is late for work and does not have time for breakfast. With fast-food restaurants, she is able to pick up breakfast and still make it in time for work. Many people are in this type of scenario which would add to the rise of obesity. “More Americans are eating fast food, which usually has higher calories and fat” (Frissel and Susan 11).

Many people sought to fight this problem in numerous ways. People started instituting American fitness clubs and health stores (Smoothie King for example). Also there are numerous advertisements for health-loss programs and special medication for overweight people. Also politicians are creating many foundations to help fight obesity. Some problems with these solutions: Americans could be too lazy to react, have little to no money, or tune out these solutions.

The best solution for obesity would be to persuade Americans to become more active. There are many ways for this solution to happen. In work areas, the boss could tell his workers to go to a local gym at least twice a week. At school, PE teachers can persuade the principal/school board to institute PE every day, for each grade level. During every day life, every neighborhood could have at least two reachable parks with fun activities every week.  For example, a school could promote a neighborhood activity at their local park every week on the school news to attract the children to attend. These three solutions can be both fun and healthy at the same time.

Many people do not realize that obesity is a major issue until it happens to them or to their love ones. My brother was on the borderline of being obese. The doctor even told him, that if he did not exercise soon, he will be at risk for type 1 diabetics. Luckily, his middle school offered many sports-like activities and sports teams. He soon became interested in basketball, cabbage ball, and flag football. After 6 months he lost about 15 pounds. If America were to get more involved in playing sports instead of watching them, America would be a more active country. But the only thing keeping America from this dream is themselves.

Work Cited

Cain, Greg. "Some Forms of Obesity Could Be Designated as a Disability." New Zealand Herald (25 June 2008). Rpt. in How Should Obesity be Treated? Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

Dulan, Mitizi. "Obesity Is Costing America $147 Billion." Opposing Views: Issues, Experts, Answers. 28 July 2009. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.opposingviews.com/i/obesity-is-costing-america-147-billion>.

Frissel, Susan. Eating Disorders and weight control. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc, 1998.

Keating, Joshua E. "Fat race: last year's jeans won't fit? Blame the free market." Foreign Policy 182 (2010): 40. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

Patrick Basham and Jane Feinman. "The Health Risks of Obesity Have Been Exaggerated." Health. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.                      

Widemark, Sue. "Reasons for Obesity." Sue Widemark on the Web. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://suewidemark.netfirms.com/reasonsforobesity.htm>.

Beowulf: Journal 6

           

            Grendel is considered a parody because Gardner makes the reader see each character differently.

            In Grendel, Grendel is a funny, sarcastic character unlike his role in Beowulf.  For example, In Chapter 7, he says “I would begin by holding her over the fire and cooking the ugly hole between her legs.” (109).This, and many other quotes, shows his dark humor. Grendel also use makes fun of Unferth by throwing apples at him, causing Unferth to “cry.” He also humiliates Unferth by not killing him (This angers Unferth because if he does not die, then he will not be remembered.). The dragon is seen as a wise, old dragon instead of a powerful creature in Beowulf. One way that Gardner makes the dragon old and wise is because at the end of Chapter 5, the dragon tells Grendel to find gold and sit on it.

Gardner makes fun of these and many other characters. This has an effect on readers because Gardner makes the readers see the characters differently than what they thought in Beowulf.

Beowulf: Journal 5

Gardner made the decision to use Grendel as a narrator because he wants the readers to see Grendel as more than just “the bad guy.

Gardner’s Grendel can be seen as a more sophisticated monster. During his first years of raiding, Grendel does not destroy the Danes in one day. Instead, Grendel destroys a few humans every month. If he were to destroy the Danes in one day, he would have no purpose. Also, Grendel expanded on the human language. Meaning, he does not talk like The Hulk, but as a normal human being.  For example, in Chapter 7-12, Grendel used advanced sentence structure. He uses italics, play text structure, poetry, and parentheses to experiment with the human language.

Grendel’s status as a monster affects the reader by changing their thoughts on him.” From Beowulf, readers will only see Grendel as a savage beast with only killing in his mind. However, Gardner’s Grendel is more human-like and has real emotions.

Beowulf: Journal 4

              Grendel’s story is about finding out his purpose in life and where he fits in the world. Throughout the story, his philosophy changes when Grendel meets people like, the dragon and the human race.

           
             Grendel begins as a young, curious monster that explores the world around his home under the marshes. As Grendel does this more and more, he becomes enlightened with knowledge and awe. This was until he was walking through the forest. Grendel made his first philosophical view after he was attacked by the bull. After the attack, Grendel becomes a solipsist. Solipsism means that only the person’s mind exists and everything else does not.

            While Grendel was a solipsist, he was introduced to the human race. He did not see humans as human beings. Rather, he considered them machines because they repeat every action they do every day. After his first encounter with the humans, Grendel was attacked by the humans and Grendel tries to find a way to fit in with them. One way that Grendel tried to fit in with the humans was through the Shaper. The Shaper sang many poems and stories of mythology and heroic battles. One of these stories was about how Grendel is a descendent of Cain, the father of evil. At first Grendel denied this accusation, but soon Grendel accepts his fate as “the bad guy.” This caused him to convert to the Old Testament as his new philosophy. This wasn’t his final philosophical view.

            Grendel soon meets a dragon that does nothing but guard gold. This dragon claims that he can see the past, the present, and the future (meaning he can see all of time at once.). The dragon tells Grendel that everything in the world will decay and he too will die. The dragon also told Grendel something that haunts Grendel. He tells Grendel that if he were to die, the humans would find a new “bad guy” to replace him. This left Grendel in confusion as to what philosophy he wanted to believe in. In this point of the story, he has no definite philosophy to follow.

            After Beowulf and Grendel had their fight to the death, Grendel settles with nihilism. Readers know this because Grendel says words like “accidental.” This means that Grendel believes that life and existence is accidental, they are manmade. But if Grendel were to still be alive to this day, he would change his philosophy multiple times.

               

Beowulf: Journal 3

Grendel’s attitude towards language is confused. He is still learning new words every day, thanks to the humans. His language changes like the seasons, beginning with spring and ending with winter.

In Chapter 1, Grendel uses one to three word sentences. This can symbolize the beginning of Grendel’s human language.  This can also mean that Grendel is starting to experiment with words.

In later chapter, Grendel begins to use complete sentences and thoughts. The season at this time would be summer, meaning adolescent. These complete sentences can mean that Grendel has a better understanding of the human language.

Finally in chapters 7- 8, Grendel begins to experiment with italics, boldface, brackets, bullet points, etc. The time of the season would be fall, meaning adulthood. This would mean that Grendel is at his peak of the understanding of the human language.

Beowulf: Journal 2

In the epic poem Beowulf, the values of the Anglo-Saxon society that are revealed are heroism, loyalty, and friendship. The universal theme in Beowulf is being loyal to the king.  Because soldiers were always loyal to their king, kingdoms would always live long.

                One value in Beowulf is heroism. One example of heroism is when Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes to fight Grendel. This act shows the basic act of a hero: killing a vicious beast. By defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother, he was considered among his people as a hero. Another value in Beowulf is loyalty. One example of loyalty is when Beowulf courageously dies while killing the dragon. During the Anglo-Saxon period, the king’s subjects were always loyal and faithful to him and vice versa. Because Beowulf died while killing the dragon, he saved his people from said dragon. Finally another value in Beowulf is friendship.  One example of friendship is when Wiglaf agrees to help Beowulf fight the dragon. This act shows both friendship and loyalty because Wiglaf helps Beowulf, even though he might die in the process. In Anglo-Saxon time, friendship is ultimate.