LRJ 1 Beowulf

A value of the society in Beowulf is their religion. "But blessed is he who after death can approach the Lord and find friendship in the father's embrace."(Heaney 186-188). They value their relationship with the lord. The quote shows how even though the lord did not come to their aid when they needed it, they still believed in the lord; and the person that still believes in the lord will go to heaven. In the text there are references to god and also references to stories from the bible.
In Beowulf there are many alliterations. One alliteration is "There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,"(Heaney 4). The alliteration in this story adds to the effect because it makes it stand out more than the other lines in the story. The repetition of the consonant is what makes it stick out more, and it also makes it seem more important to that scene that it occurs in. "The Spear-Danes in days gone by"(Heaney 1). This alliteration adds emphasis to how many days had come and gone. The alliteration there sort of dramatizes the words and makes the beginning of the story more interesting.
Another literary device in Beowulf is the use of kenning's. An example would be " He set the sun and moon to be earth's lamplight,"(Heaney 94-95). The kenning would be "earth's lamplight", because instead of just using plain language and saying something along the lines of a light for those on earth to see the author made it much more interesting by saying that the sun and moon are "earth's lamplight". Another kenning in Beowulf is "but the throne itself, the treasure-seat,"(Heaney 168). This is yet another example of a kenning because the author is saying how great being on the throne is and kind of what comes with the throne, treasure. "treasure-seat" is just another more interesting and better way to say the throne. These kennings add to the effect of Beowulf because by using kennings it makes the story seem more interesting, and it also puts a better picture into the mind of the reader.