Asher.p4.t1 Anglo-Saxon Synthesis Response

Beowulf clearly displays the cultural contrast of Greek and Anglo Saxon life for many reasons. For one this book demonstrates the Anglo Saxon view of fate. The Greeks believed that they had a predetermined destiny that could never be changed, and the more they tried, the more they progressed their fate. In the story Oedipus, Oedipus learns his fate when he is young, however the more he tries to prevent the foretold events from happening, the faster they happen. Anglo Saxons, however, saw fate as something they could change and used violence to alter the course of their history. Beowulf is a hero who chooses his own fate because he is a warrior, and he embodies the Anglo Saxon idea that people must fight for their country or culture. The way Beowulf describes fate is fate, or death, is eminent, however the way people live their life is up to them. Another way Beowulf exhibits the differences within the two cultures is through the celebrations illustrated in this novel. In the Anglo Saxon culture the celebrations were alive, loud, and colorful; these bright festivities would take place in enormous mead-halls in which people would meet and share stories of their adventures. Greek culture was much different because since the Greeks had a large amount of intellect and thirst for knowledge this culture held much more classy gatherings. They would go to theaters and drink wine while discussing philosophy and morality. The festivities that both time periods held showed the major cultural contrast between them, one being brutal and primal and the other classical and intellectual.