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Beowulf, An Anglo Saxon Epic Poem

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Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, contains several rhetorical strategies. The poem follows the life of a noble warrior named Beowulf while he quests to live up to his father’s name. In the poem, Beowulf overcame many obstacles primarily those of which involved battling supernatural creatures. Epic poems were generally written during the Anglo-Saxon era. They are commonly written in an elevated style in order to glorify the deeds of a legendary hero or god. Literary works during the Anglo-Saxon era usually focussed around a quintessential war hero of strength and noble standing while often times referring to the Bible and Christianity. These traits of Anglo-Saxon writing can undoubtedly be found within Beowulf. Throughout the poem, the author expresses epic poem traits through the use of rhetorical strategies. The author used literary devices such as imagery, allusion, metaphors, and tone to express the epic traits of a legendary hero with significance, a vast setting, and supernatural beings.
Beowulf, the fearless warrior of Geatland, established his role in the novel as the stereotypical Anglo-Saxon main character. Throughout the poem, Beowulf was unconditionally praised by the people for his valor and strength. He commonly boasted about his fearless characteristics, “‘When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield to mow him down, easily as I might,’” (677-680). In this quote, the author uses the

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