Journal 6

Journal 6: Anglo-Saxon Poetry Themes

                The Anglo-Saxon poems “Beowulf”, “The Seafarer”, and “The Wanderer” contain many similar themes. The epic poem “Beowulf” is about an undefeatable hero that goes to another land to help slay a dangerous beast and save a nation from destruction. “The Seafarer” tells the story of a lonesome traveler that sets out to sea to find his fate.  In “The Wanderer”, the narrator also sets out to sea to find a new life after losing his family. Even though the narrators of all the works are unknown, the poems still a prominent theme. The theme the poems “The Wanderer”, “The Seafarer”, and “Beowulf” share is isolation. All three of these poems are related by that same theme and their reoccurring ideas.

                One thing two of the poems have in common is that both “the Seafarer” and “The Wanderer” are elegies. Elegies poems are sorrowful poems that reflect seriously on the past and the future. In the poem “The Seafarer” a man self-isolates himself on the sea. During his isolation he is filled with sorrow, pain and fear. The epic narrative poem “Beowulf” shows self-isolation whenever he fights his enemies. Beowulf does this so that he can achieve greatness by showing he alone can kill any monster.  In “Beowulf” the monster Grendel is isolated to his own mind and land. In the poem “The Wanderer” the narrator is isolated because everything pleasing on Earth disappears.  The narrator of “The Wanderer” is filled with regret and fear that no one is left to enjoy life with him. The theme of all these poems is isolation.