plausible explanation for how the structure of the poem contributes to its meaning?

Question

Of Grendel's deeds the tidings reached a valiant Gothic knight, Highborn, a thane* of Higelac; no mortal man in might In his life's day was like to him. A goodly ship he bade Make ready the swan's path to sail, that he might carry aid. Thats the poem

Answer 1

Hi Chris,

In poetry, structure is essential to the overall tone and meaning of a poem. The structure includes rhyming schemes, line breaks, stanzas, and meter. For this reason, it is very important to indicate a line break in a poem. We usually use this symbol "/" to indicate a line break. In this poem, there is an aabb rhyming scheme of "knight" with "might, and "bade" with "aid." These words end the lines and are therefore of emphasis. In addition, this poem has a distinct meter or rhythm that shows it was probably meant to be told aloud as a story emphasizing the stressed words. It is also a good idea to remember that this has been translated from Old English, so there could be important aspects of the poem lost in translation. Keeping this in mind helps to understand how structure can connect to meaning. For Beowulf, just by reading the rhyming words one can tell that the poem is about a strong knight sent to aid. The meter has two big stresses to show that this would have been spoken instead of read, and therefore, the story teller, would emphasize the stresses to help indicate meaning. I'm sure with further analysis, you will be able to find more connections!