Response Paper 1
Kennings and Their Significance
Kennings were very significant in old English literature and originated in Anglo Saxon and Norse poetry (Kenning). According to The Poetry Archive, “A kenning is a much-compressed form of metaphor” (Glossary: Kenning). It is usually two words or a compound word that takes the place of a well-known noun or name. The use of a kenning is significant in literature because it adds more detail, keeps the reader thinking, and helps keep the reading interesting.
Kennings are used very often throughout the old English poem Beowulf. When the poet describes Grendel the monster, he says “This danger abroad in the dark nights, / this corpse-maker mongering death/ in the Shielding’s country” (Line 275-277). Instead of the poet just calling Grendel a monster, he used the kenning corpse-maker instead. By using a kenning in this sentence the poet was able to show that Grendel is a killer and someone the town fears. This is a much more vivid way of describing someone or something while also stressing the importance of it. Kennings help give more detail to common language.
Kennings not only give good detail to writing, but they also keep the reader thinking and engaged in the reading. Kennings can sometimes be like riddles and it can be hard to figure out if the reader isn’t fully engaged in the reading. If a kenning is skipped over without being understood it can cause the reading to get cloudy and misinterpreted. That is why kennings keep the reader thinking. The poet wrote, “If the battle takes me, send back/ this breast-webbing that Weland fashioned…” (Line 452-453). In this sentence the poet decided to make the reader think about what breast-webbing could mean. It is actually a kenning for chain mail and could be confusing if the reader doesn’t stop to think about what it means. The use of kennings helps keep the reader thinking.
While kennings keep the reader thinking, they also keep the reading interesting. Writing can often seem dull or bland when using common words to describe things. Kennings are another way to amp up a story and make things more interesting. It can help paint a picture with more details and keep the story engaging. In Beowulf the poet uses cloud-murk to represent fog. “Under the cloud-murk he moved toward it/ until it shone above him” (Line 714-715). This paints the image that Grendel is crawling through the fog surrounding him. This can be a much more interesting way to write scenes in a poem or story. Kennings take away basic nouns and replace them with vivid metaphors.
Kennings can be as easy to decipher as “house-guard” (Line 662) or as difficult as “word-hoard” (Line 258). No matter what it is though, it adds detail while keeping the reader thinking and keeping it interesting. Literary devices says “metaphorical usage of kenning makes the poetic language more vibrant and increases thought provoking vocabulary. Hence, it tends to keep the readers engaged” (Kenning). Kennings helped improve many old English poems and works.
W/C: 502
Works Cited
"Glossary: Kenning." Poetryarchive.org. Web. 6 July 2015. <http://www.poetryarchive.org/glossary/kenning>.
Greenblatt, Stephen. "Beowulf." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. 36-108. Print.
"Kenning - Definition and Examples of Kenning." Literary Devices. 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 July 2015. <http://literarydevices.net/kenning/>.
Kennings were very significant in old English literature and originated in Anglo Saxon and Norse poetry (Kenning). According to The Poetry Archive, “A kenning is a much-compressed form of metaphor” (Glossary: Kenning). It is usually two words or a compound word that takes the place of a well-known noun or name. The use of a kenning is significant in literature because it adds more detail, keeps the reader thinking, and helps keep the reading interesting.
Kennings are used very often throughout the old English poem Beowulf. When the poet describes Grendel the monster, he says “This danger abroad in the dark nights, / this corpse-maker mongering death/ in the Shielding’s country” (Line 275-277). Instead of the poet just calling Grendel a monster, he used the kenning corpse-maker instead. By using a kenning in this sentence the poet was able to show that Grendel is a killer and someone the town fears. This is a much more vivid way of describing someone or something while also stressing the importance of it. Kennings help give more detail to common language.
Kennings not only give good detail to writing, but they also keep the reader thinking and engaged in the reading. Kennings can sometimes be like riddles and it can be hard to figure out if the reader isn’t fully engaged in the reading. If a kenning is skipped over without being understood it can cause the reading to get cloudy and misinterpreted. That is why kennings keep the reader thinking. The poet wrote, “If the battle takes me, send back/ this breast-webbing that Weland fashioned…” (Line 452-453). In this sentence the poet decided to make the reader think about what breast-webbing could mean. It is actually a kenning for chain mail and could be confusing if the reader doesn’t stop to think about what it means. The use of kennings helps keep the reader thinking.
While kennings keep the reader thinking, they also keep the reading interesting. Writing can often seem dull or bland when using common words to describe things. Kennings are another way to amp up a story and make things more interesting. It can help paint a picture with more details and keep the story engaging. In Beowulf the poet uses cloud-murk to represent fog. “Under the cloud-murk he moved toward it/ until it shone above him” (Line 714-715). This paints the image that Grendel is crawling through the fog surrounding him. This can be a much more interesting way to write scenes in a poem or story. Kennings take away basic nouns and replace them with vivid metaphors.
Kennings can be as easy to decipher as “house-guard” (Line 662) or as difficult as “word-hoard” (Line 258). No matter what it is though, it adds detail while keeping the reader thinking and keeping it interesting. Literary devices says “metaphorical usage of kenning makes the poetic language more vibrant and increases thought provoking vocabulary. Hence, it tends to keep the readers engaged” (Kenning). Kennings helped improve many old English poems and works.
W/C: 502
Works Cited
"Glossary: Kenning." Poetryarchive.org. Web. 6 July 2015. <http://www.poetryarchive.org/glossary/kenning>.
Greenblatt, Stephen. "Beowulf." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. 36-108. Print.
"Kenning - Definition and Examples of Kenning." Literary Devices. 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 July 2015. <http://literarydevices.net/kenning/>.