Grendel

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Good cannot exist without evil. Explain your reasons why or why not.

Teaching Suggestion: This question introduces students to the book’s theme of The Nature of Evil. You might begin by leading students to discuss and develop definitions for the terms good and evil.

• “The Real Meaning of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’” at Psychology Today discusses good and evil in terms of empathy and humanity.
• “The Concept of Evil” discusses broad (natural or moral) and narrow (moral condemnation) concepts of evil. To reduce the length of the reading, you might suggest that students read the article’s introduction and perhaps parts 3 and 4, which cover contemporary philosophical theories of evil action and evil character or personhood.

Short Activity

Grendel is a retelling of Beowulf, an epic poem believed to have been written in the 8th century. What do you know about this heroic tale? Research the story of Beowulf’s conflict with Grendel. Then write brief character sketches of Grendel and Beowulf as these characters have traditionally been interpreted.

Teaching Suggestion: The originality of Gardner’s story, which portrays the monster Grendel as a round character with both good and evil traits, will become clear when students have a grounding in the original story and how it has been interpreted.

• This 5-minute video summarizes the story of Beowulf. The first 2 minutes describe Grendel’s terrorizing of the Danes, Beowulf’s arrival, and the battle between Grendel and Beowulf that ends in Grendel’s death, which is where Gardner’s book ends.
• This encyclopedia article summarizes the plot of Beowulf and offers a brief analysis of the poem as a Christian allegory about good and evil.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

The childhood trope of a monster under the bed speaks to the human fear of the unknown. As adults, we know rationally the monster isn’t under our beds. Yet, adults still face chronic fears. Some fear spiders or snakes. Others fear heights or closed spaces. Still others fear Isolation and Otherness, loneliness, or meaninglessness. On a sheet of paper, sketch the monster in your life. Consider the symbolism of line, shape, and color.

Teaching Suggestion: If students are intimidated by drawing, give each student a sheet of paper with a squiggle they can use to begin their drawings. When students are finished, invite volunteers to introduce their monsters to the class. Lead students to discuss how this activity relates to the theme of The Redemptive Power of Art.

• “Why We’ll Always Be Obsessed with – and Afraid of – Monsters” explores the enduring grip that monsters have on the human imagination and describes four categories of monster.
• “Ode to the Monster Under My Bed” provides brainstorming support for students who are struggling to identify or describe their monsters.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who are not comfortable with drawing can instead write brief poems or prose descriptions of their monsters.