Poetry as Cultural Commentary

In literature, poems are composed for a target audience. In a way, each poem tells
something about the culture and society upon which it is based. Beowulf, The Wanderer, and
Dream of the Rood are all based on Anglo-Saxon culture and society. Each of these poems
teaches today’s scholars and readers some things valued by the Anglo-Saxon culture and society.
The paper explores how each poem “speaks” with its audience and what it says about the culture
and society of the Anglo-Saxon people.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, the collective values of the society bore a heroic code.
Society revolved around a warrior approach and thus valued things such as duty, perseverance,
bravery, and loyalty. Values such as bravery are evident in the poem Beowulf. Beowulf himself
is depicted as a brave warrior; he defeats the dragon, Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf is
praised for killing Grendel and serving the people from his terror. The poet writes, “When you
killed Grendel, Wrestled and racked him in ruinous combat.” (Heaney 1340). Beowulf, the epic
hero, is depicted to possess superhuman physical strength, and his bravery, honour, and loyalty
are demonstrated in many scenes in the poem. He is also shown as one willing to risk his life for
the greater good of society, which is a characteristic of every hero. Although other warriors have
failed at facing Grendel, Beowulf is willing to show his loyalty and bravery by killing the
monster. Additionally, the poet uses figurative language that shows that the audience listened to

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the poem as it was narrated orally. For instance, the use of alliteration was aimed at enhancing
the listeners’ experience. The poet says, “They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies
When I battled and bound five beasts” (Heaney 400). The /b/ sound is repeated severally, and
this is interesting. The use of alliteration is evident throughout the poem, and the poet uses this
device to make the poem interesting even as it relays the intended message.
The use of kennings is evident in The Wanderer and Dream of the Rood. The wanderer
describes the concept of religion, and this tells the reader something about Anglo-Saxon society.
In the poem, a man struggles with the new Christian philosophy as it conflicts with his old pagan
traditions. The Anglo-Saxon society was initially pagan but later on, embraced Christian ideals
where most people converted. They believed in an afterlife, which was determined by people’s
actions and the consequences of those actions. The poet uses kenning such as “earthstepper” in
place of the wanderer, and “wealth-chamber” is used to refer to the “heart” (Cross 1). The
variation in the vocabulary used helped the poet speak and convey the message to the audience
who received it orally, and the techniques helped make the message interesting by avoiding
repetition of the same words.
In the Dream of the Rood, the poet uses kennings to give a vivid description of the rood.
The poet is able to use different describing nouns in a way that is expressive of the strong and
heroic nature of the rood. The word “gallows-tree” is used to describe the pain of the crucifixion,
and it refers explicitly to the rood after the crucifixion (Kennedy 25). Just like in the Wanderer,
the poet expresses the religious beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon audience and shows how various
religious and symbolic meanings can be interpreted from both a Christian viewpoint as well as a
pagan viewpoint. The Dreamer shares his experiences about the Lord with everyone. Overall, the

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three poems use various techniques such as kennings and alliteration to describe elements of the
Anglo-Saxon culture.

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Works Cited

Cross, James E. “On the genre of The Wanderer.” Neophilologus 45.1 (1961): 63-75.
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. Faber & Faber, 2009.
Kennedy, Charles, ed. The dream of the rood. Cambridge, Ontario, 2000.