English Literature Essay Introduction Example For Students

English Literature Essay Introduction Chinua Achebes main concern in Things Fall Apart is to portray the effect white men have on traditional Ibo society. Discuss how effectively this has been achieved throughout the novel.  In Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe tries to dispel the myth of savage African tribal culture. He does this by creating a complex and sympathetic portrait of a traditional village culture in Africa. Achebe is trying not only to inform the outside world about Ibo cultural traditions, but also to remind his own people of their past and to assert that it had contained much value. All too many Africans ( such as the Christian converts in the second half of the novel) were ready to accept the European judgment that Africa had no history or culture worth considering. Achebe fiercely resents the stereotype of Africa as an undifferentiated primitive land, the heart of darkness, as Conrad calls it. Throughout the novel he shows how African cultures vary among themselves and how they change over time. He shows the reader a well established civilized society with its own customs and beliefs. One of Achebes main goals throughout the novel is to show how the colonizing white men erode and destroy a civilization. This post colonialist novel is written through the eyes of the people being colonized. An example of a contrasting post colonialist novel would be Joseph Conrads The Heart Of Darkness which is written through the eyes of the colonizer. This therefore creates a contrasting view point. I felt that the fact that I had read The Heart Of Darkness helped me achieve a deeper and much more accurate understanding of both novels, as I could view the situation from both view points. Achebe immediately establishes his perspective from inside Umuofia (which is Ibo for people of the forest) early on in the novel. The wider world consists of the group of nine related villages which comprise of Umuofia and certain other villages like Mbaino. The conflict between Umuofia and Mbaino in chapter two shows a fair and logical justice system. The conflict is resolved without any more deaths or violence. This shows that there is no need for the District Commissioner. The process of replacement, Mbaino giving a young virgin woman as a consolation to the murdered womans husband and taking away the son of the murderer and giving him to Umuofia seems very just. Achebe is subtly suggesting that this logical system of appeasement is more civilized than the white colonists theory an eye for an eye justice system. If the puishment was in the hands of the white men they would have simply hung the murderer. That would be the end of the matter. The victims would therefore get nothing back apart from the possible feeing of revenge. The clan has a very defined and fair structure which allows any man who is hard working and deserving to prosper as far as he is willing to go regardless of his family background. Achebe states that a man was judged according to his worth not the worth of his father. Achebe later reinforces this point with a strong metaphor.  If a child washed his hands he could eat with kings With this point Achebe effectively shows yet again that in some respects Ibo culture appears to be fairer than that of the white colonists. In England in the late 1800s there was a clear segregation between the social classes. It would have been almost impossible for a man coming from a similar background to Okonkwo ( one of poverty and laziness ) in England at this time to rise to any kind of social stature in his society. Both of the above points show how Achebe effectively shows that the Ibo culture is a civilized and fair one. He even goes as far as to suggest that some of the Ibo customs and ways of dealing with disputes may even be superior. .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .postImageUrl , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:hover , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:visited , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:active { border:0!important; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:active , .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022 .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5c2b38b058cbf23abe7bf835a0815022:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Holden Caufield’s Character in Catcher in the Rye EssayAchebe uses Okonkwo to show that as with any civilization there are violent individuals but this is not due to the Ibo culture it is purely due to his poor childhood and is part of his nature. I do however feel that it is a mistake by Achebe to show how lightly violent offenders such as Okonwo are dealt with. This shows bias and that the Ibo culture does not totally condemn violence and quite often turns a blind eye to it. This is a fault in the culture but on the other hand it would be foolish of Achebe to portray the Ibo culture as a faultless ideal one. Achebe uses the first fourteen chapters in much of the same way, he makes points like the above and leaves the reader to make comparisons which effectively challenge the colonist society. He also uses these chapters to explain and define the Ibo culture. This may seem irrelevant to the actual theme of the novel however this could not be further from the truth. This first part of the novel is used by Achebe to show that the Ibo culture may be very different but is still extremely civilized and if left alone would have been more than capable of surviving. He illustrates this through countless examples mainly through the life of Okonkwo using Okonkwo to air personal views and as an extreme. The personal use of Okonkwo allows Achebe to use a descriptive style of impersonal commentary, which allows the reader to gain a real feel of what life was like in Umuofia. This understanding within the reader helps create sympathy during the second part of the book and helps reinforce how the white men destroyed a civilization. This is the reason behind the detailed insight into Ibo culture. It is also interesting to note in chapter nineteen how the Ibo can welcome back an erring member once he has paid for his crime. In many cultures Okonkwo would be treated as an outcast, but this culture has ways of accommodating such a person without destroying him, and in fact encouraging him to give of his best. This again shows the Ibo to be fairer than the colonists. The comparison being that a criminal in the late 1800s in England would find it extremely hard to shake off prejudice and be fully accepted back into society after serving his punishment.  In chapter fourteen we get the first direct introduction to the colonialists. The story is a chilling one of how an entire village was destroyed for killing one white man. This shows the reader the brutality of the white colonists. Yet again Achebe poses the question, Are the Ibo really the primitive ones?

Steps a Company Can Implement To Be Awarded Excellence in Service

Eminemaphobia essays

Eminemaphobia essays In The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, censorship is stopping the transmission or publication of matter considered objectionable. Nearly every artist promotes violence, sex, or other objectionable tactics that may make a listener uncomfortable. If all the other music artists are not censored, why is Eminem being targeted to have his music taken off the air? Censoring Eminem is not the answer and takes away his First Amendment right. Doesnt turning off the radio do the same thing? Eminem walked away from the forty-third annual Grammy Awards with three golden statues in hand. His latest album The Marshall Mathers LP has gone beyond multi-platinum; he is arguably the most compelling figure in music today. His violent songs of killing his wife and raping women have caused people to label him a homophobic and misogynist by his critics. Yet to censor Eminem would be ridiculous. It shouldnt be the governments job to censor what we watch or listen to; thats up to the individual or the parents. Dont blame Eminem; its not his fault people listen to him. Eminems lyrics are very explicit and are not intended for kids. If you look at his album it does contain a parental advisory sticker on it. The law is supposed to require that you have to be eighteen to purchase it. However, many children are going to have access to Eminems music every where they go. Parents and other authorities are very capable of preventing children from getting Eminems music. Why should he have to change his music or even his lifestyle for their sake? He can not be responsible for every kid out there and to put this responsibility on his back is impossible. If you dont like it, turn it off. Many people feel that Eminems lyrics will cause teens to become more violent. But how can a song cause a person to act out violently? If a person's morals have ...

Peer review-corrections Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer review-corrections - Coursework Example News of vicious treatment in the media hit the waves such as that of Sean Bell, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Rodney King’s death in 1991 put modern day lynching of the black man in the spotlight. It put across a black man defined by the infamous beatings and role of media in the society and ignited an issue that has stayed ablaze. Some people believe Blacks are unfairly mistreated by police; whose duty is to give protection (Maurantonio, 2014). A study was done by Gallup poll on public perception of how Blacks felt treated by the police. Tests of whether Blacks and Hispanics were more likely than whites to believe the police mistreated blacks. Also, if individuals who reported race relations were good or more likely poor believed police were vicious to blacks (Gabbidon & Higgins, 2008). Results showed that in the public opinion race played a significant role in how Blacks and Latinos were viciously treated by police. A study showed that African Americans and Hispanics are dissatisfied with how police protect and serve the neighborhoods and cities they live in. African Americans hold low regard to police officers than the whites (Weitzer & Tuch, 2005). This is due to a preconceived idea or notion with regards to areas that experience high crime. African Americans are less satisfied when it comes to personal security. There is increased behavior of racial profiling by police and documented racial disparities done to minority citizens (Cochran & Warren, 2012). A study data from BJS police Public Contact Survey on police behavior showed that, when stopped by a white officer, Black males and female hold a negative behavior evaluation of the officer. Also, a same race officer was reviewed with minimal racial profiling. Officers face challenges such as fear and stress while confronting a dangerous individual and savagely violence can result. Questions would arise in the media as to

Doping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Doping - Essay Example In the modern international sports situations, one of the often debated issues is one that is concerning the use of performance enhancing drugs that are related with serious medical problems and their use is illegal. It is a practice against the international standards of the sports activities and is very much considered as the evil affecting the sports and games in the current sports culture. â€Å"Performance-enhancing drugs pose a significant risk to the health of athletes, especially young athletes. Furthermore, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is detrimental to the reputation of sports†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doping. 2005). Winning medals at the cost of any social conduct or the social order is the fashion of the day. It is notable that in the modern world of sports, many a young athlete, discarding the risks involved in the use of these drugs go on using them and the practice of doping among the youth, internationally, is at an alarming rate today. Thus, there arises the great role of doping control which has a set of well articulated objectives and designs. However in the act of doping control, there are many things to be considered. There are various emotive issues raised by the doping control activities upon which there are predictably different views. Any set of doping control rules needs to be built on sound base. Specifically, the rules must make sure the principles of natural justice and the procedures must be such as to produce fair and consistent outcomes. (O'Leary 2001, p. 11). It is remarkable to note that "throughout history, there are examples that athletes have sought a magic potion to give them that extra edge, to help them take a short cut to achieving a good performance or to enable them to compete under circumstances when otherwise it might not have been possible, such as injury or illness. Today's athletes may simply be following previous traditions." (Mottram 2003, p. 29). This extensive use of drugs and other performance-enhancing substances have been one of the chief issues with the international sports today. In the UK, as in other nations, the controlling of their use has been given primary attention in the legal system related to sports. In the modern scenario, the drug control in sports has been considered one of the primary concerns of the legal system. The international sports law is primarily concerned with the control of drugs and doping in sports. There are many international organisations working in this field, most important among the m being the Olympic Movement. "The governing network or structure of international sports law extends beyond the Olympic Movement. Intergovernmental organizations also formulate and enforce international sports law. Such organizations include Unesco, the Commonwealth Federation, bilateral arrangements, and regional organizations such as the European Communities and the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa. Typically, they recognize the authority of the Olympic Movement but expand its rules and develop new institutions." (International Sports Law: a Replay of Characteristics and Trends. James A. R. Nafziger - author. Journal Title: American Journal of International Law. Volume: 86. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 1992. Page Number: 493.) Apart from these, the involvement of various nations in the activity of doping control is also remarkable. There are international agencies for their support. The International Convention against Doping in Sport signals governmental support for the World Anti-Doping Code which has various sporting organisations as its signatories. (International Convention against Doping in Sport. 2005). All the international sports nations give utmost priority to these and there have been many organisations all through the sports activity which confirms that the sports arena is without the evils of such practices. The system in the UK to control the doping has been particularly acclaimed. In Britain, all the registered competitors need to be tested for drug abuse. (Drugs, Sport and Doping Control. P. 1).

Pros And Cons Criminal Profiling In Criminal Cases Criminology Essay

Pros And Cons Criminal Profiling In Criminal Cases Criminology Essay Many people who hear someone say they are a criminal profiler they are inclined to think of T.V. depicted shows such as Profilers, Criminal Minds and movies like Silence of the Lambs. Unfortunately, these examples portray a glamorous classification of capturing criminals (Fulero and Wrightsman, pg.79). Criminal profiling is considered to be the process of analyzing a crime scene and using the information found to determine the identity or features of a perpetrator. Although this does not give you the perpetrators name, it can be helpful in narrowing down suspects. For example, a profiling based on a crime scene provides information that may include personality, sex, age, ethnic background, and possible physical features such as scars, tattoos, birthmarks, or height and weight of the perpetrator. This type of information can be used to identify possible suspects, but it also depends on who fits the profile (www.mtholyoke.edu). The process of psychological profiling was first used as a method in America during the 1950s. Investigators found fascinating patterns and similarities between serial killers behaviors. Selected patterns found consist of the killers having suffered from abuse at a young age. Whether it was sexual or physical this kind of abuse led to abnormal behaviors later on. During a range of young ages through teenage years, they would start fires and they were cruel to animals or other children. Then in the late teenage years to early twenties, were engaging in petty crime and defying authority (www.library.thinkquest.org). According to some, committing serious criminal acts usually starts at about or around the persons mid to late 20s. Particularly at this older age range being able to manipulate victims and show a significance of power or domination is a main motivation for criminals, as well sexual intentions. Murdering someone gives the perpetrator sense of control in which they have never had before. Some criminals feel that they need to relive the events that occurred during the murder or crime, so they take something of personal value from the victim. Such as, jewelry, clothing and they go as far as body parts (www.library.thinkquest.org). Â   Personality is considered by many to be one of the most important parts of criminal profiling. The personality profiles of criminals are the way in which a crime is committed, also known as the method of operations or M.O. The M.O. includes the identity of the victim, what the victim or victims have in common, the weapons that were used, the lack of sympathy, and the sign of any torture and/or sexual molestation. Analyzing these aspects of the crime scene, an investigator can determine the motives of the perpetrator. This can lead to the description of the perpetrators personality, or a personality profile (www.mtholyoke.edu). Appropriately, criminal profilers have methods in which they operate by. According to www.criminalprofiling .ch, there are seven profiling methods and six scientific approaches to profiling of criminal suspects. In the profiling methods, the first is the evaluation of the criminal act itself. Included in the act would be the M.O. and the signature. The signature is in disregards to why he does the acts he does, or the thing that fulfills him emotionally. Then an evaluation of the precision of the crime scene or scenes would be taken. An analysis of the victim or victims is conduced, this is also known as victimology. Victimology is the thorough study and analysis of victim characteristics. The characteristics of an individual offenders victim population of choice, in a single offense or over time, can lend themselves to deductive inferences about offender motive, modus operandi, and the determination of crime scene signature. Subsequently, an evaluation of the preliminary police reports is seized, as well as the medical examiners autopsy protocol. As a result, the set up of a profile with critical offender characteristics is constructed. Lastly, an investigative suggestion to a prediction on the construct of the profile is constructed. The next level is to check with local investigators and propose practical strategies to get the unidentified subject or UNSUB to make a move. Then there are the scientific approaches to profiling criminal suspects. Initially there is profiling inputs. Inside this first stage an accumulation of all information about the crime is pulled together. Information that includes physical evidence from the crime scene, photographs of the crime scene, any autopsy reports and photos, witness testimonies, background information about the victim or victims and police reports. At this stage the criminal profiler does not want to know about suspects because it could cause a prejudice direction to their profile. Second are the decision process models. Within the decision processing model the profiler organizes all information into questions and patterns through many dimensions of criminal activities. Questions such as, what type of homicide has been committed, what is the primary motive of the crime and so on. Third is the crime assessment. Based on the findings of the other stages, the profiler tries to recreate the behavior of the offend er and the victim. For example, as general profiling rules say: vile facial injuries are directed to killers who know their victims, murders committed with any weapon that happens to be available display greater impulsivity than murders committed with a gun and may reveal a killer who lives rather closely to the victim and murders performed early in the morning rarely involve alcohol or drug use (www.criminalprofiling.ch). Fourth is the initial criminal profile. This is where the profiler formulates the scetch of the most likely suspects. The majority of usual profiles include such items as the perpetrators race, marital status, sex, age, where they live, employment history, past criminal records, psychological characteristics and beliefs and values. Fifth is the investigation stage. The investigation stage involves a written report that is given to the investigators that concentrate on suspects matching the profile. Most likely the police have already talked to the suspected but ha d no reason to doubt the suspects testimony. Still, if evidence is introduced at this stage the profile would need to be revised. Preceding the investigation stage is the apprehension stage. Ultimately, the main objective of the stages was to capture the right suspect which in turn leads to the interview technique. With the purpose of getting the perpetrator to confess or talk about the crimes he has committed, this technique can lead to helping in assessing he influences of background and psychological variables (www.criminalprofiling.ch). Investigators putting together a profile use another two approaches inductive and deductive. Inductive profiling imply believing that when a criminal commits a crime they have relate motive or experience of someone who has committed the same type of crime . An example of this is re-offending rapists whose target is white women, more often than not are most likely not to be black. Based on the fact that crimes in the past that have been similar have rarely crossed racial lines. However, these statements have been inquired and have encountered a lot of publicized negative aspects. Deductive profiling involves a process that avoids generalizations and averages. This method involves carefully studying suspects in great detail and changing findings in when new evidence emerges. A deductive profile is established on the offenders actions prior to, in the course of and after committing the crime. For example, if the murderer used a provisional weapon, the investigators are then able to assume that the crime was most likely random. Another example entails serial murderers. At this juncture, investigators are able to find out if the murder was organized. Which means that the killer carried out a planned attack on the victim, or if the attack was disorganized the murder was unplanned and the killer conducted themselves in an inexact way. Organized killers tend to carry a tool kit that has a mask, gloves, duct tape and rope. With these tools they can bind their victims while hiding their identity and not leave finger prints. The Inductive profiling model, due to the lack of training and education of those who use it, has been proven to be an unreliable investigative tool. No standard terminology exists to describe offender behavior, and no classifications that have been developed have been absolutely validated. Still, those classifications have been developed using the same structure and philosophy as the DSM, short for The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, despite the intention that the DSM be used for the purposes of treatment, and not being designed for the purposes of criminal investigation. The adoption of this clinical model, then, serves no other real purpose than to lend pseudo-clinical credibility to the classification. The model arguably does not serve the purpose that it was designed for. Additionally, initial statistical analysis based on unproven classifications and non-uniform terminologies are no replacement for a thorough forensic reconstruction, crime scene analysis, and victimological assessment in either a criminal investigation or in a court of law. Given this fact, and given the extensive liability of police departments in high profile cases involving overly enthusiastic investigators armed with Inductive Profile evidence, and the generally unacceptability of Inductive Profile evidence in a court of law, the practice of teaching investigators purely Inductive Profiling methods should end. The Deductive Profiling method, although more time devoted to investigators, will prove to be more valuable because of its beneficial use as a guide, its ability to link together crimes, and because of its extremely high providing of proof value in terms of thoroughly establishing signature and motivation. Briefly, the Deductive Profiling method promotes refection, capability, carefulness, and requires an elevated degree of intra- and extra-departmental unification and communication. The Inductive Profiling method supports selfishness, short-cuts, and has been used before to substitute an experienced investigation into fact. Criminal profiling is used not only to find possible offenders, but it also helps narrow down a list of offenders that the police have already compiled. Although it doesnt work in every case, criminal profiling has helped investigators to catch many criminals. Through assessing the patterns and motives of previous criminals, criminal profiling allows investigators to accurately predict the characteristics of future and current offenders, which allows killers and other perpetrators to be caught before they can continue on to other crimes (www.wisegeek.com). Predictable, criminal profiling does have disadvantages, or cons. Some cons to criminal profiling involve not being able to identify a specific suspect nor reveal a certain individual, let alone an address or phone number. There are even instances when perpetrators purposely staging crime scenes to throw police and investigators off the right track. In many instances, the profiler will not know that area making more room for erroneous conclusions. Furthermore, profilers tend to have more background knowledge in psychopathology than the little background they have in forensic or criminal knowledge. Hence if the investigators and profilers do not work together it can cause the investigation to go unsolved because the information collected from both parties has not been collaborated. While there are cons or disadvantages to criminal profiling not surprisingly there are the pros to criminal profiling. A few advantages comprise of being able to help police with an investigation by making judgment from the crime scene that will give the authorities an idea of how to catch the criminal. There are two types of offender profiling which are the Top-down approach and the Bottom-up approach. The Top-down approach looks at the evidence and data of previous crimes and how they have been solved. The Bottom-up theory seems to profile a criminal in the opposite way. It takes the evidence with the data and builds it up until a reasonable conclusion is reached. Although many people in todays society watch television and see shows that involve criminal profiling, it is a huge misunderstanding of what profiling can truly accomplish. Criminal profilers operating in the sensitive area of criminal investigations receive greater public attention and therefore, will have to display caution in the conclusions they draw in a case. It is always important to recognize that the results of the profiling process are only as proficient as the original investigative efforts and processes which provide or fail to provide the physical evidence from which criminal behavior is reconstructed.

Essay Comparing the Runes and Magic in Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs :: comparison compare contrast essays

Runes and Magic in Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Old English poem Beowulf and in the Icelandic The Saga of the Volsungs, a saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, we see the mention of runes, which were used with connotations of magic or charms.    An unknown author wrote the The Saga of the Volsungs in the thirteenth century, basing his story on far older Norse poetry. Iceland was settled by the Vikings about 870-930, who took there the famous lay of Sigurd and the Volsungs. Native Icelandic poets loved the story of Sigurd and the Huns, Goths, Burgundians, with whom he interacted. This prose story is based on traditional Norse verse called Eddic poetry, a form of mythic or heroic lay which developed before 1000 in the oral folk culture of Old Scandinavia. In The Saga of the Volsungs the hero Sigurd is the one who corresponds best with the hero Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. George Clark in â€Å"The Hero and the Theme† mentions: â€Å"The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ‘Bear’s Son’ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ‘combat myth’. . . .† (286). The â€Å"combat myth† is what this saga is. When Sigurd was born, he was t he grandson of King Eylimi; when Beowulf was born, he was the grandson of King Hrethel. The king said of Sigurd that â€Å"none would be his like or equal† (55), and this proved true; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that â€Å"he was the strongest of all living men† (196). The similarities between Sigurd and Beowulf continue through both works.    The Icelandic skald is the equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon scop. He was a storyteller. Icelandic material builds on a long oral tradition just like Anglo-saxon, going back in their stories to the fourth and fifth centuries (Byock 2). Skalds stayed in the royal courts of Scandinavia like their counterparts to the south.    Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon narrative poem whose oral traditions date back to the sixth century. We see the first mention of runes in this poem in connection with the magic sword. When the hero is in deadly combat with Grendel’s mother in the mere, he is at the point of   being killed by the monster when suddenly God shows to him the presence of a special sword nearby on the wall.