Beowulf was written down as if caught between two belief systems. Explain why the poem is written this way.

Beowulf Writing and the Two Belief Systems

The narrator of Beowulf had heard of Christianity, though, according to legend, it was just newly introduced to the English culture by the time the poem was first written down.  No wonder, it was written as if it was caught between paganism and Christianity.  For instance, both the Geats' King and Beowulf always gave thanks to God for their victories and successes, because they recognized that He existed and still exists, though they were not professed Christians.  

This narrative apart, what is actually paganism in the past did not rule out the presence of God.  Even the Athens "had erected an altar to an unknown God," according to St. Paul.  This implies that those regarded as pagans knew about God.  But, because of the absence of his true revelation, they could not grasp his existence.  This is still true today.  Many people have heard about God and his Son, Jesus Christ.  But, they still persist in their unbelief in the true God.  While many do not worship fetish idols, many more still worship one idol or the other, according to their vicarious fancies.

This scenario must have played out prominently by the time Beowulf was being narrated, re-narrated, and written down as an epic poem.  The fact remains that God exists from time immemorial.

Explanation:

Beowulf is an English epic poem which narrates the life and times of Beowulf, a self-sacrificing and uncommon warrior-leader.  He volunteered his services just to save an ancient far-distant kingdom by travelling long distances from his own native land to the Geats to wage war against Grendel and his mother.  These two were supernatural monsters tormenting the kingdom of the Geats, with their king as "Hrothgar."

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)