In Grendel there is a lot of discussion about the truth and how it can be "sugar-coated" or twisted to sound more pleasing than it is or to arouse the reaction desired from the audience. This is shown in Grendel during the scenes involving the Shaper as he tells the story of the Danes' history that isn't quite accurate to boost their pride. This is similar to propaganda that we are familiar with in politics.
One may ask, is it acceptable to twist the truth to make things appear better than they truly are? I guess, in my opinion, it depends on how ugly the truth is that is being covered. It is understandable the kings, presidents, dictators, whatever it may be, need to influence the mass of people to like and believe in them. To an extent that is completely acceptable, but I believe there is a way for leaders to refrain from advertising things that aren't true or that they know they will turn their backs on in the future. The name one creates for himself as a hero, leader, etc. will become notorious if the public discovers that all the reasons they believed in a figure turned out to be untrue. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose for most (good) leaders. That's why they should try to be as honest and stick as closely to the their public image is possible to avoid future conflict and most likely achieve the goal they were trying to obtain in the first place, which is mass appreciation and honor.
I agree. How does one (the audience or the citizen) find what the truth is? And what do we (audience or citizen) do when we find out the narrative told to us was not the truth? Oh yeah, we forgive and forget.
ReplyDeleteTo start off, I really liked your comparison of politics to Grendel. I agree with your statement regarding the purpose of good leaders. I think that one of the hardest things to gain back is one's trust, and once you're caught doing so, it does lead to conflict and grudges, especially when you're trying to gain the audience's approval. Although it's true that we forgive and forget, as Mr. McCarthy said, I feel that sometimes we may forget, but not necessarily forgive, depending on the situation, because being lied to can come off as offensive.
ReplyDeleteI often times ask myself where is the line drawn when it comes to people promoting themselves in order to get the majority vote. I'm not necessarily speaking in political terms either, this can apply to people just wanting to be accepted into a group of friends. Maybe somethings can be a little fluffed, but other things (such as loyalty, making promises, etc) should be told in complete honesty. It'd be a tragedy to have a lie exposed later on after you've gotten so far and have already gained the acceptance you were originally looking for.
ReplyDeleteI think that the comparison between modern day politics and Grendel. In both cases people are twisting information for their own motives. The main difference I see is in the effectiveness of the results. In modern politics, theres a lot of lying and manipulation with little result. The shaper however, represents the ultimate politician. He has almost complete control over the minds of men, he can make them think whatever he wants. In this way, both modern politicians and the Shaper twist people's perception of truth.
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