Moore - VISTA
VISTA IS IN THE ARMY NOW…….
As an ongoing attempt to incorporate career explorations into the curriculum at
VISTA, Army recruiters served up lunch to students and staff alike. Thursday,
September 15th was Army day, which included MREs (meals ready to eat)
for lunch and presentations about career opportunities. Evaluations of the food
ranged from “I like it” to “disgusting”. Tyler Snook, VHS student was heard to
say, “This food is gross, but that doesn’t mean I won’t eat it.” Brittney
Leonard found the presentations to be informative and interesting. Suraida
Williams impressed the instructors with her ability to complete 30 push-ups with
little effort. Several students chose to stay for the presentations instead of
work-study early release. Other branches of the armed forces will be conducting
similar presentations throughout the school year.
*****************************************************************************************
Beowulf & Grendel
By
Donte Baker
Click here to begin Audio file
or read the text below.
Beowulf
This is the story of Beowulf & Grendel (repeat)
A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in the pain, impatient as day after day the music rang.
So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hail, till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth.
He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of these monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death.
Then, when darkness dropped, Grendel went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do in that bail when their drinking was done.
The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws. He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies. The blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.
Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless in Herot, a mighty prince mourning the fate of his lost friends and companions knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn his followers apart. He wept, fearing the beginning might not be the end.
And that night Grendel came again, so set on murder that no crime could ever be enough. No savage assault quenched his lust for evil.
So Grendel ruled, fought with the righteous one against many, and won so Herot stood empty and stayed deserted for years. Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door by hell forged hands.
No truce, accepting no settlement, no price in gold or land, and paying the living for one crime only with another. No one waited for reparation from his plundering claws.
So mankind’s enemy continued crimes, killing as often as he could, coming alone, bloodthirsty and horrible.
Beowulf
So the living sorrow of Healfdane’s son simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom or strength could break it! That agony hung on, king and people alike, harsh and mending violent and cruel and evil.
In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s followers and the strongest of Geats, greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out.
They have seen my strength for themselves. Have watched me rise from darkness of war, dripping with my enemy’s blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night hunting monsters out of the ocean and killing them one by one. Death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together, and I’ve come.
God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip. Grendel’s plan, I think will be what it has been before, to invade this hell and gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can, if he can. And I think if my time will have come, there’ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare for it’s grave. Grendel will carry our bloody flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones and smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls of his den.
“Beowulf, you’ve come to us in friendship and because of the reception your father poured at our court.
My tongue grows heavy, and my heart, when I try to tell you what Grendel has brought us, the damage he’s done, here in this hell.
Let us toast your victories, and talk of the future.” Then Hrothgar’s men gave places to the Geats yielded benches to the brave visitors and led them to the feast.
The Battle with Grendel
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
The monster’s mind was hot with the thought of food and the feasting his belly would soon know. But fate that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper.
Grendel snatched at the first great he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins and bolted him down, hands and feet; death and Grendel’s great teeth came together snapping life shout. Then he stepped to another still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper and was instantly seized himself, claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm.
Grendel’s one thought was to run from Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there! This was a different Herot their hell he had emptied. But Higlac’s follower remembered his final boast, and standing erect, stopped the monster’s flight, fastened those claws in his fist till they cracked, clutched (Grendel closer. The infamous killer fought for this freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat desire nothing but escape, his claws had been caught, he was trapped, that trip to Herot was a miserable journey for the writhing monster.
The monster’s hatred rose higher, but his power had gone. He twisted in pain and the bleeding was deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke. The battle was over, Beowulf had been started new glory; Grendel escaped, but wounded as he was could flee to his den.