Lies of a Story Teller

Beowulf/To Kill A Mockingbird Articles

More (you guessed it) English assignments! These will probably officially be the last ones I ever upload because I'm graduating in a week. ;(

Anyways, I wrote two articles. The first is about Beowulf and Grendel (it's the better one) and the second is about the court case in To Kill A Mockingbird. We were to write both articles objectively, which is why very little opinion appears in the second one. More in first, probably. Hope you enjoy them! -FO97

Epic battle unfolds in the Halls of Herot!

By FlyOn97

Cries of terror, the clash of steel, the roar of some grotesque beast, long condemned to a life in the underworld. These are the sounds that filled the Halls of Herot just last night as the much renowned Beowulf came to the aid of King Hrothgar. It proved to be a gory and bloodstained battle as Beowulf and the Grendel grappled without weapons. Court witnesses claim that Beowulf boastfully exclaimed that he would be thought less of if he “let his sword go where his feet were afraid to.” But how was this epic feat accomplished?

An inside source says that Grendel crept up to the Halls of Herot as he had done so many times before and laughed his blood curled laugh at the site of Beowulf’s men, who were pretending to be asleep. The hungry demon’s first victim was a Geat, a warrior of Beowulf. The brave warrior died at the hands of Grendel, as the notorious killer devoured the man. Beowulf, surely enraged by the death of his man, waited patiently as Grendel picked him up from the floor, with another meal at the forefront of his mind. Grendel was caught quite by surprise, however, as Beowulf seized Grendel right back. Our source tells us that fear radiated from the face of the demon as he realized that he had chosen the wrong man to attack. Other witnesses say that Grendel attempted to flee, but was held back by the massive strength of Beowulf. Beowulf and Grendel fought then in the mead hall, struggling each against the strength of the other. Witnesses recount the with vivid memories the screams that issued from the demon when the pain became too much. By this time, all of Beowulf’s men has risen from their beds and drawn their weapons, hoping to protect their prince. It was not to be however, as Grendel had bewitched the swords of men so that no blade of steel could lie open his skin. One solider of Beowulf’s said that despite the lack of weapons, “Grendel was visibly beginning to lose strength” and that it was at this time Beowulf gripped the hell enslaved demon’s arm and ripped it, bone, muscle, and all off his body. The battle over, Grendel fled to his pit at the bottom of the marsh where he waited to die. An exclusive interview from Beowulf has him quoted as saying “I am quite pleased with the result of my expedition and give my sincerest apologies to all of the families who lost brave men to Grendel’s stomach.”

It’s common knowledge that despair has engulfed King Hrothgar’s halls in recent years. The demon Grendel has, for the past twelve winters, entered upon the mead hall, Herot, and slew those men who, after their merry making, slept quietly and unawares in their beds. Premeditated murder masked by a toothy smile, most would call it, after Grendel has continuously appeared in Herot without provocation, and afterwards offering no relief. Grendel is rumored to be some hell spawned child of the Biblical character Cain. He lived at he bottom of a swamp, a pit, that is located near Herot. Beowulf, on the other hand is a prince of the country Geat and has quite the reputation for hunting down and slaying monsters that plague the lands. So you can truly understand the gratitude that Hrothgar must’ve felt when Beowulf, prince of the Geats, offered the services of himself and his fourteen men to the king of the Danes. The night ended with the first celebration in twelve years and much rejoicing over the death of Grendel, he much feared and infamous demon of Cain.

 Alabama man convicted of rape

By FlyOn97

A black Alabama man by the name of Tom Robinson was convicted in court yesterday of raping Mayella Ewell, a nineteen year old girl from Maycomb. Judge Taylor of Maycomb county presided over the case, as Atticus Finch rivaled Gilmer in defending Tom Robinson. First to come to the stand was Maycomb sheriff Heck Tate who arrived on the scene of the crime after Bob Ewell reported the crime. Sheriff Tate described Mayella Ewell as having been traumatized and beaten. Tate further blamed Tom Robinson for raping and beating her and that, after this claim, he arrested the defendant. Finch questioned Tate on his account, verifying repeatedly that no doctor had been called. Tate finally testified that Mayella Ewell had the majority of her bruises on the right side of her face. Interestingly, Finch stressed this point and seemed pleased that it had come up.

The first witness to make the stand was Bob Ewell, local Maycomb resident and father of the defendant. Ewell gave a disturbing account of the crime, including a claim to having seen Robinson on top of Mayella Ewell. He further described the bruises on Mayella. Finch delivered his questioning quite cleverly, considering that Bob Ewell was largely unwilling to cooperate. Finch then asked the witness if he knew how to read and write. Although this at first seemed irrelevant, Finch instructed Bob Ewell to write his name. Shockingly enough, Bob Ewell was left handed. Finch ended his cross examination of Bob Ewell here.

Mayella testified next, matching Bob Ewell’s version of the story, that Tom Robinson had beat and then raped her after asking him to do an odd job for her. Finch supplied the obstinate and bad-mannered young woman with many questions to answer, chief among them who had raped her and if he had beat her. When Mayella Ewell confirmed that Tom Robinson had both beat and raped her, Finch asked Tom Robinson to stand, clearly revealing his maimed left arm. This piece of evidence apparently clashed with the earlier testimony that Mayella had bruising on the right side of her face, because only a left handed person could have caused such localized bruising. Atticus ended his questioning with scathing questions on Mayella’s testimony at which Mayella Ewell broke down and began crying and answered no more questions.

Finally, Atticus Finch called his only witness to the stand, that being the defendant himself. Tom Robinson approached the stand and attempted to swear on the Bible with his left hand, but his left hand being useless left him swearing with his right. Tom Robinson then gave an intriguing testimony, all the while retaining an exceptionally polite and refined attitude, that he had been asked by Mayella Ewell to enter her home to help her with an odd job, as she had done multiple times before. He went on to say that Mayella then grabbed him and tried to seduce him. Bob Ewell came in at this point, finding the two in the center of the situation. Bob Ewell was reported by Robinson to have yelled several obscenities at Mayella Ewell. Robinson reported that he had run from the scene of the crime then, fearing for his life while simultaneously seeming to further incriminate him. Robinson also stated that he had misdemeanor on record, but it had been a small matter and resolved fairly quickly. Gilmer went on to interrogate Robinson, using questioning that seemed pointedly trying to ruffle the defendant. Gilmer got very little out of the defendant, however, except that Tom Robinson did the Ewell’s odd jobs for free, admitting to having felt pity for the family. Gilmer and Finch then both gave rousing closing speeches concerning the case and their respective sides. The jury revealed their verdict late in the night that Tom Robinson was, in fact, guilty. Atticus Finch is expected to try for an appeal on the case.