The Dream of the Rood

The Dream of the Rood

1. How does the personification of the cross in " The Dream of the Rood".

Answer:

In this very early English poem, the narrator has a dream in which he has a conversation with the rood, or cross on which Christ was crucified. The rood tells the story of the crucifixion from his point of view. He tells it as if he were a person who had to bear th weight of the crucified jesus.

  The personification conveys hope in several ways. The rood is "everyman", a simple, humble piece of wood, just as most followers of Christ are simple people. He is not special and yet God chose him for this important task. The rood's humbleness is driven home when he compares himself to the virgin mary, a simple handmaid of the lord.

  The rood conveys hope by describing to the narrator the story of how christ's death and resurrection brings the possibility of eternal life to all of mankind. The narrator ends the poem full of hope that although he is not "wealthy," he too can attain the bliss of the afterlife with the help of rood who is "able to heal:"

2. Literary(devices) analysis of the text? And

3. Comment on the story style of the Dream of the rood?

Answer: "The Dream of the Rood" is acknowledged is one of the great religious poems in the English language. In the tenth century, the poem was first discovered on a runic or Ruth well cross. The word "rood" translated from Old English to English as crucifix or cross.

The poem “The Dream of the Rood“ is one of the finest religious poems in the English language. In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful tree—the rood, or cross, on which Christ died. The rood tells him its own story. The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections:

➢First Section (ll. 1–27):The representation of the Crucifixion as a battle. The narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how miserable he is compared to how glorious the tree is.

➢In section two(ll. 28–121): In the metaphoric battle within the poem, Christ and the Cross are Warriors;

            The Cross shares its account of Jesus' death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is not to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead Christ crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind.

➢In section three (ll. 122–156): Whose deaths are victories, and whose burials are preludes to the triumph of their Resurrections."

            The author gives his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross.

4. Purpose of the poem? Or 8.  Explain 3 Sections.

Answer:

The poem “The Dream of the Rood“ is one of the finest religious poems in the English language. In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful tree—the rood, or cross, on which Christ died. The rood tells him its own story. The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections:

➢First Section (ll. 1–27): The representation of the Crucifixion as a battle. The narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how miserable he is compared to how glorious the tree is.

➢In section two(ll. 28–121): In the metaphoric battle within the poem, Christ and the Cross are Warriors;

            The Cross shares its account of Jesus' death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is not to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead Christ crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind.

➢In section three (ll. 122–156): Whose deaths are victories, and whose burials are preludes to the triumph of their Resurrections."

            The author gives his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross.

5. How is Christ portrayed?

Answer:  "The Dream of the Rood" is acknowledged is one of the great religious poems in the English language. In the tenth century, the poem was first discovered on a runic or Ruth well cross. The word "rood" translated from Old English to English as crucifix or cross.

  The poem “The Dream of the Rood“ is one of the finest religious poems in the English language. In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful tree—the rood, or cross, on which Christ died. The rood tells him its own story.

   The poem takes the form of a dream, which the narrator, an unnamed man, relates to the reader. While the term "rood" refers to a cross, the dream is really about a tree that has been fashioned into a cross. Specifically, the tree has been turned into the cross used to crucify Christ, and feels immense sorrow and pain at what he has become which he relates to the dreamer in a long passage.

  While the poem is clearly a religious text, a closer examination actually reveals some elements of German Heroism (a non-Christian culture competing with Christianity during this time). While in many works these Germanic and Christian elements are shown as diametrically opposed in philosophy, they are actually reconciled rather nicely within "The Dream of the Rood." Although nothing is known about the original author or context of the poem, the possibility exists that finding a way to blend these two elements of society might have been one of the primary motivations of the author.

6. Comment on the Dream vision of the poem?

    Answer:  At the beginning of the poem, the reader sees the hallucination of the cross transforming from being covered in blood to being covered in jewels. In the poem, Jesus is being placed upon the cross but is done so in such a vicious manner (as it is told in the Bible as well). The idea of the cross being glorified is such a striking contrast to what the cross was used for. Obviously it is a symbol of what the Bible says was Christ’s ultimate sacrifice so naturally Christians view the cross as an extremely humbling image; Today, crucifixion is not widely practiced as it was in Biblical times, but the image of the cross still rings true because it has such a profound mysticism about it. The Dream of The Rood is an incredibly mystical poem and it is centered around the image of the cross. The tree being used to make the cross has a voice of it’s own, and what I found to be most profound about the Cross’ narration was how it was surprised to be the cross that Jesus was to be crucified on. When the tree was cut down, it was believed to be made to be a cross for a criminal but as it learns that it will be the cross for Christ’s crucifixion, it is aware that it being part of the killing of Christ. Ultimately, the cross is aware of it’s purpose and I found the poem to be saying that the cross and Jesus were together in the crucifixion of Christ.

7. Importance of prologue of epilogue?

Answer: At the beginning of the poem, the reader sees the hallucination of the cross transforming from being covered in blood to being covered in jewels. In the poem, Jesus is being placed upon the cross but is done so in such a vicious manner (as it is told in the Bible as well). The idea of the cross being glorified is such a striking contrast to what the cross was used for. Obviously it is a symbol of what the Bible says was Christ’s ultimate sacrifice so naturally Christians view the cross as an extremely humbling image;

   The Cross shares its account of Jesus' death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is not to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead Christ crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind.

   The author gives his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross.