Words are much more expressive through literature than through movies or television. One is able to understand the merit better and get deeper into each character's head. When compared to "Beowulf," the literary merit of "The Dream of the Rood," "The Wanderer" and "The Wife's Lament" are that of difficult syntax, expression of life through sad tribulations, and moods of pride. .
When reading literature, one must take it in a little at a time so the reader understands what is being read. Although, when literature has difficult syntax, like run-on sentences, it is not unproblematic to comprehend what is being read. In "The Wanderer," a quote taken out to examine is a challenge to understand. "He who is alone often lives to find favor, mildness of the Lord, even though he has long had to stir with his arms the frost-cold sea, troubled in heart over the water-way had to tread the tracks of exile." (Page 100). There are many ideas in this quote and when put all together with commas, it is arduous to comprehend. One can understand from this quote that if a person is alone, he lives to find flavor and mildness of the Lord, but when the rest is put into text, one may become confused and not able to contemplate the quote clearly. "Beowulf" also has many challenging lines. For example, "In days to come, he contrived to avenge the fall of his prince; he befriended Eadgils when Eadgils was friendless, aiding his cause with weapons and warriors over the wide sea, sending him men." (Page 83, lines 2391-2395). Again, if these were not run-on sentences, they would be more manageable to read. "The Wanderer" is like "Beowulf" in that perspective, but "The Dream of the Rood" and "The Wife's Lament" are completely the opposite. Both are effortless to understand and were translated well. They were translated almost literally. The run-on sentences we experience are the same as when it was first written, simply in a different language.
