Beowulf was found in England, and the story tellers were English. However, the story takes place in Scandinavia. But where is Scandinavia, anyway?
Mr. Rydelnik's Steps for Understanding Beowulf
Step 1 - Read the passage. If you want to understand something, first you must read it. Step 2 - Circle ending punctuation. This means periods, colons, exclamation marks, and question marks. Step 3 - Identify any tangents. (0r; WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT?!) "Tangent; diverging from an original purpose or course." Why is the author starting with one idea and moving to something else? These are usually long sentences. Sometimes a collection of sentences. Notice when the descriptions get long. Then ask yourself:
What is the subject of the tangent?
Why is the author spending time talking about this subject?
Step 4 - Identify literary elements
Alliteration
Situational or symbolic archetypes
Kennings and Epithets
Allusions
Foreshadowing
Elegy
Step 5 - Read it again.
Keep track of major motifs and symbols
We spoke about many different core values for Beowulf. A few that we want to keep our eyes on are:
The relationship between Christianity and Paganism. Remember the narrator does not want to condone all of what the heroes do, particularly if they do something that would be against Christian theology.
Swords and Weapons. The heroes are warriors. How useful are their weapons? Why are they portrayed in such a way?
The Sea. The characters are defined by their lives near water. How do they portray it?
Questions for the "Beowulf" Section - Due Monday 8/22
What does Beowulf say he will do?
Why does he say he will do this?
Why does Hrothgar believe that Beowulf has come?
Does he think Beowulf can keep his word? Why does he let Beowulf try?
Answer in complete sentences and use textual evidence.
The Fight With Grendel
2 use of Kennings to describe Grendel
2 mentions of weapons. According to how they are portrayed, how useful are those weapons? Keep note of the textual evidence on your note page.
2 mentions of water or the sea. What conclusions can we draw about water’s symbolic meaning in the text based upon how it is presented in the text. (Is water a good thing, or a bad thing? How can you tell?
Compare and contrast Beowulf and Grendel. You must have three bullet points in each of the areas, for a total of 9 observations.
Grendel's Mother and The Fight with Grendel's Mother
Grendel’s mother takes two things from Herot. What are they?
What will Hrothgar give to Beowulf in return for defeating Grendel’s mother?
How does the description of Grendel’s mother’s home inform our understanding of water in the story?
Compare and Contrast the fight with Grendel and the fight with Grendel’s mother. Have at least two bullet points in each category.
What does Beowulf bring back to Heorot?
Why do you think Hrothgar’s men leave from the lake earlier than Beowulf’s men?
Describing Grendel
The Prompt: Write a paragraph describing Grendel in appearance, action, and character. Use two pieces of textual evidence.
The Help:Look at this document. It outlines the paragraph structure, gives some helpful advice and suggestions, as well as provides an example description about Beowulf instead of Grendel.
Watch this 1998 Animated Version of Beowulf
This version of Bewoulf includes parts of the story that are not in the selection that we read in class. What do these "missing parts" fill in about your understanding of the story? Find three observations. What are two questions you still have about the text or story?
The Final Beowulf Summative
Thus far we have explored how the historical and cultural experiences influenced literature of the Anglo-Saxon era. Read and annotate both of these articles. Then complete this graphic organizer for the article you want to write about.. Your final summative will be 3 paragraphs and must have 3 pieces of textual evidence. 2 must come from Beowulf, 1 will come from the article you choose.
In a well-developed letter to the author, state whether or not you agree with his characterization of Beowulf, citing multiple strong and thorough textual evidence from both the literary and informational texts to support your analysis. Adhere to the expectations of the expository writing rubric.