Friday, 9/20 - Beowulf journal prompts

• P&P

• Today is a little work day. Dig the assignment below; consider. Also, take a bit of time and do a little sketchy-sketch on your Grendel Art assignment. Have fun!

J4: Beowulf Prompts: Take a look at the following journal prompts and select two of them in order to compile information for a possible essay. Consider this assignment the early stages of research. When reading, you must understand not only the plot but also be asking yourself questions that might lead you to an original insight about a work, a thesis statement. We will check your journal (your textual evidence and your own thoughts) next Wednesday.

1. What is the Beowulf author doing with all his biblical allusions? Keep track of them and figure out his purposes for using them. Why does he include them? What do they add to the tale?

2. What is the Beowulf author doing by including a bunch of epic tales within this epic tale? Are these merely random insertions to meet an ancient Anglo-Saxon CWP word count or to confuse modern high school students, or do they play larger structural or thematic roles relating to the work as a whole? Consider the tales' moral content, their typologies, and the atmosphere they establish.

3. What is the Beowulf author saying about the nature of good and evil? Is evil merely something in the heart of creatures lurking "out there" in the wild, or is it something more complex than beast and dragon versus man?

4. Beowulf is full of contrasts. What are some of the most important ones, and what is the author telling his readers/listeners with these contrasts?

5. What is the Beowulf author's view of the goodly king? A goodly thane (warrior)? Is there a difference between the two? What is it?

6. How is Beowulf a tale that attests to a world in religious transition (from pagan to Christian), and what might the author be saying about it?

7. Beowulf addresses the subject of peace in a culture characterized by war. Address the various attempts at establishing peace and also take a stab at the author's view of whether or not this peace is ever attainable.

8.  Where do we see the seeds of English chivalry sown and sprouting through this Anglo-Saxon take on a Geatish legend?

HW: 

1. (Monday) Grendel Art is due. 
2. (Wednesday) J3 - Beowulf Prompts is due