Outside Reading Assignment: Beowulf. Required Text: The Elements of Literature: Essentials of British and World Literature (green/6 th Course)

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1 Name: Outside Reading Assignment: Beowulf Required Text: The Elements of Literature: Essentials of British and World Literature (green/6 th Course) On-line textbook link: Login: 10english10 Password: 10english10 Read pages 17 to 21 on The Epic Tradition. Read the excerpt from Beowulf on pages 23 to 49 and answer the focus questions. Keep up with the reading. Each day we will review a section of the reading and discuss some of the questions. Review the attached character map; make your own notes in addition to it so that you understand who the characters are in relation to each other. Completed focus question pages are due on (45 points). (fill in date) A 20-point test is scheduled for. (fill in date) Reading Schedule for Beowulf (assigned Friday, 2/15/2013) Page # Section Title Quest. # Due Date Intro. Material & The Monster 1-7 Wed., 2/20 Grendel The Arrival of the Hero & 8-11 Thurs., 2/ Unferth s Challenge Fri., 2/ The Battle with Grendel Mon., 2/ The Monster s Mother (including Tues., 2/26 photocopied excerpt that concludes this section) The Final Battle Wed., 2/ Additional Literary Devices Thurs., 2/28 Beowulf Quiz (20 points) Fri., 3/1 Note: Quizzes may be given on due dates and, as this is a longterm assignment; students are expected to keep up with the reading schedule even when they are absent. Questions are due when section reading assignments are due. Page and line numbers are for The Elements of Literature: Essentials of British and World Literature (green/6 th Course) Revised Feb. 2013

2 Beowulf Character Map

3 1. Swedes (Scylfings) 2. Geats 3. Danes 4. Heorot 5. Frisians 6. Heathobards

4 Beowulf Focus Questions Name: Date: Block: Grendel 1. What annoys Grendel at the beginning of the poem? What are the subjects that anger him? 2. Where does Grendel live? Why is that appropriate to his character? 3. Define allusion (look in the Glossary of Literary Terms ). What allusion is used to describe Grendel? Why is the allusion used? What is the Beowulf poet saying about evil in lines 25-29? 4. Describe Grendel s first approach to Herot. What does his approach indicate about his character at this point in the story? 5. What effect did Grendel s attack have on Hrothgar and the Danes? 6. (ll ) Why was Grendel unable to attack Hrothgar? In what sense is Hrothgar s heart bent? (lines 85-86) 7. Describe the reaction of the Danish Council of Wisemen (ll ) to Grendel s continued attacks? In what condition does Denmark find itself? Beowulf 8. What significant leadership qualities can be inferred from lines ? Give specific adjectives and words and phrases to support them.

5 9. How do the Geats feel about Beowulf? How do their wise men feel about him (ll )? 10. Describe the way Beowulf introduces himself. What does Beowulf reveal about himself in ll addressed to Hrothgar? What does Beowulf announce as his purpose in coming to Denmark? 11. Who are the Geats and who are the Danes. How are the Geats received by the Danes? (ll ) Unferth s Challenge 12. Why does Unferth bring up the story of Beowulf s swimming match with Brecca? 13. Beowulf recounts the dangers he faced during the swimming match. What purpose does this serve and how does it relate to the epic tradition? The Battle with Grendel 14. (l. 391-) Describe Grendel s approach to Herot in these lines. How does his attitude/purpose differ here from his first approach to Herot? 15. Define foreshadowing and identify examples of foreshadowing found in lines and What is Beowulf s strategy/plan for attacking Grendel? 16. What happens to Grendel in this part of the poem? What is his reaction to Beowulf s attack? 17. Describe the nature of the battle. What words and phrases capture the battle s violence? 18. What do Beowulf s men do during the battle? 19. What is the significance of lines to the epic tradition?

6 20. Why does Grendel s mother take Hrothgar s closest friend and Grendel s claw? 21. How is Grendel s mother s home described? Is it similar to Grendel s home? What conclusions can you draw from these two descriptions? 22. Why does Hrothgar offer Beowulf twisted gold, Heaped-up ancient treasure (ll ) as a reward for saving his people from Grendel s mother? Do you think this is enticing to Beowulf? The Monster s Mother 23. In what major, significant ways does Grendel s mother differ from her son as an opponent for Beowulf? At what specific points in the battle is it clear that Beowulf might be evenly matched? 24. Does the behavior of Grendel s mother seem as wicked or unreasonable as Grendel's behavior? Explain your answer. 25. Why does Beowulf go hunting another/dead monster (ll )? Based on your knowledge of the hero s actions and the story to this point, predict what Beowulf does after line What do the Geats and the Danes do while Beowulf is fighting Grendel s mother? What do they think has happened as they watch the lake (include why they think this)? [Refer to the supplemental handout for this information.] 27. Images of both pagan beliefs and Christianity are intermingled in this section. Find an example or reference to each. The Final Battle 28. What do lines foreshadow about the outcome of Beowulf s last battle?

7 29. How is the Beowulf facing the dragon appreciably different from the Beowulf who rid Denmark of Grendel and Grendel s mother? 30. Why might Beowulf want his friends to stay on the hill and wait to see the outcome of the battle? 31. What purpose does Wiglaf s speech serve in relation to the epic tradition? (ll ) 32. Why is constructing a memorial important to Beowulf (p. 48) and what significance does this have in terms of the epic tradition? 33. What is Beowulf doing when he gives Wiglaf the golden collar, armor, and helmet (ll )? 34. Why do the faithless warriors (p. 49) bury Beowulf s ashes and the dragon s treasure under the tower by the sea? 35. What traits does Beowulf possess that reflect the ideals of his society? How would the story be different if Beowulf s society valued intelligence or pacifism? 36. Consider the lines recounting Beowulf s death: His soul fled from his breast / to its destined place among the steadfast ones ( ). Why did the poet choose to use figurative language at this point in the poem?

8 Additional Literary Devices Include quotations and line numbers for your responses. 37. Define alliteration, provide and example, and explain how it enhances meaning. 38. Identify several lines that provide a vivid sense of an event or place (imagery). 39. Provide two examples of kennings for Grendel. 40. Provide two examples of kennings for Beowulf. 41. Define personification and provide an example of it from the text. 42. Define hyperbole and provide an example of it from the text. 43. Caesuras provide a rhythm in verse; usually a pause in the middle of the line and an equal number of syllables on either side of the pause. Telling a story this way helps the story teller vary the meter of the lines in his tale (enotes.com). Listen to a section of the poem online and identify an example of caesura. Quote it and provide the line number. Why did the Anglo-Saxon scopes use caesuras? 44. Define motif, choose an example from the text and explain its significance or meaning to the work as a whole. 45. What archetypes are evident in the text? Provide at least two that you can document and explain. Make a connection to a modern text (or film).