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HELP! I need somebody!. Think of a time when you helped someone in need or someone helped you OR a time when you did NOT render help and wish you had. Give a brief summary of the incident then answer the following analysis questions: What was your/their motivation (why was help rendered?)? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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HELP! I need somebody!• Think of a time when you helped someone in need
or someone helped you OR a time when you did NOT render help and wish you had. Give a brief summary of the incident then answer the following analysis questions: – What was your/their motivation (why was help
rendered?)? – What was the result? – What would have happened if help was not
rendered? – Did anyone else offer help? Why/why not?
Beowulf:The Beginnings of English
Literature
OriginsUnknown author; possibly one Christian author in Anglo-Saxon EnglandUnknown date of composition (roughly 8th-11th Century CE)
Conflict Christian Values and Heroic Values
• This tension is at the heart of the poem
• Pagan history and myth are made to point to a Christian moral
• Beowulf is poised between two value systems
Mix of pagan and Christian Values• Fate vs. choice of good
and evil• Mythological monsters
vs. references to God and Jesus
• Beowulf was a war leader of the Geats, a group of people in what is now southern Sweden
• Hrothgar was king of the Danes
The Epic HeroDefeats his enemies using
Physical strengthSkill as a warriorNobility of characterQuick wits
Is not modest – boasting is a ritualEmbodies the ideals and values of his peopleIs eager for fame
Because the Germanic tribes believed death was inevitable, warriors sought fame to preserve the memory of their deeds after death
A man of high social status whose fate affects the
destiny of his people
Old English Beowulf was written in Old English, an early
form of English Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages
from about 6th century to 11th century CE In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully
invaded England, bringing his Norman French language with him; the nobility began to speak French, and gradually Old English evolved into Middle English (1100-1500): “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote/The droghte of March hath perced to the roote”
Modern English has been spoken since the Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English; he is Early Modern English
Elements of an Epic1. Recounts a journey2. Main character is a hero3. Exaggerations are used4. The setting covers multiple nations5. Gods and the like are included in the plot6. Story begins in the middle of things (in medias res)
7. Journey to the underworld8. Use of the number 39. Typical theme of good vs evil10. Long narrative poem
Literary DevicesAllusion: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition,
Norse myth and legend, historical Anglo-Saxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)
Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written
in elevated style which celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero or god.
Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and storytellers (like minstrels or bards)
Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for something (eg. whale-road=sea)
Kennings
• A kenning is a poetic renaming for a simpler, more concrete noun; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for
• Examples of modern day kenning: gas guzzler
Battle SUV = Old Car
KenningsCompound
WordsPrepositional
PhrasesPossessives
Sky-candle Whale-road Ring-giver Gold-ringed Battle dew Sea stallion
Wolf of wounds Winters of grief Shepard of evil Storm of swords Guardian of the people Path of the sea
Seabird’s bath Ocean’s face Heaven’s joy Arrow’s storm Water’s chain Battle’s torch
Warrior CodeComitatus: Germanic code of loyaltyThane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king
for whom they fought and whom they protected
Kings: generous, protected thanesReputation: thanes were expected to be
loyal, brave, courageous; kings were expected to be generous and hospitable
Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the family of a slain man to atone for his murder and to prevent the family from seeking revenge.
2 Types of Epics
1. Folk– Told out loud first (usually by scops)– Unknown author– Unknown dates– (E.g.—Beowulf is a folk epic because we don’t know
who wrote it) 2. Literary
– Known author– (E.g.– Paradise Lost, by John Milton is a literary
epic because we know who wrote it.)
Themes• Good vs. Evil• Forces of darkness—irrational
and menacing—are always at work in society
• Life is a continuing struggle• Actions speak louder than words• Judge the greatness of a human
by the greatness of his deeds and noble ancestry
• Help thy neighbor• To be loyal is to selflessly make
sacrifices for a loved one.