docmadson.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web viewBeowulf: begins with a history of the Danish kings....

Brief Description:

Beowulf begins with a history of the Danish kings.

Hrothgar is the present king of the Danes (the people who live in Denmark). He builds a hall, called Heorot, to house his army (see picture in slideshow). The Danish soldiers gather under its

roof to celebrate and have fellowship with each other.

A monster, Grendel, who lives at the bottom of a nearby swamp, is awakened and disgusted by the singing of Hrothgar's men. He comes to the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in

their sleep. For the next twelve years Grendel stalks the hall called Heorot.

Beowulf, a Geat (a tribe that lived in what is now Sweden), hears about Hrothgar's troubles, gathers fourteen of the bravest Geat warriors, and sets sail to Denmark. The Geats are greeted by

the members of Hrothgar's court, and Beowulf tells the king of his previous successes as a warrior. During the banquet Unferth, a Danish soldier, doubts Beowulf's past accomplishments, and

Beowulf, accuses Unferth of being a brother-slayer. At this banquet Hrothgar promises Beowulf many riches and treasures if he can slay Grendel.

Grendel appears at the hall the same night Beowulf arrives at Heorot. Beowulf wrestles the monster barehanded. He tears off the monster's arm, but Grendel escapes. The monster dies soon afterward

at the bottom of his mere, or swamp. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with a great store of treasures. Another banquet is held for the warriors of both the Geats and the Danes.

Grendel's mother arrives at the hall when all the warriors are sleeping and kills Aeshere, Hrothgar's chief adviser and good friend. Beowulf, offers to dive to the bottom of the lake, find the monster's dwelling place, and avenge Aeshere's death. He and his men follow the monster's tracks

and they see Aeshere's bloody head floating on the surface of the lake.

During the battle Grendel's mother carries Beowulf to her underwater home. Beowulf kills the monster with a magical sword that he finds on the wall of her home. He also finds Grendel's dead body, cuts off the head, and returns to land. The Danish king delivers a sermon to Beowulf on the

dangers of pride and on the fleeting nature of fame and power. The Danes and Geats prepare a feast in celebration of the death of the monsters. Hrothgar presents Beowulf with treasures. The Geats

sail home.

For fifty years, Beowulf rules the Geats. There are few troubles in the land of the Geats, until one day a man sneaks into the cave where a great dragon lives and steals his treasure while he sleeps.

The dragon wakes, finds his gold missing, and begins attacking Beowulf’s people.

The great king takes up the sword one last time and slays the great monster, but not before being mortally wounded himself

For more information about Beowulf, visit these sites:http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/ or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

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Major Characters:

Beowulf - The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.

King Hrothgar - The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes.

Grendel - A demon, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot.

Grendel’s mother - An unnamed swamp-hag who lacks human qualities.

The dragon - An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure.

Other Danes:Shield Sheafson - The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended.

Beow - The second Danish king; son of Shield Sheafson and father of Halfdane.

Halfdane - The father of Hrothgar, Heorogar, Halga, and an unnamed daughter who married a king of the Swedes, Halfdane succeeded Beow as ruler of the Danes.

Wealhtheow - Hrothgar’s wife, the gracious queen of the Danes.

Unferth - A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.

Hrethric - Hrothgar’s oldest son, Beowulf becomes a wise counselor to him.

Aeschere - Hrothgar’s trusted adviser.

Other Geats:Hygelac - Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf back from Denmark.

Hygd - Hygelac’s wife, the young, beautiful, and intelligent queen of the Geats. Hygd is contrasted with Queen Modthryth.

Wiglaf - A young cousin to Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other warriors run away.

Ecgtheow - Beowulf’s father. Ecgtheow is dead by the time the story begins, but he lives on through the noble reputation that he made for himself during his life.

King Hrethel - The Geatish king who took care of Beowulf after the death of his father, Ecgtheow.

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Fast Facts:

FULL TITLE · Beowulf

AUTHOR · Unknown

TYPE OF WORK · Poem

GENRE · Alliterative verse; elegy; resembles heroic epic, though smaller in scope than most classical epics

LANGUAGE · Anglo-Saxon (also called Old English)

TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN · Estimates of the date of composition range between 700 and 1000 A.D.; written in England

DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION · The only manuscript in which Beowulf is preserved is thought to have been written around 1000 A.D.

PUBLISHER · The original poem exists only in manuscript form.

NARRATOR · A Christian narrator telling a story of pagan times

POINT OF VIEW · The narrator recounts the story in the third person, from a generally objective standpoint—detailing the action that occurs. The narrator does, however, have access to every character’s depths. We see into the minds of most of the characters (even Grendel) at one point or another, and the narrative also moves forward and backward in time with considerable freedom.

TONE · The poet is generally enthusiastic about Beowulf’s feats, but he often surrounds the events he narrates with a sense of doom.

TENSE · Past, but with digressions into the distant past and predictions of the future

SETTING (TIME) · The main action of the story is set around 500 A.D.; the narrative also recounts historical events that happened much earlier.

SETTING (PLACE) · Denmark and Geatland (a region in what is now southern Sweden)

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PROTAGONIST · Beowulf

MAJOR CONFLICT · The poem essentially consists of three parts. There are three central conflicts: Grendel’s domination of Heorot Hall; the vengeance of Grendel’s mother after Grendel is slain; and the rage of the dragon after a thief steals a treasure that it has been guarding. The poem’s overarching conflict is between close-knit warrior societies and the various menaces that threaten their boundaries.

RISING ACTION · Grendel’s attack on Heorot, Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel, and Grendel’s mother’s vengeful killing of Aeschere lead to the climactic encounter between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother.

CLIMAX · Beowulf’s encounter with Grendel’s mother constitutes the moment at which good and evil are in greatest tension.

FALLING ACTION · Beowulf’s glorious victory over Grendel’s mother leads King Hrothgar to praise him as a worthy hero and to advise him about becoming king. It also helps Beowulf to transform from a brazen warrior into a reliable king.

THEMES · The importance of establishing identity; tensions between the heroic code and other value systems; the difference between a good warrior and a good king

MOTIFS · Monsters; the oral tradition; the mead-hall

SYMBOLS · The golden torque; the banquet

FORESHADOWING · The funeral of Shield Sheafson, with which the poem opens, foreshadows Beowulf’s funeral at the poem’s end; the story of Sigemund told by the scop, or bard, foreshadows Beowulf’s fight with the dragon; the story of King Heremod foreshadows Beowulf’s eventual ascendancy to kingship.

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The Story’s Setting: (from Shmoop.com)

Where It All Goes Down5th or 6th-century Scandinavia

OK, follow us closely here, because this does actually get a little bit confusing.

Beowulf is an epic about a glorious past. But it's not just in "the past" now for us as 21st century readers. It was always set in the distant past. Beowulf was first told in Anglo-Saxon England sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, but it's not about that time and place. It's actually set several hundred years earlier, in the 5th or 6th century.

And it doesn't take place in England. Instead, the action happens in the land of the Danes (what is today the nation of Denmark) and the land of the Geats (what is today the nation of Sweden). So, if someone asks you what the setting of Beowulf is, you can tell them that it's 5th or 6th century Scandinavia. (Scandinavia is the part of Europe that includes Sweden and Denmark.)

So why did the late-medieval Anglo-Saxons tell stories about early-medieval Scandinavians?

Well, mostly because those Scandinavians were their ancestors. It's sort of like when 21st century Americans tell stories about Robin Hood back in Merry Old England. In each case, we look to a distant homeland where some of our ancestors came from and we tell a legend about the heroes in our past.

Another thing you may be wondering: what is 5th or 6th century Scandinavia like? Well, you'll get a definite feel for it as you read Beowulf, but if we had to sum it up in one word, we'd probably say "brutal."

Different tribes, such as the Geats, the Danes, and the Swedes, lived in constant warfare with one another. Kings were little more than local strong men who had a lot of treasure and some powerful warlords to back them up. Pretty much everyone could expect to die in battle, or in a raid from a neighboring tribe.

Blood-feuds between tribes and revenge killings were common. Boasting, or telling everyone about your prowess as a warrior, was an important part of heroic conduct – as was paying rewards to your followers with golden rings and armor.

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For the warriors in the highest circles of society, life was made up of feasts, drinking, boasting, bloody battles, the spoils of war, and an untimely death. If you were a peasant, it was even more brutal than that. But there aren't very many peasants in heroic epics like Beowulf.

The Genre: Epic Poetry

When you read Beowulf, unless you know Old English, you'll be reading it in translation, so you may not realize that it's actually a poem.

In fact, it's written in alliterative verse, which is the kind of poetry the Anglo-Saxons used. Alliterative verse uses, you guessed it, a lot of alliteration – often three or even four words that begin with the same sound in each line.

It also has a strong pause, or caesura, in the middle of the line, and two strong stressed syllables on either side of the caesura. (So that's four stresses per line.) That may all sound pretty complicated, but actually it creates a really simple, easy-to-remember formula with a heavy rhythm to it. We suggest you go check out an audio recording of Beowulf so that you can hear someone reciting a few lines in the original Old English.

It's basically a "Dum Dum (pause) Dum Dum" sort of rhythm.

Why did the Anglo-Saxons use this heavily accented meter?

Well, one persuasive theory is that most of their poetry was recited at feasts and other gatherings by bards who needed easy ways to remember it. This sing-songy rhythm made memorization easy – and it also made it easy to compose new poetry using established patterns.

Have you ever been listening to music on the radio and been able to complete the rhymes, even if you hadn't heard the song before, because they seemed obvious? That's because of the same kind of re-use of established patterns.

Of course, sometimes we call these clichés, too, because they aren't very original. Anglo-Saxon poetry wasn't about originality, though – it was about singing the praises of your hero!

Anyway, back to Beowulf. So Beowulf is a poem, but it's a very specific kind of poem – an epic.

Like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, or Virgil's Aeneid, or Dante's Inferno, Beowulf is a larger-than-life tale about heroic battles and journeys. It takes place over many years – a little more than fifty years, in fact – and describes entire family trees of kings and lords in three different tribes.

It deals with the deeds of man, but also with the plans of God and the relationship between God, man, and supernatural creatures. It travels between several different lands, sweeping across the sea, and even gestures at the wider context of all of Europe.

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It's also very long – more than 3,000 lines survive, and there may once have been more. All these characteristics work together to give it a broad scope and truly make it, not just a poem, but an epic poem.

Key Terms:

Mead - A fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast.

Mead-Hall

A structure built by an Anglo-Saxon lord as the social center for his immediate community, especially for his thanes and warriors. Since they were constructed primarily of wood, few survived. We know that they were filled with mead-benches, which were elaborately carved and decorated with gold.

ring and ring-giver

A principle form of currency was the gold arm ring or band, which had the advantage of being valuable, portable, and showy; Kings were most often called ring-givers

thaneA warrior who has sworn his loyalty to a lord in Anglo-Saxon society. In return for a gift of weaponry and provisions of food and drink at the mead-hall, the thane vows to fight for his lord and die in his service. He also takes by the task of avenging his lord's death.

To learn more words, go to: http://quizlet.com/2918045/beowulf-key-terms-flash-cards/

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BeowulfHistorical Context

Directions: As you listen to the lecture, take notes on the following:

Life in the Middle Ages:

Establishment of Christianity:

Anglo-Saxon Literature:

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Beowulf: What is Evil? Rollo Romig, What do we mean by “Evil”? The New Yorker July 25, 2012

Paraphrase each of the passages below:

1. In centuries past, “evil” was used to describe all manner of ills, from natural disasters to the impulse to do wrong. Today it’s used mostly to emphasize the gravity of a crime, trading on the term’s aura of religious finality. The meaning of “evil” has become increasingly unsettled even as it has narrowed, yet the word has proven to be an unshakable unit in our moral lexicon.

2. Calling something “evil…is a way of marking the fact that it shatters our trust in the world.” Evil is both harmful and inexplicable, but not just that; what defines an evil act is that it is permanently disorienting for all those touched by it.

3. The danger of a word like “evil” is that it is absolute…to play the “evil” card is to cut off all debate, and to say that any effort toward rehabilitation or reintegration wouldn’t be worth the risk or heartache. The mark of “evil” demands permanent banishment or death, and we call perpetrators “evil” to relieve the guilt we might feel in applying such sanctions.

4. “Evil” has become the word we apply to perpetrators who we’re both unable and unwilling to do anything to repair, and for whom all of our mechanisms of justice seem unequal: it describes the limits of what malevolence we’re able to bear. In the end, it’s a word that says more about the helplessness of the accuser than it does the transgressor.

What does evil mean to you? Write your own definition of the word and provide some examples from your own life, current events, or the passages above to support your thinking.

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Beowulf PrereadingPages 36-37

1. Summarize what is known about the Beowulf poet in 2-3 sentences.

2. In your own words (paraphrase) what is the definition of an epic?

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BeowulfOngoing Reading Assignments

Grendel(Pages 38-41)

Record two passages from this section and address one of the following in your analysis:1. Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2. What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?3. What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?

Passage Analysis

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Beowulf(Pages 42-45)

Record two passages from this section and address one of the following in your analysis:1. Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2. What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?3. What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?

Passage Analysis

The Battle with Grendel(Pages 46-50)

Record two passages from this section and address one of the following in your analysis:

1. Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2. What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?

3. What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?

Passage Analysis

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Grendel’s Mother(Pages 51-52)


1.Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2. What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?3. What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?

Passage Analysis

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The Battle with Grendel’s Mother(Pages 53-57)


1.Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2.What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?3.What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?Passage Analysis

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Beowulf’s Last Battle(Pages 58-61)


1.Who is the hero in this scene or moment and what role does this person play?2.What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from this section?3. What does this section reveal about the culture from which it came?

Passage Analysis

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The Death of Beowulf(Pages 62-65)



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Mourning Beowulf(Pages 66-67)



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Beowulf: Decoding Kenning

Throughout Beowulf, we keep encounter descriptions of characters that seem like riddles upon a first read. For example, in last night’s description of Beowulf and his men arriving at Hrothgar’s mead hall, Heorot, you came upon this description:

“So they duly arrived in their grim war-graith and gear at the hall, and, weary from the sea, stacked wide shields of the toughest hardwood against the wall, then collapsed on thebenches; battle-dress and weapons clashed. They collected their spears in a seafarers’ stook, a stand of greyish tapering ash. And the troops themselves were as good as their weapons.”

How did Beowulf’s men feel once they arrived at Heorot? Provide textual evidence to explain how you came to this conclusion.

When a metaphor stands in for the name or description of a person is called a kenning. Kenning is an Old English verb that means 'to know, recognize’. Kennings introduce descriptive color without distracting attention from the essential statement. Other examples from Beowulf include:

The Kenning Description What It Meanshelmet bearer warriorbattle light the reflection of light off of a swordswan road sea

Essentially, then, a kenning is a compact metaphor that functions as a name or an adjective that describes something.

A good way to get your brain thinking in terms of kennings is to study a few riddles. See if you can answer the following riddles.

What gets wet when drying?

A:

Brothers and sisters have I none but that man's father is my father's son.

A:

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A cloud was my mother, the wind is my father, my son is the cool stream, and my daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow is my bed, the earth my final resting place, and I'm the torment of man.A:

Now that your mind is getting acclimated to this type of thinking, let’s try something a little harder.

Old English Riddle

I saw a wonderful creature carrying

Light plunder between its horns. plunder = steal

Curved lamp of the air, cunningly formed, cunningly = formed with great skill

It fetched home its booty from the day's raid booty = valuable stolen goods

And plotted to build in its castle if it could

A night-chamber brightly adorned. chamber = private room; adorned = made beautiful

Then over the east wall came another creature

Well known to earth-dwellers. Wonderful as well,

It seized back its booty and sent the plunderer home

Like an unwilling wanderer. The wretch went west, wretch = unfortunate or unhappy

Moved morosely and murderously on. morosely = gloomy, bad tempered

Dust rose to the heavens, dew fell on earth-

Night moved on. Afterwards no one

In the world knew where the wanderer had gone.

What do you believe is happening in this short riddle?

What evidence do you have to support your answer?

What is your analysis of this poem? What does it tell you about the beliefs of the people who wrote it?

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Create your own kennings for each of the nouns below. Each kenning should make clear the meaning for the noun it stands for.

1. teacher

2. school

3. sleep

4. book

5. snow

6. beach

7. sneaker

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Homework: The BoastWe have read of the many exploits of Beowulf among the Danes, Geats, and Swedes. We know, too, that the Anglo-Saxons saw nothing wrong with letting the world know who they were, who their noble parents were, what great feats they had accomplished, and what they planned to do. This boasting was perfectly polite, even expected. Your assignment is to write a formal boast about yourself and perform it for the class. Tell us your deeds, who your daddy/mama are, what you plan to do, and how you're “not gonna take nothing from nobody.” Your accomplishments may be academic, athletic, musical, social, artistic, etc. Lay aside your humility!

◼ Your boast must show your understanding of Anglo-Saxon poetry by following the Anglo-Saxon poetic format:

◼ Four hard beats per line (like a rap)◼ No end-rhyme◼ Heavy alliteration◼ Further, include at least two examples of an original kenning.◼ Length: 10-20 lines

* Extra Points! Video record yourselves using your phone and email me the footage to show in class!

Monsters as AllegoryWhen is a story more than just a story? When it's an allegory. Sometimes authors deliberately tell their stories on two levels: a literal level and a figurative level. In an allegory, authors use their characters, setting and plot to entertain, while simultaneously delivering a moral, lesson or even a commentary on big concepts, like religion, and institutions, like the government. For example, a story about aliens who find themselves isolated and alone in a strange new world can be an allegory for what immigrants experience in a new country.

Lord of the Rings Summary

The future of civilization rests in the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries. Powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. But fate has placed it in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins, who inherits the Ring and steps into legend. A daunting task lies ahead for Frodo when he becomes the Ringbearer - to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.

Analyzing SmeagolAnswer the following questions after reviewing the film clips:

1.Describe Smeagol. What are his character traits? What does he want? What does he do?

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2.Describe Gollum. What are his character traits? What does he want? What does he do?

3.What is Smeagol/Gollum an allegory for? What lesson are we meant to learn from this story?

4.In what ways is he a reflection of our cultural fears?

Beowulf: Making Connections

“The Battle with Grendel” and “Grendel’s Mother”

Directions: Read the next two sections of the story and answer the following questions.

1. Describe Grendel. What are his character traits? What does he want? What does he do?

2. Describe Grendel’s Mother. What are her character traits? What does she want? What does she do?

3. What are Grendel and his Mother an allegory for? What lesson are we meant to learn from this story?

4. What does this story reveal about the culture from which it came?

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Beowulf TimelineDirections: Create a timeline of the events that have taken place so far.

You must include:1. What happened? (minimum of 5 events)2. Questions that arise from each event (minimum of 5 questions)3. Predictions/ Passage Cited for Evidence (You may use your own words for this part)

In addition, your timeline should include the following:a. Picture of the characters and major eventsb. If you were going to produce this as a movie what is one song you’d include? When

would you include it? Why would you include it? c. Write a newspaper headline for the Danes and for Grendel’s community. How would

each newspaper interpret the events that have transpired? d. What would be the trending tweets/hashtags? Write one trending tweet and one hashtag

under each of the events.

What Happened?

↓ ↓ Questions That Arise ↓ ↓

↓ ↓ Predictions/Passage Cited for Evidence ↓ ↓

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Beowulf Writing Assignment

Directions: After reading through “The Battle with Grendel’s Mother,” select ONE of the following and write a 2-3 paragraph response. Be prepared to discuss in class tomorrow.

1.What is the allegorical significance of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother in the bottom of a fen? Provide a close reading of the battle. Pay particular attention to the actions committed once underwater. How do these actions parallel earlier moments in the story? What do you predict will occur after reading this short section?

2.Choose one (or possibly two) pivotal scenes that focus on our protagonist, Beowulf. If Beowulf represents an ideal hero for people living in 10th century Scandinavia, what are the gender roles, ethics, and actions that might be most valued in that culture? What are the characteristics of the ideal man?

3.In mythological stories like Beowulf, monsters often represent cultural fears or beliefs. The monster is a metaphor for something else – an idea we will examine during this unit. Choose one of the monsters represented in Beowulf and discuss what this creature might represent.

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Beowulf: Presenting Your Argument

Today will be presenting the short argument you wrote for today as we engage in a group conversation. In preparation for our group conversation, take a few minutes and review what you wrote. Share it will your group and ask each other clarifying questions as we prepare.

In your own words (i.e. without looking at your paper), what is the argument of your short piece for today?

Read back over your homework. Does what you wrote here match what you wrote in your paper? If yes, then continue to the next question. If no, take a few minutes and write clarifying notes on your homework.

Write the line numbers for the evidence you will be using to support your argument:

Lines: Evidence:

Lines: Evidence:

Lines: Evidence:

Summarize the major points of your analysis in one or two sentences.

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English 12Beowulf Final Paper: Instructions

For your first formal paper of the year you will be asked to write a two-three page response to the following series of questions:

Who is the hero in this tale? why? or Who is the villain?

What is the allegorical lesson to be taken from the story? What does this story reveal about the culture from which it came?

Why is this story still read today? Can you connect the allegorical lesson to an event/issue in your life, community, or country?

In order to gain the skills needed to finished this assessment (write the paper), you will need to do three things:

Finish the assigned reading each night

Participate in class activities and discussions

Draft and write your ideas outside of class

We have spent time in class over the past three weeks working together to articulate claims, gather evidence, and develop strong, coherent analyses related to each of these questions.

During class we will share our ideas, work together to find passages for our arguments, and push each other as close readers. We will also spend some time revising and editing our work.

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Beowulf Final Paper: Rubric

ExceedsProficiency

4

Proficient3

Approaches Proficiency

2

Still Working Towards Proficiency

1Claim (Thesis)& Opening Paragraph(s)

Effectively introduces a strong, clear claim that can be answered in three pages; Outlines the argument; Captures the reader’s attention with an original and strong opening

Effectively introduces a clear claim that can be answered in three pages; Provides some outline for the argument; Opening captures the reader’s attention

Attempts to introduce a claim – the claim will likely not be answered in three pages; Provides little outline for the argument

Attempts to present a claim, but lacks clarity or specificity; Provides little or no outline

Evidence Draws on specific, targeted passages in the text to introduce important information needed to argue the claim; Information is all relevant and moves the argument forward

Draws on large passages in the text to introduces information – moments are not always clearly relate to the claim; Information is mostly relevant and attempts to move the argument forward

References to the text are vague – moments are somewhat related to the claim; Some information is relevant to the argument

Might use specific passages or summaries of passages, but introduces little or no information needed to understand the argument

Analysis Skillfully develops the claim; Strong analysis; Avoids unsupported assumptions; Audience can clearly identify the argument

Adequately develops the claim; Proficient analysis; Avoids most unsupported assumptions; Audience can mostly identify the argument

Partially develops the claim; Uses some analysis; Includes some unsupported assumptions; Audience cannot always identify the argument

Does not support the claim; Uses little or no analysis; Includes many unsupported assumptions and arguments; Difficult to identify the argument

Drafts and Revisions

Author includes all drafts and revisions with final paper; Clear evidence of thoughtfulness and effort

Author includes most drafts and revisions with final paper; Mostly includes evidence of thoughtfulness and effort

Author includes some drafts and revisions with final paper; Inconsistent evidence of thoughtfulness and effort

Author includes few to no drafts and revisions with final paper; Little evidence of thoughtfulness and effort

Metacognitive Reflections

Effectively synthesizes steps taken to produce claim / evidence / analysis; Clearly articulates choices made and strategies used when confronted with moments of confusion or writers block

Adequately synthesizes steps taken to produce claim / evidence / analysis; Mostly articulates choices made and strategies used when confronted with moments of confusion or writers block

Attempts to synthesize steps taken to produce claim / evidence / analysis; Only somewhat articulates choices made and strategies used when confronted with moments of confusion or writers block

Does not synthesize steps taken to produce claim / evidence / analysis; Is unable to articulate choices made and strategies used when confronted with moments of confusion or writers block

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College English 12Writing Your Final Beowulf Paper

Your paper will allow us to track how well your close reading skills have developed over the past few weeks. Pay attention to two things as you write your paper: 1) structure the paper using the claim-evidence-analysis model and 2) use close reading skills when analyzing evidence (inference, clarification, etc.).

Rewrite the task in your own words:

Brainstorm a few quick ideas that come to mind when you think of this question (moments in the text, possible arguments you might make, etc.):

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Step 1: Gather Evidence

Working alone, or with other people in your group, start creating a list of passages from Beowulf that might help answer your prompt. You will NOT use all of these passages. You are simply gathering textual evidence you might use in the paper.

Step 2: Thesis Development

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