Test Dates:
*NOTE: THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN EXAM DATES. SEE BELOW:
Period 7: Wednesday, December 2
Period 8: Thursday, December 3
Readings to Review:
Beowulf reading (Modern English version)
Beowulf : Historical Backgound
Beowulf: Appeal and Value
Beowulf: The Germanic Hero
Pagan & Christian Influence Sheet
Passages for close reading (scroll down for list)
Class notes on struggle, strength, and perseverance
Class notes on Introduction to Beowulf and Old English (listening notes)
Class notes on Heorot before, during, and after Beowulf’s battle with Grendel
Class notes on descriptions of Grendel
Passages for close reading and interpretation:
*You will be asked questions about these specific passages.
p. 3, paragraph 2, “Hrothgar decided…”
p. 3, right column, 2nd to last paragraph, “As the Geats…”
p. 5, right column, 3rd - 8th paragraph, “Beowulf sprang to his feet…” to “to celebrate Beowulf’s victory
p. 3, paragraphs 3 – 8, “Hrothgar and his noble warriors…” - …”no avenging death…”
p. 5, paragraph 8, “Grendel, the shadow walker…”
p. 4, paragraph 3 - 6, “Standing before Hrothgar…” – “…your purpose and plan”
p. 4, paragraph 3, “From the days of my youth…”
p. 6, paragraph 2 - 5, “Hrothgar gave Beowulf…” – “…woven for them…”
Vocabulary/Unit 4:
abscond (p 7 only)
access (p 7 only)
anarchy
arduous
auspicious
biased
daunt
disentangle
root –auto-
root –bio-
root –chron-
root –cosmo-
Vocabulary / Beowulf & Old English:
epic
manuscript
contemporary
religious
secular
unique
pagan
dialect
solidarity
fellowship
unity
unalterable fate
wyrd (Old English word)
hapax legoma
thane
lord
aristocratic
retributive justice
wergild (Old English word)
feud
faith
mead-house / mead-hall
gable
hero
Characters, Settings, Weaponry:
*Be able to describe each in a sentence or two.
Hrothgar
Unferth
Grendel
Beowulf
Hygelac
Breca
Wiglaf
Wyrd
Grendel
Grendel’s mother
Fire-Dragon
Spear-Danes
Storm-Geats
Geatland
Heorot
Cain
Wulfgar
warrior who hides the gold in the stone wall
slave who discovers hidden gold
slave’s master
Naegling
giant-sword
Hrunting
iron shield
Literary Elements:
epic
theme
setting
action
symbol
synecdoche (p 8 only)
Short-Answer Questions:
You must explain your responses in 2-5 sentences to earn points.
1) Why does the Beowulf epic contain both pagan tradition and obvious Christian influence?
2) Provide specific examples of pagan influences in the epic.
3) Provide specific examples of Christian influences in the epic.
4) What inferences have scholars made about the poet’s identity? How have scholars come to these conclusions?
5) Provide specific examples from the epic to support the following attributes of a hero.
a) hero must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring
b) hero must accept the inevitability of death
c) hero takes pride in himself and his accomplishments
d) hero chooses to reject despair
d) hero values human relationships
6) What do the following characters/settings symbolize?
a) Beowulf
b) Grendel
c) Heorot
7) How do the setting changes of Heorot and the battle between Grendel and Beowulf develop a theme of human struggle, strength, and perseverance?
8) What other themes are conveyed through the symbolic representations of Beowulf, Grendel, and Heorot? Discuss 3 separate themes and how those themes are conveyed. (Some starting points include: loyalty, pride, honor, courage, jealousy/envy, experience)
Test Format:
Multiple-Choice
Character Descriptions
Short-Answer
Matching
Quote Identifications
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Beowulf
Put the sound up on your computer and check out these links:
To hear a sample of Old English go to: :
To hear the poem in translation visit: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/noa/audio.htm
To see artwork, google the title and go to images. There are thousands of illustrations, paintings, drawings, ect.
HW:
p7: Read The Wife's Lament and The Wanderer. Write one full page about what you've read. Think of it as a journal entry.
p8: Finish reading the Beowulf passage and then anser the focus questions. Then read The Wife's Lament and The Wanderer
To hear a sample of Old English go to: :
To hear the poem in translation visit: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/noa/audio.htm
To see artwork, google the title and go to images. There are thousands of illustrations, paintings, drawings, ect.
HW:
p7: Read The Wife's Lament and The Wanderer. Write one full page about what you've read. Think of it as a journal entry.
p8: Finish reading the Beowulf passage and then anser the focus questions. Then read The Wife's Lament and The Wanderer
Sunday, November 8, 2009
November Vocabulary Due Dates and Test Dates
Monday/Tuesday 11/16 & 11/17 -Vocabulary Cumulative Review PACKET (Units 1-3)
Wednesday/Thursday 11/18 & 11/19- Vocabulary TEST Units 1-3
Monday 11/23 –Vocabulary Unit 4 PACKET and STUDY CARDS
Wednesday 11/25 –Vocabulary Unit 4 TEST
Monday/Tuesday 11/30 & 12/1- Vocabulary Unit 5 PACKET and STUDY CARDS
Wednesday/Thursday 11/18 & 11/19- Vocabulary TEST Units 1-3
Monday 11/23 –Vocabulary Unit 4 PACKET and STUDY CARDS
Wednesday 11/25 –Vocabulary Unit 4 TEST
Monday/Tuesday 11/30 & 12/1- Vocabulary Unit 5 PACKET and STUDY CARDS
Monday, November 2, 2009
OEDIPUS GAME QUESTIONS!!!
Questions 1-30 are due Wednesday. You do not need to write in complete sentences or write in paragraph form. However, you MUST number the questions.
1. Which group of words and phrases best matches Sophocles’ Oedipus?
a. Greek Mythology, mystery, tragic hero, faith, swollen foot
b. Greek Mythology, drama, hamartia, fate, swollen foot
c. Roman Mythology, irony, tragedy, faith, Sophocles, daughter
d. Roman Mythology, foreshadowing, hamartia, fate, swollen foot
2. What does Oedipus’ name mean?
3. Who named Oedipus and why did they name him that?
4. Name 4 different abstract ideas presented in the text. You can not use words that are synonymous with one another.
(Abstract ideas will never be adjectives like blind, tragic, proud)
5. What does the chorus beg Oedipus to do in the exposition?
6. Describe (in as best detail as you can, the part of the plot that we would consider to be the climax, or turning point of the play.
7. Where does the Oracle live, and which of the Greek gods does he represent?
8. Thematic statements present abstract ideas like Truth, Knowledge, Trust, and Justice combined with what aspects of humanity?
9. What warning did King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes try to prevent, and who warned them?
10. What instructions did Laius give the shepherd whom he gave to Oedipus and what did he do first?
11. What did the pitying shepherd actually do with Oedipus?
12. What does the herdsman do with Oedipus after he takes him from the shepherd who was supposed to leave him to die?
13. Which city does Oedipus grow up as prince of?
14. Why does Oedipus travel from Corinth to Delphi in the first place?
15. At Delphi, what two horrifying prophecies does the oracle predict for Oedipus?
16. How does Oedipus determine to avoid his terrible destiny?
17. In your own words, why does Oedipus decide never to return home to Corinth?
18. The parts of the plot when Oedipus completely believes his parents to be the king and queen of Corinth is best described by which two parts of the plot?
19. Why does Oedipus kill the man in the chariot near Thebes?
20. Who is the old man in the chariot that Oedipus kills?
21. Work out the following metaphor: Oedipus kills Laius at a crossroads.
22. What kind of creature does Oedipus meet outside Thebes?
23. What riddle does the monstrous Sphinx ask Oedipus?
24. What is the right answer to the riddle the Sphinx asks, and how is that the answer?
25. Explain two ways the situation with the riddle of the Sphinx is ironic.
26. Explain how the answer to the riddle presents an instance of foreshadowing.
27. How do the Theban people react to Oedipus’ solving of the Sphinx’s riddle?
28. Why was the city of Thebes “kingless”?
29. On what group of people do the citizens of Thebes blame the murder of King Laius?
30. Who does Oedipus marry?
31. What is the literary element used that causes tension and positions the audience as omniscient?
32. What is the literary purpose for using Dramatic Irony?
33. Provide 2 examples of fate as presented in Oedipus.
34. Provide 2 more examples of fate as presented in Oedipus
35. What is Creon’s relation to Jocasta?
36. What is Creon’s blood relation to Oedipus? What does Oedipus think his relation to Creon is?
37. Provide one example of dramatic irony as presented in the play.
38. Explain how Tieriesias’ character is “double ironic.”
39. Why does Tiresias come to Thebes in the first place?
40. How does Jocasta brush off the idea of prophecies being true?
41. Why does Oedipus become distressed when he hears the prophet Jocasta received so many years ago?
Oedipus becomes distressed because he remembers killing a man who resembled Laius at a crossroads.
42. What important information does Jocasta reveal to Oedipus that leads him to the realization that he might be the murderer of Laius?
43. Why does Oedipus send for a shepherd during the falling action?
44. What bit of information do Oedipus and Jocasta receive from a messenger that causes them to rejoice?
45. After the death of Polybus, king of Corinth, Oedipus feels a little bit more safe because the oracle’s first prophecy can not possibly come true (or so he thinks). What is his new concern?
46. The messenger, overhearing Oedipus’ concerns about marrying Merope, offers some information that he thought would bring even more rejoicing for Oedipus. What news was that, and for what two reasons did he think Oedipus and Jocasta would rejoice at this?
47. What’s up with all the double identities in this play (shepherd, herdsman, witness / king, murderer / brother-in-law, uncle, new king)? What is one theme of identity explored in this text?
48 After Oedipus learns from the messenger that Polybus has died and that Polybus and Merope are not his real parents, he determines to track down the shepherd referred to by the messenger. What are the “truths” of Oedipus’ birth that he wants to hear from the shepherd?
49. Why does Jocasta run out of the palace in grief? What does she do next?
50. The shepherd refuses to speak at first, when he arrives at Thebes. How does Oedipus get him to talk?
51. With what does Oedipus rake out his eyes?
52. Explain how this is a metaphor: Oedipus blinds himself. (Hint: why doesn’t he hang himself or stab himself?)
53. Who takes over Thebes during the resolution?
54. What is Oedipus waiting for at the end of the play?
SHORT RESPONSE QUESTIONS
1. How does dramatic irony create tension in the play? Support your response with specific textual evidence (as specific as you can get without the words in front of you!!)
2. List examples of how Oedipus fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.
3. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus as having excessive pride, or hubris?
4. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus’ myth as one of a tragedy of fate? In this case, one might argue that Oedipus is blameless.
5. What do you understand to be the major conflict in the play? In other words, what do you see all of the other conflicts amounting to? (*Discuss only the MAJOR conflict, as you INTERPRET it.)
1. Which group of words and phrases best matches Sophocles’ Oedipus?
a. Greek Mythology, mystery, tragic hero, faith, swollen foot
b. Greek Mythology, drama, hamartia, fate, swollen foot
c. Roman Mythology, irony, tragedy, faith, Sophocles, daughter
d. Roman Mythology, foreshadowing, hamartia, fate, swollen foot
2. What does Oedipus’ name mean?
3. Who named Oedipus and why did they name him that?
4. Name 4 different abstract ideas presented in the text. You can not use words that are synonymous with one another.
(Abstract ideas will never be adjectives like blind, tragic, proud)
5. What does the chorus beg Oedipus to do in the exposition?
6. Describe (in as best detail as you can, the part of the plot that we would consider to be the climax, or turning point of the play.
7. Where does the Oracle live, and which of the Greek gods does he represent?
8. Thematic statements present abstract ideas like Truth, Knowledge, Trust, and Justice combined with what aspects of humanity?
9. What warning did King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes try to prevent, and who warned them?
10. What instructions did Laius give the shepherd whom he gave to Oedipus and what did he do first?
11. What did the pitying shepherd actually do with Oedipus?
12. What does the herdsman do with Oedipus after he takes him from the shepherd who was supposed to leave him to die?
13. Which city does Oedipus grow up as prince of?
14. Why does Oedipus travel from Corinth to Delphi in the first place?
15. At Delphi, what two horrifying prophecies does the oracle predict for Oedipus?
16. How does Oedipus determine to avoid his terrible destiny?
17. In your own words, why does Oedipus decide never to return home to Corinth?
18. The parts of the plot when Oedipus completely believes his parents to be the king and queen of Corinth is best described by which two parts of the plot?
19. Why does Oedipus kill the man in the chariot near Thebes?
20. Who is the old man in the chariot that Oedipus kills?
21. Work out the following metaphor: Oedipus kills Laius at a crossroads.
22. What kind of creature does Oedipus meet outside Thebes?
23. What riddle does the monstrous Sphinx ask Oedipus?
24. What is the right answer to the riddle the Sphinx asks, and how is that the answer?
25. Explain two ways the situation with the riddle of the Sphinx is ironic.
26. Explain how the answer to the riddle presents an instance of foreshadowing.
27. How do the Theban people react to Oedipus’ solving of the Sphinx’s riddle?
28. Why was the city of Thebes “kingless”?
29. On what group of people do the citizens of Thebes blame the murder of King Laius?
30. Who does Oedipus marry?
31. What is the literary element used that causes tension and positions the audience as omniscient?
32. What is the literary purpose for using Dramatic Irony?
33. Provide 2 examples of fate as presented in Oedipus.
34. Provide 2 more examples of fate as presented in Oedipus
35. What is Creon’s relation to Jocasta?
36. What is Creon’s blood relation to Oedipus? What does Oedipus think his relation to Creon is?
37. Provide one example of dramatic irony as presented in the play.
38. Explain how Tieriesias’ character is “double ironic.”
39. Why does Tiresias come to Thebes in the first place?
40. How does Jocasta brush off the idea of prophecies being true?
41. Why does Oedipus become distressed when he hears the prophet Jocasta received so many years ago?
Oedipus becomes distressed because he remembers killing a man who resembled Laius at a crossroads.
42. What important information does Jocasta reveal to Oedipus that leads him to the realization that he might be the murderer of Laius?
43. Why does Oedipus send for a shepherd during the falling action?
44. What bit of information do Oedipus and Jocasta receive from a messenger that causes them to rejoice?
45. After the death of Polybus, king of Corinth, Oedipus feels a little bit more safe because the oracle’s first prophecy can not possibly come true (or so he thinks). What is his new concern?
46. The messenger, overhearing Oedipus’ concerns about marrying Merope, offers some information that he thought would bring even more rejoicing for Oedipus. What news was that, and for what two reasons did he think Oedipus and Jocasta would rejoice at this?
47. What’s up with all the double identities in this play (shepherd, herdsman, witness / king, murderer / brother-in-law, uncle, new king)? What is one theme of identity explored in this text?
48 After Oedipus learns from the messenger that Polybus has died and that Polybus and Merope are not his real parents, he determines to track down the shepherd referred to by the messenger. What are the “truths” of Oedipus’ birth that he wants to hear from the shepherd?
49. Why does Jocasta run out of the palace in grief? What does she do next?
50. The shepherd refuses to speak at first, when he arrives at Thebes. How does Oedipus get him to talk?
51. With what does Oedipus rake out his eyes?
52. Explain how this is a metaphor: Oedipus blinds himself. (Hint: why doesn’t he hang himself or stab himself?)
53. Who takes over Thebes during the resolution?
54. What is Oedipus waiting for at the end of the play?
SHORT RESPONSE QUESTIONS
1. How does dramatic irony create tension in the play? Support your response with specific textual evidence (as specific as you can get without the words in front of you!!)
2. List examples of how Oedipus fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.
3. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus as having excessive pride, or hubris?
4. At what points in the play can we interpret Oedipus’ myth as one of a tragedy of fate? In this case, one might argue that Oedipus is blameless.
5. What do you understand to be the major conflict in the play? In other words, what do you see all of the other conflicts amounting to? (*Discuss only the MAJOR conflict, as you INTERPRET it.)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Thematic Essay
Dear Students,
I have been recieving lots of emails asking whether the Oedipus essay is still due tomorrow. As I said in class (and wrote on the board for you to read during the days I was absent), yes, the essay is still due tomorrow.
I will collect all work (brainstorms, freewrites, prewrites, ect.) associated with the essay. Your final draft should be stapled to the top of this packet.
You will get your essays back with my comments as soon as I can finish grading them. At that point, you will have an opportunity to rewrite. Despite this fact, you must treat the draft you submit tomorrow as if it were your final final draft.
See you tomorrow!
Ms. Walsh
I have been recieving lots of emails asking whether the Oedipus essay is still due tomorrow. As I said in class (and wrote on the board for you to read during the days I was absent), yes, the essay is still due tomorrow.
I will collect all work (brainstorms, freewrites, prewrites, ect.) associated with the essay. Your final draft should be stapled to the top of this packet.
You will get your essays back with my comments as soon as I can finish grading them. At that point, you will have an opportunity to rewrite. Despite this fact, you must treat the draft you submit tomorrow as if it were your final final draft.
See you tomorrow!
Ms. Walsh
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