1) Briefly describe your idea of a hero/heroine and their most important qualities. You may list the qualities. Include some examples of heroes or heroines with these qualities.
2) After viewing the video of Pat Soloman’s TED talk, the summary and the graphic organizer, write one paragraph answering these questions:
Beowulf
Read pages 28-44 of the Beowulf pdf. Then, answer these questions in a few sentences. Note: when you refer to the story’s title, make sure you italicize it as Beowulf, but when you refer to the character, you don’t. You may include brief quotations and line numbers in your answers.
1) While reading Beowulf, find examples of the Old English poetic techniques defined on page 28 and 30: stock epithets, kennings, and alliteration. Share ONE example of each technique that you find in Beowulf.
2) On page 33-34, we are introduced to the main conflict and to the character of Grendel, a monster. Analyze this conflict and the characters–what does it seem to really be about?
3) What kind of a king is Hrothgar? (pages 34-36: lines 44-109)
4) Read “Characteristics of an Epic” (pages 28-29) which points out that the epic hero possesses traits associated with his culture. What traits does Beowulf have that make him an epic hero? (see pages 36-39 lines 109-232)
5) How does Beowulf respond to the call to adventure? (read the materials on The Hero’s Journey to understand this aspect of the journey)
6) Pages 40-44 describe Beowulf’s battle with Grendel. What do we learn about Beowulf from this battle? How does he succeed in killing Grendel?
