Thursday, January 22, 2015

British Literature Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 22)

Greetings!

We had a wonderful class today -- the beginning of many more great discussions about classic literature.

This week and next will we are working our way through Beowulf.  Each student brought 2 critical thinking, discussion questions to share with the class.  We wrote on the board one question from each student.  The bulk of the class time was spent working our way through that list.  The questions were great, and dealt with themes, character development, motivations, etc.  Here are some examples:
Why did Beowulf want to help them get rid of Grendel? 
Why did Hrothgar respect and welcome Beowulf?
Were the evil natures of Grendel and his mother different?
Why couldn't the other strong warriors or Hrothgar kill Grendel?
We discussed the themes of an heroic culture, vengeance, honor, giving gifts.  All in all, we did a lot of "unpacking" of this ancient rime.

Assignments for Next Week:
-- Finish Beowulf
-- Write 3 Discussion Questions

Links for this week:
Class Notes

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
 

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