We had a good class this week with some thoughtful discussions about our current piece of literature, Beowulf. This one of the longest epic poem in Old English, which was the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest. For a long time, it was a forgotten piece of literature until J. R. R. Tolkien composed a fresh translation from the Old English and began teaching it in his classes.
The version we are reading is a prose translation, as opposed to a strictly poetic presentation. Much of the imagery and wording are maintained. For example, the kennings, the hyphenated, compound nouns are used for their poetic sense throughout the book. Another literary, verbal technique that is repeated is the use of appositives. An appositive is a phrase that restates or renames a preceding noun. This can make the content a little confusing if you are not sure if the writer is referring to a previously mentioned person or bringing in a new person.
We talked about some of the aspects of this selection that make it hard reading. The appositives were one. Another is the simple fact that the names and places are unfamiliar. If common American history was the topic, we would all be acquainted with the names and places. Finally, the story is not always told in a straightforward manner. Sometimes it cycles to a back story, and in one part, a bard tells a story of another warrior as part of a celebration that seems out of place. Even with these challenges, the students had some good insights and observations regarding the themes of Beowulf.
We ended class with two short Youtube videos that must have been done as class projects for an English class. One was done with Legos; the other was a claymation video.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Finish Beowulf
-- Bring to class 3 discussion questions.
Links for this week:
Have a great week!
Mrs. Prichard
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