E4/WR115: All The Beowulf Stuff

Clips from The Clash of the Gods: Beowulf

• How trustworthy is this as a “documentary”? Support and explain.
• Why might this not be considered a traditional documentary? Support and explain.
• What historical truths did you learn about Beowulf? Support and explain.
• What expectations do you nw have in regards to reading it? Support and explain.
• What are the key qualities needed in a hero of the Middle Ages? Use the “Frame of Reference” packet, support, and explain.
• What can you tell about the story based on these clips? Support and explain.
• What purpose do monsters serve? Define the term monster, support, and explain.
• How is Beowulf a myth? A fairy tale? A legend? Support and explain.

Beowulf versus Grendel

• 86-114: How does the creation story fit with other creation stories you have heard? What purpose does it serve? Support and explain.
• What was the religious result of the “12 years of terror” inflicted by Grendel? Support and explain.
• What “omens” would the Geats have used to cause them to encourage Beowulf to help Hrothgar and the Danes? Support and explain.
• 587-594: What has Unferth done that would cause Beowulf to never respect him? Support and explain.
• Why would a “good king” like Hrothgar have someone like Unferth at his side? Support and explain.
• 677-682: Why does Beowulf choose to go “mano a mano”? Support and explain.
• What was the best section of imagery in the first part of the book? Support and explain.
• 797-804: How do Grendel’s enchantments and spells get circumvented? Did Beowulf already know about them before he made his decision? Support and explain.
• What other pieces of literature or stories have a hero circumventing prophecies or protections that make a monster “unkillable”? Support and explain.
• What purpose do the stories of other kings and heroes serve in this section? Support and explain.

Beowulf versus Grendel’s Mother

• Provide a brief synopsis (chain of events)
• Provide a brief summary (What was this section about? What was its message?)
• Who or what was important in this section? Support and explain.
• What changed? Support and explain.
• How well constructed is the story? Support and explain.
• What other pieces of literature does this section remind you of? Support and explain.
• What other classes reflect the key ideas at play in this section? Support and explain.

Beowulf versus The Dragon

• What evidence is there that Tolkien (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) borrowed ideas from Beowulf? Support and explain.
• Why does the text drift from the dragon to Beowulf helping the Swedes? Support and explain.
• Why did Beowulf help the Swedes? Support and explain.
• 2625-2628/2694-2687: What do these lines tell us about Wiglaf? Why is this important information? Support and explain.
• 2681-2682/2686-2687: How does this information change your understanding of Beowulf’s choices during his battle with Grendel? Support and explain.
• How can the events in the third part of Beowulf be connected to the legends of King Arthur? Support and explain.

H4/WR121: Le Morte d'Arthur

Discussion Questions for tomorrow

• In what ways does Malory showcase the corruption of the wealthy? How does this connect with modern entertainment?
• Why does modern entertainment seem to be pulled between the "reality of human weakness" and the "fantasy of the hero who overcomes obvious monsters"?
• What direction should movies/book/tv shows go? Fantasy? Reality? Action? Why? What should they reveal about our society/our hopes/our fears?

Essay Topics (must also connect to a piece of literature written or produced in the last 500 years)

• "Seed the wind and reap the whirlwind" is an ancient proverb—how does Arthur's story illustrate this message?
• "May you get your heart's desire" is an ancient curse—how do Arthur, Lancelot, Guinivere, Morgan, and/or Mordred illustrate this message?
• Who did Malory see as monsters? How is that shown in his version of King Arthur's Legend?

WR121: Discussion Questions for LMd'A

Le Morte d'Arthur—for tomorrow's class answer the following questions

• What are the actual qualities a good knight should exhibit?
• Who is the most reprehensible character in Arthur's court? Explain.
• Which television show from the last ten years best exemplifies Le Morte d'Arthur? Explain. [don't go for the obvious and wrong answer of Merlin]
• Which "hero" from books/television/movies in the last ten years exemplifies the qualities of a "good" knight? Explain.

There was also a vocab quiz today–objective/subjective, humanism, rhetoric, ethos/logos/pathos, fallacy, and bias

WR115: The Kalevala

• Rune 25: Ilmarinen and his Bride arrive in the Kalevala (home of the heroes) to a huge welcoming party. The purpose of this section is to remind everyone of Ilmarinen’s seven-year saga to land a wife.

• Runes 26-27: Lemminkainen finds out that Ilmarinen has already gotten married and take noff, so Lemminkainen decides to go to Pohyola (the north lands) to stir up trouble amongst the people still partying; his mother warns him not to and consequences are had. This section is letting the reader know what kind of special dip wad Lemminkainen is and how being stupid doesn’t mean being weak or powerless. 
• What are Lemminkainen’s other names? Why does he have so many? Support and explain.
• Is Lemminkainen going to Kalevala or Pohyola? Why is he going? How do you know?
• What are the warnings (there are six-ish) that lemminkainen’s mother gives him? Why does he ignore her? Support and explain.
• Is Lemminkainen expecting to have a party or a battle? Support and explain.
• How does Lemminkainen get past the eagle? The ravine? The bear and the wolf? Support and explain.
• What’s the deal with the demon-serpents? How does Lemminkainen get past them? Support and explain.
• What is the singular purpose of Lemminkainen’s speech when he arrives in Pohyola? Support and explain.
• Why does Lemminkainen get upset? What does The Hostess of Sariola (first town of Pohyola) do? Support and explain.
• Why does Lemminkainen curse everyone at the part? Support and explain.
• Who does Lemminkainen fight with? How do you know? Support and explain.
• How does Lemminkainen win? Support and explain.
• What’s next for Lemminkainen? Support and explain.
• What does Sariola’s Hostess do after her husband’s death? Support and explain.

• Rune 28-30: Lemminkainen faces enemies from Pohyola and at home ; his mother sends him to the Isle of Refuge, but he must flee after pissing of the local men—at home things are worse: home is gone, mom is hiding out, and he can’t even get revenge thanks to Louhi freezing the seas (and boats). This message seems pretty clear: seed the wind, reap the whirlwind.
• After not listening to his mother and starting a war, why does Lemminkainen now take her advice?
• Where does he go? How does it work out for him?
• Why does Lemminkainen leave the Isle of Refeuge? 
• What does he find when he returns home? Who is actually to blame?
• Who stops Lemminkainen’s revenge trip? Why and how?
• Why does this section end on a happy note? Is it deserved?

• Rune 39-43 of The Kalevala and answer the following questions, and come up with five of their own questions (with answers) or write a summary (what was it about? what was the message?) for each Rune.
• What is each section about? What is the message of each section?
• How do Lemminkainen, Vainamoinen, and Ilmarinen come together? Whose idea is it for them to steal the Sampo? Why steal the Sampo?
• What does the Sampo do for the people who own it? What will its loss do to the Northlands?
• What magical properties would a dead fish (Pike) give Vianamoinen’s instrument? What does it do? Is its loss to the ocean a real loss? Explain.
• What are Louhi’s four most interesting “obstacles” to the brothers’ escape with the Sampo?

• What message does this epic ultimately send when Finland wins and Louhi’s people lose everything? Explain.

WR121: Le Morte d'Arthur

The Tale of King Arthur: Merlin 

• Write a two-sentence summary (what happened? what was the message) 
• What knightly virtue is supposed to be shown in this section? How is it subverted? Support and explain. 
• How does this section connect to the Judeo-Christian story of Moses or Jesus? Support and explain.
• Is Merlin a figure of good or evil? Who would he represent in this? Support and explain. 
• Which figure is supposed to represent Henry the VI? Support and explain. 
• How much influence did The War of the Roses have? Support and explain.

The Tale of King Arthur: Balin 

• Summary (what was it about? what was the message?)

The Tale of King Arthur: Torre and Pellinore 

• Summary (what was it about? what’s the message?)

The Tale of King Arthur: The War with Five Kings 

• Summary (what was it about? what’s the message?)

The Tale of King Arthur: Gawain, Uwayne, and Marhaus

• Summary (what was it about? what’s the message?)

The Tale of King Arthur: Overview

• Write a paragraph connecting one of the characters or key events from “The Tale of King Arthur” to another piece of literature.
• What is Malory saying about people, government and society? Support and explain.

“The Tale of King Arthur and Emperor Lucius”

• Write a summary statement (what was it about? what was the message?)
• What is Malory saying about people, government and society? Support and explain.
• Write a paragraph connecting one of the characters or key events from this section to another class, another piece of literature, or a current event.

“The Tale of Sir Lancelot du Lake”

• Write a summary statement (what was it about? what was the message?)
• What is Malory saying about people, government and society? Support and explain.
• Write a paragraph connecting one of the characters or key events from this section to another class, another piece of literature, or a current event.

“The Tale of Sir Gareth”

• Write a summary statement (what was it about? what was the message?)
• What is Malory saying about people, government and society? Support and explain.
• Write a paragraph connecting one of the characters or key events from this section to another class, another piece of literature, or a current event.

WR121: Beowulf

Beowulf vs. Grendel

• Summary: main idea and theme
• Synopsis: what's happened so far?
• 86-114: How does the creation story fit with other creation stories you have heard? Support and explain.
• What was the religious result of the "12 years of terror" inflicted by Grendel? Support and explain.
• What "omens" would the Geats have used to cause them to encourage Beowulf to help Hrothgar and the Danes? Support and explain.
• 587-594: What has Unferth done that would cause Beowulf to never respect him? Support and explain.
• Why would a "good king" like Hrothgar have someone like Unferth at his side? Support and explain.
• What happened? Why does it matter?
• 677-682: Why does Beowulf choose to go "mano a mano"? Support and explain.
• What was the best section of descriptive writing (imagery) in the first part of the book? Support and explain.
• 797-804: How do Grendel's enchantments and spells get circumvented? Did Beowulf already know about them before he made his decision? Support and explain.
• What other pieces of literature or stories have a hero circumventing the prophecies or protections that make a monster unkillable? Support and explain. 
• What purpose do the stories of others kings and heroes serve? Support and explain.

Beowulf versus Grendel’s Mother

• Provide a brief synopsis (chain of events)
• Provide a brief summary (What was this section about? What was its message?)
• Who or what was important in this section? Support and explain.
• What changed? Support and explain.
• How well constructed is the story? Support and explain.
• What other pieces of literature does this section remind you of? Support and explain.
• What other classes reflect the key ideas at play in this section? Support and explain.

Beowulf versus The Dragon

• What evidence is there that Tolkien (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) borrowed ideas from Beowulf? Support and explain.
• Why does the text drift from the dragon to Beowulf helping the Swedes? Support and explain.
• Why did Beowulf help the Swedes? Support and explain.
• 2625-2628/2694-2687: What do these lines tell us about Wiglaf? Why is this important information? Support and explain.
• 2681-2682/2686-2687: How does this information change your understanding of Beowulf’s choices during his battle with Grendel? Support and explain.
• How can the events in the third part of Beowulf be connected to the legends of King Arthur? Support and explain.

WR121: Clash of the Gods: Beowulf

Answer the questions thoroughly and to the best of your ability in complete paragraphs.

• How trustworthy is this “documentary”? Back it up and explain.
• Why might this not be considered a traditional documentary? Back it up and explain.
• What historical truths did you learn about Beowulf? Back it up and explain.
• What expectations do you have now in regards to reading it? Back it up and explain.
• What are the key qualities needed in a hero of the Middle Ages? Back it up and explain.
• What can you tell about the story based on this film? Back it up and explain.
• What purpose do monsters serve? Define the term monster, back it up, and explain.
• How is Beowulf a myth? How is it a fairy tale? Back it up and explain.

• Compare the introduction from the Signet Classics Beowulf to the information presented in Clash of the Gods: Beowulf. 
• What do you now know? Back up and explain.
• What are you expecting? Back up and explain.

For the seniors who requested it...c

This is a breakdown of the important figures in The Iliad and The Odyssey

Helen

• Leda, Queen of Sparta, was seduced by Zeus on the same night she and her husband, King Tyndareus enjoy being married. Four children were conceived (myths differ on who were Zeus' and who were Tyndareus')
• Helen was forced to marry Menelaus—he got Sparta (which was supposed to be ruled by the sisters) and she got continually used by the gods.
• Clytamestra was forced to marry Agamemnon, move to Mycenaea, and watch her eldest be sacrificed for wind. After successfully avenging Iphigenia, she was in turned killed by her two remaining children.

Paris 

• While Queen Hecuba (of Troy) was pregnant with twins, everyone with a little bit of psychic powers freaked out that her son would run through the streets with a firebrand and burn the city to the ground.
• Priam sent the infant Paris to Mount Ida, so he wouldn't live it Troy and thus destroy it.
• Paris became the plaything of the gods and, as a reward, he was given Helen of Sparta who he stole while on a goodwill mission with his older brother, Hector, after discovering he was a Prince of Troy. 
• Paris resented being left out of the family, had a huge complex about being good enough (he wasn't), and resented his twin sister.

Cassandra

• While Queen Hecuba (of Troy) was pregnant with twins, everyone with a little bit of psychic powers freaked out that her son would run through the streets with a firebrand and burn the city to the ground.
• Priam sent the infant Paris to Mount Ida, so he wouldn't live it Troy and thus destroy it. However, he kept Cassandra.
• Cassandra became a virgin priestess of Apollo which meant that she had a share in her family's wealth, and a great education at the temple. 
• She took her virgin-priestess status seriously and threatened a local priest who tried to rape her. Then Apollo tried to seduce her, she resisted him too. As punishment, she would always see the exact repercussions of every choice—if she ever tried to share that information, she would be mocked and disbelieved 
• There are two stories about her end: a) as a sex-slave to Agamemnon she got pregnant and was killed by Clytamestra; b) she escaped the slaughter of Agamemnon by claiming to be the only parent of the child and was freed, with gifts, by Clytamestra.

Agamemnon

• The King of Mycenaea was a hard, cruel man. He wanted Helen for himself, but gave her to his brother, Menelaus, as a way of tying all the major Greek kings and heroes to him. He knew if he waited long enough he'd have the chance to destroy Troy.
• After Paris snagged Helen, Agamemnon called in all his favors and put together a huge army intent on crushing Troy. Unfortunately, the winds did not seem to favor the army. Agamemnon called his oldest daughter, a priestess, to his ship to perform a ritual. Instead of having her perform the ritual, he had her seized and killed as a sacrifice for the wind. It worked...
• The entire Greek army spent ten years battling back and forth with Troy. It is only after they capture two priestesses (Chryseis and Briseis) that things began to move forward.... 
• Achilles
• The greatest hero of the Greeks was a total momma's boy with too much natural power and not enough purpose or personality. After Chryseis was ransomed by her father, Briseis was taken from Achilles by Agamemnon.
• In retaliation, Agamemnon refused to go into battle. Rather than watch things fall further apart, Patroclus (Achilles' bestie) put on the heroic armor and led the men into battle.
• Patroclus died and the Trojans felt so bad that they stopped the war to throw him a huge funeral...
• Eventually, a pissed of priest/priestess/Apollo fired a diseased arrow into his heel, causing his death.

Hector 

• The future King of Troy was a warrior, a scholar, and good brother, a good husband, and a good friend. He was beloved and trusted by those inside and outside the city of Troy
• In battle, Hector went after Achilles and fought him hard. Only after killing Achilles, did Hector discover Patroclus in the armor. It was due to him that the war stopped long enough for a days long feast and series of games in Patroclus' honor.was over, Achilles went after Hector. Upon killing Hector, Achilles desecrated the body, then tied it to the back of his chariot so he could drag it around the city every day.
• Eventually King Priam, Queen Hecuba, and their children (including in-laws) arrived in sackcloth and ashes begging for Hector's body back. Only at Agamemnon's insistence did Achilles agree to exchange the body for its weight in gold. Once he got a good look at Cassandra, he offered to take her live body for Hector's dead one. 
• Cassandra refused, gave up her own jewelry as part of the ransom, and caught everyone's eye.

Odysseus

• Tried to avoid leaving his wife and infant son on Ithaca by playing crazy.
• Spent a lot of that first decade trying to find a solution by sneaking into Troy to talk to Priam and the family.
• Finally, he suggested building a wooden horse, hiding the best Greek warriors in it, moving the ships out to sea. Problem #1: Horses are sacred to Poseidon (the god of the sea)
• While it worked, Troy was destroyed, the Greeks got to go home, Odysseus got spanked by Poseidon repeatedly. 
• Landed his fleet of ships on a series of islands to rape and pillage.
• The Lotus Eaters
• The Cyclopses: blinding Polyphemus
• Aiolos and the bag of winds
• The fleet destroyed: Laistrygones
• Circe—Teiresias and the Underworld—Circe
• Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis
• The Island of Helios
• Calypso—Athena interferes, Hermes does his job, and Odysseus pouts

Telemachus

• Spends ten years being raised by a mother who is running a household, running a productive farm, running a country, and keeping everything successful.
• Spends ten years watching his mother try to avoid a bunch of gold-digging suitors while still keeping everything running at a profit.
• Athena interferes—
• On Pylos he learns nothing helpful
• In Sparta he meets Helen and learns nothing helpful

Penelope

• In a time when women were just bargaining chips in the games men played, she kept her husbands businesses and country going while raising a son.
• In a time when she should have been able to have her husband home, she kept a bunch of up-jumped, gold-digging suitors at by through a series of clever excuses. 
• Her final attempt is to weave a shroud (death cloth) for her father-in-law. Her maids betray her by sleeping with the suitors, then by telling the suitors Penelope's secrets.
• When a new stranger arrives, supposedly with news of Odysseus, Penelope recognizes something. She sets up a final test for the suitors knowing they'll fail and wondering if the new stranger is her good-for-nothing-pissing-off-the-gods-so-others-have-to-pay-serial-cheater-who-has-the-stones-to-question-her-integrity husband...

In the end—

• Odysseus and Telemachus meet thanks to Athena and a swineherd. They hatch a plan and return to the palace.
• They don't tell Penelope anything.
• They kill all the suitors (thanks to a situation Penelope set up).
• They kill all the servants who betrayed Penelope (but still don't tell her what's up).
• Then, Odysseus tries to test Penelope's loyalty. She sees right through it and tests him in return. But it's ancient Greece so she gets know love for keeping everything profitable or raising a decent son...after all, she's the damsel in distress, right?

WR115: Iliad/Odyssey Questions

Choose two topics to write two 7-10 sentence paragraph about—

• What are the qualities for a good greek hero? Pick a character who fits those qualities and explain the connection.
• What are the qualities for a good greek hero? Pick a modern individual who fits those qualities and explain the connection.
• In what ways are Odysseus and Achilles (two of the greatest Greek heroes) different? Explain.
• How are the few women highlighted in The Iliad (Helen, Cassandra) and The Odyssey (Penelope) heroes in their own right? Explain.

E4: Epic Paper

The Big Ideas:

• The Book of Job asks why bad things happen; the story shows us why isn't as important as how we handle bad things when they inevitably happen.
• The Book of Job asks what it means to be good; a good person does the best he can with what he has, helps others, is loyal, and is true to his beliefs.
•  The Illiad shows us that manipulative people win out in the end and good people die along the way through the war for Troy.
• The Odyssey asks us to compare the anti-hero, Odysseus, to the hero, Telemachus. The real comparison for either man should be to Penelope who did more with less as a woman in a fiercely male-dominated world.
• Beowulf looks at what it means to be good in a society that is focused on war rather than religion. It also looks at how a pagan culture assimilates a peace-oriented, monotheistic religion.

Essay Options: Remember, these are meant to be a starting point.

• Analyze one of the main characters in relation to the story and in relation to his or her culture.
• Compare two of the characters from different stories and cultures.
• Look at the bigger questions one of the stories adresses and how it impacts the plot, the characters, and the ending; what does that question imply about the culture the epic comes from?
• Pick your own topic that relates to one of the four stories.

Sample Q&D Outline:

• Claim: Job and Cassandra of Troy both represent how their cutlures viewed faith. The Jews thought it was important to be true to their beliefs, but they didn't always know what that meant; the Greeks weren't usually very devout to their gods which is shown in the way Cassandra is cursed for reminding her "god" of his own rules.
• Brief discussion of Job, it's larger questions, and how Jews practice their faith now.
• Brief discussion of Greek mythology, whether or not faith plays a part in most of their lives, and what Cassandra's curse was really about.
• Examples of how Job and Cassandra were similar—fully explained
• Examples of how Job and Cassandra were different—fully explained

Bibliographic Examples (reverse indent each entry):
The Books of the Bible: New International Version. [Colorado Springs, Colo.] : Biblica, Inc: distributed by Zondervan, 2011. Print.

Butler, Samuel, trans. The Iliad and The Odyssey. e-book. Buki Editions, 2009.

Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000.

Thouvenel, M. 2014 Frame of Reference. Pendleton High School. February 2014. Lecture Notes.

Thouvenel, M . "E4: Beowulf Notes." English with Thouvenel. 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://phs242.blogspot.com/2014/03/beowulfnotes.html>.

E4: Beowulf Notes

The early Christians called themselves "followers of The Way" and lived in small communities where they helped each other and any strangers who needed their help. As their message of love (God and neighbor) spread, their forms of worship were formalized. No longer could any believer share communion (bread and wine), no longer could any believer teach "The Word". The Didache is a collection of early Christian rituals and debates; as the religion changed with Constantine's conversion, more and more people became invested in how people should be allowed to worship and what they should be taught about Jesus and his teachings. There were three hundred years of brutal, bloody meetings to determine the core of what became The Bible and what it meant to be a Christian.

In mid-evil times holy men and women would seek out solitude in the forest or near the ocean to mimic the 40 days Jesus was said to have spent alone in the desert by isolating themselves to focus on God (v. Platonic). Eventually, eager students found them and formed communities around them—monasteries and abbeys.

As Christianity crossed continents and oceans, it was tweaked by each successive culture. The Irish combined their many-faced gods and goddesses with various Saints of the early Catholic church; their faith was full of debate, knowledge, and conflict. The Danes, Scandinavians, and such balanced the message of love with their centuries old culture of war in fits and spurts as reflected in the oldest manuscript of Beowulf and its many incarnations. Theirs was a Christianity of action, not passivity. Beowulf's creation story focuses on monsters and evil; Grendel is from a long line of monsters that started with Cain's children (Cain killed his brother Abel and was marked by God as a kin-killer).

Beowulf (1000 AD for oldest manuscript)

• The Danes versus Grendel
• The Danes are a fierce people who value kings and queens that kick butt.
• Hrothgar, the builder and ruler of Heorot, is a Dane.
• Grendel, the monster who torments and tortures the Danes for twelve years, is a descendent of Cain (this is a Biblical allusion).
• The Danes turn away from the Judeo-Christian God during that time and back to the pagan gods which only makes things worse.
• Everyone hears about the trouble between Hrothgar and Grendel. 
• In Geatland, another island kingdom near the Swedes/Danes/Dutch, Beowulf, the son of the king, decides to help out with his favorite warriors.
• The Danish Coast Guard challenges Beowulf's boat, then backs down when they realize the Geats are ready to throw down with Grendel.
• Beowulf and his crew arrive at Heorot (it's only used during the day) to make nice with Hrothgar and his warriors. 
• There's some bragging about Beowulf's level of awesome. He was fifteen when he swam around several islands, killed a bunch of sea monsters, and lost a race on a technicality.
• Unferth, one of Hrothgar's warriors, throws shade at Beowulf which causes some uncomfortable moments. Especially when Beowulf shows that he's heard of Unferth and his totally naughty ways.
• Beowulf versus Grendel
• Grendel hears the sounds of partying and gets pissed off. He rages across the countryside in preparation for killing.
• One of the Geats gets snagged and snacked on.
• Beowulf, refusing to use any weapons, grabs onto Grendel's arm and holds tight. His men spend their time grabbing Grendel's fingers and stabbing at him.
• Grendel pulls away from Beowulf, leaving his arm behind, and runs home just as dawn is starting.

Paragraph 1: Which character from Job (Job), The Iliad (Agamemnon, Achilles, Petrocles, Hector, Paris, Cassandra), or The Odyssey (Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope) is most like Beowulf? Explain.

• Beowulf versus Grendel's Mother
• As the feasting, storytelling, and gifting winds down (it's been days), a new enemy approaches.
• Grendel's Mother, a swamp hag (who never gets her own name), comes to avenge her son's death. She kills Aeschere, one of Hrothgar's most trusted advisors and warriors.
• A whole company of Danes and Geats heads after her to avenge Aeschere.
• They get there just as she is disappearing into the water, so Beowulf jumps after her with only his sword.
• They fight in her cave, Beowulf kills her with a special sword, notices Grendel's body and decides to come back up with a prize—Grendel's head.
• Beowulf versus The Dragon
• Beowulf returns home. Shares his gifts and his story with his king and, eventually, becomes King of the Geats.
• Beowulf rules for fifty years. Then, one day, a thief sneaks into a remote castles, steals a cup, and flees with a dragon on his tail. The Dragon wreaks havoc across the country looking for the thief and his cup. Beowulf is forced to get involved even though he is an old man.
• Beowulf and his most trusted soldiers track down the dragon. When the dragon reveals himself, all the soldiers except for Wiglaf run. 
• Beowulf and Wiglaf fight the dragon and eventually kill it. Beowulf is mortally wounded in the fight and passes the kingship to Wiglaf. 
• Wiglaf is pissed and demotes all the soldiers who ran.

There is archeological evidence that Beowulf existed and his army fought another army. The second army carried a Dragon Standard (flag) that probably set off this part of hte legend. Beowulf had ruled for many years and was an old man when he led his army onto the field of battle. He died there. 

Paragraph 2: Which characters best represents his or her culture? Early Judaism, Ancient Greece, Late Norse/Scandinavian

E4: The Iliad and The Odyssey Notes

The Greeks—a collective of city-states that housed some of the greatest thinkers, scientists, and story-tellers the world has ever known. Their religion was as varied as their gods and goddesses.

Key Philosophers/Philosophies

• Plato (393 BC)
• The Question: What is real/reality?
• The Answer: Not us. We are only reflections of a greater reality.
• Aristotle's response to Plato (354 BC): We can only live in the world we are in—
• Think about it
• Do it
• Learn from it
• Immanuel Kant (1754) 
• Consensual Reality: agreed upon rules for the universe and society regarding what can and cannot exist
• Knowledge: data organized into concepts; outside perception 
• Analytical Knowledge: breaking down the sense and understanding of an experience 
• Synthetic Knowledge: connecting sense, understanding, and experience 

Key Players in the Trojan War (The Iliad)

• Achilles: Son of Thetis who dipped him in the River Styx
• Agamemnon: King of Mycenae; Sacrifices daughter, Iphigenia, to gain favorable winds to sail to Troy; Killed by his wife and her lover
• Priam: King of Troy
• Hector: Crown Prince of Troy and great warrior; Husband of Andromache; Killed by Achilles in war after killing Achilles' best friend
• Paris: Prodigal son of Priam; Always trying to prove he’s as good as his many brothers
• Helen: Wife of Menelaus; Lover of Paris; Considered “the most beautiful woman in the world” 
• Cassandra: Daughter of Priam and priestess of Apollo; She is doomed to always tell the truth and never be believed after she refuses to have sex with Apollo

The Iliad by Homer (750-800 BCE)

• Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman in the world. Agamemnon convinced all the leaders of Greek islands and city-states to support his brother, Menelaus, as Helen's husband. 
• Paris and Cassandra were born a prince and princess of Troy. 
• Due to several prophecies about how Paris would cause the destruction of Troy, he was sent to be raised in the mountains. He ended up judging a beauty contest among three goddesses and is promised Helen in return. 
• Meanwhile, Cassandra becomes a priestess of Apollo and refuses to have sex with him since she's a sworn virgin; Apollo curses Cassandra to see and tell the truth while no one will believe her. 
• By the time Paris returns in triumph to Troy, Cassandra has been branded as a total crazy.
• Odysseus likes the Trojans and has no wish to fight them. He pretends to be crazy until his son's life is threatened.
• Once he gets all his warriors on board, Agamemnon, sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia in order to convince the gods to give him the winds he needs to get to Troy. This comes back to bit him later...
• Achilles has spent his whole life being hidden from the world by his mother, Thetis, who dipped him in the river Styx to keep him from harm. This mama's boy ended up in the Greek army.
• Petroclus, Achilles best friend, takes his place in a pivotal battle to save the Greek ships and is killed by Hector. Even though the Trojans give Petroclus the same honors they give to their own fallen warriors, Achilles freaks out and kills Hector. Instead of giving Hector's body back, Achilles desecrates it before offering to exchange it for Cassandra who happens to be a virgin priestess of Apollo.
• Some sources claim it was Apollo, others claim it was Paris, who shot an arrow from the walls of Troy into the heel of Achilles thus killing him.
• Most of the greatest warriors of the Greeks and Trojans were killed during the ten years of the war. Before the end, Hector and Paris both died. Aeneas was the only Trojan warrior known to escape. He led a small group of refugees outside the walls of Troy on the last night of it's existence and went on to found Rome.
• Ten years into the fighting Odysseus convinces the Greeks to build a horse (which is sacred to Poseidon) and fill it with soldiers while moving all their ships out to sea. The Trojans are so excited to finally be winners that they bring the horse inside their walls. Later that night, the Greeks open the gates, destroy Troy, kill and rape and pillage...
• Cassandra is claimed by Agamemnon. By the time his ships return to Mycenae she is pregnant. According to the Iliad, Agamemnon and Cassandra are both murdered by Clytemestra (his wife) and her lover, Aegisthus which causes Orestes and Electra to avenge their father. There are sources that claim Cassandra and her child survived...

Paragraph 1: Which warrior from The Iliad truly deserves to be remembered? Explain fully.

The Odyssey by Homer (800-850 BCE)

Odysseus: 

• Ogygia—Odysseus is the reluctant lover of the nymph Calypso until Athena finally convinces the gods to free him. 
• The Phaeacians—after leaving Ogygia on a raft, Poseidon sends a storm to drown Odysseus who ends up on a friendly island. While there, Odysseus tells the story of his ten year absence from Ithaca which includes the Lotus Eaters, The Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, Hades (to talk to Tiresias from way back in the Oedipus plays), Scylla, and Calypso.
• The Phaeacians help Odysseus return to Ithaca, but all the sailors die...

Telemachus:

• Telemachus was a baby when Odysseus went to war. For most of his life a large group of men have taken over his house and lands while they try to get Penelope, his mom, to give up Odysseus as dead and marry one of them.
• Athena shows up, pretends to be an old friend of Odysseus', and convinces Telemachus to bail on Ithaca for awhile. She sends him to Pylos
• Since he didn't learn from from King Nestor of Pylos, Telemachus journeys to Sparta where he learns about Odysseus' feats during the Trojan war from Menelaus and Helen.
• Finally, Telemachus returns to Ithaca

Penelope:

• Left behind to raise and son and keep the lands, Penelope doesn't have the money or fire power to get rid of her suitors. She does manage to make them wait several years for her to weave a shroud for her father-in-law. Eventually, one of her maids betrays her.
• Telemachus has a total hissy-fit and blames all his problems on Penelope. Faced with increasingly impatient suitors and abandoned by her son, Penelope manages to keep a step ahead of all the men who think they know best.

The Final Battle:

• Odysseus returns to Ithaca and hides out with Eumaeus, a swine-herd 
• Odysseus and Telemachus have a happy reunion and plan the slaughter of the suitors
• Odysseus pretends to be a beggar and fools almost everyone. His nurse recognizes him and Penelope suspects who he is. She organizes a contest to see who can string and shoot Odysseus' bow
• All the suitors fail, Odysseus and Telemachus kill the suitors. He then decides to "test" Penelope fearing she wasn't loyal...

Paragraph 2: Compare and contrast Cassandra of Troy and Penelope of Ithaca. OR Compare and contrast Agamemnon of Mycanea and Odysseus of Ithaca.

E4: The Book of Job Notes

Reviewed notes on myth, various types of religions, proto-human societies, and the definition of a classic epic.

The Hebrews (Judaism)—enslaved in Egypt, wandered to Canaan, conquered and renamed it Israel, dispersed around the world by Babylon and Persia. Out in the larger world, Jews kept their traditions thanks to two centers of theology (Palestine and Babylon); they were routinely persecuted by governments in need of an enemy culminating in the German Holocaust of the 1930’s and 1940’s. In November of 1947, Jews returned to and conquered Palestine which was renamed Israel. They follow the Ten Commandments which are broken down into "love God" and "love others".

The Book of Job (2000-950 BCE) has long been a stumbling block for many Christians. How could God allow Satan to torture someone? Our idea of the devil comes most clearly from this Jewish epic about a long-suffering and faithful servant of God, the ultimate Jewish hero.

• Job is tested; his reaction is "I came into the world naked, I will leave it naked. God gives and God takes away."
• His wife demands he react; his reaction is "How can I accept the good and not the bad?"
• Three close friends show up to offer comfort and instead begin "The Great Debate"
• Secret sin causes bad things to happen
• Job has lived a good life and done nothing to deserve this, but he must endure it 
• Job's friends try to get him to denounce God
• Job would rather suffer the loss of his family, his wealth, and his health than deny God
• A younger man comes to join the debate. Job tries to understand why things have happened the way they have.
• God arrives, speaks to Job; Job's reaction is "You're right God, I'm a lowly human who cannot understand your ways or your reasons.
• When God is unimpressed with Job's friends, Job speaks for them.
• Job is blessed 

Write a 7-sentence paragraph that addresses the epic's answer to the following questions.

• Why do bad things happen?
• What does it mean to be "good"?