Links to Important Speeches in Beowulf

Read for class on 9/11. These are in your textbook, but here are online links for easier access/viewing of isolated passages:

• Beowulf, II. The Hall Heorot
• Beowulf, V. The Errand
• Beowulf, VIII. Hrothgar Tells of Grendel
• Beowulf, VII. Hrothgar's Welcome
• Beowulf, III. Grendel's Visits

Short Paper Assignment Due 9/13

ENG 241 D01/Osborne                                                              Short Paper 1 Topics

DUE DATE: 9/13

Choose one of the following topics and develop a 3-4 page essay in MLA format. Please submit your essay in a folder labeled with your name and the class name. Do not staple your essay; a cover page is not necessary. The essay should utilize quotations from the literature and any research or secondary sources should be cited accordingly. Do not use Wikipedia as a source, ever. Plagiarized essays will receive a grade of zero.

*Extra credit opportunity: Take a draft of your essay to the Writing Center and receive a “proof of attendance form” (blue sheet) or submit your essay online (proof of attendance automatically generated to instructor) and you will get 5 extra credit points added to your essay grade. Submission instructions and Writing Center information were provided during class presentation.

Topic Choices:

1.  Given what you know about Anglo-Saxon society, explain how “The Dream of the Rood” could have functioned as a successful conversion tool. In particular, how does the verse form/poetic genre influence its success?

2. Compare and contrast “The Wanderer” with “The Dream of the Rood.” Discuss the poet’s tone, the treatment of the afterlife, and the depiction of God in both poems as part of your analysis. Other attributes may be examined, as well. (A review of the poems in the original text and any linguistic observations you might include would take this assignment to the next level for anyone considering further study in English as a major. I would be happy to guide/assist in this type of study!)

3. Considering any of the passages excerpted from Beowulf that we studied in lecture, select one to analyze as a representative component of epic poetry. In other words, how does this particular passage exemplify the epic genre? Your analysis should consider the relationship of the passage you chose to the poem as a whole.