English 3 - shakespeare
I'd like you to watch the video to the right to the 22:15 minute:second mark. It's a 1-hour documentary--I want you only to watch part of it--produced by the BBC by Michael Wood all about the first text we're going to read this year, Beowulf. It'll supplement my introduction to the poem on Friday.
Additionally, you are to begin reading Beowulf, which can be found in Volume A of your anthology. Read lines 1-85, pages 41-3. Note the good qualities of a king as outlined in the early parts of the poem.
friday, september 7 (7)
An introduction to British Literature and why I think we study it. Why is it so important in the eyes of our school and in my eyes that we should devote an entire year to it? Then we'll move to an introduction to the Anglo-Saxons. Strap in for a history lesson. We'll look at a little bit of Old English and how it has influenced the way we speak today.
We'll pause for a quiz on the Michael Wood Beowulf documentary before beginning our study of the first 85 lines of the poem.
By our next class I'd like you to read lines 86-490 of Beowulf. Questions to keep in mind while reading:
What magnificent work did Hrothgar undertake? Who attacked it, and with what result? How long did the attacks last? What was the response of the Danes? What does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel? Whom do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what do they do? They next meet Hrothgar's herald. Who is he? What does he tell them? What does he tell Hrothgar? What does Hrothgar respond? Are you surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf so well? What does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's father?
Take us to THE PASSAGE: Please come to class with at least one passage you found captivating or to contain an odd way of putting an idea. We'll start with your passages in class.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 (1)
Beowulf, lines 86-490
In addition to studying for the vocabulary quiz, I'd like you to read the beginning of Chapter 48 in The Bedford Handbook. Please read sections 48a-48d, pages 508-14. Expect a few questions on the quiz to come from these pages. We'll work with examples together in class after the quiz.
thurSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (3)
Vocabulary Quiz, Units 1-2
Subordinate word groups: Prepositional phrases, Verbal phrases, Appositive phrases, and Absolute phrases
By our next class I'd like you to read lines 491-835 of Beowulf. Heroic poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel? What happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave behind?
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 (4)
Beowulf, lines 491-835; Set vocabulary words for units 3-4; Set extra credit opportunity
By our next class I'd like for you to read lines 836-1250 of Beowulf.
Respond to the following on a separate sheet of paper; please have it ready to turn in during the next class: In between every story and its audience stands a narrator who tells the story; the narrator has certain attitudes, opinions, interests and objectives which direct the audience’s understanding of the story. This is one of the most basic, and yet most complex, facts of literature. Some narrators are intrusive – think Huckleberry Finn – while others are discreet and practically invisible. Describe the relationship between the narrator and the story, and between the narrator and the audience, in Beowulf.
tuesDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (6)
Beowulf, lines 836-1250; Set Beowulf Writing Assignment; We'll have a short amount of time to work on the Beowulf writing assignment.
By our next class I'd like you to read a short Anglo-Saxon poem, "The Dream of the Rood," found in your anthology, pages 32-6. (1) Based on what you know about Anglo-Saxon culture and your readings of Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood, briefly describe the Anglo-Saxon image of Christ. (2) Most likely, you’ll have noticed that the text is littered with epithets, or a descriptive name used in place of the actual thing itself, used to describe the rood. Find some and discuss their manifold implications. (3) Focus on the rood’s monologue, and perform a close-reading (i.e. look specifically at the formal language of the speech, its imagery, and its tone) of the speech. Pay particular attention to the language of violence and war.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (7)
"The Dream of the Rood" and Thesis Statements; I'll also set your long-term novel project today. Get excited!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 (GREEN)
Sentence-level writing BOOT CAMP
tuesday, september 25 (1)
More thesis statement review
thursday, september 27 (3)
Vocabulary Quiz, Units 3-4
friday, september 28 (4)
Chaucer is the father of English Literature. If his writings were not as wildly popular as they were, we would most likely not be speaking the same way we do now. Today I’ll briefly illustrate what happened to our language between the time Beowulf was written and the time Chaucer began writing. This is a big jump in time, so I’d like to help you understand just how much had changed. We’ll look at the very beginning of Chaucer’s “ABC,” a primer of Middle English, before moving on to the “General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales.
How to pronounce Middle English
I’ll also set your Illuminated Manuscript Assignment, due Thursday, October 11.
For our next class, please read the section of the “General Prologue” containing the description of your given pilgrim. Use the interlinear translation to help, but start with the Middle English and struggle through it a bit. Who is your pilgrim? What is he like? How is he described? What kinds of things does he say? What does Chaucer the pilgrim think about him or her? Be prepared to tell the class all about him. I'll also ask you to attempt to read some of the lines in your section out loud to the class with your best ME pronunciation.
tuesday, october 2 (6)
“The General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales
I’ll also finally—officially—set your novel project today.
Some important vocabulary for understanding Chaucer.
wednesday, october 3 (7)
“The General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales
friday, october 5 (1)
“The General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales
Over the long weekend I’d like you to read The Miller’s Prologue and Tale, pages 264-80 in the anthology. Here is the link to the invaluable interlinear translation. Before you read the tale, read this introduction to Medieval fabliaux, a genre that Chaucer was very fond of. We’ll use the following questions in class:
What about the descriptions we have of the Miller make this tale seem appropriate for him to tell?Discuss Absolon as a Courtly Lover and the reasons why this might be funny? Is there a moral to this story? What type of commentary does this tale make on Clerks (students)? How and to what extent does the Miller successfully employ Animal Imagery? Why is it appropriate? What kind of imagery does Chaucer use to describe Alison? Is she a well-rounded character or a type? Why? What are we supposed to think of the final "justice" in the end of The Miller's Tale? Who is the winner in The Miller's Tale? Justify your answer.
thursday, october 11 (3)
Chaucer, The Miller’s Prologue and Tale - We’ll use the questions above to guide our discussion of Chaucer’s fabliaux.
friday, october 12 (4)
Sample Beowulf essays up on the board and a little work in the Bedford Handbook
No homework over the weekend. When we meet next we’ll begin our next text, Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Please be sure to bring your copy of Hamlet to class. We’ll hold off on Volume B of the anthology until we finish Hamlet.
what's due?
Monday, September 10 - DJMH essay REVISION (70%)
Thursday, September 13 - Vocabulary Quiz, Units 1-2
Thursday, September 27 - Vocabulary Quiz, Units 3-4
Monday, October 1 - Beowulf Writing Assignment
Thursday, October 11 - Illuminated Manuscript Assignment
Monday, October 15 - Choose and purchase novel
Monday, December 3 - Long-term Novel Project Due
current text to bring daily
text to buy now
beowulf study links
21 questions for discussion on Beowulf
Calpoly's study guide's are always great
A little about the language of the Anglo-Saxons, Old English
ONGOING EXTRA CREDIT
Required reading can at times feel like drudgery. And while it's important to do the reading I set for the class, I fully recognize that you'd rather have a say in what it is we read. Unfortunately the freshman curriculum has little student choice built in, so your ongoing extra credit gives you the opportunity to read an outside text in your own time at some point during the semester. I'm very happy to reward you with additional course credit if you take it upon yourself to read a text outside of class and meet with me to discuss it. A few things:
(1) This must be a text you've never read before.
(2) It should be imaginative and of recognized literary merit. The text must be approved beforehand.
(3) The amount of credit awarded is variable depending on the chosen text and how our follow up conversation goes.
(4) While you may read as much as you'd like, I will only award extra credit once per semester.
enjoying literature
Literature's emotional lessons
Authors on the power of literature
How reading makes us more human
STUDYING LITERATURE
"6 reading habits from Harvard"
Achebe, "The Truth of Fiction"
Questions for analyzing novels
Poetry videos
