Canterbury Tales (I)

Bede

-written records were scarce in this time, most people were illiterate. 

-promontories- peaks of high land sticking out of water 

- island is abundant in food and resources from the land and sea.

-made up of numerous cities and castles

-summer days and winter nights long 

- all united under the Latin Language, common medium in scriptures 

-Britons were first there to modern day Britain, next Picts found nation of the Scots, 

-scots told them there was another place with land, 

- dal means division 

-Ireland lacks poison, reptiles, 

- it has plenty of resources of fish, greenery, and overall wildlife 

-Scots later migrated to Britain also

-firth- narrow arm of the sea

The Canterbury Tales 

-Canterbury was a major destination for pilgrims 

-rhyme 

-knight of honor rode to area of Alexandria 

-brought son with him, similar to his father in his grace and honor

-more complex than father; sing dance, poetry 

-has a yeoman to ride with him held a arrow in his hands, well armed

-a nun present, Madam Eglanyne, well mannered 

-monk, three priests another nun 

-monk looks like monk 

-Hubert a friar, gave to the poor, narrator seems not to like he gives to beggars and lepers but finds him a respectable man 

-merchant good at bargining, actually in debt 

- oxford cleric- full of philosophy, didn't make money barrowed from friends to learn more.

-a sergeant of the law knows of law

-wealthy man, very busy and knowledgable in his work. 

-Haberdasher, a dyer, a carpenter, a weaver, and a carpet-maker

-all work together 

-cook, great cook, ulcer on his knee, 

-skipper; came from Dartmouth, very good at his job, enemy ships would sink and he would sent prisoners overboard, knows the seas

-doctor; talked of medicine, kept money he earned

-a woman from bath city, partly deaf, had 5 husbands, been to Jerusalem 3 times, over exaggerated 

-parson; very poor, into Christ's Gospel, would preach it all the time , didn't like giving away part of his money but to poor parishioners, seems holy, great priest, would stay to protect pregnant women, etc. 

-Plowman was a good worker 

-tabard- loose jacket 

-Miller, metaphor for a large man, strong, stole grain, sounds Scottish, 

- Manciple, could bargin, legal knowledge, wealthy, emotional, 

-Reeve; old and choleric, thin, balding, simile used to describe legs, good at bargining, however I don't think so if he is so lean. Has house name of Scot 

-Summoner; nasty infection on face called carbuncles, very homeless sounding, alcoholic, not in favor of the law, seems sad about a woman. 

-Pardoner; long blonde hair, a little cap, had a holy relic on it, no pardoner of equal grace, took a lot of money, 

-Prevarication- evasion of truth. 

-gobbet- a piece 

-repeating story as narrator remembers it, said it is near the truth but it could never be exact, because we don't remember like that. 

-Host; served dinner, wise, merry hearted, joker, very well spoken,

- told everyone to play a part and tell two stories, whoever has the best story wins a dinner in the tavern 

-next morning person who draws shortest a stick goes first in telling their story.

The characte that I most want to read about is the Friar because he seems very shady and I want to learn more.

Masterpiece 1

Why are we the way we are? Why do certain people obtain disorders later in life? Is this problem in society getting worse over time? Or are we just more aware what is going on within the human body? 

Declaration of Learning Independence

My Declairation of Learning Independance is to work as efficiently and effectively as possible on everything I am assigned. The goal is to accomplish everything I can in the time allotted with only a few hiccups. 

Vocabulary #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

-She always has an obsequious manner when she talk to her teachers.
beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness

-Sierra is in beatitude when she plays music. 
bete noire - noun a detested person

-Levi was acting as a bête noire during the play.
bode - verb indicate by signs

-They boded every emotion in their play. 
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid

- The dank cave was hard to walk through. 
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

-The ecumenical crowed walked to prove their point about their religion. 
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

- David coughed goss and fervid mucus  while he was ill. 
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous

-The homeless man was fetid looking. 
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky

-The sun is a gargantuan ball of gas! 
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

- I have entered the heyday of the century. 
incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream

- He is an incubus being. 
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization

-The building's infrastructure is very strong. 
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

-He was very inveigled to Sarah on Friday.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation

-I have got to give you kudos for everything you have done for me. 
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

-He brought me a lagniappe for my birthday. 
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

-Her writing has a prolix feel to it. 
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

-The security acts as her protege.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example

-The airplane was a small prototype. 
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

- She is such a sycophant. 
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true

-Obviously what he said was tautology. 
truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

- She truckled through the forest until she found shelter for her aching body. 

Literature Analysis #1

1. At the beginning of the novel the narrator explains that he is invisible and lives underground, recounting on what had led him to become invisible. As the narrator isn't obviously invisible he feels he has to be after the events that occured in his life. In the exposition, the author lives in basement a building where he lives off of the light that is taken from a power company, therfore he doesnt have to pay for anything. Once the narrator gets into the beginning of his story he disscusses how he was a high school student who worked very hard on his writing and recieved an honor of reading his speech to a group of white men. However when he arrives the white men first put him in a boxing ring, blindfolded to fight among other black boys. After the brutal fighting the boys are set on an electric carpet, trying to grab money, while the white men laugh. Then the narrator is given his chance to read and given a scholarship to a black college. The narrator once at college, (maintains no name the entire book) he is told to drive a college founder, Mr. Norton, around through the black society. Unexperienced, the narrator drives through town where they run into Jim Trueblood, a man who inpregnated his daughter, and Mr. Norton sits to talk to him about the subject of his daughter. After the long encounter, Mr. Norton feels ill and asks for a drink. The narrator drives to the Golden Day   (a brothel) where the owner doesn't let anyone take a drink out of the bar, so the narrator has to bring the white man into the building, which causes a scene. As chaos emerges a man who claimes to be a doctor helps the narrator and Mr. Norton, but taughts their knowlegde and idealogies on race in the world. This conversation upsets Mr. Norton and the narrator becomes very anctious. When they arrive back at the school the college founder is late for a conference and the head administration expell the narrator. 
2. The theme of the novel is racial injustice because the narrator feels that he must conceal himself inorder to fit into society.

- "A slave born, but marked from the beginning by a high intelligence and princely personality; born in the lowest part if this barren, war-scarred land, yet somehow shedding light upon it where'er he passed through." Page 119
- It didn't occur to me to interfere, or question.. They had a plan." Page 546 

- "My mind was blank, as though I had just begun to live. When the next face appeared I saw the eyes behind the think glasses blinking as though noticing me for the first time. Page 233

1. Imagery- "It almost took my breath away and I leaned over and switched on the fan, hearing it's sudden white." Page 46
2. Forshadowing- "And I stopped the blade, slicing the air as I pushed him away letting him fall back to the street." Page 4 
3. Allusions- "No, I'm not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe.."page 3
4. Similie- " he stood before us relaxed, his white collar gleaming like a band between his black face and his dark garmets, dividing his head from his body; his short arms were crossed before his barrel, like a black little Buddah's." Page 118 
5. Syntax- "I looked at her. She was blushing, her cheeks, even her freckled bosom, were bright red." Page 518
6. Collouiquilism - " Lawd have mercey!" Page 65 
7. Irony- "What is a traitor, Brother?" Page 467
8. Diction- ".. Who with his singing of the old familiar melodies soothed the doubts and fears is the multitude.." Page 129
9. Euphimism- "Is that a log cabin" page 46
10. Flashback- " Me on one side and the ole lady on the other and the gal in the middle." Page 54 

Characterization
1.Two examples of direct characterization were at the beginning of the novel with Mr. Buchanan and the superintendent on how they presented their expressions and attitudes on school and black eduacation directly. Page 56,34 examples of indirect characterization come from the expressions of the author and of True blood becauae the narrator is  perceived as a man of indecisive character that wants to blend in but faced with the fact he can't because of his ethnicity. True blood is degraded and discrased for enpregnating his own daughter. Page  54. The author uses both approaches because it helps the characters develop in through their own personalities in the book rather than just stating who they are. This technique is helpful in that it's gives a background to deceitful manners as described in the novel. 

2. No the syntax and diction do not change when the author is talking about the main character because the entire story is coming from the narrator and his point of view so the attitude is that of the author towards every character. The author uses complex and simple sentence structure to enhance the development if the novel and the theme. The author also uses difficult diction and very simple diction depending on the sefistication and intelligence level of the character talking. 
3. The character is dynamic in that he changes his perspective on life in that he doesn' t feel as willing to open himself up to others as he was a tthe beginning of the novel. The character however isn't always easy to figure out and I perosonally had a hard time knowing the character, for this reason I feel the character is rather flat, however he is round in that he is hard to describle easily so he fals into a harder catagory of grey.
4. After reading the book I didn't really feel like  knew the entire character, however, I did feel like I knew what he went through. I couldn't really make a close connection to the character because I didnt even know his name which I find hard to grasp; like the book is almost six hundred pages and we still had to make it a mystery. I understand it is for the benefit of the novel in that the protagonist remains a mystery, but you lose connection with the character by doing this.

Vocabulary 3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

-The Righetti mascot is an accolade for school spirit. 
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner

-The lemon has an acerbity to it's flavor.
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction

-The tires on the car caused attrition. 
bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark

-The scientist used to use bromide for the experiment but now he uses table salt. 
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind

-Many whites believe they are chauvinists in that they believe they are a superior race. 
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

- Silvia has chronic arthritis pain in her hands. 
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state

-Can you expound on the subject? 
factionalism- relating to a group a belonging

-The girls had a sense of factionalism in the group. 
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean;free from stain or blemish; without fault or error

-The shirt was immaculate in every way. 
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation

-An implication helped the girl heal. 
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"

-The issue was ineluctable to deny. 
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury; relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change

-Courtney has a mercurial attitude in that she always changes her mind.
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

-The cream palliated the pain caused by the wound. 
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data

-The protocol for creating a club is to first find an advisor. 
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor

- The doctor had a resplendent aura within his office. 
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

-The crowed stigmatized the accused. 
sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes; a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute

-The sub was awful today in class.
rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses

- Rosa grows all around the valley. 
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit

-You are vainglory. 
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present

-There were marks everywhere on the floor, it's such vestige.
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

-I am in the process of volition in choosing which scholarships to apply for. 

Beowulf Essay

As an epic poem Beowulf has created a cultural idle in which the main character Beowulf is looked up upon for his great characteristics of honor, loyalty, and stability. The epic is broken down perfectly into the heroes call to adventure and the act of answering the call. Although some have never read this poem it is apparent that we have seen this style before in the formation of other novels, short stories, and comics. How is this poem so similar when the epic was told so far in the past? In fact it turns out that each story written in based on a story or poem that was told before it. To create a clearer picture take Superman for example, the two pieces embrace the same ideals in which Superman hears of crime and becomes involved in each short comic that is created and Beowulf is called to action to kill the monster Grendle. Superman like Beowulf is seen as a figure of God in which nobody can lessen the value of. Both embody strength and fate which are large components to epics in which fate and outside influences bring them face to face with their opponent. Therefore the idea is shown that Beowulf, being one of the oldest heroic journey's, has set the stage for all heroic stories to be told and written after him.
The cultural reflection of its time is consistent with oral tradition in which qualities and events were over exagerated within the mono-myth. The literary techniques of the time were forms of persuasion to lure the audiences in with enticing vocabulary and tone in which was translated verbally for extreme effects of entertainment. The language of Old English was more metaphorical than to the point like most of modern day text is written like Superman in which has the book even emphisize the noises of the fights. For example in the very beginning of the peom the author talks about the death of Shield Sheafson and his death to sea as very descriptive. The Old English vocabulary dates the poem in which shows the time period and the events of the story to be more of a personal journey rather than a structured outcome. The author of Beowulf although unknown has a masterpiece at hand in which shows what was wanted by this society and what was disliked in their cultural beliefs. The comparison between the modern day super hero and the classic hero are shown in the evolution of language in which learning contains more detective work in the past stories than today in which themes are typically told to you through sequence of events.

Including the ideas of cultures today and in the past we typically don't see cultures accept feminist heroes as often, sure there are a few female heroes, but are they popular? The answer is no, not really. When you think of heroes you think of strength, integrity, and male figures. Why not women? If the poem of Beowulf was told through a feminist perspective we would not be reading this text in our advanced placement English class today because the story wouldn't have lasted. I say this because the cultures who produce stories only tell the stories the public want to hear. In other words, the culture in which produced Beowulf would have shunned the idea of female triumph. The culture would reject this due to the fact any woman during this time period could not be seen as stronger than the men, it was a patriarchal society.

Beowulf as an epic has all aspects of this type of poem in which contains a call to action and the response. The literary techniques of the poem are similar to all stories that follow like superman who has the same qualities that Beowulf embodies. The feminist profile of Beowulf would be incomprehensible to that of the culture that created it due to society creating only what it's culture accepts. Therefore showing the relationship between modern day literature and classic forms in which all modern forms originated. 

Master Piece in Progress

What I'm thinking for my Master Piece is to incorporate my club Project Humanity, my passion for helping people, and my dreams of becoming a doctor into one great accomplishment. I'm not quite sure how to accomplish this goal quite yet, but I'm in the process of discovering what I can do to improve the world. I am thinking of creating a volunteer system in which I could formulate a system for these very goals. However, I just haven't found the right concoction for the process of my Master Piece.

Will study for food.

The scholarship I found was the Santa Barbra County Scholarahip, the foundation awards thousands of scholarships yearly. Last year they awarded 2,601 scholarships to totaling over $8.1 million dollars to students for financial aid. I can apply for this scholarship this year providing the information needed to be a competitive applicant in this scholarship. 

Vocab #2

accoutrement- additional items of dress of equipment, or other items carried or worn by a person, used for a particular activety.

-The doctors were prepared with all their accoutrements for the surgery. 

apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage

-The book was near it apogee when i was interrupted by a phone call.
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
-The movie star got a leading role in perfect apropos in his career.
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things
-Joey and I bicker all of the time about random subjects.
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements
-The idea of being on a team over a season is to coalesce together to form a strong unit.
contretemps - noun an awkward clash
-As I was walking down the hall i created a contretemps movement between two other students.
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
-The convolution of the object is quite clear through the microscope.
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather
-I'm an over girls basketball players being seen as cull to the boys basketball team.
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
-The dogs were disparate in their features.
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
-Theories are dogmatic in that they aren't necessarily proved.
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
-The children were licentious in their early years of schooling.
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
- I think they are crossing the mete in their comments in class.
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
-The work load is noxious to our whole class.
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
- People who run for offices are polemic in that they feed off of controversy.
populous - adj. densely populated
- China is populous.
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
-Brooke has earned probity through her hard work and dedication
.repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
- When the judges asked him questions his repartee was on point.
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
-Nobody thought the teacher would supervene but she did surprisingly.
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
-The student thought that truncating the word would help him go through the question faster, bu tit actually made him get the question wrong.
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame
-The coach was unimpeachable in blame because he was very discreet 

My University

My day as an independant learner I caught up on recenct events and work that needed to be accopmlished and figured out what we as a class could do in the future days of this week. What a group of students and I found was that we hadn't really learned about others in our class room setting. We came up with tthe great idea of teambuilding exercises in which our class could be better aquainted by learning about eachother. The following day we set up games where we found new interesting things about one another that I wouldn't have known if we weren't out on our own.

Beowulf Questions

Prologue 

1. It was unusual how Shield came to be the ruler of Danes as he started off as an abandoned orphan, but soon built his power to become king. His funeral was a grand affair. He was shipped off in a boat filled with treasures and gifts. Hrothgar is Shield's great grandson.

[Heorot is Attacked]

1. The magnificent work that Hrothgar undertook was a mead hall, Heorot, dedicated to the enjoyment of him and his serving men. Grendel attacked the hall slaying many of Hrothgar's men eventually taking over the hall; it lasted for twelve years. In response, the Danes prayed at shrines wishing harm on the monster.

[The Hero Comes to Herot]

1. When Beowulf hears news of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel, he sets sail for Denmark with an army to kill the monster, Grendel.
2. The Geats first meet a Danish watchman who stops and questions them. Beowulf explains that they arrived to help the Danish get rid of Grendel.

3. Hrothgar’s herald is Wulfgar of the Wendla tribe. He first asks the Geats, why they carry so much armor, and then he infers that they are there for adventure rather than primarily self-gain, because they seem courageous. Wulfgar tells Hrothgar that he shouldn’t deny their help because Beowulf is their leader. In reply Hrothgar says he knows Beowulf’s father, and tells Wulfgar to go get the Geats. I’m not that surprised of Hrothgar and Beowulf knowing each other, because Beowulf wouldn’t put his life and lives of others in harm’s way if he didn’t know Hrothgar.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he is very skilled and experience and he plans to take on Grendel without any weapons, and for Hrothgar not to refuse him. Hrothgar paid off Beowulf’s father’s debts during a warning period for the Geats.

[Feast at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46)

1. Unferth’s jealousy causes him to claim that Beowulf can’t beat Grendel, and he brings up a time in the past when Beowulf lost a swimming competition to Breca. Beowulf tells Unferth that he’s drunk and the true story was that he was separated from Breca and pulled underwater by a sea monster, that he later killed. This episode shows how brave and confident Beowulf is throughout the story. Beowulf then accuses Unferth of him not being as brave as he said he was supposed to be, and if he was then Grendel would’ve never came to Herolot.

2. Queen Wealhtheow hands out mead Goblets to Hrothgar and then to the rest of the men during the feasting. Then she thanks God for Beowulf and after sits down next to Hrothgar.

Celebration at Heorot; The Fight with Grendel

1. Beowulf's preparations for his battle with Grendel differ from normal heroes in poetry in that he shed his armor instead of putting more on because he planned to fight Grendel with his bare hands instead of with a sword and such.

2. When Grendel enters Heorot, he immediately begins to eat the sleeping soldiers as he did many times before. Instead of eating Beowulf, Grendel is surprised with a fight as Beowulf never fell asleep and Grendel wasn't initially able to escape Beowulf's tight grasp. Despite Beowulf's death grip, Grendel managed to escape, but not without leaving his arm behind.

Celebration of Heorot

1. Sigemund was a great hero who slayed a horrible dragon that was a keeper of a treasure chest that hr won by slaying him. The treasure won by Sigemund symbolizes the gold rewards that Beowulf earned from the ring-giver, King Hrothgar. Sigemund's story is told to celebrate Beowulf and compare both of their heroic acts. Heremod is known as an evil Danish king who turns against his own people. This clearly resembles the reverse of Beowulf’s characteristic and by comparing and contrasting Beowulf to two different kings, the narrator indicates that Beowulf will be king later in the story.

2. Hrothgar responds to Beowulf's deed by celebrating him and pronouncing him as both a son and man that will never be forgotten. Hrothgar then goes on to give Beowulf many gifts, including a sword. Since Beowulf was successful in his attempt to save the Danes, Unferth doesn't have much to say to him as he has become much more humble. 

 3. The singer sings the story of Finn during the feast. Basically, in the story Finn, Lord of the Frisians, marries Hildeburgh, a Dane, to end a feud between the two tribes. The idea was to use the bride to ensure that the families wouldn’t feud anymore but obviously this was a bad idea. The Frisians killed Hildeburgh’s brother when he came to visit her. Finn was also eventually killed out of revenge.

4. Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf, but to trust in his biological son’s abilities to rule as king.  She believes that the throne should stay in the bloodline

5. It is foreshadowed that Beowulf gives the necklace to his uncle Hygelac, who wears it until he dies in battle.  She also asks Beowulf to guide and protect her children, but not to take the throne from them when Hrothgar dies.

6. So many men remain in the beer hall to sleep because they believe it is as safe as it once was now that Grendel is dead.  This is a mistake because Grendel’s mother comes to the hall for revenge for her son.  She takes one of Hrothgar’s esteemed men and the arm of Grendel back to her cave.

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER

[Another Attack]

1. Grendel's mother came to Heorot to take her son's claw. It was out of anger and vengeance, not exactly similar to Grendel's reason.

2. Hrothgar's response was asking Beowulf to go to her lair and kill her, too. She had killed Hrothgar's best friend.

3. The mere (her lair) was an underwater lair under a dark lake. It had an eerie feel and was described as being very dark. 

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother]

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond (if he should die) in a caring way for his own men that he should leave behind.

2. Beowulf sinks into the water for a few hours before he enters the mere.
3. He prepares for the battle by telling Hrothgar what he desires just in case he dies. Beowulf takes his ring-marked blade sword.
4. When Beowulf enters the mere, Grendel's mother grabs him but his armor defended him. It's surprising that it take half a day to get down there but those monsters have each other.
5. The sword breaks while Beowulf tries to strike Grendel's mother. 

6. Beowulf escapes because his mail protected him from the blow.

7. Beowulf notices and uses an enchanted sword hung on the wall. He escapes by drawing the unnaturally heavy sword built by giants and slicing Grendel's mothers neck with it. When she died, the cave burned with light. The sword melted so that the hilt was all that was left.

8. When Beowulf returned to the surface, he found his men waiting, but none of the Danish. It is clear that the Geats were skeptical of his return, so they were pleasantly surprised.

[Further Celebration]

1. He gives Grendel's head and sword hilt.

2. Hrothgar tells Beowulf an important story about how someone good with deeds and intentions can just as quickly turn bad. Heremod let greed take him over and that led to his ultimate demise. Hrothgar wants Beowulf to know not to let the praise he is receiving go to his head.

3. Beowuld gives Unferth the sword before he leaves.

Beowulf Returns Home

1. Hrothgar is worried Beowulf may become too arrogant and be unable to fight successfully if these small battle victories get to his head.

2. Hygd is Geat’s queen. She is a good queen where as Modthryth is a bad, evil queen.

3. Beowulf reports to Hygelac because he knows that the wedding could cause problems with the family. Beowulf expects the wedding to recreate family tension and violence and Hygelac to not like the idea. We would expect this from Beowulf because he likes to stop situations before they occur and likes to plan for the problem if it can't be fixed.
4. Beowulf reports about his own adventures as slightly exaggerated, but mostly accurate in the ways they are told.
5. What Beowulf does with the treasures he is given is he offers them to his Lord and also gives it to other people. What Hygelac gives Beowulf is land, a large house, and the sword of the Geats.

BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON (lines 2200-3182, pp. 79-99)

[The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)

1. Part 2 takes place fifty years later. The kings that have died in the meanwhile are King Hygelac and King Heardred. The danger that now exists is a dragon.

2. The dragon is angry because someone stole its treasure even though the man only took the cup because he was scared by the dragon. The treasure was put there by a lord who had lost all of his friends and family.

3. He destroyed everything as he searched for the thief.

4. Beowulf thinks he is being punished for something he has done.  He decides to order a new shield and fight the dragon with only a few people.

5. Hygelac died fighting a monster and after Beowulf swam through the ocean with 30 sets of armor. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the chance to become king but he declined and decided to advise Heardred.

6.) Heardred was killed along with his father at the shield wall fighting the Heatho-Scilfings. After Heardred's death, Beowulf was ascended to the throne. Under his reign, the feuding with the Sweden terminated when Beowulf avenged Hygelac and his sons deaths. Conscious of avenging his fellow lords, Beowulf befriended Eadgils (one that was provided shelter by Heardred but was part of his death) and assembled an army to scrutinize Onela. 

7.) Beowulf was accompanied by 11 others when approaching the dragon.
8.) Herebeald was killed by his brother on accident. Hrethel was devastated to see his young son be sent to the heavens so early on in his life. From this devastating loss on, Hrethel grieved his sons death and gradually lost his passion, love, and care of his kingdom. War sprung up between Swede's and the Geats over waters which resulted in the death of Haethcyn, a Geat member. In revenge for Hygelac's death, Beowulf attacked the dragon with a sword, failing to harm the monster, and was blasted by the enraged dragon's fierce, powerful, and poisonous fire Breath, bitten on the neck by the dragons sharp teeth and was killed.

[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon]

1.) Beowulf tells his companions to not fight the dragon because he knows it will be his very last battle. 

2. The first time Beowulf and the Dragon fight, Beowulf enters the fight with confidence as he had defeated all of the major giants with just a sword and armor. When he throws his first blow with the sword he is frightened when the sword breaks. Beowulf's companions all leave except for one of them, Wiglaf. Wiglaf remains loyal to Beowulf because he had provided so much for them and gave those gifts even when he had done all the killing. Wiglaf could not imagine going against someone who had remained so loyal to him and his family. Wiglaf tells the others that Beowulf has provided them with good armor and weapons and that if one man falls they all fall together. He also explains that although Beowulf usually does the killing on his own, they must be there to support him when he needs it. Wiglaf calls out to Beowulf telling him that he has come to help. Wiglaf then goes to help him and the dragon blows fire, which makes his shield useless.

3. The second time Beowulf attacks the dragon, Wiglaf works with him. Beowulf is bitten in the neck and is extremely wounded. Wiglaf is able to stab the dragon and wound him very badly. Beowulf gains one last serge of energy in order to strike the dragon one last time to his death. Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon together; if one had not been there the dragon would not be dead. Beowulf dies in the fight with the dragon as he has been struck in the neck.

4. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to go and find the gold that they had just recaptured from the dragon. He wants Wiglaf to bring the gold to him before he dies. Beowulf finally sees the gold and thanks god for allowing him to defeat the dragon and provide treasure for the people. Beowulf wanted his body to be burned at the coastal headland and for it to be known as Beowulf's Barrow.

Beowulf's Funeral

1. As Wiglaf attempts to save Beowulf, the rest of the Geats return, but Beowulf is dead. Wiglaf tells the men that Beowulf had left all the treasure to them but that it was worthless because they had not stayed to fight with Beowulf. Wiglaf says that death will be better than such a life of shame to the men who had left their lord wounded on the battle field. Wiglaf expects that the Geats Empire will be destroyed in the future.

2. The messenger tells the city of Beowulf’s death. After Ongentheow killed Haethcyn, the Geats were threatened by Ongetheow, but they were saved by Hygelac the next day. Hygwlac proceeded to then kill Ongetheow and his men to avenge the death of his kin even though that morning Ongetheow and his men retreated the area. The messenger said to not get involved with the gold because it was cursed and anyone who steals it will get the punishment on the to. The final image of the messenger’s speech was the dragon that killed Beowulf.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd that if Beowulf listened to the people then he still would be alive. He also states that Beowulf was a brave and honorable man and not to think less of him or what he did. Although this was a disappointment, he was still given a proper burial because he was a military warrior/hero. 

4. The dragon that killed Beowulf is pushed of a cliff by Wiglaf’s men and falls into the ocean and everyone was relieved.

5. During the funeral celebration (weird) everyone is sad of the great loss of Beowulf and mourns. It is ten days long and everyone places rings and jewelry to give respect to the fallen hero. After the funeral celebration, the people of Beowulf’s kin praise him and talk of his achievements.  

6. At the end of the poem, the Geats said that Beowulf was the “kindest of kings, friendliest, and most honorable man.” He was a most honorable man because he fought for his kin and people and was unselfish in his duties and gratitude. The description of friendliest and kindest is deceiving because although the Geats thought he was kind, Beowulf’s enemies did not think so. He killed them with no mercy and no regrets so his characteristics are based on perception.  

Collaberated with:
Judith Lee, Sierra Sanchez, Haley Kestler, Imanie Patel, Victoria Tonascia, Taylor Williams, Megan Stevens, Elizabeth Smith, Shailynn Joseph, Haley Stowe, Stevie Wisz, Courtney Reyburn, Hannah Hurd.