We Have Read of the Many Exploits of Beowulf, As Well As the Many Brave Thanes Among The

Name: ______

English 3 CP

The Boast (18 pts.)

We have read of the many exploits of Beowulf, as well as the many brave thanes among the Danes and Geats. We know, too, that the Anglo-Saxons saw nothing wrong with letting the world know who they were, who their noble parents were, what great feats they had accomplished and what they planned to do. This boasting was perfectly polite, even expected! The boast was not a hollow promise that came with negative connotations; but was a proclamation of all the positive and admirable qualities an individual thought himself to possess. Because this time period was plagued with suffering and people were constantly faced with adversity, people had to maintain this irrepressible joy and optimism.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Your assignment is to write a formal boast about yourself and post it to the moodle. “Tell us your deeds and accomplishments, who your daddy and mama are, what you plan to do (today, next year, with the rest of your life...whatever), and how you're not going to take nothing from nobody.” Your accomplishments may be academic, athletic, musical, social, artistic, etc. Lay aside your humility! Remember, you'll soon be applying to colleges and businesses anyway, so you’ll need to learn how to do a bit of boasting.

GUIDELINES:

Your boast must show your understanding of Anglo-Saxon poetry by following the Anglo-Saxon poetic format:

·  Length: 15-20 lines

·  Written in poetry form

·  Examples of alliteration in at least three (3) lines

·  Include at least two (2) examples of an original kenning.

·  One (1) other poetic device.

(*PLEASE underline your kennings and examples of alliteration.)

DUE DATES:

You must submit your boast on the Moodle by ______

You must then read and respond to two boasts by other classmates by ______

Beowulf’s Boast

(Before fighting Grendle)

“Hail, Hrothgar! Higlac is my cousin and my king; the daysof my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s Name has echoed in our land: Sailors Have brought us stories of Herot, the best of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon hangs in skies the sun had lit, light and life fleeing together.

My people have said, the wisest, most knowing And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drovefive great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned.

Now Grendel and I are called together, and I’ve come. Grant me, then, Lord and protector of this noble place, a single request! I have come so far, Oh shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, that this one favor you should not refuse me— That I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall. I have heard, Too, that the monster’s scorn of men Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I. My lord Higlac Might think less of me if I let my swordgo where my feet were afraid to, if I hid Behind some broad linden shield: My hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster. God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip.

Grendel’s plan, I think, will be what it has been before, to invade this halland gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can! If he can! And I think, if my time will have come, there’ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to preparefor its grave: Grendel will carry our bloodyflesh to the moors, crunch on our bones, And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls of his den. No, I expect no Danes will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins. And if death does take me, send the hammeredchain mail of my armor to Higlac, returnthe inheritance I had from Hrethel,° and he From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!”

LOST? – In Beowulf, see lines 250-285, 407-426, 632-638, and 2510-2515 for examples of the formal Anglo-Saxon boast.

http://www.heorot.dk/beowulf-on-steorarume_front-page.html

http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/beowulf/beowulf.html

http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/english-literature/the-beowulfs-boasting.php

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