CANTERBURY TALES (II): What a Character

Direct Characterization:

"There was a knight, a most distinguished man.."

"To ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honor, generousness and courtesy."

Indirect Characterization:

In his sovereign's war and ridden into battle, no man more,..."

"Of honor, above all nations, when in Prussia."

The author uses direct characterization to describe the knight in detail at the start and then uses indirect characterization to back up his direct characterization.

Tone:

The narrator tone well describing the knight is seemingly admirable.

This can be seen when the narrator goes over the knight's love of his occupation and his appearance that presents humility rather then the vainglory of other knights.

Humor: 

The narrator mentions that the knight had fought in many battles but, still calls him a perfect, gentle knight

Collaboration: Jared Dube, Marcel Dube, Joey Buelow, Gianni Rasgado, and Jacob Sussex.

Bede/Canterbury Tales Notes

Pg. 74-82 Bede

.Bede generated his history of Britain through the monastery he was part of and used all the resources around him such as books and other monks.

.Britain being isolated from Europe still contained very fertile land and had bountiful resources such as precious metals and sea life.

.There were only 4 major nations including the English, British, Scots, and Picts.

.There was five languages spoken in Britain.

.The Scottish had their own land but eventually aligned themselves with the British.

.The Picts wanted to settle with the Scots but were not allowed since the Scots thought there wasn't enough room for the both of them.

.The Picts were forced to settle with the British and they took Scottish wives in order to have kings of royal blood.

.The British were the first to colonize.

.The Vikings were split between East Anglia and Northumbria and took ships to attack the English.

.The killed many of their thanes, ealdorman in Kent, and even raided Wessex with ash-ships.

.The English eventually constructed naval longboats in order to combat the Vikings.

.Eventually a peace treaty with East Anglia and Northumbria was created to stop the raiding.

Author

.Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) late-fourteenth-century English poet. Little is known about Chaucer’s personal life, and even less about his education, but a number of existing records document his professional life. Chaucer was born in London in the early 1340s, the only son in his family. Father of modern English and used techniques to describe fault in characters without actually saying it in which he made the reader form their own opinion against the characters such as in Caesar with Mark Anthony’s speech at Caesars funeral.

The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue pg. 94-115

. At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the narrator joins a company of twenty-nine pilgrims.

. The pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury.

. The narrator begins his character portraits with the Knight. In the narrator’s eyes, the Knight is the noblest of the pilgrims, embodying military prowess, loyalty, honor, generosity, and good manners. The knight doesn’t just exemplify these things he loves them.

. The squire a 20 year old son of the knight who is a strong, beautiful, curly-haired young man dressed in clothes embroidered with dainty flowers, the Squire fights in the hope of winning favor with his lady. He is also devoted to love just a different kind and server very well to his father.

. Yeoman or freeborn servant. The Yeoman wears green from head to toe and carries an enormous bow and beautifully feathered arrows, as well as a sword and small shield. His gear and attire suggest that he is a forester.

. Prioress, named Madame Eglentyne. Although the Prioress is not part of the royal court, she does her best to imitate its manners. She also is very passionate for the feeling of animals such as the car of her dogs.

. The Monk is  extremely handsome, he loves hunting and keeps many horses. He is an outrider at his monastery. The Monk is aware that the rule of his monastic order discourages monks from engaging in activities like hunting, but he dismisses such strictures as worthless. The narrator says that he agrees with the Monk. The fat, bald, and well-dressed Monk resembles a prosperous lord.

. Friar a member of a religious order who lives entirely by begging. This friar is jovial, pleasure-loving, well-spoken, and socially agreeable. He hears confessions, and assigns very easy penance to people who donate money. He resembles a well dress upper classman.

. The white-bearded Franklin is a wealthy gentleman farmer, possessed of lands but not of noble birth. His chief attribute is his preoccupation with food.

.The Chef who is a skillful Cook, whom Chaucer would praise fully were it not for the ulcer on his shin.

. The taffeta-clad Physician bases his practice of medicine and surgery on a thorough knowledge of astronomy and the four humors. He has a good setup with his apothecaries, because they make each other money.

. Slightly deaf Wife of Bath who is a keen seamstress is always first to the offering at Mass, and if someone goes ahead of her she gets upset. She has had 5 husbands over her time around the world and protruding gaps in her teeth otherwise she is just a jolly woman.

. A gentle and poor village Parson is described next. Pure of conscience and true to the teachings of Christ, the Parson enjoys preaching and instructing his parishioners, but he hates excommunicating those who cannot pay their tithes.

. The red-haired Miller loves crude, bawdy jokes and drinking. He is immensely stout and strong, able to lift doors off their hinges or knock them down by running at them with his head. He steals from his customers and plays the bag pipes.

. The Manicple stocks an Inn of Court or school of law with provisions. Uneducated though he is, this Manciple is smarter than most of the lawyers he serves.

. The Summoner arraigns those accused of violating Church law. When drunk, he ostentatiously spouts the few Latin phrases he knows. His face is bright red from an unspecified disease. He uses his power corruptly for his own gain.

. The Pardoner, who had just been in the court of Rome, rides with the Summoner. He sings with his companion, and has long, flowing, yellow hair. The narrator mentions that the Pardoner thinks he rides very fashionably, with nothing covering his head. He has brought back many souvenirs from his trip to Rome.

                         Collaboration notes Marcel and Jared Dube

Phonar Notes

.Phonar is about habits in which we establish a habit in the start

.Time stasis

.Bound by border

.Implements good habits you have and break bad ones

.2 dimensional

.Images are originally round but cropped into a rectangular shape.

.Anyone with a camera is considered a photographer even if there an amateur.  

.Photography isn't dead and tells a story even with the most obscure image.

.Over 9.5 million photos uploaded to flicker daily in 2010.

.Photography has the ability to change the world.

.Makes you look at the world differently

.Huge fan base with new creations and ideas being produced all the time due to the magnitude of people who contribute.

MY MASTERPIECE 1

My master piece currently is a skiing/snowboarding trip but out of a lot of consideration I feel as if I can create more then that after the fact of the first trip that I hopefully produce by December in which future trips have a wide range of possibilities. The second masterpiece I come up with I think will be based around the same premises of an out side trip for fun and perfectly something people haven't experienced or another chance to experience the same thing someone hasn't done in a while.

Forgot about posting my notes. My opinion isnt at right

.Possibly let people who are to narrow minded continue down path of self-destruction.

People too suppressed by their opinion to believe a car is coming then let natural selection take its course.

.Generally people will take offense when their own opinions or values are contradicted.

.Not every opinion is correct and should be open to change.

.Having a right forces an obligation on another person thus inhibiting their rights.

.Everyone should practice viewing others peoples points of view on a subject in order to learn from it thus changing their perceptions.

.You can only be entitled to your opinion if you actually have evidence to back up your claim.

.You want the other person to believe in your opinion, not just a win-lose situation

DECLARATION OF LEARNING INDEPENDENCE

This is my declaration of my independent learning which will consist of a list of rules.
1. The work I do shall be my own unless I have the liberty to collaborate with a peer on an assignment.
2. The work I produce will be the best of my ability as well as the habits of study I use to produce said works.
3. This point on ill will try my best to be more social on the online course to help my peers which in turn may Benefit to my learning experience.
4. The work I produce will be under my responsibility and if i'm not able to say i'm proud of it, it'll be critique until i can otherwise it shall be terminated from the blog.

Vocabulary #4

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

Ex.  She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.

Beatitude - a state of supreme happiness

Ex.  Not from earthly riches but from the milk of human kindness comes true beatitude.

Bete noire - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes

Ex. Doing my own tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April.

Bode - indicate by signs.

Ex. This could bode disaster for all involved.

Dank - unpleasantly cool and humid

Ex. The cellar of my mind was quite dank and lacked light.

Ecumenical - of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

Ex. Christianity will never be an ecumenical religion; it is broken up into many sects that will never agree with one another.

Fervid - extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

Ex. The fervid weather was eating away at his nerves.

Fetid - offensively malodorous

Ex. The land appeared to be quite fetid making me believe it was un farmable.

Gargantuan - of great mass; huge and bulky

Ex. That Gargantuan space station is still up there to this day.

Heyday - the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

Ex. Incubus - 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

Ex. The Incubus took all women it could find then proceeded to slaughter them after the encounter.

Infrastructure - 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

Ex. The countries infrastructure seem to be collapsing onto itself.

Inveigle - influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

Ex. It wasn't until the next week, after she had left, that I questioned how she was able to inveigle me to such a huge degree.

Kudos - an expression of approval and commendation

Ex. Kudos to your exemplary deeds in the government’s politics.

Lagniappe - a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

Ex. When he showed me the lagniappe that he was offering to go along with the book (a small collectible created by the author) I knew I had to make the purchase.

Prolix - tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

Ex. The lectures seem to be very prolix every day we enter class for our daily 50 minutes.

Protégé - a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

Ex. After the death of his protégé he never took the liberty to invest into another.

Prototype - a standard or typical example

Ex. The prototype of this computer is in everyone’s homes.

Sycophant - a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

Ex. Everyone appears to be a Sycophant in the culture that the USA provides.

Tautology - useless repetition of an idea, statement, or word

Ex. The president focuses on the tautology of useless ideas generally every time he speaks.

Truckle -yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

Ex. Tom’s truckle was amusing to begin with but has become rather bothersome.

Literature Analysis #1 Henry IV

1. Exposition: The play is set in England in the early fifteenth century. The political situation in England is tense: King Henry IV has died, and his son, the young King Henry V, has just assumed the throne. The constant fighting among the country has left the country in disarray and unhappy. Furthermore, in order to gain the respect of the English people and the court, Henry must live down his wild adolescent past, when he used to consort with thieves and drunkards at the Boar’s Head Tavern on the seedy side of London. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely, two powerful English churchmen converse on how to get the king attention away from passing a bill that would give the king the ability to seize lands and money from the church. They notice how Henry considers lying claim to certain parts of France, based on his distant roots in the French royal family and they decide to promise to fund this war to get Henry’s mind off of the bill. 

Rising Action: The next day a meeting is held with the French and Henry’s claims to France are explained by Canterbury. When the young prince, or Dauphin, of France hears this he tells Henry an insulting response to these claims, Henry decides to invade France. Supported by the English noblemen and clergy, Henry gathers his troops for war. The preparations are made for war but three individuals are found to be corrupt and hired to kill the Henry before his departure to France for war one of the being a close friend of his from his youth known as Lord Scrope of masham. The 3 conspirators are found out and sentenced to death by Henry after he found irrefutable evidence of their betrayal. The English sail for France, where they fight their way across the country. Against incredible odds, they continue to win after conquering the town of Harfleur, where Henry gives an impassioned speech to motivate his soldiers to victory. As the English advance, Nim and Bardolph two of more of henrys friends are caught looting and are hung at his command even though he cares for them he puts the orders of the crown first.

Climax: The end of the war comes at the famous Battle of Agincourt, at which the English are outnumbered by the French five to one. The night before the battle, King Henry disguises himself as a common soldier and talks to many of the soldiers in his camp, learning who they are and what they think of the great battle in which they have been swept up. When he is by himself, he laments his ever-present responsibilities as king. In the morning, he prays to God and gives a powerful, inspiring speech to his soldiers.

Falling action: Miraculously, the English win the battle, and the proud French must surrender at last. Sometime later, peace negotiations are finally worked out: Henry will marry Catherine, the daughter of the French king. Henry’s son will be the king of France, and the marriage will unite the two kingdoms.

Purpose: The purpose was to expose what must be done in the pursuits of becoming a great king but in becoming a great king, Henry is forced to act in a way that, were he a common man it would be seen as immoral or even unforgivable.

2. The main theme seen has to be the Ruthlessness of the Good King as the figure of its heroic yet ruthless protagonist; Henry V’s main concern is the nature of leadership and its relationship to morality. The play proposes that the qualities that define a good ruler are not necessarily the same qualities that define a good person. Henry is an extremely good leader: he is intelligent, focused, and inspiring to his men. The process of becoming a great king, Henry is forced to act in a way that, were he a common man, might seem immoral and even unforgivable. In order to strengthen the stability of his throne, Henry betrays friends such as Falstaff, and he puts other friends to death in order to uphold the law. Henry’s cruel punishment of Bardolph is less understandable, as is his willingness to threaten the gruesome murder of the children of Harfleur in order to persuade the governor to surrender. Perhaps, then, the very nature of power is morally ambiguous, which would account for the implicit critique of Henry’s actions that many contemporary readers find in the play.

3. The tone of the play is intensely serious besides a few comical scenes through the chorus. The main examples of this are “That shall fly from them—for many a thousand widows, Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands, Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down”, “we are marked to die, we are enough, To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honor”, and finally “That they lost France and made his England bleed: Which oft our stage hath shown; and, for their sake, In your fair minds let this acceptance take”.

4. (1. Foreshadowing: “That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows, Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands; Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down” Act 1 scene 2

(2. Symbols: “Tennis-balls, my liege.” Representing the kings youth and meant as an insult by Dauphin. Act 1 Scene 2

(3. Anecdotes: “Bardolph stole a lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three half pence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a fire-shovel” Act 3 Scene 2

(4. Simile: “Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, Have in these parts from morn till even fought” Act 3 Scene 1

(5. Metaphor: “A fearful battle rendered you in music” Act 1 scene 1

(6. Ethos: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother"(Lines 60-62)

(7. Motifs: “Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both, Commend me to the princes in our camp; Do my good morrow to them, and anon, Desire them an to my pavilion.” Act 4 scene 1

(8. Imagery: “Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage” Act 3 scene 1

(9. Irony: “That's mercy, but too much security: Let him be punish'd, sovereign, lest example, Breed, by his sufferance, more of such a kind” Scene 1 Act 2

(10. Repetition: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” Scene 3 Act 1

Characterization

1. Direct Characterization: (1. “O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend, The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself”

(.2 “The state of man in divers functions, Setting endeavour in continual motion; To which is fixed, as an aim or butt, Obedience: for so work the honey-bees, Creatures that by a rule in nature teach.”

Indirect Characterization: (1. “His present and your pains we thank you for: When we have march'd our rackets to these balls, We will, in France, by God's grace, play a set, Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.”

(2. “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother"

The author uses the direct approach as most authors do mainly tell of their protagonist then leads further into the actuality of the claim built by the direct in which the Indirect then proves everything known to be in fact true with actions as evidence to support the claim. The character Henry seemed strong but had little evidence to back up his claim until he was insulted with tennis balls to symbolize his youth and made he react with an utterly powerful speech of retaliation.

2. No the authors diction is relatively the same with the characters of the play other than when the diction changes for the chorus’s introduction of the current scene presented at each change but that seems to be the only apparent change of diction throughout the novel.

3. Round, Flat, Static and Dynamic are literary terms, not actual descriptions of people. Many appear to confuse the literary idea that Shakespeare crafted Henry as a round but other than this confusion he can be considered to be a round character in his complexity throughout the story with his decisions and how we the reader is meant to perceive him. The character is also quite dynamic because of his constant form of action provided as retaliation to insult and takes the motivation of his people as a king as an utterly high marked job.

4. The person known as Henry the 5^th seemed to me very real as if he actually existed at a time or a fraction of him anyways. The main reasons for this is his phenomenally strong speeches to motivate his troops such as “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother” that built an emotional connection with henry or “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” building the motivation of all who stay and listen. Henry isn’t just built up by his speeches it’s also his reactions to outside sources that make you believe he’s an actual person because who wouldn’t respond as he did especially a king. 

Vocabulary #3

Accolade: a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction.

Ex. He does not praise his employees; silence is his highest accolade.

Acerbity: a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness.

Ex. The customer made his displeasure known with more acerbity than was necessary

Attrition: the act or process of weakening and gradually defeating an enemy through constant attacks and continued pressure over a long period of time

Ex. Attrition is high among social workers because of the difficult work and poor pay.

Bromide: a statement that is intended to make people feel happier or calmer but that is not original or effective.

 Ex. His speech had nothing more to offer than the usual bromides about how everyone needs to work together.

Chauvinist: an attitude that the members of your own sex are always better than those of the opposite sex or that you’re very nationalist of your country.

Ex. Most terrorists are very chauvinistic when it they explain their reasons behind their attacks..

Chronic:  happening or existing frequently or most of the time.

Ex. Epilepsy a chronic issue in my family.

Expound: to explain or state something to give details about something.

Ex. The article expounds the virtues of a healthy diet.

Factionalism: the splitting of a group into factions or conflict between factions.

Ex. Much of the United States is considered to be in use of factionalism.

Immaculate: perfectly clean or having no flaw or error

Ex. My brother considers himself quite Immaculate.

Imprecation: an offensive word or phrase that people say when they are angry

Ex. He muttered imprecations under his breath.

Ineluctable: impossible to avoid or evade

Ex. During the eruption in Pompeii the ash was quite Ineluctable.

Mercurial: changing moods quickly and often; changing often, very changeable, very lively and quick. Basically unpredictable.

Ex. The guerrilla warfare in the forest was intensely mercurial.

Palliate: to make the effects of something, such as an illness less painful, harmful, or harsh

 Ex. The morphine palliated the pain that the patient was experiencing.

Protocol: a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations

Ex. The military follows a strict protocol.

Resplendent: having great beauty and splendor

Ex. The town was very Resplendent at first.

Stigmatize: to describe or regard something, such as a characteristic or group of people in a way that shows strong disapproval.

Ex. A legal system that stigmatizes juveniles as criminals.

Sub Rosa: "under the rose", used to indicate secrecy in modern times.

Ex. Much of the agent's work was done Sub Rosa.

Vainglory: excessive or ostentatious pride especially in one's achievements.

Ex. They may have won the competition but they were very vainglory afterwards.

Vestige: the last small part that remains of something that existed before

Ex. A few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony of Roanoke

Volition: the power to make your own choices or decisions

Ex. Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder marked by recurrent tics and vocalizations that are beyond the sufferer's volition or control.

MASTERPIECE IN PROGRESS

Why is this path where everyone is determined to over achieve in school and then proceed to get into a college just to get a decent job and then finally start a family widely accepted by most people? Personally this big question still troubles me and some what keeps me up at night which leaves me wondering that there is more purpose to are lives or is the main way to achieve so called happiness. The Master piece I've been considering producing would entail a skiing/snowboarding trip to a nearby mountain but honestly this could change in the near future because of the lack of ideas to make the trip a reality.

Beowulf Essay

               “If you are not the hero of your own story, then you're missing the whole point of your humanity.” A quote by Steve Maraboli accurately portrays the contemporary life of a hero that we all can have the opportunity to achieve. The story Beowulf is quite riveted with seemingly impossible feats to most readers but when asked to compare it to a single contemporary hero, I found it rather difficult until it hit me that the comparison of humanity would amass to Beowulf staggering feats and heroic tendencies. The core instances of this shoot from the common grunt defending his or her country, to the politicians fighting a heroic battle of their own accord, and finally the average person being sufficiently mandible to design themselves as the heroes of their path.

               The common foot solider on the front line defending his country may be considered a pawn to a master scheme but is honestly in the same category as Beowulf who saw the charge to perform heroic deeds and answered the call to defend what they believe is right with the self-interest to reap the moral and stature heightening rewards. The comparison personally seems logical but some can argue how a foot solider wouldn’t be able to fight Grendel and other legendary behemoths however they can perform breathtaking deeds on the battle field such as taking down a AH-64 Apache with a common rifle and in this sense it seems the common foot solider and Beowulf are one in the same. Though what actually classifies heroicness as combat oriented acts what about the heroic prowess of words?

               The power of words seem to be underestimated throughout the course of time and most could argue of how actions speak louder than words but then that would mean people like Martian Luther King  Jr’s actions were in vain when in actuality they were some of the most efficacious in the pursuit of liberty. Both Beowulf and Martian Luther king Jr fought for the freedom of their people one against the sovereignty of malicious monstrosities and the other against the brute known as racism though Beowulf used combat skills he was just as vocal in inspirational speeches that showered upon his followers as Martin Luther King Jr was. The idea that actions or words make you a hero sounds fairly preposterous because in truth there is another way to become a hero.

               The ultimatum that not many people see because they choose to be blind to it, thinking they have no true purpose and let others build up their purpose for them is that anyone is the hero of their own accord but most don’t notice this and sadly disregard the call that beckons them to be something more. Beowulf heard his call and he sprang for it, firmly believing in his path and could be compared to any one of us who choose to ignore are limitations or bonds that hold us to follow others. At the start of any day anyone can be a hero all you have to do is tower over the darkness that convolutes the light to becoming great and once there you can decide how to preach your heroic manner whether it be actions, word, or maybe something completely outlandish such as a person with a dream. This quote should suffice in what the contemporary hero should live by “Don't be held back by someone else's bullshit in fake memories. The one path you chose for yourself is the truth of your universe.” 

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

The Scholarship I chose is just one of the many I plan on applying for but for this ill use a unique scholarship where it combines my favorite hobby MTG where all its asked is to explain why you enjoy a card for a decent portion of money. Looking at this it seems more like leisure to write on something I enjoy then a task and personally should flow naturally due to my years of playing the game. The reason I jump at this "Free Money" is mainly because im one of the many who are left to fend for themselves once they get to college and scrape for every nickel and dime just to get through a schools doors. That would be the expense just to get in though im still left wondering how ill find the money for various other thing such as the elusive living quarters or you know the thing that keeps you alive "food"? There fore you can bet im going to jump at any money I can have a eligible chance to grab so im not left thousands of dollars in debt just to achieve the monumental important piece of paper to gratify my education.

Vocab #2

Accoutrements - Additional items of dress or equipment or worn by a person.

Ex.The models accoutrements were just for fashion and had little value.

Apogee - Apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth.

Ex. The story had reached the apogee after the murder was caught.

Apropos - An appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time

Ex. The base runner stole home at the apropos time because the catcher lost the ball.

Bicker - a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things

Ex. The two girls bickered over what color lipstick is better.

Coalesce - fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements

Ex. The tree began to coalesce with the fence because it was to close.

Contretemps - an awkward clash

The two guys always had contretemps over the girl who didn't like either of them.

Convolution - 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

Ex. The convolution in water was pulling leaves in and sucking them down.

Cull - 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

Ex. The cull, younger son always was stuck watching his brother from the sidelines.

Disparate - including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

Ex. The disparate foods were served in the same meal.

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

Ex. The Catholics dogmatic religious views were argued by atheist.

Licentious - lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained

Ex. The licentious kids nowadays are doing things no teenager should do.

Mete - a line that indicates a boundary

After their argument the couple creates a mete in the house until they are even tempered.

Noxious - injurious to physical or mental health

Ex. Their noxious behavior almost injured the man on the sidewalk.

Polemic - involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)

Ex. The adults got in a polemic while drunk in the bar over the best tap beer.

Populous - densely populated

Ex. The populous city has a million more people than the city ten miles away.

Probity - complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

Ex. My mother raised me with probity.

Repartee - adroitness and cleverness in reply

Ex. After the snide remark made to him, he came up with a repartee.

Supervene - take place as an additional or unexpected development

Ex. I am following this path unless someone supervenes and points me to another.

Truncate - 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

Ex. The speech was truncated due to the power outage.

Unimpeachable - beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame

Ex. The unimpeachable act of knocking out the shooter saved a man’s life.

Beowulf Comprehension Questions (Collaboration)

[Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation] (Lines 1-85, pp. 33-34)

1. The manner in which he became king was unusual because Shield was an abandoned child whom traveled to Denmark alone and there he was able to change his fate and rule many lands. His funeral consisted of placing his corpse on a fighting ship, piling it up with treasures, and setting him adrift in the sea. Hrothgar is Shield’s grandson.

 [Heorot is attacked] (Lines 86-188, pp. 34-36)

 1. Hrothgar built the beautiful dwelling of Heorot, however the monstrous Grendel attacked it and killed many of his men. His attacks spanned over a period of twelve winters. The Danes could do nothing else but remain in the bloody feud with Grendel, although they attempted to remain hidden. Hrothgar’s council tried to find solutions by looking for warriors and making sacrifices to the old stone gods.

 [The Hero Comes to Heorot] (Lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)

1. Beowulf heads out to Heorot with his men to take on the deed of cleansing it of Grendel. He is confident that with his strength he will accomplish it.

2. The Geats meet a watchman of the seas/beach shore. The watchman stops the Geats and asks what they are doing with the weapons they carry and the armor they have. He asked them specifically what their purpose was landing on Denmark. The Geats say they are not invaders or pirates, but wish to protect the throne of Scylding and defend the throne of Hrothgar from the villainous Grendel.

3. Hrothgar’s herald is named Wulfgar. Wulfgar asks the Geats what their business is and asks them what their names are. Beowulf announces himself as the leader of the Geats seeks an audience with the king of Danes, Hrothgar of the throne. Hrothgar responds by saying yes to the warrior Beowulf to speak. No I am not surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf because he knows Beowulf’s father who fought with him before king.

4. Beowulf told Hrothgar that he has defeated giants and other mythical creatures. He said that he will kill Grendel unarmed and unarmored when he comes to the hall at night. Hrothgar fought with his father during a feud with the Geats and Scyldings and were settled by a paying old treasure.

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

1. Unferth is jealous of Beowulf due to the kinsmen’s adoration for him. He tells the kinsmen that Beowulf lost a swimming match against Breca (and will lose to Grendel as well). Unferth believes that the swimming match was a waste of time and was a reckless thing to do. Beowulf answers Unferth by telling his side of the story saying that Breca had help, a few monster allies, when he pulled Beowulf under the ocean and then pointedly mocks Unferth. This is relevant to the poem as it enhances the reader’s analysis of Beowulf’s character. The episode shows Beowulf’s boastfulness and arrogance, which is an overall big part of the whole poem. 

2.  Queen Wealhtheow goes around passing drinks and food to the soldiers as a sign of gratefulness and peace.

[The Fight with Grendel] (Lines 662-835, pp. 46-49)

1.  Instead of arming for battle, typical for a heroic poetry battle scene, Beowulf believes he is strong enough to beat Grendel without the use of any weapon. Therefore, Beowulf strips himself of any weapon, using instead his bare hands.

 2. When Grendel enters Heorot, he encounters many men sleeping and imagines the destruction and murder he could cause. However, he also finds an alert and prepared Beowulf. Beowulf fights him without armor or weapons; he simply tightly grasps Grendel, refusing to let him go. Within minutes, Beowulf’s men are attempting to help, but their weapons are harmless to Grendel. Grendel is weak and unable to free himself, but he is able to escape because he loses an arm.

 [Celebration at Heorot] (Lines 836-1250, pp. 49-60)

1. Beowulf is like Sigemund because they both cared and protected their people; ultimately they were both heroes who murdered monsters. On the other hand, Heremod ignored the needs of his people; he did not protect them and actually turned on them.

2. Hrothgar makes a speech praising Beowulf as well as offers him the best riches and to get vengeance for all the Geat soldiers that were murdered. Unferth now says nothing, Beowulf has proven his bravery.

 3. In general, the Danish general is treacherously attacked at Finn’s castle. Hengest succeeds Hnaef as the Danish general and a pact is made between Finn and the Danes after his force is nearly exterminated. Hengest is stuck in the castle during winter and comes up with a way to enact vengeance. He kills Finn and the jewels of Finn are borne away to the Dane’s castle. This suggests that using a bride to heal enmity between tribes is not the smartest thing to do.

4.  Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give Beowulf the throne.

5. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to help her sons if they are ever in need.

6. The men had all fallen asleep in the beer hall, because they had earlier defeated Grendel and had been drinking and feasting in celebration. This was a mistake, because Grendel’s mother comes back to take her revenge.

 BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER (lines 1251-2199, pp. 60-79)

 [Another Attack] (Lines 1251-1382, pp. 60-62)

 1. Grendel’s mother came to Heorot to take revenge while Grendel came to Heorot to kill without reason.

 2. Grendel’s mother kills Hrothgar’s good friend, Aeschere. Hrothgar promises Beowulf that he will repay him greatly if he is able to kill Grendel’s mother.

3. The literal/dictionary meaning of mere is a “lake, pond, or arm of a sea.” Hrothgar describes a haunted mere where Grendel’s mother lives. He says that no one knows how deep it is and that at night, the water burns in it. He also says that the mere throws dirty water up to the sky in storms.

 [Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

1. Beowulf asks Hrothgar to take care of his men if he doesn’t survive. Hrothgar had also promised gifts to Beowulf, which he requests him to send to his king, Hygelac. He also reveals his heroic personality by his words, “It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.”

 2. When Beowulf first dives in the mere, he at first sinks and takes an entire day to reach the bottom. While fighting with the monster, towards the end of the fight, the water filled with blood and warriors assumed him to be dead.

3.  Beowulf prepared for battle by courageously getting his armor and weapons because he wants to get revenge on those who were killed by Grendel, so he is off to kill his Grendel’s own mother. Beowulf is granted a sword which is named “Hrunting” from Unferth which is passed down and admired as an “old-time heirloom.”

 4. Beowulf dives in the “floor of the sea” to get into the mere and have his battle with Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother tries to kill Beowulf in the spot but his armor protects him then she brings him to her underwater lair which marks her “own” territory, so no other creatures will bother her.

5. “Hrunting”, the sword given by Unferth, was completely useless against Grendel’s mother that it broke in the spot during their battle.

6. Beowulf escapes by using his armor; his armor protects him from the knife wound and then he uses his strength to escape from Beowulf’s mother.

7. Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother by cutting the mother’s throat using the sword of Eotens. When she dies, Beowulf decides to bring the mother’s head home in order to take revenge for those who got killed by Grendel. The sword melts down only leaving the hilt because of the mother’s acidic blood.

 8. When Beowulf returns to the surface by swimming, his men are not there waiting for him because they did not expect him to return alive from Grendel’s mother.

 [Further Celebration at Heorot] (Lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71)

1.  After fighting Grendel’s mother; Beowulf seeks the head of Grendel to give to the king.

 2. He tells Beowulf the story of an ambitious and prideful king named, Hermond. King Heremod ends up dying in misery and alone. He advises Beowulf not to be like that king because the same will happen to him. Hrothgar teaches him what happens to a king when he is overtaken by pride.

3. Beowulf returns to Unferth his sword, Hrunting; that Beowulf used right before his fight with Grendel’s mother.

 [Beowulf Returns Home] (lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79)

 1. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he will become an epic king and have a great reign over his kingdom. There is no mention of his demise or any other important details of that sort

2. Hygd reigns as Queen of the Geats. She is an excellent ruler unlike Modthryth who is a lousy and cruel leader

3. Marrying Ingled with Freawaru will hopefully end the vendetta the families are having. He expects the marriage will temporarily end the feud yet will not last very long. Beowulf plans to try this but is rightly worried since the fighting has waged for so long and the pride based members could reignite the flame by killing another. From what we have seen of the hero is this outside of his character since usually he is brave and always seeks the best even in the face of overwhelming odds

 4.  Beowulf arrogantly reports his adventures in a boastful manner at most times Exaggerating much of his adventure.

  5. Beowulf gives the treasure to Hygelac, and in return Hygelac gives Beowulf a powerful sword, land, hides, and a gigantic house.

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

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

 1 Part 2 is fifty years later. Hygelac and Heardred both died, and a dragon is attacking Beowulf’s kingdom.

 2.  The dragon is angry because a man took a cup from his hoard of treasure. The man took the cup to bring back to his lord to make peace because he was fleeing for his life. The treasure was once an old lord’s hoard that he kept with him until he died because all of his kinsmen had perished.

3. The dragon destroyed the homes and land of the Geats that evening.

4. Beowulf thinks his home was burnt because he is war-lord of the Geat kingdom, and he grew up there. He orders a new shield made of iron because his old one was wooden which wouldn’t withstand fire. He fights the battle by himself with a sword and shield and brings eleven men with him. Beowulf will die for he is old and beginning to weaken, and swords won’t do him any good because of his remarkable strength.

 5. Hygelac died in battle in Friesland. When he was killed, Beowulf swam to safety right after Hygelac’s death to return home. When he returned home, Hygd offered Beowulf to take the Hygelac’s throne as his successor. She didn’t think her son was ready to rule due to his inexperience. Beowulf did not accept to become the king of Geatland yet, but he gave support for Hygd’s son. He aided his way to mature as a good successor.

 6. Onela from Sweden voyaged across to meet Heardred, which he was mortally wounded from a sword. This left Beowulf to ascend the throne of Geatland. He planned his revenge by receiving men from Eadgils and eventually killed Onela.

 7. He took “eleven comrades” with him to fight the dragon. Beowulf told his men the stories of his youth and his vow to defeat the dragon while the men accompanied him.

 8. Hygelac’s oldest brother, Herebeald, was killed in an accident by his brother Haethcyn. This caused their father, King Hrethel, to shut down and die of grief. After their father’s death Haethcyn became king and lead the Geat people into a war with the Swedes, but died during the war. His brother Hygelac then proceeded into the throne but after defeating the Swedes in the war died during a raid.  Beowulf soon become kings and rules the land as a wise and noble king.

[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon] (lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92)

1.  As Beowulf approaches the home of the dragon he gives a speech to his companions about how he feels nothing less because he is using the armor, a shield, and a sword. He tells about how the dragon is far greater than Grendel, he tells them that this fight will be between him and the dragon. The ending result will be whatever fate decides for him.

2. As Beowulf approaches the dragon he yells a loud war cry that shows the dragon his intent. The dragon soon awoke and poured out fire at Beowulf, who stood still with his shield at hand. The shield protected him but the fire began to overwhelm it, he struck out with his trusty sword but as it pierced the beast’s skin it shattered. Now he was stuck with no weapon against the fire breathing beast. All but one of his companions had fled in fear, only Wiglaf stood there seeing his king in danger. He remembers the oath that all the men had taken to help and defend their king and goes to aid of Beowulf.   

  3.  Beowulf and Wiglaf kill the dragon together. Beowulf is mortally wounded when he's hit by the dragon's poisonous breath.

 4.  He asks him to get the treasure the dragon was hiding. At the sight of his treasure, Beowulf practically dies of happiness. But before he dies he tells Wiglaf his final wishes. He wants to be buried with his treasure on a high hill with a tall tower so that everyone will remember Beowulf and his greatness.

 [Beowulf's Funeral] (Lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99)

 1.  When they return, they find Wiglaf grieving over the dead Beowulf. Wiglaf reminds them of the promise they had made to Beowulf and of their cowardice. Wiglaf expects the Geats to be attacked by enemies once again.

 2.  A battle is coming between the Geats and the Swedes. Ongentheow returned home after killing his target. Eofor captured the man who killed his father. They later fought to the death where Eofor claimed to be the winner. Only warriors who were given gold by Beowulf were allowed to enter the barrow and honor his kingmenship. The final image was the dragon.

 3. Wiglaf tells the crowd that they must not take the gold or they will be cursed if they do unless blessed by heaven to claim it. They must leave their fallen leader to burn next to the fallen enemy, the dragon.

 4. The dragon is pushed off a cliff and falls into the rolling waves of the sea.

 5. During the funeral celebration the entirety of the people mourn for their lost king; a huge memorial that could be seen by all was constructed. This memorial was his tomb, a place where they buried Beowulf and all his worldly treasures. After the funeral celebration,12 warriors, men of Beowulf’s, gather around his tomb to chant, “mourning his loss as a man and as a king.”

 6. In the last three lines of the poem, the twelve Geats describe Beowulf with much love because he has sacrificed his life to protect his people and they addressed him as their “beloved leader”, which is a memorable way to describe a military hero. The Geats also addressed him as a “prince so mild” which is ironic because he holds that courage and rage he expresses when he fights in a battle.  

MY UNIVERSITY

Since I neglected to post this on the day it was assigned ill just discuss my entire week of achieved independent learning beginning with i guess the collaboration of of Beowulf and then proceeding down the list of journal entries. How ever after the classes list of objectives was complete there was quite a sufficient amount of time where I found myself discussing the future with other students and what it might hold for them as well as I. These topics were what seemed to encompass the week and honestly it may have been weird without a teacher for a week but its always nice to have conversations in detail of the future for its pursuits and take what our peers say to better distinguish are own individual path.