Scribe- September 26, 2007

Today I thought would be a easy day to scribe because of the shortened class period but I was proven wrong. I would like to thank Karm and Rebecca for the donuts- they were very good.

Homework:
• Final Essay conference due tomorrow or by early next week
• College scholarships due October 15th
• Begin reading Beowulf on Friday

We addressed questions regarding Beowulf that should be kept in mind while we read the story.
a. How does Beowulf connect with Anglo-Saxon history? What are some specific examples to prove he fits with this era?
b. How does Beowulf fit the journey of a hero? Innocence, initiation, chaos, resolution

We had an in class project in which we had to create posters of Anglo- Saxon history. We divided into groups and created posters of 3-4 helpful points to keep in mind while reading Beowulf. These will provide good information for notes as well.
The group topics included:
1. The Celtic Hero’s and Heroine’s:
• Celtic religion was based around animism (spirits everywhere controlled all aspects of life).
• Celtic Legends: Full of women and stories full of magic, animals, love affairs, and adventures.
• Celtic Mythology: influenced writers for centuries
• “Celtic myths take you to enchanted lands where magic and imagination rule”
2. Anglo- Saxon Life: The Warm Hall, the Cold World
• Not barbarians, but usually depicted that way
• More interested in warfare and not in learning the arts
• Responsibility is most important in leadership
• Followers received fame, success, and riches through loyalty to their leader
• Ex: Beowulf earned his fame by defeating the monsters trying to kill his leader, King Hrothger.
• Important that they lived in a closely built community
• Created security, close relationships between leader and followers, helped with community discussions and rule by consensus
3.The Bards:
• The Anglo- Saxon communal hall was a place for shelter and art.
• They sang about the gods and heroes
• The “non- Christians” used poetry to allow heroes to love on after death
4.Women in Anglo- Saxon Culture:
• Women were granted rights curtailed in 1066
• Inherited and held property even when married
• Joined and highly involved in religious gatherings- often obtained power in Abbies
• Implemented various forms of educational aides/learning centers
5. Anglo- Saxon Religion: gods for warriors
• Odin was god of death, poetry and magic--- polytheistic
• Days of the week still bear names of Anglo- Saxon gods.
• Ex: Thors day= Thursday and Wodens day= Wednesday
• The dragon was a significant figure in mythology
• ----Treasure guardian and bringer of death and destruction


After we finished making the posters we discussed the meaning of each and then moved to modern day heroes. We compiled lists of our heroes and the qualities hero’s posses.
Our hero list included:
• American soldiers
• Oprah
• Firefighters and policemen
• Our families, including our parents, siblings and legal guardians
• Surgeon’s and physicians, including my uncle
• Teachers- Mr. Trotter, Mr. Hatak, Mr. Wallace, and Ms. Durow
• Best friends and girlfriends and boyfriends
And our list of qualities of a hero included:
• Brave
• Driven
• Loyal
• Kindness
• Respectful
• Trustworthy
• Tolerant
• Disciplined
• Do what is right
• Empathy
• Supportive
• Intellectual
• Experienced
• Love what they do
• Devoted
• Humble
• Go out of their way

Sorry Beowulf isn't underlined or italicized for some reason my computer won't let me.
Anyways enjoy,

-Joe