Beowulf Lesson: The Last Battle

Guided Instruction - 9.26.24

Welcome to class, folks!
I am glad you are here.

Word Cloud

Typing 1-9, which screenshot from "Abbott Elementary" fits your current mood?

​Please note the above dates, which are listed within our English 12 Course Announcements (on the English 12 landing page in edio).

Please proceed to pages 2+3 of today's lesson

Engage: Summary of previously read Beowulf sections
Questions to keep in mind while reading/listening:

• What does Wiglaf see when he enters the dragon's lair?

• According to lines 814 to 828, how does Beowulf want to be remembered, and what do Beowulf's dying wishes tell you about him?

• What happens to the men that abandoned Beowulf?

• What does Wiglaf do with the treasure? Why does he do this?

Open Ended

After reading/listening:

The way that Beowulf approaches death shows the values of people during this time period. The fact that Wiglaf does not keep the treasure from the battle indicates that the battle was not fought for treasure, but for something more. Fame was a way to overcome death. The men believed that Beowulf would live on through his story.

For over 1,000 years, this story has been read. It has been made into plays, movies, video games, and more. The epic hero Beowulf has lived on through the years, as generation after generation retells his story.

Explain how keeping Beowulf's story alive also keeps a culture's values alive. What does this story tell us about the people who lived during this time period?

style/grammar (syntax + apposition)

The syntax of a sentence is its structure or the arrangement of its words and how they relate. Writers use various devices to build up and extend accounts of action and descriptions of characters. one of those devices is an apposition.

Apposition is the placement of two elements, typically nouns or noun phrases, side by side so that the second identifies, clarifies, or elaborates on the first. 

The chart below shows examples of apposition in Beowulf.

Multiple Select

Which sentences contain an apposition?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

Open Ended

How are Beowulf and Grendel different from one another?

How are they alike?