Part One of the text you are about to read is from Burton Raffel's popular 1963 translation of the epic. Part Two is from the Irish poet Seamus Heaney's award-winning, bestselling translation of the work, published in 2000.
Assignment: Read and Respond to Beowulf
Sign into your account at my.hrw.com. Read pages 33-38 in the online book. To help you understand what is happening in the story, answer each of the following questions, as you come across certain lines in the text. Please answer the questions in complete sentences in the free response box.
275 to 287. Throughout Beowulf, there are many references to the pagan notion of fate (see line 285) as an impersonal force that predetermines the outcome of events in a persons life. This concept, known as wyrd, was central to Anglo-Saxon beliefs.
How is this older Beowulf different from the Beowulf who slew Grendel and his mother?
288 to 296. How does Beowulf's acceptance of fate show his deep sense of responsibility to his people?
318 to 329. The image of a lone hero standing up to a fire-breathing dragon or other giant monster is one of the most archetypal images in Western heroic literature.
How does the dragon compare with Grendel and Grendel's mother?
329 to 350. In lines 329 to 345, what goes wrong during Beowulf's battle with the dragon? In lines 346 to 350, what are you led to believe about Beowulf's ultimate fate?
355 to 358. How do Beowulf's men react to the sight of the dragon gaining victory over Beowulf?
370 to 399. What arguments does Wiglaf use to convince the men that they must fight with Beowulf?
411 to 418. The ultimate purpose of the epic hero is to leave something of lasting value to his culture.
What has Beowulf left to his people?
419 to 425. What are Beowulf's final wishes?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Base Words
Being able to spot the base of a word is an important skill because it can help you determine what that word means. For example, if you did not know what embattled means in Emerson's Concord Hymn, you could look and see that the base is battle. Therefore, you can safely guess that embattled has to do with being in battle.
Learning to switch between base words and derivatives (words formed from base words) can also help your writing, because you'll be able to play with different ways of saying things. Let's say you were writing about a time you asked a friend a question, and he gave you an unclear answer. You could write, “his response lacked coherency, or you could say, His answer was incoherent, or you could say, “His answer was not coherent at all. When you know how to spell and use different forms of a word, you can vary the ways you express yourself.
Look at the following words. They are all of the words that you can make from one base word, cover.
cover
recover
recovered
recovering
covered
covering
coverlet
In this lesson, we'll focus on how to find and spell the base of a derivative. Later in this volume, we'll look at how to form a derivative from a base.
Derivatives to Base Words
It is often possible to change a derivative back into the base word by simply dropping prefixes and suffixes.
Examples:
discontent - dis = content
developed - ed = develop
unbuttoned -un - ed = button
Sometimes you need to restore a letter to the base, such as an e that was dropped when the suffix was added.
Examples:
blazing - ing = blaz + e = blaze
unimaginable - un...able = imagin + e = imagine
If a final consonant was doubled when the prefix was added, you will need to undouble it, that is, drop one of the consonants.
Examples:
committed - ed = committ - t = commit
baggy - y = bagg - g = bag
If a final y was changed to i when the suffix was added, change it back to y.
Examples:
hurried -ed = hurri - i + y = hurry
happiness - ness = happi -i + y = happy
Learning to switch between base words and derivatives (words formed from base words) can also help your writing, because you'll be able to play with different ways of saying things. Let's say you were writing about a time you asked a friend a question, and he gave you an unclear answer. You could write, “his response lacked coherency, or you could say, His answer was incoherent, or you could say, “His answer was not coherent at all. When you know how to spell and use different forms of a word, you can vary the ways you express yourself.
Look at the following words. They are all of the words that you can make from one base word, cover.
cover
recover
recovered
recovering
covered
covering
coverlet
In this lesson, we'll focus on how to find and spell the base of a derivative. Later in this volume, we'll look at how to form a derivative from a base.
Derivatives to Base Words
It is often possible to change a derivative back into the base word by simply dropping prefixes and suffixes.
Examples:
discontent - dis = content
developed - ed = develop
unbuttoned -un - ed = button
Sometimes you need to restore a letter to the base, such as an e that was dropped when the suffix was added.
Examples:
blazing - ing = blaz + e = blaze
unimaginable - un...able = imagin + e = imagine
If a final consonant was doubled when the prefix was added, you will need to undouble it, that is, drop one of the consonants.
Examples:
committed - ed = committ - t = commit
baggy - y = bagg - g = bag
If a final y was changed to i when the suffix was added, change it back to y.
Examples:
hurried -ed = hurri - i + y = hurry
happiness - ness = happi -i + y = happy
Friday, October 5, 2007
Clinton's reading of Concord Hymn
Check out what Clinton has to say about the poem here.
Congrats to Marissa and Melissa for guessing correctly!
Congrats to Marissa and Melissa for guessing correctly!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Context Clues
What Is Context?
Context literally means with text. When you come across a word you don't know, looking at its context the text that surrounds it, whether it be a phrase, sentence, or paragraph can help you determine its meaning. Even if you can't come up with a precise definition of the word, you may be able to come close enough to understand what it generally means in the selection you are reading. In this lesson, you'll learn several ways to look at context.
1. Sometimes the context restates the meaning of the word.
Example:
Some veterinarians, doctors who care for animals, volunteer their services at animal shelters.
The phrase doctors who care for animals tells you what the word veterinarians means.
2. Word meanings are not always stated so simply, but sometimes writers give examples that you can use as clues to the meaning.
Example:
Although modern medicine has made great strides in preventing or curing serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, doctors still haven't found a cure for maladies that nearly everyone experiences: the common cold and the 24-hour bug.
What does malady mean? The colon after experiences tells us that the common cold and the 24-hour bug are examples of maladies. Since these are illnesses, and the beginning of the sentence is about illnesses, malady must be a synonym for illness.
3. Another kind of context clue tells you what a word means by telling you about its opposite.
Example:
Unlike Danielle, who is usually decorous, Stephanie is noisy and unruly.
The word unlike tells you that Danielle and Stephanie are different. Stephanie is noisy and unruly, and Danielle is the opposite. So Danielle must be quiet and well behaved, or decorous.
4. You can determine what a word means by reading the words or sentences around it and making your best guess, or inference.
Example:
During the American Revolutionary War, not all of the soldiers in the British army called England home. England hired mercenaries who were willing to fight for any country that would pay them to do so.
In this example, there are two clues to the meaning of mercenaries. They were not British citizens, and they would fight for any country that paid them. So you can infer that a mercenary is a soldier who is hired by a country to join its army.
ASSIGNMENT
Give it a try!
For each line or passage, write a brief definition of the italicized word. Don't look the word up in the dictionary. Use context clues to decide what the word means.
1. In many cases, the penalty for drunken driving is the revocation, or suspension, of the driver's license.
2. We went to the home improvement store to gather the implements we needed to paint the room, such as a roller and pan, a scraper, and brushes.
3. On the facade, or front, of the building, the sculptor had carved scenes from Greek myths.
4. Slinky, our cat, always maintains his dignity when we have company, but our dogs act like silly fools.
5. Luke may seem uncaring, but he's not really as callous as he appears.
6. In spite of the impairments of deafness and blindness, Helen Keller lived an extraordinary life.
7. Mosquitoes are particularly prolific during wet, rainy summers because they lay their eggs in standing water.
8. After a weeks vacation, Mrs. Martinez seemed revitalized, full of new life that bubbled out in happy giggles.
9. Scientists have determined that animals, including people, release pheromones that make them attractive to possible partners. When lots of these natural chemical substances are produced, romance is more likely for the producer.
10. While lions, tigers, and other big cats eat primarily meat, the giant grizzly bear is omnivorous. It will make a meal of vegetation, insects, fish, or meat.
Context literally means with text. When you come across a word you don't know, looking at its context the text that surrounds it, whether it be a phrase, sentence, or paragraph can help you determine its meaning. Even if you can't come up with a precise definition of the word, you may be able to come close enough to understand what it generally means in the selection you are reading. In this lesson, you'll learn several ways to look at context.
1. Sometimes the context restates the meaning of the word.
Example:
Some veterinarians, doctors who care for animals, volunteer their services at animal shelters.
The phrase doctors who care for animals tells you what the word veterinarians means.
2. Word meanings are not always stated so simply, but sometimes writers give examples that you can use as clues to the meaning.
Example:
Although modern medicine has made great strides in preventing or curing serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, doctors still haven't found a cure for maladies that nearly everyone experiences: the common cold and the 24-hour bug.
What does malady mean? The colon after experiences tells us that the common cold and the 24-hour bug are examples of maladies. Since these are illnesses, and the beginning of the sentence is about illnesses, malady must be a synonym for illness.
3. Another kind of context clue tells you what a word means by telling you about its opposite.
Example:
Unlike Danielle, who is usually decorous, Stephanie is noisy and unruly.
The word unlike tells you that Danielle and Stephanie are different. Stephanie is noisy and unruly, and Danielle is the opposite. So Danielle must be quiet and well behaved, or decorous.
4. You can determine what a word means by reading the words or sentences around it and making your best guess, or inference.
Example:
During the American Revolutionary War, not all of the soldiers in the British army called England home. England hired mercenaries who were willing to fight for any country that would pay them to do so.
In this example, there are two clues to the meaning of mercenaries. They were not British citizens, and they would fight for any country that paid them. So you can infer that a mercenary is a soldier who is hired by a country to join its army.
ASSIGNMENT
Give it a try!
For each line or passage, write a brief definition of the italicized word. Don't look the word up in the dictionary. Use context clues to decide what the word means.
1. In many cases, the penalty for drunken driving is the revocation, or suspension, of the driver's license.
2. We went to the home improvement store to gather the implements we needed to paint the room, such as a roller and pan, a scraper, and brushes.
3. On the facade, or front, of the building, the sculptor had carved scenes from Greek myths.
4. Slinky, our cat, always maintains his dignity when we have company, but our dogs act like silly fools.
5. Luke may seem uncaring, but he's not really as callous as he appears.
6. In spite of the impairments of deafness and blindness, Helen Keller lived an extraordinary life.
7. Mosquitoes are particularly prolific during wet, rainy summers because they lay their eggs in standing water.
8. After a weeks vacation, Mrs. Martinez seemed revitalized, full of new life that bubbled out in happy giggles.
9. Scientists have determined that animals, including people, release pheromones that make them attractive to possible partners. When lots of these natural chemical substances are produced, romance is more likely for the producer.
10. While lions, tigers, and other big cats eat primarily meat, the giant grizzly bear is omnivorous. It will make a meal of vegetation, insects, fish, or meat.
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