The Anglo-Saxon Period

449-1066AD

Key Ideas of Period

• Heroic qualities

• Communal Hall

• Poets (scops)

• Religious aspects• Christian vs. Pagan

• Aggressive society

Social and family life of the A-S’s• Heroic Qualities/Cultural Values:• Loyal dependency…need to protect clan and home

• Warriors faithful to their thane• Fame and success in battle

• They were fatalists…no afterlife• Only form of afterlife was in the immortality found in stories• Example: Beowulf gained $, power, and fame by defeating those

that threatened Hrothgar• Poet and poetry

• Scops=bards, considered as important as warriors• Preserved the fame of the hero…immortality

• Comitatus: heroic ideal. the leader must fight till death and if he is slayed then his soldiers or warriors must avenge him or die trying. this is called blood vengeance.

Anglo-Saxon Religion

Pagan culture becomes a Christian culture following the Anglo-Saxon time period.

How does Beowulf mark the end of the Anglo-Saxon hero and Pagan ways?

How does the Seafarer demonstrate this shift in thinking as well?

Literary devices of period

• Kennings: A metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.

Giver of knowledge = teacher

• Alliteration: repetition of initial consonant soundTonsing’s tantalizing tidbits of teaching.

• Allusion: a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

“He was a real Romeo with the ladies.” Romeo was a character in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, and was very romantic in

expressing his love for Juliet.

Literary Elements Cont.

• Litotes – Watch the animoto on the Wikispace www.nordoniaenglish12cp.wikispaces.com

a figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.

For example, using the expression “not too bad” for “very good” is an understatement as well as a double negative statement that confirms a positive idea by negating the opposite

She is not unlike her mother.

Three Battles of Beowulf…

1. Grendel2. Grendel’s mother3. The Dragon

Describe Hrothgar as a leader.

• Does he fit the Code of Comitatus?

• He’s loyal to his people and wants what’s best for them• Willing to bring in Beowulf, the hero, to save the day• Protected by God• Fought for 12 years

Who is Unferth? What’s his deal?

• Hero for the Danes• Questions Beowulf’s reputation and ability• Allows the reader to experience Beowulf’s history

• What do we learn about Beowulf from the story of his experience/adventure with his boyhood friend, Brecca?

The Decline of the Hero

• Be able to analyze explain how the three battles demonstrate how Beowulf weakened as the story progressed. (review your three battles chart)

Learning Targets: Can you do the following?• I Can analyze the text for historical connections to the key ideas.• I Can analyze the text for literary elements such as allusion,

alliteration, kenning, and litotes.• I Can demonstrate understanding of “The Seafarer.”• I Can analyze “The Seafarer” as an elegy.• I Can analyze “The Seafarer” in terms of religious aspects.• I Can analyze the hero, Beowulf, as an Anglo-Saxon hero.