Beowulf Redux

For those of you who read Beowulf last year, here's an article written by a friend of mine that you might enjoy reading.

http://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/what-im-reading-beowulf-background

Week 3

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Due to our family’s involvement in a CYT performance next weekend, we will not have class next Thursday.  We will resume class on Thursday October 2nd.  

We have begun our journey with our Pilgrim's Progress protagonist, Christian.  We have followed him through the Slough of Despond and on to the house of Mr. Legality.  This is such a powerful work of literature that I don't want to rush through the discussion.  As we take our time reading in small chucks, I encourage those students who (due to the slow pace of reading) have extra time, to add additional works. Here are some suggestions that I believe will inform our discussion:

“The Recovery of Sight by the Blind” – St. Augustine 354 - 430

Consider the implications of this sermon on the life of Christian. 

 “Cry out amid the crowds that are restraining you, and calling you back, and insulting you, whose lives are evil…”

http://biblehub.com/library/various/the_worlds_great_sermons_volume_i/augustine_354-430__the_recovery.htm

“The Ascension of Christ” – Savonarola 1452-1498

Notice his allegorical interpretation of the story of Balam’s ass.  What comparisons is he making?  How might this manner of interpreting scripture have influenced Bunyan if he read this sermon?

http://biblehub.com/library/various/the_worlds_great_sermons_volume_i/savonarola__the_ascension_of.htm

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Jonathan Edwards 1703-1758

Can you connect Edwards communication of the extreme peril of the unsaved soul to Pilgrim’s distress in the beginning of the book?  Why don’t we hear many sermons like this from modern preachers?

http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/je-sinners.htm

Assignments for the next 2 weeks

Writing:

• ·      Complete pages 144 – 151 in your Student Workbook (week 1)
• ·      Write your essay on the Pandora story (week 2)

Reading (highlight as previously instructed)

• ·      Aristotle for Everybody chapters 12-13
• ·      Pilgrim’s Progress pages 84-158
• ·      The Author’s Apology for his Book – John Bunyan (link below)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/bunyan/pp00.htm

As you read through Bunyan’s apology, make a list of the proofs he gives for his implied thesis that “I should have written this allegory”

Week 2

A big thank you to the Grays and the Meine's who brought birthday treats this week!

We're off to a great start this semester.
Here are this week's assignments.

Writing:

*SW = Student Workbook

• Sort your Pandora ANI (be sure to move I's to A or N first if you can)
• second year LTW: Complete the Arrangement worksheet on SW pages 117-120, and an outline from the template on pages 121-122
• first year LTW: Complete the Arrangement worksheet on SW pages 16-17, and an outline from the template on page 18
• Label all the arrangement elements that are included in your outline this week the Hamlet essay I distributed in class.  

Reading:

• Read Aristotle for Everybody chapter 11
• Read pages 54-84 in Pilgrim's Progress
• Reread the first 7 sections of De Amicitia if you are having difficulty with it
• Use yellow highlighters for flow of thought and margin notes for all your reading.  Find at least one blue in the new Pilgrim's Progress reading

Week 1: Welcome Back!

It was great to see you all today!

Here are your assignments for next week.
I'm sending this week's invention worksheet by e-mail, along with an example of how to complete it correctly.  The new worksheet is designed to help you use the questions about differences in degree and kind to generate new information rather than to evaluate information you've already thought of, like we did last year.

Writing:

• Reread the myth of Pandora
• Choose an issue from the story (character + action /ask whether they should have done it)
• Complete the review worksheet on comparison (will e-mail worksheet)
• Complete an ANI chart for your Pandora issue.   You must have 20 items in each column (A, N, and I).  Number them!  Include at least some information from your comparison worksheet. Remember that any invention worksheet information can at least go in the interesting colunm.

Reading

• Read Aristotle for Everybody chapter 10.  Use your yellow highlighter and make notes in the margins so that if called upon to give a narration, you'll be able to do so.
• Read De Amicitia sections 1-7 (pages 1-19).  Use your yellow highlighter for flow of thought, orange if you notice elocution elements we've learned, and blue to mark passages that you find most interesting.  Be sure you have at least one blue in this weeks reading.
• Read Pilgrim's Progress Intro through page 53.  Follow the same highlighting instructions as for De Amicitia.
• Be prepared to give a narration on any section of Pilgrim's Progress or De Amicitia.