We spent the first half of class today familiarizing ourselves with the epic poem Beowulf. There is much insight to be gained by comparing The Odyssey with Beowulf, and you all did a great job bringing out those ideas this week. As we contemplate the idea of the hero together this semester, our understanding deepens when we observe these two men in light of the cultures from which they came, as well as in the light of God's revelation to us in scripture.
Be sure to bring both books with you to class! The truth is that you'll never finish reading either of them. There is too much to explore in these classic works to check them off your list and put them on the shelf to collect dust. Keep contemplating, questioning, and comparing.
This week's assignment
Beowulf:
Do a careful read of Beowulf, lines 1 - 1650. Use your yellow highlighter to mark the flow of thought and your blue highlighter to mark lines that impress you or that you think sound particularly poetic. Keep your narration notes along the right side margin so that you can narrate any given section on request.
The Odyssey:
Identify a character that interests you and something they did in the story. Write a question asking whether they should have done it.
Ex: Should Odysseus have ordered his men to tie him to the mast?
Have a great week!
I have been reading articles from Smithsonian Magazine (June, 2012) this week and found these quotes:
ReplyDeleteIn an article about this year's being the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, an 1812 reenactor made this comment:
"We can never win. The Civil War is the American Iliad. The War of 1812 is a 19th-century version of Korea."
In another article about the Millenium Seed Bank in West Sussex, England, the author writes:
"Today, the state-of-the-art facility, completed in 2000 under the aegis of London's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, stores 2.2 billion seeds-- and counting."
The purpose of this, and other, seed banks is to collect, and preserve, 25% of the world's 400,000 plant species by 2020 in order to guard against disasters that could affect man's and animals' ability to find and grow food.
We just can't get away from the Greeks and their legacy, can we?