Masterpiece 1

The two parts to my piece of the mastery will be neurological research on Alzheimer’s disease* and how it has affected millions of individuals worldwide and what we as a group of humans can do to make a difference to help save millions of loved ones. This transitions into the second and more difficult and elaborate portion of my masterpiece; a petition to the United States Senate and House of Representatives to help promote medical insurance and care reform to insure medical assistance for even the poorest of the poor. As each person has the right to life, this includes the right to be free of terminal illness due to lack of financial resources.

                *Inspired by my Grandfather Samuel Mercado a great man with Alzheimer’s disease 

The Declaration of Learning independence

Learning an opportunity for all.

Shall not be infringed today tomorrow nor millennia from today.

Learning shall never be limited to just an educational institution.

Learning shall be open with information accessible to each and every individual.

Learning shall be individualized and not made into a bureaucracy, allowing for each individual to grow and learn at his or her pace.

An educator shall never consider themselves in any way superior to their pupils but their equals as the only superior being in learning is life.

Most importantly, learning shall be vivid and inclusive of all experiences of life. 

Vocabulary #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness
Bête noire - very disliked person
bode - verb indicate by signs
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

Literary Analysis #1 "1984" by George Orwell

1. Winston Smith a citizen of the totalitarian state of Ingsoc, the people of this socialist country speak new Newspeak the country's new form of English. Big Brother, the dictator of Ingsoc watches over each and every citizen to ensure that they don't break laws with free thought and sex. Winston writes a diary about his hate for the Party. Winston meets Julia a beautiful mechanic that works in his building. They both love each other and start an affair. Although illegal, they both confess their hatred toward Big Brother.  Winston then meets an inner Party member, O'Brien. Winston and O'Brien become friends at one point he invites Winston to his home. Winston believes O'Brien is part of the resistance and wants to help. Winston and Julia accept the invitation and go to O'Brien's home. They confess to O'Brien that they hate the Party.  Winston and Julia are given a book by Emmanuel Goldstein and are recruited into the "Brotherhood". While Winston is at home reading the book the Thought Police break down Winston's door and take him away. Winston and Julia are at the ministry of love and are tortured endlessly for there crimes. At one point O'Brien tortures Winston and straps a rat cage to Winston's face and threatens to let the rats eat his face. Winston begs for mercy and wants O'Brien to do it to Julia instead. At this point Winston is broken and figuratively killed. At the end Orwell finishes with "And He Loved Big Brother."
2. Any person can be broken down into nothingness. Winston a passionate man who wanted to make change had his mind condition and the real Winston was killed. The new Winston loved Big Brother and was forevermore changed. 
3. The author's tone toward the book is one of fear. The idea that a totalitarian government can control every aspect of your life and dehumanize each civilian is immensely frightening. 

1. Direct: Winston wrote down his feelings in a diary, and outright defied Big Brother with thought crimes. At the end of the book Winston was fully brainwashed into loving the Party. Indirect: O'Brien, a man of great intelligence, being able to manipulate Winston and Julia in such a subtle manner to get them turned in was indirect. Winston did not trust julia at first because she was too beautiful and it was almost too good to be true for her to be in his presence, this made Winston hesitant.
2. The diction changes often because there are two real points of view, there are the ones that are some what omniscient where the narrator knows all about the party but then there are parts where the readers zooms into Winston's lens. Learning about how the party specifically took control of people's lives was the omniscient point, and seeing Winston fall in love and him getting tortured was the first person account.
3. The Protagonist was dynamic, he started off with a point of view being his hate for Big Brother. Later on down the road his hate develops more and more until he is taken away by the thought police and is conditioned back to the optimal citizen.
4. I feel like I met a person. There are many people that have gone through similar struggles and Winston's struggles are completely realistic. The concept of "2+2=5" being engraved by force into the mind of each and every person is disheartening but interesting. Winston wasn't just a straightforward character that read and move on. We read him his way of doing things. In essence we get a first person account of what a totalitarian government would really be like.

El Vocabulario #3 (Vocabulary #3)

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter mannerattrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by frictionbromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remarkchauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kindchronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long sufferingexpound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state

factionalism: the splitting into groups from a larger central group.
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury;relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes; a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute
rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

Gotham's Beowulf

The heroic journey, a story repeated from generation to generation, literary period to literary period. Although the zeitgeist may change the essence of a heroic tale doesn’t change all that much.  Beowulf an epic poem of Britain embodies the characteristics of a warrior that saves a town and its people from imminent destruction.  Bruce Wayne or Batman also is a warrior that also saves a city from villainous beings. Both stories and protagonists have unimpeachable similarities bit there are also massive differences that distinguish the two stories; also a feminist perspective from both Beowulf and Batman would be a noticeable difference.

Beowulf and Batman both were extravagant fighters. Beowulf was able to beat Grendel, Grendel’s Mother and a Dragon. Batman was able to beat the Joker, Harvey Dent and Bane. All of the enemies faced be Batman and Beowulf faced are monstrous in comparison to a normal person but to the heroes theses bouts are overcome with effort and skill. Beowulf starts off wanting to beat Grendel in parallel Batman wants to keep Gotham crime-free. Both characters do what they can to help their people and gain favor. Batman looks to be favored by Commissioner Gordon while Beowulf gets favored by Hrothgar.  In both stories the quality of strength is very important. Many people look up to Beowulf for destroying beasts when nobody else could. Batman was looked up too because through the difficult challenge of beating the villains he encountered Gotham was saved from the horrors of crime.

Now if both tales were told from the feminist perspective there would many contrasting aspects.  Beowulf was loved by women, Batman was not. Beowulf was haughty and arrogant but in the eyes of women it was fine because he could back it up. Batman was arrogant and could back up his arrogance, but in modern society women hate arrogance and the sense of entitlement. Bruce Wayne was rich but nobody knew he was the Batman. Rachel Bruce Wayne’s lover disliked Bruce’s arrogance entirely and went with Harvey Dent as her lover.

Both stories are told from similar perspectives but if seen from a feminist lens both stories would be noticeably different. Beowulf’s amazing strength and arrogance was valued in the old Celtic society, while modern American society looks up to Batman’s strength and skill but down at Bruce Wayne’s money and arrogance. 

Vocabulary Week 2

Thanks to Easy Define:

accouterments - noun clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing
apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements
contretemps - noun an awkward clash
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
populous - adj. densely populated
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame


Although I may be religious and accept Jesus as my savior, I see many polemic inadequacies in the holy book that I read. To some I even see that the bible may have created noxious damage to people because when people utilize the bible for an argument, the points being made are either bigoted or irrational. I understand that religion involves a deep probity of morality, but religion is definitely not unimpeachable, it is not okay to be misogynistic or racist to other people because the bible said so. If many more people in the world followed the logic of many extreme Christians, the only humans that would survive this mass chaos would be the people in the apogee leaving earth. Christianity boldly states that it is the apropos of a believer to be a giver, yet many Christians don't want to even donate simple accouterments to the human-beings with absolutely nothing. Christians focus on the spiritual help but not the financial necessities that allow for people to survive to put moral principles into place. Instead Christians bicker about the cull (homosexuals and non-believers) and try to make "reason" of the convoluted bible. This doesn't show how rational this religion is but how disparate and how licentious Christianity can be.  Though this may make me feel like I am being blasphemous and anti-dogmatic toward my own God, but in this populous planet someone needs to speak up. Coalescing love and hate together is a mete I will not cross as it is hypocritical and will be the truncation of society if practiced worldwide. I hope to get a repartee in the comments of this post to hopefully debate my points civilly and not make a contretemps of myself.


*** I don't mean to offend anyone i am saying this out of pure thought and inner turmoil I feel toward the religion I believe in.

Socks in Fox...

Or however it goes. Right now I am feeling like "a a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled
muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!" My multitude of errors and my lackluster time shows my absence in reading. Laziness has taken center-stage in recent years. I mean I could sit here and see the words were to small, or my prescription glasses need to be replaced, but it really comes down to my lack of practice.

Beowulf Questions

Super Collaboration Group answering these comprehension questions include:
Yesenia Beas (Yesenia's Blog), Erica Paculan (Erica's Blog), Guadalupe Pliego (Guadalupe's Blog), Alec McFarland (Alec's Blog), Laike McFarland (Laike's Blog), Naiomi Desai (Naiomi's Blog), Millicent Angulo (Millicent's Blog), Jisu Yoon (Jisu's Blog), Susel Garcia (Susel's Blog), Eric Jackson (Eric's Blog), Ephraim Rodriguez (Ephraim's Blog), Taylor Wall (Taylor's Blog) Hikaru Kasai (Hikaru's Blog), Michael Hall (Michael's Blog), Danielle Cadena (Danielle's Blog), and Me
(16 People Group)

[Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation] (lines 1-85, pp. 33-34)

1.Realize that this prologue introduces the Danes, not Beowulf or his people the Geats. What was unusual about the way Shield came to be ruler of the Danes? What was his funeral like? What relation is Hrothgar to Shield?

The manner in which he became king was unusual because Shield was an abandoned child whom travelled to Denmark alone and there was able to change his fate and rule many lands. His funeral consisted of placing his corpse on a fighting ship, piling it up with treasures, and setting him adrift in the sea. Hrothgar is Shield’s grandson.

[Heorot is Attacked] (lines 86-188, pp. 34-36)

1.What magnificent work did Hrothgar undertake? Who attacked it, and with what result? How long did the attacks last? What was the response of the Danes?

Hrothgar built the beautiful dwelling of Heorot, however the monstrous Grendel attacked it and killed many of his men. His attacks spanned over a period of twelve winters. The Danes could do nothing else but remain in the bloody feud with Grendel, although they attempted to remain hidden. Hrothgar’s council tried to find solutions by looking for warriors and making sacrifices to the old stone gods.

[The Hero Comes to Heorot] (lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)

1. What does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel?

Beowulf heads out to  Heorot with his men to take on the deed of cleansing it of Grendel. He is confident that with his strength he will accomplish it.

2. Whom do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what do they do?

The Geats meet a watchman of the seas/beach shore. The watchman stops the Geats and asks what they are doing with the weapons they carry and the armor they have. He asked them specifically what their purpose was landing on Denmark. The Geats say they are not invaders or pirates, but wish to protect the throne of Scylding and defend the throne of Hrothgar from the villainous Grendel.

3. They next meet Hrothgar's herald. Who is he? What does he tell them? What does he tell Hrothgar? What does Hrothgar respond? Are you surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf so well?

Hrothgar’s herald is named Wulfgar. Wulfgar asks the Geats what is their business and asks them what their names are. Beowulf announces himself as the leader of the Geats seeks an audience with the king of Danes, Hrothgar of the throne. Hrothgar responds by saying yes to the warrior Beowulf to speak. No I am not surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf because he knows Beowulf’s father who fought with him before king.

4.What does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's father?

Beowulf told Hrothgar that he has defeated giants and other mythical creatures. He said that he will kill Grendel unarmed and unarmored when he comes to the hall at night. Hrothgar fought with his father during a feud with the Geats and Scyldings and were settled by a paying old treasure.

[Feast at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46)

1. What does Unferth accuse Beowulf of? How does Beowulf answer him? How is this episode relevant to the poem as a whole? What does Beowulf accuse Unferth of?

Unferth is jealous of Beowulf due to the kinsmen’s adoration for him. He tells the kinsmen that Beowulf lost a swimming match against Breca (and will lose to Grendel as well). Unferth believes that the swimming match was a waste of time and was a reckless thing to do. Beowulf answers Unferth by  telling his side of the story saying that Breca had help, a few monster allies, when he pulled Beowulf under the ocean and then pointedly mocks Unferth. This is relevant to the poem as it enhances the reader’s analysis of Beowulf’s character. The episode shows Beowulf’s boastfulness and arrogance, which is an overall big part of the whole poem.  

2. What is Queen Wealhtheow doing during the feasting?

Queen Wealhtheow goes around passing drinks and food to the soldiers as a sign of gratefulness and peace.

[The Fight with Grendel] (lines 662-835, pp. 46-49)

1.Heroic poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel?

Instead of arming for battle, typical for a heroic poetry battle scene, Beowulf believes he is strong enough to beat Grendel without the use of any weapon. Therefore, Beowulf strips himself of any weapon, using instead his bare hands.

2.What happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave behind?

When Grendel enters Heorot, he encounters many men sleeping and imagines the destruction and murder he could cause. However, he also finds an alert and prepared Beowulf. Beowulf fights him without armor or weapons, he simply tightly grasps Grendel, refusing to let him go. Within minutes, Beowulf’s men are attempting to help, but their weapons are harmless to Grendel. Grendel is weak and unable to free himself, but he is able to escape because he loses an arm.

[Celebration at Heorot] (lines 836-1250, pp. 49-60)

1.When the Danes and Geats return from following Grendel's tracks to the mere, someone sings in Beowulf's presence, comparing him to Sigemund and saying that he was not like Heremod (lines 883-914). How is Beowulf like Sigemund? How is he not like Heremod? (Be alert for inserted stories such as this one. Beowulf contains many of them, most much more complex than this one.)

Beowulf is like Sigemund because they both cared and protected their people, ultimately they were both heroes who murdered monsters. On the other had, Heremod ignored the needs of his people, he did not protect them and actually turned on them.

2.How does Hrothgar respond to Beowulf's deed? What does he offer to do for him? What does Unferth have to say now?

Hrothgar makes a speech praising Beowulf as well as offers him the best riches and to get vengeance for all the Geat soldiers that were murdered. Unferth now says nothing, Beowulf has proven his bravery.

3.The singer sings of Finn during the feasting (lines 1070-1158). The exact details of the Finn story are not clear, but in general, what happens? What does it suggest about the wisdom of using a woman as bride to heal enmity between tribes?

In general, the Danish general is treacherously attacked at Finn’s castle. Hengest succeeds Hnaef as the Danish general and a pact is made between Finn and the Danes after his force is nearly exterminated. Hengest is stuck in the castle during Winter and comes up with a way to enact vengeance. He kills Finn and the jewels of Finn are borne away to the Dane’s castle. This suggests that using a bride to heal enmity between tribes is not the smartest thing to do.

4.When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do?

Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give Beowulf the throne.

5.Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do?

Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to help her sons if they are ever in need.

6.Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake?

The men had all fallen asleep in the beer hall, because they had earlier defeated Grendel and had been drinking and feasting in celebration. This was a mistake, because Grendel’s mother comes back to take her revenge.

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER (lines 1251-2199, pp. 60-79)

[Another Attack] (lines 1251-1382, pp. 60-62)

1.Why has Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had?

Grendel’s mother came to Heorot to take revenge while Grendel came to Heorot to kill without reason.

2.What is Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed?

Grendel’s mother kills Hrothgar’s good friend, Aeschere. Hrothgar promises Beowulf that he will repay him greatly if he is able to kill Grendel’s mother.

3.What sort of place is the mere?

The literal/dictionary meaning of mere is a “lake, pond, or arm of a sea.” Hrothgar describes a haunted mere where Grendel’s mother lives. He says that no one knows how deep it is and that at night, the water burns in it. He also says that the mere throws dirty water up to the sky in storms.

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

1.How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond?

Beowulf asks Hrothgar to take care of his men if he doesn’t survive. Hrothgar had also promised gifts to Beowulf, which he requests him to send to his king, Hygelac. He also reveals his heroic personality by his words, “It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.”

2.What happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it?

When Beowulf first dives in the mere, he at first sinks and takes an entire day to reach the bottom. While fighting with the monster, towards the end of the fight, the water filled with blood and warriors assumed him to be dead.

3.How does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him?

Beowulf prepared for battle by courageously getting his armor and weapons because he wants to get revenge on those who were killed by Grendel, so he is off to kill his Grendel’s own mother. Beowulf is granted a sword which is named “Hrunting” from Unferth which is passed down and admired as an “old-time heirloom.”

4.What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere?

Beowulf dives in the “floor of the sea” to get into the mere and have his battle with Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother tries to kill Beowulf in the spot but his armor protects him then she brings him to her underwater lair which marks her “own” territory, so no other creatures will bother her.

5.What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth?

“Hrunting”, the sword given by Unferth, was completely useless against Grendel’s mother that it broke in the spot during their battle.

6.At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape?

Beowulf escapes by using his armor; his armor protects him from the knife wound and then he uses his strength to escape from Beowulf’s mother.

7.How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother? What weapon does he use? What happens when she dies? What does Beowulf take with him from her home? What happens to the sword he used to kill her?

Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother by cutting the mother’s throat using the sword of Eotens. When she dies, Beowulf decides to bring the mother’s head home in order to take revenge for those who got killed by Grendel. The sword melts down only leaving the hilt because of the mother’s acidic blood.

8.What happens when Beowulf returns to the surface? Did his men expect him to return?

When Beowulf returns to the surface by swimming, his men are not there waiting for him because they did not expect him to return alive from Grendel’s mother.

[Further Celebration at Heorot] (lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71)

1.What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar?

After fighting  Grendel’s mother; Beowulf seeks the head of Grendel to give to the king.

2.What message does Hrothgar have for Beowulf? What and why does he tell us about Heremod? Why and how did Heremod die? What lesson does Hrothgar teach with the Heremod example?

He tells Beowulf the story of an ambitious and prideful king named, Hermond. King Heremod ends up dying in misery and alone. He advises Beowulf not to be like that king because the same will happen to him. Hrothgar teaches him what happens to a king when he is overtaken by pride.

3.What does Beowulf give to Unferth as he leaves?

Beowulf returns to Unferth his sword, Hrunting; that Beowulf used right before his fight with Grendel’s mother.

[Beowulf Returns Home] (lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79)

1.What future does Hrothgar predict for Beowulf?

Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he will become an epic king and have a great reign over his kingdom. There is no mention of his demise or any other important details of that sort

2.Who is Hygd and why is she not like Modthryth?

Hygd reigns as Queen of the Geats. She is an excellent ruler unlike Modthryth who is a lousy and cruel leader

3.Beowulf reports to Hygelac that Hrothgar may marry his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld. Why does he plan to do that? What does Beowulf expect the result will be? (Remember the Finn story, lines 1070-1158.) How does Beowulf think the peace will be broken? Is this the type of report we expected from the hero Beowulf, or are we seeing a new side of him?

Marrying Ingled with Freawaru will hopefully end the vendetta the families are having. He expects the marriage will temporarily end the feud yet will not last very long. Beowulf plans to try this but is rightly worried since the fighting has waged for so long and the pride based members could reignite the flame by killing another. From what we have seen of the hero is this outside of his character since usually he is brave and always seeks the best even in the face of overwhelming odds

4.How does Beowulf report about his own adventures? Does he report accurately?

Beowulf is arrogantly reports his adventures in a boastful manner. Exaggerating much of his adventure.

 

5.What does Beowulf do with the treasure he was given? What does Hygelac give him?

Beowulf gives the treasure to Hygelac, and in return Hygelac gives Beowulf a powerful sword, land, hides, and a gigantic house.

BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON (lines 2200-3182, pp. 79-99)

[The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)

1.How much later does Part 2 take place? What kings have died in the meanwhile? What danger now exists?

Part 2 is fifty years later. Hygelac and Heardred both died, and a dragon is attacking Beowulf’s kingdom.

2.Why is the dragon angry? Why did the man take a cup? How did the treasure come to be there in the first place? (The speech of the lone survivor, the one who put the gold in the barrow, is in a typically Old English elegiac tone.

The dragon is angry because a man took a cup from his hoard of treasure. The man took the cup to bring back to his lord to make peace because he was fleeing for his life. The treasure was once an old lord’s hoard that he kept with him until he died because all of his kinsmen had perished.

3.What did the dragon destroy that evening?

The dragon destroyed the homes and land of the Geats that evening.

4.Why does Beowulf think his home was burnt? Why does he order a new shield? How will he fight this battle? What will happen to him?

Beowulf thinks his home was burnt because he is war-lord of the Geat kingdom, and he grew up there. He orders a new shield made of iron because his old one was wooden which wouldn’t withstand fire. He fights the battle by himself with a sword and shield and brings eleven men with him. Beowulf will die for he is old and beginning to weaken, and swords won’t do him any good because of his remarkable strength.

5.How did Hygelac die? (The description in lines 2354-2379 begins one of several versions of Geatish history and Hygelac's death we will get.) What did Beowulf do after Hygelac's death? What happened when he returned home? Did he accept Hygd's offer to become king?

Hygelac died in battle in Friesland. When he was killed, Beowulf swam to safety right after Hygelac’s death to return home. When he returned home, Hygd offered Beowulf to take the Hygelac’s throne as his successor. She didn’t think her son was ready to rule due to his inexperience. Beowulf did not accept to become the king of Geatland yet, but he gave support for Hygd’s son. He aided his way to mature as a good successor.

6. What happened to Hygelac's son Heardred? (That's the story in lines 2380-2390.) How did Beowulf plan to revenge Heardred's death (lines 2391-2396)?

Onela from Sweden voyaged across to meet Heardred, which he was mortally wounded from a sword. This left Beowulf to ascend the throne of Geatland. He planned his revenge by receiving men from Eadgils and eventually killed Onela.

7.How many men accompany Beowulf as he goes to meet the dragon?

He took “eleven comrades” with him to fight the dragon. Beowulf told his men the stories of his youth and his vow to defeat the dragon while the men accompanied him.

8.What happened to Hygelac's oldest brother Herebeald? Who killed him? What did this do to his father King Hrethel? (This passage, lines 2425-2509, is the second account of Geatish history and of the death of Hygelac.) What happened between the Swedes and Geats after Hrethel's death? What happened to Haethcyn? How die Beowulf revenge Hygelac's death?

Hygelac’s oldest brother, Herebeald, was killed in an accident by his brother Haethcyn. This caused their father, King Hrethel, to shut down and die of grief. After their father’s death Haethcyn became king and lead the Geat people into a war with the Swedes, but died during the war. His brother Hygelac then proceeded into the throne but after defeating the Swedes in the war died during a raid.  Beowulf soon become kings and rules the land as a wise and noble king.

[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon] (lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92)

1.What does Beowulf tell his companions to do?

As Beowulf approaches the home of the dragon he gives a speech to his companions about how he feels nothing less because he is using the armor, a shield, and a sword. He tells about how the dragon is far greater than Grendel, he tells them that this fight will be between him and the dragon. The ending result will be whatever fate decides for him.

2.What happens the first time Beowulf and the dragon fight? What do his companions do? How is Wiglaf different? What does he tell the others? What does he then do?

As Beowulf approaches the dragon he yells a loud war cry that shows the dragon his intent. The dragon soon awoke and poured out fire at Beowulf, who stood still with his shield at hand. The shield protected him but the fire began to overwhelm it, he struck out with his trusty sword but as it pierced the beast’s skin it shattered. Now he was stuck with no weapon against the fire breathing beast. All but one of his companions had fled in fear, only Wiglaf stood there seeing his king in danger. He remembers the oath that all the men had taken to help and defend their king and goes to aid of Beowulf.    

 

3.What happens the second time Beowulf meets the dragon? What happens to Beowulf? Who kills the dragon?

Beowulf and Wiglaf kill the dragon together. Beowulf is mortally wounded when he's hit by the dragon's poisonous breath.

4.What does the dying Beowulf ask Wiglaf to do? What happens when Beowulf sees the gold? How does Beowulf want to be buried?

He asks him to get the treasure the dragon was hiding. At the sight of his treasure, Beowulf practically dies of happiness. But before he dies he tells Wiglaf his final wishes. He wants to be buried with his treasure on a high hill with a tall tower so that everyone will remember Beowulf and his greatness.

[Beowulf's Funeral] (lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99)

1.What happens when the companions return? What does Wiglaf say to him? What does he expect will happen in the future?

When they return, they find Wiglaf grieving over the dead Beowulf. Wiglaf reminds them of the promise they had made to Beowulf and of their cowardice. Wiglaf expects the Geats to be attacked by enemies once again.

2.What does the messenger tell the city? (This passage, lines 2900-3027, is the third account of the history of the Geats and the death of Hygelac. These are the enemies that will attack the Geats when they learn of Beowulf's death.) What happened overnight in Ravenswood after Ongentheow killed Haethcyn? What happened the next morning? What happened to Ongentheow? What does the messenger say to do with the gold? What is the final image (animal) of the messenger's speech?

A battle is coming between the Geats and the Swedes. Ongentheow returned home after killing his target. Eofor captured the man who killed his father. They later fought to the death where Eofor claimed to be the winner. Only warriors who were given gold by Beowulf were allowed to enter the barrow and honor his kingmenship. The final image was the dragon.

3. What does Wiglaf tell the crowd that comes to see the dragon and Beowulf?

Wiglaf tells the crowd that they must not take the gold or they will be cursed if they do unless blessed by heaven to claim it. They must leave their fallen leader to burn next to the fallen enemy, the dragon.

4.What happens to the dragon?

The dragon is pushed off a cliff and falls into the rolling waves of the sea.

5.What happens during and after the funeral celebration?

During the funeral celebration the entirety of the people mourn for their lost king, a huge memorial that could be seen by all was constructed. This memorial was his tomb, a place where they buried Beowulf and all his worldly treasures. After the funeral celebration,12 warriors, men of Beowulf’s, gather around his tomb to chant, “mourning his loss as a man and as a king.”

6.What did the Geats say about Beowulf in the last three lines of the poem? Are these the terms one would expect to be used to describe a military hero?

In the last three lines of the poem, the twelve Geats describe Beowulf with much love because he has sacrificed his life to protect his people and they addressed him as their “beloved leader”, which is a memorable way to describe a military hero. The Geats also addressed him as a “prince so mild” which is ironic because he holds that courage and rage he expresses when he fights in a battle.