Transcript heroes…

heroes…
Take a few minutes to answer these questions in
the ‘Notes’ section of your binder. As these are
your notes, you do not need to write in complete
sentences if you do not wish to. However, you
must write down your answers.
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Who are your heroes? Why?
What is your definition of a hero?
What qualities make someone heroic?
Has your view of what makes someone a hero
changed over the years?
Consider the following people:
Now consider these…
Benjamin “Keefe” Clark
As the sole corporate chef for Fiduciary Trust on
the South Tower's 96th floor. Clark urged
hundreds of people to head down the stairs…
Katherine Avery
Avery arrived in New York just more than a week
after September 11 to serve as volunteer
coordinator at St. Paul's Chapel, an Episcopal
church- turned relief center just yards from
Ground Zero.
Thomas Burnett Jr.
Tom Burnett Jr. made four phone calls to his
wife Deena from United Airlines Flight 93 after
learning of the attacks on New York and
Washington and pledged to "do something."
Welles Crowther
An equities trader on the South Tower's
104th floor, Crowther helped dozens of
people to safety on September 11.
Isaac Ho'opi'i
A Pentagon police officer, Ho'opi'i ran back-andforth from the burning building, carrying eight
people to safety. On one of his last trips in, he
yelled, "If you can hear me, head toward my
voice."
Eric Jones
A graduate student, Jones was driving to school
when he spotted smoke over the Pentagon. He
pulled into the building's parking lot and began
rescuing people from the debris.
David Lim
Lim, a Port Authority K-9 officer, was in the
South Tower when American Flight 11 slammed
into the North Tower. He ran up to the North
Tower's 44th floor before heading down.
Maureen Schulman
Schulman arrived shortly after both towers had been hit,
and she twice narrowly skirted death when the buildings fell.
One of just a handful of women in the 11,000+ strong New
York City fire department, Schulman spent many hours at
Ground Zero working alongside her colleagues -- two of whom
are her brothers.
Yvette Washington-Montagne
A New York City 911 operator for the last 21 years,
Yvette Washington-Montagne talked to distraught
family members and others injured in the terrorist
attacks. She stayed on the job for 16 hours.
David Lim
So, what do we know about
heroes…
• In light of the 10th anniversary of September 11th, we remember the
tragedy and mourn those we lost. We also honor the heroes -firefighters, police officers, and brave citizens who risked their lives
in remarkable ways. Our country will be forever grateful for their
courage and strength.
• A hero, doesn't have to be someone who steps up in an
extraordinary circumstance, wins a championship, or achieves fame
and glory. He or she can be a peer who calls out a bully, a mentor
who spends time helping a child with her homework, the parent who
packs yummy wholesome snacks for lunch and drives to soccer
practice every weekend.
What influences our definition of the hero?
Society influences our definition of the
hero: the traits that we envy, the traits
that we admire, and what our concept
of success or greatness is.
We are always looking for heroes.
• Society wants to cheer for someone,
something, anything.
• This past summer, these were the movies:
8th Century Anglo-Saxons were no
different… they just didn’t have
televisions or movie theaters…
Beowulf.
Introduction to Beowulf
• Themes:
– Importance of Lineage
– Traits of the Epic Hero
– Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues
• Cultural and Societal Context:
• Structure and Style:
Before there was Chuck Norris…
… there was Beowulf.
Beowulf and Lineage:
• All of the Chuck Norris facts in the world couldn’t get Chuck Norris
noticed in Anglo-Saxon society. To them, Chuck would just be a
Texan with red hair and a roundhouse kick. Now if Chuck Norris’
father was known, then there would be something to talk about
• Beowulf, for all of his physical prowess, fell into the same category.
Simply, everyone was known based on their ancestors. Beowulf had
not individual identity. He had to introduce himself as “Beowulf, son
of…” until he earned a name of his own – which was achieved by
earning glory by going on quests.
• Why did Beowulf have to refer to himself as “the son of”?
– Kinship, loyalty, and reputation held Anglo Saxon Society together
It’s not important what you know,
it’s about who you know.
The Epic Hero
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The epic hero is the central figure in a long narrative
that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular
society. An epic is a quest story on a grand scale.
Beowulf is ancient England’s hero, but he is also an
archetype (perfect example) of an epic hero.
Traits of the Epic Hero that Beowulf embodies:
1. Glorified – relates to lineage and ability to build upon reputation. At
the end of his quest, Beowulf is glorified by the people he saved.
2. On a quest - In his quest, Beowulf must defeat monsters that
embody dark, destructive powers.
3. Ethical – Beowulf embodies the highest ideals of Anglo-Saxon
culture. See Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues
4. Strong - Beowulf, like all epic heroes, possesses superior physical
strength and supremely ethical
– (mnemonic acronym: GOES, as in Beowulf GOES to battle.)
What earthly virtues did Anglo-Saxons value?
(mnemonic: Brit Lit is Good Fun.)
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Bravery
Loyalty
Generosity
Friendship
Buzz Word: Comitatus
Anglo-Saxon Concepts
The Anglo-Saxons had a custom called
wergild, of paying compensation to the
relatives of the people they murdered. If
the murdered person was not related to
the murderer, then this kind of payment
was considered satisfactory by the
relatives of the victim. No such way of
making amends existed, however, for
taking the life of one’s own kin.
Anglo-Saxon Concepts continued
According to the Anglo-Saxon code of the
comitatus, warriors must defend their lord
to the death. Some critics see the failure of
Beowulf’s men to come to his aid — a
catastrophic breach of comitatus — as an
ominous forecast of the demise of the
Geats.
The Oral Tradition
• Poetry was as important to the Anglo-Saxon as
fighting, hunting, and farming.
• The Anglo-Saxon bard was an honored member
of society.
• The Anglo-Saxon communal hall, besides
offering shelter and a place for council meetings,
provided space for storytellers & their audiences.
• As in other parts of the ancient world (Homeric
Greece), skilled story tellers, or bards, sang of
gods and heroes.
Anglo-Saxon Mead Hall
• Herot means “hart” or “stag.” The hart was an AngloSaxon symbol of kinship.
• Archaeologists have confirmed that Herot was built of
wood held together with iron bands. The gabled roof was
overlaid with gold, and the floor was inlaid.
• The mead hall was a communal gathering place.
Warriors gathered here to drink mead and celebrate
victories. The community gathered here to hear ancient
epic tales told by scops.
• In literature, the mead hall symbolizes safety, fellowship,
and all that is good in humanity. The Anglo-Saxons lived
in a dark, cold, often frightening world. The mead hall
was a bright spot in this darkness.
Language
• English is divided into three periods:
– Old-English (ca.449-1100)
– Middle-English (ca. 1100-1500)
– Modern-English (ca. 1500-).
• Old English is also known as Anglo-Saxon.
• Old English makes use of unfamiliar letters,
most of which derive from the runic alphabet, an
alphabet used by the Germanic peoples.
What characteristics of the heroic epic are
found in Beowulf?
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Tells of the traditions of the people
Is a long, dignified narrative poem
Tells of the actions of the hero
Has definite verse
The characters are of noble birth.
Anglo-Saxon Elements
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Stern, barbarous life
Religious feeling
Mixtures of savagery, sentiment, and nobility
Love of nature, and nautical influence
Common sense, power of endurance,
seriousness of thought
• Emotional, imaginative, sensitive.
The Features of an Epic Poem
• Takes the form of a long narrative poem about a quest,
told in formal, elevated language
• Narrates the exploits of a larger-than-life hero who
embodies the values of a particular culture
• Begins with a statement of subject and theme and,
sometimes, a prayer to a deity
• Deals with events on a large scale
• Uses many of the conventions of oral storytelling, such
as repetition, sound effects, figures of speech, and stock
epithets
• Often includes gods and goddesses as characters
• Mixes myth, legend, and history
Beowulf Verse Form
• Four stressed syllables with three syllables alliterated /’(‘)/’
• Alliteration means repetition of the same letter sound, usually the
first letter of the accented syllable. “Ship, its timbers icy, waiting”
(three s’s – one c)
• The verse does not rhyme
• Lines have a pause in the middle, called a caesura, or are endstopped (definite pause at the end of the line)
• Use of parallelism – ideas expressed in the same form or repeated
for emphasis
• Use of kennings – two words separated by a hyphen as sea-horse,
a ship; whale’s road, the sea; sky-candle, the sun
• Gnomic sentences – used for emphasis as “There was a king!”
• Written to be accompanied by a harp with a person singing—meant
to be heard, not read.