Scribe 10/2

Stuff we did in class:
- Discuss books 1-5 as they pertain to
Paganism Vs. Christianity
Good Vs. Evil (need for a hero)
Grendel's origin
Attack on Hrothgar
Beowulf Vs. Oedipus
Epic Hero
- Read books 6 and 7

For homework:
- Read books 8-11
- College Scholarships
- independent study and wiki

Some things we discussed about Beowulf thus far:
Paganism Vs. Christianity
- A lot of strong Christian and Biblical references, such as the story of creation in the first book, and "Surely the Lord Almighty Could stop his madness" (line 212)
- Also includes references to Paganism, such as line 90 "And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods"
Good Vs. Evil
- Grendel is the epitome of evil, as is shown by his descent from Cain and his birth from Hell. Also, he travels invisibly, like Satan.
- Hrothgar's throne is a symbol of good, and is protected by God; Grendel cannot touch it.
Beowulf Vs. Oedipus
- Similar in their hubris, or pride.
- Beowulf has faith in God and believes in fate (line 189) "Fate will unwind as it must!", whereas Oedipus holds himself on a level with the gods and fights his fate.
- Beowulf has the people's support in his actions, while Oedipus was opposed by Tiresias and often the Chorus.
Other notes
- Possible reasons for Unferth's challenging of Beowulf: To illustrate Beowulf's "superhuman" achievements, his pride and yet also honesty; also, show Unferth as a killer of his people by not defending them. This makes Beowulf look more the hero.
- Beowulf's decision to fight Grendel without weapons or shield: puts good and evil on the same footing; sets up for Beowulf's triumph over evil without help of weapons. Also, shows loyalty to Higlac, for he might think less of Beowulf if he used weapons.
- Smith also mentioned that she worshipped Satan in her mysterious past. (That's sarcasm in case you didn't know)