Warm Up: Anglo-Saxon Riddles

Solve the riddle:

Riddley, riddley, riddley rout, What does a person hold when they go out?

Old EnglishBritish Literature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZ6GvMlktY&list=PLwXrURKuBJLJzWEROLd9eOZR6FAC9RqPL

Manuscripts

The use of Old English is recorded on various manuscripts.

Most Anglo-Saxon manuscripts were written on vellum (Fell in Old English), which is made of calf skin. It was stretched, scraped smooth,

whitened with chalk, cut into sheets, ruled with a stylus, and folded into quires of eight leaves (four sheets), or sixteen pages. The quires were sewn together and bound.

Nowell Codex

A scroll is a roll of parchment that is continuous, while a codex is a number of sheets stacked and bound by fixing one edge with a cover.

In the 15th century, Laurence Nowell owned the codex that contained the Beowulf manuscript (written around year 1000).

Then, Sir Robert Cotton took ownership, where the manuscript was heavily damaged in a fire in 1731.

Old English Alphabet

• What is different from the Old English to the Modern English alphabet?

• Why would the letters of the alphabet change over time?

• How might the Modern English alphabet evolve?

• What impacts this change?

The

“Thought” or “Think”

“ah” to “ay” to “ee”

Old English (Anglo-Saxon) 600-1100

A Sample: Can you guess what this

is? g fæder, þu þe on heofonum eardast, geweorðad wuldres dreame. Sy þinum weorcum halgad noma niþþa bearnum; þu eart nergend wera. Cyme þin rice wide, ond þin rædfæst willa aræred under rodores hrofe, eac þon on rumre foldan. Syle us to dæge domfæstne blæd, hlaf userne, helpend wera, þone singalan, soðfæst meotod. Ne læt usic costunga cnyssan to swiðe, ac þu us freodom gief, folca waldend, from yfla gewham, a to widan feore.

Middle English1100-1500

A Sample: Can You Guess What This Is?

Oure fader that art in heuenis halowid be thi name ... Poul, the seruaunt of Jhesu Crist, clepid an apostle, departid in to the gospel of God; which he hadde bihote tofore bi his profetis in holi scripturis of his sone, which is maad to hym of the seed of Dauid bi the flesch, and he was bifor ordeyned the sone of God in vertu, bi the spirit of halewyng of the ayenrisyng of deed men, of Jhesu Crist oure Lord, bi whom we han resseyued grace and the office of apostle, to obeie to the feith in alle folkis for his name, among whiche ye ben also clepid of Jhesu Crist, to alle that ben at Rome, derlyngis of God, and clepid hooli, grace to you, and pees of God oure fadir, and of the Lord Jhesu Crist.

Modern English1500-present

Sample: Can You Guess What This Is?

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

DICTIONThe Importance of

Word Choice In your teams, you will have four minutes to act out a short skit, representing your welcome. Show me a “hearty welcome!” Show me a “cordial reception.” The origins of these words reveal their connotations.

How Did the English Language Evolve?

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-english-evolve-kate-gardoqui

Review your Root Words in

preparation for our vocabulary quiz in honor of

Thesaurus Thursday!

British LiteratureSeptember 17, 2015

Warm Up: Solving Riddles

Runs smoother than any rhyme, Loves to fall but cannot climb.

WHAT AM I? First to answer correctly earns an extra

day pass.

Editing Workshop

1.Form a circle. 2.Cross out your name (if you

are so inclined). 3.Write what kind of feedback

you need.

ROTATE!

Hand over your essay to the person next to you in a clockwise circle three

times.

EDITING TASKS – Round One STEP ONE: Read and annotate the essay by

correcting any typos or mistakes. Read carefully and closely.

STEP TWO: Provide the requested feedback.

STEP THREE: Read it at least twice for editing purposes.

Remember to think about these questions: Did they show us a scene from their life? Is the hook attention-grabbing? Is the closing memorable? Did they use punctuation correctly? Does a clear theme emerge from the essay?

ROTATE!

Hand over your essay to the person next to you in a

clockwise circle twice.

EDITING TASKS – Round Two STEP ONE: Read and annotate the essay by

correcting any typos or mistakes. Read carefully and closely.

STEP TWO: Provide the requested feedback.

STEP THREE: Read it at least twice for editing purposes.

Remember to think about these questions: Did they show us a scene from their life? Is the hook attention-grabbing? Is the closing memorable? Did they use punctuation correctly? Does a clear theme emerge from the essay?

ROTATE!

Hand over your essay to the person next to you in a

clockwise circle twice.

EDITING TASKS – Last Round! STEP ONE: Read and annotate the essay by

correcting any typos or mistakes. Read carefully and closely.

STEP TWO: Provide the requested feedback.

STEP THREE: Read it at least twice for editing purposes.

Remember to think about these questions: Did they show us a scene from their life? Is the hook attention-grabbing? Is the closing memorable? Did they use punctuation correctly? Does a clear theme emerge from the essay?

Return!

Return essays counterclockwise seven

times (or until you get yours back!)

Riddles from The Book of

Exeter

The Exeter Book It is a tenth-century

codex of Anglo-Saxon poetry. The anthology was donated to the library of Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric in 1072.

The first 8 pages are lost.

However, it is the largest collection of Old English literature in existence.

Old English Riddles

Riddles tend to be metaphorical and are similar to kennings. Riddles either describe an object, challenging the reader to identify what it is, or describe themselves anthropomorphically (adding human-like characteristics).

In the Exeter Book, there are almost one hundred riddles (or “enigmata”). These riddles employ double-entendre (on-tawhn-druh), where one answer is suggested but another is meant, teasing the reader.

Riddle 66 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMrVhkq0954What am I?

Anglo-Saxon Riddle Annotation

In battle I rage against wave and wind, Strive against storm, dive down seeking A strange homeland, shrouded by the sea. In the grip of war, I am strong when still; In battle-rush, rolled and ripped In flight. Conspiring wind and wave Would steal my treasure, strip my hold, But I seize glory with a guardian tail As the clutch of stones stands hard Against my strength. Can you guess my name?

Anglo-Saxon Riddles

In your teams, try to solve the Anglo-Saxon riddles.

Introduction to the Period

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZ6GvMlktY&list=PLwXrURKuBJLJzWEROLd9eOZR6FAC9RqPL

BeowulfANONYMOUS

Translated by Burton Raffel

Beowulf: It’s Epic! Before the tenth century in OLD

ENGLISH

Adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century.

Oldest surviving epic in British literature.

Beowulf exists in only one manuscript.

It is now in the British History Museum.

BUT - It’s NOT about British people and events!

Beowulf: Genre It’s an EPIC (long)

It’s a POEM (not prose)

It’s an EPIC POEM

It’s an ELEGY (nostalgic poem often sad)

HEROic style (long, formal, heroic figure determines the fate of the tribe)

Takes place in Norway and Denmark

Elements of German and Norse history, folk tales and mythology

Pagan tale transSCRIBEd by a Christian.

Beowulf: Two Parts Part One: Young

Beowulf's fights with the water monster (Grendel) and with its mother.

Part Two: Beowulf in his old age battles with a dragon.

Beowulf: Characteristics

Depicts HEROIC CODE OF HONOR: strength, courage, bravery, loyalty, respect.

Not read widely until the 1800s

Not respected until the 1930s

Did not affect Shakespeare or any of the other respected British writers before the twentieth century.

J.R.R. Tolkien loved it, wrote about it, and eventually he was inspired by it: The Lord of the Rings

Beowulf: Structure Strongly alliterative,

(Alliterative verse) Peter Piper picked a peck

of pickled peppers

Each line is divided into two halves. Break in each line is called a caesura.Lade ne letton Leoht eastsn com

Uses the rhetorical device called a “kenning” which is giving one thing another name: ship = sea rider

Beowulf

Literary Terms

Kennings Use a twist of words,

figure of speech, magic poetic phrase or a newly created compound phrase to refer to a person, object, place, action or idea in a metaphorical way.

The use of imagery and references to substitute the proper,

formal name of the subject.

EXAMPLES: Battle-Sweat Sky-candle Whale-road Sea-House Bone-Den Earth-Walker

Scop (Skop)

A Medieval bard who recited or sang long epic poems that preserved the customs of the culture.

A bard is a person who wrote and recited epic or heroic poems.

An epic poem is a long narrative poem that tells of a hero’s deeds.

Caesura (Cae-Zar-UH)

A long pause …

From Beowulf:

“So. The Spear-Danes // in days gone by.”

“A cub in the yard, // a comfort sent.”

Alliteration

Repetition of a consonant sound in the initial position of the word.

From Beowulf: “We have heard of those princes’ // heroic campaigns.”

Epithet (Ep-uh-thet)

An adjective or phrase applied to a noun to accentuate a certain characteristic.

“Glorified Nickname”

Beowulf is described as “mighty and canny.”

Grendel is described as “stealthy and swift” and “God-cursed.”

Aphorism

A concise, pointed, epigrammatic statement that reveals a truth or principle.

From Beowulf: “Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.”

Foreshadow

A hint of what is to come.

In Beowulf, we are frequently given insight into coming events, often with foreshawdowing.

From Beowulf: “He was sad at heart…sensing his death.”

Flashback

Narrative digression.

Agon (AH-gone)

A conflict between the protagonist and an antagonist. Like agony!

Beowulf vs. Grendel

Beowulf vs. Grendel’s mother

Beowulf vs. the dragon