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Table of Contents
Analysis 3
Grendel Vs. Beowulf 4
One Lonely Entertainer (Chaucer) 7
Diary Entry 9
Proposal to End Abortion 10
Lady of Shalott Summery 13
Time Writing 14
Literary Analysis 16
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I have noticed that my works have improved over the course of the school year. In the
beginging of senior year, I was still using simple sentences and not noticing little grammar
errors. As the year went on however I was able to use transition words better and I improved my
vocabulary. I also began to reread my writing after I was finished and I tried to find gramical
errors. I asked parents and friends to edit essays as well so I could get another’s opinion on how
my writing sounded. This helped me to better my writing because my friends and parents were
able to spot things that I could not detect. As the year went on I learned that it is not a bad thing
to ask someone for help.
Some things I noticed even in my later writing that I need to improve upon are commas
and point of view. I seemed to have a hard time remembering when to put in commas. I do not
think it is that I do not know where commas go I just get lazy and forget them. I need to start
reading what I write out loud so I can see where a break is needed and where I should place in a
comma. I also tend to change the point of view while I am writing. I will write my whole paper
in third person then in the last paragraph or so I will change to first person. This is a mistake I
should not be making because in know better then to switch around the point of view like that.
This is another thing I need to watch out for as I am writing papers in college. I cannot switch
around my point of view.
Overall I feel as if my writing has improved over the course of the year. I hope that as I
am in college I learn to watch out for silly errors and I remember that I can always ask someone
else if I need help.
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Grendel vs. Beowulf
Beowulf is a story of a legendary hero named Beowulf that fights and kills the evil demon
Grendel to save the Geats. Centuries later John Gardner wrote another version of Beowulf called
Grendel. This story was from the point of view of the Grendel. Both stories are similar in some
ways but very different in others. Grendel and Beowulf have the same characters and plot, but
different descriptions of the Anglo- Saxon people, a different version of how Grendel attacks the
mead hall, and different themes. These similarities and differences help make the stories unique.
In both the stories Grendel and Beowulf the characters are the same but the
characterizations are very different. In Grendel the monster Grendel is portrayed as a
sympathetic character. He just wants to fit in with the Vikings, but they are mean to him and call
him a monster. In Beowulf, Grendel is a monster, and he kills the Geats ruthlessly in their sleep.
One thing both Grendels have in common is their intelligence. In both the stories Grendel is able
to think through his actions.
Another character that is different in both stories is Hrothgar. In Beowulf the poem he is
a great honorable king and his men are all willing to die for him. In Grendel he is an old feeble
king that is after everyone’s riches. In both stories Grendel hates Hrothgar and seeks revenge on
him. Both the stories have many similarities and differences.
The Anglo- Saxons were honorable and always willing to die for glory and their king, but
when looked at from another’s perspective they looked like savages. In Gardner’s piece,
Grendel describes the Anglo- Saxons as uncivilized. They killed each other and would burn
down each others halls. They would raid a town and kill all the livestock and just leave it to
waste. “The fallen hall was a square of flames and acrid smoke, and the people inside (none of
them had been eaten either) were burned black, small, like dwarfs turned dark and crisp”
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(Gardner, 34). Grendel thought the Vikings were vulgar. In Beowulf the poem, the Vikings were
honorable. They believed that their fighting was for a real purpose. The Vikings fought for
glory in battle and to prove their strength. In the poem Beowulf said “Now Grendel and I are
called together and I have come. Grant me, then, lord and protector of this noble place, a single
request! I have come so far, oh shelter of warriors and your people’s loved friend, that this one
favor you should not refuse me—that I alone and with the help of my men may purge all evils of
this hall.” (LL 238-245). The Vikings fought for noble causes in Beowulf, but for selfish and
savage causes in Grendel.
Grendel attacks the Geats mead hall in Beowulf the poem and Gardner’s piece, but for
different reasons. In Beowulf he does it out of jealousy and revenge. Grendel hates the Geats
because of their happiness and thinks they should pay because he is so unhappy. In Gardner’s
piece, however, Grendel attacks the mead hall almost by accident. He is just spying on the
Vikings and one of the men catches him. The man tries to stab Grendel but he is invincible
because of a spell. Grendel kills that man and then more men come to try to save him and he
kills them too. He does it more out of defense then hatred. Grendel’s point of view in Gardner’s
piece is more innocent then the description of the attack of the mead hall in Beowulf.
The theme of both stories is completely different. In Grendel the theme is about Grendel
trying to fit in. Throughout the story Grendel discusses how he just wants to fit in with the
Vikings, but the Vikings will not accept him because he is different. In Beowulf the theme is
loyalty and bravery. Beowulf had much bravery in his fights against Grendel and Grendel’s
mother, and the dragon. He even fights Grendel without a sword. Beowulf shows loyalty to
Hrothgar when he fights for him even though Grendel is not even attacking Beowulf’s land.
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Beowulf is willing to fight till the death if he has to for Hrothgar. Beowulf is portrayed as a very
brave and loyal hero.
Both Grendel and Beowulf are contrasting, but there similarities tie them together. In
Grendel Hrothgar is a savage Viking and Grendel is an almost innocent creature. In Beowulf
Hrothgar is the good and mighty king and Grendel is the evil monster. They both see the Anglo-
Saxon people from opposite view points; uncivilized and savage, and brave and noble. They
both also have very contrasting versions of the attack in the mead hall and different themes.
Both stories shared the same plots, but different themes and view points that made the stories
very unique.
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One lonely Entertainer
I am an entertainer. As far as entertainers go I am extremely well versed. I can play the
flute, juggle better then any man, and bring stories to life. I was born in London but now I have
no home. I have been traveling on the road, earning my way from town to town, since I was ten
years old. My family all died from the Black Death. My mother, a nurse, was always around the
sick. I believe I get my optimism from her. She was always optimistic about her patient’s
chances. My father abandoned my family when I was young; I do not remember much about
him. I was their only child. I credit my mother for helping me decide my profession. My mother
would take me to work with her when I was young because there was no one home to watch me.
I was around the dying all day. I was one of the few people that could make them smile. I
would sit around their beds and tell them stories and juggle just to make them happy. I tried to
help them find the good to every situation. Even though they were dying many were optimistic
about the lives they had lived. I became particularly close to one elderly woman named Eleanor.
She was an amazing flute player. Every night I would visit her and she would teach me how to
play. She even asked me to play for her at her funeral after she passed on. At the age ten my
mother died of the disease that she tried to so hard to cure. I was forced to wander the streets
alone.
In my travels I came upon a group of pilgrims that were going on a pilgrimage to
Canterbury. I have never been religious, but I decided I would give it a try. I have met many
different and exciting people on this pilgrimage. I enjoy the company of the Wife of Bath.
Although she is self-centered, her words ring true about marriage. She keeps advising me never
to get married and I think she is right. If my mother had never married my father she would not
have been so hurt when he left us. Away with marriage I want nothing to do with it. The friar
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has come to like me I think. I play the flute for him whenever he asks it of me. All the pilgrims
will sit around and listen as I play and tell stories. The friar always makes it a point to
congratulate me after one of my performances. Even if I perform poorly I can always count on
him to boost me up.
I decided to go on this pilgrimage not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I
only really came on this pilgrimage because some of the pilgrims asked me to when they had
seen me perform. I am not a religious person, but I want to be. I have begun reading the Bible
and praying to God. I have always been a bright optimist person, but now my happiness comes
from God. The friar told me that God is always there for me. All my life I thought I was
traveling alone in this world. I never realized that God was beside me the whole time. This
pilgrimage is changing my life forever. I am so grateful that I decided to come along.
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Diary Entry
Waking up September 11, 2001 was a typical Tuesday morning. I skipped breakfast as
usual and picked coffee up on the way to work. I have been working at the World Trade Center
for three years now and every day I complain about my job. The long hours and the
unbelievably boring work make me wish I had chosen a different career. Today was an
exceptionally bad day for me because I had not received the promotion I have been working
toward for the past year. This promotion would have moved me up to the fortieth floor to work
with the top traders. It also would have practically doubled my salary and I could have moved
out of my little apartment into a nice condo.
About midway through the day I heard a terrible crash. The entire building shook and
people around me started to panic. I tried to keep calm and I left my office to figure out what
was going on. A frantic woman ran up to me and exclaimed that a plane had crashed into the
building we were in. I, among many others, ran as quickly as I could to the nearest stairwell. It
was crowded with people pushing and shoving to get out of the building. It took me about
twenty minutes to reach the main level and get out of the building. I continued running as I left
the building because debris from where the plane had hit was falling all around me. As I ran I
saw people from the upper levels jump to their deaths because there was no way for them to
escape the now burning building. From ten blocks away I saw another plane crash into the
second tower. Clearly this was a planned attack. With many tears in my eyes I watched the first
tower, with many of my colleagues and friends still trapped inside, fall to the ground. More then
three thousand people died this day and I would have been one of them had I received that
promotion I had been working towards for so long. I have not complained about another day of
work since September 11, 2001.
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A Proposal to end abortion
In order to end the amount of abortions in the United States we propose that if
women have an abortion we have the right to kill one or her family members and if she has
no family we have the right to kill her. The doctor that performs the operation also must
lose a family member after each abortion he performs.
Abortions are becoming more and more common every day. One in three women will
have an abortion before the age forty five. The United States has made it easier for women to
have abortion by providing a pill for them to take if they cannot make it to the clinic. Abortion is
legalized all through the United States in the first trimester of pregnancy. Abortion affects the
mother and the child.
Abortion kills a baby in its mother’s womb by burning them with a saline shot, stabbing
the fetus or if the baby is lucky it will be ripped limb from limb from the one place it should be
the safest. There has been proof that the baby will scream in the mother’s womb as it is ripped
apart. This is called the silent scream because the baby cannot actually make any noise it can
just open its mouth in a cry of pain. People take their rights away by giving the mother the
choice of whether or not to kill their fetus.
We propose that for every abortion performed the government has a right to kill a family
member of the mother and the doctor. If they do not have family then the government has the
right to kill them. With this proposal we hope to lessen abortions and help solve the
overpopulation and the economic problems we face in the United States.
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Firstly, our proposal will lessen the amount of abortions in the United States. Women
will think twice before they choose to kill their baby. Fewer doctors will perform abortions
because they do not want to put their family in jeopardy.
Secondly, with our proposal we will be helping the United States with our over-
population problem. Approximately three thousand, seven hundred abortions are performed each
day. If you multiply that by three then that will take care of eleven thousand one hundred
citizens each day, including the fetus.
Thirdly, when our proposal progresses less and less people will have abortions each year.
This will take care of teens having unprotected sex. If a teen does get pregnant they will think
twice about having an abortion and it will force them to take responsibility for their actions. If
they care for their family they will have an abortion.
Fourthly, with our economy in a recession our proposal will help citizens to save money
they would have spent on an abortion for food and other important items. They could give the
baby up for an adoption. With this option the mother would be saving three lives.
Lastly, our proposal will end the amount of women’s problems that result from having
abortions. After a woman has an abortion her chances of getting breast can increase. She can
also suffer from nausea, depression, and she has a higher chance of being sterile.
We realize ours is not the most humane solution, but we believe it will have a good effect
on the United States. If someone can think of a better idea then we are willing to compromise.
With our proposal population will decline, people will think twice before killing their babies,
unprotected sex will decrease, people will save money, and women will not suffer from post
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abortion symptoms. Were not trying to illegalize abortion, we are just trying to get women to
think twice about the choice of having an abortion.
Thank you for taking the time to read our proposal. We hope this will make a change in
the society and the killing of innocent babies will decline.
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Lady of Shalott
The island of Shalott lies on either side of a river. It is covered with fields of barley and rye.
Through the fields there is a road that leads to Camelot a city filled with many people. Camelot has four
gray walls and four gray towers. Lady of Shalott lives close enough to Camelot that she can see it, but she
does not live in Camelot. Only the people who rise very early to sow the barley fields know who the lady
is. In the morning she comes out of her tower and sings a song, but no one has seen her. They only hear
her.
Lady Shalott has a curse upon her, although she does not know what it is. She has no worries
except for the curse. She looks out her window and sees the people of Camelot and the road that leads to
it. She watches girls in the market, a long-haired page, a shepherd boy, and some knights walk along the
road to Camelot. She realizes that she will never have a loyal and true knight to rescue her. One night
she saw two young lovers and remarked “I am half sick of shadows.” She said this because she is lonely
and seeks companionship.
One day a knight came along the road in between the fields. The knight’s name was Sir Lancelot
and he was in search for a lady. As he rode along the bells from his houses saddle rang and the sunlight
shown upon him. His hair flowed in the breeze and he sag a song called “Tirra lira.” Lady Shalott began
to pace around the tower and cried out “the curse is come upon me,” as she saw Sir Lancelot riding
toward Camelot.
The lady of Shalott came down from her tower and got into a boat. On the prow she wrote The
Lady of Shalott. She loosened the chain that tied up the boat and started to head to Camelot. As she
floated down the river, the people of Camelot heard her sing her last song. As she was singing this song
she passed away. The people of Camelot found her body and read her name on the prow. They were
confused and asked each other if anyone knew who she was. Sir Lancelot declared, “She has a lovely
face; God in his mercy lend her grace, the Lady of Shalott.”
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Time Writing
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the main character, Victor Frankenstein is forced to make a
choice. He must choose to create a female monster to be a companion to his monster he already created.
He can also choose not to make it, but if he chooses this the monster swears to make Frankenstein wish he
were dead. He agrees to make the female monster because he feels bad for abandoning his monster. He
then destroys the female because he feels he is being selfish and releasing another evil demon upon
mankind. I do not think Victor made the right decision in destroying her.
The monster was very lonely because mankind would not accept him. He says “If any being felt
emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them on hundredfold and hundredfold; for that
creatures sake, I would make peace with the whole kind!” (Shelley, 105). He longed for companionship
from another. The monster told Frankenstein, “If you consent neither you nor any other human being
shall ever see us again” (Shelley, 105). If Frankenstein creates a female for the monster, the monster
would leave with her and never be seen again. Not even Victor Frankenstein, the monsters creator,
showed him compassion. The monster believes that Frankenstein owes him for creating him. The
monsters argument made Frankenstein agree to make the second creature, but after he thought about what
he was doing he changed his mind.
After some careful thinking, Victor Frankenstein decided to destroy the monster. He did this
because he realized that what he was doing was selfish. Frankenstein asked himself, “Had I the right for
my own benefit, to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations?” (Shelly, 121). He also though about
the females perspective, Frankenstein thought, “[She] might refuse to comply with a compact made
before her creation” (shelly, 121). He also thought about what would happen if the two tried to reproduce
“and a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth” (Shelley, 121). In the end Frankenstein
destroyed the monster and therefore condemned himself to a life of misery.
I do not think that Frankenstein made the right decision on destroying the female. The monster
just wanted a little of what everyone else had. It was not his fault that he was created, therefore he should
not have to suffer. The monster tells him, “I swear by you that made me, that with the companion you
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bestow I will quit the neighborhood of man and dwell, as it may chance, in the most savage of places”
(105). The monster swears to leave and I think Frankenstein should have listened.
Be destroying the female Frankenstein condemned his best friend his wife and himself to death.
The monster gave many good reasons to create the female, but Frankenstein also believed it was not the
right thing to do. He unselfishly made the right decision in his own mind. He destroyed the creature and
suffered the consequences.
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Literary analysis of the lady of shallot
The lady of shallot has many themes throughout the poem. Some themes that are present in the
story are the lady of desire and romantic victim of love. The poem also uses irony in the sense that the
lady of shallot never gets to see her true love because it cost her death in the end. This poem also uses
imagery because it has many descriptive adjectives that help paint an image in the readers head.
One main theme in the lady of shallot is the lady of desire. The lady of shallot is depicted to be
outside of her tower and out in the world. She is forbidden to look out of her window directly by a curse.
The lady watches people walk by on their way to Camelot through her mirror in her room. She then
weaves pictures on her loam of what she sees outside her window. She sees lovers walk by and desires to
be in love like them. The lady of shallot then watches sir Lancelot ride by and desires to be with him.
Her desires are what get her killed. Because of her love for Sir Lancelot, the lady leaves the tower to be
with him by dies before she gets to him.
As well as the Lady of Desire, another theme in The Lady of shallot is the victim of love. Lady
of shallot is a victim because she has a curse upon her. Although “she knows not what the curse may be,”
(Tennyson, 42) the curse forbids her form leaving her tower and being in love. She must stay in her
tower and weave her loam each night and day. She cannot leave the tower or look out of her window.
When she finally does fall in love with a knight named Sir Lancelot she sees riding by her window she
cannot be with him because of the curse. She becomes a victim of love when she leaves the tower despite
of her curse and dies. Sir Lancelot finds her body but he does not know who she is and how much she
loved him. These themes are not stated directly but must be formed by the imagination.
Another literary device Tennyson uses in the lady of shallot is irony. Irony is used because sir
Lancelot finds the lady’s body in the river and remarks about her beauty. He can never know that she
loved him. The two never het a chance to be together. The lady sees him form her window and desires to
be with him, but she cannot because she is in the tower. When she finally does go to his world, she dies so
she still cannot be with him. “Lancelot cannot know that the lady’s love for him caused her death, that she
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sacrificed everything so that she might experience his love” (Frauenhofer 3). The irony in the poem is that
she sees her true love but can never be with him.
Many artists, both men and women, have painted paintings to the images in Tennyson’s poem.
One artist named Mallais painted a picture to the image of the lady of shallot sitting by her window. The
picture depicted the lady in isolation. Another male artist drew pictures to the images created by
Tennyson is Hunt. Hunts paintings are more dark and depressing, featuring the lady of shallot tangled in
her tapestry in the tower. “While these well-established male artists illustrated Pre-Raphaelite ideals in
their rentions of “the lady of shallot.” The poem also inspired some lesser-known female artists of the
period, such as Elizabeth Seddal, Inez Warry and Florence Rutland” (Frauenhofer 1). The images created
by this poem were a great inspiration to artists.
Tennyson used many different literary devices to write his poem, the lady of shallot. Some
devices to the poem that really stuck out to me were the themes, images, and irony. The themes were the
lady of desire and victim of love. The irony in the poem is surrounded around the Lady and Sir Lancelot
never being together. The images in the poem are mainly of the lady in her tower being separated for the
rest of the world. The poem was very well written using all the literary devices.
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