Lego Beowulf

Beowulf Midterm

For the midterm I will give you a choice of 2-3 topics (with suggested passages). You will have to write a close reading focused on one of the passages and incorporating quotes/ideas from 1-2 of the supplemental readings. On the 13th I will not loan copies of the text or supplemental readings, so bring them with you.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 258-63

How people are named carries a lot of importance in Beowulf. When Beowulf is speaking to Hrothgar's coastguard he first tells him, "We belong by birth to the Geat people/and owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac" (260-61). The primary identity is tribal, not personal. Hygelac, who remains at home, is named, but not his followers. Beowulf gives honor to his lord in this way; at the same time, he assumes the coastguard will recognize the name. In speaking of himself Beowulf says, "my father was a famous man,/a noble warrior-lord named Ecgtheow" (262-63). Geneology is connected to names and stories. Beowulf assumes his father's reputation will vouch for his own. In addition, it is a mark of social difference not to give one's name directly to an inferior.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 16-25

The opening of the poem establishes the standards for a good king.  As in Paradise Lost, though, there is a tension between human agency and God's power. We are told that "behavior that's admired/is the path to power among people everywhere" (24-25). Such actions include "giving freely" (21) and being ready for "when fighting starts" (22).  This all appears to be directly within the leader's control, all that is necessary for one's name to be remembered. At the same time, we are told clearly, "the Lord of Life, the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned" (16-17). Here, the hero's actions are not the determining factor; rather it is God's will. 

NB: This close reading does not resolve the issue. As you're reading the poem look for clues that might resolve the dichotomy.

Beowulf Hypertext

Here is a good hypertext Beowulf with lots of background.

PL Essay Due Date/Themes/Close Reading

The essay is due Mon 3/9; however, if you want the essay returned before break, you need to get it in by Fri 3/6.

Some themes we discussed in class:

Gender, Power, Free Will/Predestination, Temptation, Mercy, Reality/Illusion, Obedience, Deception

NB: Remember in close reading the theme is what you stress. Use specific characters/incidents to illustrate your larger point. Too much focus on characters/incidents exclusively leads to a paraphrase, not a close reading.

Sample Close Reading PL IX 816-825

After eating the apple Eve becomes like Satan in her inability to see things as they really are in God's ultimate reality. This affects her view of her relationship with Adam. She asks herself, "But to Adam in what sort/Shall I appear/" (816-7). Appearance, and the possibility of changing it, occur only after a separation from reality. This opens the door for deception. At the same time, Eve's logic deteriorates. She thinks to become "more equal" (823) to Adam, but this is literally impossible, an echo of Satan's habit of seeing unity doubled or halved, but not itself.

Reminder Re Supplemental Readings/Essay

A lot of journal entries disregard the supplemental readings. Don't forget that is a requirement in the essay, worth 10% of the grade.

PL Essay Due Date

I'm of two minds about the due date for the PL essay. 3/2 is listed on the syllabus. The advantage is you'd get it back before break and have a better handle on your grade for the course. There's no take-home essay for Beowulf so I'm toying with  the idea of letting you have til 3/13 when we have the in-class essay. That gives you more time, but might interfere with studying for Beowulf and you wouldn't have any major grades before break. Leave a comment on this post.

Plagiarism

Just a reminder: putting your name to someone else's work is plagiarism. I encourage you to use whatever resources will help you get a grasp of the reading, but the intellectual heavy lifting needs to be your own. When in doubt cite your source. If you're confused go through the steps to untangle confusion. And most important, keep asking me questions - in class, outside of class, via email, or your blogs. 

Sample Close Reading PL IX 421-427

These few lines emphasize the effects of Satan's fallen state on his connection to reality. The word "hap" (421) and the insistent repetition of "wish" (421,22,23) and "hope" (421,23) evoke luck and fortune. Within the world of the poem, of course, luck does not exist; God controls everything. Satan lacks the theological virtue of hope, which would teach him the vanity of wishes. Because he is not properly connected to God, he does not see reality as he should in its fullness. Thus, for him Eve is "veiled" (425) and "half spied" (426). At the moment he is poised to bring his plan to fruition he does not recognize the inherent goodness of God's creation.

Sample Close Reading PL IV 453-470

Eve's account of her own creation highlights the importance of experience in making right choices. Eve awakens and wanders "with unexperienc't thought" (457) to a clear pool of water. Not knowing better, she is entranced by her reflection that is "pleased" (464) to return her admiring looks. The text does not make a moral judgment; Eve simply doesn't know better. Lack of experience is no sin, but vanity is. Eve would have remained pining for the image in "vain desire" (466) had not God taught her about herself. Experience alone, then, is not enough; one must have the proper experience of relying on God.

A Note on Proofreading

Just a quick word - I don't comment on mechanical errors in journals, and tolerate a certain number in formal essays, but some of the journals are so sloppy I'd lower the grade if they were formal essays. Don't forget to proofread!

Sample Close Reading, The Snow Man

"The Snow Man" has a lot to do with facing reality as it actually exists. The last line is the most important for this project. Stevens refers to "Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is" (15). There is a strong emphasis on negation, with two "nothings" and a "not." Facing reality means you cannot add your own thoughts, desires etc to what exists, that is, add "nothing that is not there." "The nothing that is" refers to the starkest of realities. Even if reality seems to offer you absolutely nothing you must accept it because that is all "that is."

NB: This is not terribly well written; I was in a rush, but the ideas are fine.

NB2: Adam, Eve, and Satan especially have problems with reality in PL.

Timaeus Themes/Paradise Lost

A number of themes connect Timaeus and PL.

1. Both address the creation of the world.

2. Both assume a creator god.

     Milton's God is omnipotent, but Plato's demiurge is limited.

3. Both creators make subordinate godlike beings.

    Milton's God makes immortal angels and humans.

    Plato's demiurge makes mortal gods.

4. Both creators intend good for their creations.

5. Milton's God makes a world that is pure matter.

   Plato's demiurge makes a world with a soul that is a god.

6. Both describe how women are made from men.

    Milton's God makes Eve from Adam's rib. She is subordinate to him.

    To Plato, women result from cowardly weak men losing their original sex. Women are subordinate to men.

PL Essay

Just to review: Pick a passage of 25-50 lines from Paradise Lost for close reading. Draw in a connection to one or two supplemental readings (and possibly another passage from PL) to reinforce the 2-3 most important parts of your argument.

If you need clarification about the supplemental reading, I'm happy to talk with you outside of class in the English Dept. MWF 9-10 am or after the 10:10 class. 

The journals give another chance to start thinking through possible essay topics.

Paradise Lost Video

Supplemental Reading/Extra Credit/Class Writing

1. Many journals are ignoring the supplemental reading. Remember, the essay needs to take into account one or more of those texts. There is extra credit for using Timaeus, Embracing the Exile, or Stevens.  You need to be able to give a close reading of the second text if it's a poem or analyze the main argument for Plato or Fortunato. I'm happy to help if you're stuck.  NB: A lot of folks write about being confused (which is fine) but not a single person has described steps taken to get past the confusion!

2. Don't forget the EC for paragraphs starting out close reading. Just about no-one has taken advantage.

3. Most people have not posted the in-class writing from Friday. That's a big deduction from the class participation grade.

Sample Close Reading PL V.28-37

Eve's commentary to Adam about her dream is riddled with doubt. The first indication is the word "if" sandwiched between two uses of "dreamed" (31-2). Certainty about the dream is immediately followed by uncertainty. Other words expressing doubt include "methought" (35) and its near twin "thought" (37). Eve hears "one"(36) call her; she cannot be sure who it is, and thinks it is Adam. She ought to recognize the voice of her husband, the only other human living on Earth.

This uncertainty might indicate a weakness in Eve's character, an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy. If so, the text comments on the ways a weak mind is more susceptible to temptation. Creating doubt where none should exist is an effective strategy for convincing people to act against their best interests. Satan's speech provides a model for others to follow, from sleazy politicians to used car salesmen.

NB: This passage is very dense, so the first paragraph is essentially a literal paraphrase; no reasonable reader could deny Eve's doubt. The second paragraph suggests how doubt might shed light on Eve's character, and then broadens the argument to consider how temptation works similarly in other contexts. An analysis of Eve's character straddles the border between paraphrase and close reading.

Grading Guidelines - Close reading

F: It's hard to get an F if you turn in something the right length. Plagiarism will do it. So will an inaccurate paraphrase or any essay without quotes.

D: Pure paraphrase or an attempt at close reading that has almost no quotes and/or strays into personal opinion unrelated to the language of the passage.

C: A good faith stab at close reading. Identifies an issue beyond the characters and connects the issue to a series of related quotes. Might not make an argument about the value judgment a reader is asked to make, makes a seriously unconvincing argument, or does a decent job with a very obvious topic.

B: Clearly identifies a reader's value judgment beyond the characters' view. Makes a strong case for a relatively easy topic, or makes a decent case for a more challenging topic. Might have an occasional major point unsupported by a quote or a quote that does not do what the argument claims it does.

A: Clearly identifies a reader's value judgment beyond the characters' view. Makes a strong case for a challenging topic, consistently using appropriate quotes to support major points.

NB: The most convincing quotes tend to be shorter; the point of close reading is to catch the subtle nuances of how a text is put together, which usually means paying attention to individual words and phrases. 

Sample Close Reading PL IV.46-57

Satan talks about his relationship with God in economic terms. This has the effect of turning God into a banker and removing the necessary personal element. He refers to "the debt immense of endless gratitude" (IV. 52), which makes the joy of deserved praise a burden to be endured. Satan understands the logic of his analogy, recognizing that "a grateful mind/by owing owes not but still pays, at once/Indebted and discharged" (IV.55-7). Freely offering thanks renders the debt void. The problem is not with Satan's ability to think clearly; he is absolutely right in his understanding of how his own will caused him to rebel. His error lies in the faulty underlying assumption that God is a cosmic scorekeeper - there is no room for God's grace in Satan's theology of monetary exchange.

NB: The first half of this paragraph is largely paraphrase of Satan's fairly complicated logic. The close reading lies in the analysis of Satan's starting point, not his conclusion, which, on its own terms, is sound.

New Reading Schedule

We'll still finish on the 23rd. Instead of reading all of Books XI and XII, add to the last day's reading (IX day 2 and X) XI.1-98 and XII.606-649

Sample Close Reading PL III.98-102

In this passage, God stresses the free will of Man and the fallen angels. He claims they were "sufficient to have stood though free to fall" (III.99). "Sufficient" indicates that they had good defense against evil, but being "free" allows them to fall. The all-powerful God sounds defensive here, trying to deflect blame from Himself.  He states, "Freely they stood who stood and fell who fell" (III.102). The parallel construction suggests an equality between the two sides, as if freedom were a genuine choice. The constant repetition of words relating to freedom, though, reaffirms the sense of God's defensiveness, as if His statements about freedom somehow remove His power from the equation.

NB: This is presumably not how Milton or God would read the passage, but close reading looks at what the text actually accomplishes/enables for the reader, not the author or characters in the text.

A Note on Class Paraphrases

Students consistently try to paraphrase instead of close reading, I think, because paraphrase is rewarded in high school. I'm not distressed or surprised, but you need to adapt to a new way of thinking with close reading. Old strategies need to change in college.

Of course, before you can do a close reading you need to understand your passage literally and be able to paraphrase it easily and accurately. 

A lot of students literally misread passages they paraphrased. In your essays literal misreadings will cost you dearly. The most common misreadings were: 1)  thinking "ingrate" refers to Satan. You need to look to the previous sentence to determine grammatically it can only refer to "Man" 2) thinking God intends to change Man's nature - "else" turns that around; that's just a question of paying attention to what you read.

Paraphrase vs. Close Reading

Most of the class wrote paraphrases on Wed. A paraphrase simply restates what the text literally says. No intelligent reader could disagree with a paraphrase. A lot of paraphrases had no quotes. In your formal essays, the very best paraphrase would earn no better than a D.

Close reading requires you to look at specific words/phrases to see what value judgments they lead readers to; thoughtful readers might disagree about this.  The value judgment is the reader's, not the character's, although the two might coincide. 

In your formal essays, even the most chaotic attempt at close reading, even something barely coherent, will earn a higher grade than the most accurate paraphrase.

If you haven't created your own blog, be sure to do so at blogger.com. Call it yourlastname-2403-2009. Follow my blog for updates.

Post your journals on your blog; upload old journals, each as a separate post. You can post essays, but bear in mind my comments/grades will become part of the blog.

Housekeeping - 2/2/09

Sorry about class today. My car died on the way to school.

You still have journals due.

Most people are not doing journals. That'll cost you a full letter grade at the end of the semester. If you're confused by the reading, follow the steps in the handout. If you're still confused describe where you get confused, why, and what you did about it.

Paraphrasing the reading is fine for the journal, but if that's all you do you'll get no better than a D on the essay. That's part of the reason for the close reading EC paragraphs. Also, you need to draw in the supplemental readings. That's also a requirement for the essay.

The journals suggest a problem. Another suggestion of a problem is the number of times I ask if students are unclear about something I've explained and written on the board and get no response, only to have that exact issue raised a few minutes later. This could be connected to lack of attention or embarrassment about asking a question. Both possibilities are worrisome.