Midterm

Most students did well on the midterm; there were a lot of A's and B's. Everyone seemed to grasp the major themes of Beowulf, and most people are catching on to close reading, but a significant number of students failed. The one and only skill I emphasize in this course is close reading. If you don't quote the text, even if you've got excellent ideas, you have not produced a close reading, which is cause for an F.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 3137-3155

Beowulf's funeral makes an ambiguous statement about the meaning of his life and death. When Beowulf dies, his thanes build a funeral pyre "hung with helmets, heavy war-shields/and shining armor, just as he had ordered" (3139-40). One last time treasure represents respect for the leader. His body is thrown to the fire "and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone-house,/burning it to the core" (3147-8). The source of the hero's strength and renown is easily destroyed. One last unnamed "Geat woman" (3150) sings a lamentation, not for Beowulf, but for "her nation invaded,/enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles,/slavery and abasement" (3153-55). The king's death leaves his people open to all the attacks and humiliations most feared in Anglo-Saxon warrior society.  This funeral, unlike the one which opens the poem is not a simple celebration of the warrior ethos.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 1355-57

Grendel and his mother represent a parody of Anglo-Saxon warrior society. Their behavior is understandable; battle is normal, as is avenging one's slain kinsman. Hrothgar's speech, though, shows a number of ways in which this parallel breaks down. He refers to them as "fatherless creatures" (1355) whose "whole ancestry is hidden in a past/of demons and ghosts" (1356-7). In a society obsessed with male lineage unknown parentage marks them as outsiders beyond the pale. Unlike Shield Sheafson, also of unknown origin, they cannot redeem this drawback because they are connected with forces of the underworld.

Sample Close Reading Beowulf 662-665

The poem suggests that Hrothgar might not be the great leader he is portrayed. Knowing that his own mead hall, Heorot, is to be attacked that night by Grendel, Hrothgar entrusts it to the care of Beowulf. The narrator refers to Hrothgar as "lord of the Shieldings, their shelter in war" (663). It is ironic that the shelter should seek his own shelter elsewhere. We are told that Hrothgar left "to lie with Wealtheow,/his queen and bedmate" (664-5). There is a strong emphasis on their sexual relationship. Hrothgar's priority should be the safety of his people; instead, he is seeking the pleasure of the marital bed. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.