Since we're getting behind in our Beowulf reading, let's go ahead and finish the book for Tuesday's class. I was going to give you an in-class response to write for Tuesday's class, but instead just keep reading the book and we'll do one in class as normal. Besides, I have your papers to grade! :)
Here are some questions to consider for the last third of the book (the ideas for the middle part are in the post below this one--and the in-class response might borrow from either one, or both!):
* What role does the dragon play in the poem? He’s clearly not humanized in the way Grendel or his mother are (he’s a literal monster), but he still exhibits some very human characteristics. What might these be?
* Consider, too, how this dragon relates to another dragon we might know from Tolkien: Smaug. If you know The Hobbit, how are the two related? How might Tolkien have been inspired from this one?
* Why, according to the poem, does Beowulf fail in his final fight? Why does fate, or God, abandon him?
* How does the final third of the poem comment on the bonds of family, clan, and kingdom? What ‘doom’ might it prophesize for future generations?
* What is the importance of Wiglaf and his speech towards the end of the poem? How might he echo other characters in the poem? Does he express the true beliefs of the poet?
* Does the poet seem to look back longingly on Anglo Saxon ideals, or as a Christian, does he see their limitations? How might this explain why he chose an old pagan warrior as the subject for a Christian poem?
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