Reading and discussing of "Beowulf" has engaged the class work this week. We have explored how as the Christian scribe(s) wrote down the oral tale, being a part of the Roman influence to convert England, they overlaid their own values on top of the earlier Germanic attitudes that are thematically present the story. No simple hero tale, this "Beowulf," but a tale that reveals the tension of the people in England circa 800 as their old ways were giving out to new political and spiritual influences in the world.
Through these conversations, students are developing their skills in reading a primary text in order to understand the Anglo-Saxons, reading a story to "read" a culture.
Our unit test on the Anglo-Saxon era will be on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
