Beowulf Points to Ponder: Choose 5 of the 7 questions below to write 5 QUALITY PARAGRAPHED RESPONSES --50 PTS.

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT TODAY: IT WILL COUNT AS A 50 POINT ESSAY GRADE AND YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY MORE CLASS TIME TO WORK ON IT.
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Almost every high school senior anywhere reads Beowulf, including myself. So,:

1. Why do you think it is a story that everyone should read at least once? What major point should you get out of this?

2. Ten years from now, if someone mentions Beowulf to you, what do you think you will remember about it? Any particular scene?

3. From reading this story, what have you learned about what these people value--meaning--why was a character such as Beowulf someone people admired? Why do people enjoy heroic stories still?

4. Which version of Beowulf did you prefer (movie or epic poem) and why? Why do you think the movie studio found it necessary to change sections? What does it add/subtract from the meaning? (video Beowulf vs. Dragon)

5. If a hero exemplifies the qualities a culture finds important or valuable, do villains or monsters then portray those qualities we look down on, or just serve as tangible examples of what we fear? What makes you believe this?

6. Can a hero be a hero without a villain? Are the lines between the two ever blurred? Is this subjective rather than objective? Explain.

7. Are monsters scarier or less scary (more or less dangerous)when they are visible? This doesn't necessarily mean physical in shape, such as terrorism, AIDS, etc. that are sometimes hard to put a finger on.