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ANGLO-SAXON UNIT REVIEW FOR ENGLISH 4
LITERARY TERMS
1. Elegy
2. Epic
3. Epic Hero
4. Alliteration
5. Kenning
6. Assonance
7. Caesura: a pause in the middle of a poetic line that allows the poet to breathe
8. Eponymous: a book that has the same name as the main character, such as Beowulf.
BACKGROUND (6-9)
1. Celts
2. Romans
3. Christianity
4. Danish Invasion
5. Norman Conquest:
6. Plantagent Kings:
7. Magna Carta:
8. Feudalism: a hierarchical arrangement of society in which the king was the highest power in the land
and all other tiers of society served him, according to their skills and birth.
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WORKS WE’VE STUDIED
1. .
2. .
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANGLO-SAXON SOCIETY (not poetry)
1. .
2. .
3.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANGLO-SAXON POETRY (not society)
1. .
2. .
3. .
4. .
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC
1. .
2. .
3.
4. Vast setting and space of time. Beowulf takes place in Denmark and Sweden. Also, at least 50 years
pass in the story.
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SOME BEOWULF QUESTIONS
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What is the initial conflict/problem at the beginning of the story? In other words, what gets the
story going?

Why does Grendel decide to attach Herot, the mead hall?
 From what biblical character is Grendel descended?

How does Beowulf hear the news that Hrothgar’s Danish kingdom has been under attack by Grendel
for 12 years?

Why does Beowulf come to help Hrothgar get rid of Grendel?

When Beowulf first meets King Hrothgar, why does he tell him to whom he is related and that he has
already killed a number of giants and sea creatures?

What boast does Beowulf make when he announces that he will kill Grendel?

Why can’t swords pierce Grendel’s skin?

Where do Grendel and his mother live?

How does Beowulf cause Grendel’s death?

How many years pass between the time Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel’s mother and when he is
king of his people the Geats (in southern Sweden)?

What attacks Beowulf’s kingdom when he is King of the Geats?

How does Beowulf plan on fighting this creature?
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
What betrayal happens at this point in the story?

Who is the one man who does not betray Beowulf?

What causes Beowulf’s death?

What request does the dying Beowulf make of the one, loyal man?

How do the Geats show honor to Beowulf after he dies?

Why do scholars believe that a Christian monk got ahold of the original story of Beowulf and made some
changes?
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC HERO, IN PARTICULAR, BEOWULF
1..
2..
3..
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STRUCTURE OF A SHORT ESSAY WRITING RESPONSE ON A TEST
1. Topic Sentence: Takes the exact words from the question and turns it into a statement.
2. Identify what you are going to talk about. If possible, begin with a TRANSITION.
3. Give as specific an example as possible to support your first item announced in Step 2.
4. TRANSITION. Identify what you are going to talk about.
5. Give as specific an example as possible to support your second item announced in Step 4.
6. TRANSITION. Identify what you are going to talk about.
7. Give as specific an example as possible to support your second item announced in Step 6.
8. Conclusion Sentence: Sum up how your examples support the topic sentence.