Name _______________________________________ Date ________
Pre-Reading Activity: Thematic Literary Elements
Directions: Work with a partner or small group to discuss your reactions and beliefs to
the following statements and questions. Compose a paragraph that outlines or
summarizes your discussion.
After you finish your discussion and write the answers you agree on you will need to
come get a discussion evaluation so you can score your partner(s) on their discussion
participation.
1. List five qualities that constitute a hero. Explain why each of these qualities makes
someone heroic.
a. Consider: How much do a person’s physical qualities and achievements
contribute to making a person heroic?
b. Which should be held in higher regard: a person’s physical achievements,
his/her intellectual qualities, or his/her moral character? Defend your answer.
2. Discuss how the statement, “Your reputation precedes you,” applies to your life.
a. How important do you think a person’s reputation is to his future? How can a
person’s reputation be created based on pictures or comments that are posted in
social networking sites?
b. Think about a time when you have formed a preconceived idea about a person
based solely on his/her reputation. How accurate was your notion of the person?
3. Discuss how revenge motivates human behavior.
a. Provide a personal, literary, or historical example of revenge. Discuss how the
vengeful actions fed on themselves and caused more vengeful actions.
b. Explain why you think humans tend to want to get revenge. Is revenge the
best approach to take? Why or why not?
4. Consider the cultural importance of hospitality and generosity.
a. Why do you think people consider hospitality and generosity to be important
hallmarks of a culture?
b. Select a particular historical or modern-day culture and explain how its people
display hospitality and generosity to each other.
5. Beowulf repeatedly returns to the theme of man’s changing fortunes.
a. Provide a modern-day example of man’s fortunes changing for the better and
an example of man’s fortunes changing for the worse.
b. Anticipate how you think this theme will be developed in Beowulf.
Remember!
The answers on paper are one grade; your participation in the discussion is a
different grade.