Beowulf Essays
Tips for improvement
5=20
4=18
3=16
2=14
1=10
The Prompt
• Read lines 1442-1472 of Beowulf, in which Beowulf
prepares to confront Grendel’s mother. Then, in a
well-organized essay, discuss how this section
contributes to both character development and
the development of the themes of the poem. Refer
to specific lines to support your points.
• When a prompt asks you to analyze specific lines of a
work of literature, stick to those lines. If you have
general knowledge of the text it is permissible to
reference that knowledge but do so sparingly. The bulk
of your analysis should be in regard to the lines
specified in the prompt.
Things I noticed…
• Not answering the entire prompt (most left out theme)
– Read lines 1442-1472 of Beowulf, in which Beowulf prepares to
confront Grendel’s mother. Then, in a well-organized essay,
discuss how this section contributes to both character
development and the development of the themes of the poem.
Refer to specific lines to support your points.
• When addressing theme, keep in mind that single word
ideas are not complete themes (bravery, heroism, fear,
etc.)
– What ABOUT bravery, heroism, fear, etc.?
• Lack of basic organization (missing clear introduction,
THESIS statements, transitions)
– We discussed this with the first essay
– Many people have corrected this error, but there are still
several who have not yet made this shift
Other things I noticed…
• Redundancy (yes, Beowulf is brave – you’ve told me 4 times…so
what?)
– Expand on basic ideas – why is it important that Beowulf is depicted as
brave? What is the significance of Unferth giving Hrunting to Beowulf as
a gift?
• Effectively use quotes instead of just dropping them in
– Lead in AND out of quotes
– Don’t end paragraphs with a quote
• Instead of this:
– “In line 1459, the text says the sword had an ‘iron blade and ‘ill-boding
patterns’ which describe it well.”
•
Try this:
– “A clear example of the embattled diction used to personify Hrunting
include ‘iron blade’ and ‘ill-boding patterns’ (Heaney 1459). These
descriptive terms indicate that the sword Beowulf has been given is of
great importance to the overall success of his upcoming battle with
Grendel’s vengeful mother.”
One more thing…
• Citations
– When citing poetry include a slash to indicate
line breaks. Also, include a parenthetical citation
with the author last name and line number (no
comma).
• “Beowulf got ready, / donned his war-gear,
indifferent to death; / his mighty, hand-forged, finewebbed mail / would soon meet with the menace
underwater” (Heaney 1442-1444).
General Reminders
• Titles of books and epic poems should always be
underlined (equal to italics in word processed essays)
• No personal pronouns
– Overall, it was better this time but still several people using
“you” , “we”, etc.
• Casual or colloquial diction – remember your audience –
this is a formal essay
– “messed up”, “cocky”, “got the knock-out”
• Tie theme and characterization together to create a
cohesive essay
– Without a connection between the two, the essay ends up
being two separate analyses on the same piece of paper
With your essay:
• Check your score and read the comments
• In your RJ on the LEFT side of your first page of
Grendel notes, answer the following questions:
1. What did you score on this essay?
2. What are two things you could have improved upon
in your Beowulf essay?
3. What are two things you did well in your Beowulf
essay?
4. What specific item are you going to work on for the
Grendel timed essay?
• When you are finished, put your essay in your
writing folder.