Grade 10
Unit 1
Beowulf
The Odyssey by Homer
“Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood
Student Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Read all three pieces of text carefully. Answer the multiple-choice, open-ended questions
and short constructed responses that follow the texts.
You may annotate/mark up the texts as you read them and use any additional space for your pre=writing.
Excerpt from Beowulf1
That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime,
Knew at once that nowhere on earth
Had he met a man whose hands were harder;
His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing
Could take his talons and himself from that tight
Hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run
From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:
This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied.
But Higlac’s follower remembered his final
Boast and, standing erect, stopped
The monster’s flight, fastened those claws
In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel
Closer. The infamous killer fought
For his freedom, wanting no flesh, but retreat,
Desiring nothing but escape; his claws had been caught, he was trapped.
...
That mighty protector of men
Meant to hold the monster till its life
Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use
To anyone in Denmark.
...
The battle was over, Beowulf
Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped,
But wounded as he was could flee to his den,
His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,
Only to die, to wait for the end
Of all his days.
...
And yet his time had come, his days
Were over, his death near; down
To hell he would go, swept groaning and helpless
To the waiting hands of still worse fiends.
...
He [Beowulf] was happy
Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes
Had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them; Beowulf,
A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel,
Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering
Forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people
By a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted
The victory, for the proof, hanging high
From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s
Arm, claw and shoulder and all.
1
Applebee, Arthur, et al, ed. The Language of Literature: British Literature. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell, 2000.
Multiple Choice Questions: Beowulf
1. What does the kenning “shepherd of evil” imply? L.10.5a
a. Evil follows Grendal.
b. Evil follows Beowulf.
c. Beowulf is a protector.
d. Grendal is not really a “bad guy.”
2. What epic quality does Beowulf display in this excerpt? RL.10.1
a. Hospitality
b. Honor
c. Strength
d. Loyalty
3. What does the line, “the Danes /had been served as he boasted he’d serve them” imply? RL.10.1,
RL.10.4
a. Beowulf served the Danes to Grendal.
b. Beowulf served Grendal to the Danes.
c. Beowulf failed to do what he had told the Danes he would do.
d. Beowulf killed Grendal as he told the Danes he would.
4. The poet uses alliteration in this excerpt to bring the sounds of the struggle to life. RL.10.4,
L.10.5a
a. True
b. False
Reasoning and citation:
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5. In killing Grendal, Beowulf has gotten rid of all evil among the Danes. RL.10.1
a. True
b. False
Reasoning and citation:
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The Odyssey by Homer
Below is a translation of a passage in Homer’s Odyssey, a Greek epic poem, which tells of the struggle that
Odysseus has to resist the Sirens and their irresistible song that lures sailors to their deaths.
. . . our trim ship was speeding toward
the Sirens’ island, driven by the brisk wind.
...
Now with a sharp sword I sliced an ample wheel of beeswax
down into pieces, kneaded them in my two strong hands
and the wax soon grew soft, worked by my strength
and Helios’ burning rays, the sun at high noon,
and I stopped the ears of my comrades one by one.
They bound me hand and foot in the tight ship –
erect at the mast-block, lashed by ropes to the mast –
and rowed and churned the whitecaps stroke on stroke.
We were just offshore as far as a man’s shout can carry,
scudding close, when the Sirens sensed at once a ship
was racing past and burst into their high, thrilling song:
“Come closer, famous Odysseus – Achaea’s pride and glory –
moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song!
Never has a sailor passed our shores in his black craft
until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips,
and once he hears to his heart’s content, sails on, a wiser man.”
...
So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air
and the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer.
I signaled the crew with frowns to set me free –
they flung themselves at the oars and rowed on harder.
Perimedes and Eurylochus springing up at once
to bind me faster with rope on chafing rope.
But once we’d left the Sirens fading in our wake,
once we could hear their song no more, their urgent call –
My steadfast crew was quick to remove the wax I’d used
to seal their ears and loosed the bonds that lashed me.
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Multiple Choice Questions: The Odyssey
1. What tone can you discern from the words Odysseus uses to tell of his encounter with the Sirens?
RL.10.1, RL.10.4
a) Shy
b) Sympathetic
c) Triumphant
d) Sorrowful
2. What literary device is used in line 14 to describe Odysseus as a famous, revered man? L.10.5a
a)
b)
c)
d)
Kenning
Alliteration
Epithet
imagery
3. In line 8, Odysseus uses the expression “They bound me hand and foot” to show L.10.4a
a)
b)
c)
d)
how his men cared for his wounds.
how his men tied his hands a feet together
how the Sirens tried to attack him.
how his men tied him to the mast.
4. Based on its use in context, the word ravishing seems to mean L.10.4a
a)
b)
c)
d)
Cute
Enchanting
Destructive
Sad
Read each statement. Whether your answer choice is True or False, explain the reason for your choice:
validate your response by citing the text to confirm your answer.
5. At this point in Odysseus’s journey home, he reveals a lack of wisdom..
a) True
b) False
Reasoning and citation: RL.10.1
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6. Odysseus’s crew resists his attempts to get them to set him free. RL.10.1
a) True
b) False
Reasoning and citation:
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“Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood2
“Siren Song” is Margaret Atwood’s modern “take” on Homer’s classic story of Odysseus and his encounter
with the Sirens.
Siren Song by Margaret Atwood
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls
5
the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
10
15
20
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
2
25
Atwood, Margaret. “Siren Song” from You Are Happy, SELECTED POEMS 1965-1975. Boston: Houghton, 1976.
Multiple Choice Questions: “Siren Song”
1. The first two stanzas imply that all people want to learn the Sirens’ song because RL.10.1
a.
b.
c.
d.
they want to be able to control others.
it is such a beautiful song.
the song makes others fall in love with the singer
they want to hurt other people.
2. In context, the word “squadrons” in line 5 means L.10.4a
a. fighters.
b. large groups.
c. obedient soldiers.
d. lifeboats.
3. The Siren’s “song” is a metaphor for RL.10.4, L.10.5a
a. a catchy tune.
b. physical attraction.
c. flattery
d. loneliness.
4. By the end of the poem, the speaker’s tone is RL.10.1, RL.10.4
a. relieved.
b. frustrated.
c. self-satisfied.
d. melancholy.
5. Looking at the poem as a whole, the Sirens’ song “works every time” because it is an appeal to
human ego. RL.10.1, RL.10.2
a. True
b. False
Reasoning and citation:
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Open-ended Questions
Both the Odyssey excerpt and “Siren Song” portray a triumphant protagonist. RL.10.1, RL.10.6, RL.10.7

Explain the difference in point of view of each work.

How does the point of view of each passage affect the idea expressed in the work.
Use specific details from each work to support your answer.
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Both Odysseus and Beowulf are epic heroes who return triumphant after great accomplishments.
RL.10.1, RL.10.3

Characterize the nature of each man as he faces adversity.

Compare and contrast the approach Beowulf uses to defeat Grendel with that of Odysseus as he
struggles to resist the lure of the Sirens’ song.
Use specific details from each passage to support your answer.
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Day 2: Writing Prompt W.10.3, W. 10.3a, W.10.3b, W.10.3c, W.10.3d, W.10.3e
Re-read the excerpts from Beowulf and The Odyssey. Each passage reveals the traits that were valued by
the heroes’ respective cultures.
Consider what our modern society deems heroic. Now reflect on someone you consider a modern-day
hero. Write a narrative, real or imagined, that portrays this person’s journey to heroism. Use effective
narrative techniques, carefully chosen details, and a well-structured sequence. Establish a point of view,
create a smooth progression of events, and include narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing,
description, and sensory language. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on your hero’s
journey.