Beowulf Reading Notes

• Wrath of Grendel- Grendel terrorized the town of Herot and the citizens for 12 years but the king, Hrothgar, was never touched because he was protected by God
• Coming of Beowulf- Beowulf heard of the terror in Herot and chose 14 men to travel with him to kill the beast; Beowulf believed that fate had brought him to Herot to defeat Grendel and bathe in riches
• Battle with Grendel- As Grendel tried to sneak into the village at night he was startled when Beowulf was awaiting him.They fought and Beowulf ended up tearing Grendel's arm off but he escaped only to die of his wounds. Later that night Grendel's mother killed Hrothgar's best friend in an act of revenge
• The Mother's Lair- Grendel's mother lived in a lair that was dark and mysterious.The lair was in an enchanted lake covered by trees.
• The Battle with Grendel's Mother- Beowulf decided to swim down the lake and fight the creature but only because he knew that it would bring him more fame and glory. He vanquished Grendels' mother and took her head as a trophy.
• The Last Battle- Beowulf, years later, was king of his land and heard of a dragon causing trouble so he chose to set out to fight it for MORE FAME. Beowulf soon discovered that his weapons were useless and was about to be killed but one of his kinsmen, Wiglaf, joined in and helped him defeat the dragon. During the course of action though Beowulf was mortally injured.
• The Spoils- Wiglaf ran into the tower where the dragon lived and was met with a more treasure than he could dream of but when he came back his lord was dying. Before Beowulf died he gave Wiglaf his armor, helmet, rings and then he died.
• The Farewell- Beowulf asked for a giant monument to be built for his funeral and so it was done. His twelve closest kinsmen spoke at his funeral offering praise to the fallen king.

1987 AP Exam

1. E C
2. E A
3. C
4. A E
5. A 
6. D
7. D E
8. B 
9. B E
10. C 
11. D
12. B
13. B
14. D C
15. E A
16. A B
17. C 
18. E
19. A
20. B
21. E
22. B E
23. C A
24. A 
25. C
26. E 
27. D
28. A C
29. B A
30. B
31. D
32. D B
33. D E
34. A
35. E B
36. E 
37. B
38. A D
39. C 
40. C
41. B D
42. A
43. B
44. E
45. A
46. B
47. B
48. A
49. B C
50. D
51. B C
52. A B
53. E 
54. B
55. D A
56. B
57. C
58. D E
59. A B
60. C A

I had the answers on hard copy but I though it was about time to post them.

Vocab #1

• Adumbrate: to forshadow, outline; I had to adumbrate the ending of the book with out giving away the end.
• Apotheosis: glorification of a person/thing; A pharaoh in ancient Egypt is an apotheosis on a man.
• Ascetic: a person who's dedicated to pursue ideals and religious morales; The monk at the cathedral acted in an ascetic manner every day.
• Bauble: a cheap, flashy toy usually used by jesters; At the end of the jesters scepter a bauble sat attracting all of the attention.
• Beguile: to mislead or influence by trickery; The man on the corner beguiled everybody by acting like a homeless person.
• Burgeon: to flourish; All of the flowers burgeoned at once.
• Complement: usually a comment that makes perfect; The beautiful woman blushed after I complemented her eyes.
• Contumacious: rebellious or disobedient; A teenager can sometimes act in a contumacious manner for no apparent reason.
• Curmudgeon: ill-tempered/difficult person; I have to act like a curmudgeon for the role in this movie.
• Didactic: used for learning; Dr. Preston is a very didactic person, he has a real passion for teaching.
• Disingenuous: lacking sincerity; I made a disingenuous promise knowing I wouldn't be able to keep it.
• Exculpate: vindicate, free from blame; After a long trial the alleged murderer was exculpated.
• Faux Pas: tactless act, usually very awkward; I was greeted with a faux pas, instead of a handshake I received a lick. 
• Fulminate: to explode or detonate; The soda fulminated after being shaken for two minutes.
• Fustian: a fabric made of cotton and flax; My shirt was very itchy because it was made of fustian. 
• Hauteur: arrogance; Daniel's big question dealt with people acting with hauteur. 
• Inhibit: to restrain, prohibit, forbid; My mother inhibits me to take the car with out permission.
• Jeremiad: complaint; I filed a jeremiad with the owner of Toyota because the car was a jalopy. 
• Opportunist: a person who practices opportunism; I see my self as a real opportunist, looking on the bright side of everything. 
• Unconscionable: not guided by conscious; The act of breathing is unconscionable. 

Poetry Assignment #1

1. The poem that was borrowed for the commercial is The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski.
2. The poem can be considered ironic because the poem has such a strong message being conveyed but it's just an advertisement just to buy pants.
3. The poem reflects Bukowski because he lived through a lot and had a very rough child hood. He never gave up though and the poem reflects that light at the end of the tunnel.
4. I first looked the poem online by Bukowski and then used Poets.org to find out more information on his background.

Essay Assignment #1 (Odysseus)

  Odysseus from Homer's "Odyssey" is the character estranged form his family and homeland after the Trojan War. He is lost for ten years on his journey to return home. The voyage is long and perilous but he eventually returns to Ithaca a new man.
  Odysseus, at one point, was stranded on an island with the goddess Calypso for seven years before he escaped. While he was on the island he and Calypso slept together frequently. Calypso fell in love with Odysseus and offered him eternal youth in return for him staying with her. But he declined because he dearly longed for his son and wife. At this point Odysseus really felt isolated and genuinely alone.  
   After Odysseus finally returned home from his journey his was a totally different man than he was before. The experiences he endured made him a better husband, father, and king. He left an arrogant man but returned humbled and respectful. 

Big Question

• Why do people think they have to impress anybody? Why change yourself to be like everybody else? Why do people have to be so judgmental to others that are different?