Reading #1. The Old English Period
The Early Literature of the Anglo-Saxons
The People - For the beginnings of English Literature we must go back to a
time before our Anglo-Saxon forefathers came to England, when they were still
living on the shores of the North Sea in Denmark and in northern Germany.
These people were German tribes, allied more closely to the modern Dutch than
to the modern Germans both by language and blood. It is thought that they did
not penetrate far into the swamps and forests of the interior, but lived along
the shore and on the sea. They were uncivilized people, but not savages. Their
literature shows- and we always go to literature to find out the inner life of
a people-- that they loved their homes, reverenced their women, felt the
influences of Nature, believed in many gods, loved personal freedom, and
sought honor and glory. They were very adventurous seafarers, stern of heart
and strong of hand; but they were not pirates.
Their Gloomy Life - Their life was rather dreary(gloomy).The lands of
Denmark and Germany where these people lived are lands of clouds and mist.
During the entire year the sun can be seen only a third of the time that it is
above the horizon. In winter, darkness comes in the middle of the afternoon.
Moreover, the struggle with storm and the sea was long and hard. No wonder
these people were a stern and somber race of individuals, with a gloomy
religion,and with melancholy ideas of fate and life. For these people, life
was almost without joy except for perhaps the joy of conflict(war); and the
whole of man's life, with whatever joy it might have, was but the flicker of a
candle between two great darknesses; the gloomy life on earth and the dreary,
dark life after death. The essential gloom of it was well expressed somewhat
later in a piece of literature entitled Northumbria by a chief.
"You remember, it may be, O king, that which sometimes happens in winter
when you are seated at a table with your thanes (nobles). You fire is lighted,
and your hall warmed, and you are inside without rain, snow, and storm. Then
comes a swallow (bird) flying across the hall; he enters by one door, and
leaves by another. The brief moment that he is within the hall is pleasant to
him; he feels not rain nor cheerless winter weather; but the moment is brief,
and he passes from winter to winter. Such, methinks, is the life of man on
earth, compared with the uncertain times beyond. It appears for a while; but
what is the time that comes after - the time which was before? We know not.
If, then, this new doctrine (Christianity) may teach us somewhat of greater
certainty, it were well that we should regard it."
Please note how the idea of Christianity presents a much more pleasant view
of life after death; that there is a reward for those who follow the ideas of
Christianity. They enter paradise.So many of these people were more than
willing to convert to Christianity because it presented to them a sense of
hope and not despair. That there is(was) something good after this life on
earth.
Literature of Tradition - Life, however, was not always terribly gloomy.
There were times of joy and some festivities. In the long winter evenings the
Lord and his nobles (thanes)gathered in a great hall and sat around the mead
tables, (mead - alcoholic beverage brewed from honey), drinking together and
listening to the song of the scop (person who composed and sang a poem about
the adventures of someone special). These poets/reciters of stories kept alive
the traditions of the people, interpreting their ideals in myth, legend, and
heroic story. This was their literature; not books nor manuscripts. Stories of
gods and heroes passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. Some of
the stories are history; most of them, myths about the struggles of people
with the sea, storms, and pestilence.
"Beowulf" The scene of the early part of this story is Denmark. Hrothgar,
King of the Danes, had built a splendid mead hall by the sea, where he and his
thanes gathered to feast and to listen to the songs of the scops. Now read the
story of Beowulf and notice how the poem exemplifies the ideals of these
Germanic people.
This poem was probably sung a very long time ago in the many mead halls all
across northern Europe and parts of England. It is also considered an epic
poem. Thus type of poem tells a story of a hero who unfortunately has a tragic
end.
In Beowulf we see the scenes with which our forefathers were familiar,
we discover their hopes and fears, and realize their passion for honor and
glory,their high feeling of duty, and the stern heroism with which they took
leave of their life.
The Celts in Britain - The people who inhabited England or Britain as it
was called back then - before the Anglo-Saxon conquests, were Celts. These
Celts lived all over various areas of France, Spain, the British Islands
before the time of recorded history in Europe. Julius Caesar had fought
against many of the Celtic tribes in Gaul (France) and in 55 B.C. had crossed
over into Britain and defeated the Celtic tribes living there. Eventually,
Britain became a Roam province, adopting a certain extent the civilization of
Rome. By the early part of the fifth century, however, the Roman army withdrew
from Britain to protect the city of Rome from various tribes of northern
Europe who were attacking the imperial city (Rome). Thus, the Celts of Britain
were left alone to defend themselves from the Anglo-Saxon invaders
who had come from Denmark and northern Germany. Little by little the Celts
were driven back into the mountains of Wales and Scotland. Some even traveled
by boat and settled in Ireland while others traveled to northwest coast of
France. Eventually, all of these Celts, living in different lands, developed
their own distinct culture and literature.
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Reading # 2. Characteristics of a Tragic Hero.
1. The individual must perform a very difficult feat or task which a
normal individual would never do or accomplishsh.
2. The individual must have a noble, honorable character.
3. The individual must overcome, leave behind any weaknesses or
temptations that might cause him to not be the noblr person he is suppossed
to be.
4. The person must be committed to his goal,and never give up.
5. The person has to experience dangers, agonies,and pain beyond those
of normal men/women.
6. The hero must do it alone; he has to do the deed. Those who may help
have no real bearing on the situation.
7. The goal, whatever it may be, must be difficult.
8. The hero must have something in common with the meekest of people. We
need to see in the hero many of the qualities we find in ourselves.(grit,
fortitude,courage,nobility,sacrifice, etc.)
8. The tragedy is that with the individual is a flaw, an imperfection in
the personality/character of the person which overwhelms him/her to the point
that the individual does things he/she might not or should not normally do.
Thus, the flaw in the individual causes the hero to fall.
You should be able to explain how each of these items is exemplfied
in "Beowulf."
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The Venerable Bede
Reading assignment # 3.
The Venerable Bede (673 - 735 ) Father of English History.
He probably was of Irish descent and was a monk of the Order of Saint
Benedict. He wrote the famous book History of the English Church and People.
Another word for history is "chronicle." I mention this because there are
times when a writer uses this word instead of the word history in describing
Bede's work. There are even references to this book asd being called "The
Ecclesiastical History (chronicle) of the People of England. (Ecclesiastical
refers to religious, the church. In any case it is the first major book
published in England and was of course handwritten by monks in the
scriptorium, a special room in a monastery, dedicated just to the skill of
writing.
During this time period Christianity was attempting to re-establish itself
in Britain after the Fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD). During the reign of
the Romans they accepted Christianity as the official religion of the whole
empire. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the
Germanic tribes such as the Anglos and the Saxons into England, many old
pagan practices crept back into practice in Britain. (Check out the pictures
of Stonehedge in England).
The purpose of Bede's book was to show how Christianity re-asserted itself
with the help of many pious monks and other people from various religious
communities. One such person was a cleric ( member of a religious community)
by the name of Caedom. By the way, those who are not members of a religious
community are called the laity.
At the same time that all of this was happening, we have developing what
is referred to as "Elegiac Poetry." This style of poetry is a serious
meditative type of poetry. This style was written up to the 16th century.
These poems were done by scops and bards and were written in a very formal
and sustained manner. This simply means that the poems were serious and
rather classy in nature. They are sustained in that they are filled with many
examples as to how the individual feels. Thus, they can be a little long
since you are dealing with a person's feelings and emotions.
What the poem does is lament (discuss, explain in a sorrowful mannewr) the
death, loss of a person, place, or thing of great importance in a somber,
sad, melancholy tone.
To the people living during this timeiod , this type of poetry was
considered "animistic" in nature. This means that to these people, every
person, place, or thing is alive and has a soul. So, the loss of an item such
as a Mead Hall or castle,or whatever, could be very upsetting to a warrior
since it was like losing a real person. The loss of the Lords ( ruler of the
area) would be even more disturbing since the warrior would have no one to
whom he could pledge his loyalty. The warrior would lament his loss since he
had no leader, no home, no family,no sence of belonging to anything or
anyone. This warrior was then considered a "wrecca", a wreck, a stranger, a
stranger wandering hopelessly. It is as if the warrior were a homeless person
who had nothing.
Please check out pages 46 - 47 of your Green text book that I gave you in
the beginning of the year. Read the poem "The Wanderer". It is a classic
Elegiac poem that explains a warrior's loss of his Lord and castle. Perhaps
you could check out the poem on-line and print it out since we will discuss
it in class.
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# 4. Special Assignment concerning A Christmas Carol.
The title of this novel is a bit misleading in that it is not about
Christmas so much as the author uses the season of Christmas to accomplish a
number of things. One of these important ideas is that no matter who you are,
no matter how evil you are, self-centered, arrogant, rude, etc. a person can
change for the better. Charles Dickens uses the meanest, nastiest, selfish,
money grubber in the world, Ebenezer Scrooge to prove his point.
Additionally, Dickens is a social critic of English society. He is truly
disgusted with the way England is handling its social problems. Notably, he
is disgusted with the way the poor are treated. He should know because as a
child his family was very poor.
Since you will have to write a persuasive essay and incorporate
citations in your paper, you might want to use page markers or make a list of
the pages that discuss the many social problems such as: poor working
conditions, no child labor laws that forbid little kids from working, no
unemployment compensdation, lack of employment opportunities, lack of
mandatory educational laws for kids, remember those two little kids named
Want and Ignorance - they could become a threat to society and cause a
revolution in England, poor wages for workers, lack of medical
coverage for workers/families, the ability of the employer to fire a worker
any time and for no reason, terrible housing for the poor, far too many
homeless, no unions for workers, lack of government programs to help workers-
families-homeless. Now,to add to all of this misery, it is the season of
Christmas and it is cold , cold, cold.
Dickens uses this Christmas season to get the readers' sympathies so that
they might petition the government to help those who are less fortunate. Our
author understood that it is so easy to look the other way when we see an
individual who has fallen on hard times.
By the way, Charles Dickens did not trust the upper classes because he
knew that they never help those in need. For example, pleasse notice how he
treats those who are rich. Note that wealth is treated as a sign of moral
corruption and greed. Does Scrooge want to help the less fortunate? No.
However, it should be understood that a person can change and the way he uses
his wealth for the greater good should be noted and honored. He also disliked
the English government's attitude toward the economy, that Laissez Faire
attitude towards capitalism.
Additionally, by using the Christmas season, Dickens wants us to
appreciate our past so that we will be able to understand our present
situation so that we can enjoy a future filled with love and kindness.
Remember, at the end of the novel, the coldest, meanest, nastiest person in
all of England changes and becomes a wonderful caring person.
So why does this happen? The answer lies in understanding that it is not
always about you or me. It's about our fellow man who needs our help. It is
not about having money and material possessions, it is what is in our hearts
and souls that really matters. It is believing that on earth, God's work must
truly be our own. And if you don't believe me, then read the Gospel of Saint
Luke, Chapter 20, verses 1 to 20. Well then, don't just sit there and read
this, get up and get a Bible and read the verses.
Extra Credit Project.
At Macy's department store in center city is the Charles Dickens
Christmas Village, along with the spectacular Christmas Light show. Go watch
the show and visit the village. Get a brochure or take a picture or two or
three to prove that you were there. Perhaps you could use your cell phone
camera.
Do you have to do this alone?
Are you kidding? No way. Why not go as a group of class mates, or take a
few members of your family and enjoy the day downtown. Maybe you might take
your little sisters or brothers too and treat them to lunch. Perhaps you and
your Mom could go and you treat her to lunch. I assure you the day will go by
so quickly and you will make wonderful memories. How do I know this? I know
this because every student that has done this over the years has told me that
they had a great day. By the eway, this extra credit project has been a part
of your British Literature course for many, many years. The people at Macy's
working at the village look forwad to you coming.
Additionally, in the entire world there is only one statue of Charles
Dickens, and it is right here in the city of Philadelphia. Why not find it
and take a few pictures to prove you were there. King Arthur and his knights
had their quest, now you have your own quest. Good luck and enjoy. Remember
though, the joy of a quest is not just finding the item, but searching for
the prize is just as exciting. Remember, to get any credit, you need to show
me proof.
Assignment # 5 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Please print out these notes for class.
In December 1843 Charles Dickens wrote the following message in his
novel A Christmas Carol. "I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to
raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall npt put my readers out of hunour with
themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their
houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it (down)."
Isn't it interesting that Dickens uses ghost in his novel. Usually
ghosts are in a story to scare people and the reader. However, not all of the
ghost do this . As a matter of fact some of them act rather funny, while
there are some that act in a horrific manner. Thus, Dickens blends humor and
horror together to attain a certain effect. Some act rather funny and look
funny, but they certainly scare Scrooge when they show him certain things.
Please give an example of this situation.
I would also like you to notice that the ghosts have a few things in
common with each other. Can you name a few items? When you read, notice their
differences. Check out how they dress and act so differently. Notice their
colors and their sizes and how they appear to Scrooge. It is all done with a
purpose. Explain what some of these similarities are and what are some of
their differences. About two will do for each category
Please make sure you know the following items.
1. Allegory - a story in which the characters, settings, and events stand for
abstract or moral concepts as well as their literal meanings. For eg. the
Ghost of Christmas Past is dressed in white. The color of the robe is white
and it is simply a robe. However, the white symbolizes purity and innocence.
A Christmas dinner is a dinner, but it is so much more. It means love,
generosity, family, caring, and so many other wonderful things which are
abstract in nature.
2. Foreshadowing- hints to the reader or to the main character of what might
happen, could happen in the future. Check out the Ghost of Christmas Yet to
Come and tell me what is his purpose?
3. Flashback - situation in the story where the reader/main character is
taken back to the past to see/understand what happened. It is done to help
the reader/main character understand why the person is what he/she is in the
present. Who you are right now is greatly determined by what happened in your
past. Give an example as to why Scrooge is so nasty. Remember the answer
comes from his past.
4. Symbolism - A person, place, or thing that does not just have a literal
meaning, but it has another deeper (symbolic) meaning. For example, each
ghost is what he/she is, but they are symbols of so much more. Even the items
that they hold or wear are symbolic of something. Pick an item that is
associated with a ghost and briefly explain its symbolic meaning.
5. Theme - the main message of the story, the moral of the story. After
reading a story, ask yourself, what did the author try to teach me. That
answer is theme. By the way, each ghost tells a story in his/her own stave.
So that means each of these staves has a seperate theme. Okay, pick a stave
and tell me briefly what is the theme.
6. Point of View - How is the story seen,from whose perspective. It would
seem that the way Scrooge sees things and the way Bob sees the same things
are not the same at all. Is it 1st person, 3rd. person, 3rd person omniscient?
Give me a situation where two individuals see/experience the same things but
see it differently.
7. Conflict - the problem in the story. There could be a few of these. Who
has a problem? Scrooge- yes, Tiny Tim - yes, Bob - yes, Marley - yes. Each
has a different problem (conflict) Unfortunetly, Marley will never solve his
problem. There are a bunch of kids singing Christmas Carols. They really
have a problem. What is it?
8. Protagonist - the character or characters that move(s)the story forward.
Is it Scrooge or is it the ghosts, or who is it? Answer the question please
and explain why?
9. Antagonist - the character(s) that does not want to move the story
forward. This character is quite important in the story. Many times he/she is
the bad character. However,that is not always the case. Generally speaking,
he/she wants to keep things as is. So who is the antagonist and why?
10. Please check out the papers on the different types of literature.
Melodramatic - Victorian - Realistic - Romantic - Gothic.
Please read the notes on each type of literature.
Give one example of each type of literature that exemplfies the five
different types of literature.
11. Parable - a short allegorical story that teaches a moral or religious
lesson about life. Each of the ghosts tell a parable and each has a moral
theme.
12. Stave - please note that the name of the story is A Christmas Carol. A
carol is a song. Well, every song is divided into sections called staves. In
literature, we would call them chapters. Dickens divided his novel into
staves because he is writing a christmas CAROL.
13. The 3 middle staves - each has a seperate theme and each is a parable.
Each stave has Scrooge being taken to his past, present, and his future. Each
is telling him a story and get a message to him (theme).
14. The Big Bad Ghosts - Check out where each takes Scrooge. Notice the
various places, not just the past, present, future.
Ghost of Christmas Past - represents human memory, his youth, childhood
innocense. As a child Scrooge is still in touch with human (social) contact.
He was even in love once (human contact) The ghost is dressed in white which
represents purity, innocence just as a child is. The ghost also has a glowing
head. This light represents the power of the mind, the ability to recall. The
ghost does not restrict himself/herself from showing Scrooge just good
memories, but also some rather sad, bad memories. Which ones do you think
Scrooge allowed himself to be more influenced by? Please answer and tell me
why.
The Ghost of Christmas Present - this ghost is dressed in green which
represents life, food, prosperity. It also represents social responsibility .
Each individual has a social responsibility to show charity,
empathy,generosity, good will towards all men/women. It is a time to show
joy. It is a season when the Church wants people to enjoy the season, to
enjoy the gift of Christ. It is the season to live life, to appreciate the
vitality of life. It is true that the ghost does show Scrooge some really
depressing scenes, but it is to inspire, to stimulaste Scrooge and all of us
to help those who are in need. It is our "social responsibility" to help.
Christmas should stimulate within people a concern for the wants and needs of
others and a euphoric joy in fullfilling these desires.
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come - this ghost represents fear of death, fear of
judgement by God. This creature portrays the immenent moral reconing, the
dispensation of justice for all of us(Scrooge) has/have done on this earth.
Perhaps the best way to express this idea is this way. The ghost says to you,
me, Scrooge: What have you done in your life? Have you been greedy, selfish.
inconsiderate? Well, what do you think is the judgement? Always remember
though, E. Scrooge does make choices. And even at the end he still has a
choice.
15. Political/Socail Critique. - Is this a Christmas story or is it a story
in which Dickens uses the Christmas season to help foster political and
social change in Endland? It seems that merry olde England is not so merry
for so many. They have serious social and political problems. Check out the
list above. Many of them exist in our own country right now. Give one example
where Merry Olde England is not so Merry for certain individuals?
16. Advancement of Christian Ideals. - With each ghosts' tale functioning as
a parable, A Christmas Carol advances the Christian moral ideals for your
community, and for all of Victorian England in general. The novel also offers
a distnct modern view of Christmas. It is less concerned with solemn
religious ceremony and is defined by more joyous traditions - the sharing of
gifts, festive celebrations (parties), and displays of prosperity. Finally,
warmth, generosity, and goodwill overcome Scrooge's bitter apathy as he
encounters and learns from his memory (Ghost of Christmas Past, the ability
to empathize (Ghost of Christmas Present), and his fear of death,judgement
(the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come). Give one example as to how one of these
Christian ideals is exemplified in the novel.
Make sure you do this assignment in MLA format. Your assignment is
due Friday, December 18, 2009.
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Assignment # 6.
In your set of typed notes entitled A Christmas Carol by Charles
Dickens, on page two is a list of the various social problems that existed
during Dickens' time. Pick out three of these social problems and make sure
you can prove that they exist by using any situations in the novel. However,
you must provide the reader with a citation. This simply means that you must
tell the reader on what page is the situation that proves your social
problem. For example,after you explain the situation, you would type the name
of the author, (Dickens, then the page number), then the period.
Example: it would look like this (Dickens 24).
The essay is to be typed, double space, 12 font, in MLA format. Value of
essay is 100 points. Ten points will be deducted for each day the essay is
late. You must also follow the 25 Commandments of Writing.
Paragraph 1. This is your introduction paragraph with the usual who,
what, when, where, how, why. Do some research as to when the novel was
written and published. The last sentence is your thesis sentence.
Your thesis sentence is as follows: A Christmas Carol is indeed a
criticism of British society and its goverment in which it aims to enlighten
its people of the major problems of __________, __________, and _________
that exist in the country.
Paragraph 2. You will follow the format of T-S-E-AE-R formula.
Transition-statement-example-application of example or to put it another way,
explain how the example proves your statement-refocus ( summarize this
paragraph's findings in a general sentence.
Open this paragraph with a nice transition phrase or transitional
sentence. Now give your statement (explain what Dickens wants to enlighten
people about ( this is your first item in your thesis statement.)Now, give an
example from the novel that proves this particular social problem with your
citation. Note, you must provide a citation for all examples in your essay.
Since you will have examples in paragraphs two-three-and four, you will have
three citations. Along with this, now explain how the example proves your
point. This explanation is very important because it helps the reader
understand that your example has a deeper meaning than just a literal
meaning. Now conclude the paragraph with a solid general sentence that summs
up your paragraph.
Paragraph # 3 Same as paragraph two except you use a different social
problem, your second one listed in your thesis statement.
Paragraph # 4. Same as paragraph two and paragraph three except you use
a different social problem, your third one listed in your thesis statement.
Paragraph # 5. Conclusion paragrph
Summarize what you have produced in your entire essay. Remember
to have some variety of vocabulary. Since this novel was written to produce
social changes in British society, perhaps you could include a consequence or
two or an implication or two in this paragraph. Do not just summarize, give
more (implication/consequesnce/ or both.
(implication - long range effect) - (consequence - immediate effect)
Now, if you do not want to do this thesis on the social problems,
perhaps you might be interest in something different. Here are two other
thesis statements from which you can pick.
It certainly seems quite apparent that A Christmas Carol truly
exemplifies __________, ___________, and ____________ literature.
Pick any three types of literature from the five and do this one.
Remember you need citations for this one too.
OR
The reason why the characters ________, __________, and __________ are
so memorable is that Charles Dickens exaggerates their qualities and
personalities in A Christmas Carol.
Pick any three characters from the list and prove this thesis.
Remember you need citations for this one too.
You now have three different thesis statement. Pick one and prove.
Due Date: Tuesday, January 5th, 2010.
Note: 10 points deducted for each day late.
***** If you want to show me anything concerning this essay before Christmas
break, please do so.
Today's date: 12-19-2009.
