Anglo-Saxon Essay Topics
Choose one of the following topics to completea minimum of a 1-2 TYPED composition. Your paper MUST be typed (double spaced and 12 font). Follow the rules for punctuation, grammar, and usage. Be creative. (I will not read more than 2 pages.) ** Due ______.** REMEMBER - I do not take late assignments!
1. Life in a small Anglo-Saxon community is very different from life in the U.S. Perhaps you can picture a small cluster of huts around the chieftain’s central hall, a small fire feebly combating the deep cold of a winter night in old England. Picture that setting and consider what you’ve read about Anglo-Saxon’s beliefs and the structure of their society. Imagine yourself as a young man or woman in this time period. What do you think your life is like? What choices do you have? What limitations do you face?
2. Consider a contemporary fictional hero from television, novels, or film. Pick one and analyze this hero using these questions: What sort of evil or oppression does he/she confront? What is this hero’s motivation? What virtues does he/she represent?
3. How would we tell a hero story today? What would the setting be? Who or what would the enemy be? What values would the hero embody and possess?
4. Write an autobiographical incident about a time in your life when you faced an intense physical challenge, were taunted over something you said or did, or overcame fear or dread to achieve a goal. Be sure to describe your feelings in depth.
5. Compare the story of Beowulf with a movie by using these questions as guidelines for comparison: Where does each hero come from? Who are the hero’s trusted aides? What role does violence play in the story? How does the hero struggle against evil? Is the hero an outsider or a part of the community? What rewards or glory does the hero receive?
6. Do you think we worship celebrities today, not heroes? If we do, what effect does that have on what we value and whom we present to children as role models?
7. Write about a time when you felt either disillusionment or a sense of loss about something you valued. Perhaps a friend let you down, or you lost faith in a team you played for. What makes this incident stick in your mind?
8. Create a “Seafarer” poem of your own, opening with the line, “This tale is true, and mine.” Write about your own aspirations, hopes, joys, and disillusionments. Try to incorporate alliteration and kennings in your poem in true Anglo-Saxon style.
9. All heroes slay “dragons” - powerful forces of one kind or another. Some heroes such as Mother Teresa combat the monsters of disease and poverty while others, such as the first astronauts, conquered their own fears while exploring uncharted territory. What challenges of Anglo-Saxon life are symbolically represented by the monsters Beowulf fights?
*** If you waste lines for along heading, it will make your paper shorter than required resulting in point deductions. Be sure that you make up for the space wasted on your heading, or you can simply write your name at the top when finished.
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE THIS ESSAY. NO OUTSIDE RESEARCH IS NEEDED FOR THIS PAPER.