Prompts O Think about how the poem juxtaposes Christian and pagan belief systems. Write an essay analyzing what Beowulf, either as a character or as a poem, reflects about Christian and pagan beliefs in Anglo-Saxon culture. Avoid mere plot summary. O Epic heroes, by their very nature, reflect the values and priorities of the culture that produced them. With this in mind, write an essay analyzing what the character of Beowulf reveals about the values and priorities of Anglo-Saxon civilization. O Choose a theme (or themes) from the epic and analyze the way in which that theme is developed throughout the text. Avoid mere plot summary.

Reminders O You are trying to claim something about these ideals within the prompts. “Fate” alone is not a theme or a claim. “Fate is inevitable no matter how courageous one might be” is a theme and a claim. O Your warrants need to be as specific as possible. “Beowulf’s actions throughout the poem” is not specific; “Beowulf’s courageous disregard for his own life” is specific.

Thesis Statement Review O Thesis statements must contain both a claim and a warrant. O Paganism/Christianity prompt: The speaker’s fatalistic view and the way in which pagan references seem to override Christian references reveal that Anglo-Saxon culture, at the time of the writing of “The Wanderer,” remained primarily pagan. (credit to Emily Mitchell for fixing the “be” verb, for which Mr. Feudo received an initial 50 and resubmitted for an 80) O Epic hero/values prompt: The speaker’s agony over his exile and search for a new comitatus indicate the great extent to which the Anglo-Saxons valued loyalty and companionship. O Theme prompt: Through the speaker’s meditations on things lost and his agony over his exile, the poem reveals that all things, no matter how great and glorious, must come to an end.

Working Thesis Rubric O Unapproved "Be" verb s (students who have not cleared a "be" verb in the thesis with me) = -50 points each O 1st- or 2nd-person pronouns = -50 points each O Contractions = -50 points each O Missing purpose = -50 points O Fragment or Run-on = 0 O Sentence that does not make sense = 0 O Make sure that you have a claim (what you are trying to prove that responds to a prompt) and warrants (what you will examine to prove your claim; this might be events or actions by characters or the way in which the text is written) O Students can rewrite and resubmit their thesis statements for a 75.