TODAY IN CLASS
1) I collected the homework:  Sections 31-43, student-generated summary (2-5 bullet points per section.  Make-up work for a Friday absence due tomorrow.  And if your work will be simply late, better to get some points than none at all.

2) Then students worked on a different task.  We turned to the three main structural units of the epic poem, the episodes that center on the actions of the main figure (yes, the "hero" of the poem), Beowulf himself.  The task was to prepare a chart, sort of a graphic organizer, for the broad question, "Compare and contrast Beowulf's three great battles." 
Here are categories you were to prepare for each battle:

Compare/contrast Beowulf’s 3 Battles

Reason:   Claimed (main reason)

                 Underlying reason/purpose—we don’t always know       

                          the additional reason until the end

Preparations/Battle Plan

Beowulf’s  expectations:

                 For others

                 For victory (confidence level)

                 Special requests

Actual battle—be brief, but note

HELP:  Inner?                                     (Can be some

            Supernatural/God?                  Combination)

            Human 

Outcome??

“Game Analysis” = What do we (the listener/reader)

         think of Beowulf as a result? 

         Consider QUALITIES that emerge/are demonstrated in the

                 episode 

         Organize into both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE

FOR TOMORROW

Many of you finished this in class.  But if you did not, you need to do so at home.  Tomorrow I'll check for completion, and three people at a time will be up front to share their insights on a particular category for one of the three battles.  These comments will become the basis for further discussion/ideas from everyone, especially with respect to the final battle (the one we haven't talked about at all as a group).