Primary Sources Project: The Use of Primary Sources in an English and History Classroom

1. Primary Sources Project: The Use of Primary Sources in an English and History Classroom Donald Cook Johanna Covarrubias Emily Omar

2. the source • Beowulf • Heaney, Seamus. (2000). Beowulf: A new verse translation. New York, NY: W.W Norton & Company • Original work written down in 700 A.D. by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet • Before it was written down, it was passed down as an oral narrative. • The epic is set in Scandinavia around 500 A.D. before the Germanic migrations

3. Rationale The epic poem Beowulf not only speaks to the time before and after the Germanic migrations, but it also offers an insight to the literary culture of the Germanic people. Beowulf offers many facets to enhance learning. Through the reading of Beowulf students of history will be able to identify cultural traits based on information from the source. Students of English will be able to recognize the use of literary devices and identify specific reoccurring cultural themes. Beowulf will test students critical thinking abilities as students will analyze the purpose of the text, asking questions such as why was this written? Does the author have an underlying purpose?

4. Understanding the source: Historical Context Before the Migrations • Barbarians living within the Roman empire before the fifth century -oral culture -religious leaders also political leaders -Celtic population - war/guild society -warrior culture with economy based on plunder -causes of migrations (internal and external factors) The Migrations • Visigoths • Arians • Adrianople 378 – resulted in Romans moving out of England allowing for Anglo-Saxon migration • Sacking of Rome in 410 • Vandels • Plunder Europe until they reach Spain • Take over all of North Africa • Sack Rome in 455 • Ostrogoths • Dispose of Romulus Augustalus – the last Roman Emperor of the West

5. Understanding the source: Historical Context Anglo-Saxon England • 156 A.D. - first traces of Christianity • 440- Britain made up of small kingdoms warring with each other – could not fight off invading outsiders –Angles and Saxons • Slow migrations – Christianity driven underground • 7 kingdoms • Conversion of England two directions- England and Ireland • Very flexible • Anglo-Saxon Renaissance The Big Picture • This information would be given to students before the introduction of Beowulf to build on students prior knowledge about the subject. Students will add to their prior knowledge of learning to analyze a document and identifying cultural These prior lessons would part of a greater overall unit about Anglo-Saxon England. • With these prior lessons about the German migrations and the conversion to Christianity, students will be better able to analyze Beowulf because they will be familiar with the context in which it was written and be able to identify any Christian influence. • After the lessons of the Germanic migrations, students will be introduced to Beowulf, which will complement student knowledge in these subsequent lessons because students will be able to analyze text in regards to overall purpose and intention of the author, and students will be able to visualize Barbarian culture.

6. Understanding the source: English Context • Considered one of the most important epic poem in Anglo-Saxon literature. It is one of the “earliest European epics” that was written in English and not Latin. • The poem includes, hapaxlegomena, a large numbers of words in the poem which have been recorded only once in a language. For example, "Hall-watcher" (hall-thane). • The style of Beowulf demonstrates the ancestry of oral tradition as well as the re-telling of a story. • The verse form is the standard Old English isochronic. Each line contains four stresses, there is a strong caesura in the middle of the lines, and the following half lines are bound together by alliteration. • Beowulf contains three specific techniques that are found in Anglo-Saxon poetry which are Kenning, Alliteration & Caesura. • Kenning refers to two or more words which when put together serve as a symbol or metaphor for another word. For example, “heaven’s candle” (1571), which means the sun. • Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds. For example, “Shield had fathered a famous son:” (18). • Caesura is a line has a pause in the middle to create a kind of beat. In Beowulf, each line has 8 syllables with a pause or caesura in the middle.

7. Understanding the source: English Context • Beowulf contains several important & ageless themes, such as: • Light vs. Dark • Good Warriors and Good Kings • Heroism • Family and Tribe • Leadership and Courage • Fame, Pride and Shame • Repetition and Change • Christianity and Paganism • Other Important Beowulf Facts: • The poem contains mythological and supernatural references. • It is told in a third person narrative, with the narrator having access to each character’s depth. • Contains characteristics of an elegy

8. Assessing the Document: Beowulf

9. Beowulf: Strengths and Limitations History Limitations • Fictional, folklore • No specific facts • Translated • Specific time and date unknown • Oral tradition • Language of the text • Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (in terms of student learning) Strengths • Vast examples of traits important to Germanic culture • warrior culture • Community • Honor and loyalty to kings and local ruler ship • Linguistic leaner (in terms of student) • Translated from old English (in terms of student learning)

10. Beowulf: Strengths and Limitations English Limitations • Translated • Original in oral tradition • Additional resources will be needed to guide students learning before, during and after reading the poem. • Teacher will need to appear and be quite knowledgeable about this time in British history. • Students will need to be taught about the historical context of the poem prior to reading or early in the poem as it is crucial to their understanding. This background knowledge is essential to the understanding of customs, religion, government and culture references found thought-out the poem. Strengths • Poetic structure- imagery and metaphors • Imagery provides room to incorporate art into a Beowulf unit. • Structure lends itself to oral telling, which reflects oral traditions. • There are many translations available to choose from. • There are also movie versions of the poem that can be used in the classroom. • The poems several themes are easily relevant to a students live, for example connections can be made between tribes and teams (sports).