One of the key scenes in Beowulf is the boast. In this scene Beowulf arrives to meet King Hrothgar. He essentially yells out his resume and beings to detail his credentials and accomplishments through kenning, hyperbole and alliterations:
“Hail, Hrothgar! I am Beowulf Higlac is my cousin and my king;
The days Of my youth have been filled with glory.
My people have said, the wisest, most knowing and best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great King.
They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth. I swam In the blackness of night, hunting monsters Out of the ocean, and killing them one By one;
Death was my errand and the fate..."
Here is the movie version (not great - or complete) to give you an idea:
Your assignment is to write your own boast from the framework in the story.
Show the reader/viewer why you are a big deal.
On the graphic organizer you will essentially fill in the blanks. You will notice the main points of Beowulf's boast are started for you, it is up for you to finish the boast and make it your own. Does not have to be 100% truthful. If you make us laugh, it's a bonus. If you make us cry, even better. Have fun with it and be creative. You must follow the directions and include the literary elements (kenning and alliterations) where necessary but other than that you can write (and eventually perform) whatever you want. Just be hyperbolic with your credentials. Exaggerate and embellish.
You're going to upload a recorded version (Cohort A, B and D) in the assignment. In school we will view them and at home will make them available to everyone.
I also wanted to share some of the results that stood out from the Beowulf Anticipation guide:
