Using Beowulf in the Secondary Education Classroom - Research Paper Example

Using Beowulf in the Secondary Education room Beowulf refers to the oldest epic poem in England that consists of 3182 long lines that are alternating. The poems are set in Scandinavia. Beowulf is commonly known to be among the most important works of Anglo Saxon literature. This is attributed to the fact that it is the oldest English epic poem. It is also a representation of the earliest vernacular English literature. In the modern society the epic poems are popular when viewed in the form of a film. Beowulf has been used in many instances for teaching English in British secondary schools. This paper aims at discussing the using of Beowulf in the secondary education classroom. During the Anglo Saxon era story telling was an integral part of their daily life. Storytelling had a huge significance to the societies them. Storytelling was done for entertainment, to teach, and as a pastime. As a result of their storytelling culture, they are able to keep certain aspects of social conducts in check. The resulting situation is one in which people were able to know the social standards of conduct that is expected of them by the society. It was also used as a way of passing of culture from generation to generation. The stories that were traditionally told in the Anglo Saxon societies had a number of cultural messages that were passed to the audience (Zimmerman 125). As a result of this nature, they were able to give cultural details to people, enabling the continuity of the society’s cultural values. This is the reason as to why storytelling is commonly referred to as one of the most effective means through which societies in the Anglo Saxon era made sure that they preserved their culture from one generation to another. Traditionally the Anglo Saxon culture was always passed from one generation to another through oral literature. This made oral literature an important part of the lives of the people during the Anglo Saxon era. The thing about oral literature that is closely dependent on language. Understanding of a community’s linguistic history will enable someone to understand their oral literature. The English language has undergone some changes between the time of Anglo Saxon and the modern British society (Davison, Jon, Caroline Daly, and John Moss 99). This kind of understanding will help someone in getting the most from Anglo Saxon epic poems such as Beowulf. This will also enhance their use in literal and linguistic arts education. The poem depicts the warrior culture of Europe during the period of Anglo Saxon. This is in many ways of high historical significance to the people of Britain. It shows the events that took place in between the eighth and eleventh centuries. It gives a number of aspects of the Anglo Saxon culture like war heroes, the role of women in the Anglo Saxon society, the Anglo Saxon perception of war and many others. The poem is important to this culture not only because of the way it shows the various aspects of the culture, but also through the one in which it enhances the continuity of this culture (Clark and Perkins 101). As a result of artworks such as this one person who did not live during this era are able to know and understand the Anglo Saxon culture. Understanding the poem will lead to a proper understanding of the values that the Anglo Saxon culture valued. Reading through the story, someone can easily identify that it touches on issues such as bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship. These were very important aspect of the Anglo Saxon people’s lifestyle. This makes the poem an integral part of the Anglo Saxon culture. In the modern world, the poem has transitioned from being a depiction and representation of the Anglo Saxon culture to being a part of the Anglo Saxon culture. With proper understanding of the poem a person will be in a better condition The knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon history is very important when teaching this epic poem to high school students. This is because someone will first have to give a background of Anglo-Saxon culture and language. By understanding the history of Anglo-Saxon culture and language, someone will be in a position to understand the old English that is used in this poem. History will then help in understanding of the content of the poem. With minimal knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon cultural and literature, history, the information being communicated by the poem cannot be understood (Foley 141). The main aim of using this poem in an English class is to help students in understanding the history of the English language and literature. In the teaching of arts in secondary schools in Britain, it is highly recommended for teachers to have adequate knowledge of the history of the English language. For instance, in teaching poetry, it will be pointless to try to teach students about an epic poem without proper knowledge of the history of the English language. Looking at the history of English, someone will notice that there have been significant changes in the language. This means that trying to get an understanding of epic artworks using the currently used English language might not me advisable (Clark and Perkins 131). This is because the change in the language is so big that some of the contents of these epic artworks might not make sense to students in the modern secondary schools. The English language is a fundamental part of poetry. The existence of poetry is completely dependent on the language in which it is written in. It is impossible for a person to have a proper understanding of a poem if they do not have a proper understanding of the language in which the poem was written in. This is the reason as to why the understanding of the English language and its history is critical for the process of teaching epic poems such as Beowulf. This kind of knowledge is not only important to the teachers, but the students too. For the students to completely understand the contents of the poem, they will need to have a proper understanding of the whole poem (Mitchell, George, Kalif and Cameron 109). This explains the reason as to why teaching of Anglo-Saxon English history is important for students who are supposed to be learning about epic English poems in Britain. Some of the imagery that is used in epic poems can only be understood by a person who has extensive understanding of the history of the language that is used in writing the poem I question. As time goes by there is always a change in which language and literal arts make use of imagery. Different cultures and history usually influence that manner in which people make use of imagery when they are writing poems. This is because the use of imagery in poetry is always influenced by a number of occurrences in life that determine the way these occurrences are translated in the society (Wagner 119). This means that an individual with little or no knowledge of the implication of these occurrences in history. In most cases imageries are always using extensively, especially in epic poems. In order to make sure that the students retain whatever information they get from the class, the teacher can consider the interactive method of learning under which the students are actively involved in the teaching process. This will help them in enhancing their lingual skills. In case they are actively involved in the process, they will be able to familiarize with the language that the poem was written in. As a result of this involvement, students will be able to completely and actively involve themselves in the process of learning in a way that they will be able to have a complete understanding of the language and literal styles that were used in the writing of the (McClain 93). However, in the process of teaching, more attention should be paid on the linguistic attributes of the epic poem being discussed. This will help the students in appreciating the literary and historical context of the poem. As a person who aims at making sure that the students have a complete understanding of the poem, a tutor could opt for using learning activities such as paraphrasing to make sure that the students have perfect understanding of the poem. Paraphrasing refers to the process of writing the literal content of the poem in a different syntax without changing the initial meaning of the poem. Only students who have a complete understanding of the poem will be able to successfully paraphrase the content of the poem. On the other hand, a student who has not had a complete understanding of the poem will find themselves having a hard time paraphrasing the content of the poem (Crismore 89). This activity will enable the tutor to know which of the students have been able to understand the content of the poem and which ones have not understood. In the teaching of the contents of epic artworks such as Beowulf, the tutor should be keen to use both the original version and the translated version of the poem. By using the two versions, the tutors will be able to effectively make sure of the content of the poem to make the students aware of the historical developments in the English language. During the process of going through both the original and the translated version of Beowulf, students will be able to see evidence of the various developments that are in the language that they currently communicate in. Through this they can also understand the implication of changes in a language and the implication of translating the poem from the Anglo Saxon English to the modern English to the modern English (Reichl 103). This will enable the students to appreciate the need for learning the linguistic history of a language before trying to study an epical linguistic or literal artwork done in the same language. The understanding will enable them to understand and appreciate Anglo Saxon epic artworks such as the one being discussed in this case. Giving the students a chance to recite the poem to the rest of the class can really help in the process of teaching high school students about Beowulf. As a result of the chance to present, the students will be able to have confidence in their linguistic and literature skill. They will also have a chance to actively involve themselves in the linguistic, historical content of the poem. They will thus be able to have more appreciation of the history of English. The students will also be able to challenge each other towards having a better understanding of the literal, linguistic, and historical values of the poem. Such challenges are likely to give rise to a better understanding and appreciation of the poem. The students who appear to have a superior understanding of the poem during the presentation process will be able to challenge their classmates to dig deeper into the content and nature of the poem being handled by the class. It is clearly evident that language is an important aspect of language arts. As shown in this paper, language has an influence on the development and interpretation of language artworks. Some of the artworks that are used in the language arts classes are classical and epic. This implies that they were definitely written during a different time in history. Those who study linguistics will concur that language has a tendency of gradually changing. The study of the history of language is very important in the understanding of epical and classical language artworks. Looking at Beowulf, someone will definitely notice its essence to the Anglo Saxon culture in the way it shows a number of aspects of the Anglo Saxon culture. Through studying of Beowulf, someone cam is able to understand the importance of language artworks to the culture of a community. For instance, in the case of Beowulf, students will be able to understand and appreciate the importance of storytelling the Anglo Saxon culture. Work cited Clark, David, and Nicholas Perkins. Anglo-Saxon Culture and the Modern Imagination. Woodbridge, Suffolk [England: D.S. Brewer, 2010. Print. Clark, David, and Nicholas Perkins. Anglo-Saxon Culture and the Modern Imagination. Woodbridge, Suffolk [England: D.S. Brewer, 2010. Print. Crismore, Avon. Processing Experiences with Three "Beowulf" Passages in Old English: Difficulties and Strategies. New York, P. Lang, 1989. Print. Davison, Jon, Caroline Daly, and John Moss. Debates in English Teaching. Routledge, 2010. Print. Foley, John M. Traditional Oral Epic: The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Serbo-Croatian Return Song. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. Print. McClain, Ruth. “Judgment at He(o)rot: The People vs. Grendel.” An Experiment in Civic Discourse. Mitchell, Diana, George T. Kalif, Jr. and Richard L. Cameron. “Heroes Bring Literature to Life.” The English Journal Vol. 83, No. 8, Literature, Queen of the Curriculum (Dec., 1994), p. 90 Reichl, Karl. Medieval Oral Literature. Berlin: DeGruyter, 2011. Print. Wagner, Betty. “Blood and Gore& Fens and Fears: "Beowulf" Battles the Dale-Chall Monster.” The Annual Meeting of the Midwest Modern Language Association. Nov. 1974. Zimmerman, Harold C. "Drinking Feasts And Insult Battles." Pedagogy 13.2 (2013): 229-244. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. Read More