heroes…

Take a few minutes to answer these questions in the ‘Notes’ section of your binder. As these are your notes, you do not need to write in complete sentences if you do not wish to. However, you must write down your answers. Who are your heroes? Why? What is your definition of a hero? What qualities make someone heroic? Has your view of what makes someone a hero changed over the years?

Consider the following people:

Now consider these…

As the sole corporate chef for Fiduciary Trust on the South Tower's 96th floor. Clark urged hundreds of people to head down the stairs… Benjamin “Keefe” Clark

Avery arrived in New York just more than a week after September 11 to serve as volunteer coordinator at St. Paul's Chapel, an Episcopal church- turned relief center just yards from Ground Zero. Katherine Avery

Tom Burnett Jr. made four phone calls to his wife Deena from United Airlines Flight 93 after learning of the attacks on New York and Washington and pledged to "do something." Thomas Burnett Jr.

An equities trader on the South Tower's 104th floor, Crowther helped dozens of people to safety on September 11. Welles Crowther

A Pentagon police officer, Ho'opi'i ran back-and- forth from the burning building, carrying eight people to safety. On one of his last trips in, he yelled, "If you can hear me, head toward my voice." Isaac Ho'opi'i

A graduate student, Jones was driving to school when he spotted smoke over the Pentagon. He pulled into the building's parking lot and began rescuing people from the debris. Eric Jones

Lim, a Port Authority K-9 officer, was in the South Tower when American Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower. He ran up to the North Tower's 44th floor before heading down. David Lim

Schulman arrived shortly after both towers had been hit, and she twice narrowly skirted death when the buildings fell. One of just a handful of women in the 11,000+ strong New York City fire department, Schulman spent many hours at Ground Zero working alongside her colleagues -- two of whom are her brothers. Maureen Schulman

A New York City 911 operator for the last 21 years, Yvette Washington-Montagne talked to distraught family members and others injured in the terrorist attacks. She stayed on the job for 16 hours. Yvette Washington-Montagne

David Lim

So, what do we know about heroes…

In light of the 10th anniversary of September 11th, we remember the tragedy and mourn those we lost. We also honor the heroes -- firefighters, police officers, and brave citizens who risked their lives in remarkable ways. Our country will be forever grateful for their courage and strength. A hero, doesn't have to be someone who steps up in an extraordinary circumstance, wins a championship, or achieves fame and glory. He or she can be a peer who calls out a bully, a mentor who spends time helping a child with her homework, the parent who packs yummy wholesome snacks for lunch and drives to soccer practice every weekend.

What influences our definition of the hero? Society influences our definition of the hero: the traits that we envy, the traits that we admire, and what our concept of success or greatness is.

We are always looking for heroes. Society wants to cheer for someone, something, anything. This past summer, these were the movies:

8 th Century Anglo-Saxons were no different… they just didn’t have televisions or movie theaters…

Beowulf.

Introduction to Beowulf Themes: –Importance of Lineage –Traits of the Epic Hero –Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues Cultural and Societal Context: Structure and Style:

Before there was Chuck Norris… … there was Beowulf.Beowulf

It’s not important what you know, it’s about who you know. Beowulf and Lineage: All of the Chuck Norris facts in the world couldn’t get Chuck Norris noticed in Anglo-Saxon society. To them, Chuck would just be a Texan with red hair and a roundhouse kick. Now if Chuck Norris’ father was known, then there would be something to talk about Beowulf, for all of his physical prowess, fell into the same category. Simply, everyone was known based on their ancestors. Beowulf had not individual identity. He had to introduce himself as “Beowulf, son of…” until he earned a name of his own – which was achieved by earning glory by going on quests. Why did Beowulf have to refer to himself as “the son of”? –Kinship, loyalty, and reputation held Anglo Saxon Society together

The Epic Hero The epic hero is the central figure in a long narrative that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular society. An epic is a quest story on a grand scale. Beowulf is ancient England’s hero, but he is also an archetype (perfect example) of an epic hero. Traits of the Epic Hero that Beowulf embodies: 1.Glorified – relates to lineage and ability to build upon reputation. At the end of his quest, Beowulf is glorified by the people he saved. 2.On a quest - In his quest, Beowulf must defeat monsters that embody dark, destructive powers.quest 3.Ethical – Beowulf embodies the highest ideals of Anglo-Saxon culture. See Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues 4.Strong - Beowulf, like all epic heroes, possesses superior physical strength and supremely ethical –(mnemonic acronym: GOES, as in Beowulf GOES to battle.)

What earthly virtues did Anglo-Saxons value? (mnemonic: Brit Lit is Good Fun.) Bravery Loyalty Generosity Friendship Buzz Word: Comitatus

Anglo-Saxon Concepts The Anglo-Saxons had a custom called wergild, of paying compensation to the relatives of the people they murdered. If the murdered person was not related to the murderer, then this kind of payment was considered satisfactory by the relatives of the victim. No such way of making amends existed, however, for taking the life of one’s own kin.

Anglo-Saxon Concepts continued According to the Anglo-Saxon code of the comitatus, warriors must defend their lord to the death. Some critics see the failure of Beowulf’s men to come to his aid — a catastrophic breach of comitatus — as an ominous forecast of the demise of the Geats.

The Oral Tradition Poetry was as important to the Anglo-Saxon as fighting, hunting, and farming. The Anglo-Saxon bard was an honored member of society. The Anglo-Saxon communal hall, besides offering shelter and a place for council meetings, provided space for storytellers & their audiences. As in other parts of the ancient world (Homeric Greece), skilled story tellers, or bards, sang of gods and heroes.

Anglo-Saxon Mead Hall Herot means “hart” or “stag.” The hart was an Anglo- Saxon symbol of kinship. Archaeologists have confirmed that Herot was built of wood held together with iron bands. The gabled roof was overlaid with gold, and the floor was inlaid. The mead hall was a communal gathering place. Warriors gathered here to drink mead and celebrate victories. The community gathered here to hear ancient epic tales told by scops. In literature, the mead hall symbolizes safety, fellowship, and all that is good in humanity. The Anglo-Saxons lived in a dark, cold, often frightening world. The mead hall was a bright spot in this darkness.

Language English is divided into three periods: –Old-English (ca ) –Middle-English (ca ) –Modern-English (ca ). Old English is also known as Anglo-Saxon. Old English makes use of unfamiliar letters, most of which derive from the runic alphabet, an alphabet used by the Germanic peoples.

Tells of the traditions of the people Is a long, dignified narrative poem Tells of the actions of the hero Has definite verse The characters are of noble birth. What characteristics of the heroic epic are found in Beowulf?

Stern, barbarous life Religious feeling Mixtures of savagery, sentiment, and nobility Love of nature, and nautical influence Common sense, power of endurance, seriousness of thought Emotional, imaginative, sensitive. Anglo-Saxon Elements

The Features of an Epic Poem Takes the form of a long narrative poem about a quest, told in formal, elevated language Narrates the exploits of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture Begins with a statement of subject and theme and, sometimes, a prayer to a deity Deals with events on a large scale Uses many of the conventions of oral storytelling, such as repetition, sound effects, figures of speech, and stock epithets Often includes gods and goddesses as characters Mixes myth, legend, and history

Beowulf Verse Form Four stressed syllables with three syllables alliterated /’(‘)/’ Alliteration means repetition of the same letter sound, usually the first letter of the accented syllable. “Ship, its timbers icy, waiting” (three s’s – one c) The verse does not rhyme Lines have a pause in the middle, called a caesura, or are end- stopped (definite pause at the end of the line) Use of parallelism – ideas expressed in the same form or repeated for emphasis Use of kennings – two words separated by a hyphen as sea-horse, a ship; whale’s road, the sea; sky-candle, the sun Gnomic sentences – used for emphasis as “There was a king!” Written to be accompanied by a harp with a person singing—meant to be heard, not read.