1. GRENDEL
By John Gardner
CHAPTER ONE

2. A Closer Look at Chapter 1 of Grendel
The story begins with Grendel at home in his underground realm watching an old ram stand stupidly at the edge of the cliff.
Grendel yells at the creature, stamps his feet, and throws stones at it, but the ram refuses to acknowledge him. The ram symbolizes the arrival of spring. The beginning of the “growing season” (spring) marks the beginning of the 12th year of Grendel’s war with the humans.

3. A Closer Look at Chapter 1 of Grendel
Passing the sleeping body of his fat, foul mother. Grendel tells us how his mother is haunted by some unnamed crime. She has lost the ability to speak and is not able to answer Grendel’s questions about why they exist. Grendel swims through firesnake-infested waters up to the surface of the earth. Grendel makes his way to Hrothgar’s meadhall, Herot.
The men turn off the lights of the meadhall in an attempt to confuse Grendel, but Grendel can see in the dark, and he easily beats the humans. In the chaos that ensues, Grendel sacks up several dead bodies and retreats to the woods.

4. A Closer Look at Chapter 1 of Grendel
When he arrives in the woods he eats the dead bodies and laughs maniacally. When dawn comes, however, the sour meat of the humans sits heavy in his stomach and he is filled with sadness once again. He then listens as the Danes attribute the attack to the angry gods, and he watches as the slow process of the meadhall begins. A funeral pyre is used to burn the corpses. The crowd sings together and Grendel believes their song is one of joy. Nauseated and filled with rage, he flees for home.

9. PARCC PREP: Citing information from the text
YOU MUST USE DIRECT QUOTES FROM THE TEXT AND CITE THE PAGE WHERE YOU FOUND THE QUOTE. Quote: Write down the direct quote you found that answers the question. Analysis: Explain in your own words the significance of the quote you used.

10. PARCC PREP: Citing information from the text
How does Grendel feel about the war he has been fighting?
How does Grendel feel about his victims? Name some of them.
What is your impression of how the narrator feels about his life situation?
How does Grendel react after the attack?
Personal response: How do you feel about Grendel based on Ch. 1? Be specific!!!!!! Write in complete sentences!!!!!!

11. October 7, 2016
With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of the old ram’s desires, which further frustrates Grendel. He is angry about the lust and the stupidity of the animals. However, he admits that he is not much better than these beings because he has committed acts of pointless violence. During his walk, he comes across a doe, which is frightened by him. Grendel thinks this reaction is unjust, as he has never hurt a deer and doesn’t plan to. He shouts, “Ah, the unfairness of everything!”
Think about a time that you felt confused and misunderstood. Write a journal entry about what you’ve felt wrongly judged for, how it made you feel, and if you think there is a way to correct this misconception.

12. In this chapter, Grendel is a child.
GRENDEL CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER 2 OF GRENDEL WILL TAKE US BACK TO GRENDEL’S PAST AND TELL US ABOUT HIS FIRST EXPOSURE TO HUMANS AND THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF HIS UNDERGROUND REALM.
In this chapter, Grendel is a child.

13. Notes Grendel is playing by himself with his imaginary friends.
He discuss his first time outside of his underground realm.
While exploring outside, Grendel finds himself painfully trapped in a tree and cries for his mother, but she does not come.
He begins to see images he believes are his mother, but they are not.
While stuck in the tree, a bull is trying to attack him to protect its calf that Grendel was going to eat.

14. The bull continues to attack Grendel, but Grendel ceases to pay attention. Nothing seems to matter anymore and he falls asleep.
This event causes Grendel to experience the realization that the world is nothing but a chaotic mess of casual, brute violence.
Grendel wakes in the darkness to catch his first glimpse of men.
The men are baffled as to what the strange creature in the tree is.
At first they think he is a fungus, but then resolve he must be a tree king and decide to feed him.

15. Grendel is overjoyed about the prospect of food and he laughs out loud.
The humans believe the laugh is a sign of anger and decide to attack Grendel.
Grendel watches as the humans plan their attack and realizes that they are not dumb animals, but rather thinking, pattern-making beings, and therefore more dangerous than any creatures he’s ever encountered.
His mother arrives and saves him before the humans are able to attack.
Grendel wakes up in his mother’s cave and tries to explain his revelation about the nature of existence with her, but she only stares blankly at him.
Grendel becomes more and more annoyed by his mother’s unresponsiveness, and she reacts by rushing to embrace him.
He is sickened with fear and feels suffocated by his mother’s body.

16. October 11, 2016
Do Now: Copy down the new vocabulary words and definitions. Class: PARCC PRACTICE- cite evidence from the text to support your response-- chapter 2 questions for Grendel. Narrative writing task

17. Chapter 2 1. What is Grendel’s attitude towards the world?
2. Why does Grendel consider men to be “the most dangerous thing i’ve ever met”? 3. What do the men think of Grendel when they find him?
4. Use the following definition of existentialism to prove or disprove that Grendel is an existentialist: Existentialism: a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual who must deal with a hostile or indifferent universe. It regards human existence as unexplainable. Personal Response: Discuss the quote, “The world is all a pointless accident… I exist, nothing else.” What does this mean? Who feels this way? Why do they feel this way? Be specific.

18. Chapter 3
Grendel explains in this chapter the reason for his beef with Hrothgar.