English 3 Midterm Study Guide | morrisseysenglish

What to Know:

Sonnets

Literary Terms from Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales’ Units

Sonnet Review

Sonnet:

A lyric poem of fourteen lines. There are two common species of sonnet, distinguished by their rhyme scheme: the Italian and the Shakespearean.

The Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet can be broken into two parts, the octave (eight lines) and the sestet (six lines). The octave typically rhymes abba abba; the sestet varies, sometimes cdecde, sometimes some variant of that. Volta occurs between octave and sestet and is the change of the sonnet.

The Shakespearean (or English) sonnet is instead three quatrains and a couplet: typically abab cdcd efef gg.

Apostrophe:

Apart from its use as the name of a mark of punctuation ('), the term apostrophe is used for a kind of formal invocation. Sometimes the invocation is to an absent (or even dead) person: "Milton," writes Wordsworth, "thou shouldst be living at this hour;/ England hath need of thee." At other times, an inanimate object can be invoked: "O you gentle day sky!" Apostrophizing an inanimate object may involve personifying it.

Couplet

A verse form, rhyming aa bb cc dd. Rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter, can provide a moral

Assonance:

In poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g.,penitence, reticence ).

Examples:

"It's hot and it's monotonous."

"It beats . . . as it sweeps . . . as it cleans!"

"I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless."

For Sonnet review: Refer to textbook and notes from Unit.

Beowulf Literary Terms:

Epic

An epic or heroic poem is:

A long narrative poem;
On a serious subject;
Written in a grand or elevated style;
Centered on a larger-than-life hero.

Epics also tend to have the following characteristics:

An opening in medias res;
An invocation to the Muse;
A concern with the fate of a nation or people;
A correspondingly large scale, often ranging around the world (and in Milton's case, beyond the earth and into heaven);
The intervention of supernatural figures, who are interested in the outcome of the action (the system of gods, demons, angels, and such is often called machinery);
Extended similes, generally called epic similes;
Long catalogues, whether of ships, characters, or places;
Extensive battle scenes;
A few stock episodes, including a visit to the underworld.

Personification

When something other than a human being (often an abstract quality) is treated as a human being — as when we speak of blind Justice — it is said to be personified.

Kenning –

A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle.

In the text:

p. 21 “shelterer of warriors” (Hrothgar)

p. 24 “sea-paths” (ocean currents)

p. 31 “Great Protector” (Hrothgar)

p. 51 “great ring-giver” (Hrothgar)

p. 54 “beer-drinking sleepers” (Geats & Danes after celebrating)

p. 66 “greedy she-wolf” (Grendel’s mom)

Aspects of the Heroic Code/Anglo-Saxon Culture that Beowulf represents:

loyal to friends, family, the chieftain, tribe
kinship (therefore treachery against kinship is the worst kind)
generous and helpful
a good man who fights against evil
a hero who seeks revenge for harm done
the importance of chieftan/warrior relationship
fame and glory
faith in God? or faith in fate (lof, wyrd)?

He represents the values of the Heroic Code even though the poet suggests these values as limited (in the face of a changing society) and, at the end of the story, doomed as is the main character. These values symbolically die when Beowulf dies

THEMES:

CHANGE: One of the underlying themes is that the Heroic Code is not sustainable in a changing world (Beowulf dies fighting the dragon – no need for a pure warrior hero if the culture is changing)

IDENTITY: Establishing your own list of heroic acts is your responsibility in order to have fame and immortality (through fame). Your ancestors establish who you are – you do so for your descendants

OUTSIDERS/MONSTERS: Threat to the established order. Symbolic of the challenges of sustaining the Heroic Code in the face of change.

Grendel & Mom – last monsters to be fought and defeated (young Beowulf)
- Young Beowulf = height of A.S. age
Dragon – last monster fought, results in mutual destruction of Beowulf and monster (old Beowulf)
- Old Beowulf/death = end of the A.S. age

Wiglaf = ensures of continuation of bloodline and leader who is noble (direct connection with the old A.S. values/behavior, but young enough to adapt) Also, NOT an outsider.

The Canterbury Tales Terms:

Fabliau

The fabliau (the plural is fabliaux) is a short, comic tale in verse; the term is usually used with reference to medieval literature. The humor is often bawdy or even positively obscene. Among the most famous fabliaux is Chaucer's Miller's Tale.

Satire

Satire, as it's traditionally understood, is the ridicule of some vice or imperfection — an attack on someone or something by making it look ridiculous or worthy of scorn.

Although satire is usually funny, it differs from comedy in at least one important way: whereas comic laughter needn't be directed at any particular target, satire is always derisive.

Two forms of Satire: Horatian and Juvenalian

Horatian: Light-hearted, gentle satire that points out general human failings

Juvenalian: means of criticizing in a bitter or abrasive way

Answers/ Problems with Midterm

Petrarchan Sonnet: Includes Octave (8 lines), Sestet (6 lines), Volta (Turning Point)
Everyone received credit for Rhyme Scheme
Volta means turn or change and occurs between the octave and sestet
Example of assonance: “A rain of tears, a cloud of dark disdain”
Poem is Apostrophic as the speaker addresses his ship, “My Galley”
Shakespearean Sonnet as noticed by the rhyme scheme
Quatrains: Group of 4 lines in a Shakespearean Sonnet
The speaker is filled with regret and sadness. His or her friends are dead and is regretful about not spending enough quality time with them
The speaker is crying over his or her dead friends
Last two lines of a Shakespearean sonnet are called a couplet. The couplet provides a moral or resolution to the sonnet.

Common Problems in Essays:

Poor Structure:

-Missing Hook (1-3 Sentences)

-Failure to underline Title

-Thesis does not directly answer question and MAP Points are not clear

-Conclusion is missing Title-Author-Genre

-Quotations are not cited properly

-Use of first or second person

-Failure to write in literary present