Beowulf key terms

Question 1

alliteration

Answer 1

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of the word group

Question 2

scop (pronounced “shop”)

Answer 2

the speaker/poet reciting the poem to a captive audience

Question 3

litotes

Answer 3

ironic understatements–
Ex. Grendel would find his last journey to be a little challenging

Question 4

theme

Answer 4

a central idea (pain, death, revenge, Christianity) about the poem expressing a universal truth about life–best articulated in a complete sentence like the following:

Ex. Loyalty may come with sacrifice
Ex. Fate is indiscriminate

Question 5

wergild

Answer 5

An ancient Germanic code/law—-death payment or compensation

Question 6

kenning

Answer 6

a compound metaphor for something else

war paint= make-up
earth’s lamplight= moon
go-go juice= energy drink

Question 7

wyrd

Answer 7

fate

Question 8

Comitatus Code

Answer 8

a retinue of warriors serving a leader, esp in pre-Christian Germanic cultures, such as Anglo-Saxon England and Viking Age Scandinavia. Such warriors would represent their leader at home and abroad. Serving was their duty and obligation for the leader’s gifts/protection.

Question 9

thanes

Answer 9

precursor to the knight, a warrior

Question 10

foreshadowing

Answer 10

subtle or not-so-subtle hint of what is to come

Question 11

situational irony

Answer 11

Situational irony “speaks” to any of the following conditions:
—the difference between appearance and reality
–the difference between what would seem appropriate and what occurs
–the difference between expectation and fulfillment

Question 12

dramatic irony

Answer 12

the difference between what the character thinks to be true and what the reader knows to be true
FYI: Pay careful attention to what the scop reveals about certain characters who are unaware of what’s to come.

Question 13

verbal irony

Answer 13

when a character says the opposite of one’s true intent (i.e., saying “you’re such a genius” to an idiot)

Question 14

hyperbole

Answer 14

an extreme exaggeration (i.e., the opposite of a litote)

Question 15

https://webpages.uidaho.edu/engl257/General%20lit/six_elements_of_the_ep

epic poetry

Answer 15

review “six characteristics of epic poetry” website link in the Beowulf folder

Be able to apply these characteristics in a written discussion

Question 16

imagery

Answer 16

word choices that appeal to the 5-6 senses:
–tactile imagery—an appeal to touch
–auditory imagery–an appeal to sound
–kinesthetic imagery–an appeal to movement/tendons/muscles
–olfactory imagery–an appeal to smell
–visual imagery–an appeal to sight–colors, light, etc.
–organic imagery–an appeal to interior conflict or condition (headache/concentration/memories)