MYPNA SE G12 U1 Web PDF

UNIT
Forging a Hero
Warriors and Leaders
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Discuss It Around the world and throughout time, leaders

have sent warriors into battle. What inspires warriors to make
such personal sacrifices?
Write your response before sharing your ideas.
Before the Battle
2
UNIT 1
UNIT INTRODUCTION
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: LAUNCH TEXT
ARGUMENT MODEL
What makes a hero? A World of Heroes
WHOLE-CLASS SMALL-GROUP INDEPENDENT

LEARNING LEARNING LEARNING
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES POETRY COLLECTION 1 ESSAY
Focus Period: 750–1066 To Lucasta, on Accidental Hero
Ancient Warriors Going to the Wars Zadie Smith
Richard Lovelace
The Charge of the

Light Brigade
ANCHOR TEXT: EPIC POETRY Alfred, Lord Tennyson SCIENCE ARTICLE
COMPARE
from Beowulf The New Psychology
translated by POETRY COLLECTION 2 of Leadership
Burton Raffel The Song of the Stephen D. Reicher,
Michael J. Platow, and
Mud S. Alexander Haslam
COMPARE
Mary Borden
MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL Dulce et Decorum SPEECH

from Beowulf Est Speech Before Her
Gareth Hinds Wilfred Owen Troops
Queen Elizabeth I
MEDIA: INTERACTIVE WEBSITE
How Did Harry Patch
Become an Unlikely
WWI Hero? POETRY
BBC iWonder The Battle of Maldon
translated by
Burton Raffel
SPEECH
Defending
Nonviolent
Resistance
Mohandas K. Gandhi
SPEECH
Pericles’ Funeral
Oration
Thucydides, translated by
Rex Warner
PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE-Based Assessment PRep

Writing Focus: Speaking and Listening focus: Review Evidence for an Argument
Write an Argument Present an Argument
PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
Argument: Essay and Speech
PROMPT: Which contributes more to heroism—sacrifice or success?
3
UNIT
1 INTRODUCTION
Unit Goals
Throughout this unit, you will deepen your perspective on the nature of
heroism by reading, writing, speaking, listening, and presenting. These goals
will help you succeed on the Unit Performance-Based Assessment.
Rate how well you meet these goals right now. You will revisit your ratings
later when you reflect on your growth during this unit.
1 2 3 4 5
SCALE
NOT AT ALL NOT VERY SOMEWHAT VERY EXTREMELY

WELL WELL WELL WELL WELL
READING GOALS 1 2 3 4 5
• Read a variety of texts to gain the

knowledge and insight needed to write
about heroism.
• Expand your knowledge and use of

academic and concept vocabulary.
WRITING AND RESEARCH GOALS 1 2 3 4 5
• Write an argument that has a clear

structure and that draws evidence from
texts and background knowledge to
support a claim.
• Conduct research projects of various

lengths to explore a topic and clarify
meaning.
LANGUAGE GOAL 1 2 3 4 5

• Use rhetorical devices effectively to
strengthen arguments and add interest
to writing and presentations.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING

GOALS 1 2 3 4 5
 STANDARDS
Language • Collaborate with your team to build on
Acquire and use accurately general
academic and domain-specific words the ideas of others, develop consensus,
and phrases, sufficient for reading, and communicate.
writing, speaking, and listening at
the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence • Integrate audio, visuals, and text to
in gathering vocabulary knowledge present information.
when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or
expression.
4 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What makes a hero?
Academic Vocabulary: Argument

Understanding and using academic terms can help you read, write, and
speak with precision and clarity. Here are five academic words that will be FOLLOW THROUGH
useful to you in this unit as you analyze and write arguments. Study the words in this
chart, and highlight them or
Complete the chart. their forms wherever they
1. Review each word, its root, and the mentor sentences. appear in the unit.
2. Use the information and your own knowledge to predict the meaning of
each word.
3. For each word, list at least two related words.
4. Refer to a dictionary or other resources if needed.
WORD MENTOR SENTENCES PREDICT MEANING RELATED WORDS
purport 1. This is a work of fiction and purportedly; purported

does not purport to tell the
ROOT: true story.
-port- 2. You never read the article
“to carry” but you purport to know all
about it.
credible 1. His alibi was not credible, so

the officers questioned him
ROOT: further.
-cred- 2. The movie’s plot was
“to believe” imaginative but not at all
credible.
assertion 1. Is it your assertion that Pluto

should be renamed a planet?
ROOT: 2. California’s drought supports
-ser- our assertion about the crisis
“to connect” of water shortages.
presume 1. I presume you want to go since

you’ve packed your suitcase.
ROOT: 2. Check the facts, and do not
-sum- presume that what you read
“to take” was true.
contradictory 1. The senator’s various

contradictory positions on
ROOT: issues confused many voters.
-dic- 2. My boss and I have
“to speak” contradictory opinions about
raising the minimum wage.
Unit Introduction 5
UNIT
1 INTRODUCTION
LAUNCH TEXT | ARGUMENT MODEL
This text is an example of an

argument. It presents a claim and
organizes reasons and evidence to
support that claim. This is the type
of writing you will develop in the
Performance-Based Assessment at
the end of the unit.
As you read, try to understand
why the author has included
certain facts and details. Mark the
details that provide strong evidence
to reinforce the author’s claim.
A World of Heroes
L iterature is rife with heroes. It has been so since the beginning.

1
NOTES
Homer’s Odyssey, an epic poem from ancient Greece, is about a
hero, Odysseus, and his quest to return home after a ten-year war
between the Greeks and the people of Troy. Every step of Odysseus’
journey is larger than life and filled with danger. One moment,
he’s escaping from a Cyclops (a one-eyed giant); the next, he is
speaking directly to the gods. Many modern fictional heroes are just
as outsized. They sail through popular culture on movie screens,
in comic books, and on smartphones, each moment of their lives
filled with drama and weight. However, these unrealistic fictional
characters are heroes only in great, entertaining stories. Today, in the
twenty-first century, I believe that true heroes are most often ordinary
people who in a brief moment behave heroically.
2 Modern heroes have to deal with the same reality as the rest of us.
They fill out forms, sweat in the heat, and stand in supermarket lines.
If the life of a modern hero has any drama, it is in that single moment
in which he or she performs one extraordinary act, garnering a brief
bit of attention and earning the title of “hero.”
3 Consider, for example, the case of Chesley Sullenberger. Prior to
January 15, 2009, he had led a life of quiet successes. He had attended
the United States Air Force Academy, piloted fighter planes, and
become a pilot for US Airways. Then, on the morning of January 15,
2009, as he was piloting a passenger jet that had taken off from New
York City’s LaGuardia Airport, his plane hit a flock of geese, causing
the jet’s engines to fail. As the jet began a rapid dive over New York

City, Sullenberger remained calm, kept the plane steady, and landed
NOTES
it on the Hudson River. All of the passengers and crew survived.
The media hailed him as a hero. For weeks, he was interviewed on
television. Gradually, though, he faded from public life and quietly
retired.
4 Another display of everyday heroism was the monumental
response of volunteers immediately following the terrorist attacks on
September 11, 2001. The captains and crews of hundreds of ferries,
tug boats, and private vessels selflessly sailed directly into the heart
of the attack to rescue nearly 500,000 New Yorkers from the piers
and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. These were ordinary citizens who
risked their own safety to help those in need.
5 Some may argue that there are true larger-than-life heroes who
leave a permanent shadow, not by virtue of a single act, but through
a lifetime of heroic deeds. What about the life of someone such
as the American aviator Amelia Earhart? Earhart’s life was filled
with heroism—her 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean was
just one example. Even after that journey had made her a celebrity,
she continued to seek new challenges. Most notably, in 1937, she
took on the greatest challenge of her life—a flight around the
world. Unfortunately, she never completed the journey, vanishing
somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
6 Despite her legendary reputation, a fair share of Earhart’s life
was devoted to everyday concerns. She spent long, grueling hours
performing routine maintenance on her airplane. Moreover, she
endured weeks of monotonous train travel during her lecture tours.
What is larger-than-life about that!
7 In the twenty-first century, we understand that time is humbling.
No one fully escapes everyday annoyances or tasks. We understand,
too, that it is possible for someone not very different from ourselves
to step forward at a critical moment and act with extraordinary
courage and selflessness. Our heroes may fade from the news and go
back to their ordinary lives, but they are heroes nonetheless. ❧
 WORD NETWORK FOR FORGING A HERO

Vocabulary A word network is
courage courageous
a collection of words related to a
topic. As you read the unit selections,
identify words related to the idea
of heroism, and add them to your
Word Network. For example, you
might begin by adding words from HEROISM
the Launch Text, such as courage.
For each word you add, add another,
related word, such as a synonym or
an antonym. Continue to add words
as you complete this unit. rescued imperiled
Tool Kit Word Network Model
A World of Heroes 7
UNIT
1 INTRODUCTION
Summary
Write a summary of “A World of Heroes.” Remember that a summary
is a concise, complete, and accurate overview of a text. It should not include
a statement of your opinion or an analysis.
Launch Activity
Draft a Focus Statement Consider this question: Which character
traits do I admire in my personal heroes? Complete this focus
statement: A hero should be , , and .
• On a sticky note, record one adjective to help complete the statement.
• As a class, review the sticky notes. Work together to reduce the number
of notes by identifying and eliminating those that are synonyms or
represent the same basic ideas.
• On your own, decide which three adjectives you think best complete the
focus statement.
• As a class, vote on the words. After you have voted, discuss whether the
three words that receive the most votes create a strong statement. If not,
vote again.
• Once your class has selected three words, discuss an order for the
words in the focus statement. Choose the best order, and complete the
statement.

QuickWrite
Consider class discussions, presentations, the video, and the Launch Text as
you think about the prompt. Record your first thoughts here.
PROMPT: Which contributes more to heroism—sacrifice or success?
 EVIDENCE LOG FOR FORGING A HERO

Review your QuickWrite, and
summarize your initial position Title of Text: Date:

in one sentence to record in
CONNECTION TO PROMPT TEXT EVIDENCE/DETAILS ADDITIONAL NOTES/IDEAS
your Evidence Log. Then, record
evidence from “A World of
Heroes” that supports your initial
position.
Prepare for the Performance-
Based Assessment at the end
of the unit by completing the How does this text change or add to my thinking? Date:
Evidence Log after each selection.
Tool Kit
Evidence Log Model
Unit Introduction 9
OVERVIEW: WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What makes a hero?

As you read these selections, work with your whole class to explore how heroes
are made.
From Text to Topic Beowulf’s defeat of the brutal Grendel and his vengeful
mother is an epic contest between good and evil. The reasons that Beowulf is
considered a hero are obvious. However, there are many forms of heroism that do
not involve fighting monsters. As you read, consider the characteristics that make
people heroes.
Whole-Class Learning Strategies

These learning strategies are key to success in school and will continue to be
important in college and in your career.
Look at these strategies and the actions you can take to practice them. Add ideas
of your own for each step. Get ready to use these strategies during Whole-Class
Learning.
STRATEGY ACTION PLAN
Listen actively • Eliminate distractions. For example, put your cellphone away.
• Jot down brief notes on main ideas and points of confusion.
Clarify by asking • If you’re confused, other people probably are, too. Ask a question
questions to help your whole class.
• Ask follow-up questions as needed; for example, if you do not understand the
clarification or if you want to make an additional connection.
•
Monitor • Notice what information you already know, and be ready to build on it.
understanding • Ask for help if you are struggling.
Interact and • Share your ideas, and answer questions, even if you are unsure of them.
share ideas • Build on the ideas of others by adding details or making a connection.

CONTENTS
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Focus Period: 750–1066
Ancient Warriors
The first recorded writings in Western literature
reveal a world of dramatic battles, as fierce
invaders from Germany and Scandinavia fought
for land and power.
ANCHOR TEXT: EPIC POETRY

from Beowulf
translated by Burton Raffel
What happens when an epic hero and an

epic monster meet in battle?
COMPARE
MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL

from Beowulf
Gareth Hinds
How do the images in the graphic novel

affect the reader’s perception of Beowulf?
PERFORMANCE TASK
WRITING FOCUS
Write an Argument
The Whole-Class readings probe the factors that create heroes and leaders. After
reading, you will write an argumentative essay about which counts more—taking a
stand or winning.
Overview: Whole-Class Learning 11

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES • FOCUS PERIOD: 750 –1066
Ancient Warriors
Voices of the Period History of the Period
“It seems to me that the life of man on earth is In the Beginning From the Roman invasion
like the swift flight of a single sparrow through of Britain in 55 b.c. to the Norman Conquest
the banqueting hall where you are sitting at 1,100 years later, the Britons were beset—and
dinner on a winter’s day with your captains and the eventual nation was shaped—by invaders.
counselors. In the midst there is a comforting fire They came to conquer and stayed to build. In
the first century a.d., the Romans drove the
to warm the hall. Outside, the storms of winter
original inhabitants of Britain into the north
rain and snow are raging. This sparrow flies
(Scotland) and west (Wales) of the island. The
swiftly in through one window of the hall and out
Romans brought with them their well-ordered
through another. While he is inside, the bird is
civilization of roads and schools, of towns and
safe from winter storms, but after a few moments trade. Dividing Britain into two provinces, they
of comfort, he vanishes from sight into the wintry established a capital at London and another at
world from which he came. So man appears on what would become York. With a population of
earth for a little while—but of what went before about 2 million people, Roman Britain thrived
this life, or what follows, we know nothing.” until the fifth century.
—Bede, author of A History of the English Church
and People The Anglo-Saxon Arrival Then, in a.d. 449,
after the last Roman troops had been summoned
home to defend Rome against the barbarian
“a.d. 878. This year about mid-winter, after
invaders, a group of Germanic tribes—the
twelfth-night, the Danish army stole out to Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes—crossed the
Chippenham, and rode over the land of the North Sea and occupied the island the Romans
West-Saxons; where they settled, and drove many had called Albion. Britons were pushed to the
of the people over sea; and of the rest the greatest west as Anglo-Saxons established kingdoms
part they rode down, and subdued to their will; along the coasts and in the river valleys. Albion
—ALL BUT ALFRED THE KING.” became “Angle Land,” which became England.
—from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle By the beginning of the eighth century, people
would think of themselves as “the nation of the
“I have taken England with both my hands.” English.”
—William the Conqueror, setting foot on English Each successive wave of invaders brought its
soil in 1066
distinctive culture, including its language. As the

different groups fought and eventually united
TIMELINE
c. 750: Surviving version 787: First papal legation

of Beowulf is composed. to England conducts
first coronation.
750
768: Europe Charlemagne, 793: Vikings attack Lindisfarne.
crowned king of the Franks,
becomes ruler of what would be
called the Holy Roman Empire.
12 UNIT 1 • Forging a Hero

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Notebook Modern English evolved from the languages of successive waves of
invaders. What does each of the words in blue tell you about the culture from which it came?
Scandinavians
N Invaded in A.D. 700s,
800s, end of 900s
W E
N or t h
S Sea Romans invaded in 55 b.c.
and a.d. 43.
IRELAND DENMARK wall from vallum
0
Scale in Miles
100 200 300
Anglo-SaxonsScale
invaded
0 100 200 300
in Kilometers
ENGLAND
A tla ntic beginning in a.d. 449
NY
Ocean Anglo-Saxons bread from bread (crumb)
A
R M Invasion began
GE A.D. 449
Normans Vikings invaded beginning
Invaded A.D. 1066 FRANCE in the late 700s.
(Normandy)
ransack from rann-saka
Romans Normans invaded in 1066.
ITAL Invaded 55 B.C.,
Y A.D. 43; attorney from atourne
Left A.D. 407
(one appointed)
Celts
Invaded Rome
c. 500 B.C.
M edi t er r anean Sea
lapl20741c10
to form XNR
a single nation,
Productions Inc. their languages, too, when the strongest surviving institution was
conflicted
Finaland—eventually—combined.
11.07.07
the Roman Catholic Church. In a.d. 597, the
Roman cleric Augustine arrived in Anglo-Saxon
A Peaceful Invasion The period between the
Britain, intent on converting the pagan English to
fall of the Roman Empire, at the end of the fifth
Christianity. Along with Celtic missionaries from
century, and the year 1000 is sometimes called
Ireland, the Christian clergy spread their faith
the Dark Ages, a time of great social, political,
in England, founding monasteries as centers of

and economic turmoil in Europe. It was a period
890: King Alfred orders compilation

878: King Alfred of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which
842: Vikings sack defeats Vikings at continues into the twelfth century.
London in 842 and 851. Wessex.
900
861: North Atlantic 886: King Alfred, now called c. 900: Western Europe
Vikings discover Iceland. “the Great,” captures London Feudalism develops.
and is accepted as ruler of all
the English.
Historical Perspectives 13
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES • FOCUS PERIOD: 750 –1066
religious life. By the end of the seventh century, and won the throne. Known as William the
England was a leader of scholarship in Europe. Conqueror, he was crowned king of England on
December 25, 1066. William brought his court
The Venerable Bede In Northumbria especially,
and his language to the country he seized. For
scholars such as Bede wrote histories and other
some time, England was a bilingual country of
scholarly works. (It was in this atmosphere that
conquerors and conquered. The Normans brought
works such as Beowulf were written.) Bede, a
more than their language to the island. They also
learned monk, wrote A History of the English
solidified a form of government, social order, and
Church and People, marking an important stage
land tenure we call feudalism.
in England’s developing sense of itself as an
island-nation. With his knowledge of Latin and A Feudal World In the centuries between the
history, Bede was not interested in merely telling Germanic invasions and the dawn of the modern
the story of a single clan’s mead-hall. The reader world, England changed from a place of warrior
can sense how “the island in the ocean” that he bands and invading tribes to a country ruled by
describes is on its way to becoming a nation, a a king, nobles, and bishops. By the year 1000,
place that is as much a product of its history as English kings controlled the entire island, with
of its geography. Bede’s history is included in the the rulers of Wales and Scotland paying them
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, seven documents that homage. In the feudal system, the king reigned
are a major source of information on early English from the top of a pyramid of power, in which he
history. Created between the ninth and twelfth granted land to nobles, who in exchange owed
centuries and recorded by monks in different him loyalty and military service. The nobles in turn
monasteries, the Chronicle gives an account of granted land to knights on the same terms. At the
events year by year, beginning with Caesar’s base of the pyramid were the peasants—called
invasion of Britain. villeins or serfs—who worked the land controlled
by the knights.
Invasion of the Vikings In the eighth century,
the Vikings arrived from what is now Denmark. The Rise of Towns At the same time, towns
For about a hundred years, they raided and looted such as Jorvik (today’s York) were becoming
the towns and monasteries of the northeast, but thriving centers of international trade, with
eventually they settled that area. In 871, when several thousand households. Merchants,
the Vikings tried to overrun the rest of the island, traders, and artisans or crafts workers formed a
they were stopped by Alfred the Great, now new middle class, ranked between nobles and
considered the first King of England. peasants. This class gained power in medieval
towns, with merchants and artisans forming
William the Conqueror The last successful
associations called guilds. Over time, the rise of
invasion of England occurred in 1066, when
towns and expansion of trade would change
France’s William, Duke of Normandy, claimed
feudalism.
TIMELINE
c. 975: Saxon monks

copy Old English poems 991: English are defeated by
into the Exeter Book. Danes at Battle of Maldon.
975
1000: Year cited by historians
c. 985: Eric the Red establishes as end of Dark Ages.
first Viking colony in Greenland.

ESSENTIALWhat
essential question: QUESTION:
does it What makes
take to a hero?
survive?
Literature Selections ADDITIONAL LITERATURE OF THE

FOCUS PERIOD
Literature of the Focus Period Two of the selections in this
unit were written during the Focus Period and reflect the hopes
Student Edition
and fears of the people of the time. The selections also reflect
society’s loyalty to valiant warriors and its desire for an almost UNIT 3
superhuman hero. from Oedipus Rex, Sophocles,
translated by David Grene
from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel
UNIT 4
“The Battle of Maldon,” translated by Burton Raffel from The Pillow Book, Sei Shonagon
UNIT 6
Connections Across Time Society’s need for and interest in “The Seafarer,” translated by Burton
heroism and leadership have in no way diminished since the Raffel
Focus Period. These ideas have continued to influence writers, from A History of the English Church
speakers, and commentators throughout the centuries. and People, Bede, translated by Leo
Sherley-Price
from Beowulf, Gareth Hinds
“To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars,” Richard Lovelace
“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“The Song of the Mud,” Mary Borden
“Dulce et Decorum Est,” Wilfred Owen
“How Did Harry Patch Become an Unlikely WWI Hero?” BBC
iWonder
“Accidental Hero,” Zadie Smith
“The New Psychology of Leadership,” Stephen D. Reicher,
Michael J. Burton, and S. Alexander Haslam
Speech Before Her Troops, Queen Elizabeth I
“Defending Nonviolent Resistance,” Mohandas K. Gandhi
“Pericles’ Funeral Oration,” Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner
1040: Historical Macbeth becomes king

1013: English accept of Scotland after killing King Duncan.
Sweyn, king of
Denmark, as ruler.
1066
c. 1020: North America Viking Leif 1066: Normans defeat Saxons at
Ericson explores Canadian coast. Hastings; William the Conqueror
becomes king of England.
Historical Perspectives 15
MAKING MEANING
About the Translator

from Beowulf
Concept Vocabulary
You will encounter the following words as you read this excerpt from
Beowulf. Before reading, note how familiar you are with each word. Then,
rank the words in order from most familiar (1) to least familiar (6).
Burton Raffel WORD YOUR RANKING

(1928–2015) attended
lair
high school and college in
Brooklyn, New York. After stalked
learning a law degree from
gorge
Yale University, he prac-
ticed as an attorney for gruesome
two years. He went on to
work as an editor, an Eng- writhing
lish professor, a freelance loathsome
writer, and a television and
radio broadcaster. What
Raffel is best known for, After completing the first read, come back to the concept vocabulary and
however, is his work as a review your rankings. Mark changes to your original rankings as needed.
translator. In addition to
Beowulf, he has translated
a broad range of clas- First Read EPIC POETRY
sics from world literature, Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
including The Canterbury opportunity to complete the close-read notes after your first read.
Tales, Gargantua and Pan-
tagruel, and Don Quixote.
His translations have won
numerous awards. NOTICE who or what is ANNOTATE by marking
“speaking” the poem and vocabulary and key passages
whether the poem tells a story you want to revisit.
or describes a single moment.
Tool Kit
First-Read Guide and

Model Annotation
CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing

the selection to what you the Comprehension Check and
already know and what by writing a brief summary of
you’ve already read. the selection.
 STANDARDS
Reading Literature
By the end of grade 12, read and
comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poems, at the
high end of the grades 11-CCR text
complexity band independently and
proficiently.

essential question: What makes a hero?
Background
The Anglo-Saxon Scribes The author of Beowulf is unknown,
but it seems likely that he was an Anglo-Saxon descendant of people
who migrated from northern Germany to settle in England starting
in the fifth century. Recent archaeological discoveries include burial
sites in Anglian settlements that include items that are both similar to
those mentioned in Beowulf and closely linked to Beowulf’s homeland
in southern Sweden. Although there is no evidence that Beowulf
himself ever existed, people and events in the poem are, indeed,
historical. Higlac, for example, truly was king of the Geats. Hrothgar,
likewise, was likely a true historical character. The interweaving of
characters and legends from the 500s and 600s argues for Beowulf’s
composition’s having taken place in the 600s or 700s, when
audiences would have still been familiar with these events due to their
exposure to the oral tradition.
Translating Old-English Texts Beowulf was written in Old

English, the language used by Anglo-Saxons up until about a.d. 1150.
Although Old English is the earliest historical form of modern English,
it is very different from modern English—so different, in fact, that it
often requires a translation in order for modern speakers of English to
understand it.
Consider this passage from Beowulf in Old English. These are the
opening lines of the section that appears in text you are about to read
under the title “The Wrath of Grendel”:
ða se ellengæst earfoðlice
þrage geþolode, se þe in þystrum bad,
þæt he dogora gehwam dream gehyrde
hludne in healle; þær wæs hearpan sweg,
swutol sang scopes.
Here is another version of these lines, translated by Francis Gummere

in the early twentieth century:
With envy and anger an evil spirit
endured the dole in his dark abode,

that he heard each day the din of revel
high in the hall: there harps rang out,
clear song of the singer.
Look closely at the Old English, and try to pick out familiar modern
words. For example, you may spot healle (“hall”), hearpan (“harps”)
and sang (“song”). Furthermore, once you learn that the character þ
(called a thorn) represents the th sound in thin and the character ð
(called an edh) represents the th sound in the, you may recognize even
more familiar words—for example, þæt (“that”) and þær (“there”).
Still, Old English will likely seem like a foreign language to most
speakers of English today. Because of this, translators try both to be
true to the original poem and to capture its qualities in a way modern
readers can appreciate. Translation, then, is a form of interpretation.
from Beowulf 17
MAKING MEANING
The Hero Beowulf In the epic poem you are about to read, Beowulf, a Geat
from a region that is today southern Sweden, sets sail to aid the Danish king
Hrothgar in his fight against the monster Grendel, a terrifying swampland
creature whose eyes burn with “gruesome light.” Grendel has been
terrorizing Hrothgar’s great banquet hall, Herot, for twelve years.
The battle between Beowulf, a young warrior of great strength
and courage, and Grendel, his bloodthirsty foe, is the first of
three mortal battles that are fought in this long epic poem.
Forging an Epic The tales in Beowulf originated from

a time when stories and poems were passed along by
word of mouth. This process is known as oral tradition,
and it included many different literary forms, such as
riddles and proverbs, in addition to epic poems.
In Anglo-Saxon England, traveling minstrels called
scops captivated audiences with long narrative poems.
These poems changed and grew as they were passed
from one scop to another. Beowulf was told and retold
in this fashion throughout England for hundreds of
years. In the eleventh century, the epic was finally written
down. Today, it survives in a single manuscript, which is in the
collection of the British Museum in London.
Beowulf grew out of other, earlier traditions. The monsters and
dragons of the tale, the brave warriors steadfastly loyal to their heroic chief, the
descent into the eerie regions below the earth—these were familiar elements of
Scandinavian and Celtic folk tales. Even a detail as specific as Beowulf’s seizure of
Grendel’s arm can be traced to earlier tales.
Poetry in Performance From the clues provided in Beowulf itself, we gain a

general idea of how the epic may have sounded in performance. Anglo-Saxon
poetry was sung or chanted to musical accompaniment, with the scop playing
a primitive harp as he performed the narrative. Each rhythmic verse had four
stressed syllables and an indefinite number of unstressed ones, with two or
three of the stressed syllables tied together by alliteration, the repetition of initial

consonant sounds. Each line of verse was divided in half by a slight pause called
a caesura.
A Guide to Life By forging different traditions into one unified tale, and by
incorporating the later influence of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxon scops created
a central reference point for their culture. Listening to Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon
could learn of bravery and loyalty to one’s fellows, of the monsters that spite and
hatred could breed, and of the heroism needed to conquer such monsters.
Besides its relationship to Anglo-Saxon culture, Beowulf displays archetypal literary
elements. Archetypes are patterns in literature found around the world. Beowulf
himself is an archetypal hero: extraordinarily strong and unshakably loyal. His
struggle against the monsters and the dragon is an archetypal conflict of good
versus evil.

ANCHOR TEXT | EPIC POETRY
from
Beowulf
The Wrath of Grendel NOTES

A powerful monster, living down
In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
As day after day the music rang
Loud in that hall,1 the harp’s rejoicing

5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
The Almighty making the earth, shaping
These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
Then proudly setting the sun and moon
10 To glow across the land and light it;
The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
And leaves, made quick with life, with each
Of the nations who now move on its face. And then
As now warriors sang of their pleasure:
15 So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall
1. hall Herot.
from Beowulf 19
Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend,
NOTES Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild
Marshes, and made his home in a hell
Not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime,
20 Conceived by a pair of those monsters born
Of Cain,2 murderous creatures banished
By God, punished forever for the crime
Of Abel’s death. The Almighty drove

Those demons out, and their exile was bitter,
25 Shut away from men; they split
Into a thousand forms of evil—spirits
And fiends, goblins, monsters, giants,
A brood forever opposing the Lord’s
Will, and again and again defeated.
30 Then, when darkness had dropped, Grendel
Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors
Would do in that hall when their drinking was done.
He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting
Nothing, their dreams undisturbed. The monster’s
35 Thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws:
He slipped through the door and there in the silence
Snatched up thirty men, smashed them
2. Cain oldest son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother, Abel.

Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies
The blood dripping behind him, back NOTES
40 To his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter. lair (lair) n. den; hiding place
At daybreak, with the sun’s first light, they saw
How well he had worked, and in that gray morning
Broke their long feast with tears and laments
For the dead. Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless
45 In Herot, a mighty prince mourning
The fate of his lost friends and companions,

Knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn
His followers apart. He wept, fearing
The beginning might not be the end. And that night
50 Grendel came again, so set
On murder that no crime could ever be enough,
No savage assault quench his lust
For evil. Then each warrior tried
To escape him, searched for rest in different
55 Beds, as far from Herot as they could find,
Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept.
Distance was safety; the only survivors
Were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed.
So Grendel ruled, fought with the righteous,
60 One against many, and won; so Herot
from Beowulf 21
Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years,
NOTES Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king
CLOSE READ Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door
ANNOTATE: Mark the By hell-forged hands. His misery leaped
repeated word in lines 65 The seas, was told and sung in all
67–73. Men’s ears: how Grendel’s hatred began,
QUESTION: Why might an How the monster relished his savage war
author choose to repeat On the Danes, keeping the bloody feud
a word in such rapid Alive, seeking no peace, offering
succession? 70 No truce, accepting no settlement, no price
CONCLUDE: What does In gold or land, and paying the living
the repetition here reveal For one crime only with another. No one
about Grendel? Waited for reparation from his plundering claws:
That shadow of death hunted in the darkness,
stalked (stawkt) v. 75 Stalked Hrothgar’s warriors, old
pursued stealthily; And young, lying in waiting, hidden
hunted
In mist, invisibly following them from the edge
Of the marsh, always there, unseen.
So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes,
80 Killing as often as he could, coming
Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible. Though he lived
In Herot, when the night hid him, he never
Dared to touch King Hrothgar’s glorious
Throne, protected by God—God,
85 Whose love Grendel could not know. But Hrothgar’s
Heart was bent. The best and most noble
Of his council debated remedies, sat
In secret sessions, talking of terror
And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do.
90 And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,
Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s
Support, the Devil’s guidance in driving
Their affliction off. That was their way,

And the heathen’s only hope, Hell
95 Always in their hearts, knowing neither God
Nor His passing as He walks through our world, the Lord
Of Heaven and earth; their ears could not hear
His praise nor know His glory. Let them
Beware, those who are thrust into danger,
100 Clutched at by trouble, yet can carry no solace
In their hearts, cannot hope to be better! Hail
To those who will rise to God, drop off
Their dead bodies and seek our Father’s peace!

The Coming of Beowulf NOTES
So the living sorrow of Healfdane’s son 3
105 Simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom

Or strength could break it; that agony hung
On king and people alike, harsh
And unending, violent and cruel, and evil.
In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s4
110 Follower and the strongest of the Geats—greater
And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world—
Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror
And quickly commanded a boat fitted out,
Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king,
115 Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar,
Now when help was needed. None
Of the wise ones regretted his going, much
As he was loved by the Geats: the omens were good,
And they urged the adventure on. So Beowulf
120 Chose the mightiest men he could find,
The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen
In all, and led them down to their boat;
He knew the sea, would point the prow
Straight to that distant Danish shore.
125 Then they sailed, set their ship
Out on the waves, under the cliffs,
Ready for what came they wound through the currents,
The seas beating at the sand, and were borne
In the lap of their shining ship, lined
130 With gleaming armor, going safely
In that oak-hard boat to where their hearts took them.
The wind hurried them over the waves,
The ship foamed through the sea like a bird
Until, in the time they had known it would take,
Standing in the round-curled prow they could see
135
Sparkling hills, high and green
Jutting up over the shore, and rejoicing
In those rock-steep cliffs they quietly ended
Their voyage. Jumping to the ground, the Geats
140 Pushed their boat to the sand and tied it
In place, mail shirts5 and armor rattling
As they swiftly moored their ship. And then
They gave thanks to God for their easy crossing.
High on a wall a Danish watcher
145 Patrolling along the cliffs saw
3. Healfdane’s (HAY alf deh nuhz) son Hrothgar.

4. Higlac’s (HIHG laks) Higlac was the king of the Geats (GAY ots) and Beowulf’s feudal lord
and uncle.
5. mail shirts flexible body armor made of metal.
from Beowulf 23
The travelers crossing to the shore, their shields
NOTES Raised and shining: he came riding down,
Hrothgar’s lieutenant, spurring his horse,
Needing to know why they’d landed, these men
150 In armor. Shaking his heavy spear
In their faces he spoke:
“Whose soldiers are you,
You who’ve been carried in your deep-keeled ship
Across the sea-road to this country of mine?
CLOSE READ Listen! I’ve stood on these cliffs longer
ANNOTATE: Mark two 155 Than you know, keeping our coast free
details in lines 151–171 Of pirates, raiders sneaking ashore
that show what the
From their ships, seeking our lives and our gold.
watchman finds unusual
about the arrival of
None have ever come more openly—
Beowulf and his men. And yet you’ve offered no password, no sign
160 From my prince, no permission from my people for your landing
QUESTION: What do these
Here. Nor have I ever seen,
details suggest about the
threats the Danes face and
Out of all the men on earth, one greater
the personal qualities they Than has come with you; no commoner carries
value? Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,
165 Are both lies. You! Tell me your name,
CONCLUDE: What is
the effect of describing
And your father’s; no spies go further onto Danish
Beowulf’s arrival from Soil than you’ve come already. Strangers,
the point of view of the From wherever it was you sailed, tell it,
watchman? And tell it quickly, the quicker the better,
170 I say, for us all. Speak, say
Exactly who you are, and from where, and why.”
Their leader answered him, Beowulf unlocking
Words from deep in his breast:
“We are Geats,
Men who follow Higlac. My father
175 Was a famous soldier, known far and wide
As a leader of men. His name was Edgetho.

His life lasted many winters;
Wise men all over the earth surely
Remember him still. And we have come seeking
180 Your prince, Healfdane’s son, protector
Of this people, only in friendship: instruct us,
Watchman, help us with your words! Our errand
Is a great one, our business with the glorious king
Of the Danes no secret; there’s nothing dark
185 Or hidden in our coming. You know (if we’ve heard
The truth, and been told honestly) that your country
Is cursed with some strange, vicious creature
That hunts only at night and that no one
Has seen. It’s said, watchman, that he has slaughtered
190 Your people, brought terror to the darkness. Perhaps
Hrothgar can hunt, here in my heart,

For some way to drive this devil out—
If anything will ever end the evils NOTES
Afflicting your wise and famous lord.

195 Here he can cool his burning sorrow.
Or else he may see his suffering go on
Forever, for as long as Herot towers
High on your hills.”
The mounted officer
Answered him bluntly, the brave watchman:
200 “A soldier should know the difference between words
And deeds, and keep that knowledge clear
In his brain. I believe your words, I trust in
Your friendship. Go forward, weapons and armor
And all, on into Denmark. I’ll guide you
205 Myself—and my men will guard your ship.
Keep it safe here on our shores,
Your fresh-tarred boat, watch it well,
Until that curving prow carries
Across the sea to Geatland a chosen
210 Warrior who does battle with the creature
Haunting our people, who survives that horror
Unhurt, and goes home bearing our love.”
Then they moved on. Their boat lay moored,
Tied tight to its anchor. Glittering at the top
215 Of their golden helmets wild boar heads gleamed,
Shining decorations, swinging as they marched,
Erect like guards, like sentinels, as though ready
To fight. They marched, Beowulf and his men
And their guide, until they could see the gables
220 Of Herot, covered with hammered gold
And glowing in the sun—that most famous of all dwellings,
Towering majestic, its glittering roofs
Visible far across the land.
Their guide reined in his horse, pointing

225 To that hall, built by Hrothgar for the best
And bravest of his men; the path was plain,
They could see their way. . . .
Beowulf and his men arrive at Herot and are called to see the King.
Beowulf arose, with his men

Around him, ordering a few to remain
With their weapons, leading the others quietly
230 Along under Herot’s steep roof into Hrothgar’s
Presence. Standing on that prince’s own hearth.
Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt
Gleaming with smith’s high art, he greeted
The Danes’ great lord:
from Beowulf 25
NOTES
“Hail, Hrothgar!
235 Higlac is my cousin6 and my king; the days
Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s
Name has echoed in our land: sailors
Have brought us stories of Herot, the best
Of all mead-halls,7 deserted and useless when the moon
CLOSE READ 240 Hangs in skies the sun had lit,
ANNOTATE: Mark details Light and life fleeing together.
in lines 235–253 that My people have said, the wisest, most knowing
show the specific heroic
And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’
deeds Beowulf recounts to
Hrothgar. Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves,
245 Have watched me rise from the darkness of war,
QUESTION: What can you
Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove
infer about Beowulf from
Five great giants into chains, chased
the details he shares with
Hrothgar? All of that race from the earth. I swam
In the blackness of night, hunting monsters
CONCLUDE: What do these
250 Out of the ocean, and killing them one
details reveal about the
By one; death was my errand and the fate
world in which this
story is set? They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called
6. cousin here, used as a general term for a relative.

7. mead-halls To reward his retainers, the king in heroic literature would often build a hall
where mead (a drink made of fermented honey) was served.

Together, and I’ve come. Grant me, then,
Lord and protector of this noble place, NOTES
255 A single request! I have come so far,

O shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend,
That this one favor you should not refuse me—
That I, alone and with the help of my men,
May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard,
260 Too, that the monster’s scorn of men
is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none.
Nor will I. My lord Higlac
Might think less of me if I let my sword
Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid
265 Behind some broad linden8 shield: my hands
Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life
Against the monster. God must decide
Who will be given to death’s cold grip.
Grendel’s plan, I think, will be
270 What it has been before, to invade this hall
And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can, gorge (gawrj) v. to fill by
If he can. And I think, if my time will have come, eating greedily
There’ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare
For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody
275 Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones
And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls
Of his den. No, I expect no Danes
Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins.
And if death does take me, send the hammered
280 Mail of my armor to Higlac, return
The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he
From Wayland.9 Fate will unwind as it must!”
That night, Beowulf and his men stay inside Herot. While his men sleep,
Beowulf lies awake, eager to meet with Grendel.
The Battle With Grendel

Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred
285 Grendel came, hoping to kill
Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
He moved quickly through the cloudy night,
Up from his swampland, sliding silently
Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s
290 Home before, knew the way—
But never, before nor after that night,
8. linden (LIHN duhn) very sturdy type of wood.

9. Wayland blacksmith from Germanic folklore.
from Beowulf 27
Found Herot defended so firmly, his reception
NOTES So harsh. He journeyed, forever joyless,
Straight to the door, then snapped it open,
295 Tore its iron fasteners with a touch
And rushed angrily over the threshold.
He strode quickly across the inlaid
Floor, snarling and fierce: his eyes
gruesome (GROO suhm) adj. Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesome
horrible; ghastly 300 Light. Then he stopped, seeing the hall
Crowded with sleeping warriors, stuffed
With rows of young soldiers resting together.
And his heart laughed, he relished the sight,
Intended to tear the life from those bodies
305 By morning; the monster’s mind was hot
With the thought of food and the feasting his belly
Would soon know. But fate, that night, intended
Grendel to gnaw the broken bones
Of his last human supper. Human
310 Eyes were watching his evil steps,
Waiting to see his swift hard claws.
Grendel snatched at the first Geat
He came to, ripped him apart, cut
His body to bits with powerful jaws,
315 Drank the blood from his veins and bolted
Him down, hands and feet; death
And Grendel’s great teeth came together,
Snapping life shut. Then he stepped to another
Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws,
CLOSE READ 320 Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper—
ANNOTATE: In English And was instantly seized himself, claws
syntax, apposition may be Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm.
used to rename or explain That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime,
a person or thing. Mark the
Knew at once that nowhere on earth
two identifying, appositive
phrases used to rename 325 Had he met a man whose hands were harder;
Grendel in line 323. His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing
Could take his talons and himself from that tight
QUESTION: How do the
Hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run
renamings of Grendel in
this line emphasize the From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:
significance of the battle 330 This was a different Herot from the hall he had emptied.
that is about to begin? But Higlac’s follower remembered his final
Boast and, standing erect, stopped
CONCLUDE: What is the
effect of using two or more The monster’s flight, fastened those claws
appositives in a row? In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel
335 Closer. The infamous killer fought
For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat,
Desiring nothing but escape; his claws
writhing (RY thihng) adj. Had been caught, he was trapped. That trip to Herot
making twisting or turning
motions Was a miserable journey for the writhing monster!

340 The high hall rang, its roof boards swayed,
And Danes shook with terror. Down NOTES
The aisles the battle swept, angry

And wild. Herot trembled, wonderfully
Built to withstand the blows, the struggling
345 Great bodies beating at its beautiful walls;
Shaped and fastened with iron, inside
And out, artfully worked, the building
Stood firm. Its benches rattled, fell
To the floor, gold-covered boards grating
350 As Grendel and Beowulf battled across them.
Hrothgar’s wise men had fashioned Herot
To stand forever; only fire,
They had planned, could shatter what such skill had put
Together, swallow in hot flames such splendor
355 Of ivory and iron and wood. Suddenly
The sounds changed, the Danes started
In new terror, cowering in their beds as the terrible
Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang
In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain
360 And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s
Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms
Of him who of all the men on earth
Was the strongest.
That mighty protector of men
Meant to hold the monster till its life
365 Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use
To anyone in Denmark. All of Beowulf’s
Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral
Swords raised and ready, determined
To protect their prince if they could. Their courage
370 Was great but all wasted: they could hack at Grendel
From every side, trying to open
A path for his evil soul, but their points

Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron
Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon
375 Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells
That blunted every mortal man’s blade.
And yet his time had come, his days
Were over, his death near; down
To hell he would go, swept groaning and helpless
380 To the waiting hands of still worse fiends.
Now he discovered—once the afflictor
Of men, tormentor of their days—what it meant
To feud with Almighty God: Grendel
Saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws
385 Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at
His hands. The monster’s hatred rose higher,
from Beowulf 29
But his power had gone. He twisted in pain,
NOTES And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder
Snapped, muscle and bone split
390 And broke. The battle was over, Beowulf
Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped,
But wounded as he was could flee to his den,
His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,
Only to die, to wait for the end
395 Of all his days. And after that bloody
Combat the Danes laughed with delight.
He who had come to them from across the sea,
Bold and strong-minded had driven affliction
Off, purged Herot clean. He was happy,
400 Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes
Had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them: Beowulf,
A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel,
Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering
Forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people
405 By a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted
The victory, for the proof, hanging high
From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s
Arm, claw and shoulder and all.
The Danes celebrate Beowulf’s victory. That night, though, Grendel’s

mother kills Hrothgar’s closest friend and carries off her child’s claw. The
next day, the horrified king tells Beowulf about the two monsters and their
underwater lair.
The Monsters’ Lair

“I’ve heard that my people, peasants working
410 In the fields, have seen a pair of such fiends
Wandering in the moors and marshes, giant
Monsters living in those desert lands.
And they’ve said to my wise men that, as well as they could see,
One of the devils was a female creature.
415 The other, they say, walked through the wilderness
Like a man—but mightier than any man.
They were frightened, and they fled, hoping to find help
In Herot. They named the huge one Grendel:
If he had a father no one knew him,
420 Or whether there’d been others before these two,
Hidden evil before hidden evil.
They live in secret places, windy
Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours
From the rocks, then runs underground, where mist

425 Steams like black clouds, and the groves of trees
Growing out over their lake are all covered NOTES
With frozen spray, and wind down snakelike

Roots that reach as far as the water
And help keep it dark. At night that lake
430 Burns like a torch. No one knows its bottom,
No wisdom reaches such depths. A deer,
Hunted through the woods by packs of hounds,
A stag with great horns, though driven through the forest
From faraway places, prefers to die
435 On those shores, refuses to save its life
In that water. It isn’t far, nor is it
A pleasant spot! When the winds stirs
And storms, waves splash toward the sky,
As dark as the air, as black as the rain
440 That the heavens weep. Our only help,
Again, lies with you. Grendel’s mother
Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place
You’ve not seen. Seek it, if you dare! Save us,
Once more, and again twisted gold,
445 Heaped-up ancient treasure will reward you
For the battle you win!”
Beowulf resolves to kill Grendel’s monstrous mother. He travels to the lake

in which she lives.
The Battle With Grendel’s Mother

Then Edgetho’s brave son10 spoke:
“Remember,
Hrothgar, O knowing king, now
When my danger is near, the warm words we uttered,
450 And if your enemy should end my life
Then be, O generous prince, forever

The father and protector of all whom I leave
Behind me, here in your hands, my beloved
Comrades left with no leader, their leader
455 Dead. And the precious gifts you gave me,
My friend, send them to Higlac. May he see
In their golden brightness, the Geats’ great lord
Gazing at your treasure, that here in Denmark
I found a noble protector, a giver
460 Of rings whose rewards I won and briefly
Relished. And you, Unferth,11 let
10. Edgetho’s brave son Beowulf. Elsewhere he is identified by such phrases as “the Geats’
proud prince” and “the Geats’ brave prince.”
11. Unferth Danish warrior who had questioned Beowulf’s bravery before the battle with
Grendel.
from Beowulf 31
My famous old sword stay in your hands:
NOTES I shall shape glory with Hrunting, or death
Will hurry me from this earth!”
As his words ended
465 He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s
Answer; the heaving water covered him
Over. For hours he sank through the waves;
At last he saw the mud of the bottom.
And all at once the greedy she-wolf
470 Who’d ruled those waters for half a hundred
Years discovered him, saw that a creature
From above had come to explore the bottom
Of her wet world. She welcomed him in her claws,
Clutched at him savagely but could not harm him,
475 Tried to work her fingers through the tight
Ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore
And scratched in vain. Then she carried him, armor
And sword and all, to her home; he struggled
To free his weapon, and failed. The fight
CLOSE READ
ANNOTATE: Mark words 480 Brought other monsters swimming to see
and phrases in lines Her catch, a host of sea beasts who beat at
477–489 that contain His mail shirt, stabbing with tusks and teeth
sound devices and parallel As they followed along. Then he realized, suddenly,
structures. That she’d brought him into someone’s battle-hall,
QUESTION: What effect 485 And there the water’s heat could not hurt him.
might these word choices Nor anything in the lake attack him through
have had on listeners? The building’s high-arching roof. A brilliant
CONCLUDE: In what Light burned all around him, the lake
way does the language Itself like a fiery flame.
of the story help make Then he saw
it memorable for both 490 The mighty water witch and swung his sword,
the storyteller and the His ring-marked blade, straight at her head;
audience?
The iron sang its fierce song,

Sang Beowulf’s strength. But her guest
Discovered that no sword could slice her evil
495 Skin, that Hrunting could not hurt her, was useless
Now when he needed it. They wrestled, she ripped
And tore and clawed at him, bit holes in his helmet,
And that too failed him; for the first time in years
Of being worn to war it would earn no glory;
500 It was the last time anyone would wear it. But Beowulf
Longed only for fame, leaped back
Into battle. He tossed his sword aside,
Angry; the steel-edged blade lay where
He’d dropped it. If weapons were useless he’d use
505 His hands, the strength in his fingers. So fame
Comes to the men who mean to win it
And care about nothing else! He raised

His arms and seized her by the shoulder; anger
Doubled his strength, he threw her to the floor. NOTES
510 She fell, Grendel’s fierce mother, and the Geats’

Proud prince was ready to leap on her. But she rose
At once and repaid him with her clutching claws,
Wildly tearing at him. He was weary, that best
And strongest of soldiers; his feet stumbled
515 And in an instant she had him down, held helpless.
Squatting with her weight on his stomach, she drew
A dagger, brown with dried blood, and prepared
To avenge her only son. But he was stretched
On his back, and her stabbing blade was blunted
520 By the woven mail shirt he wore on his chest.
The hammered links held; the point
Could not touch him. He’d have traveled to the bottom of the earth,
Edgetho’s son, and died there, if that shining
Woven metal had not helped—and Holy
525 God, who sent him victory, gave judgment
For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens,
Once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting.
Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy
Sword, hammered by giants, strong
530 And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons
But so massive that no ordinary man could lift
Its carved and decorated length. He drew it
From its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt
And then, savage, now, angry
535 And desperate, lifted it high over his head
And struck with all the strength he had left,
Caught her in the neck and cut it through.
Broke bones and all. Her body fell
To the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet
540 With her blood, and Beowulf rejoiced at the sight.
The brilliant light shone, suddenly,

As though burning in that hall, and as bright as Heaven’s
Own candle, lit in the sky. He looked
At her home, then following along the wall
545 Went walking, his hands tight on the sword,
His heart still angry. He was hunting another
Dead monster, and took his weapon with him
For final revenge against Grendel’s vicious
Attacks, his nighttime raids, over
550 And over, coming to Herot when Hrothgar’s
Men slept, killing them in their beds,
Eating some on the spot, fifteen
Or more, and running to his loathsome moor loathsome (LOHTH suhm) adj.
With another such sickening meal waiting disgusting; detestable
555 In his pouch. But Beowulf repaid him for those visits,
from Beowulf 33
NOTES
Found him lying dead in his corner,

Armless, exactly as that fierce fighter
Had sent him out from Herot, then struck off
His head with a single swift blow. The body

560 jerked for the last time, then lay still.
The wise old warriors who surrounded Hrothgar,
Like him staring into the monsters’ lake,
Saw the waves surging and blood
Spurting through. They spoke about Beowulf,
565 All the graybeards, whispered together
And said that hope was gone, that the hero
Had lost fame and his life at once, and would never
Return to the living, come back as triumphant
As he had left; almost all agreed that Grendel’s
570 Mighty mother, the she-wolf, had killed him.
The sun slid over past noon, went further
Down. The Danes gave up, left
The lake and went home, Hrothgar with them.
The Geats stayed, sat sadly, watching,

575 Imagining they saw their lord but not believing
They would ever see him again. NOTES
—Then the sword

Melted, blood-soaked, dripping down
Like water, disappearing like ice when the world’s
Eternal Lord loosens invisible
580 Fetters and unwinds icicles and frost
As only He can. He who rules
Time and seasons, He who is truly
God. The monsters’ hall was full of
Rich treasures, but all that Beowulf took
585 Was Grendel’s head and the hilt of the giants’
Jeweled sword; the rest of that ring-marked
Blade had dissolved in Grendel’s steaming
Blood, boiling even after his death.
And then the battle’s only survivor
590 Swam up and away from those silent corpses;
The water was calm and clean, the whole
Huge lake peaceful once the demons who’d lived in it
Were dead.
Then that noble protector of all seamen
Swam to land, rejoicing in the heavy
595 Burdens he was bringing with him. He
And all his glorious band of Geats
Thanked God that their leader had come back unharmed;
They left the lake together. The Geats
Carried Beowulf’s helmet, and his mail shirt.
600 Behind them the water slowly thickened
As the monsters’ blood came seeping up.
They walked quickly, happily, across
Roads all of them remember, left
The lake and the cliffs alongside it, brave men
605 Staggering under the weight of Grendel’s skull,
Too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle—

Two on each side of the spear jammed through it—
Yet proud of their ugly load and determined
That the Danes, seated in Herot, should see it.
610 Soon, fourteen Geats arrived
At the hall, bold and warlike, and with Beowulf,
Their lord and leader, they walked on the mead-hall
Green. Then the Geats’ brave prince entered
Herot, covered with glory for the daring
615 Battles he had fought; he sought Hrothgar
To salute him and show Grendel’s head.
He carried that terrible trophy by the hair,
Brought it straight to where the Danes sat,
Drinking, the queen among them. It was a weird
620 And wonderful sight, and the warriors stared.
from Beowulf 35
After being honored by Hrothgar, Beowulf and his fellow Geats return home,
NOTES where he eventually becomes the king. Beowulf rules Geatland for fifty years.
When a dragon menaces his kingdom, Beowulf, now an old man, determines
to slay the beast. Before going into battle, he tells his men about the royal
house and his exploits in its service.
The Last Battle

And Beowulf uttered his final boast:
“I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought
In endless battles. I am old, now,
But I will fight again, seek fame still,
625 If the dragon hiding in his tower dares
To face me.”
Then he said farewell to his followers,
Each in his turn, for the last time:
“I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast
Could be killed without it, crushed to death
630 Like Grendel, gripped in my hands and torn
Limb from limb. But his breath will be burning
Hot, poison will pour from his tongue.
I feel no shame, with shield and sword
And armor, against this monster: when he comes to me
635 I mean to stand, not run from his shooting
Flames, stand till fate decides
Which of us wins. My heart is firm,
My hands calm: I need no hot
Words. Wait for me close by, my friends.
640 We shall see, soon, who will survive
This bloody battle, stand when the fighting
Is done. No one else could do
What I mean to, here, no man but me
Could hope to defeat this monster. No one
645 Could try. And this dragon’s treasure, his gold Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
And everything hidden in that tower, will be mine

Or war will sweep me to a bitter death!”
Then Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong,
And with his shield at his side, and a mail shirt on his breast,
650 Strode calmly, confidently, toward the tower, under
The rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked there!
And then he who’d endured dozens of desperate
Battles, who’d stand boldly while swords and shields
Clashed, the best of kings, saw
655 Huge stone arches and felt the heat
Of the dragon’s breath, flooding down
Through the hidden entrance, too hot for anyone
To stand, a streaming current of fire

And smoke that blocked all passage. And the Geats’
660 Lord and leader, angry, lowered NOTES
His sword and roared out a battle cry,

A call so loud and clear that it reached through
The hoary rock, hung in the dragon’s
Ear. The beast rose, angry,
665 Knowing a man had come—and then nothing
But war could have followed. Its breath came first.
A steaming cloud pouring from the stone,
Then the earth itself shook. Beowulf
Swung his shield into place, held it
670 In front of him, facing the entrance. The dragon
Coiled and uncoiled, its heart urging it
Into battle. Beowulf’s ancient sword
Was waiting, unsheathed, his sharp and gleaming
Blade. The beast came closer; both of them
675 Were ready, each set on slaughter. The Geats’
Great prince stood firm, unmoving, prepared
Behind his high shield, waiting in his shining
Armor. The monster came quickly toward him,
Pouring out fire and smoke, hurrying
680 To its fate. Flames beat at the iron
Shield, and for a time it held, protected
Beowulf as he’d planned; then it began to melt,
And for the first time in his life that famous prince
Fought with fate against him, with glory
685 Denied him. He knew it, but he raised his sword
And struck at the dragon’s scaly hide.
The ancient blade broke, bit into
The monster’s skin, drew blood, but cracked
And failed him before it went deep enough, helped him
690 Less than he needed. The dragon leaped
With pain, thrashed, and beat at him, spouting
Murderous flames, spreading them everywhere.

And the Geats’ ring-giver did not boast of glorious
Victories in other wars: his weapon
695 Had failed him, deserted him, now when he needed it
Most, that excellent sword. Edgetho’s
Famous son stared at death.
Unwilling to leave this world, to exchange it
For a dwelling in some distant place—a journey
700 Into darkness that all men must make, as death
Ends their few brief hours on earth.
Quickly, the dragon came at him, encouraged
As Beowulf fell back; its breath flared,
And he suffered, wrapped around in swirling
705 Flames—a king, before, but now
A beaten warrior. None of his comrades
from Beowulf 37
Came to him, helped him, his brave and noble
NOTES Followers; they ran for their lives, fled
Deep in a wood. And only one of them
710 Remained, stood there, miserable, remembering
As a good man must, what kinship should mean.
His name was Wiglaf, he was Wexstan’s son

And a good soldier; his family had been Swedish,
Once. Watching Beowulf, he could see
715 How his king was suffering, burning. Remembering
Everything his lord and cousin had given him,
Armor and gold and the great estates
Wexstan’s family enjoyed, Wiglaf’s
Mind was made up; he raised his yellow
720 Shield and drew his sword—an ancient
Weapon that had once belonged to Onela’s
Nephew, and that Wexstan had won, killing
The prince when he fled from Sweden, sought safety
With Herdred, and found death.12 And Wiglaf’s father
725 Had carried the dead man’s armor, and his sword,
To Onela, and the king had said nothing, only
Given him the armor and sword and all,
Everything his rebel nephew had owned
And lost when he left this life. And Wexstan
730 Had kept those shining gifts, held them
For years, waiting for his son to use them,
Wear them as honorably and well as once
His father had done; then Wexstan died
And Wiglaf was his heir, inherited treasures
735 And weapons and land. He’d never worn
That armor, fought with that sword, until Beowulf
Called him to his side, led him into war.
But his soul did not melt, his sword was strong;

The dragon discovered his courage, and his weapon,
740 When the rush of battle brought them together.
And Wiglaf, his heart heavy, uttered
The kind of words his comrades deserved:
“I remember how we sat in the mead-hall, drinking
And boasting of how brave we’d be when Beowulf
745 Needed us, he who gave us these swords
And armor: all of us swore to repay him.
When the time came, kindness for kindness—
With our lives, if he needed them. He allowed us to join him,
Chose us from all his great army, thinking
750 Our boasting words had some weight, believing
12. Onela’s / Nephew . . . found death When Onela seized the throne of Sweden, his two
nephews sought shelter with the king of Geatland, Herdred. Wiglaf’s father, Wexstan,
killed the older nephew for Onela.

Our promises, trusting our swords. He took us
For soldiers, for men. He meant to kill NOTES
This monster himself, our mighty king,

Fight this battle alone and unaided, CLOSE READ
755 As in the days when his strength and daring dazzled ANNOTATE: Mark details in
Men’s eyes. But those days are over and gone lines 743–770 that show
what Beowulf’s men were
And now our lord must lean on younger
like in the beginning and
Arms. And we must go to him, while angry how they changed.
Flames burn at his flesh, help
760 Our glorious king! By almighty God, QUESTION: How have
Beowulf’s men, with
I’d rather burn myself than see
the exception of Wiglaf,
Flames swirling around my lord. changed?
And who are we to carry home
Our shields before we’ve slain his enemy CONCLUDE: How do these
contrasting details help the
765 And ours, to run back to our homes with Beowulf
reader better understand
So hard-pressed here? I swear that nothing Beowulf’s dilemma?
He ever did deserved an end
Like this, dying miserably and alone
Butchered by this savage beast: we swore
770 That these swords and armor were each for us all!”
Then he ran to his king, crying encouragement
As he dove through the dragon’s deadly fumes.
Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but the old king is mortally wounded.
As he dies, Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the treasure that the dragon
was guarding.
The Spoils
Then Wexstan’s son went in, as quickly
As he could, did as the dying Beowulf
775 Asked, entered the inner darkness
Of the tower, went with his mail shirt and his sword.
Flushed with victory he groped his way,

A brave young warrior, and suddenly saw
Piles of gleaming gold, precious
780 Gems, scattered on the floor, cups
And bracelets, rusty old helmets, beautifully
Made but rotting with no hands to rub
And polish them. They lay where the dragon left them;
It had flown in the darkness, once, before fighting
785 Its final battle. (So gold can easily
Triumph, defeat the strongest of men,
No matter how deep it is hidden!) And he saw,
Hanging high above, a golden
Banner, woven by the best of weavers
790 And beautiful. And over everything he saw
from Beowulf 39
NOTES
A strange light, shining everywhere,

On walls and floor and treasure. Nothing
Moved, no other monsters appeared; Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
He took what he wanted, all the treasures
795 That pleased his eye, heavy plates
And golden cups and the glorious banner,
Loaded his arms with all they could hold.
Beowulf’s dagger, his iron blade,
Had finished the fire-spitting terror
800 That once protected tower and treasures
Alike; the gray-bearded lord of the Geats
Had ended those flying, burning raids
Forever.
Then Wiglaf went back, anxious
To return while Beowulf was alive, to bring him
805 Treasure they’d won together. He ran,

Hoping his wounded king, weak
And dying, had not left the world too soon. NOTES
Then he brought their treasure to Beowulf, and found

His famous king bloody, gasping
810 For breath. But Wiglaf sprinkled water
Over his lord, until the words
Deep in his breast broke through and were heard.
Beholding the treasure he spoke, haltingly:
“For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank
815 Our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth—
For all of this, that His grace has given me,
Allowed me to bring to my people while breath
Still came to my lips. I sold my life
For this treasure, and I sold it well. Take
820 What I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people,
Help them; my time is gone. Have
The brave Geats build me a tomb.
When the funeral flames have burned me, and build it
CLOSE READ
Here, at the water’s edge, high
ANNOTATE: Mark details in
825 On this spit of land, so sailors can see lines 814–828 that show
This tower, and remember my name, and call it how Beowulf wants to be
Beowulf’s tower, and boats in the darkness buried and remembered.
And mist, crossing the sea, will know it.”
QUESTION: What do
Then that brave king gave the golden Beowulf’s dying wishes tell
830 Necklace from around his throat to Wiglaf, you about him?
Gave him his gold-covered helmet, and his rings,
CONCLUDE: What can
And his mail shirt, and ordered him to use them well:
you conclude about the
“You’re the last of all our far-flung family. character of Beowulf,
Fate has swept our race away, based on his last words?
835 Taken warriors in their strength and led them
To the death that was waiting. And now I follow them.”
The old man’s mouth was silent, spoke
No more, had said as much as it could;
He would sleep in the fire, soon. His soul

840 Left his flesh, flew to glory.
Wiglaf denounces the warriors who deserted Beowulf. The Geats burn their
king’s body on a funeral pyre and bitterly lament his death.
The Farewell
Then the Geats built the tower, as Beowulf
Had asked, strong and tall, so sailors
Could find it from far and wide; working
For ten long days they made his monument,
845 Sealed his ashes in walls as straight
from Beowulf 41
And high as wise and willing hands
NOTES Could raise them. And the riches he and Wiglaf
Had won from the dragon, rings, necklaces,
Ancient, hammered armor—all
850 The treasures they’d taken were left there, too,
Silver and jewels buried in the sandy
Ground, back in the earth, again
And forever hidden and useless to men.
And then twelve of the bravest Geats
855 Rode their horses around the tower,
Telling their sorrow, telling stories
Of their dead king and his greatness, his glory,
Praising him for heroic deeds, for a life
As noble as his name. So should all men
860 Raise up words for their lords, warm
With love, when their shield and protector leaves
His body behind, sends his soul
On high. And so Beowulf’s followers
Rode, mourning their beloved leader,
865 Crying that no better king had ever
Lived, no prince so mild, no man
So open to his people, so deserving of praise.

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read.
1. Who is Hrothgar, and who is Grendel?
2. Where does Beowulf come from, and why does he travel to Herot?
3. After the first battle, what trophy does Beowulf hang from the rafters of the hall?
4. Where does the battle with Grendel’s mother take place, and what is the outcome?
5. What is the result of Beowulf’s battle with the dragon?

6. Notebook Write a summary of the excerpt from Beowulf to confirm your

understanding of the epic.
RESEARCH
Research to Clarify Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an
aspect of the epic?
Research to Explore Choose something that interested you from the text, and formulate
a research question about it. Write your question here.
from Beowulf 43
making meaning
Close Read the Text

1. This model, from lines 23–29 of the epic, shows two sample annotations,
along with questions and conclusions. Close read the passage, and find
another detail to annotate. Then, write a question and your conclusion.
from BEOWULF
ANNOTATE: These words emphasize how

plentiful and diverse these evil forces are.
QUESTION: Is there anything they have in
common? If so, what does this suggest?
ANNOTATE:
CONCLUDE: They all sprang from the same These verbs and
source. Perhaps all evil is essentially the same, participles all show
despite its many forms. conflict.
QUESTION: Who
. . . The Almighty drove / Those demons or what are in
conflict? What
out, and their exile was bitter. / Shut away does this suggest?
from men; they split / Into a thousand
CONCLUDE:
forms of evil—spirits / And fiends, God and men are
goblins, monsters, giants. / A brood opposing demons.
forever opposing the Lord’s Will, and This suggests a
again and again defeated. struggle between
good and evil.
2. For more practice, go back into the text, and complete the close-read notes.
Tool Kit
3. Closely reread a section of the text you found important during your first
Close-Read Guide and read. Annotate what you notice. Ask yourself questions such as “Why
Model Annotation did the author make this choice?” What can you conclude?
Cite textual evidence

Analyze the Text to support your answers.
Notebook Respond to these questions.

1. (a) Why does Beowulf travel to Herot? (b) Infer What do his motives for
the trip suggest about his character?
 Standards 2. Analyze How does the contrast between Grendel and Beowulf turn their
Reading Literature conflict into a clash between good and evil?
• Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of 3. Compare and Contrast How is Beowulf’s fight with the dragon similar
what the text says explicitly as well to his two previous battles? How is it different?
as inferences drawn from the text,
including determining where the text 4. (a) What details show the importance of Christian beliefs? (b) What
leaves matters uncertain. details reveal pagan values, such as a belief in fate, a pride in loyalty, and
• Analyze the impact of the author’s a desire for fame? (c) Draw Conclusions What can you conclude about
choices regarding how to develop this mix of Christian and pagan details?
and relate elements of a story or
drama. 5. Historical Perspectives Explain how the poem, by keeping Beowulf’s
• Analyze how an author’s choices memory alive, also keeps a culture’s values alive.
concerning how to structure specific
parts of a text contribute to its 6. Essential Question: What makes a hero? What have you learned about
overall structure and meaning as well heroism and leadership from reading this epic poem?
as its aesthetic impact.

Analyze Craft and Structure

Author’s Choices: Structure An epic is a long narrative poem, sometimes
developed orally, that celebrates heroic deeds and legendary events. Epics,
like Homer’s Iliad from ancient Greece, are among the earliest forms of
literature. As such, they reveal the values of the people who created them.
Common features of epics include the following:
• a story that is told in a serious manner, with elevated language

• a hero battling forces that threaten the world order
• a hero that possesses extraordinary strength
• a story that is told in episodes, with various settings
Most epics celebrate the exploits of an epic hero, a legendary, larger-than-

life character. Often, epics follow archetypal patterns—that is, patterns of
plot and theme that recur in the literature of different cultures all over the
world. In Beowulf, two such archetypes are the quest and the struggle of
good against evil.
CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

Practice to support your answers.
Notebook Respond to these questions and prompts.

1. (a) List two characteristics that make Beowulf an epic hero. (b) Identify a passage
that shows the hero’s more human side. Explain your choice.
2. Is Beowulf a believable character, or is he “too heroic”? Explain.
3. Frustrated pride may lead to spite, just as loyalty may lead to vengeance, and
eagerness for glory may lead to greed. Explain how each creature Beowulf battles
represents an extreme and dangerous form of moral values and behavior.
4. A storyteller’s choices regarding how to develop and relate story elements (such
as plot, setting, character development, and archetypal patterns) affect audiences’
reactions to the story. Complete the partially filled-in chart, noting specific story
elements, the storyteller’s choices regarding these elements, and the effects of these
choices on the audience.
Story Element STORYTELLER’S Choice Effect
Character development: the arrival of Beowulf: gleaming creates the sense of a larger-
Beowulf armor, the watchman’s stunned, than-life, almost godlike figure
amazed reaction
Plot
Settings
Archetypal Pattern
from Beowulf 45
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Concept Vocabulary
lair gorge writhing
stalked gruesome loathsome

from BEOWULF
Why These Words? These concept vocabulary words show to various

degrees the vile, monstrous, predatory nature of the monsters Beowulf faces.
For example, a gruesome sight is something that is hideous and repulsive.
The sight of a writhing creature, on the other hand, would probably be
unpleasant but not provoke quite as strong a reaction.
1. How does the concept vocabulary sharpen the reader’s understanding of

the foes and challenges Beowulf faces?
2. What other words in the selection connect to this concept?
Practice
 WORD NETWORK Notebook Respond to these questions.
Add interesting words 1. What sort of person or creature would you expect to find in a lair?
related to heroism from the
2. How would you describe the behavior of a person or creature that tends
text to your Word Network.
to gorge when eating?
3. Why might a creature have stalked another creature?
4. Would you want to witness a gruesome sight? Why, or why not?
5. What story characters do you consider loathsome? Why?
6. What might you do if you saw an animal writhing? What might cause
such movement?
Word Study
Anglo-Saxon Suffix: -some The Anglo-Saxon suffix -some means
“causing,” “tending to,” or “to a considerable degree” and forms adjectives Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
from nouns, verbs, and other adjectives. The concept word gruesome was
 STANDARDS formed from the Scottish noun grue, meaning “shudder.” The concept word
Language loathsome was formed from the English adjective loath, which in the past
• Vary syntax for effect, consulting meant “hated” or “repulsive.”
references for guidance as needed;
apply an understanding of syntax
to the study of complex texts when 1. Write definitions of gruesome and loathsome that demonstrate how the
reading. suffix -some contributes to their meanings.
• Identify and correctly use patterns
of word changes that indicate
different meanings or parts of 2. Using a college-level dictionary, identify the word origins and write
speech.
• Consult general and specialized the meanings of these words featuring the suffix -some: burdensome,
reference materials, both print and cumbersome, meddlesome, noisome.
digital, to find the pronunciation of
a word or determine or clarify its
precise meaning, its part of speech,
its etymology, or its standard usage.

Conventions and Style

Using Syntax for Elaboration The syntax of a sentence is its structure,
or the arrangement of and relationships among its words. Writers may use
various syntactic devices to build up and extend accounts of action and
descriptions of characters. Two of those devices are apposition and diazeugma.
Apposition is the placement of two elements, typically nouns or noun
phrases, side by side so that the second identifies, clarifies, or elaborates
on the first. Diazeugma is the linkage of a single subject with two or
more verbs, either to add dimension to the first verb or to establish a clear
sequence of actions or events.
The chart shows examples from Beowulf of apposition and diazeugma.
DEVICE EXAMPLE EFFECT
. . . Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless / In Herot. . . . (lines 44–45) identifies
. . . so Herot
apposition
Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, elaborates
Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar. . . . (lines 60–62)
That shadow of death hunted in the darkness, adds

Stalked Hrothgar’s warriors. . . . (lines 74–76) dimension
diazeugma He slipped through the door and there in the silence

establishes
Snatched up thirty men, smashed them a clear
sequence
Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies (lines 36–38)
Read It
1. Mark and label each instance of apposition or diazeugma in the sentences.
a. Grendel, that most heartless of creatures, continued his onslaught.
b. Beowulf engaged the beast, fought valiantly, and emerged victorious.
c. Rejoicing rang out in Herot, the banquet hall of King Hrothgar.
2. Connect to Style Reread lines 208–212 of Beowulf. Mark and label

the syntactic device that is employed. Explain the effect of the use of
apposition or diazeugma in those lines.
Write It
Notebook Expand these sentences so that each contains an instance of
both apposition and diazeugma. Label each device in parentheses.
Example
Beowulf led his men to Herot.
Beowulf, Edgetho’s son (apposition), led his men to Herot and greeted
the king (diazeugma).
1. Grendel’s mother emerged from her lair.

2. Just before his death, Beowulf removed his golden necklace.
from Beowulf 47
EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION
Writing to Sources
The ability to convince your audience is the key to a successful argument.
Effective persuasion requires you to convey ideas in a clear manner. To clarify
ideas that may be unfamiliar to your audience, you may choose to point
out similarities or differences between your ideas and other, more familiar,
from BEOWULF
concepts.
Assignment
Write a comparison-and-contrast essay in which you compare and
contrast the character of Beowulf with that of a modern hero in a
television show, video game, or other medium. In your comparison,
consider the type of monster or threat each hero faces, as well as each
hero’s characteristics. Based on your comparison, draw a conclusion about
differences between Anglo-Saxon and modern-day values. Include these
elements in your essay:
• quotations from Beowulf that support your statements
• relevant examples from your other source
• transitional words and phrases that clarify comparisons and contrasts
You may wish to use point-by-point organization, in which you move
between your subjects as you discuss points of comparison and contrast.
Alternatively, you may wish to use subject-by-subject organization, in
which you compare and contrast your subjects as complete units.
 STANDARDS
Writing Vocabulary and Conventions Connection In your comparison-and-
• Write informative/explanatory texts
to examine and convey complex
contrast essay, consider including several of the concept vocabulary words.
ideas, concepts, and information Also, consider using apposition to clarify your ideas.
clearly and accurately through the
effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content. lair gorge writhing
• Use appropriate and varied stalked gruesome loathsome
transitions and syntax to link the
major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships

among complex ideas and concepts.
• Use technology, including the Reflect on Your Writing
Internet, to produce, publish, and
update individual or shared writing Once you have finished drafting your comparison-and-contrast essay, answer
products in response to ongoing the following questions.
feedback, including new arguments
or information. 1. What details have you used to present your thesis and provide support?
Speaking and Listening
• Integrate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse
formats and media in order to
make informed decisions and solve 2. Which details provide clarification and elaboration of your ideas?
problems, evaluating the credibility
and accuracy of each source and
noting any discrepancies among the
data. 3. Why These Words? The words you choose make a difference in your
• Make strategic use of digital writing. Which transitional words and phrases did you choose to clarify
media in presentations to enhance
understanding of findings, reasoning, comparisons? Which did you choose to clarify contrasts?
and evidence and to add interest.


Assignment
With a partner, prepare a research presentation focusing on one aspect
of the culture that told and retold the story of Beowulf—the Anglo-Saxons
of the eighth to eleventh centuries. Enrich your presentation with digital
media that you find online. Deliver your presentation to the class.
1. Choose Your Topic With your partner, choose one aspect of Anglo-
Saxon culture to research. You may select a topic of your own, or you may
research one of the following:
• the life of a seafaring warrior
• the construction of a mead-hall
• the concept of fate
• the design of Beowulf’s ship
2. Conduct Research With a partner, choose text and digital media.
Then, evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each source, using this
checklist:
yes no Is the source reputable? Is it known to provide solid

information?
yes no Is the source transparent, or open, about its

information-gathering practices?
yes no Does the source avoid bias or a political agenda?

yes no Is the content thorough and well-written?  evidence log
yes no Does the source accurately cite other sources? Before moving on to a
3. Prepare and Deliver Your Presentation With a partner, decide how new selection, go to your
best to incorporate text and other resources, and practice delivering your Evidence Log and record
presentation. what you learned from
Beowulf.
4. Evaluate Presentations As your classmates deliver their presentations,
listen attentively. Use a presentation guide like the one shown to analyze
their presentations.
Presentation Evaluation Guide
Rate each statement on a scale of 1 (not demonstrated) to

5 (demonstrated).
The speaker held my attention by communicating clearly.
The speaker used body language effectively.
The information was presented in a logical order.
The digital material was informative and well explained.
The speaker’s presentation showed a firm grasp of the subject matter.
from Beowulf 49
MAKING MEANING
Comparing Text to Media

The text and images on the following pages tell
another version of the story of Beowulf. After
reading and viewing this selection, you will analyze
from BEOWULF from BEOWULF
similarities and differences between the epic poem (graphic novel)
and the graphic.
About the Author

from Beowulf
Media Vocabulary
The following terms will be useful to you as you analyze, discuss, and write
about graphic novels.
palette: range of colors and shades panel: individual scene in graphic

Gareth Hinds (b. 1971) used by an illustrator novel, often framed by a border
was always drawing as a composition: arrangement of the angle: measurement of how much
child. “But,” he says, “I had parts of an image, whether drawn or space, horizontal and vertical, is
a lot of really good training recorded in some other visual format included in a single visual
and encouragement along
the way. And I’m a very perspective: point of view of an lighting/color: use of light and
strong believer in the power image, which may be close up, dark shades; dark and high-contrast
of good art instruction.” middle distance, or long distance images draw the eye more than light
He earned two Bachelors and low-contrast images
of Fine Art degrees, one
from Rochester Institute of
Technology and the second
from Parsons School of
First Review MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL
Design in New York City. Apply these strategies as you conduct your first review. You will have an
In addition to this graphic opportunity to complete a close review after your first review.
novel of Beowulf, Hinds has
published graphic novels
of other classics, including
Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Look at each image and NOTE elements in each image
determine whom or what it that you find interesting and

portrays. want to revisit.
CONNECT details in the RESPOND by completing

images to other media the Comprehension Check
you’ve experienced, texts and by writing a brief
you’ve read, or images summary of the selection.
you’ve seen.
 STANDARDS
Reading Literature
By the end of grade 12, read and
high end of the grades 11–CCR text
proficiently.

MEDIA | GRAPHIC NOVEL
BACKGROUND
After Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother, he returns to his
homeland. He eventually becomes king of the Geats, ruling for fifty
years of prosperity. Despite his age, however, he must return to battle
one last time after one of his subjects accidentally wakes a dragon by
stealing from its hoard.
from Beowulf (graphic novel) 51

2
1

3
4
7
5

8
10

9

12
11

15
14
13
16

18
17

19
20
21

Comprehension Check
Complete the following after you finish your first review.
1. What does Beowulf order his smiths to do at the beginning of the excerpt?
2. How does Beowulf’s physical stature compare to that of his men?
3. By what other word or name does Beowulf refer to the dragon?
4. According to Beowulf, what are the only two possible outcomes of his encounter with
the dragon?
5. How does the excerpt end?
6. Notebook Write a brief summary to confirm your understanding of this excerpt

from the graphic novel.
RESEARCH
Research to Explore Choose something that interested you from the graphic novel, and
formulate a research question about it. Write your question here.

MAKING MEANING
Close Review
Revisit the excerpt from the graphic novel and your
first-review notes. Write down any new observations that
seem important. What questions do you have? What can
you conclude?
from BEOWULF (graphic novel)

Analyze the Media to support your answers.

1. Respond In this excerpt from the graphic novel, Hinds depicts the lead-
up to the battle with the dragon. Does the way in which Hinds portrays
characters and scenes agree with the way that you pictured them when
you were reading the epic poem? Why or why not?
2. (a) Analyze In what visual ways does Hinds build suspense for the battle
with the dragon? (b) Connect How do the words within the text boxes
work with the images to create suspense?
3. Historical Perspectives Do you think it surprising that a very new form,

the graphic novel, draws its subject matter from a very old form, an
ancient epic? Why or why not?
4. Essential Question: What makes a hero? What have you learned
about heroism and leadership from reading this text?
Media Vocabulary
palette perspective angle
composition panel lighting/color
Use these vocabulary words in your responses to the following:

1. Identify a scene from the graphic novel in which, in your opinion, the
composition is particularly effective. What aspects of the composition
make it effective?
2. In which panel does the dragon make its first appearance? Describe the
panel in one or two sentences.  STANDARDS
Language
academic and domain-specific words
and phrases, sufficient for reading,
3. (a) Where does Hinds use close-up, middle-distance, and long-distance writing, speaking, and listening at
perspectives in telling the story? (b) Do you think he effectively combines the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence
these different perspectives? Explain. in gathering vocabulary knowledge
expression.

Writing to Compare
You have read the story of Beowulf’s last battle in two forms—as part of an
epic poem, and as part of a graphic novel. Now, deepen your understanding
by comparing and writing about the two works.
from BEOWULF
Assignment
Critical writing is a type of argumentation. The writer makes a claim
about the effectiveness of a text and supports the claim with reasons and
evidence. Critical writing also anticipates counterclaims—differing points
of view—and responds to them fairly. Write a critical evaluation of
the excerpt from the graphic novel Beowulf. In your essay, make a claim
about the graphic novel as a storytelling medium. As you craft your claim,
consider these questions:
from BEOWULF (graphic novel) • How effective is the graphic novel excerpt as an adaptation of “The
Last Battle”?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the graphic novel
medium?
To support your claim, cite evidence from both the graphic novel and the
epic poem. Include at least one counterclaim and present an argument in
response to it.
Planning and Prewriting

Compare the Graphic Novel and the Text Identify segments of the epic
poem and the graphic novel that correspond with each other. Decide how
the segments are similar and different. Take notes in a chart like this one.
 STANDARDS PANELS FROM THE LINES FROM THE SIMILARITIES AND

Reading Literature GRAPHIC NOVEL EPIC POEM DIFFERENCES
Analyze multiple interpretations of
a story, drama, or poem, evaluating
how each version interprets the
source text.
Writing
• Write arguments to support claims

in an analysis of substantive topics
or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
• Introduce precise, knowledgeable
claims(s), establish the significance
of the claim(s), distinguish the
claim(s) from alternate or opposing
claims, and create an organization
that logically sequences claim(s),
counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
• Develop claim(s) and counterclaims
fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each Notebook Respond to these questions.
while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that
1. What tools or techniques are used to bring a detail to life in the epic
anticipates the audience’s knowledge poem? In the graphic novel?
level, concerns, values, and possible
biases.
2. What moods are created in each segment? How?
• Apply grades 11–12 Reading 3. What is the effect of each segment on the reader?
standards to literature.

Drafting
Determine your central claim and reasons. Review your Prewriting
notes. Use them to draw some conclusions about the effectiveness of the
graphic novel excerpt. Then, write your claim and supporting reasons.
Central Claim:
Reason 1:

 EVIDENCE LOG
Reason 2: Before moving on to a
new selection, go to your

Evidence Log and record
Support each reason with examples. To convince readers your what you’ve learned
evaluation is valid, support your ideas with specific references to both the from both the epic poem
epic poem and the graphic novel. Beowulf and its retelling as
a graphic novel.
Example
Claim: The graphic novel tells the story of “the last battle” more
effectively than the poem does.
Reason: Visual imagery is better able to convey epic proportions.
Supporting Example: Near the beginning of “The Last Battle,” the
aging Beowulf is said to be “still brave, still strong” (l. 650). The first
panel of the graphic novel expresses the same idea. Beowulf’s head soars
among the sky and clouds, while his followers hunker toward the earth.
This visual contrast conveys Beowulf’s stature much more powerfully than
the descriptive phrases of the poem.
Acknowledge and respond to counterclaims. What different claim

about the graphic novel might another reader make? What reasons could
be used to support it? Give this point of view a hearing. State it fairly,
acknowledge its strengths, and then argue against it, supporting your own
ideas with textual evidence.
Strengthen your argument with a rhetorical flourish. To strengthen

the persuasive power of your argument, use at least one rhetorical device.
• You might offer an analogy, or comparison, to describe the power of

the imagery in either the epic poem or the graphic novel.
• You might end your essay with a rhetorical question—a question that
strikes an emotional note or focuses readers’ thoughts.
Review, Revise, and Edit

Review and revise your draft, making sure your claim, reasons, and evidence
are as precise as possible. Decide which ideas you want to reaffirm, and
restate them in your conclusion. Finally, edit your work carefully. Correct any
errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation that you discover.
from Beowulf • from Beowulf (graphic novel) 61

PERFORMANCE TASK: WRITING FOCUS
WRITING TO SOURCES
• from BEOWULF
Write an Argument
You have just read two variations on an ancient epic. In “The Coming of
• from BEOWULF
Beowulf,” the hero muses to Hrothgar on his reasons for standing up to
(graphic novel)
Grendel, saying, “Fate will unwind as it must!” He does not know whether
his mission will succeed or fail, but he is willing to try.
Assignment
Write a brief argumentative essay in which you address this question:
Which counts more—taking a stand or winning?
In your essay, take a clear position on the question. Incorporate your analysis of
the Beowulf texts to support your ideas. You may also cite incidents from history
or from your own experience or observations to support your claim.
Tool Kit Elements of an Argument

Student Model of an An argument is a logical way of presenting a viewpoint, belief, or stand
Argument on an issue. A well-written argument may convince the reader, change the
reader’s mind, or motivate the reader to take a certain action.
An effective argument contains these elements:

ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY • a precise claim
As you craft your • consideration of counterclaims, or opposing positions, and a discussion
argument, consider using of their strengths and weaknesses
some of the academic • logical organization that makes clear connections among claims,
vocabulary you learned counterclaims, reasons, and evidence
in the beginning of the
• valid reasoning and evidence
unit.
• use of specific rhetorical devices to support claims and counterclaims
purport
credible • a concluding statement or section that logically completes the argument
assertion • formal and objective language and tone
presume • error-free grammar, including accurate use of transitions
contradictory

Analyze the Writing Model
Argument Model For a model of a well-crafted LAUNCH TEXT
argument, see the Launch Text, “A World of Heroes.” UNIT
1 INTRODUCTION
LAUNCH TEXT | ARGUMENT MODEL
Review the Launch Text for examples of the elements

This text is an example of an
argument. It presents a claim and
organizes reasons and evidence to
support that claim. This is the type
of writing you will develop in the
Performance-Based Assessment at
the end of the unit.
described above. You will look more closely at

As you read, try to understand
why the author has included
certain facts and details. Mark the
details that provide strong evidence
to reinforce the author’s claim.
these elements as you prepare to write your own A World of Heroes
argument.
L iterature is rife with heroes. It has been so since the beginning.
1
NOTES
Homer’s Odyssey, an epic poem from ancient Greece, is about a
hero, Odysseus, and his quest to return home after a ten-year war
between the Greeks and the people of Troy. Every step of Odysseus’
journey is larger than life and filled with danger. One moment,
 STANDARDS
he’s escaping from a Cyclops (a one-eyed giant); the next, he is
speaking directly to the gods. Many modern fictional heroes are just
as outsized. They sail through popular culture on movie screens,
in comic books, and on smartphones, each moment of their lives
filled with drama and weight. However, these unrealistic fictional
characters are heroes only in great, entertaining stories. Today, in the
Writing
twenty-first century, I believe that true heroes are most often ordinary
people who in a brief moment behave heroically.
2 Modern heroes have to deal with the same reality as the rest of us.
They fill out forms, sweat in the heat, and stand in supermarket lines.
If the life of a modern hero has any drama, it is in that single moment

in which he or she performs one extraordinary act, garnering a brief
bit of attention and earning the title of “hero.”
3 Consider, for example, the case of Chesley Sullenberger. Prior to
January 15, 2009, he had led a life of quiet successes. He had attended
the United States Air Force Academy, piloted fighter planes, and

become a pilot for US Airways. Then, on the morning of January 15,
2009, as he was piloting a passenger jet that had taken off from New
York City’s LaGuardia Airport, his plane hit a flock of geese, causing
the jet’s engines to fail. As the jet began a rapid dive over New York
or texts, using valid reasoning and 6 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

LIT22_SE12_U01_LT.indd 6 23/03/21 10:43 AM
• Write routinely over extended

time frames and shorter time frames
for a range of tasks, purposes, and
audiences.

Prewriting / Planning
Write a Claim Reread the question in the prompt, and think about the texts you have
read. Anticipate your audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Write a sentence in which you state your claim, or position on the question posed in this
assignment. As you write, you may revise your claim if necessary. For now, establishing a
clear claim will help you choose reasons and supporting evidence.
.
Consider Possible Counterclaims A strong argument anticipates counterclaims, or

opposing positions. No matter which side of the argument you chose, you should consider
what opposing writers might say. Complete these sentences to address a counterclaim.
Another reader might claim that .
He or she might offer these reasons: .
However, my position is stronger because .
Gather Evidence In addition to your insights about the Beowulf texts, the  evidence log
assignment invites you to use an incident from history or an anecdote from Review your Evidence Log
your own experience or observations as evidence for your claim. You might and identify key details you
consider these specific types of evidence as you write. may want to cite in your
• facts: relevant statements that can be proven true argument.
• statistics: facts presented in the form of numbers
• definitions: explanations of key terms that may be unfamiliar

to readers
• quotations: statements from authoritative sources (such as

historical documents)  Standards
• examples: events or situations that support a general idea Writing
• Introduce precise, knowledgeable
claim(s), establish the significance
Always confirm your evidence using more than one source. of the claim(s), distinguish the
claim(s) from alternate or opposing
Connect Across Texts The prompt asks you to connect your ideas to the claims, and create an organization
two Beowulf texts you read. You may paraphrase, or use your own words that logically sequences claim(s),
to restate an idea. You may also use direct quotations, picking up exact • Develop claim(s) and counterclaims
language from the text, but be sure to clearly indicate quoted material. fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each
while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that
anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible
biases.
Performance Task: Write an Argument 63

Performance Task: Writing focus
Drafting
Organize Your Argument Every argument includes three parts:
• the introduction, in which you state your claim
• the body, in which you provide analysis, supporting reasons, evidence,
counterclaims, and counterarguments
• the conclusion, in which you summarize or restate your claim
Review your notes. Rank your reasons from most to least convincing. Choose
an organization that will highlight your strongest reasons and evidence. The
chart shows two structures you might follow to shape your writing.
INTRODUCTION
Include a strong claim that identifies the issue

and clearly states your position.
BODY ORGANIZATION A BODY ORGANIZATION B
• Begin with your second • Begin with your strongest reason

strongest reason and evidence. and evidence.
• Present the reasons • State and refute the
and evidence in descending strongest opposing claims
order of strength. or counterclaims.
• Present and refute opposing • Present other reasons and
claims. evidence in increasing order
• End with your strongest reasons of strength.
and evidence. • End with your second strongest
reason and evidence.
CONCLUSION
End with a memorable paragraph that restates your claim

and sums up your strongest supporting evidence.
Include sufficient, relevant supporting evidence. For each major idea,

provide adequate examples and reasons that support the claim.

Maintain a formal style and tone. A calm, formal tone, or attitude, is
more persuasive than a reactive, emotional tone.
 Standards Integrating Elaboration

Writing Integrate reasons and examples smoothly and in a way that assures a varied
• Introduce precise, knowledgeable and interesting sentence structure. Look at the examples below.
claim(s), establish the significance
Type of
claim(s) from alternate or opposing Awkwardly Integrated Smoothly Integrated
Elaboration
that logically sequences claim(s), Quotation Dr. Hennigan spoke to the As Dr. Hennigan said in his
counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. school committee. He said, speech before the school
• Establish and maintain a formal
style and objective tone while
“The biological clocks of committee, “The biological
attending to the norms and teenagers actually program clocks of teenagers actually
conventions of the discipline in which them to sleep late.” program them to sleep late.”
they are writing.
• Provide a concluding statement
Example Students are often late for Many students, for example,
or section that follows from and class. This is because they just are late for class simply
supports the argument presented. can’t wake up in the morning. because they cannot wake up
in the morning.
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: CONVENTIONS
Create Cohesion and Clarity: Transitions

Transitions are words and phrases that connect and show relationships
among ideas. Transitions perform an essential function in an argument
because they help guide a reader through the writer’s line of reasoning.
Look at the following examples from the Launch Text.
POSITION OF TRANSITION PUNCTUATION EXAMPLES
However, these unrealistic
fictional characters are
comma after heroes only in . . . stories.
start of the sentence the transitional Moreover, she endured
expression weeks of monotonous train
travel during her lecture
tours.
Consider, for example, the
commas before case of Chesley Sullenberger.
and after the
middle of the sentence Gradually, though, he faded
transitional
expression from public life and quietly
retired.
Read It
Each of these sentences contains a transition. Mark the transitional word or
phrase, and add the correct punctuation.
a. As a result the plane landed safely.
b. Similarly the heroes who manned the volunteer armada of boats on
September 11, 2001, fearlessly risked their own safety to help others.
c. Amelia Earhart on the other hand led a life filled with heroic deeds.
Write It
As you draft your argument, choose transitions that accurately show how
your ideas relate to one another. Transitions may help you connect sentences,
or they may help you connect one paragraph to the next.
If you want to . . . consider using one of these transitions:
illustrate for example, for instance, specifically
compare in the same way, similarly, likewise

 Standards
Writing
contrast though, conversely, however, on the other hand Use words, phrases, and clauses as
well as varied syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion,
show effect therefore, as a result, consequently and clarify the relationship between
claim(s) and reasons, between
reasons and evidence, and between
claim(s) and counterclaims.

MAKING WRITING SOPHISTICATED
Using Rhetorical Devices Writers often use rhetorical devices, or

special persuasive techniques, to make their arguments more convincing.
Using rhetorical devices in your writing can help you add emphasis,
point out important ideas, draw audiences into the conversation, and
to highlight important concepts through rhythm and repetition. Two
examples of rhetorical devices are parallelism and rhetorical questions.
• Parallelism occurs when similar ideas are stated in a similar
grammatical form.
• A rhetorical question is a question asked for effect, for emphasis or
for the purpose of drawing readers into the conversation. Authors do
not expect answers to rhetorical questions, because the answers are
obvious.
Read It These examples, both taken from the Launch Text, show how
using parallelism and rhetorical questions add power and sophistication
The writer’s use
to writing by subtly emphasizing important ideas.
of parallelism
emphasizes how LAUNCH TEXT EXCERPTS
ubiquitous fictional
heroes are, in a . . . Many modern fictional heroes are just as outsized. They
grammatically sail through popular culture on movie screens, in comic
logical way.
books, and on smartphones, each moment of their lives
filled with drama and weight. However, these unrealistic
fictional characters are heroes only in great, entertaining
The writer’s use stories. Today, in the twenty-first century, I believe that
of parallelism true heroes are most often ordinary people who in a brief
establishes a rhythm moment behave heroically.
and emphasizes the
various ways in which Modern heroes have to deal with the same reality as
modern heroes are the rest of us. They fill out forms, sweat in the heat, and
just like us. stand in supermarket lines. If the life of a modern hero has
any drama, it is in that single moment in which he or she
The writer’s use of a performs one extraordinary act, garnering a brief bit of
rhetorical question attention and earning the title of “hero.” . . .
draws readers into
the conversation, as Some may argue that there are true larger-than-life
well as encouraging heroes who leave a permanent shadow, not by virtue of
them to think about a single act, but through a lifetime of heroic deeds. What
an alternate idea. about the life of someone such as the American aviator
Amelia Earhart? Earhart’s life was filled with heroism—
her 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean was just one
example. . . .
 Standards
Writing
Use specific rhetorical devices to
support assertions.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: In what ways does the
ESSENTIAL
struggle for
QUESTION:
freedom change
What makes
with history?
a hero?
College and Career Readiness
Write It
As you prepare to revise your argument, think about places where you might
strengthen your writing by adding parallelism or rhetorical questions. Ask
yourself the following questions:
• Are there places where I have two or more similar ideas that might
be rewritten in parallel structure?
• Are there places where using parallel structure would vary my sentence
structure and add emphasis to important ideas?
• Is there a place where asking a rhetorical question might be an

effective way of drawing the audience into the conversation or
emphasizing an important idea?
Read over your draft, and consider ways in which you might strengthen your
argument either by using parallelism or by posing rhetorical questions. In the
chart, record your ideas for strengthening your argument with the use of
rhetorical devices.
PARAGRAPH CHANGES RECOMMENDED NEW WORDING


 WORD NETWORK Revising

Include interesting words Evaluating Your Draft
from your Word Network in
Use the following checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of your first draft. Then,
your argument.
use your evaluation and the instruction on this page to guide your revision.
FOCUS AND ORGANIZATION EVIDENCE AND ELABORATION CONVENTIONS
Provides an introduction that Develops the claim using Attends to the norms
establishes a precise claim and relevant facts and details and conventions
focus. that provide evidence of the discipline,
and reasons. especially the correct
Distinguishes the claim from use and punctuation of
opposing claims. Provides adequate examples transitions.
for each major idea.
Establishes a logical organization
and develops a progression Uses words, phrases,
throughout the argument. and clauses to clarify
relationships among ideas.
Provides a conclusion that follows
from the argument. Establishes and maintains
a formal style and an
objective tone.
Revising for Purpose and Organization

Punctuation Response to the Prompt Before completing your final draft, reread the
Punctuate independent prompt. Have you responded directly to the question that was asked? Have
clauses joined by coordinating you included what was required of you? You will need to respond to prompts
conjunctions and transitional
for college entry applications and certain standardized and professional tests. It
expressions correctly.
is important to make sure that your response connects clearly to the prompt.
• When a coordinating
conjunction joins two
independent clauses, Revising for Conventions
use a comma before the Coordinating Conjunctions Combine short, choppy sentences by using
conjunction.
coordinating conjunctions to join them. A coordinating conjunction connects
• When a conjunctive adverb words or groups of words that have equal importance in a sentence.
connects two independent
clauses, use a semicolon Choppy Sentence: Beowulf fought hard against the monster. He didn’t win
before the conjunctive his last battle.
adverb and a comma
after it. Revised Sentence: Beowulf fought hard against the monster, but he didn’t
win his last battle.
Transitional Expressions Vary your sentences and create clarity among ideas
by using transitional expressions. For example, conjunctive adverbs make a
transition between two independent clauses and show the relationship between
 Standards the ideas in the clauses.
Writing Unclear Relationship: The men knew that Beowulf depended on their
Use words, phrases, and clauses help. They gave into their fear and abandoned their leader.
as well as varied syntax to link the
major sections of the text, create Revised Sentence: The men knew that Beowulf depended on their help;
cohesion, and clarify the relationship however, they gave into their fear and abandoned their leader.
between claim(s) and reasons,
between reasons and evidence, and
between claim(s) and counterclaims.

PEER REVIEW
Exchange papers with a classmate. Use the checklist to evaluate your classmate’s argument and
provide supportive feedback.
1. Is the claim clear?
yes no If no, explain what confused you.
2. Did you find the argument convincing?
yes no If no, tell what you think might be missing.
3. Does the essay conclude in a logical way?
yes no If no, suggest what you might change.
4. What is the strongest part of your classmate’s argument? Why?
Editing and Proofreading

Edit for Conventions Reread your draft for accuracy and consistency.
Correct errors in grammar and word usage. If you are unsure of a difficult
word’s precise meaning, check a dictionary before using it.
Proofread for Accuracy Read your draft carefully, looking for errors in
spelling and punctuation. Correct any errors that you find.
Publishing and Presenting

Create a final version of your argument. Add it to a classroom booklet that
allows you and your classmates to read and comment on each other’s work.
Remember to use a respectful, positive tone when commenting—your goal
should be to improve your classmates’ writing, not to discourage them.
Reflecting
Reflect on what you learned from writing your argument. Was the specific
example you used sufficient to support your claim? Think about what you
will do differently the next time you write an argument.
 Standards
Writing
Develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach,
focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and
audience.

OVERVIEW: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What makes a hero?

As you read these selections, work with your group to explore the factors that make
people heroes.
From Text to Topic In earliest British literature, the qualities a hero had to possess
were obvious: tremendous physical strength, courage, and a sense of honor.
However, heroism takes many forms. As you read the texts in this section, consider
how they demonstrate a change in the way heroes are created and perceived.
Small-Group Learning Strategies

Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will
continue to develop strategies when you work in teams. Use these strategies during
Small-Group Learning. Add ideas of your own for each step.
Prepare • Complete your assignment so you are prepared for group work.
• Take notes on your reading so you can contribute to your group’s discussions.
Participate fully • Make eye contact to signal that you are listening and taking in what is being said.
• Use text evidence when making a point.

Support others • Build off ideas from others in your group.
• State the relationship of your points to the points of others—whether you
are supporting someone’s point, refuting it, or taking the conversation in a
new direction.
Clarify • Paraphrase the ideas of others to ensure that your understanding is correct.
• Ask follow-up questions.

CONTENTS
Poetry COLLECTION 1
To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars

Richard Lovelace
What price must one pay for honor?
The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Did the Light Brigade achieve even greater glory by

following an order they knew to be foolish?
COMPARE
poetry COLLECTION 2
The Song of the Mud

Mary Borden
Can the greatest danger be an impersonal foe?
Dulce et Decorum Est

Wilfred Owen
Is it “sweet and honorable” to die for your country?
MEDIA: INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

How Did Harry Patch Become an

Unlikely WWI Hero?
BBC iWonder
How did the world’s idea of heroism change

after World War I?
PERFORMANCE TASK
SPEAKING AND LISTENING FOCUS
Present an Argument
The Small-Group readings are by authors who explore how ordinary people facing
extraordinary situations may—or may not—become heroes. After reading, your group
will present a slide show exploring the character traits of traditional war heroes.
Overview: Small-Group Learning 71

OVERVIEW: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING
Working as a Team
1. Take a Position In your group, discuss the following question:
Is one heroic act enough to make someone a “hero”?
As you take turns sharing your positions, be sure to provide reasons for
your choice. After all group members have shared, discuss what types of
heroic acts make the most lasting impression on other people.
2. List Your Rules As a group, decide on the rules that you will follow
as you work together. Two samples are provided. Add two more of
your own. As you work together, you may add or revise rules based on
your experience.
• Group members should share responsibilities for the tasks equally.
• Group members should stay on task.
3. Apply the Rules Share what you have learned about what makes
someone a hero. Make sure each person in the group contributes. Take
notes and be prepared to share with the class one thing that you heard
from another member of your group.
4. Name Your Group Choose a name that reflects the unit topic.
Our group’s name:

5. Create a Communication Plan Decide how you want to communicate

with one another. For example, you might use online collaboration tools,
email, or instant messaging.
Our group’s decision:

Making a Schedule
First, find out the due dates for the Small-Group activities. Then, preview
the texts and activities with your group, and make a schedule for completing
the tasks.
SELECTION ACTIVITIES DUE DATE
The Song of the Mud
How Did Harry Patch Become an Unlikely

WWI Hero?
Working on Group Projects

As your group works together, you’ll find it more effective if each person has
a specific role. Different projects require different roles. Before beginning a
project, discuss the necessary roles, and choose one for each group member.
Some possible roles are listed here. Add your ideas to the list.
Project Manager: monitors the schedule and keeps everyone on task

Researcher: organizes research activities
Recorder: takes notes during group meetings
Overview: Small-Group Learning 73

MAKING MEANING
Comparing Texts
In this lesson, you will compare the poems “To
Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” and “The Charge
of the Light Brigade” with two other poems, “The
POETRY COLLECTION 1 POETRY COLLECTION 2
Song of the Mud” and “Dulce et Decorum Est.” First,
complete the first-read and close-read activities for the
first two poems. The work you do with your group on
these titles will prepare you for your final comparison.
POETRY COLLECTION 1

Concept Vocabulary
As you perform your first read of “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” and
“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” you will encounter these words.
embrace adore honor
Context Clues When you read a word you don’t know, you can often
determine its meaning by using context clues—the surrounding words and
phrases. The example sentence has context clues to the meaning of idyllic.
Example: They wanted an idyllic setting—something peaceful and beautiful.
Apply your knowledge of context clues and other vocabulary strategies to

determine the meanings of unfamiliar words you encounter during your
first read.
First Read POETRY

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close read after your first read.
 STANDARDS
NOTICE who or what is ANNOTATE by marking
Reading Literature
By the end of grade 12, read and “speaking” the poem and vocabulary and key passages
comprehend literature, including whether the poem tells a you want to revisit.
stories, dramas, and poems, at the story or describes a single
high end of the grades 11–CCR text moment.
proficiently.
Language
• Determine or clarify the meaning
CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases based on the selection to what you the Comprehension Check.
grades 11–12 reading and content, already know and what
choosing flexibly from a range of you’ve already read.
strategies.
• Use context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION : What makes a hero?
About the Poets Backgrounds
Richard Lovelace (1617–1657), the son of a To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars

wealthy family, publicly supported Charles I of Tensions between the Church of England and
England as the kingdom was about to plunge the Puritans who wished to reform it had
into civil war—resulting in Lovelace’s risen to a dangerous level. Foreign wars had
imprisonment. During this time, he wrote “To led to a money shortage. Charles I made the
Althea, From Prison,” one of his most famous situation worse by mishandling the legislature.
poems. He was released from prison, but In 1642, England’s Parliament went to war
when the war ended with the defeat and against England’s king. Lovelace, as a loyal
execution of the king, the poet was supporter of Charles, wrote “To Lucasta, on
imprisoned again, for another year. Upon his Going to the Wars” as a statement of the
final release, he returned to his home in Kent, principle that honor and loyalty to one’s king
where he continued to write. He died at the must come before other considerations.
age of 39.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892), was The Charge of the Light Brigade
the fourth of twelve children. As a teenager,
The Battle of Balaclava, which is the subject of
Alfred was sent to Cambridge University.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade,” occurred
There he met Arthur Henry Hallam, who
during the Crimean War (1853–1856). The
became his closest friend. Hallam, who
charge resulted in the deaths of approximately
intended to marry Alfred’s sister, died
forty percent of the brigade. The war was
suddenly. Grief-stricken, Tennyson wrote a
not popular with the British middle class, and
series of poems as an elegy to his friend,
when the news came that so many had been
published under the title In Memoriam,
killed and injured as the result of mistaken
A.H.H. The collection so impressed Prince
orders by those in command, the public was
Albert that he encouraged Queen Victoria to
outraged. The poem, which dramatically
name Tennyson Poet Laureate of Great Britain
re-creates the experience of the battle,
and Ireland.
celebrates the courage of the cavalry and the
nobility of their sacrifice.
Poetry Collection 1 75
POETRY
Richard Lovelace
To Lucasta,
on Going to the Wars

Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind,
That from the nunnery NOTES
Of thy chaste breast, and quiet mind,

To war and arms I fly.
Mark context clues or indicate

5 True, a new mistress now I chase, another strategy you used that
The first foe in the field; helped you determine meaning.
And with a stronger faith embrace embrace (ehm BRAYS) v.
A sword, a horse, a shield. MEANING:
10 Yet this inconstancy is such, adore (uh DAWR) v.

As thou too shalt adore; MEANING:
I could not love thee, Dear, so much,

Loved I not honor more.
To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars 77

POETRY
The Charge of the

Light Brigade
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
I
NOTES
Half a league,1 half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
5 “Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
10 Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
15 Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
1. half a league about a mile and a half.

III
NOTES
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
20 Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
25 Into the mouth of hell
IV
Flashed all their sabers bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sab’ring the gunners there,
30 Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack2 and Russian
35 Reeled from the saber stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
40 Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
45 They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
50 When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered. Mark context clues or indicate
another strategy you used that
Honor the charge they made! helped you determine meaning.
Honor the Light Brigade, honor (ON uhr) v.
55 Noble six hundred! MEANING:
2. Cossack The Cossacks were people with a tradition of independence who

received privileges from the Russian government in exchange for military service.
The Charge of the Light Brigade 79

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify
details with your group.
TO LUCASTA, ON GOING TO THE WARS
1. Why might Lucasta think the speaker in the poem is being unkind?
2. What is the “inconstancy” that the speaker wants Lucasta to understand?
3. What is the one thing the speaker loves more than Lucasta?
THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
1. How many soldiers rode into battle?
2. What name does the speaker give the valley into which the six hundred ride?
3. What does the speaker urge readers to do at the end of the poem?
RESEARCH
Research to Clarify Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from one of the poems. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect
of the poem?
Research to Explore Briefly research the English Civil War of 1642–1651, to which
Lovelace refers in his poem, or the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, which is the
subject of Tennyson’s poem. Share what you discover with your group.

MAKING MEANING
Close Read the Text

With your group, revisit sections of the text you marked
during your first read. Annotate details that you notice.
What questions do you have? What can you conclude?
POETRY COLLECTION 1

Notebook Complete the activities.

1. Review and Clarify With your group, discuss how lines 11–12 of “To
Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” and lines 50–55 of “The Charge of the GROUP DISCUSSION
Light Brigade” reveal each poet’s attitude toward war. Listen carefully as each
of your group members
2. Present and Discuss Now, work with your group to share the passages speaks. Do not frame your
from the two poems that you found especially important. Take turns questions while a person is
presenting your passages. Discuss what details you noticed, what still speaking. Often, your
questions you asked, and what conclusions you reached. questions will be answered
3. Essential Question: What makes a hero? What have these two poems as the speaker continues.
taught you about heroism and leadership? Discuss with your group.
language development
Concept Vocabulary
embrace adore honor  WORD NETWORK
Add interesting words
Why These Words? The three concept vocabulary words from the text are related to heroism from the
related. With your group, determine what the words have in common. Write text to your Word Network.
your ideas, and add another word that fits the category.
Practice
Notebook Confirm your understanding of the concept vocabulary
words by using them in sentences. Be sure to use a synonym, an antonym, a

definition, or another context clue to suggest each word’s meaning.
Word Study
Notebook Latin Prefix: ad- In the last stanza of “To Lucasta, on
Going to the Wars,” the speaker tells Lucasta, “Yet this inconstancy is  Standards
such / As thou too shalt adore.” The word adore begins with the Latin prefix Language
• Identify and correctly use patterns
ad-, which means “to” or “toward.” of word changes that indicate
different meanings or parts of
Use a dictionary to look up these words from mathematics and science: speech.
addition, adapt, adhesive, adsorption. Write their definitions, and explain • Consult general and specialized
how the prefix ad- contributes to their meanings. reference materials, both print and
digital, to find the pronunciation of
a word or determine or clarify its
precise meaning, its part of speech,
MAKING MEANING

Word Choice and Theme A writer’s diction, or word choice, is an
important element of his or her style. It helps convey the tone of a work, or
the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject or audience. Together, word
choice and tone may provide significant clues to the theme of a work, or the
POETRY COLLECTION 1
central idea or insight about life the writer wishes to convey. A single work
can often have two or more themes.
In “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Tennyson uses exciting and vivid
diction to set a dramatic tone in lines 44–47: “While horse and hero
fell, / They that had fought so well / Came through the jaws of Death, /
Back from the mouth of hell.” Tennyson’s word choice and tone in these
lines help develop one of his themes: Soldiers are courageous and worthy of
admiration.

Practice to support your answers.
As a group, review the Lovelace and Tennyson poems to pick out strong
examples of diction. Then, complete the tone and theme columns
individually, and answer the questions that follow. Compare your
responses with the rest of the group once you are finished.
Literary Work Diction Tone Theme(s)
The Charge
of The Light
Brigade
To Lucasta, on
Going to the
Wars
 STANDARDS
Reading Literature
• Determine two or more themes or
central ideas of a text and analyze
their development over the course of
the text, including how they interact
and build on one another to produce Notebook
a complex account; provide an 1. (a) In “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Tennyson frequently
objective summary of the text. repeats words and phrases. What language does he repeat?
• Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in (b) What is the effect of this repetition? (c) What do the repeated
the text, including figurative and words and phrases suggest?
connotative meanings; analyze the
impact of specific word choices on 2. (a) What words reveal how the speaker in “To Lucasta, on Going to
meaning and tone, including words the Wars” feels about Lucasta? (b) What tone is revealed by these
with multiple meanings or language words? (c) What theme do these words suggest?
that is particularly fresh, engaging,
or beautiful.

Language development

Coordinating Conjunctions A coordinating conjunction connects
words, phrases, or clauses that have equal importance in a sentence. The
seven coordinating conjunctions are and, but, yet, or, nor, for, and so.
Writers use coordinating conjunctions to establish logical relationships
among ideas. Different coordinating conjunctions show different
relationships. And shows addition or similarity. But and yet indicate contrast.
Or and nor indicate a choice. For and so show a cause or a result.
For example, Lovelace uses conjunctions to show addition and contrast.
To war and arms I fly. (addition)

Yet this inconstancy is such (contrast)
Writers also use coordinating conjunctions to vary sentence structure. For

example, Tennyson uses them to create simple pairs of words, such as PUNCTUATION
“volleyed and thundered” and “shot and shell.” However, he chooses not • When a coordinating
to use them to link phrases and clauses. This omission creates a compressed,
words, phrases, or
energetic rhythm. Notice the effect of these famous lines with and without a subordinate clauses, no
coordinating conjunction: comma is needed.
• When a coordinating
With Conjunctions: Cannon to right of them, /
conjunction joins three
Cannon to left of them, / and Cannon in front of them or more elements, insert
a comma between each
Without Conjunctions: Cannon to right of them, / element.
Cannon to left of them, / Cannon in front of them • When a coordinating
independent clauses,
Read It use a comma before the
In each example from the poems, identify the coordinating conjunction and conjunction.
the words that it connects.
1. True, a new mistress now I chase, / The first foe in the field; / And with a
stronger faith embrace / A sword, a horse, a shield
2. Theirs … to do and die.
3. Connect to Style Reread lines 35–38 of “The Charge of the Light
Brigade.” Identify any coordinating conjunctions, and explain how they

help increase the dramatic impact of the poem.
Write It  Standards
Language
Notebook Use a coordinating conjunction to create a sentence that • Demonstrate command of the
logically links each pair of clauses. Then, rewrite the sentence to make it conventions of standard English
concise. Explain the relationship created by the conjunction. grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
1. The speaker tells his side of the story. He does not reveal how • Demonstrate command of the
Lucasta feels. conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
• Apply knowledge of language to
2. The men rode into the jaws of hell. The men were extremely courageous. understand how language functions
in different contexts, to make
effective choices for meaning or style,
and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.
MAKING MEANING
Comparing Texts
You will now read two more poems, “The Song
of the Mud” and “Dulce et Decorum Est.” First,
complete the first-read and close-read activities.
POETRY COLLECTION 1 POETRY COLLECTION 2
Then, compare the literary elements in “To Lucasta,
on Going to the Wars” and “The Charge of the
Light Brigade” with the elements in these poems.
POETRY COLLECTION 2
The Song of the Mud

Concept Vocabulary
As you perform your first read of “The Song of the Mud” and “Dulce et
Decorum Est,” you will encounter these words.
impertinent putrid vile
Context Clues When you come upon a word in a text that you don’t
know, you can often determine its meaning by using context clues—
the surrounding words and phrases. These clues may include synonyms,
antonyms, definitions, or elaborating details.
Example/Antonyms: His honesty made him an ideal candidate, in

contrast to the duplicity of his opponent.
Apply your knowledge of context clues and other vocabulary strategies to

determine the meanings of unfamiliar words you encounter during your
first read.
First Read POETRY

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close read after your first read. Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
 STANDARDS
Reading Literature
By the end of grade 12, read and NOTICE who or what is ANNOTATE by marking
“speaking” the poem and vocabulary and key passages
high end of the grades 11–CCR text whether the poem tells a you want to revisit.
complexity band independently and story or describes a single
proficiently. moment.
Language
• Determine or clarify the meaning
of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases based on CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing
grades 11–12 reading and content, the selection to what you the Comprehension Check.
choosing flexibly from a range of already know and what
strategies. you’ve already read.
• Use context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.

About the Poets Backgrounds
Mary Borden (1886–1968) was born in Chicago to a wealthy The Song of the Mud
family. When World War I broke out, she worked as a nurse in a The trenches of World War I were constantly
field hospital that she had equipped with her own money. During being eroded by weather. Rains turned
this time, she wrote “The Song of the Mud.” She continued to battlefields to mud, and trenches were filled
write after the war and published The Forbidden Zone, a book of with water. Rats abounded, and they ate
short stories, in 1929. During World War II, she helped set up an the men’s food and chewed on the corpses.
ambulance unit that supported the exiled French government’s Trench foot, a fungal disease, was common
forces in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. because of the muddy environment. In
extreme cases, the soldier’s foot would have
to be amputated. Lice caused trench fever,
another illness that thrived in the unhealthy
mud at the Front.
Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) was one of Dulce et Decorum Est

the most memorable poets of World War I. Great Britain had no propaganda machine
He had always wanted to be a poet, and his at the beginning of World War I, but British
experiences as a soldier gave him his voice. schoolboys had long been exposed to the
He was a teacher when he enlisted in the idea that it was a noble thing to die for one’s
British army in 1915. He experienced shell country. They studied the Latin poet Horace,
shock and was sent back to England. While who had written that death for one’s country
in the hospital there, he met a fellow poet, is “sweet and honorable.” British war heroes
Siegfried Sassoon, who encouraged him to were venerated. The reality of war, however,
explore his war experiences in poetry. Owen contradicted the subtle propaganda of the
returned to the Front, eventually earning the schoolroom. The sheer misery of life in the
Military Cross for his courage. He was killed in trenches and the unconscionable loss of
battle in 1918. a generation of young men revealed the
underlying reality.
POETRY
The Song of the Mud
Mary Borden
This is the song of the mud,

NOTES The pale yellow glistening mud that covers the hills like satin;
The gray gleaming silvery mud that is spread like enamel over the
valleys;

The frothing, squirting, spurting, liquid mud that gurgles along the
road beds;
5 The thick elastic mud that is kneaded and pounded and squeezed
under the hoofs of the horses;
The invincible, inexhaustible mud of the war zone.
This is the song of the mud, the uniform of the poilu.1
His coat is of mud, his great dragging flapping coat, that is too big for
him and too heavy;
His coat that once was blue and now is gray and stiff with the mud
that cakes to it.
10 This is the mud that clothes him. His trousers and boots are of mud,
And his skin is of mud;
And there is mud in his beard.
1. poilu (pwah LOO) n. French for “hairy one;” a slang term for French soldiers during
World War I.

His head is crowned with a helmet of mud.
He wears it well. NOTES
15 He wears it as a king wears the ermine2 that bores him.

He has set a new style in clothing;
He has introduced the chic of mud. another strategy you used that
This is the song of the mud that wriggles its way into battle. helped you determine meaning.
The impertinent, the intrusive, the ubiquitous, the unwelcome, impertinent (ihm PURT uhn
20 The slimy inveterate nuisance, uhnt) adj.
That fills the trenches, MEANING:
That mixes in with the food of the soldiers,

That spoils the working of motors and crawls into their secret parts,
That spreads itself over the guns,
25 That sucks the guns down and holds them fast in its slimy
voluminous lips,
That has no respect for destruction and muzzles the bursting shells;
And slowly, softly, easily,
Soaks up the fire, the noise; soaks up the energy and the courage;
Soaks up the power of armies;
30 Soaks up the battle.
Just soaks it up and thus stops it. another strategy you used that
This is the hymn of mud—the obscene, the filthy, the putrid, helped you determine meaning.
The vast liquid grave of our armies. It has drowned our men. putrid (PYOO trihd) adj.
Its monstrous distended belly reeks with the undigested dead. MEANING:
35 Our men have gone into it, sinking slowly, and struggling and
slowly disappearing.
Our fine men, our brave, strong, young men;
Our glowing red, shouting, brawny men.
Slowly, inch by inch, they have gone down into it,
Into its darkness, its thickness, its silence.
40 Slowly, irresistibly, it drew them down, sucked them down,
And they were drowned in thick, bitter, heaving mud.
Now it hides them, Oh, so many of them!
Under its smooth glistening surface it is hiding them blandly.
There is not a trace of them.

45 There is no mark where they went down.
The mute enormous mouth of the mud has closed over them.
This is the song of the mud,
The beautiful glistening golden mud that covers the hills like satin;
The mysterious gleaming silvery mud that is spread like enamel over
the valleys.
50 Mud, the disguise of the war zone;
Mud, the mantle of battles;
Mud, the smooth fluid grave of our soldiers:
This is the song of the mud.
2. ermine (UR mihn) n. soft white fur from a type of weasel, historically used to trim royal
robes in Europe.
The Song of the Mud 87

POETRY
Wilfred Owen
Dulce et
Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, NOTES
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
5 Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines1 that dropped behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling,

10 Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
15 In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
20 His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Mark context clues or indicate
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud another strategy you used that
helped you determine meaning.
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
25 My friend, you would not tell with such high zest vile (vyl) adj.
MEANING:
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.2
1. Five-Nines 5.9-inch artillery shells.

2. Dulce et Decorum est / Pro patria mori Latin for “it is sweet and honorable
to die for one’s country,” a line from the Roman poet Horace’s Odes.
Dulce et Decorum Est 89

Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify
details with your group.
THE SONG OF THE MUD
1. What specific mud is the speaker describing in this poem?
2. According to the speaker, for what does the mud have no respect?
3. According to the speaker, with what does the “belly” of the mud reek?
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
1. Describe the soldiers’ physical state at the beginning of the poem.
2. What causes one of the soldiers to “drown” in the second stanza?
3. What is the source of the poem’s title?
RESEARCH
Research to Clarify Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from one of the poems. Briefly
research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect
of the poem?
Research to Explore Briefly research the conditions of trench warfare in World War I.
Share what you discover with your group.

MAKING MEANING
Close Read the Text

With your group, revisit sections of the text you marked
during your first read. Annotate details that you notice.
What questions do you have? What can you conclude?
POETRY COLLECTION 2

Complete the activities.

1. Review and Clarify With your group, discuss how lines 40–46 of
GROUP DISCUSSION
“The Song of the Mud” and lines 21–28 of “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Encourage speakers by
reveal each poet’s attitude toward war.
paying close attention to
2. Present and Discuss Now, work with your group to share the passages them. Make eye contact
from the two selections that you found especially important. Take and lean forward when they
turns presenting your passages. Discuss what details you noticed, what make key points. Nod to
questions you asked, and what conclusions you reached. show that you understand
3. Essential Question: What makes a hero? What have these two poems something the speaker is
taught you about heroism and leadership? Discuss with your group. saying. Doing so helps the
speaker express his or her
ideas more easily.
language development
Concept Vocabulary
impertinent putrid vile  WORD NETWORK
Why These Words? The three concept vocabulary words from the text related to heroism from the
are related. With your group, determine what the words have in common. text to your Word Network.
Write your ideas, and add another word that fits the category.
Practice
Notebook Confirm your understanding of the concept vocabulary
words by using them in sentences. Be sure to include context clues that

suggest each word’s meaning.
Word Study
Notebook Denotation and Connotation Impertinent, rude,  Standards
and bold have the same denotation (dictionary meaning) but different Language
connotations (emotional overtones). Impertinent, which suggests that • Consult general and specialized
reference materials, both print and
someone is being intrusive or presumptuous, has a less negative connotation digital, to find the pronunciation of
than rude, which suggests an insolent or vulgar lack of respect. Bold has the a word or determine or clarify its
same denotation as impertinent and rude but a more positive connotation, as precise meaning, its part of speech,
it suggests that someone is courageously breaking the rules for good reason.
• Demonstrate understanding
Look up the words putrid and vile in a thesaurus and in a college-level of figurative language, word
dictionary. Find three synonyms for each word, and write a sentence for relationships, and nuances in word
each synonym. Use the sentences to show how the connotations of the meanings.
• Analyze nuances in the meaning of
synonyms differ. words with similar denotations.
MAKING MEANING

Word Choice and Theme A writer’s diction, or word choice, is an
important part of his or her style. Diction helps to convey the writer’s tone,
or attitude toward his or her subject or audience. Many writers also use
irony—words used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning—to
POETRY COLLECTION 2
convey tone and meaning. Together, word choice, tone, and the use of irony
may provide significant clues to the theme of a work, or the central idea or
insight about life the writer wishes to convey.
The title of “The Song of the Mud” suggests a cheerful message, but the
poem is anything but cheerful. This use of irony, as well as word choice
throughout the poem, helps to convey one of the poem’s themes: War, like
mud, is indifferent to human suffering.

to support your answers.
Practice
As a group, review the Borden and Owen poems to identify powerful
CLARIFICATION
words and phrases. Then, complete the tone, irony, and theme
Literary works often have columns individually, and answer the questions that follow. Compare
more than one theme, and
your responses with the rest of the group once you are finished.
the themes may even appear
to be contradictory. That is
because writers often convey LITERARY
DICTION TONE IRONY THEME(S)
layers of meaning, especially WORK
in poems. The Song of
the Mud
Dulce et
Decorum
Est
 STANDARDS
Notebook Respond to the following questions, and share your
Reading Literature
• Determine two or more themes or responses with the group.
central ideas of a text and analyze
their development over the course of 1. (a) In lines 16–17 of “The Song of the Mud,” the speaker describes
the text, including how they interact the soldiers covered in mud as setting “a new style in clothing” and
and build on one another to produce introducing “the chic of mud.” Explain how these descriptions are
a complex account; provide an
examples of irony. (b) How does word choice, tone, and the use of
objective summary of the text.
• Determine the meaning of words irony in these lines reveal the theme that war does not care about
and phrases as they are used in human suffering?
the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the 2. (a) In the opening lines of “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the speaker
impact of specific word choices on compares the soldiers to “old beggars under sacks, / Knock-kneed,
meaning and tone, including words coughing like hags. . . .” What tone does Owens’s word choice
with multiple meanings or language
that is particularly fresh, engaging, convey? (b) What larger message about warfare do the word choice
or beautiful. and tone of the poem reveal?
• Analyze a case in which grasping
point of view requires distinguishing 3. What additional themes related to war and people’s responsibility in
what is directly stated in a text from it are revealed in these poems?
what is really meant.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Types of Phrases A preposition shows the relationship between a noun
or pronoun and another word in a sentence. A prepositional phrase
consists of a preposition and a noun or pronoun, known as the object
of the preposition, as well as any modifiers it may have. Writers use
prepositional phrases to add detail to sentences.
A prepositional phrase acts as either an adjective or an adverb within a

sentence. It acts as an adjective if it modifies a noun or pronoun by telling
what kind or which one. It acts as an adverb if it modifies a verb, an
adjective, or an adverb by telling where, why, when, in what way, or to
what extent.
In this chart, the prepositional phrases are underlined, and the words they
modify are in boldface.
EXAMPLE FUNCTION TELLS
Eliza appreciates the beauty of a well-crafted poem. adjective what kind
She finds Owen’s poem about the gas attack moving. adjective which one
She reads all of his poems with great pleasure. adverb in what way
Their imagery lingers in her mind long afterward. adverb where
Read It
1. Mark the prepositional phrase in each line from “The Song of the Mud.”
Then, indicate whether it is acting as an adjective or as an adverb.
a. The invincible, inexhaustible mud of the war zone.
b. Slowly, inch by inch, they have gone down into it.
c. Under its smooth glistening surface it is holding them blandly.

2. Connect to Style Reread the last stanza of “Dulce et Decorum Est.”

Mark two prepositional phrases used as adverbs. Indicate which word
each phrase is modifying. Then, explain how the use of that phrase
conveys something about the gas attack in a unique way.
Write It
 Standards
Notebook Expand these sentences by adding prepositional phrases.
Language
You may use multiple phrases in a sentence. • Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
Example: The mud spoils the motors. grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
The mud spoils the motors and crawls into their secret parts. • Apply knowledge of language to
understand how language functions
in different contexts, to make
1. The soldiers move. effective choices for meaning or style,
2. The mud spread. and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.
Writing to Compare
You have read two sets of poems about war: “To Lucasta, on Going
to the Wars” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” written in the
seventeenth and nineteenth centuries; and “The Song of the Mud” and
“Dulce et Decorum Est,” written in the twentieth century. Now, deepen
POETRY COLLECTION 1
your understanding of both sets of poems by comparing the poets’ use of
diction, their word choices and arrangement of words and phrases. Note
that diction helps convey a writer’s tone, or attitude toward a subject.
Together, diction and tone give significant clues to the theme, or central
idea, of a work.
Assignment
POETRY COLLECTION 2
The two sets of poems share a topic, but they are very different in diction
and tone. Write a compare-and-contrast essay in which you analyze the
diction and tone of Lovelace’s and Tennyson’s poems and the diction and
tone of Borden’s and Owen’s poems. Draw conclusions about how the
poets use these elements to develop one or more themes.
Planning and Prewriting

Analyze the Texts With your group, identify words and phrases in each
set of poems that have strong connotations or are used in surprising or
effective ways. Discuss the specific effects that the diction of each passage
has on the reader. Use the chart to record your ideas.
POEM WORDS / PHRASES EFFECT OF DICTION
The Song of the Mud

1. In what ways are the poets’ attitudes toward war similar and different?
2. What theme(s) do the diction and tone of each set of poems suggest?

Drafting
Write a Working Thesis Work independently. First, review your Prewriting
notes. Then, write one or two sentences stating the central idea, or thesis,
you will develop. Your thesis should clearly state how the diction in each set
of poems creates particular tones and suggests certain themes.
Choose Evidence Identify passages you will use to illustrate and support
your ideas. Share your choices with the group. After sharing, change your
choices, if you wish.
Passage:
 EVIDENCE LOG
Idea it Supports: Before moving on to a
Passage: new selection, go to your
Evidence Log and record
Idea it Supports: what you have learned
Passage: from Poetry Collection 1
and Poetry Collection 2.
Idea it Supports:
Passage:
Idea it Supports:
Organize Ideas Consider using one of the following two structures. With
your group, discuss the pros and cons of each.
Block Organization
 Standards
I. Poetry Collection 1 (“To Lucasta . . .”; “The Charge of the Light Brigade”)
Writing
A. how diction helps create tone • Write informative/explanatory texts
B. how diction and tone suggest certain themes ideas, concepts, and information
II. Poetry Collection 2 (“The Song of the Mud”; “Dulce et Decorum Est”)
effective selection, organization, and
A. how diction helps create tone analysis of content.
• Introduce a topic; organize
B. how diction and tone suggest certain themes
complex ideas, concepts, and
information to make important
connections and distinctions;
Point-by-Point Organization including formatting, graphics, and

multimedia when useful to aiding
I. How diction contributes to the tones of the poems comprehension.
• Apply grades 11–12 Reading
A. “To Lucasta . . .” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” standards to literature.
B. “The Song of the Mud” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” Speaking and Listening
• Initiate and participate effectively
II. How diction and tone suggest certain themes in a range of collaborative
A. “To Lucasta . . .” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” discussions with diverse partners
on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and
B. “The Song of the Mud” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
• Come to discussions prepared,
Review, Revise, and Edit having read and researched material
Share your completed draft with your group. Ask for feedback about the under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to evidence
clarity of your thesis, the integrity of your organization, the strength of your from texts and other research on
evidence, and the effectiveness of your conclusion. Use your group members’ the topic or issue to stimulate a
feedback to refine your draft. thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange
of ideas.
Poetry Collection 1 • Poetry Collection 2 95

Making Meaning
About the Source

BBC iWonder The British
How Did Harry Patch Become
Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) has used its new digital
an Unlikely WWI Hero?
learning program, iWonder,
to create interactive guides on
Media Vocabulary
a series of thought-provoking The following words will be helpful to you as you analyze, discuss, and write
subjects. Using archival about interactive websites.
footage, interviews, and
original material, iWonder
navigation: moving from • Navigation within a website often involves using
created this interactive guide to
place to place on a website a navigation bar at the top or side of the screen.
the heroes of World War I.
or on the Internet to find • Navigation may involve following links to other
information websites.
embedded video: video • Embedding is the act of putting a video or other

that has been placed within piece of media on a website.
the HTML (HyperText • Many websites contain embedded videos that
Markup Language) code of provide additional information on a subject.
a Web page
slide show: presentation • Slide shows can be simple or complex,
based on or supplemented depending on the number of images and
by a series of still images whether there are links to related images
or text.
• Slide shows are often useful when giving
presentations.
First Review MEDIA: INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first review. You will have an
opportunity to complete a close review after your first review.
EXPLORE the interactive media NOTE elements that you find

to learn about the ideas it interesting and want to revisit.
presents. OR
E NO
L
TE
E XP
 STANDARDS First
Review
D
Reading Informational Text

CO
ON
N
N
By the end of grade 12, read and EC SP

T RE
CONNECT ideas in the RESPOND by completing the
comprehend literary nonfiction at the
high end of the grades 11–CCR text interactive media to other media Comprehension Check.
complexity band independently and you’ve experienced, texts you’ve
proficiently. read, or images you’ve seen.
Language
academic and domain-specific words
and phrases, sufficient for reading,
writing, speaking, and listening at
the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence
in gathering vocabulary knowledge
expression.

MEDIA | INTERACTIVE WEBSITE
How Did Harry Patch Become

an Unlikely WWI Hero?
BBC iWonder
BACKGROUND
The soldiers of World War I were fighting a new kind of war with far more
potent weapons than those of the previous century. After the Allied victory at the
Battle of the Marne, both sides dug in for a conflict that was more costly in lives
and equipment than either side had anticipated. They dug in literally; trenches
snaked their way across Europe from northern Belgium to the French border with
Switzerland. The two armies lived in and fought from the trenches. The soldiers
existed in abysmal conditions and constant danger. It was appropriate that the
world eventually came to recognize the heroism of the common soldier.
NOTES
How Did Harry Patch Become an Unlikely WWI Hero? 97

Making Meaning
Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first review. Review and
clarify details with your group.
1. For what is Harry Patch most well-known?
2. The website depicts heroic women in what profession?
3. What is the difference between the two World War I medals that Harry Patch
received?
4. Identify a hero or group of heroes that one of the commentators mentions on

the final page of the website.
media vocabulary
Close Review
Use these words as you With your group, revisit the interactive website and your
discuss, analyze, and write first‑review notes. Record any new observations that seem
about the selection. important. What questions do you have? What can
you conclude?
navigation
embedded video
slide show
Analyze the Media to support your answers.

 WORD NETWORK Complete the activities.
1. Review and Clarify With your group, review material about Harry
related to heroism from
Patch’s role in World War I. Discuss how Harry Patch became a hero.
the website to your Word
Network.
2. Present and Discuss Now, work with your group to share parts of the
interactive website you found especially important. Take turns presenting
what you found. Discuss what details you noticed, what questions you
asked, and what conclusions you reached.
3. Essential Question: What makes a hero? What has this selection

revealed about the relationship between heroism and leadership? Discuss
with your group.

Effective Expression
Writing to Sources
Assignment
Write a brief critical analysis of the website in one to three paragraphs.
HOW DID HARRY PATCH BECOME AN
• Summarize the main point the site makes about heroism. UNLIKELY WWI HERO?
• Discuss the way the site draws on visuals and audio to support its point.
• Conclude your analysis by listing one aspect of the site you found effective
and one you think might be improved.
Research
Assignment
 EVIDENCE LOG
Before moving on to a
With your group, find out more about how World War I differed from new selection, go to your
previous wars and helped change people’s attitudes toward war. Use log and record what you
print and online sources and summarize what you have learned in a learned from “How Did
research overview, listing three to five main conclusions with supporting Harry Patch Become an
references. Assess the strengths and limitations of each source you chose. Unlikely WWI Hero?”
Choose from the following topics.
the roles of a variety of participants in World War I, including such

figures as generals, infantry soldiers, cavalrymen, nurses, ambulance
drivers, stretcher-bearers, and fighter pilots.
technology in World War I, including the importance of railroads,

motorized vehicles, and horses.
 Standards
trench warfare, including the digging, arrangement, and size of the Writing
trenches as well as the conditions, hazards, and physical misery of the • Write informative/explanatory texts
trench environment.
ideas, concepts, and information
As you research online, use advanced search techniques to locate targeted effective selection, organization, and
information. analysis of content.
• Conduct short as well as more

Quotation Marks: Quotation marks indicate that you want information sustained research projects to
that includes a specific phrase. For example: if you search for “Battle of answer a question or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the
Passchendaele,” your results will be limited to only those sites containing
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
that exact phrase. multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the
“Or” Search: If you use several keywords in your search, your results will subject under investigation.
include sites that contain both words—this is called an “AND” search. If • Gather relevant information from
you want results that contain either of the terms, use “OR.” multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced
Example: “Harry Patch” OR “Battle of Passchendaele” searches effectively; assess the
strengths and limitations of each
Asterisk Search: If you’re not exactly sure of a term or its spelling, use source in terms of the task, purpose,
an asterisk. and audience; integrate information
Example: “Battle of *” into the text selectively to maintain
the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism
and overreliance on any one source
and following a standard format for
citation.
How Did Harry Patch Become an Unlikely WWI Hero? 99

PERFORMANCE TASK: SPEAKING AND LISTENING FOCUS
SOURCES
• TO LUCASTA, ON GOING TO
Present an Argument
THE WARS
Assignment
• THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT
BRIGADE You have just finished reading an assortment of poems and a Web page
that deal with the heroes of wartime. Work with your group to develop a
• THE SONG OF THE MUD
scripted slide show that addresses this question:
• DULCE ET DECORUM EST
What heroic traits does the traditional war hero exhibit?
• HOW DID HARRY PATCH
BECOME AN UNLIKELY WWI
HERO?
Plan With Your Group
Analyze the Text With your group, discuss the personality traits that apply
to the heroes of each selection. Note any discrepancies or differences among
them. Then, make a list of traits that seem typical, and develop a claim. Use
the chart to capture your observations.
TITLE HEROIC TRAITS
To Lucasta, on Going to
the Wars
The Charge of the Light

Brigade
The Song of the Mud

 Standards
Writing
Use technology, including the How Did Harry Patch
Internet, to produce, publish, and
Become an Unlikely WWI
update individual or shared writing
products in response to ongoing Hero?
feedback, including new arguments
or information. The heroic traits that apply to the traditional war hero include these:
• Initiate and participate effectively
in a range of collaborative
discussions with diverse partners
on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and Gather Evidence and Media Examples Find specific details from the
expressing their own clearly and texts to support your claim. Then, work with group members to locate online
persuasively. photographs, artwork, or video clips that illustrate your claim. Divide the
• Respond thoughtfully to diverse
work either by text or by the traits you included in your claim.
perspectives; synthesize comments,
claims, and evidence made on
all sides of an issue; resolve
contradictions when possible;
and determine what additional
information or research is required to
deepen the investigation or complete
the task.

Organize Your Presentation Start by organizing your visuals in an order

that makes sense to the group. Then, write a script for your slide show.
Include a line or two of text for each slide in your presentation. Assign
members of your group to read the script as the slides are shown.
Rehearse With Your Group

Practice With Your Group View the slides, with assigned readers reading
the script. Use this checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of your group’s first
run-through. Then, use your evaluation and these instructions to guide your
revision.
PRESENTATION
CONTENT USE OF MEDIA
TECHNIQUES
The presentation Equipment functions Visuals are clear

answers the properly. and ordered
question in the logically.
assignment. Script and slides are
synchronized. Speakers use
Slides illuminate eye contact and
and support the speak clearly.
claim.
Transitions
between slides
and between
speakers are
smooth.
Fine-Tune the Content If necessary, replace slides with visuals that

better support your claim. Do you have too many slides representing a single
heroic trait and only a few or none representing another? Strive to create a
balanced presentation.
Improve Your Timing of Media Time your slides so that they match up
with the script. You may find that moving from slide to slide manually works
better than setting an automatic time for each slide.

Practice Your Presentation Techniques Your audience will enjoy your
presentation more if every script reader speaks expressively and clearly, and
at an appropriate volume and rate. Practice the script until the transitions
from one reader to another flow naturally.
Present and Evaluate

As you present your slideshow, be alert to your audience. Do they
understand your claim and appreciate your visuals? As you watch other
groups’ slide shows, consider how your presentations are alike and different.  Standards
Make strategic use of digital
media in presentations to enhance
understanding of findings, reasoning,
and evidence and to add interest.
Performance Task: Slide Show 101

OVERVIEW: INDEPENDENT LEARNING
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What makes a hero?

Heroism may be inspired by many different motivations, including love of country,
belief in certain ideals, or a desire for fame and recognition. In this section, you will
choose one additional selection about heroism for your final reading experience in
this unit. Follow these steps to help you choose.
Look Back Think about the selections you have already studied. Which aspects of
heroism do you wish to explore further? Which time period interests you the most?
Look Ahead Preview the texts by reading the descriptions. Which one seems most
interesting and appealing to you?
Look Inside Take a few minutes to scan the text you chose. Choose a different
one if this text doesn’t meet your needs.
Independent Learning Strategies

Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will need
to rely on yourself to learn and work on your own. Review these strategies and the
actions you can take to practice them during Independent Learning. Add ideas of
your own for each category.
Create a schedule • Understand your goals and deadlines.

• Make a plan for what to do each day.
Practice what you • Use first-read and close-read strategies to deepen your understanding.
have learned • After reading, evaluate the usefulness of the evidence to help you understand the topic. Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
• After reading, consult reference sources for background information that can
help you clarify meaning.
Take notes • Record important ideas and information.

• Review notes before taking your next step.

CONTENTS
Choose one selection. Selections are available online only.
ESSAY
Accidental Hero
Zadie Smith
How does a working-class, ordinary young man become a

courageous war hero?
SCIENCE ARTICLE
The New Psychology of Leadership

Stephen D. Reicher, Michael J. Platow, S. Alexander Haslam
What is the relationship between heroism and leadership?
SPEECH
Speech Before Her Troops

Queen Elizabeth I
What heroic qualities does Queen Elizabeth I demonstrate

in her speech?
POETRY
The Battle of Maldon

Is standing firm against impossible odds foolish or heroic?
SPEECH
Defending Nonviolent Resistance

Mohandas K. Gandhi
Can the refusal to engage in violence be a form of heroism?

SPEECH
Pericles’ Funeral Oration

Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner
On what should a funeral oration for a fallen hero focus?
PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT PREP

Review Evidence for an Argument
Complete your Evidence Log for the unit by evaluating what you have learned and
synthesizing the information you have recorded.
Overview: Independent Learning 103

INDEPENDENT LEARNING
First-Read Guide Tool Kit

First-Read Guide and
Model Annotation
Use this page to record your first-read ideas.
Selection Title:
NOTICE new information or ideas you learn ANNOTATE by marking vocabulary and key
about the unit topic as you first read this text. passages you want to revisit.
CONNECT ideas within the selection to RESPOND by writing a brief summary of

other knowledge, the Essential Question, the selection.
and the selections you have read. Use reliable
reference material to clarify historical context.
 STANDARD
Reading Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Close-Read Guide Tool Kit

Close-Read Guide and
Model Annotation
Use this page to record your close-read ideas.
Selection Title:
Close Read the Text Analyze the Text

Revisit sections of the text you marked during Think about the author’s choices of patterns,
your first read. Read these sections closely structure, techniques, and ideas included in
and annotate what you notice. Ask yourself the text. Select one and record your thoughts
questions about the text. What can you about what this choice conveys.
conclude? Write down your ideas.
QuickWrite
Pick a paragraph from the text that grabbed your interest. Explain the power of this passage.
 STANDARD
Reading Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Overview: Independent Learning 105

INDEPENDENT learning
 evidence log Share Your Independent Learning

Go to your Evidence Log Prepare to Share
and record what you learned
What makes a hero?
from the text you read.
Even if you read something independently, your understanding continues to
grow when you share what you have learned with others. Reflect on the text
you explored independently and write notes about its connection to the unit.
In your notes, consider why this text belongs in this unit.
Learn From Your Classmates

Discuss It Share your ideas about the text you explored on your own.
As you talk with others in your class, jot down ideas you learned from them.

Reflect
Review your notes, and mark the most important insight you gained from
these writing and discussion activities. Explain how this idea adds to your
understanding of what makes a hero.
 Standards
Initiate and participate effectively in
a range of collaborative discussions
with diverse partners on grades
11–12 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT prep
Review Evidence for an Argument

At the beginning of this unit, you took a position on the following question:
Which contributes more to heroism—sacrifice or success?
 evidence log
Review your Evidence Log and your QuickWrite from the beginning of the
unit. Have your ideas changed?
Yes NO
Identify at least three pieces of evidence that Identify at least three pieces of evidence that
caused you to reevaluate your ideas. reinforced your original position.
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
State your position now:

Identify a possible counterargument:
Evaluate the Strength of Your Evidence Consider your argument.

Do you have enough evidence to support your claim? Do you have enough
evidence to refute a counterclaim? If not, make a plan.  Standards
Writing
Introduce precise, knowledgeable
Do some research Talk with my classmates claim(s), establish the significance
Reread a selection Talk with a friend or family member claim(s) from alternate or opposing
Other: that logically sequences claim(s),
Performance-Based Assessment Prep 107

performance-based assessment
sources PART 1
• WHOLE-CLASS SELECTIONS
Writing to Sources: Argument
• small-group selections In this unit, you have read an epic, a graphic novel, poems, and a website,
all dealing with some aspect of heroism. Depending on their authors and
• INDEPENDENT-LEARNING
the times in which they were composed, the selections reveal a variety of
selection
attitudes about heroism and leadership.
Assignment
Write an argument in which you offer a response to this question:
Which contributes more to heroism—sacrifice
or success?
Begin by deciding on your claim and stating it as part of a concise
introduction. Use credible evidence from the texts you have read and from
your own experience to support your assertion. As you write, think about what
someone might say to refute your argument. Make sure that your argument
addresses those contradictory ideas.
Reread the Assignment Review the assignment to be sure you fully

understand it. The assignment references some of the academic words
presented at the beginning of the unit. Be sure you understand each of the
words in order to complete the assignment correctly.
Academic Vocabulary
purport credible assertion

presume contradictory
 WORD NETWORK Review the Elements of an Argument Before you begin writing, read
the Argument Rubric. Once you have completed your first draft, check it
As you write and revise your
against the rubric. If one or more of the elements is missing or not as strong
argument, use your Word
as it could be, revise your argument to add or strengthen that component.
Network to help vary your
word choices.
 Standards
Writing
or texts, using valid reasoning and
• Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
• Write routinely over extended
time frames and shorter time frames
for a range of tasks, purposes, and
audiences.

Argument Rubric
Focus and Organization Evidence and Elaboration Language Conventions
The introduction is engaging Sources of evidence are The argument intentionally
and establishes the claim in a comprehensive and specific uses standard English
compelling way. and contain relevant conventions of usage and
information. mechanics.
Valid reasons and evidence address
and support the claim while clearly The tone of the argument is
acknowledging counterclaims. formal and objective.
4
Ideas progress logically and are Vocabulary is used
connected by a variety of transitional strategically and appropriately
words and phrases. for the audience and purpose.
The conclusion offers fresh insight into

the claim.
The introduction is engaging and The sources of evidence The argument demonstrates
states the claim in a way that grabs contain relevant information. accuracy in standard English
readers’ attention. conventions of usage and
The tone of the essay is mostly mechanics.
Reasons and evidence address and formal and objective.
support the claim while acknowledging
counterclaims. Vocabulary is generally
3 appropriate for the audience
Ideas progress logically and include and purpose.
transitions that connect readers to the
argument.
The conclusion restates important

information.
The introduction establishes the claim. Sources of evidence contain The argument demonstrates
some relevant information. some accuracy in standard
Some reasons and evidence address English conventions of usage
and support the claim while briefly The tone of the argument and mechanics.
acknowledging counterclaims. is occasionally formal and
objective.
2 Ideas progress somewhat logically.
A few sentence transitions connect Vocabulary is somewhat
readers to the argument. appropriate for the audience
and purpose.
The conclusion offers some insight into
the claim and restates information.
The claim is not clearly stated. Reliable or relevant evidence The argument contains
is not included. mistakes in standard English
Reasons or evidence are not included conventions of usage and
for the claim. Counterclaims are not The tone of the argument is mechanics.
acknowledged. informal.
Ideas do not progress logically. The vocabulary used is limited

1 Sentences are often short and choppy and ineffectual.
and do not connect readers to the
argument.
The conclusion does not restate any

information that is important.
Performance-Based Assessment 109

performance-based assessment
PART 2
Speaking and Listening: Speech
Assignment
After completing the final draft of your argument, prepare to read it as
a speech. You will deliver your speech as if you were speaking to one of
these audiences:
Cadets at West Point Graduating High School Seniors

A Political Convention Peace Corps Volunteers
Follow these steps to make your speech lively and targeted to a specific
audience.
• Make a clean copy of your argument. Read your text aloud, keeping in
mind the audience you chose. Highlight the material you would most
want to emphasize for that audience. Should you change any words or
sentences to make the speech more appropriate for your audience? If so,
 Standards use editing marks to make those changes.
Speaking and Listening • Practice your delivery, keeping your audience in mind. Remember to look
Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence, conveying a up regularly rather than staring at your paper.
clear and distinct perspective, such • Tell your classmates what audience you are imagining them to be. Deliver
that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning, alternative or opposing your speech, letting your voice and gestures provide interest and energy.
perspectives are addressed, and
the organization, development, Review the Rubric The criteria by which your speech will be evaluated
substance, and style are appropriate
to purpose, audience, and a range of appear in the rubric below. Review the criteria before delivering your speech
formal and informal tasks. to ensure that you are prepared.
Content Presentation Techniques

My delivery is obviously meant for a specific I speak clearly and at an appropriate volume.
audience.
I vary my tone and pace to maintain interest.
3 My speech is clearly organized and easy
to follow. I make eye contact and use gestures to engage

the audience.
My delivery is consistent, although the I speak clearly most of the time and usually use an
intended audience may not be obvious. appropriate volume.
2 My speech is organized and fairly easy I try to vary tone and pace, but I may be inconsistent.
to follow.
I make occasional eye contact and use some gestures.
My delivery is generic, with no specific I mumble occasionally, speak too quickly, and/or do not
audience in mind. speak loudly enough.
1
My speech is disorganized and may be I use filler words such as like and um.
difficult to follow.
I fail to make eye contact or to use gestures to
add interest.

UNIT
1 REFLECTION
Reflect on the Unit

Now that you’ve completed the unit, take a few moments to reflect on
your learning.
Reflect on the Unit Goals

Look back at the goals at the beginning of the unit. Use a different colored
pen to rate yourself again. Then, think about readings and activities
that contributed the most to the growth of your understanding. Record
your thoughts.
Reflect on the Learning Strategies

Discuss It Write a reflection on whether you were able to improve your
learning based on your Action Plans. Think about what worked, what didn’t,
and what you might do to keep working on these strategies. Record your
ideas before joining a class discussion.
Reflect on the Text

Choose a selection that you found challenging, and explain what made
it difficult.
 STANDARDS
Describe something that surprised you about a text in the unit. • Initiate and participate effectively in
a range of collaborative discussions
with diverse partners on grades
11–12 topics, texts, and issues
building on others’ ideas and
Which activity taught you the most about heroes, warriors, and leaders? expressing their own clearly and
What did you learn? persuasively.
• Come to discussions prepared,
having read and researched material
under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to evidence
from texts and other research on
the topic or issue to stimulate a
thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange
of ideas.
Performance-Based Assessment 111

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UNIT

Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Discuss It Around the world and throughout time, leaders

Before the Battle

What makes a hero? A World of Heroes

WHOLE-CLASS SMALL-GROUP INDEPENDENT

The Charge of the

MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL Dulce et Decorum SPEECH

PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE TASK PERFORMANCE-Based Assessment PRep

NOT AT ALL NOT VERY SOMEWHAT VERY EXTREMELY

• Read a variety of texts to gain the

• Expand your knowledge and use of

WRITING AND RESEARCH GOALS 1 2 3 4 5

• Write an argument that has a clear

• Conduct research projects of various

Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

4 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

Academic Vocabulary: Argument

WORD MENTOR SENTENCES PREDICT MEANING RELATED WORDS

purport 1. This is a work of fiction and purportedly; purported

credible 1. His alibi was not credible, so

assertion 1. Is it your assertion that Pluto

“to connect” of water shortages.

presume 1. I presume you want to go since

contradictory 1. The senator’s various

LAUNCH TEXT | ARGUMENT MODEL

This text is an example of an

L iterature is rife with heroes. It has been so since the beginning.

6 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

 WORD NETWORK FOR FORGING A HERO

8 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

 EVIDENCE LOG FOR FORGING A HERO

summarize your initial position Title of Text: Date:

Evidence Log after each selection.

What makes a hero?

Whole-Class Learning Strategies

STRATEGY ACTION PLAN

10 UNIT 1 • FORGING A HERO

ANCHOR TEXT: EPIC POETRY

translated by Burton Raffel

What happens when an epic hero and an

MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL

How do the images in the graphic novel

Overview: Whole-Class Learning 11

Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

c. 750: Surviving version 787: First papal legation

12 UNIT 1 • Forging a Hero

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

M edi t er r anean Sea

in England, founding monasteries as centers of

890: King Alfred orders compilation

c. 975: Saxon monks

14 UNIT 1 • Forging a Hero

Literature Selections ADDITIONAL LITERATURE OF THE

1040: Historical Macbeth becomes king

About the Translator

Burton Raffel WORD YOUR RANKING

Beowulf resolves to kill Grendel’s monstrous mother. He travels to the lake