Ancient Greek and Old English Epic Poetry

The Odyssey and Beowulf Comparison Essay: Similarities, Differences, and their Significance.

  1. Select ONE of the questions/insights from ONE of the categories that was assigned to your group to explore in an essay (4-5 pages, + works cited). Use group notes, fishbowl insights, summer work, and research.
  2. Research both epics, using. . . research! Inform and support your opinion with literary criticism from at least 3 reputable academic sources. (Wikipedia, Blogs, Sparknotes, eNotes, or other “study guide” sites are NOT reputable.) Instead, use e-library, Gale Group, JStor, Google Scholar, and/or Sonoma County, Sonoma State, and Santa Rosa JC library databases, and. . . .books!
  3. First Rough Drafts are due We 11/8 (you can drop it by on Th 11/9, but NO LATER).
  4. I may require a second rough draft, depending on quality.
  5. FINAL DRAFTS are due Fr 11/17. NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED. All essays must be submitted to Turnitin.com (ID#: 16648508, pwd: Blackmer) and in hard copy along with the first draft(s) and grading sheet at the beginning of class.
  6. See the sample essay on Google Classroom/my web site for a good example.

Name:______

Eng. 12AP, Per. 7

Fall 2017

Assignment: Beowulf/Odyssey Analysis Comparison Essay

CRITERIA

/ Points Possible / Student Assessment / Teacher Assessment
INTRO: catchy opener, author/title, summary (very brief), lead-in, well-written thesis that compares some aspect of Beowulf and The Odyssey / 5
ARGUMENT: explores the aspect in both epics; uses quotes (minimum of two per body paragraph, at least 3 sources plus the 2 epics); has clear topic sentences; correct ICCEE format, including clear references; 6-10 pars. of body pars. / 25
ORGANIZATION: logical progression (flow) from one point to the next; uses transition words and/or sentences; all paragraphs start with a topic sentence and stay on topic / 10
CONCLUSION: revisits thesis, proposes universal insight (so what?, now what?, call to action, etc.) / 10
MECHANICS: apt and accurate vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, carefully proofread, proper MLA format and header / 10
WORKS CITED: complete; correct MLA format; alphabetized; at least 3 sources (plus the 2 epics) / 10
ROUGH DRAFTS/ PEER REVIEWS: complete/on time, notable changes, complete reviews, suggestions considered/addressed / 20
TOTAL: / 90

Name:______

Ms. Blackmer

English 12AP Lit, Per. 7

Fall 2017

SELF EDIT:

Beowulf/Odyssey Comparison Essay Typical Problems

1. Turnitin.com: I won’t grade the essay until it’s on Turnitin.com

2. classical= a specific period of history, vs. classic=something old and/or traditional that’s popular.

3. comparison: balanced discussion giving equal time to each work (EVERY paragraph compares).

4. Beowulf=anonymous composer; no known transcriber; translated into modern English by various people (know which one did the translation you used)=NOT A BOOK! an EPIC POEM

5. Odyssey= Homer was the composer; no known transcriber; translated into modern English by various people (know which one did the translation you used)=NOT A BOOK! an EPIC POEM

6. symbolism of water (symbol for what?)

“The symbolism of water occurs throughout the Odyssey” vs. “Water is used throughout the Odyssey as

a symbol for the journey of life.” WATER is not symbolism but a symbol. WATER is the symbol that

represents something else, in this case, the journey of life.

7. Long quotes (more than 3 lines):

DON’T use quotation marks UNLESS a person/character is speaking;

after long quotes DON’T indent the first line of the analysis;

period goes before the parenth. citation.

8. More on quotes:

in parenth. citations: AUTHOR’s last name, not the book or the translator; if no author, then TITLE of BOOK (italics)/ “ARTICLE” (quotes).

9. Number the pages of your essay; you can also put your last name by the page #.

10. If a title occurs in all caps in a source or citation engine, do NOT use all caps in the works cited: Smith, John. AFTER THE FALL: AN ANTHOLOGY= Smith, John. After the Fall: an Anthology.

11. DON’T use the translator as the author=not the same thing.

12. Epic Poem titles in Italics; “Chapters” (aka “Books” in the Odyssey) in quotes.