Partner Work #2 – The Once & Future King
1. (by yourself) 15 minutes: Look at the attached sheet. You may write on it – take notes on it – draw arrows that connect ideas (and the lyrics on this page too). You are looking for a common thread that connects the ideas and texts. You may also want to look and write on the lyrics to the song below – it should be part of this common thread as well. Find connections for every single quote, quotes, and even the background picture.
questions 2 – 5 you may do with a partner – you will turn in one set of answers for you and your partner – and staple each of your attached sheets (with your comments, arrows, lines). Obviously, if you are doing this group work later, for whatever reason, you will do all of the questions by yourself.
2. What is the connection between Merlyn and the Dragon from Grendel (think TIME)? Be specific. How does that connection fit in with the larger connection you found in question 1?
3. metaquestion: Look at the various books that divide The Once and Future King. Which of the books most resembles a children’s book – in fact, it resembles one so much that it was made into a children’s movie. Now why put this book first – why, given what happens later?
3b. What does this have to do with the very cruel way that Arthur tries to stop the prophecy about Mordred from coming true? Think hard – what is he murdering? Now – remember Macbeth – Act II, right after he murders the king Macbeth says that he heard a voice say that Macbeth doth murder sleep. Given that it is Macbeth’s own innocent sleep that he is killing – how do Arthur’s actions echo those of Macbeth? Be specific.
3c. Continuing with this thought – what is murdered when he finds out about Gwen and Lance? Be specific. Now bring in the poem by Whitman, especially the last part.
4. Look at the poem by Robert Burns at the bottom left of the attached sheet – how does what he say about why man is worse off than the mouse (even though the mouse’s home is destroyed) ring true – what do we have that makes our lives more painful. Why is this especially true for Merlyn, for the Dragon (see your answer to question 2)?
5. Notice how the novel ends with Arthur talking to the young boy – how does this fit in to all of this (this should definitely make your brain hurt) that you’ve talked about so far. Where does it bring us back to – what is Arthur trying to do (in the context of the rest of your discussion). Bring as much of what you’ve written, as well as the attached quotes (make sure you pay enough attention to “The Child is the father of the man”