Keep a Memory of Me, Not As a Hero Or King, but a Man, Fallible and Flawed

“Keep a memory of me, not as a hero or king, but a man, fallible and flawed”

- Beowulf in the 2007 film

Beowulf - Text vs. Film

Prompt:

Compare/contrast one significant quality of either the heroes or monsters in the Beowulf text to their equal in the film.

Tips:

Use the outline on the back.

For a hook, you can discuss other contemporary heroes and whether they are perfect or imperfect. Or discuss heroism and what makes a hero. Or discuss the specific quality you will compare on.

Here’s a précis sentence to use: Often epic heroes are portrayed as perfect while others are often portrayed as flawed.

Here’s a thesis sentence to use: Indeed while (Beowulf or the monsters) in the ancient text is ______, (Beowulf or the monsters) in the 2007 film is ______.

In your conclusion (after you restate your thesis) you can discuss how you feel about heroism. Or you can reflect on what types of heroes you prefer. Or you can relate these values to other contemporary heroes.

Stay focused on proving your thesis.

This writing exercise is to force you to prove a narrow idea thoroughly.

Sample Outline

1)  Intro Paragraph

a.  Hook (description of a scene, questions about heroism, anecdote, quote, other heroes like Superman/Batman, etc.)

b.  Your précis sentence. (SEE Page One)

c.  End with your thesis (SEE Page One)

2)  Body Paragraph 1

a.  Claim – ex. At the beginning of the Beowulf text, __(hero/monster)__, he behaves _(characteristic)_____.

b.  Evidence – include TWO specific quotes from the text

c.  Explain how the evidence shows the claim is true

3)  Body Paragraph 2

a.  Claim – ex. Later in the Beowulf text, __(hero/monster)__ continues to behave _(characteristic)__.

b.  Evidence – include TWO specific quotes…

c.  Explain how the evidence proves the claim is true.

4)  Body Paragraph 3

a.  Claim – Unlike the beginning of the Beowulf text, __(hero/monster)__ shows _(characteristic)__ at the beginning of the film.

b.  Evidence – include TWO specific scenes from the film

c.  Explain how the evidence proves the claim

5)  Body Paragraph 4

a.  Claim – Likewise later in the Beowulf film, __(hero/monster)__ continues to _(characteristic)__. (or you might argue that he changes as well)

b.  Evidence – include TWO specific scenes from the movie

c.  Explain how the evidence proves the claim is true

6)  Conclusion

a.  Briefly restate your thesis in a new way

b.  Show the significance of the essay in a new way (ex. predictions, recommendations, connections to other like subjects, relate to how you might live your own life, relate back to hook, etc.)