Just Returning - Beowulf! Story of Adventure!

Hello Out There!
I honestly forgot about this blog I made in a class about two years ago. Just being reconnected with it now I decided to maybe, just maybe, start writing about something interesting...or try to at least...that relates to English.

As of right now I'm reading the Epic Poem of Beowulf! The great warrior who defeats Grendel, Grendel's mum, and a dragon. Well in the original there are hundreds of stories of Beowulf but as I recently found out, which was quite interesting, the poem was rewritten by a Christian monk who chose those three stories on purpose...*like a transition from polytheism to monotheism*. He was quite clever if you think about it. Putting the Epic into three main stories (representing the Trinity). This isn't the only place where the Trinity is portrayed, for lines 333 of the poem finally disclose the name of the individual that was being described. Who knew that a poem that would first be introduced to youth in high schools held such an importance in the 11th Century as scops would travel around talking of such great adventures!

Yes, I probably sound like a nerd but what could I say? I guess it comes with the territory of being an English Major. Yeah, it sounds fancy but when I look back at what I wrote....um, yeah I'm a nerd. Haha, I'm just messing...truthfully I'm hoping some of this info helps out someone out there with a class or just the consequences of having a curious mind.

** This is for the "transition from polytheism to monotheism" comment. To further explain this concept, I just want to give some time to explain the background of this concept.
      - St. Augustine came to England 7th Century A.D. and converted it to Christianity. Mind you, this wasn't the only time this happened but that's for a later time. Anyway, the 800's A.D. role around and the Vikings defeated the Anglo-Saxons and created Danelaw (~ 1066). Then 11th turns its head and the monk comes in to write the three part version of Beowulf.
      - Since the original stories of Beowulf were written by polytheistic people and had those principles in them and England just became Christian, the monk needed a way to covert the story to the newly converted religion, so he chose three to show that. The fight with Grendel to display the original morals, the fight with Grendel's mum to display the transition, and the fight with the dragon to show the complete conversion to different morals.

There is so much more detail I have to share about certain things...that is why I'm going to break this down into several parts. So, I'm hoping this caught your interest and you'll stay tuned for more...or comment...ask questions....whatever you prefer.

Also, if you need help with other literature besides the one I'm discussing now, I'll be more than happy to create a different segment for it. Just say the word!

Well, goodnight for now...hope to hear from you soon!

Welcome Everybody!!

This is Anna James here and I want to formally welcome you to my blog! As an English major, I'll be posting information about literature, grammar, and everything in between. So, if you want to post a comment to a question or just want to speak your thoughts and opinions, please feel free to. All I ask is to keep everything appropiate and related to the subject of English. Thanks and Enjoy!!

What have you been proud of to learn in English class??

As a teacher, I would like to know what have you been proud of to learn in English class so far? Was it something to do with literature such as discovering the character foils in a novel or being able to tell the difference between an adjective and an adverb? Tell me why you were proud to learn that and how it has helped you in other subjects or everyday situations.