Reading Check on Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Lord of the Flies

Guiding Questions for Chapters 1, 2, 3

Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell

“They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood.

‘I was going to,” said Jack. He was ahead of them and they could not see his face. “I was choosing a place. Next time--!”

He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would be no mercy.

1. What are is the narrator talking about here? (Hint: it relates to one of the motifs.)

Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain

“You got your small fire alright.”

2. What is Piggy talking about here? How is the event Piggy is talking about significant in terms of William Golding’s opinion that “man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature”? (Hint: this is related to the littlun with the mulberry-colored mark on his face.)

Chapter 3: Huts on the Beach

3. How does this chapter illustrate the conflict between Ralph and Jack’s priorities? (Hint: this is related to two different motifs.)

4. In chapter 3 Ralph asserts “This is our island. It’s a good island.” What motif is spoken about (but perhaps not literally present) in chapters two and three that undermines Ralph’s opinion?

Overall

5. Write about the significance of your character through the first three chapters of the book.

6. Write about the significance of your motif through the first three chapters of the book.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Monster Book Comments #3 Due by midnight Wednesday 1/7
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 3a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme. Along the way convince me that you understand how the monster's situation has developed since "Comments #2" which were due before the holiday break.

*Label your response to this section 3b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. Write at least seven sentences.

*Label your response to this section 3c
Write another journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. Convince me that you understand the monster's situation and feelings about the situation. Use at least three details from the last section you have read. Mark the details (1), (2), (3). Write at least seven sentences.

Monster Book Comments #2 Due by midnight Wednesday 12/11
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 2a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme.

*Label your response to this section 2b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. (A paragraph.)

*Label your response to this section 2c
Write a journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. (A paragraph.)

Monster Book Comments #1 (300+ words) Due by midnight Wednesday (12/10)

Using the definitions of “monster,” “beast,” and/or “demon,” explore how the theme of monstrousness is developed over the first 100+ pages of the book you have been reading.

You might begin by showing how a character or entity fits a particular definition or set of definitions. But do not limit yourself to proving that so-and-so is a monster. Also, do not merely summarize all of the “monstrous” or “beastly” or “demonic” events in the book. That is plot summary. Instead, write an exploratory, explanatory, expository essay.

Show how the author explores ideas about monsters. Here are some possibilities:

• physical monstrousness can be used as a (false?) projection of man(un)kind’s internal monstrousness,
• external beauty (or success, or noble words, or other facades) can mask monstrosity,

• humanity’s inner nature can be seen as naturally and unavoidably “beastly,”
• our intellect (theory-making, pattern-making, meaning-making, civilization-building) can be seen as the source of monstrousness,
• fictional monsters can be interpreted as projections of human fears (about scientific or other progress, about our own inner desires, about nature’s senselessness, about the fragility of our existence, etc.),
• monsters can be used as a way of defining what is human (humane) and what is not-human (inhumane, beastly),
• overcoming monsters (or monstrousness) can be used as a way of defining human heroism, nobility, and even goodness,
• monsters (or monstrous behavior) can be used to explore the issue of nature (innate characteristics that humans are born with) versus nurture (learned behavior): is the monster born or made?,
• monsters can be used as a way to explore the effects of isolation, rejection, exclusion, etc.,
• monsters can be used as a way of exploring whether good and evil are absolute or whether they are only a matter of perception (Hamlet says, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so,”
• and on and on and on…

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Monster Book Comments #3 Due by midnight Wednesday 1/7
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 3a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme. Along the way convince me that you understand how the monster's situation has developed since "Comments #2" which were due before the holiday break.

*Label your response to this section 3b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. Write at least seven sentences.

*Label your response to this section 3c
Write another journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. Convince me that you understand the monster's situation and feelings about the situation. Use at least three details from the last section you have read. Mark the details (1), (2), (3). Write at least seven sentences.

Monster Book Comments #2 Due by midnight Wednesday 12/11
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 2a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme.

*Label your response to this section 2b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. (A paragraph.)

*Label your response to this section 2c
Write a journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. (A paragraph.)

Monster Book Comments #1 (300+ words) Due by midnight Wednesday (12/10)

Using the definitions of “monster,” “beast,” and/or “demon,” explore how the theme of monstrousness is developed over the first 100+ pages of the book you have been reading.

You might begin by showing how a character or entity fits a particular definition or set of definitions. But do not limit yourself to proving that so-and-so is a monster. Also, do not merely summarize all of the “monstrous” or “beastly” or “demonic” events in the book. That is plot summary. Instead, write an exploratory, explanatory, expository essay.

Show how the author explores ideas about monsters. Here are some possibilities:

• physical monstrousness can be used as a (false?) projection of man(un)kind’s internal monstrousness,
• external beauty (or success, or noble words, or other facades) can mask monstrosity,

• humanity’s inner nature can be seen as naturally and unavoidably “beastly,”
• our intellect (theory-making, pattern-making, meaning-making, civilization-building) can be seen as the source of monstrousness,
• fictional monsters can be interpreted as projections of human fears (about scientific or other progress, about our own inner desires, about nature’s senselessness, about the fragility of our existence, etc.),
• monsters can be used as a way of defining what is human (humane) and what is not-human (inhumane, beastly),
• overcoming monsters (or monstrousness) can be used as a way of defining human heroism, nobility, and even goodness,
• monsters (or monstrous behavior) can be used to explore the issue of nature (innate characteristics that humans are born with) versus nurture (learned behavior): is the monster born or made?,
• monsters can be used as a way to explore the effects of isolation, rejection, exclusion, etc.,
• monsters can be used as a way of exploring whether good and evil are absolute or whether they are only a matter of perception (Hamlet says, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so,”
• and on and on and on…

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Monster Book Comments #3 Due by midnight Wednesday 1/7
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 3a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme. Along the way convince me that you understand how the monster's situation has developed since "Comments #2" which were due before the holiday break.

*Label your response to this section 3b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. Write at least seven sentences.

*Label your response to this section 3c
Write another journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. Convince me that you understand the monster's situation and feelings about the situation. Use at least three details from the last section you have read. Mark the details (1), (2), (3). Write at least seven sentences.

Monster Book Comments #2 Due by midnight Wednesday 12/11
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 2a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme.

*Label your response to this section 2b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. (A paragraph.)

*Label your response to this section 2c
Write a journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. (A paragraph.)

Monster Book Comments #1 (300+ words) Due by midnight Wednesday (12/10)

Using the definitions of “monster,” “beast,” and/or “demon,” explore how the theme of monstrousness is developed over the first 100+ pages of the book you have been reading.

You might begin by showing how a character or entity fits a particular definition or set of definitions. But do not limit yourself to proving that so-and-so is a monster. Also, do not merely summarize all of the “monstrous” or “beastly” or “demonic” events in the book. That is plot summary. Instead, write an exploratory, explanatory, expository essay.

Show how the author explores ideas about monsters. Here are some possibilities:

• physical monstrousness can be used as a (false?) projection of man(un)kind’s internal monstrousness,
• external beauty (or success, or noble words, or other facades) can mask monstrosity,

• humanity’s inner nature can be seen as naturally and unavoidably “beastly,”
• our intellect (theory-making, pattern-making, meaning-making, civilization-building) can be seen as the source of monstrousness,
• fictional monsters can be interpreted as projections of human fears (about scientific or other progress, about our own inner desires, about nature’s senselessness, about the fragility of our existence, etc.),
• monsters can be used as a way of defining what is human (humane) and what is not-human (inhumane, beastly),
• overcoming monsters (or monstrousness) can be used as a way of defining human heroism, nobility, and even goodness,
• monsters (or monstrous behavior) can be used to explore the issue of nature (innate characteristics that humans are born with) versus nurture (learned behavior): is the monster born or made?,
• monsters can be used as a way to explore the effects of isolation, rejection, exclusion, etc.,
• monsters can be used as a way of exploring whether good and evil are absolute or whether they are only a matter of perception (Hamlet says, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so,”
• and on and on and on…

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Monster Book Comments #3 Due by midnight Wednesday 1/7
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 3a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme. Along the way convince me that you understand how the monster's situation has developed since "Comments #2" which were due before the holiday break.

*Label your response to this section 3b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. Write at least seven sentences.

*Label your response to this section 3c
Write another journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. Convince me that you understand the monster's situation and feelings about the situation. Use at least three details from the last section you have read. Mark the details (1), (2), (3). Write at least seven sentences.

Monster Book Comments #2 Due by midnight Wednesday 12/11
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 2a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme.

*Label your response to this section 2b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. (A paragraph.)

*Label your response to this section 2c
Write a journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. (A paragraph.)

Monster Book Comments #1 (300+ words) Due by midnight Wednesday (12/10)

Using the definitions of “monster,” “beast,” and/or “demon,” explore how the theme of monstrousness is developed over the first 100+ pages of the book you have been reading.

You might begin by showing how a character or entity fits a particular definition or set of definitions. But do not limit yourself to proving that so-and-so is a monster. Also, do not merely summarize all of the “monstrous” or “beastly” or “demonic” events in the book. That is plot summary. Instead, write an exploratory, explanatory, expository essay.

Show how the author explores ideas about monsters. Here are some possibilities:

• physical monstrousness can be used as a (false?) projection of man(un)kind’s internal monstrousness,
• external beauty (or success, or noble words, or other facades) can mask monstrosity,

• humanity’s inner nature can be seen as naturally and unavoidably “beastly,”
• our intellect (theory-making, pattern-making, meaning-making, civilization-building) can be seen as the source of monstrousness,
• fictional monsters can be interpreted as projections of human fears (about scientific or other progress, about our own inner desires, about nature’s senselessness, about the fragility of our existence, etc.),
• monsters can be used as a way of defining what is human (humane) and what is not-human (inhumane, beastly),
• overcoming monsters (or monstrousness) can be used as a way of defining human heroism, nobility, and even goodness,
• monsters (or monstrous behavior) can be used to explore the issue of nature (innate characteristics that humans are born with) versus nurture (learned behavior): is the monster born or made?,
• monsters can be used as a way to explore the effects of isolation, rejection, exclusion, etc.,
• monsters can be used as a way of exploring whether good and evil are absolute or whether they are only a matter of perception (Hamlet says, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so,”
• and on and on and on…

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Freddy's Book by John Gardner, or a Book that You Proposed

Monster Book Comments #3 Due by midnight Wednesday 1/7
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 3a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme. Along the way convince me that you understand how the monster's situation has developed since "Comments #2" which were due before the holiday break.

*Label your response to this section 3b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. Write at least seven sentences.

*Label your response to this section 3c
Write another journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. Convince me that you understand the monster's situation and feelings about the situation. Use at least three details from the last section you have read. Mark the details (1), (2), (3). Write at least seven sentences.

Monster Book Comments #2 Due by midnight Wednesday 12/11
Three sections
* Label your response to this section 2a
Briefly explain any changes in the monsters, beast, or demon since your first comment. How are the changes in the monster, in the monster's experiences, or in the monster's situation significant? (A paragraph: 7+ sentences.) I'm not looking for plot summary; I'm looking for connections to and development of the monster theme.

*Label your response to this section 2b
Respond to someone else's comment about the book. If no one else is reading your book then compare your thoughts about your monster to someone else's thoughts about the monster in her or his book. (A paragraph.)

*Label your response to this section 2c
Write a journal entry as if you were the monster of the book. Write in the monster's voice about the monster's experiences and situation. (A paragraph.)

Monster Book Comments #1 (300+ words) Due by midnight Wednesday (12/10)

Using the definitions of “monster,” “beast,” and/or “demon,” explore how the theme of monstrousness is developed over the first 100+ pages of the book you have been reading.

You might begin by showing how a character or entity fits a particular definition or set of definitions. But do not limit yourself to proving that so-and-so is a monster. Also, do not merely summarize all of the “monstrous” or “beastly” or “demonic” events in the book. That is plot summary. Instead, write an exploratory, explanatory, expository essay.

Show how the author explores ideas about monsters. Here are some possibilities:

• physical monstrousness can be used as a (false?) projection of man(un)kind’s internal monstrousness,
• external beauty (or success, or noble words, or other facades) can mask monstrosity,

• humanity’s inner nature can be seen as naturally and unavoidably “beastly,”
• our intellect (theory-making, pattern-making, meaning-making, civilization-building) can be seen as the source of monstrousness,
• fictional monsters can be interpreted as projections of human fears (about scientific or other progress, about our own inner desires, about nature’s senselessness, about the fragility of our existence, etc.),
• monsters can be used as a way of defining what is human (humane) and what is not-human (inhumane, beastly),
• overcoming monsters (or monstrousness) can be used as a way of defining human heroism, nobility, and even goodness,
• monsters (or monstrous behavior) can be used to explore the issue of nature (innate characteristics that humans are born with) versus nurture (learned behavior): is the monster born or made?,
• monsters can be used as a way to explore the effects of isolation, rejection, exclusion, etc.,
• monsters can be used as a way of exploring whether good and evil are absolute or whether they are only a matter of perception (Hamlet says, “nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so,”
• and on and on and on…

Monster Books

Monstrous Humanity? Monstrous Culture? Monstrous Nature?

Choose a book from this list.

Read the book.

While you’re reading write down notes and questions, especially concerning the monsters and the themes related to monstrousness.

• Who is the monster or who are the monsters in the book? How do you know? What makes the character a monster? Physical deformity or difference? Inhuman or inhumane behavior? Both? Something else?
• What is the relationship between physical monstrousness and moral monstrousness in your book? (Some possibilities: Does physical monstrosity mask moral beauty? Does physical monstrosity lead to alienation which leads to monstrous moral choices? Etc.)
• What seems to be the cause of the monstrous behavior in your book? (Is it in the monster’s nature as with the Grendel of Beowulf? Is it chosen by the monster as a response to radical alienation and rejection as with the Grendel of Grendel? Is it learned by the monster? Is it taught to the monster?
• What seems to be the author’s purpose in portraying a literal monster (or monstrous behavior)? What is the author trying to show about human beings and the human condition?

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1999) by David Foster Wallace (in GHS library)

Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker (in GHS library)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson (in GHS bookroom)

Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley (in GHS bookroom)

Freddy’s Book (1980) by John Gardner (in GHS library)

In Cold Blood (1965) by Truman Capote (in GHS library)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) by Oscar Wilde (in GHS bookroom)

Red Badge of Courage (1895) by Stephen Crane (in GHS bookroom)

Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe (in GHS bookroom)

A book of your choice (send me an email by Wednesday 12/3) + Metamorphosis (1915) by Franz Kafka (in GHS bookroom)

Driven by Purpose: Passion or Obsession

Write two paragraphs.

Using examples the works we have studied so far this year -- Beowulf, Grendel, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein -- explain how having a sense of purpose can drive someone to help others.

Then, using examples from the same works explain how having a sense of purpose can also lead one to harm others -- both purposefully and accidentally.

Nature vs. Nurture in Frankenstein

Based on your viewing of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein so far, does the film attempt to show that "nurture" (what a person learns from his environment) is more influential than "nature" (what a person is born with) or that "nature" is more important than "nurture"?

Write a paragraph. State your answer clearly. (That's your thesis or assertion.) Then develop your answer with explanation and supporting details from your notes on the film.

Nature vs. Nurture

Oooops! Shawn H pointed out to me that I didn't post the question on the blog. Here it is.

Which is more influential nature (what you are born with) or nurture (what you learn from your environment)?

Write a focused paragraph in which you develop an answer to this question. Remember to make an assertion (that's your thesis), explain the assertion, and support the assertion. For a paragraph like this the support can be difficult. Look for examples in your life and in the world around you. Remember that you are trying to convince me and your peers that you are right.

Letter to John Gardner

If John Gardner were still alive how would you respond to the tone and ideas in his letter to the students. Write a letter in two parts. The first part should explain and justify your reaction to the tone of his letter. Quote him; base your opinion on exactly what he has said and how he has said it. The second part should explain and justify your thoughts about one or more idea brought up in the essay. Again, make sure you respond to exactly what he has said. This second part should show that you have understood what he has written (in the letter and in the novel) and that you have thought about it deeply. (For an example, think about what Christian T said on Friday. He reacted to this part of Gardner's letter: "There are basically two choices: either you behave as if there were a god and try to determine what's right, in other words you make up values, you dream up a future better than the present and try to create it; or else you accept the world as it seems to be and scoff at all values (dreams for the future) because according to what is true at this moment they're lies." Christian pointed out that "making up values" is a kind of lie and accepting the world as it is is at least a kind of truth. That's the kind of statement (but more developed) that I'm looking for.

Post your letters in the comment box below. If you have problems with the comment box email me at jcook@gloucester.k12.ma.us.

Chapters 11 and 12 of Grendel

Write a focused open response paragraph (10+ sentences) with supporting evidence about one of the following topics in chapters 11 and 12.

* the significance of Aquarius, the water bearer in Grendel
* the significance of Pisces, the fishes in Grendel
* Grendel's reasons for feeling "mad" "joy" (this is related to Grendel's statement "tedium" is the worst pain in chapter 10 and to the dragon's advice "find gold and sit on it" and to Grendel seeing existence as meaningless--and therefore a coffin or trap)
* the significance of the similarities and differences between the stranger and the dragon (The similarities are physical ones perceived by Grendel; the differences are related to values and purpose. This question gets to the heart of the meaning of the book.)

Talking back to Grendel: What are your beliefs?

Talking back to Grendel: What are your beliefs?

• Chapter 6 (Virgo, the virgin): Do you believe in inner heroism?
• Chapter 7 (Do you believe in beauty?
• Chatper 8 (Scorpio, the scorpion): Do you believe in the necessity of government and law—even when you disagree with them?
• Chapter 8 (Scorpio, the scorpion): Do you believe that through political change the world can be improved?
• Chapter 9 (Sagittarius, the centaurian archer): Do you believe in a supernatural power (God) that gives purpose to all things? What is the nature of the supernatural power you believe in? Or, explain your disbelief in supernatural powers.
• The rest of the book (Capricorn, horned goat; Aquarius, water bearer; Pisces, fishes): Do you believe in the power of hope? (Do you believe in belief?)

Do you believe in inner heroism?

“A hero is not afraid to face cruel truth…. [Grendel,] you talk of heroism as noble language, dignity. It’s more than that, as my coming here has proved. No man above us will ever know whether Unferth died here or fled to the hills like a coward. Only you and I and God will know the truth. That’s inner heroism.”

…

“…I didn’t know how deep the pool was,” [Unferth] said. “I had a chance. I knew I had no more than that. It’s all a hero asks for.”

“I sighed. The word “hero” was beginning to grate. He was an idiot. I could crush him like a fly, but I held back.

“Go ahead, scoff,” he said, petulant. “Except in the life of a hero, the whole world’s meaningless. The hero sees values beyond what’s possible. That’s the nature of a hero. It kills him, of course, ultimately. But it makes the whole struggle of humanity worthwhile.”

I nodded in the darkness. “And breaks up the boredom,” I said.

Do you believe in beauty?

When drunken men argued, pitting theory against theory, bludgeoning each other’s absurdities, she came between them, wordless, uncondemning, pouring out mead like a mother’s love, and they were softened, reminded of their humanness, exactly as they might have been softened by the cry of a child in danger, or an old man’s suffering, or spring. The Shaper sang things that had never crossed his mind before: comfort, beauty, a wisdom softer, more permanent, than Hrothgar’s.

…

The queen smiled. Impossibly, like roses blooming in the heart of December, she said, “That’s past.” And it was. The demon was exorcised. I saw his hands unclench, relax, and—torn between tears and a bellow of scorn—I crept back to my cave.

…

I slammed into the bedroom. She sat up screaming, and I laughed. I snatched her foot, and now her unqueenly shrieks were deafening, exactly like the squeals of a pig. No one would defend her, not even suicidal Unferth at the door….

Do you believe in the necessity of government and law—even when you disagree with them?

Do you believe that through political change the world can be improved?

[Hrothulf] said angrily… “Nobody in his right mind would praise violence for its own sake, regardless of its ends!”

The old man shrugged and put on a childish smile. “But I’m a simple man, you see,” he said, “and that’s exactly what I do. All systems are evil. All governments are evil. Not just a trifle evil. Monstrously evil.” Though he still smiled, he was shaking, only half controlling it. “If you want me to help you destroy a government, I’m here to serve. But as for Universal Justice—“ He laughed.

Do you believe in a supernatural power (God) that gives purpose to all things? What is the nature of the supernatural power you believe in? Or, explain your disbelief in supernatural powers.

[The Chief God] is the eternal urge of desire establishing the purposes of all creatures. He is an infinite patience, a tender care that nothing in the universe be vain.”

…

“The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination…. Such is His mystery: that beauty requires contrast, and that discord is fundamental to the creation of new intensities of feeling. Ultimate wisdom…lies in the perception that the solemnity and grandeur of the universe rise through the slow process of unification in which the diversities of existence are utilized, and nothing, nothing is lost.”

Finally, do you believe in the power of hope? (In other words do you believe in the power of belief? Or to put it another way, do you believe in the power of imagining a better world?)

Grendel Vocabulary 11-20

Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner

(Words 11-20)

Hoary Gray or white with or as if with age. (Adjective)

Old English/Anglo-Saxon

Dirge A funeral hymn or lament. (Noun)

Latin

Dogmatism Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief. (Noun) [A dogmatist is someone who stubbornly asserts opinions or beliefs.]

Greek

Petulant Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish. (Adjective)

Latin

Intimation A hint; an obscure or indirect suggestion or notice; a remote or ambiguous reference; as, he had given only intimations of his design. (Noun)

Latin

Nihilism A belief that rejects all values, morals, purposes for living, etc. as baseless and arbitrary (Noun)

[A nihilist is someone who rejects all values, morals, purposes, etc.]

Latin

Paradox A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true (Noun)

Greek

Inchoate 1. In an initial or early stage; incipient (Adjective). 2. not fully formed, incomplete (Adjective)

Latin

Ossify 1. To change into bone; become bony. (Verb); 2. To become rigid. (Verb)

Latin

Omnipotent Having unlimited power (Adjective) [Omnipotence is unlimited or universal power (Noun)]

Latin

Grendel Vocabulary 1-10 (Scroll down for the Chapter 3 homework)

Quiz Friday, October 9, 2008

Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner

(Words 1-10)

Sycophant A person who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; a kiss up. (Noun)

Greek

Fuliginous Colored as if by soot; dark; black (Adjective)

Latin

Hex 1. An evil spell; a curse (Noun). 2. To curse (Verb)

German

Leer 1. desirous, sly, or knowing look (Noun). 2. To glance sidelong esp. sexually or maliciously (Verb)

Anglo Saxon/Old English

Moor A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs. (Noun)

Old English

Solipsist A person who believes that the self is the only reality. (Noun) [Solipsism is the belief that the self is the only reality]

Latin

Ominous Menacing; threatening (Adjective)

Latin

Undulant wave-like (Adjective)

Latin

Debauch To corrupt morally. (Verb) [Debauchery moral corruption. (Noun)]

French/German

Omniscient all knowing; complete knowledge and awareness (adjective)]

Latin

Grendel Chapter 3

Comments are due by 11:59 pm Thursday (10/9).

Explain how the Shaper affects Grendel's state of mind. Make sure you explain the complex, ambivalent feelings Grendel has towards the Shaper's poems. Then explain why Grendel feels this way.

Responses must be 10+ sentences.
Responses must include at least two quotations as supporting evidence.

(To exceed expectations tackle this question too: What might the chapter's zodiac sign have to do with Grendel's state of mind? Hint: look at how Grendel describes his mental state at the end of the chapter.)

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