The essay must be 3 (full) to 5 pages long,
double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. It will be one of your tasks to
find a focused, arguable (both contestable and defensible) thesis statement
that is based on a topic addressed in one of the prompts below.
You are not expected to use any other sources
besides the Inferno and Beowulf (this especially includes summaries or online
analyses). You may, however, use online searchable versions of the texts in
order to find supporting quotes–only if you then use the translation used in
class to type out those quotes (Do not cut and paste from a different
translation). Use parenthetical citation according to MLA format, noting line
numbers for Beowulf, and canto and line numbers for the Inferno. Choose short,
pithy quotes to make your point rather than long summative passages. Analyze;
do not summarize. Assume the reader of your essay has already read the texts
and doesn’t need to know what happens next in any particular passage. Instead,
your task is to convince your reader of a certain interpretation of
the text.
Regardless of the
prompt you choose, you must mention and quote both Beowulf and Dante, but you
may organize your essay in such a way that you devote more space to analyzing
one over the other. The space you devote to each character must take up at
least 1/3 of your essay.
Remember to
distinguish between Beowulf the hero and Beowulf the poem by using
italics correctly. Also, remember to distinguish between Dante the Poet and
Dante the Pilgrim in your essay.
Choose 1 of the
following prompts to write your essay:
Prompt 1, About Modern
Heroes:
Which is the more
modern hero, Beowulf or Dante the Pilgrim? Keep in mind that, although we
covered Dante first in class because it nicely follows the Aeneid, Beowulf is the earlier written poem.
This doesn’t however, mean that Dante must be the more “modern” hero.
With the proper support, you could write a successful essay arguing either
perspective, but be sure to choose one. It may benefit you to consider a few
characteristics of modernity and then spend a paragraph or two on each of these
characteristics as portrayed by Dante and Beowulf. As always, keep your
argument focused, organized, and well-supported with evidence from the text.
Prompt 2, About Christian Heroes:
Which is the better
example of a Christian hero, Beowulf or Dante the Pilgrim? As always, keep your
argument focused, organized, and well-supported with evidence from the text.
With the proper support, you could write a successful essay arguing either side,
but be sure to choose one. It may benefit you to consider a few characteristics
you think a Christian hero should have and then spend a paragraph or two on
each of these characteristics as portrayed by Dante and Beowulf.
Please check to make sure your essay meets the
guidelines for argument, organization, mechanics, and style to be found in the
Writing Help Document and the “6 Rules for Good Writing” document posted on
Blackboard.
Submit your assignment by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on Sunday of
Module/Week 7.
Further
advice and instructions for your essay:
Let’s say you want to argue that Beowulf is a
better example of the modern hero than Dante is, because Beowulf has more of x,
y, and z. You could fill your essay with an organized argument that Beowulf has
more of x, y, and z, but that’s not enough to address the prompt. Early on in
your essay, or at the beginning of your discussion of each particular
characteristic, you need to provide some quick proof that that characteristic
is associated with the ideal under consideration. In other words, in an essay
on Beowulf as a Christian hero, it’s not enough to prove that Beowulf is
generous… you would also have to explain why generosity is an aspect of
Christian heroism. Or in an essay on Dante as a modern hero, you could develop
an argument for Dante being teachable, but you’d first need to lay the
groundwork for the idea that being teachable is an attribute of the modern
hero. This step can be done quickly, but it cannot be ignored.
You have a lot of work to do and only a few pages
to present your argument, so this is a good occasion to practice
citing and quickly referring to short passages and phrases from the text.
Remember that one instance of bravery doesn’t necessarily mean that the
character has mastered the virtue of fortitude, just as one instance of fear
does not mean the character is a coward.
One way to accomplish a lot in a little space is,
for each trait and each paragraph, to examine one of two instances of a hero’s
expression of a particular trait, and then reinforce your case with citation
(but not quotation) of other passages that further support your claims.
For example, let’s say you think humility is a
specifically Christian virtue. You first explain why humility is an aspect of
Christian heroism. You then may note two passages where Dante the Pilgrim
demonstrates humility in The Inferno.
After exploring those two passages in detail, you could make a more general
statement about humility, noting that the words “humble” and
“humility” occur nowhere in The
Inferno. You discovered this by doing a quick search for the word on the
Princeton Dante Project website, and since this is an argument from absence,
you do not need to provide citation. You then search for the word
“Proud” and discover three occurrences in The Inferno. You first consider the circumstance in which each
instance of the word occurs. You could economically conclude your paragraph
with the following sentences:
Virgil suggests that Pride caused both the
fall of Troy and Satan’s rebellion against God (Inferno 1.75; 7.11-12). In Canto 15, Brunetto Latini tells his
former pupil that Florence has also been corrupted by “a people greedy,
envious and proud” (l. 68). Dante the Poet consistently assures us that
Pride is the sin that disturbs and destroys good cities. Since Brunetto
Latini then instructs Dante to “stay untainted by their ways,”
the reader may conclude that Dante’s humility that distinguishes him
from the citizens of hell, and marks him as a Christian hero (15.69).
Whether or not you agree with the argument above,
this is a model for supporting an argument with quick reference to several
supporting passages. Quotations do not need to be extensive, but you
should cite several instances of support.
