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We Begin With a Loss

We Begin With a Loss. Beowulf was part of an oral tradition Few written records 19 th century Badly burned We may never know “how it really goes” Understanding lost Oral tradition lost Missing text. Heaney’s Translation. Various authors tried translating Beowulf Heaney (2000)

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We Begin With a Loss

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  1. We Begin With a Loss • Beowulf was part of an oral tradition • Few written records • 19th century • Badly burned • We may never know “how it really goes” • Understanding lost • Oral tradition lost • Missing text

  2. Heaney’s Translation • Various authors tried translating Beowulf • Heaney (2000) • Fairly faithful • Readable • Heaney initially struggled to translate the poem • He still doesn’t speak/read Old English

  3. Heaney’s Translation, Continued • He noticed the presence of Anglo-Saxon traditions in his poetry • Fascinated by linguistic bleed-over • Between Old English and contemporary language • Irish / English relationships • Theorized that precise language changes, but that meaning and feeling remain unchanged • Attacked the work again – and found success

  4. Breaking Down the Poem • Heaney has a “prejudice for forthright delivery.” • You can see this in the way he captures the Old English Poet’s voice • Even when the language is flowery, the voice is direct • Readers appreciate this approach because Heaney makes challenging passages a bit easier

  5. Poetry Terms! • Kenning – A combination of two or more words that can be substituted for an original term • One of the two words (the “base” word) relates to the other word in a way that allows the new term to replace the old one • For example, ocean = whale + road = whale-road • Human body = bones held together – “bone-house” • Other kennings can have many words; what do you think “sleep of the sword” replaces?

  6. Poetry Terms! • Alliteration – Refers to the repetition of a vowel or consonant sound (not necessarily the letter itself) in the beginning of each word in a series • It can only occur at the beginning of a word • We have numerous examples of this!

  7. Analyze a Bit of Alliteration! • “There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes.” • “…as his powers waxed and his worth was proved.” • “…the path to power among people everywhere.”

  8. Poetry Terms! • Assonance and consonance also refer to repeated sounds in a string of words • Assonance refers to a repeated vowel sound • Consonance refers to a repeated consonant sound • Unlike alliteration, consonance and assonance can occur anywhere within a word – beginning, middle, or end!

  9. Poetry Terms • Enjambment refers to a sentence in a poem that continues over multiple lines • “He was well-regarded and ruled the Danes For a long time after his father took leave Of his life on Earth. And then his heir…”

  10. Poetry Terms • Meter refers to the rhythmic pattern of a line of poetry • Syllables form the basic rhythmic units of poetry • The various groups of stressed or unstressed syllables form feet. • Types of meter are defined by the number and nature of syllables in a given line

  11. Major Types of Feet • You’ll run into four common feet: • Iamb – Unstressed/Stressed (“Trapeze”) • Trochee – Stressed/Unstressed (“Hazel”) • Anapest – Unstressed/Unstressed/Stressed (ex: Dr. Seuss) • Dactyl – Stressed/Unstressed/Unstressed (“Marmalade”) • The analysis of the rhythmic and linguistic features of a poem is called scansion. • Finally, the study of the elements of language that contribute to rhythmic and acoustic effects in poetry is called prosody.

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