SGGK Essay

Today we began working on the following assignment, which will take all week:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Essay

Each part of the writing process will be worth points. Each part of the writing process must be completed before you can begin the next step. The final draft of the essay must be completed by Friday 12/4.



• Outline-(must include thesis statement and supporting quotes)-10pts

• Rough Draft-10pts

• Edited Draft-(must be color coded)-10pts

• Final Draft-(Due 12/4)-50pts


Topics
1. Analyze the role of the Pentangle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Explain how each point relates to Gawain’s quest and the chivalric code.

2. Analyze the parallels between the hunt outside the castle and the hunt within Gawain’s bedchamber. Be sure to explain how this ties to the chivalric code and/or the test Gawain is facing.

3. Examine the ideal of knighthood as presented in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In what ways is Gawain an ideal knight, and in what ways does he fail to live up to the ideal? In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, does the poet endorse the chivalric ideal or condemn it?

Happy Thanksgiving

We will begin an essay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight on Monday. It will focus on the portrayal of the chivalric code in the work.

SGGK

Today we finished reading Sir Gawain and Green Knight and began watching an animated version of the story.

SGGK

Today we read part 4 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. We will finish our discussion tomorrow along with the following worksheet:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-part 4
1. Why is it said that Gawain decides to keep the girdle the lady had given him? Is such a reason truly chivalric?
2. What is Gawain’s final answer to his generous host?
3. Describe the Green Chapel, in your own words.
4. How does Gawain react to the axe’s blow?
5. What is the Green Knight’s response? Is it reasonable?
6. How does Gawain qualify his request to the Knight for a second chance? Who seems more reasonable, then?
7. What is the significance of the words Gawain uses to provoke the Knight to use his axe as promised? Do they have any relationship to the outcome?
8. Why does the Knight excuse Gawain’s enjoyment of the Knight’s wife?
9. What is Gawain’s angry response to the Knight’s story? Do you think it is warranted?
10. We learn that the Green Knight is really Bercilak de Hautdesert, who owes his power to sinister Morgan le Faye, Gawain’s aunt! The Knight tells Gawain he has “tested” him because his aunt wanted to reveal the “surfeit of pride” in Arthur’s Court as well as to scare Arthur’s wife, Guenevere, with the mock beheading. What is Gawain’s reaction to these revelations?

SGGK part 3

Today we finished part 3 and the following assignment in class (PD 1 has to finish it for HW):

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. What is the first animal that the host hunts?

2. What does the lady want to do with Gawain while her husband is out hunting?

3. What do the men exchange when the host returns? Who wins?

4. What is the second animal?

5. What does the lady ask Gawain during her second visit?

6. What do the men exchange? Who wins?

7. What is the third animal?

8. What is the lady’s purpose during her third visit?

9. What gift does she give Gawain? What is the condition?

SGGK part 3

today we began reading part 3 of SGGK. We have covered the first 3 questions of the following assignment, which we will continue working on tomorrow:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. What is the first animal that the host hunts?

2. What does the lady want to do with Gawain while her husband is out hunting?

3. What do the men exchange when the host returns? Who wins?

4. What is the second animal?

5. What does the lady ask Gawain during her second visit?

6. What do the men exchange? Who wins?

7. What is the third animal?

8. What is the lady’s purpose during her third visit?

9. What gift does she give Gawain? What is the condition?

SGGK HW

Students are to finish reading part II of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and complete the following assignment for HW:
(pd 1-only 1-3)


Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-Part II

1. When does Gawain leave Arthur's court?

2. What color is Gawain's armor?

3. What appears on the outside of his shield? What appears on the inside? What does the pentangle stand for? What, especially, do the fifth five mean? (In the original, the five are fraunchyse, felawschyp, clannes, cortaysye, and pité.) The author stresses that all of the fives are linked. What happens in such a structure if any one of the elements gives way?

4. What route does Gawain follow? What sorts of adventures does he encounter?

5. The "Christmas Eve" of line 734 is actually the evening of December 23. What does Gawain fear he will miss on December 24? What happens after Gawain's prayer?

6. How is Gawain received in the castle? How does the lord of the castle respond? How would you describe the lord of the castle?

7. How well does Gawain maintain his Christmas Eve fast?

8. What do the castle residents expect once they know it is Gawain? In other words, what is Gawain well-known for?

9. What two women does Gawain meet after evensong? How are they described? How does Gawain behave with the women?

10. Why does Gawain tell the lord he has to leave? What surprising news does the lord have for him? What does Gawain then decide to do?

11. What arrangements does the lord propose for Gawain and himself for the next day? How does Gawain respond?

SGGK

Today we discussed the open-ended responses to SGGK part I. We then began part 2 in class. We will continue with this on Monday.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Students are to complete the following assignment for HW:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-part 1

Open-ended question

Sir Gawain takes the Green Knight’s challenge.

• What are Gawain’s reasons for doing this?
• Will he live up to this challenge?
Use information from the story to support your response.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-HW

Students are to finish reading part 1 of SGGK and complete the following assignment for HW:

PART 1
1. Why does the poem begin with the Trojan War, not with King Arthur or Sir Gawain?
2. What season of the year is it as the actual story begins? Why is that significant? What night is it when the main events of Part 1 take place?
3. How old (more or less) are Arthur and his knights when the story takes place? How do you know?
4. Why won't Arthur eat his dinner yet?
5. What is the most unusual thing about the man who rides into the hall? In what interesting way does the author bring us that information? What is the man carrying in his hands? How does the man behave when he enters? Whom does he ask for? What initial response does he get?
6. What does the Green Knight propose?
7. How many knights initially offer to undertake the Green Knight's challenge? What arguments does Gawain finally use in asking to be given the challenge?
8. What happens when Gawain cuts off the Green Knight's head?
9. What is Arthur's response once the Green Knight has left?

Background Research

Students have been working on the following assignment in class:

Using the sites provided you must find the following information:

• Meaning and purpose of the round table
• Story and significance of Excalibur
• Defining characteristics (including what they are known for and how they die) of the following knights:
1. Arthur
2. Gawain
3. Lancelot
4. Percival
5. Galahad
6. Bors
7. Bedivere

• Significance of Merlin
• Significance of Guinevere
• Significance of Mordred


All responses must be written in complete sentences.

Enjoy the long weekend. We will begin with Sir Gawain and The Green Knight on Monday.

Honor

Students will be presenting their honor codes tomorrow in class.

Project

Students who did not finish the final are to turn it in first thing tomorrow.

Students began the following assignment today:

Code of Honor

You have been given the task of designing a code of honor and morals for High Point. Your job is to come up with at least 5 rules to live by that represent what you consider to be honorable behavior. You must also consider the proper course of action if someone challenges your honor.

Also, decide how you retain your honor under the following circumstances:

• A teacher confronts you about cheating (of course you are innocent), yells at you, and kicks you out of class.

• Someone makes advances on your significant other during lunch.

• A classmate spreads an embarrassing and untruthful rumor about you.

• A classmate mocks your idea of honor.

Write up a brief response to each of these scenarios which will be presented with your code.

Place your rules on a poster with the following:

• Slogan reflecting your beliefs
• Image representing your code