Essential Question #3

Wealtheow is the most prominent woman in the poem, Beowulf. That may be a substantial role in any other text, but in Beowulf, that means next to nothing. She is one of a very small group of women that are mentioned in the poem centered around a patriarchal society. Women in this society are treated so poorly that they are more servants than spouses. Women such as Wealtheow accepted their role in society as "that proud woman greeted the men in the hall, then offered them the cup to the Danish king first of all." (606-607). Her role as a queen is to simply do whatever is necessary to help the kingdom be successful. While she does have her own personal beliefs as she is described as, "excellent in mind," (615) being a woman, she is stripped of all opportunities because of her gender and I do not expect to see too much of her in the poem.

Essential Question #2

What are the social obligations of a hero?

Any hero must live up to certain guidelines established by society. All heroes must strive towards building a better society and act in a way that is only beneficial to mankind. A hero must not only look out for himself, but he must be aware of the needs of others as well. A hero must stand up against anyone who becomes a threat to society and needs to be dealt with. Also, heroes must lead society and set a good example for the way people should act and how others should be treated.

While all heroes do not need to be a physical force, they should be an inspiration to all those that follow them. All heroes must have a distinct personality that shows their leadership so that others may trust that person. Any hero must be a selfless person who always puts others before themselves. A hero is not afraid to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of society if it is necessary. A person is regarded as a hero not only by what they do, but, more importantly, by how they carry themselves and the image they create for themselves in society

Essential Question #1

How do we create division in our society?

There are many different factors that influence people towards creating division in the world today. However, the one primary cause of division in society is ignorance. Ignorance is the foundation for all negative feelings we possess in society. Things like prejudice and intolerance are instilled in how we think about others because of ignorance. In society today, we believe certain theories and stereotypes are correct without proper evidence to support our claims. These fallacies are allowed to grow into something that sparks hatred and turmoil between certain classes and groups of people. As this hatred grows, the division between groups only worsens the society as a whole. People create incorrect assumptions about others because they do not know or understand enough about one another. They allow their ignorance to dictate their personal beliefs. These beliefs change who we are as human beings. They keep us from looking at one another as a united race, but instead divide us into separate classes. These feelings that we develop from our ignorance teach us to focus exclusively on the characteristics that make each of us different and unique, instead of allowing us to embrace our fellow humans as brother and sister.