Môn học nhằm cung cấp các khái niệm cơ bản về văn học, và các tác phẩm văn học Anh-Mỹ tiêu biểu. Với phương pháp trích giảng, sinh viên vận dụng các kiến thức về lịch sử xã hội Anh-Mỹ đã học vào việc phân tích và cảm nhận tác phẩm. Trong quá trình học sinh viên có cơ hội thể hiện sự hiểu biết của mình về các tác phẩm và tác giả bằng cách tham gia vào các vở kịch, thảo luận, viết bài luận phân tích.
Trang 1HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITYMID -TERM TEST ON ENGLISH AND AMERICANLITERATURE
FOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH (No 3)Subject Code: EN16
Full name: Date of birth: Group:
I Answer the following questions: (50 points )
1 What do you know about the contents of “The Song of Beowulf”?
The Song of Beowulf has 3 parts and in ever part is one of Beowulf's heroic deed.
The story tells about the reign of Danish king Hrothgar, who built banqueting-hallHeorot after many victorious battles In the wasteland lived Grendel, devouringmonster He revenged for loudly sounds coming from the Heorot For twelve yearshe was going to the Heorot in the night, where ate off Hrothgar'sfighters Monster's body was covered with thick fell, so nobody was able to thrust
it by missile In that time lived Beowulf from royal blood in the land of Geats.
When he be told about the evilness of Grendel, set sail with the best men to theDenmark and offered to Hrothgar his help After the blanquet, when fighters wasfalling asleep, invaded Grendel to the Heorot and prepared to ate off all in thehall When Beowulf grasped him, Grendel recognized that he didn't met such astrong man The monster tried to escape, but Beowulf didn't stop It was big fight,but finally Beowulf conquered, because he torn off Grendel's paw During the nextblanquet Danish king Hrothgar blessed winner Beowulf After this ceremony theking left the hall and Beowulf wanted to take a rest too The fighters were fallingasleep, but the next unexpected danger was coming Grendel's mother, living in thewater, was coming to revenge his son The fighters prepared to kill her, but sheearlier killed Hrothgar's advisor Beowulf got from king's speaker the sword
Trang 2Hrunting, that never dissapointed in the battle.Then he left to the lake and tried to
get on the bottom It lasted almost the whole day and then he discovered the
water's witch In the hall, in where water doesn't leak, he could use the sword Butthe edge of the sword is harmless, here Hrunting dissapointed Beowulf started tofight only by his hands When Grendel's mother attacked him by the dirk, he sawthe other monstrous sword, caught it and he killed the monster by one attack Thenhe torn off the head from Grendel's corpse lying nearby to hand over to Danishcitizens Hrothgar was much obliged to Beowulf, who decided to return home, to
his land Beowulf delivered the present to his king Hygelac from Hrothgar When
after Hygelac and his son died in the battles, the kingdom was vested toBeowulf He reigned wisely for fifty years, and when he was old, one dragonstarted to threatened his land during the night hours The dragon was the guard oftreasure and it revenged for stealing its gold bowl Enraged dragon wanted to findthe burglar and sputtered flames to destroy human habitations.Beowulf decided to
kill the dragon.He had the big iron escutcheon against the flames In the grievous
fight suffered Beowulf and so did dragon The other young fighters didn't havecourage and ran away from the battle Only one of them, Wiglaf, decided to help tohis friend and king During the battle the Beowulf sword again dissapointed Totell the truth, Beowulf was stronger, when he fought only barehanded During thethird dragon's attack was Beowulf hurt to the neck, but Wiglaf stabed dragon'sbody by the sword Then Beowulf ripped its stomach He and Wiglaf togetherkilled the dragon.Before Beowulf's death he wished to see the treasure, what they
got for their land Because he didn't have his own son, he put the reign of the land
into the Wiglaf's hands The end of story is about the Beowulf's burial.
Trang 32 What is the historical background of the Anglo-Norman period?
Anglo-Norman Period comes after the ending of the Anglo Saxon Period MiddleEnglish Period is divided into three parts and this one (Anglo-Norman) is the firstone The age of Chaucer and After Chaucer is considered as entire Middle Englishperiod The period of this age is 1066 to 1350 as per the official reports.HistoricalBackground: The Anglo-Norman Period was started after the Battle of Hastings in1066 William I, the Norman king defeated King Harold and occupied Britain.Before the Norman Conquest, there was not any symbol of the French language.But, the Normans brought with them French Culture and language And as a result,the french language interacted with the native English language (MiddleEnglish) Besides this, french was selected as the official language of that time dueto political supremacy So, the king and his officials used to communicate throughthe french language and the common people used to interact with their dialects.However, the Latin language was also present there in the form of religious textssince the Anglo-Saxon Period The term Anglo-Norman is generally used todescribe the period of English history from the Norman conquest to the middle ofthe 14th century It was called so because the non-Latin literature of that time waswritten in Anglo-Norman, the French dialect spoken by the Norman invaders TheNormans were pagan barbarian pirates from Denmark, Norway and Iceland, whobegan to make destructive plundering raids on European coastal settlements in the8th century They were originally descendants of Vikings, who settled in theNorth-West France in the early 10th century At the beginning of 10th century, theFrench King, Charles the Simple, made the Treaty of St Clair-sur-Epte with aViking Chief Rollo Charles gave him some land around the mouth of the Seine inwhat is now known as the city of Rouenhad, North of France King Charles hadhoped that by giving the Vikings their own land in France, they would stopattacking France Within two generations, Rollo and his followers adopted the
Trang 4Franks’ language, religion, laws, customs, political organisation and methods ofwarfare They inter-married and mixed with the native French population Theyhad become Franks in all, but name They were now known as Normans, men ofNormandy and their land became known as the land of the Nordmanni orNorthmen By the middle of the 11th century, Normandy became one of the mostpowerful states in Christendom Though, the Normans had converted toChristianity, adopted the French language, and abandoned sea roving for Frankishcavalry warfare in the decades following their settlement in Normandy, they stillretained many of the traits of their Viking ancestors They displayed an extremefearlessness and courage, craftiness and cunning, a love of fighting and spreadterror wherever they went In the early 11th century, a group of NormanMercenaries led by Robert Guiscard, the 6th son of Tancred of Hauteville, helpedvarious factions in Italy in order to gain territories for themselves.
II Comments (50 points )
What are your comments on the first masterpiece of English literature-“ The Songof Beowulf ”?
The "Song of Beowulf" is undeniably one of the greatest literary works in theEnglish language It represents the earliest surviving epic poem in Old English andis an invaluable piece of cultural history Composed in the 8th or 9th century, thepoem takes us back to a time of Scandinavian warriors and their grand tales ofheroism and bravery.
One remarkable aspect of the "Song of Beowulf" is its portrayal of the hero.Beowulf is a figure of immense strength and courage, a true exemplar of thewarrior ethos His willingness to embark on dangerous quests to protect his peopleand defeat monstrous creatures is awe-inspiring The poem itself is a celebration of
Trang 5these heroic virtues and serves as a reminder of the important role that heroesplayed in early societies.
Furthermore, the poem delves into the themes of honor, loyalty, and fate.Beowulf's loyalty to his people is evident throughout the story, as he fearlesslyconfronts various adversaries to safeguard his kingdom The concept of fate alsoplays a significant role, as the characters grapple with the inevitability of theirdestinies This exploration of important philosophical ideas adds depth andcomplexity to the narrative, elevating it beyond a mere tale of heroism.
In addition to its thematic richness, the "Song of Beowulf" boasts impressivepoetic qualities The use of alliteration, repetition, and kennings (compoundphrases used in place of single nouns) give the poem a musical quality, making ithighly memorable These poetic devices not only enhance the rhythmic flow of theverses but also contribute to the overall ambiance of the story, creating a vivid andimmersive reading experience.
Despite its considerable age and the challenges presented by the use of OldEnglish, the "Song of Beowulf" remains accessible to contemporary readers Itstimeless themes and universal human struggles resonate to this day, allowing us toconnect with the story on a deep emotional level The endurance of this epic is atestament to its enduring relevance and its status as a foundational piece ofliterature.
In conclusion, the "Song of Beowulf" is a masterpiece of English literature thattranscends time It not only offers a thrilling adventure but also explores profoundthemes and showcases masterful poetic craftsmanship Its impact on the literarycanon cannot be overstated, and it continues to captivate and inspire readerscenturies after its creation.