Notes from Lecture 1

My notes are really rough as I just listen and absorb in lectures, but I'll post what I have incase anyone missed anything.Dream of The Rood AND Beowulf(introductory notes on the two pieces)- Early Christianity-different symbol for the cross, speaker?, irony.- cross is the servant to Christ also his bane, Irony- listen to how the piece sounds- very grounded in social justice- beacon - warning sign (torch/fire) (flag/battle)- alliteration = oral tradition- cross  associated with treePauses in Beowulf- gold - symbolic of life, sun, friendship, and commitment- repetition - not like narrative- metaphor description of violence - Beowulf- earth house = tomb - Anglo-saxon culture and Early Christianity - after Arthur - 800s- personified- personal salvationfate - freewill - servant/knight and loyalty to his lord- anglo-saxon lord = greatest warrior- contrast of dark and light and oppositesSpeaker - dream is framing element. In version of dreamer, the cross speakers. Pagan elements.Trees: tree of life (biblical) tree on which Christ died. Ironic. Contrast of  blood(destruction), wood, gold(harmony) - destruction+harmony = ironic === Anglo SaxonChris is warrior - combat, cross is his weapon also instrument of his deathChrist is usually passive, sufferingNotion of him taking action is foreign'Sight of his slayer' - not first person, wants to distance itself from role of slayerCross' personality - strength, pride - both subject. (Again, my notes are just jotted down in the lecture as refreshers when I go over my notes later. These are little notes that will trigger memory of important parts of class. I am sorry if these do not make any sense to you, but just incase someone else learns the way I do, here you go!)

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