Recitation: (Re)envisioning Cultural Ideals

This week’s recitation challenges you to apply a Beowulfian myth busting strategy to your own world. Specifically, you’ll think of how you might challenge some common stereotype about success in the 21st century in the same way that the Beowulf-poet challenges the common stereotype of a successful king by writing a “ “That was a good X!” prologue of your own.

Preparation:

Beowulf begins by celebrating Scyld Scefing as a “good king” by conventional norms (i.e., he’s a successful conqueror).  The poem ends by celebrating Beowulf as a very different but perhaps better king (courageous but not war-mongering, considerate, diplomatic, gracious).  Your challenge is to make a similar imaginative move.  Think of some type of person in our own world.  First write a few lines of praising that person according to the widely held definitions of success: “That was a good CEO!” “That was a good lawyer!” “That was a good student!” “That was a good professor!”  You get the idea.  Then write a few lines praising what you believe would be a better student/lawyer/CEO or whatever.