Beowulf: selfish or selfless? The Annual Debate

Several years ago it was the Wulf-a-thon. No, we did not make Mr. Wolf, chemistry teacher extraordinaire, walk around the track a bazillion times and pledge money per lap so we could buy textbooks, heat the school or send the Freshmen Fillies to an all-expenses-paid tournament in Maui.

My AP Lit classes dramatically read Beowulf from beginning to end in one day and invited all students to stop in the media center to experience the classic epic poem.

Every year, however, AP Lit students experience the selfless/selfish debate with this epic poem. Take a stand, defend it with the text and bask in the power of being right. Change your mind? No problem, move your name to the other side of the board and defend your decision with text and bask in the power of being right. Vociferous discussions occur because high school students believe they are right, always....and forever.

If you've read Beowulf jump into this online discussion and give us your opinion.. We'd love to hear your comments and your explanation.

As always, when offering insightful opinion, use APDoP.