English 230-02

Responses to Group Presentations April 10 2012

Group 1

Pride, it’s something that everybody has, and something that we all have to deal with.  Beowulf has more pride than most and that has gotten him into hot water a time or two.  This particular presentation really caught my attention.  It focused on a main point of the story and that is battle, pride, and life or death.  Throughout the story Beowulf battles his way around Geatland leaving dismembered bodies of enemies in his wake.  I feel that Group 1 really demonstrated this well.  They brought up a topic that is not just a negative or positive attribute in the story, but it is still a negative or positive attribute today. Pride makes people do things that maybe they wouldn’t ordinarily do.  Beowulf battles Grendel to help Hrothgar regain control of his city, but it also to give himself that dose of adrenaline and self-confidence that he lives on.  This battle though inevitably leads to the death of Beowulf, the death of a few of his soldiers, and the death of Grendel and his mother.  Beowulf’s pride leads to and is the cause of most of, if not all of the deaths throughout the poem.   If Beowulf was not full of pride maybe he wouldn’t have battled all the sea monsters and maybe he wouldn’t have died after his battle with the Dragon.  But if Beowulf didn’t have his pride it’s possible that he wouldn’t have been the great king that he was either.  As Beowulf has shown, pride can kill you or make you stronger; it just depends on how you use it.

The presentation that had the most meaning to me was number one, Beowulf’s Battles.  The group made the story easy to understand by providing a poster describing the pros and cons of each of his battles.  It was meaningful to me because of the layout and structure of the presentation.  Each display highlighted the person or creature Beowulf was fighting, along with the worthy and ruthless parts of the encounter.  For example, one poster showed that he won the battle against Grendel, but that angered his mother.  This made Beowulf seem like he isn’t better than the monsters he was fighting.   After each battle was presented the class was able to participate in the presentation, which made it much more meaningful to me.  The group asked the class if we thought Beowulf’s pride helped him in the battle or not and gave us the chance to make a decision for ourselves.  I feel the group did a great job laying out the most important parts of the Beowulf story, while allowing us to get involved as well.  Part of creating a demonstration that the audience is interested in is describing only the most relevant information.  The group clearly showed us that Beowulf’s pride hurt him in his battles against the Grendel’s mother and the dragon.  It was most meaningful project for me because I was engaged the whole time and I learned something.  I also feel the project was successful because each person presented something and no one person dominated the entire presentation.

The presentation that I found to be the most meaningful was the first presentation, Beowulf’s Battles. It was my favorite because it was engaging and allowed for audience participation. Another reason I liked this presentation was the fact that it focused on the question of whether Beowulf’s pride was an asset or a flaw. Most of the class seemed to think the majority of the time his pride helped him. However, I felt that his pride hurt him in most instances. The only time it came in handy was when he fought Grendel. In this case his pride was a good thing because he saved lives. In all the other battles (sea monsters, Grendel’s mother, the dragon) he was fighting just to fight. No one was in immediate danger, and ultimately his desire to fight ended his life. For example, when Beowulf fought Grendel’s mother he did it for his pride. He wasn’t protecting anyone. He pursued her. Beowulf said, “So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away.” (line 1390-1392) In other words, Beowulf was looking for a fight and putting himself, and others in danger that could have possibly been completely avoided.  I can relate this to personal experiences where I have witnessed fights. Nine out of ten times I have witnessed a fight it seemed to be for no reason. I have watched people get hurt over pointless arguments just because they couldn’t swallow their pride. Therefore, I feel that Beowulf’s pride was a flaw. If he hadn’t been so prideful he may not have died in a battle, and he might have lived happily many more years.

In my opinion, Group 1’s project was the most meaningful and effective presentation on Tuesday. The group posed the question of whether Beowulf’s pride was an asset or a flaw when he battled monsters. I liked how the group clearly detailed Beowulf’s four fights with monsters and how they posed pros and cons of each battle’s outcomes. The presentation made me think about the theme of pride, which I had not really done when I was reading the poem. I liked how this group engaged the audience by posing the question of whether the pros outweighed the cons or not. By making the audience vote on the consequences of Beowulf’s pride, it made the audience think more. I also liked how this presentation expressed the consequences of each battle and showed how each battle essentially led to the next. I also enjoyed this group’s visuals. The handmade posters were a good visual aid and were an effective way of conveying the information. Since Beowulf is written as an epic poem, it is sometimes difficult to fully comprehend what is going on in each scene. This group conveyed their information clearly and made it easier to better understand each individual battle since it is somewhat difficult to understand what is going on when reading the poem. By watching this group’s presentation, I now better understand the consequences of Beowulf’s pride and how it led to his ultimate demise, since he was too proud to ask for help while battling the dragon. Overall, this presentation was very insightful and helped me to better understand Beowulf’s fights against the four monsters.

 I enjoyed hearing group 1’s take on the issues of Beowulf. They really highlighted the good and bad that came with his pride. Growing up, one of the toughest issues of morality is drawing the line between pride and arrogance. At what point does being proud of our abilities and accomplishments become too much? Beowulf’s confidence in his abilities helped spread the word of his achievements. His subsequent fame lead to his confrontation with Grendel in order to help Hrothgar’s kingdom as well as to bring glory to Hygelac. By succeeding, with Grendel’s arm to show for it, he further solidified his position as a mighty warrior. Again, with Grendel’s mother, although his pride lead to the death of Aeschere (Hrothgar’s right hand man), it also lead to the death of the mother. Once again, Beowulf’s pride ultimately lead to victory. Group 1’s variety of posters clearly distinguished the impacts from each case of Beowulf’s pride. Throughout his life, his confidence in his actions helped him move up the social ladder, eventually becoming King of Geatland. The arrival of the dragon raises even more questions, as addressed by Group 1. Was Beowulf’s death unnecessary? Did his pride finally lead to his demise? While the clear answer is “yes”, a part of him must have been thinking about protecting his people. “I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away”. Just like a captain goes down with the ship, Beowulf understood his duty as King to shield his people and put his life at risk. Group 1 emphasized the progression of Beowulf’s pride and the associated pros and cons throughout his journey. While his over confidence lead to decades of success, Beowulf eventually reached his limit.

I appreciated the thoughtfulness Group 1 put into the substance and delivery of their presentation. They carefully studied and analyzed Beowulfs battles throughly enough to be able to weigh the pros and cons of each battle. I felt that Group 1 went beyond having a basic understanding of Beowulfs battles, and became immersed in what these trials and tribulations really meant for the outcome of the poem as a whole, as well as the individual characters. Group 1 did an excellent job of engaging the rest of the class in the final analysis on Beowulfs battles. Their method of reviewing all the pros and cons involved with each battle, then reciting key quotes from the poem before having the class vote was very effective. It allowed us to think about these battles much more critically than we had before. In addition to the quality in substance, and involvement with the class, I enjoyed that each participant created their own display board which reflected their individual artistic style. I think that if all of the boards had a uniform look, the presentation would lose some of the distinctiveness between battles that I feel is important. I think that I gained the most from Group 1’s presentation. While the others were definitely entertaining in their own right, I feel that Group 1 really made a valiant effort to increase the classes understanding and appreciation of Beowulf, as well as get us to think about it in a different light. I feel that they succeeded in doing this. 

Of yesterday’s group presentations, group 1 stood out the most in my mind. I really enjoyed reading Beowulf and of his many battles and triumphs. The group captured the importance of the four various battles Beowulf fought in his lifetime; against the sea monsters, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. But the group analyzed the battles with an interesting approach. Was Beowulf truly being noble and just in his battles? Or was his fighting more for selfish reasons, for glory and gold? In our class discussion we focused more on the rise and fall of Beowulf and didn’t really touch on his true motives and intentions in the battles. The group did an excellent job presenting the pros and cons to each battle. Some of their main points I hadn’t even considered, such that fighting the dragon alone wasn’t necessary as he had his whole army along with him, and fighting the battle alone was a little selfish of Beowulf as he would be leaving behind his people, potentially putting them all in danger. Their boards were eye catching and creative. Lastly, their idea to include the whole class in voting on each battle kept my attention and interest. Overall, it was a great presentation.

My favorite presentation from today was from group 1.  I thought it was a very interesting angle to take by analyzing Beowulf's pride factor in each of his battles.  Before this presentation, I didn't really consider how his pride really influenced his reason for each of his battles in the story.  For example, one presenter mentioned how he could have had a whole fleet of his soldiers by his side when fighting the dragon, however he opted to fight the dragon without them.  By analyzing the pros and cons of his actions in each battle, it gave us really good insight to his character.  In the case of the dragon, the pros were saving the country as well as more treasure; however the cons included his unnecessary death and consequently leaving the Geatland in a vulnerable place.  In this particular case, I felt that Beowulf's pride hurt him, and I really enjoyed the extra level of interaction in the presentation where we got to express our specific feelings by voting.  the presentation was very easy to understand since it was so simple, yet it was still quite informative.  Simply by discussing the four battles (Sea Monster, Grendel, Grendel's Mother, and the Dragon), the group really taught the class a lot while maintaining our interest.  I feel that all four presenters did an excellent job presenting, and their visual aids were all great (despite being quite different).  Beowulf's pride was perhaps his biggest flaw, and group 1 did an excellent job illustrating that point.

Overall, I feel I learned the most from the Beowulf’s Battles presentation.  The variety of posters kept it not only interesting but easy to follow.  The presentation started out with a drawing showing Beowulf in his swim race against Brecca.  The speaker was able to incorporate a dialogue from the reading then showed how it was being portrayed in his drawing.  The next poster reflected the pros and cons of Beowulf attacking the vicious monster Grendal.  Although heroic, Beowulf was forced to deal with many issues following the battle that would ultimately end up leading to his death.  The next poster had 6 descriptions of Beowulf followed by dialogues and interpretations.  Beowulf’s popularity by this point has skyrocketed.  He has proved himself in battle, proved himself a leader, brought peace to Hrothgar’s Kingdom, was the savior to the kingdom and has more gold than he know what to do with.  By this point, it was apparent that Beowulf’s pride was negatively impacting not only his character but also his decision making.  The last poster depicted Beowulf’s fight against Grendal’s mother.  This ultimately ended up resulting in the death of Beowulf.  After the speaker was done presenting, they asked one more time, did Beowulf’s pride harm him?  Every single person in the class raised their hands.  Although confidence is the key to success considering one must believe in themselves first before they can achieve their goal, their comes a point to where this confidence turns into cockiness which could be very detrimental to a persons character.  For Beowulf, this cockiness led him straight to his very own death.  The group was able to harness and depict Beowulf’s battles in such a way that was both structured and easy to comprehend.  Great Presentation.I felt that Group 1 was the most meaningful presentation of the first batch of projects. They clearly addressed one of the main moral/theme of the Beowulf epic by analyzing Beowulf's pride. Instead of just conveying information about the characters or plot of the story, they allowed the audience to interpret certain aspects of the text. The input of the audience encouraged us to listen to their arguments and actually think critically about the text. The hand drawings displayed on the poster boards clearly required significantly more skill and care than borrowing images off of the internet for a power point presentation.  Group 2 had the most enjoyable presentation. There initial concept and execution were very humorous and well thought out. As a member of the audience, I was amazed at how I was learning about certain aspects of Beowulf's tale while being entertained simultaneously. The aspects of Beowulf's approach to politics required plenty of creativity and knowledge of the text, and group 2 succeeded at presenting those qualities. The only aspect of the presentation that could have made this presentation better would have been if they actually opened up the floor for questions. To do so, would have been rather difficult, but I would have been incredibly impressed if the group could actually improvise and respond on Beowulf's position on a random topic in politics. Overall though, group 2 had a solid presentation.

Group 1 presented a take on Beowulf in offering opinions about his pride- which in many cases was more hubris- and the quick polls of the class provided some results I found to be interesting when comparing this character trait to similar protagonists in modern media. For the majority of his battles, the overwhelming majority of the class found his pride to be an asset- most especially in the fight against Grendel. It's interesting to consider hubris as an asset to a character when it is so often displayed prominently as a negative trait- modern books and movies featuring superhero-type characters often go to great lengths to show that the protagonist is a humble yet powerful character, whereas the antagonist is most often a character of similar power but with overwhelming pride and arrogance, not unlike Beowulf. It seems likely that these characters in modern movies are easier for the audience to identify with, as humility is seen as virtuous. As group 4 showed with their comparison with Beowulf in the poem against Beowulf in the movies, it is clear that the writers behind the modern update felt that even Beowulf needed a touch of humility and moral dilemma(the love triangle with Grendel, Beowulf, and the witch) in order to be more palatable to today's audiences. But the class's response to Beowulf and not seeing his pride as a detriment stands in stark contrast to modern protagonists. This leads me to believe that perhaps there is some room in modern storytelling for a main character of uncompromising pride such as Beowulf that the audience can still get behind. Rather than the archetype of the humble hero that characters today are molded to be, people might like to see that prideful and arrogant Beowulf.

Although project number two was very creative and entertaining, I liked how group number one chose to dig deeper into the story.  Through this presentation, I was able to link the story of Beowolf to real life situations.  For Beowolf along with anyone else in this world, pride is valuable but must be kept in check.  Giving pros and cons about each battle and their outcomes, I was able to think deeper into the story than when I originally read it.  My opinion on Beowolf changed after hearing this presentation, and I realized that his motivations were more about his reputation and fame instead of protection and justice.  Yes, he was a great warrior but he was not able to keep his ego in check so he learned the hard way that no man is invincible.  Although this story is outdated, the concepts and lessons can still translate to be relevant in todays world.  I really enjoyed this presentation and am happy that I was able to gain a new perspective on the story of Beowolf. 

Group one had a very creative way of presenting their project as well as a very good presentation idea. Identifying Beowulf’s character traits, specifically pride, and trying to analyze if his pride was more of a flaw or a helpful trait. This was a very insightful way to look at things. The way the group handled trying to identify the trait was great because they didn’t present a one sided argument but presented both sides of the argument in four different scenarios, being the four main battles, and then let the audience decide whether or not the his pride helped or hurt him in the long run.  Getting the audience involved is always a very good idea because it helps keep their attention and more engage. I know that I was paying more attention to the group and it had me thinking more about Beowulf’s pride than before. This presentation helped me look at the book in a different manner. To help argue both of these sides the read out loud direct quotes from the epic to help bring into light the different points to be made. This showed that they actually took the time to read and fully analyze the trait and bring forth the excerpts that would best help the audience decide. Another great thing about the project was their posters. Each group member had their own self drawn poster which helps present both sides of pride for each battle. This helped the audience better see both arguments in a more organized manner. The project had a good idea, good format, kept the audience involved and most important they made the point very clear.

I was very impressed with the first round of presentations on April 10, 2012.  I could tell all of the groups put a lot of effort into their presentations.  Out of all of the groups that presented during the first round of presentations I found group 1’s presentation to be the most meaningful in relation to the actual poem.  I was interested in their analysis of the pros and cons of Beowulf’s different battles.  I felt that this was the most crucial aspect of the poem.  I feel this way because the battles in Beowulf are the main elements of the poem.  By approaching the pros and the cons of the battles, group 1 did an excellent job in summarizing the majority of the book as well as most of the key elements.  For Example, Justin was the first to present his battle, the battle between Beowulf and the sea monster.  His example of pros were the fact that Beowulf won and was able to brag about this victory later on and the fact that this made trade safe.  Justin’s examples of cons were the fact that Beowulf lost the swimming race and that he almost died.  In describing battles in this manner Justin clearly communicates the result of the battle and the resulting factors of the battle.  To sum up their understanding of the pros and the cons, the class was asked to vote on whether or not the battle was a positive or a negative. This was another good idea because it forced the listeners to weigh the positives against the negatives.  Overall this was an excellent presentation.  Thanks.

I enjoyed listening to Group One’s presentation.  The overall setup of the project was very well done.  I liked how they described each of Beowulf’s battles and then discussed the pros and cons of his use of pride.  This helped refresh the audience’s memory but also got them thinking about new aspects of the story.  It was very fitting that each person described one of the battles and that they were in sequential order.  Each person seemed well prepared and confident in his or her presentation. I also liked how each person created their own poster.  If there were only one poster, it would be hard to see and understand.  The individual posters were also a nice effect because the audience got to see each presenter’s style and contribution to the project.  A lot of people tend to use PowerPoint presentations, but sometimes these take away from the actual people talking.  Using posters was a nice way to deviate from the norm of presenting.  One of the speakers held his poster in front of himself while talking.  I thought that this was very effective because he could easily point to parts of the poster and keep the audience focused on him.  I also enjoyed the voting aspect of the presentation.  This helped draw in the audience and keep them engaged.  The only thing that was missing from the voting portion was some sort of conclusion; it would have been nice for the group to summarize the voting in some way.  Overall I think Group One did a very nice job.

After watching the presentations on Tuesday, April 11, I thought that the first presentation was most relatable to the book. I enjoyed how the group made posters because I am a very visual person. Also, I like how they used a compare/contrast method to recap the story. I was able to remember a lot about the book based off of the posters with drawings and descriptions.  Although this presentation was more physically displayed, I thought presentation number two had the greatest in-depth analysis and creativity. I enjoyed how the whole presentation didn’t simply revolve around the pros and cons but took a look at many aspects or themes within Beowulf and described their opinions from there. I really enjoyed how this group brought the themes seen in the story and converted them into modern-day issues. It was clever and the speeches were appropriate for both the class level and relating to the readings. It was truly a presentation and I was entertained the whole time, wondering what each character would say next. The other presentations were good compared to this great, original and enthusiastic presentation. The other presentations did not receive such a high praise from me because, although they were very informational, the Beowulf 2012 presentation integrated old-fashion character portrayals with current issues such as economics, foreign policy, and social issues (like abortion). Overall, I believe all of the presentations were entertaining and I am glad there were various forms of presenting for group projects for the class to see.

My favorite presentation was done by group 1, which was titled Beowulf’s Battles. I found this presentation to be very meaningful and a very good portrayal of Beowulf’s four distinct battles. I really liked how there were individual poster boards identifying both the pros and the cons for each battle. The pros and cons really helped me to get a visual of all the elements that went into the battles. The presentation tied together very well by attempting to answer the universal question of whether Beowulf’s pride helped him or hindered him, in relation to each individual battle. I definitely agreed with the class’s first answer that in the battle between Beowulf and the sea monsters, Beowulf’s pride helped him. I liked how the group identified this fight as not specifically necessary, but more so a foundation for Beowulf’s character to be built off of. I also agreed with the class in regards to the second battle between Beowulf and Grendel, in that Beowulf’s pride helped him here to defeat the monster and provide safety for the town. The class vote ended in a tie for the third battle, which was between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, which I do think supports the pros and cons given by the group. Lastly was the battle between Beowulf and the Dragon. The class found Beowulf’s pride to have hurt him in this battle for it was not essential that he fight alone, and it ultimately led to his death. Overall I really enjoyed this presentation and I especially liked how it revolved around the central theme of Beowulf’s pride.

Group 2

I was not sure what to expect from the first day of projects on April 10, 2012. I figured most of them would be just analyzing Beowulf or The Miller and would be straightforward and maybe a little dull. I was very surprised though all of the groups did a great job of doing more than just a required project they actually got into it. However I would have to say my favorite group was group 2 and their skit of Beowulf 2012. It was very comical and I was not expecting that, it took me by surprise. You could tell they put a lot of effort and thought into their story. The jokes were excellent tying modern day problems to the way Beowulf would have handled it. It was also very clever how they had one person from their group act as a audience member and ask questions. They captured the essence of Beowulf perfectly when they said something along the lines of if anyone is foolish enough to make enemies of Beowulf will be dispatched quickly and mercilessly. That is Beowulf summed up in one line. If you cross him he will destroy you.  My favorite joke was when the girl playing the audience member asked, “So how would Beowulf handle women’s rights” and they responded in unison next question. Group 2 and all the other groups that presented as well have set the bar high for groups following them.

The Group that had the biggest impact on me was Group 2. Their presentation on Beowulf 2012 was full of enthusiasm, humor, and wit. I found that the speakers all did a great job of presenting the material clearly. It was evident that they had put in time in effort into practicing and creating a skit that would be funny and interesting for the audience.  The reason why this presentation was the most meaningful to me was that they turned an ancient epic into a skit that was relatable to present time. Their portrayal of Beowulf as a political candidate took details from the novel (l like Beowulf’s personality and the historical context of the story) and turned them into a platform for a campaign. Beowulf made for an interesting candidate. The pro of his platform was that he was a war hero with a fierce determination that would be good in situations of war. The cons to him being a candidate were that he seemed less progressive and more old-fashioned in his views of social issues (particularly women’s rights). I felt that this was relevant to this period in time as we are going though the prelims of the presidential campaign. The presentation helped to remind me that I should not take presidential campaigns and politics too seriously.

The second group definitely stood out out of the four presentations of the day. They presented their ideas in a more modern and understandable way. They incorporated Beowulf's characteristics and story very well. The presidential candidate approach was very easy to understand because not only was it refreshing but it was also informative. The comedic way that they presented his pride and his ideals about women and everyday life represented Beowulf correctly. They represented his attitude towards war very well in the way that he uses absolute strength to control others. They also showed his attitude towards home life when they showed his plan to train to mothers to serve their husbands and stay at home. They also showed the way in which he wants to raise kids with his plan to start training kids at a young age so that they stay healthy and they can always defend themselves. The first group was also very informative. They stuck to the standard presentation outlines but it worked for them. It was easy to follow and to see the pros and cons of all of the battles that Beowulf has had. It was clear that his pride helped him to come out of battles the victor.  The group also showed how he was fair in the way that he fought especially when he he would handicap himself so that the fight was fair. The voting in between the info session about the battles helped with the interactive part of the presentation and kept the audience in the presentation. 

I really liked all of the group presentations that were given today but probably my favorite was the second one because of their interesting opening that really got my attention and the humor that they included throughout the presentation. Something that we as young voters may beginning to think about is paying attention to political figures and issues. I myself have been trying to keep up with whats happening with the rest of the world especially with politics. That being said, I appreciated this group taking the idea of the impending election, and putting a twist on it to apply it to Beowulf by making it “Beowulf 2012”. The portrayal of Beowulf’s characteristics from a political standpoint was a very effective way of presenting the information. I hadn’t thought too much about his superhuman qualities including his greater than human strength and overall macho attitude. The group then transitioned quickly into the next subject of the women that are in Beowulf. They cleverly skipped to the subject without spending too much tim eon it because of how the book portrays women. Most women in the book remain nameless, or are referred to as someone’s husband which is something the presentation group was also able to poke fun at. Both the views of Beowulf and the views abou women are extremely different from those that are shared by people today and the group did a great job presenting the information in a comical way that clearly and accurately conveyed the information.

In my opinion, the first four groups were excellent. They all were very informative and interesting to listen to. Group 1 had great visuals, Group 3 was unique, and Group 4 was very informative. However, the group that struck me the most was Group 2: Beowulf 2012. This group described what the world would be like with Beowulf elected president. Right from the beginning I was surprised by the humor and I immediately became intrigued. As soon as the introduction began, all of my attention was on them. This presentation was extremely creative and very humorous. All of the members of the group contributed equally and were all very funny. They went over all of the current issues affecting today’s economy but if Beowulf was in charge. Having Unferth in the audience was a great touch. Unferth asked creative questions relating to healthcare, weapons, senior citizens, abortion, immigration etc... The other three members of the group had quick answers and visuals that made the audience laugh. They did their best to convince Unferth that Beowulf would be the best candidate. I really liked how this group juxtaposed today’s society with what society would be like if Beowulf was in charge. This group was so successful because they made their topic relevant to everyone; therefore, everyone was engaged and interested in what they had to say. This group worked very well together. It is very clear that all of the members of Group 2 spent sufficient time preparing for their presentation.

The 2nd presentation was by far the most engaging and meaningful to my life.  With elections coming up it was a great way to show Beowulf's ideals in a humorous light.  The first area that they went over was economics as they mentioned the trickle down economy.  This was a very humorous and creative way to make note of his treasure and him giving it back to everyone.  The next area of information was about what sort of education system Beowulf would impose.  They were able to talk about how kids were too coddled these days and needed fighting education.  The group also humorously portrayed Beowulf's view on women saying they would be taught cooking, cleaning, and listening.  They went on to address foreign policy where he would just destroy all foes with his bare hands.  Taxes wouldn't be needed because you serve. Arms regulation was addressed as there being no need for any.  A heated debate among presidential candidates is health care and they did a good job at showing that God would just decide on that issue.  Abortion was placed on the screen and then a line split right threw it showing that abortion wasn't going to be talked about.  The immigrants issue is solved in the land of Beowulf considering if you can fight, then you can be a member of the nation.  It was very powerful to analyze the book and then see a group show how Beowulf would be viewed in modern America.  Very creative, very well done!

The most meaningful project to me was from group #2.  By suggesting Beowulf as a candidate for president, the audience was able to clearly see the vast differences between our social norms today and those of Beowulf’s time.  Because the social norms are so different, it was very comical to watch them present Beowulf’s ideas of how our country should be governed.  It was clear to see that almost none of his solutions are feasible.  One of the biggest differences between our societal norms and theirs is how women are treated.  When the topic of women’s rights, abortion and girl’s education were brought up, we could see how little they meant to Beowulf.  Gender roles were completely defined and set in stone and therefore not an issue to him.  By comparing our current leader with Beowulf, it was clear to see that our government is much more involved in our lives.  The contrast between Beowulf’s solutions and our current government is laughable, this presentation really showed how different we live our lives today compared to those of Beowulf’s time. This groups performance clearly demonstrated Beowulf’s character as a strong and manly warrior full of courage and honor.  The character was well represented in the presentation the same way he was represented in the poem.   His solution to most of the campaign issues were similar to his solution to the problems of his world, which was to be courageous and fight until victory and believe that his fate has already been decided by god.

The presentation that stuck out most to me was group number two: Beowulf 2012. I give this group credit for not only raw creativity but also contextual pertinence. This group of students was able to take a current event: the 2012 presidential election, and blend it with a course assignment in such a smooth way that it was enjoyable to the class. While watching this presentation, I was impressed with the way the group incorporated legitimate election questions for Beowulf’s representatives, such as women’s rights, immigration, and poverty; yet they were answered in a comedic but accurate manner according to the book.  The group kept the class’s attention, which is very hard to do in a lecture hall. Additionally, the media that this group used was another successful way to maintain the class’s interest.  The pictures and superimposed images were very funny, which made people want to keep watching to see what the group would do next.  I must say that this group did not cease to deliver new and exciting twists to their original idea.  My personal favorite was Beowulf’s campaign slogan “For a Geater Tomorrow.” I found this hilarious, but I am also a sucker for puns.  Second favorite part was Beowulf’s birth certificate – clever! Overall, I thought that all groups did a great job, it would be a daunting task to have to go first, so I give them all credit for being organized and on top of things enough to do so. 

I enjoyed all of the presentations completed on Tuesday but I thought

group 2 had the best and most meaningful presentation.   I was

impressed by the creativity this group displayed by choosing to

compare Beowulf to current political candidates.  My favorite part of

the presentation was that the group was really able to portray the

character of Beowulf while putting him in a modern day situation.

After listening to this presentation, I found myself thinking of what

our nation would be like if we had a leader as powerful as Beowulf.

After the way this group presented Beowulf as such a strong leader, I

think it would be a great idea to vote for him and put him in charge

of our nation.  Another part of the presentation I liked was the

group’s ability to include humor while still successfully portray the

character of Beowulf.  It was very interesting to hear the humorous

references to current events while talking about a character developed

so many years ago.  I found it funny when the group talk about the

“mediocrity” the United States has had to endure for the last 4 years

with Barack Obama as the president.  The last reason this presentation

was the most meaningful to me was it allowed me to picture Beowulf as

a ruler.  In the poem, Beowulf is portrayed as a very successful and

powerful warrior but his time of rule is essentially skipped over.

Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation completed by group 2

because it described Beowulf accurately while incorporating humor to

keep me involved.

The cleverest presentation was Beowulf 2012: “Americans for a Geater Tomorrow.” They related modern day hot topics to Beowulf and his reactions to them. They talked about his stance on foreign affairs, economics, physical education, abortion, women’s rights, senior citizens, and immigration. I’m a strong believer in the past holds the information for our future. It is obvious that Beowulf was a strong leader with many traits we could learn from, though his stance on controversial topics may not be relevant to our modern society. One of my favorite components of their presentation was the language used; especially the rhythm. It emulated the style used in the story, which made their presentation even more intriguing. Their introduction worked precisely as it was supposed to, hooking the audience in with some controversial statements about the presidency and the candidates that caused a little buzz in the classroom. Overall their project was creative, unique, and attention grabbing; precisely what a presentation should be.

I thought that all of the groups today were great in their own creative ways.  The most entertaining and creative group in my opinion was Group 2: Beowulf 2012.  They blended Beowulf's heroic aspects into a political election format which I never would have thought of doing.  The central aspects were Beowulf's accomplishments and his elite status as a leader but included into the discussion were also the religion, culture, and status of women during the story's setting.  Integrating the story of Beowulf with politics and social views of the time helped to broaden this presentation and provide an overall view of the story since Beowulf is not the only character.  Although the group's views were biased in praising Beowulf, they definitely supported Beowulf's greatness with information from other parts of the story.

I thought the presentation by the group by Beowulf 2012 was both very interesting and original. I appreciated the humor and cleverness the group used throughout the entire presentation. The presentation was comical because of how they described Beowulf’s actions would be if he was president accompanied with hilarious slides. The group applied the leadership qualities of Beowulf to those that American’s look for in a president. Beowulf would be able to address the economy, the educational system, foreign policy, taxation, healthcare, immigration and all other issues that would arise when one is the leader of a country. The presentation was also good because the group was able to use quotes from the poem to back up their claims about how Beowulf would handle each issue if he were president.I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a “hero” run our country, instead of one of our typical presidential candidates.  This presentation gave some good examples of how Beowulf might run America, and I couldn’t help but wonder how things might be if he was in charge. This is the main reason why I enjoyed this presentation, but the humor and comical delivery also added a lot to the overall presentation.

While all the groups had unique and interesting presentations, I found Group 2 to have the most original delivery. Their fake campaign, “Beowulf 2012,” was a captivating way to interpret and apply the pride Beowulf championed throughout the epic poem. It was creative to include actual issues from the upcoming election and answer them according to the time period of Beowulf. Additionally, the project further examined the purpose of the presentation from Group 1: how far Beowulf could extend his pride before it began to hurt him. He had two roles in the poem: first a warrior, then a king. Because Beowulf began as a great, courageous warrior, he needed to be prideful in order to succeed in his many battles. However, when he became king, he needed to contemplate the welfare of his people over the desire for yet another glorious conquest. Thus, despite the comedy of Group 2’s campaign, Beowulf for President would perhaps not result in the best leadership. He would definitely be revered, respected, and highly depended upon, but at a certain threshold I believe his pride would yet again take over his duties as a unifying leader. Thus, he would lead himself into obtaining personal glory while leaving America without a leader (if it were the case for him to be killed in battle). In order for him to succeed in office, he would need to be more diplomatic in nature and less apt to resort to violence and warfare to prove his worth. If Beowulf were to demonstrate such ability, then the campaign “Beowulf 2012” would undoubtedly be a success.

The presentation of Beowulf 2012 was thoroughly enjoyable. The comedy was hilarious, and it was impressive how well the

presentors were able to find quotes with such close relevance to the numerous political issues of today. While i feel that their

portrayal of the candidate was very close to the way he is, it seems that he is a little extreme on the issues. Despite this though,

I do feel like he would provide a fresh new start to the way our country runs by doing things the way he wants, actually acting on

his beliefs and not trying to please everyone and getting nothing accomplished because of it. I feel that Beowulf would single handedly

slay more beasts, conquer more territory, and bring our economy out of debt more-so than the last dozen presidents preceding him

combined in his first term in office. Despite the stances of his on a few issues that I do not agree with, I am convinced that he

could be a welcome change for our country. Should he show up on this upcoming ballot, I will be sure to cast a vote his way.

Although I would definitely feel a little different if I were female...

 Although I enjoyed presentations one, three, and four yesterday, the one that suck with me the most was group number two’s presentation, Beowulf 2012.  I liked their presentation the most because it was entertaining and they were upbeat when they talked.  I like how their group had one member ask questions from the audience because she asked questions that further allowed them to explain why Beowulf makes such a good leader.  I also thought it was clever how they had one person in their group mediate the election campaign and the other two members speaking on behalf of Beowulf and what he stands for.  I really liked that they presented like it was an election because it was creative and allowed us to see Beowulf’s strengths as a leader and the weaknesses of the time he lived in, like how women did not have much of a say in anything that the men did.  Their group’s introduction and conclusion captured my attention and kept me interested all the way through the presentation and it tied everything nicely together from beginning to end.  I also enjoyed their PowerPoint because they put pictures to what they were explaining, like training young boys to fight and how Beowulf would accept anyone into their community if they were willing to fight and support their land.  The pictures were funny and added an element to the presentation that kept it fun and lively.  Even though it was humorous, it still was a very informative presentation and presented a lot of interesting information to the class.Given that the first groups had no precedent on which to base their presentations, I believe that all of them did an admirable job.  The group that stood out the most to me was Group 2.  They were highly creative in their concept.  Their choice to spoof Beowulf really elevated their presentation.  Although parts of their presentation were slightly offensive, it was all in good fun and I’ll admit that I laughed quite a bit.  Their ability to take a millennia old story and apply it to modern times showed their creativity and their ability to think outside of the box.  They all spoke clearly and loudly and it was obvious that they had prepared their presentation before hand because everything was precisely on cue.  I was thoroughly surprised when I realized that they had utilized one of their group members as a functioning member of the audience in order to further their presentation and add a certain participatory aspect to it.  After their presentation, I will definitely be voting for Beowulf in 2012, who else could lead this country out of these economic doldrums and toward Geatness?  Actually I would probably vote for Gandalf as President, Beowulf would be my choice for Secretary of State.  The only problem I had with their presentation was that it did not fully demonstrate their understanding of the text.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Group 2’s presentation; it was well prepared, well executed and funny.

I thought that out of all the groups that presented in class today, one in particular stood out. This group's project was engaging, humorous, and was overall well presented. Group Two, the Beowulf for President group had a very meaningful and creative idea. They injected humorous anecdotes into each of their dialogues, keeping the audience engaged and laughing, while still presenting the relevant information on Beowulf. They seemed to have genuinely enjoyed making presenting their project, which made the audience enjoy it. Many times, projects can be boring and simply spit out facts. But Group Two took a creative and unique approach and it showed. It was fun to see what they thought Beowulf's presidency would be like. But not only was it fun, I think it accurately described Beowulf's traits. Comparing Beowulf to today's leaders there are stark differences and it made for an enjoyable comparison. I also appreciated how the group incorporated contemporary topics such as the War in Afghanistan and health care reform into their presentation; it made for an interesting project. The visual aids that were used were appealing and engaging, providing the another level of enjoyment and satire. Furthermore, the project on the whole can be looked at as a sort of satirical look at modern society. The group tries to persuade us that Beowulf, a barbaric and relatively uncivilized man when compared to today's standards, is a more fit leader than Obama or any of the Republican candidates. From the audience's perspective, you could tell that this group definitely had practiced their speech multiple times because they transitioned perfectly from one slide and one topic to the next while still keeping comedic timing and without stuttering or awkward pauses.

The project that was most meaningful to me was the project done by group 2, or as they call themselves, “Beowulf 2012.” I loved the way that they made the project interesting and funny because it was interesting to listen to and I was interested in what they were going to say next. While it was funny, they still kept the facts straight. First they opened with a speech about the upcoming presidential election which immediately caught my attention about what they were going to do. Then they introduced their “election plan” and discussed foreign policy, education, and money. When they did each of these they brought up examples from the real story. They said that they Beowulf would defend our nation, provide the people with all the money he earned, and that all the men should be trained in physical combat and the women should be educated in cooking, cleaning, and raising a child.After they went through the initial speeches, they asked the audience if they had any questions. They planted someone in the audience that kept asking different questions. Some of the questions that were brought up were healthcare, arms regulation, and taxes. Once again they used examples from the story that actually would apply to the questions if it were a real election. The powerpoint was my favorite part of the presentation because they had mostly pictures. If you put too much text on a power point it distracts from the speaker (which they didn’t) and the pictures were funny and tastefully done but not distracting. 

The presentation that I enjoyed the most was group 2's presentation, "Beowulf 2012." Their presentation was very effective at grabbing the attention of the audience, because it was on a topic that very much relates to what is going on now in America. By poking fun at the issue of the upcoming presidential election, they got the whole class laughing. They summed up Beowulf's traits from a political standpoint, and this was a good way of letting humor into the presentation, while also accurately portraying his over the top characteristics. When the presentation got around to the issue of women's rights, the group made a joke by saying "Next question," but this attitude very well reflects the way the epic regards its female characters. Females in "Beowulf" were not given names, and were always referred to as side characters in the story, with the exception of the importance of Grendel's mother. This presentation made me realize just how extreme some of Beowulf's characteristics are. He possesses superhuman-like traits, and holds values that are vastly different from those that our modern society holds. The clashing of these two completely different societies is what made the presentation so funny. There was one point when the group took on the issue of immigration, and posted a picture of an immigrant farming family on the slide. They then edited the picture so that each of the family members wielded a sword, and said "if they can fight, they are welcome." Overall, I thought group 2 had the most engaging and well rounded presentation.

The presentation that I found most meaningful was the second performance (Group 2), which connected the upcoming political election in the United States to the leader of the epic poem of Beowulf. Although performed in a comic manner, the performance effectively related the characteristics/policies of the leaders of today (in the United States) and the the characteristics/policies of leaders of the Middle Ages. As one should expect, the specific policies of today are very much different from the policies of the Middle Ages, yet the performance was able to categorize their candidate's (Beowulf) policies under political issues facing the United States presidential candidates of today. For example, whereas today's policies concerning education are focused on funding public education (economic concerns), Beowulf's policy on education, as the performance presented it, was focused on raising your kids to be physically strong and capable of going into battle with the greatest chance to win. Furthermore, one can see that the goals of both the policies were to provide the best opportunity for the youth of their state to succeed. In this sense, the performance showed that the politics of both time periods focused on attaining the same goals. Among many other general political issues that the performance brought, the issues of foreign policy, economic policy, and immigration were highlighted and shown to have similar goals to the current policies today in the United States.  Although the performance came off as comedic, the similarities between the two periods of time in history are uncanny. The parts of their performance that the audience laughed at concerned topics that we, ironically, take very seriously today

I thought that the presentation done by Group #2 was very creative and very well put together. It explained many of the main ideas and events of the story of Beowulf in an applicable context to current events. I thought the explanation of Beowulf's would-be foreign policy was especially well done, citing specific references to the battles that he fought and won. Mostly, I liked how the group discussed the social structure and prevailing cultural beliefs of the time during which the story was written, which is just as important to understanding Beowulf as the story itself. In this sense, this project was the most unique of all of those presented because it focused on the bigger historical picture rather than just on the literature itself. The presenters then went one step further in comparing some of these cultural issues to those that are currently being faced in modern times. For example, the lack of women’s rights in Beowulf’s time was a key issue that the presenters illuminated in a clever and humorous way, and then related this to the issue of abortion, which is a source of conflict and much debate in today’s world. Rule by warlords and the emphasis on war that was important in the culture of this time was also highlighted in a very clever way, by describing how education would function in a society with Beowulf as its ruler. All in all, I thought this presentation was the most engaging as well as the most creative and well-organized. It was obvious that a lot of work and collaboration was put into this presentation, so great job overall! 

My favorite presentation on Tuesday April 10th was the group Beowulf 2012, group 2. This presentation was most meaningful to me for a number of reasons. First of all, it was very creative. When hearing the title, “Beowulf 2012”, I immediately thought it was a modern take on Beowulf. Although it was just that, it wasn’t what I had originally expected so I was surprised. Also, I really enjoyed how the group juxtaposed the humor with the accurate information on the ideals of Beowulf. It was done in a way that made it very funny to the audience, however it was still correct information. It also was funny because it showed the differences between the era Beowulf ruled in to the era the president rules in now. It was amusing again, but also interesting to have such medieval concepts compared to now. The overall idea, using the presidential election, was very well thought out and perfect timing with the election coming up. My favorite portion of the presentation was when they asked for questions and their fourth group member pretended to be Unferth. That was a perfect connection to Beowulf that I was not expecting. The war like and dark ideals of the medieval times were seamlessly tied into a campaign. Yes, it was amusing so maybe it was not as seamless, but that added to the overall presentation. I really liked how the group took current issues and combined those with the stances of Beowulf. It really did end up becoming a modern take on Beowulf; well more so what Beowulf would be like in our time. Ultimately, the group played on the audience’s emotions, giving them what they wanted, while presenting accurate information on the epic of Beowulf. I could not imagine how they could have made their presentation better.

I thought that the first round of project presentations went very well.  I was not sure of what to expect and was very impressed by the quality of the presentations.  Although all of the presentations were very good, the Beowulf 2012 presentation was the one that was most influential to me.  From the very beginning of the presentation, the group members were able to command the audience’s attention and had a sense of professionalism and preparedness about them.  All of the group members also worked together well when presenting.The presentation was captivating with the use of a serious tone and PowerPoint presentation that contained many eye-catching graphics.  These aspects, although small, had a big impact on me.  I found them to really engage the audience and communicate a deep understanding of Beowulf’s character in the epic. Using Beowulf as a Presidential candidate was a great idea.  I felt that the group did a great job in presenting and was able to really get their point across and effectively teach the class about the character of Beowulf, especially with the use of modern day comparisons.  Overall, the Beowulf 2012 presentation is the one that stood out the most to me and I felt that that group did the best at communicating their ideas to the class

Though all four groups made the subjects they did very entertaining, the one that caught my attention the most was Beowulf 2012. It was amusing how they made a campaign candidate out of the Geet king of legend, using quotes from the epic as ways of answering the needs of modern people. Their use of pictures on the slide show were even better at making the whole thing attention grabbing as well as comical. I found the solution to the problem of immigration especially funny, and how to deal with the aging baby boomer generation. It was also very entertaining to hear how they used even more lines from the epic to answer questions from the 'audience'. To address a need for more money to stimulate the economy would be to simply ask Beowulf to bestow some form of gift as 'giver of rings'. If the treasury got too low, he would simply go and take out some monster to fill it. On the issue of medical insurance, it was his stand to simply let God decide. The boys would learn to fight and the girls would learn to cook. On women's rights, his campaign team stated 'Next question please' which was really funny. It was even more entertaining when the most cinic of the 'audience' who had questions for the team was Umfer too! Overall this presentation was obviously well planned out and designed to be very entertaining for the class. I'm sure it is one of the class favorites. It sure caught my attention. VOTE BEOWULF 2012!!

Of all the group projects presented on Tuesday, Group 2's production sparked my interest most vividly. As a parody of the currently tense and somewhat hopeless U.S. presidential primaries, the presentation targeted the perfect audience - a group of young college students just beginning to realize the effects of politics on their future lives. I enjoyed how the elements of Beowulf's presidential platform mirrored key issues in today's race including the state of our economy, national defense, taxes, and healthcare. Each issue was accurately presented in accordance with the views and societal customs depicted in Beowulf, such as the duty of the king to provide for the financial well-being of his people through his own accumulation of riches and treasures in lieu of taxation. Beowulf's stance on healthcare perhaps revealed the greatest contrast between his society and our own. Healthcare, disregarding the details, is viewed as a necessary piece in our countries infrastructure on both sides of the political race, however Beowulf doesn't even recognize the idea. His own answer to the issue is that “God will decide” the fate of your life. This reiterates a common theme throughout Beowulf of fate, it portrays Beowulf's own view which ironically led to his death, and it describes the attitude of the entire society during that time. The presentation itself added another dimension when the actors extended the stage into the auditorium through a scripted Q&A session with another actor in the audience. This actor played the role of a reporter or journalist and propelled the presentation into deeper descriptions of Beowulf's political plan, which otherwise would have seemed incomplete. Great acting, extremely funny – well done!

I felt as though group 2 had the most entertaining presentation. I greatly enjoyed the cleverness of turning Beowulf into the next presidential candidate. The first speaker provided a solid intro to help gain the attention of the audience and set the tonality of the presentation. Using common political debate themes the group was able to cite many examples from the text that could be twisted into political meaning. These examples coming from political topics such as economics, foreign policy, taxes, women’s rights, education, healthcare  and immigration. The images provided in the PowerPoint slides helped add laughs to Beowulf’s political points. When discussing education the group quoted a few lines from the text saying that boys should be trained to fight and becomes strong warriors at a young age which was accompanied by a slide with an image of two children sword fighting. On the topic of immigration the group presented an image of a family of immigrants, in which the speaker quoted Beowulf’s political stance as being that a person can immigrate if they rally and fight for the nation they immigrate to. The group then presented the next slide which was the same image of the family but armed with broad swords. The group also included a bit containing questions from the audience, a common occurrence in political debates and rallies. An especially funny point was to provide a “legitimate” birth certificate for Beowulf saying that he was American born and therefore a legitimate candidate for president. Overall the group provided a fun and creative way to present the material from Beowulf. 

Beowulf 2012, the group presentation on Beowulf, was, in my opinion, the most meaningful and impressive project presented on Tuesday.  The team did an excellent job of analyzing and breaking down the different social and character aspects of Beowulf in a creative way.  “Americans for a Geater Tomorrow” was a humorous campaign slogan for  our “presidential candidate”: Beowulf.  It was refreshing to hear from a group that did not take themselves to seriously, but it was evident that they knew and understood the material.  Beowulf is super-human in the epic poem, and does not need any weapons or assistance when battling his foes.  The group emphasized Beowulf’s power through entertaining explanations of Beowulf’s view on foreign policy and education ( training males to fight).  The submissive role of women was also touched on in the presentation when the group exclaimed that females would be trained to serve and do housework while the males fought.  The piles of treasure that Beowulf receives from his victories in the poem were even cleverly brought up in the presentation as Beowulf’s trickle-down economics.  Overall, I believe that this group did the best job of presenting the reading material in the most creative way.  

Every group presented in a unique way: there were various posters, many quotes, current adaptations or parodies such as the Bachelorette, and PowerPoints. However, one group's presentation method definitely stood out to me. Group #2's analogous comparison of Beowulf's becoming king to our current upcoming election for presidency provided an insight into the type of person that Beowulf was. The group dissected Beowulf's reign as king and personality to answer questions and topics that current politicians would need to answer during debates and along their campaigns. Examples of these topics include economic policy, education, foreign policy, taxes, and health care. Beowulf's stance for each of these topics was given in the presentation. For the economy, Beowulf would obtain wealth from various quests and the slaying of monsters. For foreign policy, Beowulf would merciless slay any enemies while helping out any neighboring clans. These two policies showed that Beowulf was skilled in battle, powerful, and courageous in the fact that he was willing to face monsters when most would run away. For education, the males would be taught how to fight, while females would be taught to cook and clean. As for health care, the young would fight for the old, but the old peoples' fate would be left up to the Lord. Both of these policies are very traditional and old as women were thought to only do menial jobs and the men were thought of as masculine and suppose to fight. By answering current issues with these traditional policies of Beowulf not only allowed the audience to relate better and thus understand Beowulf easier, but also provided a sense of comedy. Much of Beowulf's policies are outdated and would most certainly not be accepted by society today.

I firmly believe that Group 2 did a substantially better job with their presentations than any of the other presentations that day. The group did their presentation on the epic poem Beowulf. What set them apart from the other Beowulf group was the content of their presentation. They chose to present the information from the poem as a press conference releasing the announcement of Beowulf running for presidency in 2012. I found that to be a very unique and original idea. They maintained their demeanor as a group which I must say is a difficult thing to do in front of so many people. They also added plenty of humor into their presentation which added so much to it considering many may find English Literature to be a very dry subject. There were multiple times where I found myself actually laughing out loud. They added the traits of Beowulf and related them to issues presidents would need to face today. Everyone was able to relate to what they were saying. One thing that really set them apart from everyone else was the fact that they gave their whole presentation in the poetic form of Beowulf. A thing they could have improved on was having the audience be more interactive. They gave the illusion of doing this by putting one of their group members in the audience who would speak when it came around to question time. I felt if the group let the audience be more interactive, their presentation would be that much better. Not to take away from the rest of presentations, as they all did well, but Group 2 truly stood above the rest.

I found the Beowulf 2012 presentation (presented by group two) to be not only fresh and inviting but informative and well preformed. All the group members had obviously spent many hours scripting and practicing their lines, which was commendable; moreover, the added wit and humor plus the attention to the detail of the original poem did not go unnoticed. By describing Beowulf as a presidential candidate, the audience was able to relate to something they already know about extensively, namely presidential politics, to the somewhat ambiguous character of Beowulf. Through this process the audience was presented with “presidential candidate Beowulf’s” stance on various political issues in our present society strongly influenced by the society and attitude of Beowulf defined in the epic poem. Specifically, issues such as: taxes, healthcare, foreign policy, inflation, women’s rights, and even abortion were all discussed and the audience was given a clear and concise view on what Beowulf’s stance would have been had he been transported in time and run as a presidential candidate today. I found this presentation to be the most entertaining for it created a setting or atmosphere, if you will, that I was familiar and comfortable with while at the same time presenting the required and essential material with tact and professionalism.  I enjoyed it thoroughly—well done group two.

            In looking at the projects from April 10, although all groups did an admirable job, personally, group two's presentation stood out most in my memory. I saw this because that group managed to surprise me with their approach to the source material using the character of Beowulf as a presidential candidate. I particularly liked the way the group covered near every facet of Beowulf's personality into different political platforms, such as: economy, education, foreign policy, regulation of arms, health care, and others.         The group also managed to weave in elements of the plot and storytelling of the epic Beowulf  in each of their points. The powerpoint presentation was creative and comical, their usage of pictures throughout was amusing, such as a blue and red picture of Beowulf with the words "Beowulf 2012" underneath, reminiscent of Barrack Obama's iconic painting. The script itself was inspired, paying homage to a standard political rally. The group seemed more like supporters of a prospective presidential candidate rather than students delivering a stuffy report on a very old literary epic. This lent an air of believability to the project as a whole, even if it was openly comical and satirical. Overall, the presentation was a joy to sit through. Great work! 

Of all that groups that presented, I think Group 2 meant the most to me. I thought it was a great idea to look at Beowulf in the context of our current political environment. It was a good way to see the difference in what society found important. More interesting is what similarities we have. People still care about safety and money. It just has a different name now. It was also a little scary to think that some of our politicians basically support some of the more radical ideals Beowulf holds. This group did a good job of pointing out how Beowulf has many of the qualities we look for in a leader. They cited examples from the book about how Beowulf's confidence made brought glory to his people. When Beowulf was successful, as he always was, his people prospered. This was not the case for Beowulf's last battle with the dragon. The group failed to mention this part, which was probably because they were trying to promote Beowulf as a viable candidate. As fun as it was to look at Beowulf as a viable candidate for the 2012 presidential election, I don't think I could ever vote the values and arrogance of Beowulf. 

After seeing all four of the presentations on Tuesday I think everyone did great but one group stood out the most and that was group 2. I enjoyed the Beowulf 2012 presentation because the provided comedic inferences to the Beowulf poem and also were able to engage the audience. The presentation was not only engaging but informative and creative. If I had never read the Beowulf poem I could have understood the gist after watching group 2‘s presentation. Overall it was well planned out and interesting. The clever references back to the poem allowed them to be funny without loosing the idea they were trying to convey. I found it particularly funny during the portion of the presentation on the foreign policy, that was pretty hilarious.I enjoyed the way the group was able to incorporate all of its members with out making it feel like one person was controlling the who presentation. Although other groups tried to do this group 2 did it best. There were many things I enjoyed about the presentation but my main reason for choosing group 2 is that they hit all of the key points from the poem that needed to be mentioned where other groups could have used more clever way of portraying the pivotal scenes. All this said the group presentations were all great but if it came down to a vote for the best one I would choose group 2.

Although all of the presentations were well thought out and creative, Beowulf 2012's presentation was one of the four presentations that really stuck out to me. Thinking of how an election is coming up in today's world and having Beowulf as a candidate was extremely original. The group had clearly practiced together and had each of their roles down to each line, yet they made it just conversational enough to engage the audience effectively. They did a great job of balancing enough summary and facts from Beowulf while tying the presentation to controversies that exist today and presenting ways that Beowulf would handle them. The powerpoint presentation was fun and humorous, while still relating to the subject matter. The idea to have one coup member in the audience to ask questions was a fantastic idea! The catch phrase, "Americans for a Geater Tomorrow" was also very witty!

I thought the best presentation was group 2 (Beowulf 2012). I liked their presentation because it involved current events and humor. I liked how they involved the election in their presentation. I think it kept most people very engaged. It also was a fun way to bring up the qualities of a leader seen in Beowulf. It also compared how these qualities have changed between modern day and the middle ages. One of the more prominent differences is for women's rights and their social role. In modern day women are for the most part equal to men. This is almost the exact opposite in Beowulf. In that time women were meant to serve. They had no voice of their own, and even the queen had little power. They highlighted this in their response to the question regarding women's rights to which they responded "next question". Another big difference was the  education of children. In beowulf's warrior society children were taught to fight at a young age. Now in modern times children are taught mote intellectual things to train them to work in a professional environment. All the differences were made clear and obvious using humor. The humor was also an important aspect of the presentation. It keeps people entertained and interested. It also helps people remember important points, by creating a link between a memorable joke and an important point of the presentation. Overall this group’s presentation got me interested, kept me engaged, and left a lasting impression on my understanding of the story of Beowulf.  

The presentation that I found the most entertaining was group #2. Their group name was Beowulf 2012. I liked their presentation because I wasn't sure what to expect when they first brought up the powerpoint.  Beowulf 2012 used an appropriate amount of sarcasm that helped to engage the audience. I also liked that they brought the character of Beowulf into what he may be like if brought into todays society. The group seemed to be well informed about Beowulf's character and I liked that they had the person in the crowd asking questions. This group also used good visuals that kept audience attention throughout the presentation.  I think that each person in the group did a great job of speaking to the class and making sure that everyone could hear them. They also had good eye contact and were engaging to watch present. I thought they did a good job of making sure that each group member had close to equal amounts of speaking parts in the presentation. Sometimes when group make presentations there are some people that stand out more than others or talk significantly more than others. I didn't think that was the case with this group. I enjoyed the dialog between the person in the crowd asking questions and the responses from the presenters.   I think their idea of presenting about Beowulf as if he is running for president was very clever and presented an element of creativity. I know I wouldn't have thought to do something like this for my presentation. I'm feeling more open to trying something creative with my group for our presentation, so I'm thankful to have seen what this group came up with.

Of all the groups that presented on Tuesday, I thought that group 2 was the most memorable and connectable. The other groups felt a bit out of touch and dry. Group 2 took a current event, the upcoming presidential election, and made it ridiculous. Although it wasn't so ridiculous to the point of where it was unrelated. It was obviously ridiculous that Beowulf would be running for president this year, on a platform with outdated ideals that would appall most members of society. The group immediately caught our attention by talking about something relatable, our opinions towards the current candidates. Many students here feel like none of the current options for president are the right choice for our country. They also had a lot of people (like me) wondering how this was going to connect to Beowulf. After revealing that Beowulf was running for president, they staged a mock platform on which he would be running. The entire section was very humorous and kept us glued to their presentation to hear what they would say next. A questions segment came next, which turned out to be staged. Overall, I really liked their presentation, although it wasn't as relevant to Beowulf as the other two groups' presentations were. It didn't analyze anything, it simply just extrapolated how Old English societal standards would apply to the political problems of the present. They did a good job of having their presentation resonate through humor, but didn't really bring anything new to the table.

After watching the first four groups present I think they all did a great job! The group that stuck with me the most and that seemed the most prepared was Group 2: Beowulf 2012. I think they were able to come up with a very unique, creative idea to present. Their idea was imaginative and unrealistic and yet was able to focus on a lot of different aspects from the book itself, such as the economy, taking care of the people, and Beowulf himself. Their idea was not only creative, but the way they presented it was like a live election with a member from their group acting as a member of "the audience." All in all I think they did a wonderful job and I thought it was very fun to listen to and to watch. 

The "Beowulf 2012" presentation was the most meaningful to me because I liked how it correlated a text written hundreds of years ago to current times. The group used puns and satire from the text such as "Americans for Geater America" and discussed key political issues such as the economy, education, foreign policies, immigration, health care, and women's rights. It was refreshing to hear about these topics in a less serious manner, as these topics affect Americans on a daily basis and cause frustration, uneasiness, and controversy on a national scale. I thought it was great that the group discussed these issues using direct quotes from the text to directly answer questions. Each topic had well thought out quotes from the text to explain and answer the questions, and also pointed out important themes and important events that occurred in Beowulf.  The use of humor was entertaining, and I thought the group did a great job of keeping a delicate balance between making the class laugh, yet also keeping their presentation serious and professional.  Using a member of the group to be an audience member and ask questions made their political debate seem more authentic and added an extra plus to their presentation. The Powerpoint did the same thing and I enjoyed the modern pictures that accompanied old-world quotes. The photo shopped images also added to the humor the group was trying to convey to the audience.  The group seemed very well prepared and used minimal use of their notes. It was well organized and well presented, and I found their project to be unique and creative.

The project which was most meaningful to me was project number two, ‘Beowulf 2012’. For its humor and mockery of Beowulf’s character, this group presented a spoof of Beowulf in the Election of 2012, as if he were running in the election to become the next president of the United States. ‘Americans for a Geater Tomorrow’, their slogan started the project in a humorous state, that led into a discussion of why Beowulf would be the ultimate ruler of the nation. Their project used a clever tactic in the sense that without having to state that Beowulf was a prideful and physically strong character, they instead focused on the mockery of his personal male qualities. Election 2012: Who should lead us? Beowulf of course. With no other option than this powerful and strong leader, Beowulf’s campaign focused on the areas of ‘Economy, Education’, The importance of ‘Training the Youth to Fight’, ‘Foreign Policy’, and ‘Help Friend and Kill Foe’. The group project focused on underestimation of the rights of women as well, showing Beowulf’s narcissistic nature and pride for male domination and control. The group was creative in delegating a classmate from the audience to participate and ask questions, which added further collaborative effort to their project. I chose to reflect on this project because their light-hearted humor of Beowulf was not only entertaining, but was informative to the audience of Beowulf himself. I felt the group project explained Beowulf’s qualities very well and this project added a sense of humor to Beowulf as a character himself.

Out of today's presentations, group 2, Beowulf 2012, was definitely the most enjoyable for me. Not only was their approach incredibly creative and engaging, but it also perfectly described the character of Beowulf as well as most aspects of the epic poem. I was really impressed by the script the group came up with, taking such an old and somewhat archaic text and applying it to today's political world. That must have taken a lot of time and effort. Plus, the whole skit was hysterical which is just an added bonus. I think the reason this particular presentation really struck me was because of how applicable and relatable it is in this current time. Elections are just 6 months away, so this presentation didn't just make me think about Beowulf, it also made me think about what I will be looking for in the candidates running for office. The group thoroughly covered all the different criteria that are focused on in propaganda pieces, debates, and news reports. While most people are easily bored hearing the typical answers to politicians' views on abortion, taxes, arms regulations, immigration, etc., this group added a flare with both humor and, of course, the very different culture that comes from the text of Beowulf. It was made clear through this presentation that the group members understood the text, the themes, the characters, etc., as well as enjoyed the epic. In the end, I found myself better grasping the text as a whole and actually enjoying the storyline a bit more. 

I felt as though Group 2 gave the best presentation on Tuesday as their presentation best kept my interest as well as explaining the epic of Beowulf the best. I thought it was very creative in using a Presidential campaign model as a way of analyzing and summarizing the epic and the character of Beowulf. The topics they used to analyze Beowulf worked really well and I especially liked how,”If Beowulf was made President, he would require 2 hours of physical education a day in schools”, which was revealed to be 2 hours of sword fighting and weapons training. I also thought how the issues of foreign affairs would be handled “swiftly and violently”; by Beowulf did a good job of describing the character. One of the main topics we talked about in class was the lack of female representation in the epic and this was conveyed well in the presentation as the speakers ‘avoided’ and dismissed any questions regarding women’s’ rights. Another idea in the presentation I thought was especially clever was how the critic and questioner of Beowulf was Unferth, who was also the critic and questioner of Beowulf in the epic. Overall I feel as though group 2 did an excellent job, as they also used Beowulf’s battle with Grendel as an example of how Beowulf would deal with enemies and what he was capable of.  I also thought it was funny how, intended or not, they were mocking this year’s lack of strong presidential candidates of both the Democratic and especially Republican parties.

I think all of the groups did a fantastic job on their presentations today, however I really liked the presentation given by group #2: Beowulf 2012. Being in the audience I could tell they put a lot of work into their presentation. The group presented themselves and worked together very well. The presentation ran very smoothly, they did a good job getting into their different roles. Their slogan, “Americans for a geater Tomorrow” was very clever and a good start to the presentation. It was a very creative idea to present their information as a political campaign. They presented a lot of information regarding the book and did it in a very humorous way. The visualizes were helpful and very funny. There was a lot of laughter from the audience and it seemed everyone was really enjoying the presentation.The group did a great job picking out important ideas from the book and putting a twist on them to incorporate the ideas in to their political campaign theme. The group presented the information in categories that would be in actual political campaigns. Such as the argument for education, which Beowulf would have all children trained to fight instead of other sources of physical education. Having a group member in the audience was an interesting tactic but was very beneficial for their project and helped them get their point across. Being in the audience I was entertained throughout the whole performance. Overall I think the group did a great job and I really enjoyed their presentation.

Of all the presentations, I thought Group 2's presentation was the most meaningful to me because it was tied into the American Economy.  I am very proud of the country I live in and to see classic works of literature as a part of it made me laugh.  Beowulf would be a better presidential candidate than all of the current candidates.  I agree with all of the points brought up like they're views on education, economics, foreign affairs, etc.  I really like their view on what Beowulf would do regarding taxes because it is so unrealistic and it would be great to not pay for taxes.  Overall, group 2's presentation was funny, insightful, and just a great presentation.

I enjoyed all of the presentations that were given on April 10th, but the one that I would like to commend is Group 2. This group did a very interesting presentation on the story of Beowulf by turning him into a candidate for president for the upcoming 2012 elections. Personally I thought this was the most interesting because I like to think that I am as involved in politics as one could be without running for office. The basic structure of the presentation was one presenter would ask another presenter about Beowulf's stance on a number of different policies that are up for much debate here in the United States. I thought that this was very clever because depending on the policy question( being foreign policy, economics, abortion etc.), they could legitimately postulate a valid response based on Beowulf's views and opinions expressed in the story. Even better still, they said these responses in a prose that resembled the one present in the story itself. Very well done group 2.

For the first class day of presentations the most enjoyable presentation to me was the 2^nd one titled Beowulf 2012. I think the group had a very creative way of displaying a piece of the story of Beowulf that made connections to current events. The presentation was informational as well as witty. They started off the presentation discussing current presidential candidates for the 2012 election and how they didn’t offer anything of value. Then they propose Beowulf should be present and used the slogan “Americans for a Geater Tomorrow!” After their initial statement, the group then went on to explain how Beowulf could solve the problems of America. Economically Beowulf would use a trickledown economics theory where any extra wealth he has obtained he would pass down so on and so forth; a theory that would never work in the US but was most likely how they did things around the time of Beowulf. As for education, Beowulf would like to see less book work and more physical education, after all we need to teach our kids how to fight (stressed the group). As a tax you would have to work for and serve Beowulf. To earn a profit you could kill monsters and get weapons which are both policies Beowulf is in favor of. As for healthcare, Beowulf has left it up to God to decide who lives and who doesn’t. Other policies of Beowulf’s include no abortion for they need all the strong warriors they can get and to join entry in the country you must prove your worth first by fighting. All of these policies are acceptable in Beowulf time but are not how we currently do things in the US. It was a funny distinction between what Beowulf would have done and what our current presidential candidates are trying to do. I enjoyed the presentation and thought it was well done.

After sitting through all of the group projects that were presented during Monday's class period, I most enjoyed Group 2 “Beowulf 2012”. This group's project was extremely creative and enjoyable to watch. They effectively related Beowulf's qualities to attributes and characteristics of a presidential candidate. Qualities such as Beowulf's combat skills were connected to education in the form of physical fitness  within the school system. Two hours per day would be allotted for  young boys to focus on their self defense and fighting skills. Beowulf's stance on woman's rights was reflected well by portraying women as the “home makers” and that they serve their husbands. Beowulf's outstanding faith in the Lord was greatly reflected in the presentation. The fact that the fate of the people lies in the hands of God and that he has overall control was a great way of portraying Beowulf's beliefs. Foreign policy was a very clever aspect of the groups presentation. By using Grendel, his Mother and the other monstrous battles Beowulf participated in as examples of foreign policies was a great way to present the information in an entertaining way. Overall the groups presentation brought many things to the table performance wise. They projected and clearly delivered their information. Comedy was weaved throughout their presentation and they creatively worked all of Beowulf's characteristics into the presentation.

Group 3

 The four groups that presented in class today each used a unique approach in conveying their message about their topic. Although I definitely thought group two did a wonderful job keeping the audience intrigued by making the presentation not only informative but comical, I also thought group three chose a fun way to convey the Miller’s Tale in the Canterbury Tales. The idea of turning Alisoun’s three-way love dilemma into a dating show was hysterical and genius because that was essentially the key point of the story. The Miller’s Tale was definitely my favorite reading so far due to its twisted yet whacky plot and hysterical ending. Group three really did a fantastic job capturing the essence of each character (Alisoun, Absolon, Nicholas, and John) with the questions the host asked them in order to win the love of the “bachelorette”, Alisoun. I really enjoyed the fact that [the person playing] Nicholas responded each question while the audience could see the reaction (both physically and verbally) of Alisoun, foreshadowing her decision to choose him in the end like she did in the Miller’s Tale while the other two got left in the dust. I personally am not a fan of watching dating shows but group three made it funny while also indirectly telling a story and the background of each character.   

My favorite group presentation was group three’s interpretation of Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”. I like how they made the characters participate in a modern game show, the Bachelorette. It was an interesting way to look at the Miller’s tale. It really showed how many men were after Alison’s affection. I like how the men were just named as “contestants” and it was up to you to figure out who was who, which was not too difficult given their extremely diverse personalities. I also like how John was eliminated first, because ironically, in the story, that was the man she was married to. It was interesting to see the whole situation from Alison’s perspective, being a young desirable woman, and how it clearly showed she did not care that she was married, as shown in the story too. Each man stayed true to his character in the story, and I think the group did a very good job of portraying that, through the questions and answers. Also, all the members of the group did a good job acting as their character. Overall, I thought it was an intriguing presentation that related well to our age group.

Of the group projects presented yesterday, I think that Group 3’s project was the one that was most meaningful to me. I think that they took the Miller’s tale about Alisoun and clearly showed how ridiculous she was and how bad the choices she made were. Before seeing their presentation yesterday, I felt that she was making a fine choice in the guy that she was with. Nicholas seemed to be smart, clever, and funny so I figured he was a good choice. But I feel as though yesterday in the game show, all three of the men were put into a more modern context making it easier for me to understand their characters. John came across as a foolish, self-centered guy, which isn’t much different from how I felt about him when reading the tale. Nicholas came across as a conniving player who just wanted to get as many girls as he could, which is not how I saw him when I was initially reading the tale. And Absolon came across to me as the guy that is the most respectful and the only one who truly cared for women. Sure, he is a little on the feminine side, but he was the only one who seemed to have Alisoun’s best interests in mind. After seeing Group 3’s presentation yesterday, I think that if Alisoun felt she had to chose one of those three men to be with, Absolon would have been the best choice.

Of the four great presentations today, one stood out above the rest and that was group three’s spin on “The Bachelorette”. They did the best job keeping my attention while familiarizing me with material, specifically the personalities of the 4 characters. I really enjoyed the group’s witty script and their enthusiasm, especially “the bachelorette” herself, Alison, as she acted just as I pictured. The best part of the presentation was the accuracy of the four characters’ scripts and how each of their personalities matched the characters from the actual Canterbury Tales.  This group also stood out because they were the only group to present on the Canterbury Tales, which showed me that they were willing to tackle the difficult reading and make a fun presentation that we could all understand.  They were able to take the actions and words of the Nicholas, John and Absalom and put them into present-day, comprehensive terms for the whole class to relate to, which I really enjoyed and found very entertaining. Since I enjoy watching the real bachelorette on TV, it was fun to see a live parody in class, especially since it was accurate and relevant to what we are reading and learning. All of the groups did a great job and all deserve praise for their hard work in analyzing and interpreting these readings!

“The Bachelorette” presentation by Group 4 was the most meaningful to me because the presentation helped highlight the most important parts of Chaucer’s “The Miller.” I know that I personally have a difficult time reading Middle English and find it quite tedious, and I felt that Group 4’s presentation helped me to understand the characters from the story a lot better, which helped me to understand the reading. The group provided us with a nice summary at the beginning of the presentation before going into detail about each of the characters. The group did a nice job of taking the characters’ personalities and characteristics and making them into modern-day people who felt easier to relate to, while still remaining true to the original story. Group 4 did a great job planning a presentation that was very easy to understand and still helpful. I liked that they based their presentation on a show that most of us are familiar with (“The Bachelorette”) because it was easy to understand where they were going with their presentation. They also did a nice job of making the presentation amusing and interesting to listen to. Another thing I liked was how they used the PowerPoint, because it was helpful and added the visual but was not overwhelming or too much. Also, each of the members of the group did a good job speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

All the groups had strong presentations, but I thought that the “Bachelorette” presentation by Rebecca, Stephanie, Brian, and Molly of Group #3 was especially meaningful and interesting.  I enjoyed how they interpreted the Miller’s tale from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales into a recognizable modern format of a dating show.  They were able to accurately portray the characters Alisoun, John, Nicholas, and Absolon as described in the tale.  They successfully shared information about the characters and plot while adding humor in a way that the class could relate to.  The questions and responses were very cliché of typical dating shows, while revealing a lot of information from the story.  In the second question when the bachelorette asks “what is the craziest thing you have ever done for a girl?” they uncover a great deal about the plot of the story.  From John’s fiasco with the bathtub on the roof, to Nicholas sticking his butt out the window, and finally Absolon’s persistent serrrenade, we are told about the Miller’s tale in a comical way.  They were also able to interpret the characters personalities to determine what each of the contestants would look for in girl, such as Nicholas’ need for fun and risks and Absolon’s pursuit of music.  They expressed their characters well through intentional winks and coughs that indicated events form the story.  They did an overall good job of acting out the parts of the different characters and translating the text into a modern presentation, which provided helpful insight  into the Middle English text.All of the groups that presented did an excellent job, but the group that stood out most to me, was group 3. I enjoyed how they made The Miller's Tale into a modern television show. The group presented it to the audience in a universal way that everyone in the class could relate to. Most everyone has seen an episode of the Bachelorette, or at least heard of it. I found group 3's presentation very entertaining and liked how Alisoun questioned the three men according to the story.The presentation depicted each character according to how they were described in the story and made for a delivery that was easy and fun to follow. I also thought the rose on the presentation was great imagery because it made me think of romantic love, which is usually thought of during that period of time, but Alisoun was promiscuous in the story and the group members excelled at demonstrating that to the audience. I really enjoyed the presentation! 

In my opinion, group number three had a very effective presentation. I found it interesting how well the popular television show, The Bachelorette, went along with the story of the Miller's tale from The Canterbury Tales. Although written hundreds of years ago, the themes written about are obviously universal if they can be applied to situations in the present day. I thought the fact that this group was able to bridge the time gap so well to be impressive. They clearly portrayed the story Chaucer wrote, but also managed to interpret the characters into modern day personalities. I believe that being able to translate John, Absolon, and Nicholas into modern day bachelors while maintaining their characteristics indicates that the group truly understood and comprehended what they read. Also, they stayed true to the idea behind the Bachelorette, presenting one woman with multiple suitors. However, their presentation showed the men all beginning on the same level, rather than having different histories with Alisoun as the Miller’s story explains. One other aspect of their presentation I liked was the fact that the bachelors were left unnamed until the end of the presentation. This required the audience to truly be involved and have to think about which bachelor was which. Although the three men are very different, I liked that the group structured the presentation so that the audience had to pay at least enough attention to figure out who each bachelor was. The fact that they chose a portion of The Canterbury Tales to present on rather than Beowulf like the other three groups that presented also helped distinguish this particular group from the others. 

I really enjoyed Group 3’s presentation on the Chaucer readings. They did a good job keeping my attention and they came up with a creative approach to present the material. I found it rather humorous that they chose to do a dating show since Alison’s love life directly related to the idea that these men are trying to win her over. She has the power to chose which man she wants, however she is very flirtatious and if she could she would have them all, which they make apparent. They did a good job presenting details, characteristics, and individualistic personalities of each man in Alison’s life through the answers to Alison questions. I liked how each man fighting for her love answered the questions differently and accurately according to the story line. It was easy to guess who was who based on the responses, which captured the main aspects of who they were. I really like that they didn’t just present the class with the differences of each man, but rather had their differences and their motives shine through with each of their answers. It was funny and interesting to listen to, which is always a plus.

All of the groups that presented yesterday were great, though it was group 3 that fascinated me the most. Their comparison of the miller’s tale to the bachelorette TV show was spot on. The two share an uncanny resemblance. It is amazing to think that what Chaucer wrote down as a drunken miller’s tale, a story that is preceded by a word of warning, is now general programming. It also goes to show that the themes for stories haven’t changed and society still finds the same ideas entertaining. The bachelorette plays on the idea of having multiple male interests competing against each other for the affection of one woman. Although, there isn’t any literal hot pokers involved there is plenty of figurative backstabbing. I would also like to say that the group did a good job portraying the characters in the story, especially Alisoun. She just was looking for a good time and was unable to be swayed by financial security. For all that John was able to provide for her, he took away her freedom and made her feel like a prisoner so both Absolon and Nicholas could actually give her more than John. When it came time to make the final choice, the clever wit of Nick beat all the pomp of Absolon. The looks of Absolon could not overcome his lack of manly characteristics.

While all of the project were so thoughtfully performed, I loved project number 3.  My favorite show is the bachelor and so I was able to connect with this presentation really.  First off, I thought "The Bachelorette" was a fabulous way to describe the character of Alisoun.  The group says numerous times that she would rather not be on this show and have all three, however it will help her pick one.  Alisoun's character is depicted very well with the questions that she asks, such as "What is the craziest thing you have done for a woman?" and "What kind of date would you take me on?" She wants the man to go above and beyond for her.  As far as the three men go, it was a great way to depict each of the characters.  Contestant #1 is portrayed as this rich, abiding man who will do anything to make sure his lover is loyal to him and him only, which clearly portrays the character John.  Contestant #2 is portrayed as this clever, romantic, man who will trick anyone or do anything to get exactly what he wants, which would be John.  Lastly, contestant #3 seems to be an ordinary guy who simply wants that aspect of romance in his life, but will do out-of-the-ordinary things to get what he want, portraying the character of Absolon.  All together, this presentation clearly portrayed the character's personalities well in a fun, creative, and relatable away for probably a lot of girls!

While all four presentations were entertaining, I found that Group Three’s production provided a refreshingly modern twist to the telling of The Miller’s Tale. Combining characters and their personalities from the original text with the modern reality TV show The Bachelorette, I felt that Group Three took this time-worn Canterbury Tale and gave it an extra polish that made the characters come to life. The set up of this presentation had the “Contestants # 1, # 2, and # 3” (John, Nicholas, and Absolon) answering a series of four main questions, and one final question. I particularly appreciated this format, and the types of questions like: “tell me a little about yourself” and “what is the craziest thing you have ever done for a girl” and “what do you look for in a girl” because these questions allowed the audience to apply their knowledge from the Tales and guess who each of the contestants were. The responses to each question were well-written, and corresponded nicely with Chaucer’s depiction of the wayward Alisoun, controlling John, devil-may care Nicholas, and love sick Absolon By adding the dating/ Bachelorette theme into the mix, Rebecca Miller (Alisoun), Stephanie Pace (John), Brian Spain (Nicholas), and Molly Cantwell (Absolon) of Group Three left the audience wondering if the fickle Alisoun would chose Nicholas as her date, or one of the two other contestants. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Group Three’s presentation, and loved how they put faces to the characters of Chaucer’s epic poem.  

All of the presentations on April 10, 2012 were outstanding and very interesting but one group stood out to me the most: “The Bachelorette”. The three contestants did a great job acting in characters of John, Nicholas, and Absolon. They did a fantastic job with all four scripts by keeping my attention and corresponding their characters personalities with the actual Canterbury Tales. I thought each question the Bachelorette asked was very creative and I thought it was helpful and entertaining the way they put the lines from a challenging reading into modern terms and relations. Especially some of the answers to questions toward the end of the presentation were hilarious. I loved the humor behind this presentation and it was just like the original “Bachelorette” on television. It was very well thought out and definitely set the bar high for the rest of the class. All the presentations were great and did a remarkable job exploring the readings and presenting them in an understanding and amusing way. Great Job!

Although all of the groups that presented in class on Tuesday did a wonderful job, I especially connected with the presentation from Group 3 (The Bachelorette). It was intriguing to imagine what John, Nicholas, Absolon, and Alisoun would be like in real life. The group went through a series of questions that each contestant (John, Absolon, and Nicholas) answered in turn. In the end, the bachelorette Alisoun chose the charming Nicholas. I appreciated this presentation because not only was it engaging, but because it also brought The Miller’s tale to life with a modern twist to it. This made it particularly relatable to the audience. The group used descriptions from the Canterbury tales to make the responses of each of the three male characters realistic. For example, the contestant Absolon revealed that he loved to dance and sing and be merry. This is reflected in the text of the Millers tale: “A myrie child he was, so God me save […] In twenty manere koude he trippe and daunce […] This Absolon, that jolif was and gay” (lines 3325, 3328, 3339). The members of Group 3 additionally made their characters accurate to the Miller’s tale with acting. For instance, the girl who played Alisoun acted silly and young and eccentric and the girl who played John acted old and boring. Overall, Group 3 did an excellent job and I enjoyed the Bachelorette!

The presentation titled "The Bachelorette" was definitely my favorite. It may have to do with my strange obsession of the reality show that they based it on, but I enjoyed it regardless. By asking each contestant questions about themselves so Alisoun could get a better understanding of her potential future husbands, the audience was able to get a better understanding of all of the characters. The audience was not given the names of the men being interviewed, but we all knew who the three contestants had to be, and it was our job do decipher their answers to find out who was playing which male in the Miller's Tale. Alisoun was played very well and was very confident in her presentation and questions. All three men were fairly easy to pick out, but were presented well with the facts that they relayed. Overall, The Bachelorette was a great way to incorporate the tangled love mess that Alisoun created. I applaud this group for keeping a difficult reading fun and entertaining.

Group 3's project was interesting. They did a good job critically extracting common themes from the Miller's tale. Presenting it in the form of a dating game show was clever as this provided a good vehicle for communicating details of the story. They used four main points or questions to give an insight into Nicholas, John, and Absolon: "Tell me about yourself", "What is the craziest thing you've done for a girl", "How did the last relationship end", and "What are you looking for in a girl". Since the bachelorette and bachelors' stories were actually intertwined in the Miller's Tale, the responses of the bachelors gave indirect insight into Alisoun's character. Specifically, when the third question came up, the bachelors' responses revealed Alisoun to be a cheater and prankster. In the performance, I noticed a little dramatic tension since the bachelors' tales were personally familiar/similar to the bachelorette's experience (as though they were talking about her ::wink::). At the end, Alisoun eliminated her husband from the running (er, I mean the bachelorette eliminated bachelor #1). Her last question between bachelors #2 and #3 was about their ideal of a date. I liked the group's creative license to suggest that Absolon would take her out to karaoke based on his musical background.

I personally enjoyed the presentation by group #3. Their presentation was "The Bachelorette," which was a skit based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  Their skit was interesting because it played on the theme of the old dating game shows, but also had a modern twist that included aspects of ABC’s television show “The Bachelorette.”  Even though it’s a ridiculous show, I am a sucker for it, and thought it was a clever way to present the different aspects and stories of love from the Miller’s Tale.  All three men in the tale confess their love to Alisoun in different ways, which is pretty much what happens on “The Bachelorette,” so I thought it was a nice parallel.  I was wondering where the ending of the skit was going to go because I predicted Alisoun eliminating Absolon first, and then making her decision between John and Nicholas.  I also like that the group used a powerpoint to assist in the presentation rather than having the powerpoint be their presentation.  The powerpoint also made it easier to follow along during the skit, and overall, added a good element to it.  The script was clearly written and accurately portrayed the characters of Alisoun, Nicholas, John and Absolon.  The characters’ answers to Alisoun’s questions were written so that we could easily understand the characters’ personalities and make guesses as to which person was playing which character.  I was able to guess all three characters correctly.  The portrayal of Alisoun was also very accurate in showing that she is a promiscuous woman who likes to have fun, and can’t really be trusted.  In addition to that statement, I appreciated the group members’, especially “Alisoun’s,” attempt to really get into the characters that they played.  It made the presentation easier to pay attention to as well as added some life to it.I really enjoyed the presentation given by group number 3, The Bachelorette.  I was already interested in hearing their presentation on this topic because in my previous readings, I greatly enjoyed this particular story involving Alisoun and her three different men.  Also, because I am such a huge fan of the real bachelorette show, I was immediately interested by their title and willing to give my full attention to the group members.  I thought it was really creative how they explained the story in a "dating" game situation.  Each of the male characters represented by the team members were easily identifiable with the detailed information that they gave in response to each question asked.  I enjoyed how animated "Alisoun" was when asking the specific questions to her contestants.  Not only did their presentation cover the basic facts about each character of the story, it also gave specific examples that occurred in the actual story line as well.  The overall presentation was very simple and easy to follow. There were also never any dull moments, they were able to keep my attention during the whole performance.  Their slide show was a very nice visual that not only went along well with the overall bachelor theme they had, but it also allowed the audience to follow along with the interviewing process.  All of the group members knew their parts and lines pretty well and together they were able to successfully perform their act of the "bachelorette."  They were able to bring humor and fun to their presentation as well as clearly explaining the details and main points of the particular story and it's interesting characters.

Of the three groups that presented on April 10, 2012, I felt that the third group's performance and interpretation of the Miller's story was most entertaining.  The group modernized the Miller’s story by turning it into a sort of dating show in which Alisoun, who in the Canterbury Tales was the center of a love triangle, was a bachelorette being pursued by three different males, each modeling themselves after the three men involved with Alisoun in the Miller’s tale.  I felt that this presentation was especially helpful as it created a persona for each character through the questions that the bachelorette asked.  I felt that the presentation was most entertaining and I felt that factor was important as that was the reason for which the tale was told.  The Miller told the story for the enjoyment of those around him.

I really liked the bachelorette the most because  it conveyed the most information of the 4 groups.  It did not just spit out all the information in a chronological order on a power point with pretty pictures, the group took a fun and modern concept and incorporated the story with it.  The Bachelorette is a fun and modern story that everyone can relate to and the group nailed the delivery and I was entertained the entire time. It was nice to have the story from four different perspectives while trying to give each character's personality and perspective.  This was the one presentation given that day that I was able to get the jest of plot of the story without needing to read the story.  The group added a nice twist to the story in that they told the story from the perspective of  Alisoun, and she hasn’t yet chosen who she wants to be with.  It gives a nice perspective into what was going on inside her mind when she is deciding what man she wants to be with, and when you look at the story in this way, I don’t blame her as much for choosing who she did, but this group does avoid casting the negative light on her character that Chaucer does.  This group did not give very much information about Alisoun, while Chaucer calls her a promiscuous slut.  Great job group 3.

The group whose presentation struck me most as unique and meaningful would have to be Group 3’s. I feel that their take on spinning Chaucer’s tale into a dating show was quite comical and helped keep me interested. The comedy involved in their skit greatly mirrors that of Chaucer’s style as well making it most original.What I thought was very interesting was how they kept the characters in the dating show anonymous. So that as the script progressed, the audience would stay focused on what was going on and piece together as to which character was which. For instance, when Alisoun asked Contestant #1 to tell her a little more about himself, his response was, “I was rich…” I like how Group 3 had tailored their game show answers in being transparent to audience members that have read the story. Already, the word “rich” was a dead giveaway for the character, John.Additionally, the funniest part of their presentation I felt was Group 3’s clever use of puns. For instance, when Alisoun asked Contestant #3 how his last relationship ended, and Contestant #3’s response was, “…our relationship ended because I was tired of kissing her ass”. All in all, I thought it was really neat and original how the contestant’s answers were summaries of what had actually happened in the story, but spun in a comical way. This starkly added my interest in their presentation because rather than being a long and boring regurgitation of the story, they had spiced it up mirroring a modern day game show.

Group 4

I thought the presentation given by group four comparing the Beowulf epic to the movies adaptations was informative as well as interesting. I was unaware that there were more than one movie version and have not seen any of them myself.  However, I have always been interested in the way stories transfer to the big screen and appreciate when it is done we and holds true to the story.  I believe that group four put quite a bit of effort into their presentation and brought up some good points for examination.  They talked about things that may not have been so obvious such as the change in Hothgar's character and the historical accuracy of the costumes and scenery.  I thought it was very interesting that not a single movie held true to the actual story.  Beowulf is an extremely action packed and eventful story that does not need much exaggeration to be entertaining. There are a large number of fight scenes that could be made extremely exciting with today's special effects.  I think the group brought an interesting point that the changes in adding a romantic plot may have been done to modernize the epic.  I think it is unfortunate that directors today feel that romance is necessary to make a movie popular and enjoyable.  The focus of Beowulf is heroism, bravery, and battleThe addition of a love story, especially if it is made to be a central theme, can only detract from that.

As much as I appreciated all of the presentations, I really liked Group 4's powerpoint comparing and contrasting the epic of Beowulf and the movie Beowulf vs. Grendel! I've never seen any of the Beowulf movies so it was a really interesting idea to demonstrate all of the similarities and differences and how the storyline of the epic was changed or added to. Their presentation was very cohesive, well organized, and had really great information in it. I especially liked how the group members pointed out that the love triangle between the added character of the witch, Beowulf and Grendel was unnecessary in the movie version. Very well thought out presentation!

The final group that presented gave insight into various adaptations of Beowulf including Grendel the movie, the original Epic poem, and two more recent movies that have been made. Having seen the newest Beowulf movie, and read the Epic a number of times, I found this analysis particularly interesting. With the rising number of books that are being adapted into movies, it is often useful to weigh the pros and cons of such adaptations and  debate whether the movie does the book justice. Most often, the answer is no. It is often difficult to hold true to a story or poem of considerable depth and description strictly due to time constraints. At the same time, it is important to realize that movies are not books, and the director ought to be given a significant amount of creative freedom. Adapting the vast, epic descriptions written in Beowulf, to a two hour movie is no simple feat, and given the restraints, I believe the directors of the newest movie did a fine job.

For this project day, I was torn between the second group and the fourth group. I liked them both for very different reasons. I liked Group 2 and their presentation of the candidate Beowulf for the 2012 election. This was very creative on their part. They spoke using the language and pattern of the Beowulf text, while applying it to a modern event. I liked the use of their modern slide depictions for issues of concern relevant to today's voters. All of the group members participated equally and they had good interaction with the audience. The audience seemed very interested and laughed throughout the presentation. The reason I liked this presentation was because they seemed well prepared and practiced. I also thoroughly enjoyed their humor because they managed to make light of the strenuous task of picking a candidate for election. On a completely different take was Group 4 with their comparison of the Beowulf epic versus the movie. I have never seen the movie, so it was very nice to hear that I was not missing a very accurate retelling of the story. All of the group members explained a different aspect and taught the audience a lot about the differences. I am I was happy that they said the movie was historically accurate and that most characters were accurately portrayed. However, it is really disappointing to hear that there are no good movie depictions of such a good epic! While both of these groups were very different, I thought they both did an excellent job for a creative project.

Although all the presentation were very creative and fun, I most related to the fourth. I was immediately intrigued when they started talking about the plot of the first Beowulf movie. Just like in most movies that take after a novel or story, it became clear right away that the movie was quite unlike the epic. But it can be fun when everyone has there own ideas and takes on a story; although it sounded like the movie really deviated from the original story line. I really liked that they pointed out some of the pros of the movie, like the visual effects of Europe and the swordsmanship of Beowulf. I am interested in watching the first portrayal of the movie with Gerard Butler and the most recent film. The futuristic Beowulf film didn't seem that appealing to me. They did a fair assessment in pointing out the pros and cons of the Epic Poem itself, most of them I agreed with completely. I am quite a movie fan, and would hope that someone can come up with a movie that is more like the storyline of the poem but still adding their own creative flare. Overall, I enjoyed the presentations and have a better understanding of what kinds of ideas I may be able to come up with for my own presentation.

Personally, I felt that group four was most successful in depicting what an Epic like Beowulf entails, and contrasted that to modern day storytelling and movie making.   I am a major cinephile, and I have seen all of the movies they mentioned besides the Beowulf set in the future.   Their tactic of explaining the movie Beowulf Vs. Grendel was very effective.  They described the important scenes, events and how it was similar or different to the Epic we read in class.  At times, they defined the epic by saying what it was not; for example, they brought up a lot of things that were in the modern movies that were not in the Epic, which reflects our culture, and how it has changed since then.  I agree completely with their take on Beowulf Vs. Grendel.  The scenery was extremely beautiful and the weapons, armor, ships, and architecture were represented accurately.  However, I did not like the fact that Grendel was very human.  The plot changes, such as the near mourning of Grendel's death, showed that they took the Epic of Beowulf with a good amount of liberty.  As the group said, I do not like this twist in the story, it seems so unlike Beowulf and the Nordic culture they were a central part to.  Another difference in the way we tell our stories is that for us, there are often twists and surprises.  As Michael said, the Epic of Beowulf is fairly devoid of surprise.  The reader knows he will defeat Grendel and triumph over his mother, and know that he will ultimately be defeated by the dragon. All in all, Group #4 was entertaining and my favorite.  I enjoyed listening to them.  The only thing I would have liked to see added to their presentation was possibly a video clip of the movies, instead of just a screenshot here and there.  That would really have driven home their point.  

The student project that was most meaningful to me was Group 4’s presentation of Beowulf the movie versus Beowulf the epic. While movies are fun to watch, the interpretations that they draw from the books or written works they are based off of never fully capture the story told in the books or written works. I have not seen the movie (Beowulf and Grendel) that they presented their project on, but I have seen the more recent computer animated adaptation of the epic. Like they said with Beowulf and Grendel, in Beowulf, Hrothgar was betrayed as weak, and there was also an unnecessary love story between Beowulf and Hrothgar’s wife. No matter how much a movie tries to display everything there is in a book, writers, the vast majority of the time, use their words to paint a much clearer picture and insight into the characters than those who make the movie can through actors and screenplay. I also thought it was interesting that the group brought up cons not only of the movie, but of the epic as well. One of the cons, which I disagreed with, was that Beowulf was “too super-human.” I think that was part of the point of the book, in that Beowulf was a larger than life super-human that could do things normal people couldn’t. The fact that there are monsters, dragons, and other fictional things in the epic displays that the author was not trying to make this something that could believably happen in real life. However, I do agree with them on the rest of their objections, in that I wish it had been longer too, and elaborated on his reign while there was prosperity. This group did a great job presenting the material and coming up with an interesting comparison to the epic.