1a. What would Caedmon do when it was his turn to sing at a feast before he received his gift? What is Caedmon doing when he composes his first song? Who urges him to compose a song and what does this person say the song should be about?
2a. What is Caedmon's first hymn about? To whom or what does Caedmon give many names in this hymn? What are some of these names?
3a. What do the abbess and her learned men do when they hear of Caedmon's talent? What test do they give him? What does the abbess then instruct Caedmon to do?
4a. Why do you think Caedmon only composed religious poetry? In what way are spiritual matters portrayed in this account? In what way is the Church and its leaders portrayed?
5a. Explain whether you think Caedmon's hymn is evidence of great talent. What do you like or dislike about the poem?
1b. Why would Caedmon do this at feasts before he received his gift? What explanation do you think Bede might have for the "someone" who appears and urges Caedmon to sing? Why does the way in which Caedmon gains his poetic ability make him an unequaled poet, according to Bede?
2b. Explain why this subject was a fitting first subject for a religious poet. What do the names Caedmon attributes to this being or thing indicate about its nature?
3b. Why do the abbess and the learned men give Caedmon a test? In what way does Caedmon's gift alter his life?
4b. Based on what you have read in this account, how would you describe Bede's spiritual views? How did he regard religion and the Church?
5b. What are your own criteria for evaluating a work of literature? How do you distinguish a great work from an average one or a bad one?
Stress and Caesura. In the second and third lines of Old English in "Caedmon's Hymn," what syllables are strongly stressed and where does the caesura fall? Star them (*) on the lines below. You will find the explanation and example of Old English poetry you were given on the Prereading page helpful in determining where stress and caesura fall. Meotodes meahte || and his modge p anc weorc Wuldor-Faeder || swa he wundra gehwaes
Alliteration. Identify the examples of alliteration that occur in lines 2 and 3 of the Old English version of "Caedmon's Hymn." Explain whether the modern English translation of these lines is able to maintain the same pattern of alliteration.
1. Imagine that you live in Caedmon's day and that you must deliver a eulogy at his funeral, celebrating his life and his work. Write a eulogy for Caedmon, expressing the type of person he was, praising his talent, and explaining the contribution he made and why he will be missed. Base the details of your eulogy on what you learned about Caedmon in Bede's account.
2. Caedmon's career as a poet began with a vivid dream. Write a dream report describing a vivid dream that you have had. You might begin by keeping a notebook and a pen by your bed and jotting down what you remember of a vivid dream as soon as you wake up in the morning.
3. Write song lyrics that express your beliefs about social or political issues, or about friendship, love, growth, or struggle.
Capitalization of Sacred Beings and Writings. With few exceptions, the names of religions, sacred beings, and writings are capitalized. For example, if you are referring to God (the Christian deity), God would be capitalized as it is the name of a sacred being, but if you are referring to the word god in general, as "Zeus was one of the Greek gods," you would lowercase god. Similarly, names of sacred writings are capitalized (the Bible, Upanishads, Saint Paul's Epistles); however, if a term that refers to a sacred writing can be used in a general sense ("Early novels were often based on epistles, or letters."), the term should appear in lowercase letters. Identify the correct word from the terms in parentheses below.
2. The click to select answer muslim Muslim family read daily from the click to select answer koran. Koran.
3. The click to select answer christian Christian click to select answer Bible bible click to select answer old testament Old Testament click to select answer New Testament new testament is made up of two parts: the _____ and the _____.
4. Hindu writings known as the click to select answer Vedas vedas attribute creation to different click to select answer Gods, gods, including click to select answer vishnu Vishnu and click to select answer indra. Indra.
5. The Sunday school students read his favorite click to select answer Psalm psalm from the click to select answer Book of Psalms. book of psalms.
Using a Dictionary. Review the Old English words in "Caedmon's Hymn," searching for words that remind you of modern English words. Check the etymology in a dictionary to verify each word's origins.
Dictionary Used:
