1a. What were the marks on the knight's shield?
2a. What was the symbol the knight wore on his chest?
3a. On what adventure was the knight sent? Who sent the knight on this mission?
4a. What do you learn about the knight in each stanza?
5a. Evaluate the character of this knight.
1b. What does these signs suggest about the knight?
2b. How does this knight represent holiness?
3b. What does the knight hope to prove by this feat?
4b. What does the knight hope to accomplish?
5b. Compare this knight to the knight described by Chaucer in the prologue to The Canterbury Tales.
Source.Read the definitions of chivalry, courtly love, and romance in the Handbook of Literary Terms and describe the romance elements, or motifs, used by Spenser in the selection.
1. What happens next? Write a paragraph that summarizes the knight's encounter with the dragon.
2. Examine how Spenser creates the character of the knight. Then write a character sketch that portrays a character of your own creation.
3. Write a short story about a courageous act. It might be an act, like slaying a dragon, that takes courage because of physical danger, or it may be an act in which someone courageously overcomes a fear.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs. Rewrite and complete the following sentences (Which paraphrase lines from the selection), using either a transitive or intransitive verb. Write T for transitive or I for intransitive at the end of the sentence.
1. Yet until that time, he never ____ arms.
2. On his chest, he ____ a bloody cross.
3. The cross ____ on his shield.
4. He ____ on a great adventure.
5. He ____ the grace of the queen.
Understanding Sources.Learn more about the story that forms the background to this selection- St. George slaying the dragon. Find sources that tell this story or images of art that depict this tale. Write a summary of your findings.
Research Log:
Sources Used:
Writing a Press Release.Read the Language Arts Survey 6.9, "Delivering a Press Release." Then write a press release about one of the following • the slaying of the dragon by the knight • a courageous act performed by someone in your school or community
