Anglo-Saxon Literature Essay, Research Paper

Contrary to what this ignorant student once said, Anglo-Saxon literature is very important, and many people care about it. Anglo-Saxon literature has lots to offer, and is very valuable to the modern reader. Only a very jaded person suffering from great lassitude wouldn t see that. True, the Anglo-Saxon period ended almost a millennia ago, but, there are still many useful things and ideas we can take from it. I will explain these ways in this essay. Alliteration is widely used throughout Anglo-Saxon Literature. It is very evident in the epic poem Beowulf. Studying the Anglo-Saxon period is an excellent way to learn about alliteration. If you were to skip over the Anglo-Saxon period, not only would you miss out on the opportunity to read the classic Beowulf, but you would also miss out on the great opportunity to learn about alliteration. Another important thing you can learn from the Anglo-Saxon period is kenning. Kenning is when you use two words linked together as a metaphor for another word. For example, Whale-path for ocean. These words are linked together to form alliteration. Kenning is used throughout al Anglo-Saxon literature and is very easy to pick out.

If you skipped over the Anglo-Saxon period, a big piece of history would be left out. Students wouldn t learn where Stonehenge came from. They also wouldn t find out what happened before the middle ages. Teaching about this period puts things in perspective. It gives students a sense of time, when things fall into place. As you can see it would be devastating not to include the Anglo-Saxon period into the lesson plan. It is too valuable a teaching aid. I m not saying that the world would end if it was left out, but things just wouldn t be the same.