The Epic Poem Project - Grading Rubric

Beowulf: The Epic Poem Project

1.      Choose a hero. You can be your own hero or you may choose a real person, but you must give your hero superhuman qualities like Beowulf. Your hero must meet all FOUR criteria for an epic hero.

2.      Your epic should have THREE parts, similar in length, with each part being against a different monster. The “monster” can also be a physical monster or a character flaw your epic hero is fighting against.

3.      Your hero should represent his cultural and spiritual background. In the epic poem, Beowulf, there is the religious or philosophical world view of Christianity versus paganism. You can use this same religious world view, or your own religion or philosophy of life, or you may create one.

4.      Each part should have a name and include at least TWENTY-FIVE lines of poetry. The entire poem should be (at the minimum) 75 lines.

5.      Your epic must contain at least THREE examples of ALLITERATION and KENNING. You must highlight them.

6.      You should include a cover page with illustrations and your title.

7.      Any strong resemblance to another’s work will result in a zero.

Here are a few ideas from Beowulf which you may want to incorporate:

·         Beowulf put everyone else first, such as when he came to help Hrothgar without being asked.

·         Appearance may be deceiving and people may change—remember when Hrothgar and his men change religion.

·         Beowulf uses details and exaggeration to get your attention.

·         In Beowulf, there is a clear good side and evil side and the good side is under attack. This inspires people to side with the hero.

The Epic Poem Project – Grading Rubric

·        Three parts at least 25 lines each and a minimum 75 lines for the entire poem. (20 points)

·        Contains THREE each—alliteration and kenning. They are HIGHLIGHTED. (10 points)

·        There is a cover page with illustrations. (20 points)

·        There is an epic hero who fits the four categories of an epic hero: strong, ethical, quest, glorified. (20 points)

·        There is a religious and/or philosophical world view to your epic poem. (10 points)

·        The paper is typed and is grammatically correct and is spelled correctly. (20 points)

TOTAL (100 points): _________________________

DUE: W, May 7^th. You will be sharing your poem with the class on this date and turning it in!