Short Paper Assignment: Beowulf, Feuds, and the Fragility of Peace

Course Context

Course: HIS  – War, Feud, and Society in Medieval Northern Europe (example: regional public university / history department survey)
Assignment type: Individual short paper (analytical, history‑focused)
Length: 3–4 double‑spaced pages (approx. 900–1,200 words), excluding title page and Works Cited
Weight: 20% of final course grade
Due: Week 6, Sunday 11:59 p.m. (upload as .docx or .pdf via the LMS)

Assignment Overview

Many recurring Beowulf assignments ask students to connect the poem’s heroic code to patterns of conflict, revenge, and uneasy peace in early medieval societies. The same focus appears in reflections and essays that compare Beowulf’s wars and feuds with broader political instability.

For this short paper, you will treat Beowulf as a historical source for thinking about feud, alliance, and the fragility of peace in early medieval Northern Europe. The goal is not to extract simple “facts” from the poem, but to ask how stories of monsters, kings, and warriors reveal underlying assumptions about violence, obligation, and the limits of royal power.

Paper Question

Write a 3–4 page paper in which you respond to the following question:

• How does Beowulf represent feuds and attempts at peace, and what can those representations tell a historian about the strengths and weaknesses of political order in early medieval Northern Europe?

Support your answer with specific examples from the poem and at least two scholarly or critical sources on Beowulf, feud, or medieval Scandinavian and Anglo‑Saxon political culture.

Guidance for Content

• Select two or three episodes that involve feud, revenge, or negotiated peace. Possible choices include the history behind Grendel’s attacks, the Finnsburg digression, the story of past kings, or the wars that threaten the Geats after Beowulf’s death.

• Explain what each episode shows about how feuds begin, how they are remembered, and how leaders try to control or redirect them.

• Discuss the tools that rulers and communities use to manage conflict, such as gift‑giving, oaths, inter‑marriage, or public story‑telling.

• Address what the poem suggests about the limits of royal authority when long‑standing rivalries and honour expectations are at stake.

Use of Sources and Citation

• Use the poem itself as your main primary source and quote or closely paraphrase key lines where necessary.

• Engage with at least two scholarly or serious critical sources (articles, book chapters, or reputable online essays) that discuss feud, war, or political order in Beowulf or related medieval contexts.

• Explain how each source helps you interpret the poem, and where your reading agrees or disagrees with the author.

• Follow MLA style for in‑text citation and include a Works Cited page.

Structure and Presentation

• 3–4 pages, double‑spaced, 12‑point Times New Roman (or similar), 1‑inch margins.

• Clear title that reflects your focus (for example, “Feud and Failing Peace in Beowulf’s Northern World”).

• Introduction that sets out your main claim about feuds and political order.

• Body paragraphs organised around specific episodes or themes (such as “gifts and obligations,” “marriage and fragile truces,” “memory and future wars”).

• Conclusion that briefly sums up your findings and comments on what historians can and cannot take from Beowulf about early medieval politics.

Short Paper Rubric (100 points)

1. Historical Argument and Focus (25 points)

i. Excellent (22–25): Clear, focused claim about what Beowulf reveals regarding feud and political order; argument stays on task and addresses both representation in the poem and implications for historical understanding.
ii. Good (18–21): Clear main idea with some historical focus; small sections drift toward general literary analysis but overall argument remains relevant.
iii. Satisfactory (14–17): Main point is present but broad or partly descriptive; discussion of historical implications is limited or underdeveloped.
iv. Limited (0–13): Little sense of historical question; paper mainly repeats plot or general impressions without a clear claim.

2. Use of Beowulf as Evidence (25 points)

i. Excellent (22–25): Specific episodes and quotations are accurately described and clearly linked to the argument about feud and peace; analysis moves beyond summary to examine how the poem frames conflict and order.
ii. Good (18–21): Appropriate use of scenes from the poem; some analysis of language or narrative choices; occasional reliance on summary.
iii. Satisfactory (14–17): General references to the poem with limited detail; examples sometimes loosely connected to claims.
iv. Limited (0–13): Minimal or inaccurate engagement with the text; important scenes misunderstood or ignored.

3. Engagement with Secondary Sources (20 points)

i. Excellent (18–20): At least two relevant scholarly or critical sources are clearly introduced, accurately summarised, and thoughtfully related to the student’s own argument; shows awareness of how historians and critics read Beowulf.
ii. Good (15–17): Two sources used with generally accurate summary and some connection to the main claim.
iii. Satisfactory (11–14): Sources present but treated briefly or mainly used for background; limited integration into analysis.
iv. Limited (0–10): Very little scholarly engagement; reliance on uncritical web summaries; misrepresentation of authors’ views.

4. Organisation and Clarity (15 points)

i. Excellent (13–15): Logical structure with clear paragraphs and transitions; ideas develop in a coherent sequence; sentences are clear and controlled.
ii. Good (10–12): Overall structure is sound; some uneven paragraphs or transitions but reader can follow the argument.
iii. Satisfactory (7–9): Basic structure with occasional repetition or unclear sections; argument is sometimes hard to follow.
iv. Limited (0–6): Disorganised or fragmentary; ideas appear in no clear order.

5. Writing Quality and MLA Format (15 points)

i. Excellent (13–15): Clear, precise prose with few errors; MLA in‑text citations and Works Cited are accurate and consistent.
ii. Good (10–12): Mostly clear writing; some mechanical errors; MLA mostly correct with minor issues.
iii. Satisfactory (7–9): Understandable but uneven style; noticeable errors; MLA incomplete or inconsistent.
iv. Limited (0–6): Frequent errors that interfere with meaning; limited or incorrect citation.

Sample Short Paper

Feuds in Beowulf rarely end cleanly, and the poem returns again and again to stories of broken truces and renewed violence that haunt the edges of the main plot. The Finnsburg episode, which interrupts the celebration in Heorot, sets out a marriage alliance that is supposed to hold two groups together, yet the arrangement collapses under the weight of older obligations to avenge a slain leader. The narrator carefully shows how gifts, oaths, and kin ties fail to contain anger, which suggests that even well‑planned settlements can crumble once honour and memory pull in a different direction.

A modern analysis of Beowulf and society notes that the poem “presents constant fear of future attacks and never fully stable peace,” and that sense of unease fits the picture of a world where no agreement ever feels permanent. Feud, war, and negotiation appear as normal features of political life rather than exceptions, and rulers have to manage threat rather than remove it completely. For a historian, the pattern does not offer a direct record of events, but it does reveal how early medieval audiences might have imagined the risks and limits that shaped their attempts to live together.

Additionally, examining Beowulf’s depiction of feuds highlights the role of cultural memory in maintaining cycles of conflict. Leaders must navigate expectations of vengeance and honour, which means that even successful peace settlements can fail if stories of past violence continue to influence behavior. This insight demonstrates how literature can inform historical understanding by showing how societal norms and collective memory shape political realities (Heaney, Beowulf).

Works Cited (MLA, 5 items)

• Beowulf. Translated by Seamus Heaney, W. W. Norton, 2000.

• “Beowulf Study Guide.” Ambleside Online, viewed 2 Feb. 2026, https://www.amblesideonline.org/beowulf-study.

• “Beowulf Twenty‑One Questions for Discussion.” Scribd, viewed 2 Feb. 2026, https://www.scribd.com/document/921428003/Beowulf-Twenty-One-Questions-for-Discussion.

• “Beowulf vs Modern Society: An Essay Analysis on Heroism and Society.” Studocu, Rutgers University, 18 Dec. 2018, viewed 2 Feb. 2026, https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/rutgers-university/english-composition/beowulf-vs-modern-society-essay/26353152.

• Literature Times 2023, ‘Exploring the Heroism and Cultural Significance of Beowulf: A Literary Analysis’, viewed 2 Feb. 2026, https://literaturetimes.com/exploring-the-heroism-and-cultural-significance-of-beowulf-a-literary-analysis/.

Academic / Learning Resources

• Ambleside Online 2000, ‘Beowulf Study Guide’, viewed 2 February 2026, https://www.amblesideonline.org/beowulf-study.

• Scribd 2025, ‘Beowulf Twenty‑One Questions for Discussion’, viewed 2 February 2026, https://www.scribd.com/document/921428003/Beowulf-Twenty-One-Questions-for-Discussion.

• Studocu 2018, ‘Beowulf vs Modern Society: An Essay Analysis on Heroism and Society’, Rutgers University, viewed 2 February 2026, https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/rutgers-university/english-composition/beowulf-vs-modern-society-essay/26353152.

• Literature Times 2023, ‘Exploring the Heroism and Cultural Significance of Beowulf: A Literary Analysis’, viewed 2 February 2026, https://literaturetimes.com/exploring-the-heroism-and-cultural-significance-of-beowulf-a-literary-analysis/.