Copper Lodge Library: ENGLISH EPIC POETRY

Recommended in Program(s): Challenge II
Cycle(s): N/A

Why did CCMM create this product?

English Epic Poetry (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Canterbury Tales general prologue and “The Knight’s Tale,” and Paradise Lost Book 1, including the eleven Arguments) contains some required reading for the Exposition strand. Classical Conversations MultiMedia produced this Copper Lodge Library edition to provide a beautiful resource with the needs of Challenge families in mind.

How is this classical?

English Epic Poetry contains literature that has shaped Western thought for hundreds of years. These stories set cultural precedents for heroism, character development, and theology. In Epic Poetry, students practice reading different types of poetry—from Chaucer's rhyming couplets to Milton’s blank verse—and appreciating the language and allusions while still following the plot.

How is this Christian?

Even in the less overtly religious poems of Sir Gawain and Canterbury Tales, readers find Christian themes like courage, forgiveness, and right use of power. Milton’s Paradise Lost attempts to “justify the ways of God to men,” and opens the door to important conversations about good versus evil and free will, not to mention the hundreds of biblical allusions Milton planted for readers to find.

How is this used in community?

In community, students discuss the poetry together, while also using the poems as the basis for their writing assignment.

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How to Coax Your New Book to Lay Flat

	Place the book with its back on a table.
	Open the front cover.
	Then open the back cover.
	Open a few pages in the front, gently pressing along the spine.
	Then open a few pages at the back of the book in the same way.
	Continue opening pages, alternating between the front and back, until the book is fully open. Gently press along the center spine.

You may need to repeat this process two or three times to limber up the binding. Never force the spine or handle your book roughly as that may break the back and cause pages to (eventually) come loose.