1. Beowulf & "We are the Champions"

About the book:

Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. n the poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats in Scandinavia, comes to the help of Hroðgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall (in Heorot) has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland in Sweden and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is fatally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants bury him in a tumulus, a burial mound, in Geatland.

The Link with the song:

This song is related to the main character Beowulf who fights until his death in order to defend his crown. In the second and third stanza, it shows some aspects of the literature work like a feeling of courage, the desire of fighting and the feeling of companionship to win. A visible difference between the song and the text is the end of the fighter; in the first work, he survived and in the last one, he died fighting.  

Activity in class:

The students have to relate the work read to the song, indicating the common aspects and the difference. 

We are the Champions - The Queen

Written by: Freddy Mercury

Year: 1977

I've paid my dues

Time after time

I've done my sentence

But committed no crime

And bad mistakes

I've made a few

I've had my share of sand

Kicked in my face

But I've come through

We are the champions - my friends

And we'll keep on fighting

Till the end

We are the champions

We are the champions

No time for losers

Cause we are champions of the world

I've taken my bows

And my curtain calls

You brought me fame and fortune

And everything that goes with it

I thank you all

But it's been no bed of roses

No pleasure cruise

I consider it a challenge before

The whole human race

And I ain't gonna lose

We are the champions - my friends

And we'll keep on fighting

Till the end

We are the champions

We are the champions

No time for losers

Cause we are champions of the world

We are the champions - my friends

And we'll keep on fighting

Till the end

We are the champions

We are the champions

No time for losers

Cause we are champions of the world