Catholic Great Books Study Guides

G. K. Chesterton

The Ballad of the White Horse

An Integrated Literature/History Course Written by Julie A. Collorafi

Guadalupe Press

To my parents, Howard and Mary Ann: Thank you for handing down intact to your children and grandchildren the inestimable treasure of the Catholic Faith.

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© 2004 by Guadalupe Press.

All rights reserved. All excerpts from The Ballad of the White Horse used with the gracious permission of Ignatius Press.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Illustrations, p. 1, 13, 14, and 17: Matthew J. Collorafi Photo, p. 20 used with permission of Regia Anglorum

NOTES TO THE TEACHER Dear Home Instructor, Your student is about to read one of the most thrilling poems written in this century. I hope it will give your child 1) a broader understanding of early European history, 2) a greater appreciation of poetry, and 3) most important of all, a new hero to admire and imitate: Alfred the Great, who is chiefly responsible for establishing and preserving a Catholic England. STUDY GUIDE FORMAT: The student guide contains an introduction which gives a historical background as well as some notes on the literary aspects of the poem and an explanation of poetical terms. The student will complete a few activities on poetry before reading the actual Ballad and the endnotes in the text. There are questions to complete after each section of the Ballad, ten sections in all. After the questions are completed, the student may take the test which is on p. 32. This is optional, of course, but I recommend it highly as a way for the student to practice literary analysis and also for for experience in essay writing. Tests are also valuable for helping the student summarize the Ballad in his own mind and determine its relevance to his own life. A list of review questions is provided on p. 29 to help the student prepare for the test and essay questions. An answer key is provided for all the questions and for the test, beginning on p. 32. The student’s answers are obviously not expected to be as complete as those in the answer key. It is up to the home teacher to decide, based on the student’s abilities, how much information the student should give in his answers. Every effort should be made to insure that when the student is asked to give his opinion or interpretation, his answers are well-constructed and coherent, re-writing them as necessary. The aim should be to help the student become an independent, but well-informed and articulate thinker. Finally, a suggested course of study is provided on the next page. This lists all the student’s daily assignments so you can easily keep track of his/her progress. The student should be able to complete the work in a three-week time frame, as a supplement to the student’s other history or literature course. It is hoped above all that you and your student will enjoy this venture back into 9th century England, and that you will both begin to read more of G.K. Chesterton, who is without a doubt one of the foremost and most beloved Catholic authors of our time.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN WEEK 1 Day 1 Read the Introduction in the study guide, p. 1-9. Answer questions on p. 5 and 6 and complete the Practice exercise on p. 8 of the Study Guide. “My Favorite Stanza” on p. 9, should be filled in, of course, after the student has read the whole Ballad. Day 2 Read the endnotes in the text for the Prefatory Note on p. 176 and then read the Prefatory Note on p. xxxiii-xxxvi. Answer the questions for the Prefatory Note on p. 9 in the Study Guide. Day 3 Read the endnotes in the text for the Dedication on p. 177-179 and then read the Dedication on p. xxxix-xliii. Answer the questions on p. 10-11 in the guide. Day 4 Read the endnotes for Book I on p. 180-183 in the text. Then read Book I on p. 3-17. Answer the questions on p. 11-13 in the guide. WEEK 2 Day 1 Read the endnotes for Book II on p. 184-188, then read Book II on p. 21-36. Answer the questions for Book II, on p. 13-15 in the guide. Day 2 Read the endnotes for Book III on p. 188-191, then read Book III on p. 41-66. Answer the questions on p. 15-17 in the guide. Day 3 Read the endnotes for Book IV on p. 192-198 and read Book IV on p. 67-87. Answer the questions on p. 17-19 in the guide. Day 4 Read the endnotes for Book V on p. 198-203. Read Book V, p. 87-102. Answer questions p. 1920 in the guide. WEEK 3 Day 1 Read the endnotes for Book VI on p. 203-206. Read Book VI on p. 107-123. Answer questions on p. 21-22 in the guide. Day 2 Read the endnotes for Book VII on p. 206-213. Read Book VII on p. 126-148. Answer questions on p. 23-26 in the guide. Day 3 Read the endnotes for Book VIII on p. 213-223. Read Book VIII on p. 153-173. Answer questions on p. 26-28 in the guide. Spend some time going over the Review Questions on p. 29. Day 4 Take test starting on p. 33.

Week 1, Day 1 INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF THE WHITE HORSE Far back in the mists of time, a great White Horse races across a grassy English hilltop, his powerful hind legs launching him forward, his long forelimbs swiftly gathering up the miles. With his mane and tail streaming like a banner in the wind, and his proudly arching neck and flashing eyes, he is a picture of majesty and strength. Inspired by such a sight, a prehistoric artist carved a mysterious White Horse deep into the chalky white deposits high atop a Berkshire hill, a kind of bas-relief upon the grass (see photo on p. viii of text). Spanning 374 feet from head to tail, it is highly visible for miles and has long been a beloved national landmark. There are other White Horses on other hilltops in England, but many legends associate the White Horse of Berkshire Vale with King Alfred the Great. It is believed that this monument overlooked the site of the battle of Ethandune in 878 where Alfred, outnumbered and with no prospects of outside help, managed to stop the Viking advance into England for a time. After losing a final battle fourteen years later, the Vikings agreed to leave England, Alfred being the only monarch in Europe to resist them successfully. It is no wonder that such a highly dramatic tale so captured the imagination of G.K. Chesterton, a turn-ofthe-century British journalist, whose unique ability to blend reason and romance was legendary. He skillfully blended myths and historical facts to re-tell King Alfred’s story, giving it a new emphasis and urgency for modern civilization, which was rapidly rejecting Christianity. In fact, in the Ballad, Chesterton warns his readers that “the heathen shall return” (VIII:247), this time wielding not swords, but words: They shall not come with warships, They shall not waste with brands, But books be all their eating, And ink be on their hands.

(VIII:247-251)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gilbert Keith Chesterton, born in 1874, began his literary career as a liberal agnostic. He gradually became convinced of the truth of Christianity and, while he was sympathetic to the Catholic Church for many years, didn’t become a Catholic until he was 48, ten years after he wrote The Ballad of the White Horse. He was well-known for both his brilliant wit and his gentle demeanor, qualities not often associated with each other. While he waged a ceaseless battle of words against many of his contemporaries, mainly the socialist, George Bernard Shaw, and the ardent evolutionist and social reformer, H.G. Wells, he maintained a jovial relationship and sincere friendship with G.K. Chesterton both, particularly with Shaw. This “jolly journalist” as his wife Frances called him, was both a literary and physical giant. At six feet tall, he also became quite large in girth from middle age on. At his wife’s suggestion he took to wearing a voluminous caped coat and a large-brimmed hat. With his customary pince-nez and moustache, he made quite a picture as he strolled the streets of London.

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An ardent walker, as many Englishmen are, Chesterton and his wife often explored the English countryside. Probably inspired by the centenary of King Alfred in l899, Chesterton began research on The White Horse, and often visited the sites associated with Alfred: Athelney, the Berkshire Vale, and Glastonbury. In the time he had left over from his job, he wrote and re-wrote the Ballad, spending more than ten years on it, a departure from his usual method of effortlessly producing perfect manuscripts upon the first draft. In 1911, The Ballad of the White Horse was published and won Chesterton instant acclaim and a remarkable amount of gratitude from his readers for its powerful message of hope. During World War I, many soldiers carried it with them for comfort and inspiration. In the darkest days of World War II, when England was being viciously battered by German bombing raids, The Times quoted a passage from the Ballad, Our Lady’s promise to Alfred: I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky grows darker yet And the sea rises higher, Night shall be thrice night over you, And heaven an iron cope, Do you have joy without a cause, Yea, faith without a hope?

Viking warship (I:254-261)

The verses were like a lifeline to the readers, helping them to keep hope alive in England’s most desperate hour. However, 1100 years earlier, England had been in an equally grim situation: the Viking invasions of Europe which lasted on and off from the early 800's to 1100.

ALFRED THE GREAT AND THE VIKINGS The Vikings, fierce bearded strangers from Scandinavia, began raiding the British Isles, France, and Germany, probably because of overcrowding in their native countries. Their ships could navigate rivers and streams so they were able to raid and plunder areas upriver that were not prepared for an attack from the water. The Vikings were known for the ferocity and suddenness of their attacks, plundering, burning and killing without mercy. The local populations were justifiably terrified of these fierce heathen invaders and the political stability of the newly established European countries was seriously threatened by their constant attacks. Most rulers in Europe were forced to compromise with the Vikings, agreeing to pay a hefty tribute, a “danegeld,” in return for a peaceful coexistence of sorts. By 850, things looked especially bleak in England. The Vikings, who, not content with just raiding the coastal towns, set out to conquer all of England. Alfred, the newly crowned king of Wessex, the southwestern kingdom of England, after the Viking victory at Chippenham, found himself hunted and alone. With no money and no army at his command he was forced to enlist the help of local landowners and their sons. The half century between 850 and 900 was the darkest hour in the period known as the Dark Ages, a period marked by civil and ecclesiastical disorder. -2-

During these fifty years, seven successive Holy Roman Emperors would take office and then die shortly afterwards, causing great political uncertainty. Fifteen Popes reigned, but illustrating the turmoil and violence of the times, four clearly appeared to have been murdered, and several more most likely met the same fate, while the dead and exhumed body of another, the unfortunate Pope Formosus, was ordered to be put on trial by his successor, Pope Stephen VII, for alleged violations of canon law. Steven VII pronounced the corpse guilty as charged and ordered it to be dragged through the streets of Rome where it was finally thrown into the Tiber River. With such horrific events as these taking place, it is little wonder that the Christian world was shaken and their faith and hope dimmed. Alfred, in his little stronghold in Wessex, could not expect any support from the outside. The future of the Christian faith in England, and even England itself was in grave jeopardy and it was up to him to try to save them both. Providence, as always, supplied the right man at the right time for the job. Alfred, the youngest of five sons of King Ethelwulf, was fortunate to have as one of his teachers St. Swithun, the Bishop of Winchester. This holy Bishop would refuse to ride horseback if it was possible for him to walk, and, contrary to the usual custom of being buried inside his cathedral when he died, requested instead that he be buried just outside the cathedral, literally under the feet of people walking by and with rain pouring down upon his grave from the roof. This impressive bronze statue of From this holy man Alfred learned the invaluable lesson of humility which Alfred the Great is located on the was to serve him very well in life. In the Ballad we shall see that Alfred’s campus of Alfred University in Alfred, New York. humility in the face of a monstrous insult to his kingly dignity became the turning point in his fight against the Danes and provided him the impetus to continue on in his desperate attempts to force the invaders from England. After Alfred’s eventual success, he labored long and hard to build up a Christian culture in England. The education of his people was of primary importance to him. He established a court school and imported several notable foreign scholars to teach there. He personally translated important works from Latin and Spanish. He began to restore order after more than a century of chaos, and his laws were the first to make no legal distinctions between the English and the Welsh. After more than 1000 years the popular legends of Alfred have persisted and it is no surprise that Chesterton chose this beloved national hero as the subject of one of his most difficult literary endeavors–the creation of an epic poem.

ABOUT EPIC POETRY The genre of epic poetry reaches far back into the roots of Western civilization. Homer, a blind bard living in Greece in the 8th-century B.C., is credited with the first two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Many epics have followed, Aeneid, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, The Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost to name a few. Chesterton had a particular interest in epics at this time in his life, and obviously wished to embody the legends of Alfred in such an epic. One early title of his poem was The Epic of the White Horse so this was clearly his intention. If we look at the four principal characteristics of an epic poem, we can see that the Ballad, though written in ballad form, easily fulfills all of them: -3-

The Characteristics of an Epic Poem 1) the poem’s narrative is taken from ancient sources, 2) the main subject of the poem is a national or racial hero, 3) the landscape is cosmic, or grand, in scope, including supernatural interventions. 4) the action is built around heroic deeds, usually military or political. Remember these as you read the poem and you will agree that the Ballad often “achieves the heroic” as C.S. Lewis, a noted English author and a widely recognized literature expert, warmly enthused to one of his students, meaning that some of Chesterton’s verse deserved to be placed among those of the greatest of poets. The Ballad is not only a re-telling of historical events but also is an allegory. An allegory has a deeper meaning and purpose than a mere tale since the characters and events are meant to be taken as symbols of a spiritual reality. This is true of other epics, such as Beowulf, The Song of Roland, and Pilgrim’s Progress. Watch for the allegorical meaning in the Ballad as you read it, and you will begin to see another story unfold beside the other, more obvious one. Chesterton invested his Ballad with an urgent moral message concerning the need for personal holiness and perseverance. Although there is much profound spiritual wisdom here, the Ballad is never heavy or pedantic. The moral undertones are subtle, and it takes a few readings to decode the allegorical meaning. The Ballad is such a delight to read because Chesterton took painstaking care with it, and his dedication to detail is evident in every line. While it is best to regard his poem as a whole and not dwell on its parts excessively, some notes about its structure and form are in order for those not used to reading much poetry. If you can recognize a few poetic elements, it will greatly add to your understanding and enjoyment when you read it.

STRUCTURE AND FORM OF THE BALLAD The work is divided into eight books, each of which is composed of about sixty lines. The lines are arranged into stanzas of varying length. There are three basic types of stanzas used in the poem. Let’s look at an example of the first type taken from Book I. This is the simplest and most straightforward type of stanza, and seems to be used to describe the simpler characters and events, and the speeches and songs of the simpler characters.

Thor, the Norse god of war.

STANZA TYPE I 8 Their gods were sadder than the sea, A 7 Gods of a wandering will, B 8 Who cried for blood like beasts at night, C 6 Sadly, from hill to hill. B

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(I:100-104)

UQUESTIONS (these are done for you) 1. How many lines in this stanza? (There are four lines.) 2. What is the rhyme scheme? (sea is A, will is B, night is C, hill rhymes with will so it is B also. The rhyme scheme then is ABCB.) 3. How many syllables in each line? (You should have come up with 8 for the first line, 7 for the second, 8 in the third, and 6 for the last line.) uFor an explanation of the abbreviations and citation such as the one above (I:100-104), see p. 175 of the text. STANZA TYPE II For the White Horse knew England When there was none to know. He saw the first oar break or bend He saw heaven fall and the world end, O God, how long ago. (I:13-17) UQUESTIONS 1. How many lines in this stanza? 2. What is the rhyme scheme? 3. Count the syllables in each line. Notice that lines 3 and 4 have about the same number of syllables and rhyme with each other. This is called a couplet. Notice that lines 2 and 5 also rhyme and have the same meter. Meter is concerned with accented and unaccented syllables in a line. Read these lines, noting the stressed syllables: When there was none to know. O God, how long ago. Of horses flying hard. We signed him with the Cross. 10th c. English horsemen

The heathen shall return.

What do you notice about these six-beat lines? They consist of three pairs of stressed/unstressed syllables in each line. Each set of two beats is called a foot. When a foot is made of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable, it is called an iamb. So this type of line with three iambic feet is called an iambic trimeter. It is quite common at the end of stanzas. You’ve fallen cold and dead. (O Captain, My Captain) Shall sweep the clouds no more. (Old Ironsides) -5-

Protect thy men-at-arms. (Mother of God ) His truth is marching on. (Battle Hymn of the Republic) If you will notice all these poems just cited are military in nature, so this type of line is used to mimic the sound of drumbeats or marching soldiers. Look through the Ballad for these lines. You will find them almost invariably at the end of each stanza. Why do you think Chesterton did this? It may very well have been soldiers or drums, but what else makes this kind of cadence? Think of 9th century warfare. They didn’t have tanks; they didn’t march into battle. What could it be? Perhaps it is the sound of hoofbeats, the mysterious White Horse galloping through the White Vale as Alfred beats back the Viking tide, and galloping down through the centuries into our consciousness. This is just a guess, of course, but there must be a reason Chesterton placed this type of line at frequent intervals in the poem. Can you think of a reason why? Let us now look at the last type of stanza found in this poem. STANZA TYPE III Therefore I bring these rhymes to you, Who brought the cross to me, Since on you flaming without flaw I saw the sign that Guthrum saw When he let break his ships of awe, And laid peace on the sea.

(D:53-58)

UQUESTIONS 1. How many lines in this stanza? 2. Mark the rhyme scheme. 3. Count the syllables in each line. Notice that lines 2 and 6 have the same number of syllables and the same rhyme. Lines 3, 4, and 5 are also very similar. These compose a tercet. If you’ll notice, this is the most complex type of stanza. The Dedication is made up entirely of this type of stanza. We have discussed the form of the Ballad briefly, enough to give you a little orientation as you begin to read it. Try to recognize these three types of stanzas and think a little about GKC’s use of them at particular moments in the poem. Before you begin, though, there are six types of poetic devices which Chesterton, word-master that he is, sprinkles liberally throughout this work, often two or three devices in the same stanza: 1) alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds Example: Silly Sammy Slick sipped six sodas and was sick, sick, sick. (Dr. Seuss’s ABC) 2) assonance: the repetition of the same vowel sounds within a line Example: the molten, golden notes (The Bells) 3) consonance: the repetition of the same middle or ending consonants in a line Example: the stout mate thought of home (Columbus) -6-

4) personification: giving an animal or thing human characteristics Example: I heard the trailing garments of the night / Sweep through her marble halls. (Hymn to the Night) The night is being compared to a woman wearing a long gown. 5) simile: a comparison of two dissimilar things using the words like or as. Example: a) I flung my soul to the air like a falcon flying. (The Falconer of God) b) I wandered lonely as a cloud. (The Daffodils) 6) metaphor: a comparison of two things without the use of like or as. The thing being compared is the other thing. Example: Juliet is the sun! (Romeo and Juliet) The moon was a ghostly galleon. (The Highwayman) Chesterton frequently combines several devices in the same line or stanza. He even combined alliteration with assonance in the same word. For example, “the great gray servant.”(IV:97) The initial digraph gr and the long a sound are repeated. This could be called an alliterative assonance. Here are some more: “That thanked our God” (VI:46), and “the kinsman of the king.” (V:183) Even more remarkable is this line: “bursting all and blasting, Christendom came like death.”(VII:225-226) Here, the initial sound of b is repeated along with the medial consonant sound of st. Here is my favorite passage illustrating both alliteration and assonance: The few that were alive to die, Laughing, as littered skulls that lie After lost battles turn to the sky An everlasting laugh.

(II:16-18)

UQUESTIONS (these are done for you) 1. What initial consonant is repeated throughout the stanza (alliteration)? The initial sound of l is repeated: laughing, littered, lie, lost, laugh. 2. What vowel sounds are repeated throughout (assonance)? The long i: alive, die, lie, sky. Also, the short a: laughing, after, everlasting, laugh. 3. What middle and ending consonant sounds are repeated (consonance)? The letter f is found throughout: few, laughing, after, laugh. Also, the letter t: that, littered, after, lost, battles, turn, to, everlasting. 4. Are there any other devices? Yes, a simile, “as littered skulls that lie.” The few that are alive are laughing like all the skulls on the ground whose countenances are fixed in an everlasting grin. In your reading be on the lookout for other amazing combinations of sounds. Be aware that Chesterton almost always combined alliteration, consonance and assonance in the same passage, often repeating the same consonant at the beginning, middle and end of words in a stanza. -7-

PRACTICE

N

(Match each of the following phrases with its proper term. There are two examples of similes. There may be more than one device in each phrase so identify only the devices that are marked.)

alliteration assonance metaphor consonance simile (2) personification _______________ 1. “God, like Guthrum, crowned, with a great beard curled.” _______________ 2. “Pride juggles with her toppling towers.” ______________ 3. “He only heard the heathen men whose eyes are blue and bleak.” _______________ 4. “Alfred fought as gravely as a good child at play.” _______________ 5. “God is a great gray servant.” _______________ 6. “graven all over with twisting shapes like many headless snakes.” _______________ 7. “In such degree by rule and rod, The people of the peace of God.”

A NOTE ON NOTES In the Ignatius Press edition of the Ballad, there are numerous scholarly notes in the Introduction and the Endnotes which provide a wealth of information to the reader. Chesterton’s audience, almost a century ago, was much more familiar with classic literature and Alfred the Great’s story than the modern reader. If Chesterton referred to “Caesar’s sun,” “the tower of Guelderland,” “the Raven of Odin” or “Titan flowers,” his readers probably understood what he meant. It is, therefore, necessary for us who are not as well versed in the history and literature of Western civilization to read carefully the fascinating documentation provided to us by Sr. Bernadette Sheridan, IHM, who spent over 60 years studying this poem. Her thorough research has made the Ballad much more accessible to the average modern reader. You will no doubt find that some verses are still obscure, but that is one of the primary joys of reading great poetry–trying to unlock the meaning behind a phrase, a string of words artfully woven together in an unexpected and delightful way. The one stanza in the Ballad which I love to ponder is in the Dedication, Lines 71-75. These lines, written to his wife, Frances, are exquisitely crafted and full of understated emotion, his choice of words almost opulent: honor, purple, pearl, pavilion. I don’t know if we are meant to understand all that is contained in these lines, but it is clear that Chesterton had a boundless and totally unselfish love for his wife if the mere contemplation of her face could give him such security and comfort, and wonderfully enough, liberation, too. O go you onward; where you are Shall honour and laughter be, Past purple forest and pearled foam, God’s winged pavilion free to roam, Your face, that is a wandering home, A flying home for me. -8-

(D:71-75)

I am sure that you will find verses of your own to contemplate and puzzle over while savoring the richness and beauty of the language. After you have read the Ballad, find the verses that especially capture your imagination and interest and copy them in the space below.

My Favorite Stanza

— What is the meaning of this stanza? — What is it about the language that appeals to you so much?

Week 1, Day 2 _ PREFATORY NOTE _ The Ballad of the White Horse begins with a Prefatory Note. Begin reading it on p. xxxiii-xxxvi. There are a few endnotes to this note in the back of the book. Make sure you read them as well. I have found it best to read endnotes before reading the text. That way they can form a background to what you are reading and can easily be mentally recalled when appropriate. The endnotes to the Prefatory Note are on p. 176. Do your best to answer the questions by yourself, but if you are having difficulty, be sure to consult the Answer Key for help. You may not always agree with my answers, and that is fine. Different interpretations are certainly possible, just be sure to back up yours with evidence from the poem. U QUESTIONS 1. Why does GKC call Alfred’s battle “the first crusade?”

2. What was GKC’s reason for putting a Roman, a Celt, and a Briton in the story?

English spearmen

3. What do you think “telescoping history” means?

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Week 1, Day 3 _ DEDICATION _ In these rather difficult but beautiful stanzas, Chesterton dedicated the poem to his wife, Frances, who shared in much of the research Chesterton undertook on Alfred the Great. Read the endnotes on p. 177-179 and then read the Dedication, p. xxxix-xliii.

UQUESTIONS 1. Copy the first four lines of the Dedication here and answer the questions below.

Chesterton and his wife Frances

a) To whom is GKC referring here? b) Why have his “great limbs gone to chaos,” and why is his face “turned to night?”

2. Where do you think we are when this poem opens?

3. What are the “few windows in the tower that is the head of a man?” What poetic device is being used here?

4. Here are lines 49-52 . Answer questions below. We know he saw athwart the wreck The sign that hangs about your neck, Where One more than Melchizedek Is dead and never dies. a) What is the sign? b) Why is it “athwart the wreck?” What has happened to it? c) What poetic devices can you find?

5. Copy verses 83-88 and answer questions on the next page.

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a) Where does GKC imagine his wife is going? b) Why is she “carrying the firelight” on her face?

6. From the tone of these lines, how do you think Chesterton felt about home and family? How important do you think these things are to him?

oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Identify whom the following verses refer to: 1. “But these shall not return.” (Line 16) 2. “There came green devils out of the sea.” (Line 32) 3. “Westland king and Westland saint” (Line 93) 4. “One more than Melchizedek” (Line 51) 5. “You, who brought the cross to me” (Line 54)

Week 1, Day 4 _Book I, “The vision of the KIng”_ Now we begin reading the Ballad. Quickly read the footnotes to Book One, p. 180-183, then read Book One, p. 3-17. This book sets the stage and introduces the major characters in the poem. As you read the opening lines, imagine you are in a darkened theater watching the opening scene of a movie----the camera sweeps over a still, half-lit landscape, the sun just starting to color the sky, and in the distance, hoofbeats, lightly thundering across the hills. As we follow a ghostly White Horse we begin to see on the horizon a column of smoke and the lurid glare of burning thatch, and we begin to hear faintly the cries and clash of fighting men. . . UQUESTIONS 1. Copy verses 15-17 here and answer questions on the next page.

a) How did “heaven fall?” Was this the God of the Christians who fell or the pagan panoply of gods? b) What was the “end of the world?” -11-

2. What are the “faces that moved like foam, like faces in a dream?” (Lines 34-35) (Notice the alliterative use of the letter f.)

3. What do you think is the “Shape” in Line 51?

4. Why didn’t the Northmen know of the arch or pen? (Line 83) Norse ship 5. Copy lines 61-64 and answer the questions below:

a) What is the situation referred to here? b) Explain how Alfred can “harden” his heart with hope? (Notice the alliterative assonance: hardened, heart.)

6. Why was it that “no help came at all” in Line 75?

7. Here are Lines 112-115. Answer questions below. There was not English armour left, Nor any English thing, When Alfred came to Athelney To be an English king.

a) Explain what had happened to the English.

b) What poetic device is used in the third line?

8. Describe in your own words the vision Alfred had.

9. What question does he ask Mary? -12-

10. Why won’t Mary tell him what his final fate will be?

11. Copy here what message Mary gives him instead: (Lines 254-261)

12. What happened to Alfred’s Jewel? (Lines 177-182) Medieval Spanish woodcarving

oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Identify whom or what is being referred to in these verses: 1. “Great, beautiful half-witted men” 2. “The lord of the Golden Dragon” 3. “Keyholes of heaven and hell” Hint: (Think of the Book of Kells and other illuminated manuscripts.) 4. “Men came from hall and school and street”

5. “the men that drink the blood of God”

Week 2, Day 1 Book II, “The Gathering of the Chiefs” _ In this book Alfred, infused with new hope, quietly begins gathering new allies. Read carefully the description of the various chiefs and their homesteads. Begin with the endnotes, p. 184–188, then read Book II on p. 21-36. _

UQUESTIONS 1. What mood is Alfred in as this book opens? 2. Give the four lines that best describe Eldred:

3. Describe in your own words Eldred’s farm.

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4. How does Alfred get Eldred to come with him?

5. Give the six lines that describe Mark.

6. Where does Colan of Caerleon live?

7. Give the two stanzas you think best describe Colan.

8. How does Alfred introduce himself to Colan? What qualities in Alfred does this display?

9. What is Colan’s attitude when he meets Alfred?

10. Why does Colan change his mind so suddenly?

11. What can you deduce about the degree of devotion the four chiefs had to the Mother of God?

12. Finally, in what four very memorable lines does GKC describe the Gaels? (Hint: Look on p. 34.)

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oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Identify whom or what these verses refer to. You will have to find these yourself. Also, point out any poetic devices you find. 1. “Out of the mouth of the Mother of God Like a little word come I.” 2. “And the man was come like a shadow, From the shadow of Druid trees.” 3. “Gods of unbearable beauty That broke the heart of men.” Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

4. “the man of the cave”

5. “He filled the room and porch and sky, And from a cobwebbed nail on high Unhooked his heavy sword.”

Week 2, Day 2 Book III, “The harp of alfred” _ While he waits for the chiefs to arrive, Alfred, in the guise of a harpist, goes to the Viking camp at night. There a singing contest ensues between Alfred and the Danish lords. Their relatively good-humored clash of ideas and attitudes anticipates the actual battle with swords and clubs the next day and underscores the great divide between pagan and Christian. Read the footnotes on p. 188–191 and then read Book 3, which begins on p. 41. _

UQUESTIONS 1. Does King Alfred as a harpist remind you of another king in the Judaeo-Christian tradition who also played a harp? What is his name? Watch out for other similarities between him and Alfred.

2. What does Alfred pass on his way to the Danes’s camp? What do you think is the significance of this?

3. In what condition is the White Horse and what is Alfred’s reaction to this?

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4. Find the best lines to describe each of the lords of the Great Army. Guthrum:

Harold:

Elf:

Ogier

5. Why is Harold so scornful of the English? What does he say happened to change them from “swordswingers” to “women?”

6. Read these horrifying lines describing old Ogier and explain what they mean, noting any poetic devices. Well if the old man’s heart hath still Wheels sped of rage and roaring will Like cataracts to break down and kill.

7. Describe in your own words Guthrum’s song and attitude toward life. (Lines 247-293).

8. What metaphor does Chesterton use to characterize Alfred’s stroke upon the when he responds to Guthrum?

9. Contrast Alfred’s song and attitude with Guthrum’s.

10. Why do the Christians care for the White Horse that the heathen “have left to darken and fail?”

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harp

pppIDENTIFICATIONppp On the line to the right of each quote write the name of who said it. Ogier Alfred Elf Guthrum Harold __________

1. “There is always a forgotten thing And love is not secure.”

__________

2. “Therefore your end is on you, Is on you and your kings.”

__________ 3. “Hate alone is true.” __________ 4. “The soul is like a lost bird.” __________ 5. “But we shall enjoy the world, The whole huge world a toy.” Week 2, day 3 _ Book iv, “The woman in the forest” _ In this book Chesterton uses the popular legend of King Alfred offering to watch a poor woman’s cakes baking on the hearth. Lost in thought, he forgets the cakes and they burn, and the woman cuffs him hard across his face. Alfred’s submissive response to the blow reveals his meekness and self-restraint, hard lessons he has learned in life. Read the endnotes on p.192-198 and then read Book IV, beginning on p. 67. UQUESTIons 1. Notice that the place where the battle is to take place is described as “the road split in twain” and the “cloven ways.” (Lines 18 and 19) What is the symbolism of this?

2. a) Copy the two lines describing the woman in the river-hut.

b) Copy the stanza describing King Alfred.

c) Whom do you believe the woman (who is chastising Alfred) represents?

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3. What are the six images of God that Alfred contemplates in his long meditation by the fire (as the cakes begin to burn)? Identify each as a metaphor or simile. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 4. Read again Lines 130-143 about the little star that “spins and swirls” in this “gray morn of man’s life” and explain what the star represents.

5. Why is Line 225 a turning point for Alfred? What has Alfred suddenly learned to do?

6. What is the “red star?”

7. In what two lines does Alfred claim to be unlike all other kings before him?

8. What other King (whose Kingdom was not of this world) was also struck like a slave?

9. Read these lines and answer the questions below: Follow a light that leaps and spins, Follow the fire unfurled. For riseth up against realm and rod, A thing forgotten, a thing downtrod, The last lost giant, even God, Is risen against the world. a) What is the light? b) Why does Alfred call God the “last lost giant?” c) Why has He “risen against the world? -18-

d) Try to find all the poetic devices used in this stanza. e) Mark the rhyme scheme and count the syllables. What type of stanza?

10. What is the immediate reaction of the assembled men to Alfred’s impassioned words?

oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Identify whom or what is being compared in these similes: 1. “Like thunder in the spring.” (Line 226) 2. “like one man in armour” (Line 214) 3. “like a bad king’s burial-end” (Line 18) 4. “as evil cherubs rise, with little wings and lantern eyes” (Line 43-44) t5. “As the proud look up at the evil stars, In the red heavens of hell.” (Lines 51-52) t The landscape and Alfred’s journey here are being compared to another famous epic journey to an infernal region. Do you know to whom GKC is alluding here?

Week 2, Day 4 _ Book v, “ethandune: the first stroke” _ King Alfred and his men go out to meet the Danes at Egbert’s Stone. As the moment of battle comes closer, their enthusiasm wanes, and they somberly assess their situation, each preparing for his own death. The Christian side begins the fighting with a sudden, shocking blow against the Danes. Read the endnotes, p. 198-203. Then read Book V, p. 87-102. UQUESTIONS 1. What is the “live wood” that comes at King Guthrum and his army?

2. What happens to the Christian army as “white dawn crawls through the wood” (a personification and two assonances–dawn, crawl, and through and wood.)

3. What misdeeds does Alfred confess? What Biblical king committed similar crimes?

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4. How do Alfred and his three chiefs each wish to be buried? a) King Alfred b) Eldred c) Mark d) Colan Early European monarch

5. Draw a diagram outlining the battle-positions of each king and his three chiefs. (See Synopsis on p. 203.)

6. Who delivers the first stroke?

7. What great gift does Colan receive from the King?

8. How is the Lord portrayed at the end of this book?

oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Who said it? King Alfred Marcus Colan __________ 1.“I was a fool and wasted ale.”

Harold

___________ 2. “And shall I fight with scarecrows That am of Guthrum’s blood?” ___________ 3. “I wronged a man to his slaying And a woman to her shame.” ___________ 4. “All the earth is Roman earth And I shall die in Rome.” ___________ 5. “The tall trees of Britain We worshiped and were wise.” -20-

Eldred

Week 3, Day 1 _ BOOK VI, “The slaying of the chiefs” _ The battle intensifies and we are swept along the bloody tide. The chiefs on both sides are cut down one by one like mighty oaks in a forest. Notice how Chesterton wrings our emotions in this book. We are wrenched by the deaths of the Christian chiefs but, at the same time, we marvel at their nobility and steadfastness in the face of such horror. We are loath to lose them, but the example of their strength and courage renews our spirits. Calamity and grief, strangely enough, are often blessings, for nothing else can so swiftly and surely change indifferent men Members of the Regia Anglorum stage a mock battle, demonstrating the massed use into heroes. This is the perennial tragedy and glory of war. of shield and spear. This theme is expounded most dramatically in Homer’s Iliad which is the definitive war-epic of Western literature. Chesterton uses two elements of the Iliad to very good effect in this book. These elements are the heroes’s grand speeches in the midst of battle, and the vast, sweeping similes for which Homer is justly famous. Look out for three Homeric similes in the opening pages of this Book. Read endnotes, p. 203-206 and then read Book VI, p.107-123. UQUESTIONS 1. Here is one of the Homeric similes (emphasis added). Read it and answer the questions on the next page. As the tall white devil of the Plague Moves out of Asian skies, With his foot on a waste of cities And his head in a cloud of flies; Or purple and peacock skies grow dark With a moving locust-tower, Or tawny sand-winds tall and dry, Like hell’s red banners beat and fly, When death comes out of Araby, (So) Was Eldred in his hour.

a) To what three things is Eldred being compared? b) How are all three pestilences like Eldred?

2. Find the Homeric simile on p. 111 and write it here. Answer the questions on the next page.

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a) What two things are being compared? b) How are they alike? c) What are the alliterations in this stanza?

3. How does Mark compare his God with “the gods of death?”

4. Translate Lines 170-172. (See the endnotes). Answer the questions below..

a) What is Mark quoting? b) Who wrote the Psalms, by the way?

5. Read again Ogier’s wild war-chant, Lines 213-264. a) Why is he so triumphant?

b) What is the effect of his song on the Christian army?

10th c. English battle scene

6. How does Book VI end?

7. What is your mood as this Book ends?

oooIDENTIFICATIONooo Whom or what is being compared in these less complex similes? Note the poetic devices. 1. “like a tortoise in his dome” 2. “roaring like the Rhine” 3. “move like the ants in lines” 4. “poured in like a brainless plague” 5. “as a tall ship breaks the sea” -22-

Week 3, Day 2 _ Book vii, “ethandune: the last charge”_ After his chiefs are struck down, and his army has scattered, Alfred patiently re-gathers his men for one last charge. In this book the themes of hope and perseverance in the face of almost certain defeat, the redemptive power of suffering, and the great cost of freedom are all woven together into a grand, triumphant climax. Central to Alfred’s success is the intervention of the Mother of God. Mary appears in the midst of battle, and is depicted as having seven swords in her heart, “but one was in her hand!” (Lines 203-4). This obviously refers to Our Lady of Sorrows, to whom Simeon in the Temple prophesied, that “a sword shall pierce your heart, that the thoughts of many in Israel may be revealed,” (Luke 2:35). Tradition associates the Seven Sorrows of Mary, (Simeon’s Our Lady of Sorrows Prophecy, Flight into Egypt, Loss of the Child Jesus, Meeting Jesus on the Way to Calvary, Standing at the Foot of the Cross, Receiving the Body of her Son, and the Burial of Jesus) as metaphorical swords piercing her heart, but what is the peaceful, gentle woman from Nazareth doing with a sword in her hand? The idea of Mary conducting war is not totally incongruous. In Genesis 3:15, God foretells that the woman, Mary, will crush the head of the serpent—definitely not a dainty, feminine thing to do! In the Novena to Our Lady of Czestochowa, she is invoked as, “Mary, Warrior of the Living God!” Another invocation is, “O Victorious Queen, triumphant over all your enemies.” There is an international organization called the Legion of Mary which is modeled after the ancient Roman army. They are Mary’s army and their weapons are prayers and good works, their one strategy the salvation of souls. The picture on their prayer leaflet shows Mary with a military standard and a vast multitude of her legionaries amassed behind her. One of their prayers, the Catena Legionis, taken from the Song of Songs 6:10, beautifully describes the Mother of God preparing to begin spiritual combat: “Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?” Never underestimate the power of a woman, particularly if she is God’s mother. As Chesterton powerfully illustrates in this ballad, God especially delights in confounding the mighty of this world with His little ones. Read the endnotes on p. 206-213 and then Book VII, on p. 126-148.

UQUESTIONS 1. Who is the Child playing on the White Horse Down?

2. What does He patiently build and re-build?

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3. Taking my cue from the endnotes on p. 188, I have come up with a symbolic description of each of the chiefs. See if you can match each to his description. CHIEFS __________ Harold __________ Elf

__________ Ogier

__________ Eldred __________ Mark __________Colan

DESCRIPTION a. superstitious pagan, involved in magic and the occult. b. intellectual Catholic, concerned primarily with the externals of the faith, not much emotional involvement (“the great statue on the shield”) c. fanatic pagan, determined to eliminate Christians in any way possible (radical Muslims Nazis, etc.) d. activist Catholic, always ready to fight for a “cause,” but neglects the spiritual ( “I wasted ale,” ale meaning grace?) e. pious, ascetic Catholic, fervently attached to religious devotions and customs, almost superstitious (“there was unreason in his heart”) f. sensual pagan, driven by his passions, the “party animal” type

4. List the order of the pagan chiefs’s deaths.

5. List the order of the Christian chiefs’s deaths.

.

6. On an allegorical level, can you explain the order of the pagan chiefs’s deaths? In other words, which pagans are the easiest and the hardest to convert?

7. On an allegorical level, can you explain the order of the Christian chiefs’s deaths? In other words, which type of Christian most easily falls away? Which is the strongest?

8. Is there any record of Guthrum killing anyone? Where is he seated? Why does he seem to be “above the fray?” How is this like cultured secular pagans in our society?

9. What is the significance of Alfred killing the worst kind of pagan (Ogier)? Alfred was so successful because he is the best combination of all three types of Catholics. Explain this. -24-

10. After the chiefs of both sides are dead (except Alfred and Guthrum) who must continue the fight? Why is this significant?

11. Read the following lines and answer the questions below and the on the next page. While a man remains, great war remains: Now is a war of men. The men that tear the furrows, The men that fell the trees, When all their lords be lost and dead The bondsmen of the earth shall tread The tyrants of the seas.

(VII: 131-137)

a) How does this apply to all of us?

b) Note all the poetic devices.

12. Remember Alfred’s plea to Mary in Book I about the “last bow” and “last lance?” What actually happens when “the last arrow was fitted and was flown” in Book VII?

13. What is “the high tide and the turn!?” (Line 242)

14. Copy Line 255 here and answer the questions below.

a) Explain what this means. b) Why does GKC compare King Alfred to King David?

15. Could the Christians have won without Mary? What is her place in our struggles?

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oooIDENTIFICATIONooo What poetic devices are being used in these lines? There may be more than one device in one line. 1. “Horses like horns of nightmare Neigh horribly and long.” 2. “As a turn of the wheel of tempest Tilts up the whole sky tall.” 3. “To grow old cowed in a crowded land.” 4. “Then bursting all and blasting Came Christendom like death.” 5. “Or the stars look up through the rent earth’s knees.” 6. “He took this hollow world of ours For a cup to hold his wine.”

Week 3, Day 3 _ Book viii, “the scouring of the horse” _ After Alfred’s incredible victory at Ethandune, the mood lightens considerably, the war-drums subside, and the “peace of Wessex” reigns for a time. But just as we are catching our breath, marveling at all of Alfred’s peace-time endeavors, the Danes suddenly intrude upon our repose. Sometimes in our own lives we may feel that troubles and failures are constantly hounding us. We solve one problem only to be confronted by a seemingly endless line of others. In times of trial do we share the exasperation and anger at Heaven of Alfred’s thanes, or do we have Alfred’s hope and determination to keep fighting? Remember such fortitude took Alfred almost a lifetime to learn, so don’t think that quiet smile of his at the moment of trial came easily! Take these words with you and strive to be like Alfred the Great when troubles come your way: Then Alfred smiled. And the smile of him Was like the sun for power.

(VIII:178-179)

Read the last endnotes on p. 213-223. Then read Book VIII, p. 153-173. UQUESTIONS 1. Name some of Alfred’s accomplishments during the period of peace after Ethandune.

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The Wiltshire White Horse five days after “scouring,” a process in which grass is removed and new chalk is added where necessary to define the edges.

2. Copy the two verses on p. 153 that describe Guthrum’s conversion process. Give also Lines 341-342 in Book VII which also describe Guthrum.

3. Looking at Lines 78-132, explain why Alfred was not like the later English imperialists who attempted to colonize many other countries.

4. What is Alfred’s reaction when the Danes return?

5. What is Alfred’s prophecy as he prepares for battle again?

6. What are the three signs by which the new pagans shall be known?

7. As Alfred ‘s army fights the invaders, what is happening to the White Horse?

8.

a) What does the infestation of weeds in the White Horse represent? b) THIS IS KEY! What does the White Horse represent? (See Line 194.)

9. How does the Ballad end? Are you disappointed that Alfred is still fighting?

10. What message does the White Horse have for all of us?

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Norse depiction of the Crucified Christ

ooo IDENTIFICATIONooo Explain what each of these lines mean. 1. “and the frame of his face was made of cords”

2. “They shall come as monkish clerks With many a scroll and pen.”

3. “By thought a crawling ruin By life a leaping mire”

4. “the garden of the Mother of God” Alfred the Great 5. “If ye would have the horse of old, Scour ye the horse anew.”

CONCLUSION Now that you are finished with the Ballad, don’t stash it away in your bookcase, never to be read again. Pick it up periodically and read through it again, and you will be amazed at all the new insights and enjoyment you will gain each time you read it. C.S. Lewis, a great author in his own right, suggested revisiting the great books many times in a lifetime, claiming that, “The sure mark of an unliterary man is that he considers ‘I’ve read it already’ to be a conclusive argument against reading a work. . . Those who read great works, on the other hand, will read the same work ten, twenty, or thirty times in the course of their life.” (Glaspey, Terry, Not a Tame Lion, p. 144) So, you see, you’ve just begun. Many happy hours of reading await you, and the hours you spend with Chesterton, I can sincerely assure you, will be among the most delightful and rewarding. U If you are interested in learning more about Chesterton, be sure to read these two entertaining and informative books about this giant of a man: Wisdom and Innocence, A Life of G.K. Chesterton, by Joseph Pearce, and G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense, by Dale Ahlquist Both are available from Ignatius Press which can be found @ www.ignatius.com, or by phone: 1-800-6511531.

L

Remember to copy down your favorite stanza on p. 9. In order to prepare for the exam, look through the Introduction and all the work you have done answering the comprehension questions then go through the Test Review Questions in the Teacher’s Guide. This will give you a comprehensive overview of all the work you have done on The Ballad of the White Horse. -28-

TEST REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Review the four elements of an epic poem. Be able to explain how the Ballad fits each element. 2. Review the meaning of allegory. Be able to explain the allegorical meaning of the Ballad and what is the allegorical meaning of each of the major characters. For instance, Alfred the Great symbolizes the ideal Catholic on his quest for salvation. 3. Review the different poetical devices studied in this work. 4. Be able to complete a literary analysis of a selected passage. This means being able to explain its literal meaning and also to discuss the poetical devices involved. Be sure to include the type of stanza and rhyme scheme. You have had to do this several times in the questions after each stanza. Look over these. 5. Know the major characters well and be able to describe them in your own words. 6. Be able to explain Mary’s role in the poem. 7. Be able to explain the significance of the White Horse. 8. Review thoroughly the character of Alfred the Great. Be able to discuss how he embod-ies the virtues of the three types of Catholics. Think about how his example is relevant to your own life. 9. Finally, reflect on the message Chesterton is trying to convey in this work. What do you think was his purpose in writing it? Was it just an entertaining historical account or does it have some deeper spiritual urgency?

10. Go over your essay-writing technique. Here are a few pointers: —Include a short introduction and conclusion. These help to get your reader warmed up, so to speak, and wrap things up attractively at the end. —Make sure your paragraphs each have a topic sentence with several supporting sentences. —Give plenty of examples from the text to illustrate the points you are trying to make. —Remember to make your writing interesting by using well-chosen adjectives and adverbs. —Strive to vary your sentence style. Avoid using simple sentences all the time. Use com-pound and compoundcomplex sentences whenever possible. —Try to be as coherent and as effective as possible in explaining your point of view. Remember: Tests are a valuable part of the learning process. This is a chance for you to demonstrate how much you have learned. I have always found that in the process of taking a test I am actually learning the most. It is an opportunity to organize and sum up in your own mind all the information and facts you have acquired about a subject.

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Internet sources for further research 1. To find out more about the mysterious White Horse of Berkshire, check out the articles from Royal Berkshire History @ < http:// w w w .berkshirehistory.com/archaeology/html> . a song composed for the ”scouring” festivities at Berkshire Dow ns.

Especially interesting is Part 2 w hich contains

2. For an interesting account of how the s tatu e o f Kin g Alfred w as constructed, visit the Alfred University w ebsite @ . 3. If you w ould like to do more research on Anglo-Saxon and Viking armor be sure to visit the w ebsite of Regia Anglorum w hich is devoted entirely to this area of interest. The members of this group do ongoing research into the equipment and methods of fighting used in th e Vik ing and Anglo-Saxon Age. They have re-created battle scenes for the BBC and frequently stage demonstrations for interested groups. See their extensive documentation on arms and armor and the historically accurate use of such w eaponry @ < http://w w w .regia.org/spear.htm.>.

4. For more information on the Viking raids w hich devastated England and other parts of Europe, visit < http://w w w .hurstw ic.org/history/articles/society/text/raids.htm >. Especially valuableare the numerous selections from original Viking and Anglo-Saxon sources. 5. If you find yourself intrigued by Chesterton, find out more about this fascinating and most lovable man from the Am er ic an Chesterton Society w hich publishes an informative and entertaining magazine, Gilbert Magazine, w hich focu s es ex c lu s ively on Chesterton and his relevance to our time. Go to their w ebsite @ for more information. 6. For a further explanation of the w ork of the Legion of Mary, w hich w as mentioned in the introduction to Book VII, visit their w ebsite @ < http://w w w .legion-of-mar y . ic /T o p . h tm l >. Be sure to read the rest of the Catena Legionis. The Concluding Prayer is particularly stirring. It sums up the q u alities o u r faith should have and enumerates the tasks w e should undertake for the glory of God and the salvation of souls–all good descriptions of the life of Alfred the Great:

Confer, O Lord, on us, who serve beneath the standard of Mary, that fulness of faith in Thee and trust in her, to which it is given to conquer the world. Grant us a lively faith, animated by charity, which will enable us to perform all of our actions from the motive of pure lore of Thee, and ever to see Thee and serve Thee in our neighbor; a faith, firm and immovable as a rock, through which we shall rest tranquil and steadfast amid the crosses, toils, and disappointments of life; a courageous faith which will inspire us to undertake and carry out without hesitation great things for God and for the salvation of souls; a faith which will be our Legion’s Pillar of Fire–to lead us forth united—to kindle everywhere the fires of Divine Love–to enlighten those who are in darkness and in the shadow of death—to inflame those who are lukewarm—to bring back life to those who are dead in sin; and which will guide our own feet in the Way of Peace, so that —the battle of life over–our Legion may reassemble, without the loss of anyone, in the Kingdom of Thy Love and Glory.

TEST AND ANSWER KEY

The Ballad of the White Horse A. IDENTIFICATION Elf Ogier Alfred

(Tell who said each quote and explain when it was said.) M ark Woman in the forest Guthrum Mary The young lord Eldred Colan Harold

1. “There is a cake for any man If he will watch the fire.” 2. “But the King and I grow old, grow old And hate alone is true.” 3. “The gates of heaven are lightly locked, We do not guard our gain.” 4. “Because I am not wise enough To rule so small a thing.” 5. “Stand like an oak! Stand like a Roman wall! Eldred the Good is fallen– Are you too good to fall?” 6. “Yet I could lie and listen With a cross upon my clay And hear unhurt forever What the trees of Britain say.” 7. “O drunkards in my cellar, Boys in my apple tree,” 8. “Wherefore I am a great king And waste the world in vain.” 9. “The king is old.” 10. “There is always a thing forgotten When all the world goes well.”

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B. SHORT ANSWER (Briefly answer each question. Use the back of the page if you need more room.) 1. What type, or genre, of literature is The Ballad of the White Horse? 2. What are the four criteria (given in the Introduction) for this genre? Explain how the Ballad meets each one. 1)

2)

3)

4)

3. Give five adjectives describing Alfred.

4. Give five adjectives describing Guthrum.

5. Who was your favorite chief? Describe him and explain what about him appealed to you.

6. What was the actual White Horse of Berkshire?

7. What was Mary’s role in the Ballad?

8. What was the significance of the Battle of Ethandune for England? For Europe? -34-

C. LITERARY ANALYSIS Read the following stanza and answer the questions below: “With velvet finger, velvet foot, The fierce soft mosses then Crept on the large white commonweal All folk had striven to strip and peel, And the grass, like a great green witch’s wheel Unwound the work of men.” a) Discuss Chesterton’s use of language in this stanza. Mark the rhyme scheme and count the syllables in each line. What kind of meter is the last line?

b) What poetic devices are used?

c) What effect does the language have on you?

d) Finally, in essay form, discuss how this verse illustrates the overall theme of the Ballad. Be sure to discuss both its literal and allegorical meaning.

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D. ESSAYS Write in your best essay form (with an introduction and conclusion), and answer each question in three to five paragraphs. 1. Explain how the Ballad is an allegory (a story within a story), by discussing what each of the following characters and events represent on a spiritual level: a) Alfred d) the Viking chiefs g) Alfred’s initial defeat b) the White Horse e) the woman in the forest h) Alfred’s eventual success c) the Christian chiefs f) the gathering of the chiefs i) the return of the Danes

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ESSAYS (continued) 2. Finally, in what ways should we be like Alfred the Great? (Consider his greatest virtue and how he is a combination of the three types of Catholics.)

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ANSWER KEY STRUCTURE AND FORM OF THE BALLAD ( p. 5 and 6) (on p. 5) 1. 5; 2. ABCCB; 3. 7,6,8,9,6 . (on p. 6) 1. 6; 2. ABCCCB 3. 8,6,7,7,8,6 . PRACTICE (p. 8) 1. This is an example of consonance. The ending consonant d is repeated. 2. This is an example of personification. Pride, an abstract concept, is pictured as a person juggling. 3. This is an example of alliteration. The beginning sound h and the digraph bl are repeated. 4. This is a simile with the use of as. Alfred fighting is compared to a good child playing. 5. This is a metaphor. God is compared to a servant. 6. This is a simile using like. The shapes on the shield are compared to snakes. 7. This is an example of assonance. The long vowel sound of ee is repeated. PREFATORY NOTE (p. 9) 1. Like the Crusades of the Middle Ages, which were fought to keep the Moors from invading Europe, Alfred fought to keep the invading pagan Vikings from taking over Christian Britain. 2. Because these peoples each contributed to the fight against the heathen invaders over the centuries. 3. Legends and other oral and written traditions, like a telescope, bring the past closer to our view, so we do not forget what happened in the generations before us. DEDICATION (p. 10-11) 1. (D:1-5) a) Alfred the Great; b) He is obviously dead and his bones are no longer connected to each other (“gone to chaos”). His face is “turned to night” because he is dead. 2. We are at Alfred’s tomb. 3. These are the eyes and mouth. This is a metaphor. The head of a man is being compared to a tower. 4. a) The cross is the sign. b) He may have found a cross among the ruins of a church or monastery that the Vikings destroyed. c) Assonance with short e: Melchisedek, where, dead, never. 5. a) This is open to interpretation: on into the future, perhaps, or up to heaven someday, progressing on the road to salvation. b) This is a connection to earth as she goes up the “inhuman steeps of space,” perhaps an identifi-caton of her as the wife, who keeps the home fires burning, so to speak. 6. He must have esteemed his wife greatly: “Where you are honor and laughter be.” He calls her “Lady,” another sign of his esteem. He refers to time spent researching the Ballad as the “hour we strayed a space from home,” meaning it was just temporary. One gets the feeling he very much looked forward to returning home. IDENTIFICATION: 1. The past kings and lords of England, the “thanes.” 2. The Viking invaders. 3. Alfred the Great. 4. Christ, who was High Priest, Prophet and King, like Melchisedek, but only greater. 5. His wife, who brought him a real faith in Christ. -38-

BOOK I, “The Vision of the King” (p. 11-13) 1. a) This refers to the Roman gods who fell when Christianity triumphed throughout the Roman Empire in the 3rd and 4th centuries. b) The fall of the Roman Empire in 410 A.D., of which Britain was a territory. The Goths and Visigoths took over much of the civilized nations in Europe. 2. These are the faces of the invading barbarian hordes. 3. This could be the influence of Satan working to undermine the work of salvation. 4. The Scandinavian tribes were isolated from the cultural achievements of Rome and early Europe– Greek art, Roman architecture or the works of literature then available to the educated classes. 5. a) Seven of the Holy Roman Emperors in this time period died prematurely and were unable to establish a secure government. The papacy was undergoing a severe crisis of its own, some popes clearly dabbling in subterfuge and worse. b) He forces himself to be confident of ultimate victory, no matter how many setbacks he must undergo first. 6. The other European monarchs were busy dealing with invasions of their own and were not able to send reinforcements to Alfred. 7. a) Alfred’s grandfather, father, and his older brothers all had to deal with the Vikings with little success. By the time Alfred came to the throne, very little free English soil was left. Alfred’s kingdom, in fact, was reduced to the small county of Wessex, and, in 878, Alfred retreated to the island of Athelney where the Ballad begins. b) assonance: Alfred, Athelney. 8. Mary was standing in the flowers and tall grass near the river. She was dressed in beautiful colors and her face was open, intelligent and brave. 9. He wants to know after his last fight is over if he will “come home at last,” meaning will he reach Heaven. 10. There are many mysteries man can enquire about: the secrets of Mary’s heart, the “talk of the Three in One,” man may “uproot where worlds begin,” or read the “name of the nameless sin,” but he may not learn of his own ultimate destiny. The pagans try to divine the future; Christians, however, are to “go gaily in the dark;” they “are ignorant and brave,” and must win their wars and their souls only with great difficulty. They must have faith and hope, relying on God’s providence to direct their destinies. If they know what the future is, there would be no need to pray or hope. 11. Copy lines cited. 12. Alfred took off the last jewel he had and threw it at Mary’s feet. It was found in 1693 near Athelney. It was identified as Alfred’s since it had “Alfred had me worked” inscribed on it. IDENTIFICATION: 1. The Northmen, the Danes. 2. Alfred, whose flag had the Golden Dragon. 3. Alfred’s mother’s book had small illustrations in it depicting various mysteries of the faith, like the Book of Kells and other illuminated manuscripts. 4. The people who discovered Alfred’s Jewel near Athelney. They were apparently of widely differing backgrounds. 5. Catholics consuming the Precious Blood of Jesus (the consecrated wine) at Mass. It is important to note the contrast between this and the Viking gods “who cry for blood like beasts at night.” (Line 102) The pagan gods demanded human and animal sacrifice constantly. Fortunately, Christianity reversed the hellish disorder of paganism. In the New Covenant Christ offers himself as the Victim.

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BOOK II, “The Gathering of the Chiefs” (p. 13-15) 1. He is buoyed up by Mary’s message and is joyful, even though it is a joy without apparent cause. He is so happy he makes poems and sets his laws to music! 2. Copy lines 42-45. Notice that this is Stanza I, a relatively simple description of a simple man. 3. It was neglected and poorly cared for. However, Eldred managed to eat well (“smoke of some good feasting went upwards evermore”) and drink well also (several mentions of ale). 4. He tells Eldred he is mustering Wessex men for another battle and gives him Mary’s message.That is enough for Eldred. Without a word he reaches for his sword, and Alfred knows that Eldred and his men will come. 5. This is found in II:125-130. Notice that this is a Stanza Type III, a much more lengthy and complex description of a character with more depth. 6. He lives in a great gray cave far off to the south. 7. There are several stanzas describing this most interesting character. See II:203-232. Any of these will do. 8. Alfred says, “I am Alfred of Wessex, and I am a conquered king.” This shows his honesty and humility but also his determination to regain his realm and not just give up as many other men would have done. 9. He is scornful of Alfred and the line of English kings before him. 10. Colan abruptly changes his tune when Alfred tells of Our Lady’s “lesson.” 11. They had an unquestioning allegiance to Mary. It seems that Alfred barely mentions her name and only a few words of her message, and they were instantly ready to join him. 12. See II:220-223. IDENTIFICATION: 1. Alfred described himself as a small utterance of Mary, sent by her to continue the battle for England. Alliteration: mouth, Mother; like, little; consonance: the, mouth, Mother. 2. This refers to Colan whose ancestors practiced th religion of the Druids. Assonance: man, shadow. 3. Sr. Bernadette points out that this verse can refer to the high cliffs of Moher in County Clare, where the Gaelic gods were worshiped. Alliteration and consonance: unbearable, beauty, broke. 4. Colan, who lived in a cave. 5. Eldred, when he decides to join Alfred. Consonance: filled, cobwebbed, unhooked, sword.

BOOK III, “The Harp of Alfred” (p. 15-17) 1. Yes, King David of the Old Testament also played the harp. 2. He passes White Horse Vale and looks at the White Horse. This is a reminder of what he will be fighting for the next day. 3. It is gray, and the weeds are creeping into it. Alfred is sorrowful that it has been so neglected. 4. Guthrum: Lines 52-56; Harold: Lines 92-95; Elf: Lines 140-143; Ogier: Lines 180-185. 5. Because the English have become Christian. They converted to “the god of nails” from Rome (Jesus), and “they bend to shaven men who neither lust nor smite” (priests and bishops, who were tonsured, or shaven and celibate.) The Christians didn’t seem like real men to Harold. He would soon find out differently. 6. See III:197-199. Ogier is full of a demonic hate and rage which, like a wheel, drives him to destroy and kill all that is Christian. GKC compares Ogier’s rage to a cataract, which is like a waterfall or torrent of hate poured out upon the Christians. Alliteration and consonance: well, wheels, will; rage, roaring, heart, cataract, break; assonance: hath, cataract. 7. He appears to have lost all hope. His life doesn’t have any meaning for him. He is sad because he realizes -40-

everything living must die. Only in battle can he forget about death. 8. Alfred’s stroke was that of “horses flying hard.” This may be an indication that the White Horse is preparing to rise again. 9. Guthrum is sad and weary. His “hands slowly and thoughtfully fall from the harp.” Alfred, however, grabs it and smotes it in ire. He sings with energy and defiance, boldly predicting that the Viking’s end is near because the Christians have more heart and desire to lose than the Danes have desire to win! The Christians will prevail because they still have a desire to hope and live and love, whereas the pagans have only lust, hate, rage, and, ultimately, despair. 10. Because they recognize it as a good and worthy achievement even if it was made by heathens, and they seek to preserve it for future generations, much like the monks of the Dark Ages preserved the Greek and Roman cultural legacy. IDENTIFICATION: 1. Elf; 2. Alfred; 3. Ogier; 4. Guthrum; 5. Harold. BOOK IV, “The Woman in the Forest” (p. 17-19) 1. Since the two great forces of Christianity and paganism are about to meet here, the fork in the road represents the places in our own lives when we must decide between belief and unbelief. 2. a) See IV: 63-64. b) See IV:65-69. c) Though it may seem improbable and most unflattering, the peasant woman may represent God. The color gray represents invisibility since we cannot see God. Alfred refers later to God as the “great gray servant,” and he probably meant this woman who is the “great heart in the night” who works while we sleep. Notice that there is both pity and ire in her glance which means she may be meant to represent the Justice of God which is both wrathful and merciful. When she strikes Alfred it is a just retribution for letting the cakes burn. Though he had good intentions and was actually praying while he watched the cakes, he was neglecting his duty. We all have to be chastised for our sins of inaction, but do we have Alfred’s humility when we are? There is probably a great deal more to be discovered in this particular episode of the peasant woman. Perhaps you can reflect on it for yourself, for example, what do the cakes represent? 3. 1) “my gardener” (a metaphor), 2) “silent like a slave” (a simile), 3) “my armourer” (metaphor), 4) “a great gray servant” ( a metaphor--notice the alliteration and assonance), 5) ”like Guthrum” (a simile), 6) “Like a good giant” (a simile), and 7) “a serf” (a metaphor). 4. This is the light of hope which leads us to believe that good will always triumph over evil. 5. He suddenly saw the humor of the situation, that he, the King of all England, is struck by a peasant woman. Instead of being angry at this enormous insult to his pride, he shrugs it off. This is the “giant laughter of Christian men” that sees the sheer absurdity of human pride–that we frail, sinful creatures constantly demand such respect and honor from all we meet. 6. This is the mark the blow made upon his forehead. 7. “For I am the first king of heaven that has been struck like a slave.” (Lines 284-285) 8. Jesus was struck by the soldiers during His Passion. 9. a) This is the red scar on Alfred’s forehead which has become the light of hope. There is enormous hope for the world when the proud imitate their Savior and voluntarily accept humiliation. -41-

b) Alfred sees God as the forgotten servant who labors to redeem the world but is almost unnoticed (gray). He is downtrodden because modern man rejects His supreme moral authority and even denies His very existence. c) Many times in salvation history God has allowed evil to triumph momentarily as a way to test the good and make them stronger, but He always intervenes, even if it is at the last moment, and helps the good to overcome the evil. Even when evil wins for a time, God manages to draw good out of the worst situations, thus demonstrating that He is always in control. d) Alliteration and consonance: follow, fire, unfurled, forgotten; light, leaps, last, lost, unfurled, realm; riseth, realm, rod, risen, unfurled, forgotten (the letters l, f, and r). Assonance: follow, rod, forgotten, lost, God. e) ABCCCB ; 7,6,9,9,8,7 ; Stanza Type III. 10. They are fired up by his speech and go roaring up the road to meet the enemy and “they fall upon the Dane.” IDENTIFICATION: 1. Alfred’s laughter when he realizes the folly of his pride. 2. Mark’s well-disciplined army marched as one man. 3. They were ragged and disheveled like beggars following a bad king’s funeral procession. 4. Owls are being compared to evil cherubs. 5. This journey of Alfred’s to Egbert’s Stone is like Dante’s journey into Hell. Homer also had underworld visits. The landscape becomes more and more sinister as “down and down” he goes (Line 46), symbolizing the harrowingly evil situations Christians must sometimes endure. BOOK V, “Ethandune: The First Stroke” (p. 19-20) 1. Before dawn the woods suddenly awake and all the animals flee towards the Viking army. This illustrates the part all of creation plays in the battle between good and evil. 2. Although they were so eager to join battle during the night, cold reality sets in, and they are afraid to meet the larger, better equipped and prepared army. They are all afraid they are going to die. 3. He says he wronged a man and had him killed; he led a woman into sin; he had adulterous thoughts and committed adultery. King David did the same with Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah. 4. a) He wishes to be laid under a Christian tombstone in his lost kingdom of England. b) He wishes to be carried by his own oxen down to his farm to be buried with his dogs and his friends at hand. c) Mark wants to be buried wherever he falls because he says all the earth is Roman territory, and he wants to die in Rome. d) He wants to be buried in a forest a few hills distant where he can lie with a cross upon his chest and listen to the trees of Britain. 5. See p. 203 in the endnotes. 6. Colan kills Harold by hurling his sword at him just as Harold shoots an arrow at him. 7. After Colan loses his sword, Alfred gives him his own sword, and Alfred takes for himself an axe to continue the battle. 8. The Lord is Love sitting on a red horse. Carrying the Shield of the Broken Heart, he has a bronze helmet and an iron bow but only one arrow. This is a very intriguing passage. It seems to refer (with some differences) to the Red Horseman in the book of Revelation 6:28, who, with the other three Horsemen will come forth to judge and punish the world. Perhaps this is a manifestation of Christ going forth as a lover-warrior to pursue his own, in a sense, like the Hound of Heaven, to bring us back as captives to his Kingdom of Love. Christ comes forth again, in Rev.19:11-16, but this time in splendor and triumph as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” and seated now upon a White Horse. The armies of heaven follow him on white horses, too. Could Chesterton’s White Hose allude to the white horses in the Book of Revelation? -42-

IDENTIFICATION: 1. Eldred; 2. Harold; 3. King Alfred; 4. Mark; 5. Colan. BOOK VI, “The Slaying of the Chiefs” (p. 21-22) 1. a) The Plague, a swarm of locusts, and a deadly sand-storm; b) They are all tall and strong and deal out death and destruction on all sides. 2. See VI:85-90. a) Eldred falling after Elf thrust a spear into him, is compared to a battle tower falling upon the men below it. b) They are both huge and tall, and it takes a great deal to take them down. With Eldred, it takes seven spears. c) consonance: fell as falls a battle tower; assonance: struggling, some, unconquered, rushing -the short u sound; alliteration: Loads of live men--the letter l, smashed and struggling spears–the letter s. 3. He reminds his men that the pagan gods are gods of “doom and blood,” whereas his God is a Craftsman who “loveth and laboreth” and encourages the handiwork of man, his great works of art and music and literature. 4.”He has broken the power of the bows, the shield and the sword and the battle.” a) Psalm 76:3, 46:9. There is a renewed surge of power in the ranks of Mark’s men. The Psalm seems to have energized them, like a trumpet blast. b) King David. 5. a) Exulting that he has just killed Mark, he believes that he can trample down all that is Roman and Christian. b) His song is largely in Stanza Type I, which produces a monotonous, hypnotic effect on Alfred’s men: “a dizzy throbbing, a drunkard smoke, that dazed to death all Wessex folk.” Notice the alliteration with the letter d. 6. Alfred is beaten back, his men are in disarray, Eldred and Mark are dead and Colan has just been killed. 7. Answers will vary. IDENTIFICATION: 1. Mark steps on Ogier’s shield, trapping Ogier under it. 2. The sound of Elf and his men attacking Mark’s men sounds like the roar of the Rhine River. Alliteration: roaring, Rhine. 3. Ogier is comparing the Roman army (“the brown men of the South”) to ants marching in lines. Alliterative assonance: like, lines. 4. The Danes in overwhelming numbers attacked the Christian line. Assonance: brainless, plague. 5. Eldred breaking through the Viking ranks is like a ship breaking through the waves. BOOK VII, “Ethandune: The Last Charge”(p. 23-26) 1. Look at the adjectives describing Him: “alone,” “divine,” “the child whom Time can never tire,” “seeing...the Uncreated rent the sea.” This may be the Word of God, the Child, or Only-Begotten of the Father, through Whom everything was made (Psalm 32), (Coll. 1:15-16). In the notes for these stanzas Sister Bernadette believes they refer to Alfred. I believe these verses refer to the Eternal Son of the Father who oversees all of salvation history. Of course, Alfred is like the divine Child in his untiring patience and singleness of purpose. (See Notes on p. 207.) 2. Towers of small stones which keep falling down, symbolizing the many civilizations of man which last for a time and then collapse. 3. 1) f. (Harold); 2) a. (Elf); 3) c. (Ogier); 4) d. (Eldred); 5) b. (Mark); 6) e. (Colan) -43-

4. Harold is killed first by Colan, then Elf by Mark, and finally Ogier is killed by Alfred. There may be additional symbolism attached to each killing. For instance, Harold, the sensual pagan, is killed by the devout Christian, Colan, meaning prayer and penance will overcome lust and concupiscence. 5. Eldred is killed by Elf, Mark by Ogier, and Colan by many Vikings surrounding him. 6. The sensual pagan is the easiest to convert since he is easily led by his feelings and appetites. If he can be made to fear hell, or be made to realize the tragedy of sin, for example, he may mend his ways. Elf, the superstitious pagan, may be converted if he witnesses a miracle or sees the power of grace in action, which are greater than the power of his gods. Ogier, the fanatical pagan, is the most difficult because his heart is so hardened against Christ and His Church. 7. Eldred, the activist type, is so used to acting without prayer that he is spiritually weak. If his faith is attacked hard enough, he will soon fall. Mark, depending so heavily on his reason, can be caught off guard by an argument against the faith, and having such little emotional and spiritual attachment to the faith, will also fall. Colan, surprisingly, is the strongest of the three because he is so emotionally attached to the faith. 8. Guthrum, seated on his dark horse, is not mentioned in the battle. He is not involved in the actual combat himself like the pundits and commentators of our own day who use their rhetoric to turn events to their own political advantage, but who rarely engage in action (in other words, “talking heads”). 9. Alfred was able to kill the hated and feared Ogier because he persevered in the fight. He was not too proud to come back and try again. He was a man of action like Eldred; he valued the use of reason and education like Mark, but he also was a man of piety and devotion like Colan, so he was able to keep on fighting, while at the same time not forgetting to pray or to think of possible strategies to use against the Danes. 10. Having lost their chiefs, the common men begin to drift away, but Alfred calls them back with his horn and convinces them to take up the fight one more time. 11. a) While men are on earth, because of original sin, there will always be conflicts and struggles between peoples and nations. It always happens, though, that the common man, the farmers and the working class, must go to fight in the trenches. It is especially significant in the battle that those who work the land will beat back the invaders who came from the sea, reflecting Chesterton’s own preference for an agricultural-based society, rather than a totally urban or consumer-type populace. This phenomenon also occurs in the Church. The hierarchy often fail to protect the faithful. It seems to be largely up to the orthodox laity, the common people in the Church, to see that the Catholic faith and traditions are preserved from the attacks of the modern infidels who are bent on destroying the Church and who want the license to live however they please. b) Alliteration and consonance: fell, furrows; tear, trees, tread, tyrants, lost; Assonance: short e: fell, men, when, tread; Consonance: fell, all, shall; lords, dead, bondsmen, tread. 12. At this point, Alfred looks up and sees Our Lady. This gives him renewed courage, and he is able to kill Ogier. 13. The death of Ogier throws the Vikings into a panic, and they begin to waver and retreat. 14. a) The psalm, the prayer of the Christians, triumphs over the Viking magic spells and incantations. The Cross triumphs over their false religion based on astrology. b) They were both imperfect vessels who were full of great talent and great love for God, despite their faults. They were both musicians and warrior-kings who spent most of their reign fighting to regain their kingdoms. Both were successful in the end, establishing a new era of peace and prosperity for their respective nations. 15. No, all was just about lost. They had just fired the last arrow and were about to be crushed. Mary is a source of hope and consolation, like a good Mother. She encourages us in our struggles and comforts us when we are sorrowful. And, most amazingly, she is there to spur us on toward victory at the last hour when we are about ready to give up. The allegorical meaning of this may be that when we are about to die and are tempted to despair, she will give us the grace of final perseverance and help us, like Alfred, to gain the victory of salvation at the end (“Pray for us now and at the hour of our death”–from the Hail Mary.) -44-

IDENTIFICATION: 1. Assonance: horses, horns, horribly. 2. Alliteration and consonance: turn, tempest, tilts, tall. 3. Consonance: old, cowed, crowded, land ; Assonance: the ow sound: grow, old, cowed, crowded. 4. Simile: came Christendom like death. 5. Personification: the stars look up. 6. Metaphor: comparing the world to a cup. BOOK VIII, “The Scouring of the Horse” (p. 26-28) 1. 1) He collected the folk songs of the common people, 2) He took care of the poor, 3) He made good laws and enforced them, 4) He invited foreigners to his court, 5) He sent explorers to other lands, 6) He ordered that the White Horse be kept free of weeds. 2. “As when a great man knows indeed a greater thing than he,” (VII:17-18) “As when one wise man truly sees what is more wise than he.” (VII:341-342) Guthrum was wise enough and honest enough to recognize the truth of Christianity and to consent to be baptized. 3. Chesterton shows Alfred’s wisdom in recognizing how difficult it is for a man to rule even a small kingdom well. When urged to expand his kingdom, he vigorously declined, saying England was too large for him to rule wisely, and he wished he could have just the small island of Athelney to rule: “Take England all, from tide to tide. Be Athelney my share.” (107-108) 4. Unlike the others, he smiles quietly and explains that enemies will always be at our door like the weeds in the White Horse, and we must always be ready to gear up again to fight. 5. He foretells that the heathen shall return, but next time they will attack with ideas. 6. 1) man will be a half-wit and not know his sire, means that he won’t know where he came from–did we just evolve form nothing without a Creator, or did God make us? 2) they ruin and make dark–they confuse everything; they talk about the evils of government, but deny that individuals can sin, they reject God’s dominion and become slaves to themselves, etc. 3) the breaking of the sword–they are pacifists, unwilling to fight for right versus wrong. Rather, they deny that there is any absolute right or wrong. 7. The weeds begin creeping into it. 8. a) This represents heresies and confusion of belief that cloud our thinking and pervert our wills from doing good. b) Here we have it at last! Chesterton identifies the White Horse with “our white souls.” 9. When we first meet Alfred, he was hiding in the grass, fighting the Vikings, and at the end of the ballad, he is still fighting them. We come upon him in the midst of battle, and we leave him in the midst of battle. Alfred was alone and hiding on an island–he had just been defeated. At the end, he has a large army with him. He has been able to restore his kingdom and is dealing with a minor invasion, a mopping-up operation. Answers will vary. 10. We will always have to confront evil, sometimes on a small scale, other times on a much greater scale. We must always be vigilant with our souls, not allowing small vices or errors to creep in undetected, even if it is safer or more convenient to do so. We must be like avid gardeners who pounce on the weeds as soon as they appear in our souls. If we allow them to grow, saying we’ll pull them up another day, they will only get larger and be harder (and more painful) to remove. -45-

IDENTIFICATION: 1. The lines of care on Alfred’s face. 2. The literati, the experts who try to form our opinions. 3. Many influential thinkers like Freud and Marx had systems of thought that were utterly disastrous when implemented. The personal lives of many philosophers and writers were immoral and debauched: Shelley, Byron, Freud, Hemingway, etc. 4. England. 5. If you want your soul to be pristine and free of error and vice, you must work hard to scour it, to eradicate (pull up from the roots) all the defects. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM IDENTIFICATION: 1. Woman, when Alfred meets her in the forest. 2. Ogier, when they are singing in the Viking camp. 3. Mary speaking to Alfred in his first vision. 4. Alfred, when asked to expand his kingdom. 5. Mark to his men when Eldred falls. 6. Colan before the battle begins. 7. Eldred before the battle begins. 8. Guthrum when he is singing in the Viking camp. 9. Young lord when he sees Alfred at court. 10. Elf singing in the Viking camp. SHORT ANSWER: 1. An epic poem. 2. 1) narrative taken from ancient sources–GKC used legends and historical works. 2) main subject is a national hero– Alfred the Great was one of the most beloved figures in English history. 3) landscape is cosmic in scope–involves two visits from Mary; there are also allusions to Hell and the devil. 4) action is built around heroic deeds–much of the action is of the battle. 3. Answers will vary. 4. Answers will vary. 5. Answers will vary. 6. See the section “History of the White Horse” in the Introduction. 7. See Question 15 in Book VII on p.44 of the Answer Key. See the section “Alfred the Great and the Vikings” in the Introduction. LITERARY ANALYSIS: a) ABCCCB ; 8, 6, 8 ,9,10, 6; The last line is an iambic trimeter. This is an example of Stanza Type III. b) Alliteration and consonance: finger, foot, fierce, folk, soft; grass, great, green; witch’s, wheel, work, unwound; Alliterative assonance: striven, strip; Assonance: peel, green, wheel; Simile; like a great green witch’s wheel unwound the work of men. c) Answers will vary. d) While Alfred and his men sleep, the grass and the weeds creep onto the White Horse. This represents the perpetual struggle we all have with evil and keeping our souls pure. -46-

ESSAYS: 1. The spiritual or moral tale contained within the Ballad is that of the soul’s journey towards salvation. a) Alfred represents the ideal Christian, who, helped by grace, is able to persevere throughout the trials and hardships of life. His ultimate goal is to keep his soul (the White Horse), free from sin and heresy. He is not always successful, and sometimes he is all alone, but he maintains his faith and hope no matter what happens. b) The White Horse, of course, represents the soul which must be regularly scoured (regular reception of the Sacrament of Penance?). The Christian must keep constant vigilance over the soul to keep it from being infested with error and vice. c) The Christian chiefs represent the three types of Catholics–those whose faith is purely intellectual, those whose faith is based on action alone, without a prayer life, and those whose faith is based on emotions or sentimentality. These were all ultimately overcome since their faith did not involve all of their faculties, and so was not securely founded. d) The pagan chiefs symbolize the non-believers who attack the faith of Catholics–those who are led by their appetites, those who are influenced deeply by magic and superstition, and those who have an almost visceral hatred of the Church. The first two types can be converted with much effort, but only the best Catholic, who is a man of prayer and action, combined with reason, can overcome the most fanatical non-believer. e) the woman represents God who must chastise us for our inaction or sins of omission. f) The first thing we do in our fight for salvation is to gather friends and allies to aid us in our efforts. We must ask for help with humility and sincerity. Chesterton seems to be saying that our salvation is not to be achieved in isolation from others, but in union with like-minded souls. g) Setbacks and defeats will occur, but we need to continue on unfazed and quietly re-gather other allies if some of them are lost. h) With the aid of others and especially with Mary’s intervention, we will overcome our enemies, and our enemies sometimes will be converted, like Guthrum was. i) Even when we have turned them back, opposition and resistance to our efforts will always eventually re-occur. We are never completely free from trouble and temptation, but we must always keep alive our essential joy as redeemed children of God and our hope of ultimate salvation. 2. Alfred, as depicted in the Ballad, is a model for all Catholics to emulate. He combined the best qualities of all Catholics: Like Eldred, he was quick to act and impelled others to act and fight with him. Like Mark, he was an intelligent man who valued education and culture. Like Colan, he was a man of prayer and was sentimental in his devotion to Mary and his faith. His greatest asset was his childlike humility. His pride was never an obstacle to achieving whatever was best for his country. A prouder man may have just given up to save himself the embarrassment of having to ask for help. He listens humbly to Mark’s advice and endured gracefully both Colan’s initial scorn and the blow from the peasant woman. In all that he did, Alfred clearly exemplified the beatitudes, in p a r t ic u la r , “ B le s s e d a r e the me e k , fo r t h e y s h a ll in h e r it t h e e a r t h . ”

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