Out of the themes loyalty, generosity, and reputation, Beowulf strongly expresses the positive effects of these themes. In Beowulf, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of the characters. However, The Hunger Games expresses the positive effects, yet flaws of the three themes; lastly, The Great Gatsby most strongly exhibits the negative consequences of the themes. While comparing Beowulf, The Hunger Games, and The Great Gatsby, they all three strongly exhibit the themes of loyalty, generosity, and reputation; which can all have both positive, yet negative consequences.
In Beowulf, an epic poems, the positive effect of the three themes: loyalty, generosity, and reputation are most strongly expressed. One of the central
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For example, when Beowulf comes to the assistance of the Danes, he is interested in increasing his reputation and gaining honor and payment for his own king back in Geatland. Also, we learn that Beowulf owes Hrothgar because years ago, Hrothgar came to help Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow. Hrothgar sheltered Beowulf’s father and settled a feud with a tribe threatening Ecgtheow in the form of “fine old treasures” (472). Since Hrothgar remembers Beowulf as a child, and the ties between the families goes back many years, Beowulf is proud to be able to lend his loyal services to Hrothgar. Secondly, the theme of generosity is positively exhibited in Beowulf. When Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel 's mother, he expects and receives great riches as his reward, including a golden banner, helmet, and mail-shirt, as well as a jeweled sword, magnificent horses with golden trappings that hang to the ground, a gem-studded saddle, and a golden collar. Such generosity is emblematic of Hrothgar 's character. In turn, Beowulf will present these treasures to his own king, Hygelac, who will then honor Beowulf with appropriate gifts. Proprietary/generosity is, …show more content…
Starting with loyalty... "I wanted to get somebody for him. I wanted to go into the room where he lay and reassure him: "I’ll get somebody for you, Gatsby. Don’t worry. Just trust me and I 'll get somebody for you–" (9.11). Nick has much compassion for Gatsby after he’s gone, he seems heartbroken that his friend has been abandoned by everyone. For a man who was so generous and loyal, no one is loyal or kind to him in return (besides Nick). This says something about Gatsby’s relationships with everyone around him and the shallowness of the society he was in. Regarding the theme of generosity, the "old money" folks see right through his appearance. He 's not "great" to them – he 's a phony, and all those friends of his turn out to simply be people who take advantage of his generosity and riches. Gatsby is generous to the people at his parties. He throws banquets and spends a lot of money on food, preparations and entertainment. Gatsby is a generous host. “most people were brought” “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York--every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves.”) Thirdly, Jay’s reputation is tied in with his generosity, and is a major character flaw of himself. Jay has the reputation for being generous, which is exhibited when with Jay’s reputation for having lavish parties, and high social class. For
One of the first examples of respect and trust in the poem is when Beowulf arrives with the intention of fighting Grendel. Beowulf's intention is to honor the allegiance between his father, Ecgtheow, and Hrothgar. When Ecgtheow was alive, he killed Heatholaf who was a Wulfing and it started a war. Hrothgar decided to send treasure to the Wulfings which repair the conflict and ended the
The tale of Beowulf is a tale of human nature, people still want the same things that they wanted thousands of years ago. Even if people switch out words now to make themselves sound less selfish, it is still there. Beowulf makes such an interesting topic to discuss because it covers the normalities in Anglo-Saxon culture, the ethics of gift-giving and how these customs have carried over into today’s world. It is relatable if one looks at it from a more personal point of
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth.
The Epic poem of Beowulf is a story of heroism, loyalty, ego, and fate. To be a great leader of men; a great king of the people, you must be respected and trusted. Loyalty is given to those who earn the respect and trust of their people. Beowulf was blessed with great physical strength, the pride and fearlessness of a warrior, and an equally strong command of the spoken word, which he used skillfully to his advantage. He gained the respect and trust of nearly everyone he came in contact with, largely because he possessed the characteristics of a true hero, but in the end it was his ego that sealed his fate. Although it could be said that Beowulf’s character was flawed by an enormous ego, fueled by thoughts of immortality, it is this very trait that made him an ideal hero and king.
Jay Gatsby is an enormously rich man, and in the flashy years of the jazz age, wealth defined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels "inclined to reserve all judgements" (1), but despite his disapproval of Gatsby's vulgarity, Nick respects him for the strength and unselfishness of his idealism. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficial Daisy. She is, however, completely undeserving of his worship. "Then it had been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor" (79). Nick realizes Gatsby's estate, parties, shirts and other seemingly "purposeless" possessions are not purposeless. Everything Gatsby does, every move he makes and every decision he conceives is for a reason. He wants to achieve his ideal, Daisy. Gatsby's "purposeless splendor" is all for the woman he loves and wishes to represent his ideal. Furthermore, Gatsby believes he can win his woman with riches, and that his woman can achieve the ideal she sta...
The Value of Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, who is one of the main characters of the Great Gatsby, is a man with a mysterious background and an unknown personality. He doesn't mention too much about his past except certain fabricated highlights of his life which were designed to impress others. The strange and humorous thing is that he carries articles of evidence that back up most of his lies to prove that he isn't lying. Gatsby is also the kind of man that is used to getting what he wants no matter what the consequences are, causing him to be a very determined man that once has an idea in his mind won't let it go until he accomplishes it. The things that Jay Gatsby values the most is money, to impress others and gain acceptance and most of all, having things his own way.
Nick's neighbor Gatsby is a wealthy person, who spends a lot of money giving parties for strangers only to meet Daisy, the dream of his life. He is seen as representing "new money" because he has no good education and no family background over several generations, he is self-made, invented by himself. For this reason, he is not accepted as being dignified enough to enter the exclusive "old money" upper class.
One of the traits of Gatsby that makes him truly great is his remarkable capacity for hope. He has faith that what he desires will come to him if he works hard enough. He does not comprehend the cruelty and danger that is the rest of the world. Gatsby, while a man of questionable morals, is as wide-eyed and innocent as a small child in his views of the world. These ideals are evident in Nick’s narration and in the words spoken by the other characters, including Gatsby himself.
Beowulf is selfless because he puts others before him no matter how rich or poor they are and does things that regular people would think to be the unthinkable. The first act of Selflessness that Beowulf shows is when he requests permission from his lord Higlac to go help the Danes kill Grendel. “Won’t go to fight Grendel without Lord’s consent …” (116-119). This quote not only shows that Beowulf is not only willing to go help the Danes deal with Grendel but also wants to go help the Danes kill Grendel. Another example of Beowulf acting selfless is when the Danes ask him to kill Grendel's mother, he does so without no hesitation . He kills the mother of Grendel because she was going to start terrorizing the Danes so Beowulf decided that his job was not finished Grendel's mother was killed . The last act of Beowulf acting selfless is when he is old and weak. As king of the Geats Beowulf decides to act upon the dragon that was terrorizing his lands . What he does is the unthinkable , Beowulf grabs his sword and lets out one last battle cry knowing that he was going to die , but die for his people.This shows that Beowulf is selfless because he sacrificed his life for others which is the ultimate act of
The brawl experienced by the epics central character Beowulf test his ethics his aptitude to prevail over sinister forces. All the way through its authoritative use of metaphors and illustration, Beowulf sketches a transparent difference between good and evil. Moreover good always prevails over evil. The ...
The last thing that Gatsby’s best friend, Nick, manages to say to him before he is murdered is, “They’re a rotten crowd, you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” (198). This shows that Gatsby, even though he is wealthy, has a lot more to look to in his life than others. It isn't exactly a compliment, but it certainly states that he is better than the rest. However, the thing that kills Gatsby is his desire for intangible things like love and status, which he believed he could acquire with wealth alone. His death is the symbol of his inability to live up to his dreams.
Gatsby is not so great because he is a liar. From the very start Gatsby is said to be an alumnus from Oxford, who fought in WWI, hunted big game, and had parents from the Midwest. He even justifies himself when Nicks asks and Gatsby pulls out a picture of him at Oxford and a WWI medal that he carried around in his pocket. He even changed his name, James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, but why? “James Gatz – that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career” (6). Gatsby is mysterious and mystifying, known for his large parties yet no one knows why he has them. Keep in mind this is the prohibition era, but at Gatsby’s parties there is always plenty of alcohol to go around and no one knows where it comes from or how he acquires so much, one of the many mysteries. In attendance at these parties there are people like Meyer Wolfshiem “the man who really did fix the 1919 World Series” (118), to the mayors and governors. More questions arise in this company as to how Gatsby is associated with gangsters and why they attend these large parties. It is completely ironic how so many attend these parties but none ...
Back and forth from building to building Spider Man is swinging chasing Hobgoblin they’re going from street to street messing up window panes. Spider Man snatches Hobgoblin and takes him to the ground. Strength. Bravery. Selflessness. Spider Man has a lot of the same qualities as the heros from the Anglo-Saxon time period. Like Beowulf he has the same exact heroistic qualities to be a hero. Beowulf shows the characteristic qualities of an Anglo-Saxon hero by being selfless, brave and being really strong.
Starting at a young age Gatsby strives to become someone of wealth and power, leading him to create a façade of success built by lies in order to reach his unrealistic dream. The way Gatsby’s perceives himself is made clear as Nick explains: “The truth was Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God… he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 98). From the beginning Gatsby puts himself beside God, believing he is capable of achieving the impossible and being what he sees as great. Gatsby blinds himself of reality by idolizing this valueless way of life, ultimately guiding him to a corrupt lifestyle. While driving, Nick observes Gatsby curiously: “He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces…” (Fitzgerald 65). To fulfill his aspirations Gatsby desires to be seen an admirable and affluent man in society wh...
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.