Has someone ever went out of their way to help you? In the summer of 2012, I won a calf in the Snake River Stampede Calf Scramble. I decided to buy a heifer from Bill and Beverly White of Hyde Angus Ranch. They had excellent cattle and seemed very eager to help me in any way possible. They gave all the help and support I needed in raising my heifer, including breeding her and raising the calf. I was very amazed at the White’s generosity. They went out of their way to help me, and were in no way obligated to do so. I was surprised by their eagerness to teach and help me. Not only did I learn a lot about cows, but I also learned how great it is to help people, simply by watching them. They seemed to get a lot of enjoyment out of helping me learn. It also taught me that helping others is a great way to find happiness and fulfillment. In the same way the Whites helped with obligation, we see many examples of this in the following texts. The people from the stories demonstrate the differences and unique qualities/traits, from the brave to the evil and those with less drastic characteristics.
We see an excellent example of generous helpfulness in the story Beowulf. Beowulf generously volunteers himself to attempt to kill the cruel monster Grendel who has been murdering and terrorizing the Danes. When he arrives, he loudly proclaims now he will destroy Grendel without weapons and his “hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (26.111-112). While he is doing a great service, he seems slightly arrogant. He also ambushes Grendel, instead of openly calling him to battle. While what he is doing is good, one might suppose he could be less prideful, and go about the task in a quiet, humble manner; especially when it...
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... hero, he gave his life so others could live. He received no recognition, praise, or reward. He is the purest form of hero and sets a high standard. All these characters demonstrate a substantial range of character traits, ranging from Grendel the monster, to the man in the water. They show how different heros can be, and the differences between the good and the evil. It shows us how different people and personalities are, and causes us to contemplate some important life lessons.
Works Cited
Beowulf. Trans. Burton Raffel. Literature and Language. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee, et. al.
Evanston, IL: McDougal, 1992. 22-30. Print
Robin Hood. Literature and Language. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee, et. al. Evanston, IL:
Mcdougal, 1992. 91-94. Print
Rosenblatt, Roger. “The Man in the Water”. Literature and Language. Ed. N. Applebee, et. al. Evanston, IL: McDougal, 1992. 62-64. Print
He does not act like the blood hungry beast he is seen as in Beowulf. In
Beowulf is the exact image of a perfect hero. He is unimaginably strong, selfless, determined and courageous. Victor Frankenstein may be much less of a hero, but a hero nonetheless. Heroism is often seen as someone who is strong, brave, selfless and determined. It is someone who would risk their own life for the benefit of others. It is someone who is physically strong and mentally capable of enduring extreme pain and hardship. Heroism can ultimately be defined as someone who puts others ahead of themselves.
There are differences between Grendel in the novel, Grendel, and the Grendel from Beowulf. Grendel from the novel is into philosophy, teaches himself of human characteristics, and has deep thoughts of on the events on the events in his life. Grendel in Beowulf, is animalistic, cruel, and is thoughtless. Even though both the novel and the epic poem deal with the same character, the differences are great between them. The similarities between both Grendels are that they both are bloodthirsty, and described, but that’s where they typically end. This could be because the author of Grendel, John Gardner, decided to have the character from the poem, but wanted to have his own ideas on why Grendel is the way he is.
A hero is someone who is admired for their courage and bravery, as well as their noble accomplishments. They are respected by almost everyone, due to their kindness and charitable mindset, that drives them to fight for the good of others. Beowulf is the perfect representation of a hero, based on multiple characteristics that he displays throughout the novel. Along with his characteristics, Beowulf also takes on many “hero like” challenges and tasks. In the novel, Beowulf is praised and admired throughout the kingdom for his bravery, humility, and selflessness.
Now, both the Captain and Grendel have those who continue to shape their own worlds which they affiliate with, for Grendel the first is the Shaper, a muse, on who tells songs of glory. He is also a liar. In Grendel's eyes this man shapes people's perspectives through lies and deception, however even Grendel cannot help but fall victim to the stories become entranced with his tales. Grendel is once again torn. Grendel has been enlightened, the beauty of the Shapers tales sweeping him up, and laying out a new past which Grendel knew never occurred. This confused Grendel, knowing the deceitful and false nature of the stories yet all the while fascinated by its beauty, and ability to convince as he listened Grendel began to focus on his monstrous
Although from two different time periods in history and in literature, the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, and the medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff, both contain parallel elements as well as conflicting ones. These include their motive for why they risk their lives to go into battle, the good deeds that they accomplish along the way, and the wrongs that they correct in the end.
“The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and epics of the world.” While the idea of labeling a hero as archetypical started in the twentieth century, there are archetypical heroes that were created over a thousand years ago. One of the first epic archetypical heroes was Beowulf from medieval England, and another well-known archetypical hero is Harry Potter from modern day England. Both Beowulf and Harry Potter are archetypical heroes, even though they are from different cultures and different storylines they are still very similar. What makes Harry Potter and Beowulf archetypical heroes even though they are different?
The three heroes discussed here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur, are heroes for different reasons. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation is different than then other two. To Sir Gawain personal honor and valor is what is important. King Arthur, Sir Gawain's uncle, is naturally the quintessential king of the medieval period. Though all men to a certain extent share the same qualities, some are more pronounced than in the others. It is important to see how these qualities are central to their respective stories and how it helps (or hinders) them in their journeys.
Grendal, a descendant of Cain, is one of the main antagonist of the poem Beowulf. He lives under an inherited curse and is denied God’s presence. Throughout the story Grendal causes enormous grief and fear to the people of Herot. After so much pain and agony the king of Herot, Hrothgar, sends for the protagonist of the poem, Beowulf. He is a Geat and the epic hero of the poem. The wide variety of distinctions between Grendal and Beowulf is what develops the climax of the composition. Beowulf kills Grendal, so he is honored by the people of Herot for his heroic act. Since Grendal and Beowulf play opposite roles in the poem, Beowulf, they let the reader know how contrasting characters can develop the plot of the story.
There are many similarities and differences between the movie "Beowulf and Grendel", to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, was not included in the storyline of the movie, the audience would not have known key information that she was used to show from more flashbacks. The witch gives more of an idea about Grendel’s past life that could have been the possibility to reasons for his actions. Some major similarities are the battles. Both epics include the battles between Beowulf and Grendel, as well as Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. The end results are the same, leading to their death, but the journey and process to the two tales are different.
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
113- The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. of the book. Vol.
Some aspects of the poems Beowulf and “Robin Hood and Allen A Dale” are alike but they differ immensely as well. They both depict a hero who helps those in need. However, the poems have conflicting worldviews. Also parts of the poems’ text formats are relatable, but some contrast tremendously. Both also have corresponding literary devices, although Beowulf has a greater quantity of them.
...esult, the more directly one sees their personal efforts impact someone else, the more happiness one can gain from the experience of giving. Sometimes generosity requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance because people all instinctively want to keep good things for themselves, but once one is over this feeling, they will feel satisfaction in knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. However, if one lives without generosity but is not selfish, they can still have pleasure from other virtues.
Why apply modification to a method that has been accustomed for years just to receive the attention of modern day man? The objective of history is to learn from it and to admire it, not revise and adjust. In Beowulf and Grendel the movie (Gundarsson 2005), the writers of the movie altered the original story in ways that contradict the epic and the culture it portrays. The writers appear to have tried to alter the values expressed by an ancient culture in an effort to create a modern and new appeal.The Beowulf in the epic and in the movie are expressed to be the same, however, they are entirely different in belief, representation, and also in emotional decisions, which differentiates the epic and the movie in general.