Beowulf, the Hero
	The epic poem Beowulf, which was told from generation to generation honoring modern Anglo-Saxon beliefs, describes a heroic man who saves a village in their time of need. By definition a hero is a man of exceptional quality. Exceptional quality doesn’t even begin to describe the man that is Beowulf. Beowulf has many heroic characteristics from his super human strength to victoriously slaying monsters and other ferocious beasts. He has excellent leadership skills and commonly boasts of his achievements. Beowulf emerges as the true Anglo Saxon hero; who risks his life for the lives and well being of
others.
Others perceive Beowulf as a hero through his physical strength and stories of his glorious feats. Through all of the battles Beowulf fought he lost only two, and his last defeat would be the death of him. The first battle Beowulf lost was his competition with Breca. Unferth was an unbeliever of the strength and determination of Beowulf. Unferth taunted Beowulf one night only to be, in return, taunted back. "Are you the Beowulf that strove with Breca…risking your lives on the lonely deep…of ocean swimming with out-streched arms…with plowing shoulders parted the waves…seven nights you toiled in the tossing sea…his strength was the greater, his swimming the stronger!" (389-400). As Beowulf explained in his feud with Unferth, "We gripped in our hands naked swords, as we swam the waves, guarding us from the whales’ assault…freezing squalls, and the falling night…down to the bottom a savage sea beast fiercely dragged me…and so I was granted to slay with the sword edge nine of the nicors" (413-443). Basically Beowulf is trying to explain that the only reason he lost to Breca was because he had been swimming for seven days straight and he stopped along the way to kill nine sea creatures to make it easier for other travelers of the sea to get by. This was one of the first heroic acts Beowulf preformed. Through the eyes of an Anglo Saxon, Beowulf saved them from having to deal
with the sea creatures, because the sea plays a major role in the life of the Anglo Saxon’s.
	Beowulf came to rescue the Anglo Saxon’s from a ferocious monster who was terrorizing their town. Beowulf’s uncle is king of the Geats and so he is sent as an emissary to help rid the Danes of this monster, Grendel.
Beowulf is an epic poem that explores many themes and motifs within the Anglo-Saxon society. The Author, who remains anonymous, composed the epic around 1000 A.D. The literature focuses mainly on a Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf, who comes to the aid of Herot, a small town ran by King Hrothgar. Beowulf arises to rid the town of evil forces, such as the demon monster Grendel, and his savage mother who seeks revenge for the death of her son. As he ages, Beowulf presumes his title as king of Geatland, still eager to protect his loyal followers from danger. Though he is viewed as a godly force, the situations and the behaviors that Beowulf expressed, sometimes deviate how the Anglo-Saxons viewed his character. From this, the theme of "Good vs. Evil", which can be easily depicted in the literature piece, was constantly contradicted throughout the entire poem.
There are many things to take into consideration when characterizing a person as a hero. Heros are typically seen as people who accomplish brave deeds and fulfill noble tasks for the greater good of things. In the epic poem Beowulf by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet a hero is revealed. What makes Beowulf a hero is his unbelievable strength and power. He does not get discouraged or let anything stear him away from what he feels needs to be done for the safety of others. In his battles with the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon Beowulf exhibits his strength and will to fight. Beowulf, is loyal to his people and his king. What I feel is the most important quality of Beowulf, though, is his willingness to risk his life for the good
Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B” is a rhetorical poem in which Hughes asks the question about his social and racial status in society. Growing up through the First World War and took part in the Civil Rights Era, Hughes experienced racial tensions while going to school at Columbia University in a time when higher education was still for the affluent and dominantly white. His poem is a reflection of his reaction from a teachers’ writing prompt which influenced him to write on his racial and social tensions which is enhanced by his structure, rhetorical questions, and his use of first person.
The character Beowulf, “a man of great strength and bravery” (Magill 388), is a hero in the way he defends his neighboring country, Denmark. When the word that a hostile creature, known as Grendel, was killing tons in Denmark, Beowulf set sail to help defend the people and rid them of the hideous monster.
Beowulf’s fight against the dragon shows Beowulf as a hero. Although Beowulf had previously defeated two other foes, he stands fast and fights his most formidable foe yet, the dragon. Dragons were notoriously difficult to kill, and the poem states that it was a great man, who could kill a dragon, even if it meant losing one's life. While others cower away Beowulf fights the dragon. Beowulf defeats the dragon but loses his life in the same instance. Like the classical hero Beowulf loses his special status in death. Beowulf sought no compensation for his services; the mere satisfaction of helping others was pay enough. Like his two previous battles Beowulf fights for those who could not fight for themselves.
In the poem, Beowulf fights against Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon which Beowulf is very brave for doing. In addition to Beowulf's bravery once he defeats Grendel’s Mother, he waits fifty years to fight the Dragon when he is seventy years of age. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses the quality of bravery. Beowulf is also a hero because while he was fighting the dragon, all his men except for Wiglaf abandoned him, he continued to fight the dragon even though he knew he was in grave danger. “His weapon had failed him, deserted him, now when he needed it most, that excellent sword. Edgetho’s famous son stared at death, unwilling to leave his world, to exchange it for a dwelling in some place--a journey into darkness that all men must make, as death ends their few brief hours on earth(734-741)”. Even though the dragon fatally wounded Beowulf, all of his men still looked up to him as a great noble and courageous warrior who did not back down to any
He like to fight battles relying on his given strength, in one battle he chooses to use no weapon because it would be an unfair advantage. During another battle Beowulf fought underwater, everyone thought he had died because he was under for so long, but he brought back a victory. Explained in the epic, “In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful” (46). Beowulf was able to hold his breathe all day while fighting Grendel’s mother, he defeated monsters bare handed, ripping off body parts and out powering any average person. Beowulf explains, “Clear proof of this could be seen in the hand the hero displayed high up near the roof: the whole of Grendel’s shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp” (58). Beowulf definitely had the strength of an epic hero. His powers are described throughout the epic in every battle he’s involved in. Like the superhero Mr. Incredible, used his power and superhuman strengths to fight off bad people and keep residence safe. “Stopping crime, arresting crooks, saving people and helping the elderly, the muscular, broad-shouldered and blond champion of the helpless and innocent keeps his metropolis safe”(Meinel 183). Beowulf earned the status of a hero by doing similar acts as Mr. Incredible. Using his power to protect and save the Danes from evil monsters was a big step in finding heroism in his
In the poem Beowulf, there are many monsters that are slayed by the hero. Like in the poem, many monsters exist in our world today. One of the monsters that attack people is a negative attitude. This monster attacks numerous people everyday, limiting their potential to succeed. However, there is a hero who battles this monster everyday. This hero is my swim coach, Jim Keogh. Coach Keogh fights off the negative attitude that attacks his swimmers in every practice. With Keogh’s help, his swimmers can accomplish their goals by fighting off the negative attitude.
...ery beginnings of human life on this continent. The Native Americans upheld their religious and cultural beliefs even as other cultures threatened to take over. The first Pilgrims fought off religious and political persecution in their England to only come to America and slowly become the strong and independent country it would soon become. The revolutionists fought for the happiness of a young country that was being forced into submission. From America's humble and honest beginnings to the diverse and open country it is today these three core values have rung through. Life in America has changed greatly over the passing years. The people, places, and values had undergone an adventure like no other. Even now our values are as unique as the people who first settled here. Though the dream changes, its core values remain the same. I hold these truths to be self-evident.
To the average person, when they think of a personal trainer they think of tough, muscular, and very strict people. That is not always the case with personal trainers. Many people get this stereotypes about personal fitness trainers from watching movies or television shows that show a morbidly obese man or woman in their late forties trying to get their life together and leave their past life of junk food, constant eating, and a sloppy unorganized life. Entertainment like this has given personal trainers a bad image and most people don’t see that personal trainer can be very helpful and want what's best for anyone's health. The public should not be not be afraid to speak or seek help from personal trainer because of the the stereotypes and
In conclusion, although Beowulf possessed many heroic qualities he would not be considered a hero in today’s world. A hero varies from culture to culture. The Anglo-Saxon appreciated different things in a person that what do not we appreciate today. Many things have changed a lot with time, the requisites for being considered a hero have also changed. Today we do not like to solve problems with war. Pride and honor are not as important as the willingness one has to help others. Beowulf is not feeling that contact with people he doesn’t identify with them because he believes himself better, a part of a hero´s cycle is to be identified with the community. To be part
Beowulf’s fight against the dragon shows Beowulf as a hero. Although Beowulf had previously defeated two other foes, he stands fast and fights his most formidable foe yet, the dragon. Dragons were notoriously difficult to kill, and the poem states that it was a great man, who could kill a dragon, even if it meant losing one's life. While others cower away Beowulf fights the dragon. Beowulf defeats the dragon but loses his life in the same instance. Like the classical hero Beowulf loses his special status in death. Beowulf sought no compensation for his services; the mere satisfaction of helping others was pay enough. Like his two previous battles Beowulf fights for those who could not fight for themselves.
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.
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
Personally, I grew up in a more traditional family. My mother has three children from a previous marriage, who are all significantly older than I am. I had both parents in my household, and my siblings for a few years until they moved out. While we had a stepfamily dynamic, I believe that my family very strongly resembles the standard nuclear family because my father stepped up to parent my siblings. As a result, I think that I had a very smooth and easy transition to adulthood. There were no circumstances that caused me to feel like I needed to mature at an abnormally fast rate. I think that one of the strengths of my upbringing was that I learned to trust others, whereas my friend learned to value herself more than others. I began to build strong relationships with my peers and she kept them at a distance. It is only recently that she really began to let others in. Otherwise, I think that we have very similar beliefs and values. We both see the importance of being competent adults and fulfilling responsibilities, but how we get to the end goal is different for each of