ulfAnglo-Saxon hero
Chesley Sullenberger III is hailed a hero for safely landing a US Airways jet in the Hudson River shortly after take-off. A flock of geese knocked out both engines about three minutes after departure leaving all 150 passengers and crew with the sole decision of the pilot to safely land the plane. (PAPP) Amazingly, all 150 passengers were rescued from the cold waters of the river. His demonstration of courage displays his wise decision to crash-land the plane in the freezing water rather than attempting a landing at the airport or on land. With only a few seconds to react to the situation, weighing all the possibilities what would be the safest method for all passengers aboard the plane. His ultimate character of courage is portrayed when he wades through the rising water in the plane, risking his life, to double check all passengers have evacuated the plane before he officially leaves the plane to sink below into the river which shows a man of courage and leadership. In Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf, Beowulf embodies the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero.
Beowulf displays heroic characteristics of strength and audacity during combat with the vicious monsters. Through actions, Beowulf displays power and boldness during his battles with the vicious monsters. Young and tough, Beowulf hears of an inexorable creature that goes by the name of Grendel. (ABP) Grendel terrorizes the Danes, a small village, by inflicting constant cruelties on the villagers in the night. His desire to help these vulnerable villagers, Beowulf courageously sails to foreign lands to collaborate with the Danes to obliterate Grendel. On Beowulf’s first night staying with the Danes, Grendel who ventures into Beowulf’s chamber with a talon “raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed, but the captain of evil discovers him in a handgrip harder than anything he had encountered.” (745-752)