...changing impact on you? perhaps a hero? There are many types of heroes, such as service members, story heroes, and also your average everyday citizens. Beowulf was a well known hero to the gates. He was to be known as the best, but times have changed. Most people today pay attention to the modern day heroes. Beowulf, a warrior and the main character of the epic, shows characteristics such as loyalty, generosity, and bravery which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show not only similar, but also different qualities as Beowulf. One of the most appreciated heroes today in this modern time would be those who serve our country. In ways Beowulf could resemble a member of the U.S. military. “When we crossed the sea, my comrades/ And I, I already knew to win the good will/ of your people or die in battle, pressed/ In Grendel’s fierce grip.” (E.3; 7: 364-368) This passage compares Beowulf's promise to the people as a soldier would to serve his country. Both Beowulf and a soldier would risk their lives for the safety of others. Also both...
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...There are several elements that define a hero. For example, a hero is a product of time and place, but also transcends time and space. This means that the hero is relevant to the place and time in which the story was created, but also has the power to communicate and connect with people of different cultures and backgrounds today. Heroes must have an emotional connection with the reader and teach a moral value that will leave a lasting imprint on the reader. Various stories of heroes, like Beowulf, are very similar and they all have the same basic elements: personal connection, cultural connection, and universal connection. The universality of heroes and myths are demonstrated through different story elements. To the modern reader, heroes...
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...A hero is someone of distinguished courage or ability, that is admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities. The classic hero possesses the qualities of loyalty, generosity, and bravery. These characteristics applied in the time of Beowulf and still apply today. Over time, humility has become a more desired quality in modern times, whereas self-confidence to the point of arrogance was a favorable attribute in the time of Beowulf. Despite the differences, the Anglo-Saxon would be considered a hero by modern day standards. This can be seen through the comparison of Beowulf and a soldier. One of the most appreciated heroes today would be those who serve our country. In many ways, Beowulf could resemble a member of the U.S. military. “Their king—then, when Higd’s one son/ Was gone, Beowulf ruled in Geatland,/ Took the throne he’d refused, once,/ And held it long and well.” (Raffel pg. 38, 585-588) This passage compares Beowulf's promise to the people as to a soldier’s promise to serve his country. Even though he had previously turned down the throne of his lands and supported the true heir, once Herdred was gone, he stepped up and took the throne to defend Geatland. He might not...
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...other act of humanity? If yes, the modern world would consider you an everyday hero. However back in the time of Beowulf, a hero is portrayed as a strong and courageous super human. And while ancient and modern hero archetypes may serve a purpose in literature, they do not accurately reflect what it means to be heroic in real life. Old stories and modern films use implied metaphors, the hero cycle, and are usually influenced by culture. Whereas a real life hero is not bound by a writers ideas, and acts on their own. In almost every heroic story or film the hero encounters a challenge. These challenges can be thought of as metaphors for heroes in real life. Beowulf goes through many challenges throughout the book, but a notable one is when he goes to Grendel’s mother’s lair. When he “sank though the murky waves for hours, and at last he saw the mud of the bottom” (570, 574) he goes through a challenge. This challenge is a great example of a metaphoric challenge. The water symbolizes all the things he must go through to get to his goal, the bottom. Also he was sinking for hours. This amount of time also shows that no matter how far away the goal seems, it’s always reachable in some way or another. A second instance of this is when Beowulf kills Grendel’s Mother and “her body fell to the floor, lifeless […] Beowulf rejoiced at the sight.” (642, 645). This illustrates that when completing your goal as a hero, you are rewarded. In this case Beowulf is rewarded with pleasure and the...
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...As the narrator of Beowulf describes the hero, he sets up a scene for whirlwind adventure of superhuman abilities. “In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (Line 90-93). An epic hero is someone who is a larger-than-life figure who often embodies the ideals of a nation or race. Epic heroes take part in dangerous adventures and accomplish great deeds, many undertake long difficult journeys and display great courage and superhuman strength. In the poem Beowulf, the author describes Beowulf as an epic hero through his actions and adventures that are similar and different to those of a modern day superhero such as Iron Man. Beowulf possess superhuman abilities when he describes his ability to drive five giants into chains and defeats Grendel with his bare hands. “Heard in his home: of heroes then living/ he was the stoutest and strongest/sturdy and noble”(line 8-12). Through these experiences that the author tells about in the epic, it is obvious that Beowulf is more than an ordinary man. His strength is tested by mythical beings that Beowulf has easily defeated. He also has some of the mental characteristics that are common to an epic hero including, his lack of self-righteousness and his perseverance while in battle. In the story Beowulf, Beowulf takes on a responsibility of fighting a dragon, this responsibility resulted in him dying at the end of the story. In Iron Man, Tony Stark...
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...positive mindset because the outcome of a situation depends solely upon on ones mindset. It can also help people establish a certain type of attitude one should keep when going through obstacles in life. Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, and modern day hero, Nelson Mandela can be characterized as archetypal heroes from the characteristics that define them. Ancient hero Beowulf along with present day hero Nelson Mandela similarly have comparable quests during their time. Both heros during their quests experience great struggle and obstacles which they had to overcome in order to achieve their goals. Beowulf’s quest dealt with him having to defeat the monster, “Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell” (Raffel 44). The Anglo-Saxon hero may not have used weapons on his quest but he did use his Geats to his full advantage. In his epic quest to slay the monster, Beowulf realizes he cannot be successful alone and that he will need the aide of his loyal Geats. When faced with adversity he always had his men at his side. By succeeding in defeating the monster, Beowulf would have freed people of their nightmare. They showed their gratitude by holding ,“...a banquet in [his] honor, [and toasting to his] victories..."(Raffel 49). Like Beowulf, Nelson Mandela had a difficult quest to fulfill as well, “Mandela's main agenda consisted of winning over white conservatives and black political rivals and accomplishing the economic integration of the black majority"...
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...Beowulf &Superman A hero is defined in classical mythology as a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift. Beowulf, the title character of an epic poem and Superman, a more modern day hero are both prime examples. Beowulf and Superman exhibit several differences, but they also share some similar qualities. Beowulf possessed great strength that separated him from other men. Being able to use a sword that no ordinary man was able to carry gives the feeling that Beowulf is something more than a human being. It makes him special and causes him to stand out from all other men. Fame is something that makes a hero more noted. Beowulf’s popularity had spread all over the world. He never let this go to his head and he never thought that he was better than everyone else because of it. By engaging in this foolish contest, Beowulf nearly got himself killed trying to prove he was better than Brecca. Jealousy is never a good trait, especially for a hero. Revenge is never a trait of a true hero. A hero has no scores to settle. A true hero should fight only to protect others and not out of his own rage. Also, with Beowulf being a human being, he was not invincible. Beowulf didn’t realize this until he fought the dragon. He knew nothing of the dragon, it’s strengths, weaknesses or powers. Beowulf found out what the dragon was capable of and what its powers were. He knew that it could breathe fire, so he got a shield that...
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...Beowulf vs. Achilles “They were combat causalities, brave men and women who risked their lives to safeguard our freedom. And they paid for our liberty with their lives” (Cannon). So many people die for the freedoms that the American person values. As society grows and becomes different the true heroes are becoming less recognized. What modern day people would say about today's heroes would be far from the brave, and courageous war soldiers. A very long time ago, there were two brave and courageous warriors, Beowulf of Denmark and Achilles of Greece. These two individuals reached the highest expectations and excelled at successfully leading their people in battle. Both amazing leaders and determined fighters, but they came from different backgrounds,...
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...Heroes Beowulf is a very brave and courageous hero. Many people have different thoughts as to what a hero is. We all have one hero, be are they a real hero? In Beowulf, the character Beowulf is the hero to almost everyone in the story. A hero is someone you believe can do anything to save you or anybody. A hero is your role-model. Beowulf is a role-model because he is brave, aggressive, and boastful. He saves other characters and does almost everything he can to make everything okay. Beowulf is a hero. In the book, Beowulf embodies the ideal of Anglo-Saxon in many ways. He is very courageous and brave. He can do anything he puts his mind to because he is very brave. He wants to die with glory. He is an important national figure because he is a hero to so many people. What makes him boatful is that he is confident in himself; he doesn’t give up on anyone especially himself. Beowulf is brave because he is a thane (lord), he is a mighty warrior. For example, when he kills Grendel, they fought single hand-to-hand combat and Beowulf wasn’t afraid. Today’s heroes are different from the heroes in Beowulf because fictional heroes now have powers, they don’t only kill. Non-fiction heroes are usually someone who saves a life or do all they can to try. “Heroes risk life and limb to help others” (Eagly). Heroes in the past were also someone who risked their life, or did something life changing. Now-a-days, a hero is so much more and more known to everybody. “Heroism consists of...
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...Beowulf is actually one of my favorite poems. He exercises strength, skills and some help from the Gods and Goddesses to prevail a number of events of deadly and evil adversaries. Beowulf‘s righteousness, bravery and fearlessness in combat distinguishes him as a great epic hero. By Beowulf battling with his antagonist, he deliberately positions the field of battle and supplied Grendel with an honest shot of triumphing. Being relentless and bold is a challenging task to be burdened with. Bravery is indispensible to any hero, whether it is an epic hero or modern day hero. Beowulf is able to establish no shortage of this; this is seemingly apparent with the fighting of him and Grendel with no weapon is one of many occurrences to show his bravery. This is where the similarities and comparison of the heroes of the Iliad’s and Aeneid comes in, they all share the same characteristics of being courageous and brave. His bravery and heroism is demonstrated in this quote, “Indifferent to death, does death not lie and the root of all fear? Do we not shrink from darkness, from poison, from gunfire, because we fear death.” Beowulf goes into battle fearlessness, with the utmost self assurance in him. An important aspect of every epic hero is the competence to overcome and carry on, bravery, courageousness, self-sacrificing, relentless and boldness in war or battle. These are the bona fide qualities that a hero must maintain. The story of Beowulf is a great one indeed. Beowulf, like other epic...
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...withstood the test of time is Beowulf; a poem that narrates the conquests of the ancient Swedish hero. In the following centuries, Beowulf has become a template for the modern day hero story. That being said, modern day heroes, such as Batman, are far more heroic due to moral values, humility, and overall intelligence. In both Batman’s and Beowulf’s individual societies, they are viewed as heroes. However, if there had been a hero equivalent to Batman in Beowulf’s time, the cheers of the Geats would have been instantly extinguished. They knew nothing more than warriors killing foes mercilessly. If there had been a vigilante-like crusader foiling Grendel’s plans, as opposed to slaying him, Beowulf story might have never been recorded. “Other monsters crowded around me, continually attacking. I treated them politely, offering the edge of my razor-sharp sword.” (Lines 559-561) As seen in this quote, Beowulf was far from humble. He constantly recounted his memorable battles and was quite arrogant. Batman, on the other hand, doesn’t receive any praise for his heroic deeds, nor does he have the desire to. He is perfectly content living in the shadows, protecting the citizens of Gotham, and not drawing any recognition from his actions. “The lake and the cliffs alongside it, brave men staggering under the weight of Grendel’ skull, too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle” (1635-1636) Though not specifically stated, it can be inferred that Beowulf possesses something resembling...
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...their own depiction of a hero, but are they really that different? There’s songs, movies, stories, and images describing what a hero is. Sometimes the true meaning behind that man in a cape, or that man protecting our country, or even one’s mother, is hidden. The truth is, they all possess the same qualities. A modern day hero holds the same responsibilities and traits as those of an Anglo- Saxon hero. Everyone still wants the same things. A few of these merits are sacrifice, honor, and dedication. Sacrifice is a touching, strong, and meaningful worth. The Norse looked down upon the Greeks because they did not understand how one could be considered a hero if they were not sacrificing something. They were immortal and could not be harmed. A great leader, or hero must possess a willingness to sacrifice anything for its people or for the greater good. Today, we still value this, as well as the Anglo-Saxons did. The men and women in the armed forces are risking their lives every day for the freedom of our people. They give up their freedom for the freedom of others. Same goes for an Anglo-Saxon warrior....
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...Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Risking one's life is only one of the many traits of the heroic code. Both Beowulf and American soldiers have put their life at risk to help protect the safety of others. The main character, Beowulf, from the story Beowulf has all of these. He is the ideal hero, and is very comparable to our American soldiers. These heroes possess bravery, honor, courage, and strength. One does not outshine the other because they both are performing incredible tasks and putting themselves in danger. The traits that define a hero have not changed since the time of Beowulf to today’s heroes. Beowulf seems to fit into every category of defining a hero. He is strong, loyal, courageous, honorable, generous and the list could go on. All of these traits help define an epic hero. He left his home to seek out danger and help save his neighbors from Grendel. He did this not because he had to, but because of his generosity. He prepared to fight a creature no one before was ever able to defeat. His courage when going out and facing extreme danger made him a hero to the Danes. He not only fought Grendel, but he also fought with the swamp hag and the dragon, and he won both battles....
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...Hero’s perform honorable, courageous and noble acts in order to help make the world a safer place for people like us to live.In the Olden day’s a hero was a person who performed remarkable and impossible act in order to help and save others. In today’s society hero is a person who others look up to and wants to become when they are older. However, overtime the definition of a hero has changed simultaneous with the values, morals, and challenges of humanity that now a day hero’s face in everyday life. The the story of Beowulf, Beowulf himself is thought to be the hero of the story. The pagan hero appears to have certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and altruism, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how most modern day heroes like soldiers in the Army show equal qualities as Beowulf....
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...Many have asked the question of what makes a hero someone to look up to. Or why is a hero a hero? The characters in the books Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Knight's Tale all show the attributes of a hero. Beowulf takes place in what would now be modern day Denmark and Sweden while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes place in what is now Great Britain. Finally, The Knight's Tale is an ancient legend that comes from Greece. In one story Beowulf slays the dragon Grendel. Then the young Prince Beowulf slays Grendel's mother. Similarly, Gawain goes on a dangerous adventure to keep his word, while two noble knights fight over a beautiful lady in the third story. Since all can agree that heroes must be brave and willing to risk their lives for the good of others, these protagonists exemplify a hero....
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