...In the epic poem, Beowulf external conflicts are easy to recognize as they are Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. As his human tendencies they are pride, greed, and betrayal. He essentially fails to show his internal conflicts as he thinks his power was given to him by god. By him being able to face his external conflicts, he’s able to realize his internal conflicts. To begin with, Beowulf is a brave soldier that is not afraid of anything. He comes across a situation that is being taking place in the Danes. A tremendous monster terrorizing the Danes for twelve years has got his attention. Beowulf’s arrival in the Dane’s is celebrated and greeted by King Hrothgar. At the mead-hall, Beowulf talks about how he will defeat Grendel head-on...
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...A hero is defined as "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model." Every society has an ideal hero, someone who possesses the qualities that they believe a person should have. Beowulf and Captain America both possess the qualities that the Anglo-Saxon people and those of the 1940's saw as great. Both coming from times of war they share various similar qualities. However, coming from completely different time periods they also have multiple differences in the way they fight these wars and the way the act outside of the battle field. Coming from a time of war is one of the biggest similarities of Captain America and Beowulf. Captain America's biggest enemy being Red...
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...Beowulf Essay To be a hero in Anglo-Saxon literature and culture one must be a warrior. In the Anglo- Saxon culture a hero had to be intelligent, valorous, prideful and most importantly strong. Fighting for glory and fighting for his people until death was the duty of a hero. The hero had to be willing to face these odds and Beowulf portrayed this. Beowulf is the perfect example of an epic hero because of his prideful actions and willingness to take on fighting the strongest monster and the other hard deeds. "The seafarers used to say, I remember, who took our gifts to the great people in token of friendship-that is fighting man in his hands grasp had the strength of thirty other men. I am thinking that the Holy God, as a grace to us Danes in the West, has directed him here against Grendel’s oppression. Thus good man shall be offered treasures in return for his courage. " (Line 377) Strength is essential to be being an Anglo-Saxon hero. In these lines we can see Beowulf has massive strength if he has strength of thirty men in his arms. "I have not in my life set eyes on a man with more might in his frame than this helmed lord. He's no hall fellow dressed in fine armor, or his face belies him; he has a head of a hero." ( Lines 247) It is clear that physical appearance is essential to being a hero because it is important that you look the part. Even if Beowulf was not the greatest warrior it is always best to act and look the part so he could give the people hope. But...
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...story of Beowulf represents what qualities a hero should embrace. Many heroes are portrayed as men with god-like gifts, or born half god; Beowulf is simply born strong, courageous, brave, and selfless. He does what good he can do where he can. His mood and tone are always that of someone doing the good deed, for the sake of the deed itself. In the film Beowulf, filmed in 2007, the hero still retains some of his virtuous qualities but in a smaller form. Beowulf still comes to Hrothgar’s to repay his father's debt, however, in the film Beowulf gives lust, and is clearly attracted to Hrothgar’s Queen. In the book, Beowulf does not think twice about the queen. His virtues keep him from drifting off task, as he is simply there to kill the monster, which plagues the Danes. The film may not have meant to, but does portray Beowulf as prideful concerning his achievements. A portion in the story addresses Beowulf’s swimming race with Breca. In the film, Beowulf is matched in strength with Breca and claims he was saving his strength for the last loop. In the book, Beowulf makes note that he and Breca were tied, and neither could beat each other. Unferth challenges whether or not Beowulf can even beat Grendel, because of his loss of the swimming race. Beowulf’s response in the book shows his maturity and a level head. Though he is young he manages to answer very calmly, traditionally Beowulf would have had rights to challenge Unferth, despite having this opportunity Beowulf declines...
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...Beowulf and Achilles we're exemplary men. They were both men of power in their own life. Both men commanded respect, and were utterly fearless like a super human. This brings us to the many battles they fought and the wars they won which led to their deaths. Beowulf and Achilles were in fact human and after one too many battles they would come to an end. Both would die with pride, respect and the glory one deserved. The main characteristic of both Beowulf and Achilles would be their masculine strength. Even in old age, Beowulf is strong. Capable to break his sword with one stroke of a hit. Beowulf is filled with pride and self satisfaction which increases his respect and reputation from others. “I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of...
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...In the provided article Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership written by John loughman and John Finley. The two authors state the epic poem Beowulf can give you timely insight and direction into leadership (P. 155). Although the story of Beowulf presents to us a very common leader I would have to disagree that the epic poem doesn’t really present to us how impactful and present his leadership skills. The two authors also compares and contrast the similarities beowulf has to culture movies you see in your everyday life. This would include Narnia, Lord of the rings, etc. ( P. 156) The two others also give a cultural background on how the story of Beowulf was conceived. Stemming from Beowulf being made up of Old English ( P. 156). Also the article touches basis on other warriors and tribes who kind of follow under this makeup. Such as warriors being fearless and following under a leader willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done....
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...and His Greatest Enemy Beowulf is an epic poem created by the the ancient Anglo-Saxons of Britain. For a poem to be an epic, it has six requirements: long and narrative, involves a long journey for the hero, the hero must overcome obstacles, long prideful speeches, the poem takes place over a long period of time, and the hero reflects the culture from which he comes. The poem was recited as early as the sixth century when stories were passed along orally by scops who were traveling storytellers. Since stories were passed on orally, the authors of many Anglo-Saxon poems are unknown. Beowulf was passed on orally for centuries until the eleventh century, it was finally written down by scholars. Since then the story about the mighty Beowulf has become a polyglot epic poem translated by hundreds of people such as Burton Raffel who translated the poem into modern day English. The poem grew from past traditions such as the monsters, loyalty to the chief, and the decent to unknown regions of the earth were familiar element of Celtic and Scandinavian folk tales. By combining different traditions and later adding Christian ideas into one story, scops created a cultural reference point for Anglo-Saxons to learn from. Since there are various traditions blended into Beowulf, there are underlying themes such as heritage, pride, respect, gifting, good versus evil, strength, and customs. A major theme of the poem is pride. One can believe that the pride of Beowulf led him to his own downfall...
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...Beowulf and Achilles were very famous amongst their people, the fame of Achilles is originated from his mother dipping him into the River of Styx to make him immortal. However, she missed his heel and this ended up being a vulnerable weakness to him. His Heroism during the Trojan war with the Greeks also gained him plenty of fame. Beowulf is just as famous if not more famous in his world because of how safe he made his people feel. They always depended on him and he delivered when he defeated Grendel in his final battle. After he beat Grendel his fame grew because all the people around the world learned of Beowulf when they all came to see proof of the death of Grendel. Beowulf showed a lot of bravery when he stepped up to fight Grendel....
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...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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...belief set. The hero is the most dominant archetype in Beowulf because it deals with the fraternity warrior’s culture. Although the pluralism of Anglo-Saxon culture is very similar to our American culture, the archetype of The Ruler takes place in America today because everyone wants to take control and have power over their own lives and others around. In Literature, an Archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal pattern or human nature. There are many set archetypes; The Innocent, The Lover, and The Rebel. However, the one that dominates the most in Anglo-Saxon culture is the Hero. “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Beowulf’s Last Battle 607-610). In Anglo-Saxon culture being boastful and prideful is praised because it is a characteristic of a Hero. The poem itself was named after Beowulf to show that he was the dominant hero, the one who stood in the spotlight. “Then he stepped to another still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper” (Beowulf 268-270). That night, Hrothgar threw a huge party for the brave Geats and Beowulf was the only man in the hall who was sober and awake. He had the foresight to not get drunk and pretend to sleep because he knew the monsters would come. Once again Beowulf is demonstrating the Anglo-Saxon culture existence...
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...“Hero” is a very enigmatic word, with various different meanings and people it could or could not apply to. Beowulf is a hero, since he saved a kingdom from a “demon” named Grendal, had more than enough of a reputation of heroic deeds to back up his claim that he could, and would, slay Grendal, even with his bare hands. He did not show many signs of being selfish or prideful, the only time he did being to prove a point to a man named Unferth. And he, most importantly, did not do any action out of evil intent or evil urges. In my opinion, George Washington also fits the above criteria for Beowulf’s version of “hero”, albeit with a few differences. George Washington “saved” a fledgeling nation, the United States of America, from the “evil” nation of Great Britain, specifically its monarch and Parliament. He united 13 states when they were in most need, and would have lost otherwise. He kept a calm and level head when he planned what to do next, even admitting that, when they wanted him to lead the fledgeling nation in the Revolutionary War, that he was not “deserving of the authority he’s been given”. He even had previously worked for his future enemy, as he was formerly a British regular, aka “Redcoat”, during the French and Indian War....
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...Baseball player Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” In both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, the characters play roles in how many everyday people attempted to live their lives. Each individual character is assessed with certain qualities that contribute to the story in many different forms and fashions. The qualities the characters possess play into different archetypes in the story. Archetypes are used to describe different backgrounds and cultures expressing how the ideal life for that certain culture is to be obtained. During the stories of both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, specific archetypes are expressed through characters such as Beowulf, Sir Bors, and other knights...
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...He brought great strength and bravery and that showed through his approaches into the battles he fought against the Grendel duo. “Grasped at strong-hearted wakeful sleeper/-And was instantly seized himself, claws/Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm./” (Beowulf 270-272) He started off the battle with Grendel with no hesitation and by expressing great strength. With the battle of Grendel's mother, he jumps in head first. “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s/ Answer; the heaving water covered him over.” (Beowulf 450-452) Beowulf shows tremendous strength and bravery and has very little hesitation in his...
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...To Be a Human- Then and Now Throughout the span of time humankind has asked the question: What does it mean to be human? Some of the world’s greatest men have contemplated over this question and there are a vast number of theories on what makes a human. A scientist might take a more literal opinion of the question, thinking that we are human because we are higher on the evolutionary chain; we are physically, emotionally and mentally complex. While others might take a more philosophical position on the matter, like René Descartes who originally spoke the famous phrase: “I think, therefore I am”. A philosopher would value the fact that humans can intelligently communicate their thoughts, and these thoughts can change the very existence of man as a whole through invention and innovation. Religious groups would base their opinion of humans on their faith; we are human simply because we are not God. At times science, philosophy and religion can confuse a person opinion on what it actually means to be human. Maybe the concept of being human is much simpler then some may think. Being human could simply mean that we as a collective race are imperfect. The idea of human imperfection is not easily explained by science, philosophy or religion. They can all sometimes be too complex to understand. Science exemplifies the human race as a species, philosophy praises human race as thinkers and religion looks at the human race as sinners and how we all must be perfect to please God...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO AND JULIET By ARTHEA J.S. REED, PH.D. S E R I E S W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., E D I T O R S : UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an excellent introduction to Shakespearean drama; teenagers can relate to its plot, characters, and themes. The play’s action is easily understood, the character’s motives are clear, and many of the themes are as current today as they were in Shakespeare’s time. Therefore, it can be read on a variety of levels, allowing all students to enjoy it. Less able readers can experience the swash-buckling action and investigate the themes of parent-child conflict, sexuality, friendship, and suicide. Because of the play’s accessibility to teenagers, able readers can view the play from a more literary perspective, examining the themes of hostility ad its effect on the innocent, the use of deception and its consequences, and the effects of faulty decision making. They can study how the characters function within the drama and how Shakespeare uses language to develop plot, characters, and themes. The most able students can develop skills involved in literary criticism by delving into the play’s comic and tragic elements and its classically...
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