...Essay 1 In the story Beowulf, He was A hero of the geats who came to help Hrothgar, king of Danes and his people from being attacked by an evil monster named Grendel, and his conniving mother. Beowulf slays both of the monsters with ease. Throughout the story, Beowulf displays many attributes of a hero. One quality that Beowulf possesses is unnatural strength. For example, the texts says “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder.” (273). Beowulf had pulled off the arm of Grendel with his bare hands, and sent him off running for his life, and in the Beowulf movie he rips out the heart of the dragon with his bare hands. This shows that Beowulf...
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...Pride, Beowulf's Most Cherished Possession 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...
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...In Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Isildur committed the sin of ofermod, or excessive pride. Instead of casting the ring into Orodruin’s fire (which is place the ring originated from) to destroy the ring, he kept the ring for himself as compensation (“man-price”) because he lost his family in the battle. He disregarded any council he received about destroying ring and the power it contained. Since Isildur did not heed any of the warnings, his pride eventually caused his demise, but that is not the only consequence it caused. By keeping the ring, Isildur put the whole Middle Kingdom in grave danger. Now, it is up to the group of travelers (Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Aragorn) to destroy the ring and clean up the mess Isildur created because he kept the ring as a “treasure”....
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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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...Hero An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Beowulf is an epic hero who has an extraordinary amount of great strength. His character in the epic poem shows all of the characteristics that he needs to be an epic hero. The main characteristics of Beowulf are his personality, his great strength and his heroic code. The personality trait that Beowulf contributes to being an epic hero is his humility. This supports him being an epic hero because it shows his humbleness when it comes to how great other people thought he was. He didn't take pride in being the strong and noble person he was. For instance, when Beowulf goes to battle with Grendel, he says he will win if it is God’s will. Here, Beowulf shows how he is not overconfident about himself and he shows how he is trusting in what ever happens, if he wins or loses, that that will be the right thing to happen. Another example of his humbleness and modesty is when Beowulf goes to Herot and approaches the king, Hrothgar, with deep respect. This shows how Beowulf does not have pride in himself. Something an epic hero wouldn't have either. The second characteristic that Beowulf proves to have to be an epic hero is his physical strength. In lines 380-384, it shows how much actual strength Beowulf possesses. Another example would be when he goes into battle with Grendel’s mother. Here, he proves his extraordinary strength when he decides to throw his...
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...Gilgamesh vs Beowulf: Joseph Campbell once said, "When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness." Gilgamesh and Beowulf have a great power to release their strengths when needed. Therefore both Gilgamesh and Beowulf are examples of an epic hero due to battles they fight within themselves and seeking accomplishments in life; however, Beowulf is a better example because he is selfless. Gilgamesh has had many battles to make him think he is the best. A major battle Gilgamesh has had was against himself. Gilgamesh hid his battle so abundantly that not a single person realized his toughest battle. That battle was him not believing he is mortal, “Only Gods are immortal anyway” (58.2). These two heroes have fought tremendous battles, but nobody sees their biggest battle that they have because it is within themselves; even though, Beowulf too had many battles in his life, but his battle made him the best. Beowulf had a major battle within himself as well as Gilgamesh did. Beowulf’s battle was to prove that he was great, he was doubted by Unferth. Unferth told Beowulf “You’ve been lucky in your battles, Beowulf, but I think your luck may change if you challenge Grendel” (27.258-259). With Unferth doubting him, Beowulf knew that this is the time to prove that he is worthy enough by helping the Danes out. Beowulf responds greatly by saying “I fought that beast’s last battle, left...
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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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...In the poem Beowulf the idea of warrior culture is described through literary, poetic and real life situations. Beowulf is an epic poem about a hero who sparks up an old rooted allegiance to help save the Danish people from a terror far greater than anyone has ever seen. However, this is only the beginning of his journey as he ends up defeating the monster and later dies in his old age fighting off a dragon in his last breathe. The journey itself is one that displays the warrior culture that lives within the Anglo-Saxon period and through the lenses of literary, poetic and real life situations the reader is shown how society was built and society had valued. From the very beginning of the poem we see that weapons and gifts are a big part of the warrior culture, they represent honor, glory, pride and status within a society. Anglo-Saxon society in literary terms was centered on a warrior chieftain and his retinue of loyal followers who were expected to defend him to the death. Loyalty is essential and is rewarded by the chief's generosity...
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...In Beowulf, as in many stories the titular character can be portrayed as a hero. However, Beowulf like most stories due to the argument that can be made for him not being a hero. In the poem there are many examples of Beowulf being a “hero”. The examples are seperated by the two stages of his life, youth and adulthood. There maturity of Beowulf as a leader also coencides with his maturity as a leader. As Beowulf grows and becomes a better leader he also becomes a hero. Beowulf can be defined by his strength in his youth. These acts contribute to the lore of him becoming a hero. His swimming match against Breca is a perfect example of him establishing himself as a hero. All heros make mistakes and Beowulf did not listen to the advice of the elders and ended up losing the swimming match. He is also the perfect model for the way a warrior should live as he follow the Germanic Code perfictly. He redeems himself from his swimming loss by defeating Grendel and his mom. He also helps the Danes and this exemlifies an outstanding leader because he goes out of his way to help other countries when they are in need. The expirences in his early life help him to become a good ruler when he does acend to the throne. Beowulf’s adulthood (in the story) focuses more on his encounters with leaders and his warrior as opposed to his youth...
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...In Beowulf, Hrothgar believes that it is bad to be prideful and take credit for your accomplishments, On page 78, lines 1747-1752, Hrothgar says, "the Devil's dark urgings wound him, for he can't/ Remember how he clung to the rotting wealth/ Of this world, how he clawed to keep it, how he earned/ No honor, no glory, in giving golden/ Rings, how he forgot the future glory/ God gave him at his birth, and forgetting did not care.”. When Hrothgar says that, he is stating his own philosophy and his personal views on life. He is expressing how God has given everyone the things they have and you should give God credit for everything you have and everything you’ve accomplished in life. Personally I believe that it is in no way bad to be prideful of...
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...Beowulf: The Mother Poem Beowulf is an important work of the Anglo-Saxon culture. In the poem it depicts Beowulf as a famous hero, full of endless courage and infinite strength. Through his vigorous journeys, he encounters many treacherous obstacles and monsters, but never feels distress. As leader of the Geats, he shows superb leadership skills, taking pride in both his and his peoples’ name. Nonetheless, he boasts about his achievements and heroic battles that he has encountered. The author’s style differs from that of any other due to the unique kennings being used throughout the poem. The tone interchanges throughout the entire work; gives countless numbers of kennings, and has graphic imagery. Beowulf, the “mother poem” of England, explains the import values of diction, tone, imagery, and style, it also informs us about the Geat culture and characteristics of honor, kinship, and courage....
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...In the epic poem “Beowulf”, written by a Christian monk in the 18th century, the ruler and warrior, Beowulf is conveyed as an inconsistent individual that posses many Christian and pagan values throughout his life. At the beginning of his life, Beowulf is called to defeat a monster named Grendel in foreign lands. Being the pagan warrior he was, Beowulf stepped up to the challenge and declared to fight Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. After this, Beowulf begins to realize that if he acts out the pagan values as he did before, then he will end up being overconfident and less successful in his future. In result, Beowulf starts to show more and more Christian values in his next phase of life. For example, in his next fight, he realizes that his prior preparation for the fight against Grendel wasn’t affective, so he prays and shows humbleness by wearing armor and using a sword. In the final phase of his life, he finds a middle ground between Christian and pagan values, and applies it to his last battle. In Beowulf’s first fight, he is called to seize the invasions of Grendel. Beowulf steps up to the challenge, and shows up on the beach of the foreign lands, and is over confident in himself before he even hears about what he is getting into. When he is finished with the briefing of the mission at hand, Beowulf is confronted by a man named Unferth. Unferth challenges Beowulf’s worthiness of heroism. Beowulf shows strong pagan values, and challenges him back because...
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...RESPONSE ASSIGNMENT # _3_ Beowulf In the beginning of Beowulf, King Hrothgar of Denmark built a great mead hall where he and all his warriors could party, eat, and enjoy stories. Even though it was a place of joyful spirits there was a demon named Grendel who would always terrorize the people of Denmark and their mead hall. They would fight back in effort to make the demon leave them alone, but he was too powerful and would kill the warriors. This lasted for years and the Danes couldn’t find a solution to defeat Grendel. Eventually, in time, a Geatish warrior named Beowulf heard the troubles that King Hrothgar and the people of Denmark were going through because of the demon. Beowulf took on the task to defeat the demon. Prior to the battle Beowulf came unarmed and expects to fight Grendel with his bare hands. Grendel is terrified and eventually Beowulf rips the demons arm off and he flees back to the swamp where he soon dies. King Hrothgar and the Danes praise Beowulf for his victory over Grendel. Because of the death of Grendel, his mother, another swamp demon, went to seek revenge for her son’s death. This is where Beowulf and a few of the servants travel the swamp to defeat her. Just as he did before, Beowulf defeated Grendel’s mother, but during the battle he used a sword large enough for a giant instead of his bare hands. Beowulf began to make a buzz around the kingdom naming him the bravest warrior in all the land. Eventually Beowulf ascends to the throne of the...
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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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...Beowulf in Relation to Anglo-Saxton Beliefs and Values In the epic poem, Beowulf, there are many references of Anglo-Saxton beliefs and values and the effects they have on the characters and the outcome of the story. As the setting of the story takes place in Anglo-Saxton times, these beliefs and values were well represented and well valued by the many characters of the story, such as Beowulf, Hygelac, Hrothgar, and Wiglaf. The Anglo-Saxton values consisted of generosity, friendship, loyalty, and bravery. Anglo-Saxtons also desired their kings to be chivalrous, powerful, and daring. Most importantly, the epic reveals the values of Anglo-Saxton society in its chivalry code, as well as the code of knighthood. Beowulf demonstrates Anglo-Saxton values and beliefs by strengthening...
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