...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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...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 knowledge that the people in Hrothgar’s...
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...and the Green Knight and Beowulf, the heroes are Sir Gawain and Beowulf. Sir Gawain and Beowulf show these qualities in many ways, even though there are some ways in which they differ, when talking about heroic acts they are very similar. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are strong warriors. In Beowulf, Beowulf was known for fighting monsters and anything that would try to harm his people. He shows his strength and courage when Beowulf went to fight Grendel. For example, “Fastened those claws in his...
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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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... 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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...different views on how they would classify the genre of a piece. For example the story of Beowulf that is over 1000 years old has had controversy over calling it an epic piece or not calling it an epic piece of literature. An epic piece of literature is a long narrative poem that is composed dealing with a hero’s trials and accomplishments. Some scholars call Beowulf a folk epic or a mythological piece. This is because of the how Beowulf is almost running with history throughout the poem. There are divine intervention trials and triumphs and the mythological portion with the slaying of dragons and monsters in Beowulf. The story is really all about what it takes to be a hero but it starts off in a mythical fantasy kind of way. For example he fights monsters bare handed and he has strength that is almost divine. He saves the entire nation that is in fear of many mythical type creatures that no one in the land is willing to fight but him showing tremendous courage. But aside from his mystical fights with terror the poem really highlights the qualities in what makes him this fearless leader. For example he is courageous, generous, strong, cunning, fearless, selfless, wise, and has good morals. This is almost a heroic code that has followed all heroes in literature and in our culture today and throughout time with the same kind of qualities that deems the hero in the story. In the time period when Beowulf was written there were many things that line up in the story making it a very controversial...
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...Nicollette Digmi A hero is someone who is brave, trustworthy, and reliable. This is the kind of person we look up to. Some of them may be legendary, while others are everyday life-savers. Heroes are typically on quests often to help others, they are ethical and strong and responsible leaders. A hero could be anyone who has these qualities. Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. both meet their criteria because they share the same heroic characteristics: they were both on quests, ethical, strong responsible leaders. Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. were both on a quest. For example, in Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, is on a quest to help Hrothgar save his village by defeating Grendel. This means that Beowulf came from Geatland to save a village even though he wasn’t guaranteed a reward. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. was on a quest to stop racism and segregation between white and colored people. For example, he stood up to the white people and makes it as public as possible that he wants to change the way society is for the good of other people. In other words Martin Luther King Jr. and Beowulf share a heroic characteristic in that they both go on quests to create change for the benefit of others. Beowulf and Martin Luther Jr. were also ethical. For example, in Beowulf, Beowulf is a good king to his people and ends up fighting a dragon and dying for his people. This means that he was ethical and it contributed to him being a great hero. Likewise Martin Luther King...
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...Characteristics Heroes of the Ages ENG 106: Survey of Literary Masterpieces Kelly Victor Phoenix University Online Heroes of the Ages Literature is full of adventurous heroes from the classical to medieval periods. Heroes are symbolic to the beliefs, culture, and nation in which they live. The classical hero and medieval hero will be the focus of this essay. Three great heroes from the early classic to medieval periods are Beowulf, Achilles, and Sir Gawain. The paper will look at the similarities and differences of literary heroes in order to discover how heroes changed over time. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are romantic heroes full of bravery, loyalty, humility, courage, and virtue. Beowulf and Sir Gawain were both involved in battles of great magnitude and admired for their super human strength. Both of them battle with the intent to bring honor to the King: Sir Gawain to honor King Arthur and Beowulf to honor Hrothgar. The battles they fight are against good and evil, “Grendel is a shepherd of evil” and the Green Knight represents pre- Christian tribal paganism. The custom of the time period was to keep their word and honor the one who helped them rise to knighthood. Beowulf kept his word as seen in the poem as he returns from the adventures and presents all his gifts to Hygelac as a sign of loyalty (line 2145). Sir Gawain keeps his word with Lord Bertilak, by agreeing to exchange their winnings at the end of each day (Sir Gawain 1105-1113). Beowulf and Sir...
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...Tara Lesko Heroes have been dominant characters who sacrifice themselves for others in order to teach a lesson. The major theme is the triumph of goodness over evil. Beowulf and King Arthur, the epic heroes of grand tales, stand out for all that is good, brave and proper, while the villains stand for evil. However during the course of the stories the two heroes die tragically in a triumphant battle over vice and evil the course of the tale. The characters only perish after the evil is vanquished and destroyed. Sir Thomas Mallory brings forth a courageous character King Arthur, utilizing weaponry and leadership, to enlighten the kingdom of the unique characteristics of a true hero While Beowulf depicts the Anglo-Saxon era to tell a story of one who fights to better society. It is a known fact that heroes over time and overseas all heroes have something in common; which is true in the case of King Arthur and Beowulf. It is obvious that they are similar in the fact that they are both heroes, but what makes them an idol of their time and in their culture are poles apart. There are many things that are different about Beowulf and King Arthur, but the ones that stand out the most are what kind of hero they are and what actions they did to make them heroic. Both heroes possess qualities that others do not have, but it is what they do with those abilities that prompts someone to write a story about them and idolize them in time. King Arthur and Beowulf are both heroes whose stories...
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...needs heroes because in a time of war, leadership itself is so critical” (Cannon). Over the years heroes have evolved from true heroes to pseudo heroes. They have some similar characteristics, but pseudo heroes are corruptive and distorted. As the most valued, strongest, ablest warrior around Beowulf is looked up upon. He is a Geatish warrior who fights not only the monster Grendel, but also Grendel’s mom and a fire breathing dragon. Achilles was an important hero in The Iliad. As a regnant warrior, he leads soldiers from his hometown to seek revenge towards Agamemnon. Beowulf and Achilles were both superior warriors in similar and different ways. Beowulf and Achilles are two well-known heroes who fought agelong and hard. Beowulf...
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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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...image of a “knight and shiny armor”. A modern hero like Harry Potter, from the Harry Potter series, and an Anglo- Saxon hero like Beowulf, from Beowulf, are fairly similar, yet are completely different. These heroes have different motives, these two heroes are set in different times. Harry Potter was set in the nineties and Beowulf in the eighth century. Having different time settings makes the motives of the heroes different. Harry Potter’s reasoning to do things is based out of love. Love is a big part of his life even though his parents, his godfather and his mentor died he is still able to love. Without love he wouldn’t be alive, he would have died an infant. Harry relies on love to trust in his friends to help him in his battles. Beowulf never really had anything close to family, so he did not have anything equivalent to love. Which made him have different motives. That were simply fighting in favor of his king. His battles were never for personal reasons because he did not have an emotional attachment to anything. For example, when he went to go fight Grendel it was because he owed him a favor not because the battle was centered around him. Beowulf is very self-confident. When he was waiting in the hall he said that “Grendel is no braver, no stronger than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not, easy as it would be.” (Raffel 44). Beowulf claims that he can defeat a demonic monster that was spawned by Cain and that it would be too easy a fight if he used a sword....
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...The key character in the poem Beowulf, is a heroic and a legendary character whose actions are embodied to the Anglo-Saxon culture. As a hero he has the accepted and the most ideal characteristics that are accepted in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The tale revolves around these characteristics to make up an epic tale. Beowulf is moulded to possess the virtues, traits and beliefs that were highly respected and requires in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Therefore, is displayed to have these virtues in his own actions and words during different circumstances in the tale. Reading Beowulf brings out lots of similarities with many pieces of literature from the Ancient Greek and the Modern literature. The Beowulf carries is similar to many Greek dramas that focused on a protagonist who was turned out to be a tragic hero. There was an element of belief in the gods who had super- human powers and had unique and ultimate special skills of their own, and overcame unsurmountable problems. However, in Beowulf, there is no Greek or Roman gods, but there are other supernatural beings defined as monsters that exist and are difficult to win over. Beowulf is extra-ordinarily strong, agile, and super intelligent. He is portrayed as one who overcomes many obstacles and was able to kill Grendel and his mother and the others in the sea. In addition, the wide character list and meaningful names is similar to those of other types of literature of the early eras. The story of Paradise lost opens in hell. Satan...
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...Throughout the history of human existence, scholars have wondered what characteristics found in ancient literature exemplified in their corresponding ancient societies and how these classical works influenced said cultures. One way to answer these questions is to look at famous literary works and the epic heroes that comprise them. Characteristics of epic heroes such as those found in Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Iliad, and the Odyssey often reflected traits that were seen as favorable within the societies in which they were written, which, in turn, led to these archetypal heroes greatly impacting surrounding societies. When comparing and contrasting epic heroes such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Hector, Achilles, and Odysseus, it becomes evident that...
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...literature, and his name was Beowulf. There are three overarching characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon heroes within the epics written of the time, and those are the hero’s boast, the hero’s superhuman abilities, and lastly the hero’s selflessness and bravery. I believe that the Anglo-Saxon characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero are shown through Beowulf, and he displays his glorious boasts, his amazing superhuman abilities, and his heroic moments of bravery and selflessness, because of his efforts shown in the text against his times of opposition. Anglo-Saxon heroes were known for their infamous boasts, Beowulf being a prime example of such. In the beginning of The Coming of Beowulf, Beowulf arrives before the king of the Danes, Hrothgar, and as such he must prove himself worthy to take on the task of defeating Grendel. Beowulf boasts of his accomplishments to that very king. Beowulf speaks of himself defeating the race of giants and driving five into chains, diving into the ocean at...
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