...Do you have a hero or role model that you look up to and strive to be like? In Beowulf’s time, he was the hero to many of his warriors and the type of person each of them wanted to be similar to before the end of their lifetime. Heroes like Beowulf had to be willing to face any challenges thrown their way and risk their lives for their people. Beowulf displayed all of these traits while still being respectable, kind, and intelligent. Beowulf was a true epic hero because of his bravery, loyalty to his men, and his strength. Beowulf was viewed as a hero by many because of his super strength and appearance. For example, in lines 109-113, the quote says “In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats – greater and...
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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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...An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character that is admired for great achievements and known for being a warrior (dictionary.com). There have been plenty of heroes over the course of time, but many believe the most popular Anglo- Saxon hero, Beowulf, most perfectly fits into this category and truly defines what it means. At all times, Beowulf is never afraid to put his life on the line for the sake and protection of his people, which helped him gain approval from the people of his area. Throughout the course of the adventure and journey, Beowulf exemplifies what it means to be an epic hero showing loyalty, courage, intelligence, and selflessness in his efforts to save his people and achieve immortality. Beowulf proves that he is a great Anglo-Saxon epic hero through his loyalty. Loyalty was held paramount by...
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...According to Dictionary.com, “hero” is a man who distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Beowulf is an example of a great Anglo-Saxon hero. He has the courage to face the monsters without fear of death. He did what others cannot do. Beowulf willingly sacrificed himself for his people. Beowulf was a hero because he saved people by killing monsters. Beowulf was not only brave but was physically stronger than normal. He heard that there was a monster that killed people in Heorot. He vowed to kill the monster for King Hrothgar. Beowulf was the strongest, mighty warrior of Geatland. He fought to bring glory to him and his people. Beowulf showed great courage when Grendel could not. Grendel attacked Heorot at night because he was too much of a coward to fight Beowulf in the light. When Grendel charged in to kill Beowulf, Beowulf’s counterattack by grabbing Grendel’s hands by his bare hands and took Grendel by surprise. Grendel bled out and died (page 47) and Beowulf kept Grendel’s hand as a trophy. King Hrothgar threw a feast for Beowulf’s victory over killing the demon that haunted Heorot....
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...“A true hero steps up when everyone else backs down.” -Anonymous The epic story of Beowulf, a fierce soldier in the Anglo-Saxon society, is filled with adventures and depictions of what a true hero looks like. Beowulf exhibits countless examples of characteristics of a hero including, but not limited to, courage, loyalty, and strength. Beowulf illustrates courage in several different parts of the story. Courage is portrayed when Beowulf arrives to fight Grendel in the beginning all the way to the end of the poem when Beowulf fights his final battle with the dragon. Beowulf would have never agreed to try and save the Danes and Geats from these vicious monsters if he lacked courage. Beowulf shows a lot of courage throughout different parts of the poem, especially when he states, “...my hands / Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life / Against the monster” (Beowulf 172-174). Perhaps a king or another soldier would have tried...
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...2011 What it takes to be a Hero The definition of a hero has changed profusely throughout the evolution of society. In the days of Beowulf and the Vikings, a hero was a man who was strong and courageous, willing and able to protect his tribe and provide for his people. But today, since our culture has vastly changed, so has the meaning of this word; now it is used for the brave and selfless people of the world. Though Beowulf may have acted in ways that were not so heroic, he should be recognized as a hero. Many people recognize Beowulf as the hero of Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf was the first poem told in Anglo-Saxon England sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, but it's not actually set in that time and place. It's actually set several hundred years earlier, in the 5th or 6th century. Beowulf does not take place in England, instead, the action happens in the land of the Danes what is known as the nation of Denmark and the land of the Geats which today is known as the nation of Sweden. The main action of the story is set around 500 a.d. Judging by Beowulf’s many feats and strengths, Beowulf’s heroism is not hard to believe. When Beowulf slays the monster Grendal in the classic tale," he was considered a great hero. The slaying of Grendel required courage, bravery, intelligence, perseverance, and mental and physical strength. Certain passages in the story support the opinion that Beowulf has all these qualities. However, in the epic, Beowulf explores the great lengths the...
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...A true hero is one of distinguished courage, admired for their brave deeds, noble and one who does not fear death. Beowulf, set in the Anglo-Saxon time period, was an epic that told the story of a legendary hero, who seized all obstacles as if he were immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf's life, he constantly wanted to be the hero. However, his mortality was exposed by his death. Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero. Heroes, whether from the Anglo-Saxon time period or present day, all share the characteristic of their willingness to die, in an effort to accomplish a true act of heroism. Several critics argue that through Beowulf’s superhuman strength, generosity, loyalty, bravery, and...
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...Emanuel Dozier ENG271WEB Dr. Willis 4/22/13 Beowulf: Epic Heroism There are many answers people will give if they were asked the question what makes a good hero. If myself were asked what makes a good hero, my answers would simply say courage, morality, honor, strength, unselfishness, and loyalty. Reading all of the works this semester; analyzing the characters traits of heroism, without a doubt the poem Beowulf displays the most epic heroism of all the works from reading this semester. David Aaron White said it best in his article; “In the poem Beowulf, one's value as a hero is built on what he has done, and what he will do or the good of other people” (Literary analysis: Heroism as portrayed in Beowulf). Compared to the others the character Beowulf, he represents the true qualities that myself look for in a hero. It’s not even close to me; also his faith in God and knowing that he is in control shows his tremendous character that a lot of people would love in a hero. Beowulf defines heroism, from his bravery, honor, strength, and unselfishness to put others lives before his, and in terms of positive morals he fits that description perfectly. In the epic poem Beowulf, “Much of this epic poem is dedicated to conveying and exemplifying the heroic code which values such attributes as strength, courage and honor.” (Beowulf and the Heroic Code). Beowulf heroic ways in the story cannot be ignored he had several amazing heroic displays in the story. Beowulf’s first...
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...Real Hero: Beowulf vs. Grendel The story of the famous battle between Beowulf and Grendel are told in two stories in The story of Beowulf by an unknown author and Grendel by John Gardner. The story of Beowulf is told in 3rd person by someone recounting the events and Grendel is told in a 1st person view of Grendel himself. There is lots of controversy whether which of the two is the real hero, so here is the gist of both stories for you to decide: There is a small town full of people that is being tormented by a monster who comes only to kill and bring terror among the people, the attacks continue and after a short while comes a famous warrior named Beowulf. He comes to defeat the town’s monster to save the people and end the mindless killings of Grendel. Both stories result in Grendel being killed and Beowulf being praised for his actions and he eventually becomes a great, fair king that all the people adore and love. The Anglo-Saxon definition of a hero is typically a man who is strong, brave and an intelligent warrior. They had to be willing to fight to the...
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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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...Beowulf, even before his epic journey, his name was very well known. Some knew him because of his father, a great warrior, and others knew him because of the victories he had won. These were great victories that had proven Beowulf to be a great man and a warrior. There was even a time Beowulf had lost a challenge, but was seen as a better man for it. Beowulf was in a swimming race with his friend Breca, he let Breca win because there was a storm and without Beowulf's help Breca would have died. Beowulf was known for this, but he was not known as a hero. It was not until Beowulf went to his calling, a calling to be a hero that his name went down in history. The Call The wrath of Grendel was known far and wide and so was the payment for...
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...Beowulf Essay The ideal hero, thats funny to think about, because they seem to always let you down in the end. The true meaning of a hero is someone that you can follow, not a ‘“don’t do what I do but do as I say” kind of man. A hero/heroine refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice that is, heroism for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence. Roma Chatterji has suggested that the hero or more generally protagonist is first and foremost a symbolic representation of the person who is experiencing the story while reading, listening or watching, thus the relevance of the hero to the individual relies a great deal on how much similarity there is between the two. One reason for the hero-as-self interpretation of stories and myths is the human inability to view the world from any perspective but a personal one. The word hero/heroine is sometimes used simply to describe the protagonist of a story, or the love interest, a usage which can conflict with the superhuman expectations of heroism. The larger-than-life hero is a more common feature of fantasy (particularly sword, wizards and epic fantasy) than more realist works. Christianity traditionally has emphasized humility as its main form of heroics. To illustrate that no virtue can possibly be perfectly acquired or continue...
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...The characteristics of a hero likely vary from person to person, however, there are some universal qualities that a hero should have. Some of the features that come to mind when thinking of a hero include: superhuman abilities, courage, and selflessness. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf displays all of these heroic traits. While some could argue that Beowulf is not a hero due to his desire for glory, his heroic qualities outweigh this one fault. Overall, Beowulf’s effectiveness as a hero can be seen through his courage and selflessness to take on extraordinary monsters and his superhuman ability to take on these creatures. The story begins by introducing a community and a monstrous creature that plagues the citizens. The creature, Grendel, is exceptionally power as he is able to kill thirty warriors with little effort: “He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies” (4). This would surely scare most men but not Beowulf. Beowulf welcomes the challenge and prepares to fight him as soon as he hears about the creature: “In his far-off home Beowulf, … heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out” (6). Beowulf’s readiness to fight Grendel exemplifies his courage and selflessness. The fact that Beowulf lives in a far-off land further...
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...Beowulf dates back to the 8th and early 11th century, being the oldest surviving epic poem in Angelo-Saxton literature. The existence of this poem has made a big impression for quite some time now. In the poem Beowulf showed qualities of heroism, pride, strength and boastfulness, when fighting the monsters and running his great kingdom of the Danes. Did Beowulf have the characteristics and qualities of a true epic hero? Beowulfs character traits did in fact represent what a true epic hero really is. One Beowulf’s qualities he did best were brag, he would brag to people about great accomplishments he made on his scary and dangerous journeys. People of his time thought that bragging was a trait that showed his true heroism. Beowulf would boast to Unferth about his great swimming competition with Breca, where they swam out to see and stayed there for five nights. He would brag about the nine, one-eyed, sea monsters that he slayed. When Beowulf killed Grendal and his mother he would boast to king Hygelac and the people of the Danes about how he did it and how challenging it was. When Beowulf was king he would brag about how no other kingdom or man would ever try and kill him or fight him. It was normal in Anglo- Saxton time for great hero’s to brag about their accomplishments, it showed a great amount of pride and success. Beowulf showed no sign of fear even when he was about to do something that was extremely dangerous. Beowulf was always the bravest man since he thought that...
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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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