We grow up our
entire lives looking up to someone; whether that is a parent or a story
character, we spend our childhoods striving to be like this person. Most little kids have some form of this and in many cases it was a fictional character with
extraordinary powers. Even as we get older people still ask who your "hero" is. For some people it's a literal super hero and for others it is someone they see as a super hero. Beowulf is the past equivalant to someone like superman. He is indestrucatble and capable of winning any battle. He is their hero who can survive through every thing, whether the problem is large or small. I think it’s important to have super heroes, I think they
give an escape and in many cases a hope even when things seem bleak. Everyone needs to believe there is
someone out there who can save them from the dangers of the world. In Beowulf he is that hope he shows them that it is never over, that the good side always prevails.
A super hero is steriotypes as a protector, a role model, and an overall good person; especially when we are
little we see them as perfect. We need them to help us believe that there is someone there trying to
fight the evil and protect us from the bad things lurking out in the world. I think it's a way for people to believe in something and hope for improvment in the world. The
idea that someone can fly and have extreme strength and the ability to survive
any attack is outlandish and adults know it's impossible, but it's useful especially to kids. Everybody has to face the inevitable that
we aren’t indestructible, we can get hurt and things can go wrong and in many
cases we don’t get some muscular man in tights that flies in and saves the day,
but super heroes give us that escape. They make us believe that things like that can happen. They show us that even when all hope is lost things can get
better; they show us that good wins in the end.
Beowulf is this super hero for the Danes. While he doesn't come flying in wearing tights, he does come sailing in after twelve
years of turmoil to save them from the awful monster that has been terrorizing
them. He is their hope when they can’t come up with any other ways to stop the
monster. All odds are stacked against him; the most ferocious warriors were
slaughtered at the hands of this creature, and then comes a man who is willing
to risk his life to end their problems. He has completed amazing feats of strength, even before battling Grendel, that no normal person could ever manage. Beowulf is capable of fighting off sea monsters after swimming for days, and fighting two ferocious monsters with just his bare hands. He is so powerful he rips off the arm of a Grendel, that no sword could cut. Beowulf is the Danes super hero because he can attempt and complete these insane tasks that all before had failed at. While these powers are different than modern super hero's powers they still represent the same idea of good beating evil in the end. Beowulf is a story of this man with amazing skills who has God on his side and this makes him capable of amazing things. So in reality super heroes were just as important when Beowulf was first told as they are now, they are our hope for a better future where good always wins.
Hi Erin - Can you take pity on my eyes and bump up your font size, please? It is so tiny that it's really hard to read.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sorry I didn't notice it had published so small
ReplyDeleteThe Merriam Webster online dictionary states that a hero is, “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities”. With this definition in mind, I agree with what you are saying about Beowulf being a super hero. He talks about his great feats, battling five beasts and raiding a trolls nest (lines 420 and 421) and is admired by his town for these feats. Although Beowulf is seen, by me, as a super hero now, I wouldn’t have considered him a hero when I was a child. Since I was little, I consider my mom as my hero. She has always been there for me and as a child that is a characteristic that I looked for in a hero. I have not read the end of the poem yet, but I can assume that after Beowulf defeats Grendel he will return to his home land. This means that he will not always be there for the people of Danes, he will be close but it might take a while for him to come to their rescue again if needed.
ReplyDeleteI had a really difficult time seeing Beowulf as a hero in the first half of his story. Like many said in our discussion in class, he seemed really arrogant and full of himself. He didn't seem like he had any humility or modesty but was very egocentric and, to me, that made him very unlikable. I agree, however, with your ideas of what a true hero should be. They should be the ultimate bad-ass, and inspire hope even in the face of defeat. I felt like Beowulf achieved his status of "hero" towards the end of the poem. Right before he faces the dragon, he feels fear for the first time and he comes to terms with the life he had lived. Instead of passing off battling this dragon to some hot-shot, he takes on the responsibility of fighting the good fight and protecting his kingdom, even if his life is taken. That picture was a complete opposite of who he was when he was fighting Grendel. Earlier in the poem, he was still willing to give up his life but I believe he only felt that way for the wrong reasons. Furthermore, it seemed like he was fighting Grendel out of obligation, to prove his worth as a warrior, and stubbornness. The ruler who was around when Grendel was causing havoc didn't even step up to the plate for 12 years!! Talk about letting your people down big time! Beowulf hears about this dragon and is ready to take it on, not for pride but for country.
ReplyDeleteSo while, in my opinion, Beowulf definitely became a great hero that should be known, he only really achieved that status when he had something substantial to fight for and was willing to put everything, even his life, on the line.
I think it's important to examine the subject's intentions and motives when discussing whether or not someone is truly a hero. Beowulf does show the ability of a hero. Like you said, his feats or strength, agility, and endurance prove to be too much for a hell-spawned beast full of resentment. Smells like a hero to me. BUT, when one considers how very arrogant he is, it becomes difficult to adore him like one would adore a Superman or a Batman. I see Beowulf as more of a champion; he's more concerned with his standing in the world than he is with saving the Danes. When he first meets them, he proclaims that he'll take Grendel on solo, using only his hands. If I were a Dane, and the future of my society depended on someone, I'd want them to be armed! I mean damn, Beowulf! You better use everything you have! Beowulf's attitude is less of a hero and more of a collector of trophies. Yes, he wants to save the Danes, but only so they can remember him.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to examine the subject's intentions and motives when discussing whether or not someone is truly a hero. Beowulf does show the ability of a hero. Like you said, his feats or strength, agility, and endurance prove to be too much for a hell-spawned beast full of resentment. Smells like a hero to me. BUT, when one considers how very arrogant he is, it becomes difficult to adore him like one would adore a Superman or a Batman. I see Beowulf as more of a champion; he's more concerned with his standing in the world than he is with saving the Danes. When he first meets them, he proclaims that he'll take Grendel on solo, using only his hands. If I were a Dane, and the future of my society depended on someone, I'd want them to be armed! I mean damn, Beowulf! You better use everything you have! Beowulf's attitude is less of a hero and more of a collector of trophies. Yes, he wants to save the Danes, but only so they can remember him.
ReplyDelete