Family plays an integral
role in our upbringing, that was evident even in a poem as old as Beowulf. When Queen Hygd offered the
thrown to Beowulf, he refused. He knew that the rightful king should be
Heardred. Even though Beowulf served the young king until his death. In that
time, it was rightfully so that an heir was to be left. Beowulf had no heirs,
but successfully ruled as king for 50 years.
How we are perceived
by our family and friends can certainly define how we shape our lives. For me,
I know that being the middle child has guided my course of actions to a degree.
My older brother was an excellent athlete, while not the best in his academics,
he shown in the sport of golf. My youngest sibling was just that – the youngest,
thus giving him the ‘get out of jail free card’, which he used regularly. As
for me, I excelled in my academics, but I never really stepped out of my
comfort zone to do much else. My parents knew they wouldn’t have to be concerned
about me, so I always seemed to fly under the radar, if you will. I took the
course I was naturally gravitated to; graduate from high school, then go to
college. I took a few years after high school to work and explore other
options, but this surprised my family at first, as it was out of the ordinary
for me.
Both of my
parents went to four year colleges, so for me to veer from the path of righteousness,
was unheard of. Out of my siblings, I was supposed to be the one who followed
this course of action. If not I, then who else? I want to draw a vague comparison
between my situation and the one of this poem. Beowulf didn’t accept his role
as king until after the death of Heardrad. The young king was the rightful successor
to his father’s thrown. But as I previously stated, it didn’t matter that
Beowulf wasn’t the king by blood, he took on the challenge. His arrogance
aside, is it safe to say that he ran a kingdom that flourished?
I’ve never been
partial to the phrase, “following the footsteps of…” Is this to say I will do
everything I am expected to do, simply because someone before me did so? Should
I have taken the path of medicine or entrepreneurship, like my parents had? I
struggled with these internal questions in those years between high school and
my next step. I mean, what better way to further myself in a field than to use
my own last name? I would have a job right out of school if I want it, working
for my father at his company. Some are expected to do this, while others use it
out of laziness or a sheer lack of interests in other areas. I decided to make
the precarious choice to major in English. I was deterred from this decision
many, many times, from various people in my circle. Even ones who didn’t know
me that well. I adamantly denied that this was the wrong road for me to take…
which I attribute to one of my favorite quotes:
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead
where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I appreciate Annie's view of familial ties in Beowulf. Family had always been an interesting topic for me. My family is the most important thing in the world to me, but if I was asked if I was going to "follow in their footsteps", I would say no. My family has made a lot of mistakes and unfortunately they are not very happy with where they ended up in life thus far. I don't want that. I want to love life, and my job, and be proud of what I do. However, I still look up to them and use their mistakes and hardships as lessons. Despite what they've accomplished, I believe they should be proud of they've done. And despite my total dislike for Beowulf, I must admit he was honorable and touched the lives of many people. Even I admit he deserves to be proud.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, you touched on the idea of doing what is expected rather than what one feels is the right path for him/her, which I think is an interesting thought in the context of Beowulf - does Beowulf take the actions that he does because he believe it is expected of him or because he feels that it is what right for him? If he made the choices because it felt right rather than expected, would that change our view of him?
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