Monday, October 8, 2012

Beowulf: looking at the hero

*if you responded to the last blog post, I commented on your post, so go take a look at your comments!

How does Beowulf characterize a hero thus far? Consider what you've learned about the qualities of a hero (specifically an Anglo-Saxon hero) in class. What do you think of Beowulf? Think critically here... don't just go with the easy, go-to answer!

I'm not setting a length requirement on this. However, your grade will reflect your thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

This blog is due no later than 8am Tuesday, October 9.

15 comments:

  1. So far Beowulf shows his heroic qualities in two ways: physically and integrity.
    Firstly, it’s no secret that Beowulf is a very physically powerful individual. He is known throughout the land for his heroism in the ocean fighting the sea monsters. Beowulf embodies physically what all heroes are expected to in the Anglo-Saxon stories. He is mentally courageous; he has magnificent feats of strength with story upon story to back up the claims. He is also mentally aware and intelligent which also is a must for Anglo-Saxon hero as well as most heroes in general. Beowulf also embodies a hero through his moral integrity. However, Beowulf is somewhat prideful and arrogant, isn’t that a flaw? According to Germanic heroic code, pride, is often accepted and appropriate and with all the incredible feats Beowulf has accomplished, his arrogance and pride is actually a positive quality at the moment. Beowulf’s pride allows him to be courageous and dare to do things others wouldn’t (this might foreshadow his downfall though as well, so we shall see). Loyalty, respect, and courtesy are a must for Anglo-Saxon heroes and Beowulf embodies each perfectly. He has a strong personality so far, it is paying off. So with both physically powerful and moral integrity, Beowulf embodies the perfect hero and an even more perfect Anglo-Saxon hero.

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  2. Beowulf is a beast. He is known across the land as a fear-less, sea monster slaying warrior. Then he proves his courage by fighting and killing Grendel. A hero is usually a legend or mythological being endowed with great strength or ability. Beowulf thus far, has hinted from the townspeople of his great strength and magnificent bravery killing sea monsters. Although, Beowulf proves himself a hero the instant he slays Grendel and protect the rest of the land’s people from Grendel’s existence.

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  3. As of yet, Beowulf embodies and far surpasses the stereotypical modern-day hero, as well as the almost god-like character an Anglo-Saxon would revere as a hero. Now consider that the definition of hero is "A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal." (dictionary.reference.com) Beowulf has managed in only 1009 lines of poetry (as of yet) to completely fulfill this definition of a modern-day hero. Consider how Beowulf has sacrificed his time in order to aide a Danish king, left his far away home, risked his life by vowing to destroy Grendel, and of course by avenging the blood shed by Grendel's hand. By defeating this demon-monster who has shed innocent blood for twelve years, most anyone would declare Beowulf to be a hero. Now on Anglo-Saxon terms, Beowulf is the role model of their time. In the time of the Anglo-Saxons, strength, bravery, cunning, and skill at war were greatly admired and sought after traits. Beowulf perfectly embodies this mold. In fact, in line 789, it even states that "the man (Beowulf) who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life." While this may be a slight exaggeration, it is of no doubt that Beowulf was well-known for his strength. And his bravery is of no question, considering he had slayed Grendel, as well as nine sea monsters (Beowulf, line 575), and will slay Grendel's mother eventually. Even in Anglo-Saxon terms, Beowulf is likened to the Superman of the era. But of course, this does not mean that he is without faults. Beowulf is perhaps overly eager to prove his abilities, which is shown in his spontaneous leave of his home to defeat Grendel. This lack of planning and impulsiveness could lead to disaster in the future. And, of course, Beowulf is always eager to boast on his accomplishments. In today's terms, this would be a fault, but in Anglo-Saxon times, this boasting was almost a way of sharing one's resume of success to the world. So, depending on which perspective you look at it, this may or may not be a fault. But overwhelmingly, Beowulf embodies a powerful man with determination and bravery and who is in every way a hero.

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  4. Beowulf is a stud. He has the strength of thirty men in just one grip. He has conquered many beasts in order to keep the Geats safe. He has now conquered the horrific Grendel! Honestly...It's all gotten to his head. Can you blame him? He has all these awesome stories to tell--stories that inflate his ego a little bit more each time that they are told--and people listen intently. They're quick to believe that this man is truly the strongest and greatest man in the world. If i were beowulf, i would have a pretty huge ego as well. He's pretty much got everything in his favor so far--he even sent Grendel away in terror, leaving behind his arm--the wound that would eventually end his days of lurking in the shadows of the Mead-hall. As Beowulf adds more and more to his "slain list" the ego grows, i really do think that he's deserved it, and back then, that's how you earned respect. In Anglo-Saxon terms, Beowulf had no fault. He was a great warrior that was willing to put his life in danger to save others--even other nations. Maybe his intentions weren't entirely selfless, but he got the job done. And that is to be respected and praised. I would totally date Beowulf if i were back in his time. What. A. Stud.

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    1. "I would totally date Beowulf if i were back in his time. What. A. Stud."

      I'm telling Nick.

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  5. It is no secret that Beowulf is one of the greatest heroes of all time. When most people think of a hero, they think of Superman or Batman. These characters are far different then Beowulf. Beowulf is a great war hero who when called upon by other come to defeat the enemy. Now you may think that Superman and Batman do this too, but they have different powers and super high tech gadgets that assisted them. So far, we have seen one account where Beowulf has come to the rescue of a victim. One of the main hero traits that Beowulf possesses is his strength. An example of this ungodly strength can be seen during his fight with Grendel. Beowulf’s grip on Grendel’s arm caused it to come off at the shoulder. Another heroic characteristic that Beowulf has is he stays true to his word. Before the fight between Grendel and Beowulf, Beowulf loudly boasted that he would defeat his opponent. Some may view this as him being over confident or cocky, but in the end he stayed true to what he said he would do.

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  6. The anglo-saxon hero is defined by how he treats others and what he thinks of himself. The top two most common traits of any hero is strength and bravery. Beowulf had to be an extremely strong man to fight Grendel who could carry away thirty warriors at a time. He was also a very brave individual, well known across the world as a vicious and brutal hero. He actually wanted to come and fight Grendel almost as if it was a sport. Beowulf's attitude is also a heroic characteristic of him. He is described as extremely prideful and boastful. However it would be hard for a hero of that degree to be humble. Bragging about his name was a way to further share his story with others of how he defeated Grendel. But Beowulf had to be prideful in his accomplishments. If he was not, it could possibly later lead to him doubting himself so by receiving praise from the villagers, his ego was boosted. Beowulf was considered to be one of the bravest men alive at the time but he still had his faults.

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  7. Thus far, Beowulf completely embodies a hero... He slays the monster, he has incredible courage and strength, and everyone rejoices in his victories. An Anglo-Saxon hero had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous. Warriors had to be willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for their glory and people. While being all of these things, a hero must also maintain a humble composure. Beowulf successfully fills this description of a hero. He mentions that in his younger life he had great triumphs and then he heard the news of Grendel and found it hard to ignore. He believed that he could beat Grendel in a single combat and that courageousness shows that he was a great hero.

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  8. Beowulf is a hero that is willing to fight not for anything other than someone else's safety. For example, when Beowulf fought Grendel, Beowulf wasn't looking for riches- he was fighting Grendel for the safety of the country. Beowulf is not scared to fight Grendel without weapons either, and the fight shows the power of Beowulf as well. Power was an important characteristic to have, along with being fearless for Anglo-Saxons. Battles were important parts of life, and if you were good in battle, then you were powerful. But Beowulf is fearless, a great trait to have along with strength in battle. Beowulf is a great hero to be influenced by, and he fights for others, and he doesn't fear anyone, and his strength is superior to anyone else, but he doesn't misuse his strength for his own personal gain. And that is how Beowulf is a great hero.

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  9. I kind of picture Beowulf like he's the Incredible Hulk. He is super powerful. He has a power that is pretty much unmatchable. However, with great power comes great responsibility (I'm on a roll with the Marvel references. :) hehe). He is powerful and is quite prideful of it. What makes a true hero is the toughness of the person, but how they are to deal with the situation at hand. A hero should just do what he/she has to do and not be so prideful about it. However, this pride-fulness does give him the courage to go and do even more dangerous things. After all, he did kick Grendel's butt... He is a great hero though to sum it all up.

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  10. As I have been reading through Beowulf, I have been circling key words describing Beowulf and his heroic character. Some of many of these words are as follows: valiant, formidable, having great triumphs and awesome strength, strongest, daunting, dangerous in action, a prince of goodness, bold, valiant, and venturesome. I often assume that these characteristics are quite characteristic of a common hero, before assuming a hero to be anyone that demonstrates any type of benevolence to someone or something. The physically strong, brave, warrior that many of us think of as a real hero, seem to have stemmed from this Anglo-Saxon stereotype. I think that Beowulf is a very interesting character. He is definitely a strong hero, considering that he defeated Grendel without using a weapon. He appears to be doing the right thing by helping the Danes. However, he is pretty stuck up. His interior motive for defeating Grendel and completing many other great feats seems to be for his own fame and accomplishments. He goes to the extent of fighting Grendel without a sward or shield in order to make his great accomplishment greater. He says, “No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares.” For many pages in the book (29-45), Beowulf describes himself or is characterized by others, with his greatness and courage. In line 134 he comes out and clearly says that,” I was the strongest swimmer of them all.” Beowulf seems like a great hero, but I prefer a humble hero over a prideful one. However, it is very interesting to learn about this character as well as learn about the time period and culture of the story.

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  11. Beowulf up to this point has gone above and beyond what a hero is called to do. He embodies the godliness the anglo- saxons expected of a hero and he has successfully slain a monster the matter of the first fifty pages of the poem. His embodiment of a hero entails his incredible strength and ability as a fighter, all characteristics a true hero would have to have. His dedication as well to killing this monster as well, he left his own home far away to help a kingdom get free of the evil grasp of this devil that had been terrorizing them. And finally the way he defeats Grendel, he wants to fight him with his bare hands. He waits patiently till the monster is about to slay him to attack. Beowulf is the true embodiment of a hero no matter definition you use.

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  12. I think classifying Beowulf as a "hero" is an understatement. He has gone above and beyond that. Superman, for example, is your typical hero. He's strong and all, but he does not have the strength of 30 men. He did not defeat the "undefeatable" demon Grendel, and he did not finish it off by hanging the demon's arm on a wall. That, to me, screams hero. I think if it was Superman in Beowulf's shoes at that point, he would not have been able to defeat Grendel as Beowulf did. Relating Beowulf to a common-day superhero helps interprate my thoughts on Beowulf thus far. He dedicated his time and risked his life in order to help the Danish King and his people. Did Superman do that? I didn't think so..

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  13. Beowulf embodies the prototypical hero in almost every way. He is described as incredibly strong and powerful. He arrives in Denmark with a host of stories and accolades to give us a good idea on the physical attributes of this guy. He also talks the talk. He kinda just shows up and is like "Ya that undefeatable, all-powerful, vicious demon that has all of you peeing in your pants? Ya I can get rid of him for ya." And then he does. However, as we have learned, this kind of cockiness can often be the end of heros in literature. Right now I would say that Beowulf is simply very confident, but I can definitely see this developing into something more sinister. And come on Cady your example of a weaker hero is Superman? The guy has heat vision, Xray vision, unlimited strength, super hearing, super sight, and his only weakness is some rock that doesn't exist on our planet.

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  14. Hmm so what I've learned about a hero thus far: Well they are strong, unusually good swimmers, and apparently can eat and drink a lot. Wow! Well sounds to me like those Danes were people who undoubtedly valued character and humility. Or maybe just valued the adventure for the sake of the adventure. Oh and the beer. Where do I sign up? Realistically though they valued strength over mind. Who am I kidding sounds like most high school girls. ;) JUST KIDDING?

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