Beowulf Essay

It's in All of Us 

We identify a hero by bravery, courage, and confidence. And sure, we all want to be heroic, but there’s something in our heads that tells us we cant. The story of Beowulf exemplified the meaning of a hero. The basis of challenges faced in Beowulf, fate, god, and human action outlined for generations the same story of heroic proportions. Within the last couple years specifically, there have been countless heroic tales depicting the same plot of that of Beowulf. In the latest X-men film, the characters undergo the same challenges Beowulf fought. In addition, the extremely popular Hungar Games trilogy features a character modeling yet again Beowulf’s character and a vastly similar plot; except the story is focused through a feminist lens. Both stories plots, characters, and literary devices derived from the original heroic story of Beowulf. Beowulf was above it’s time in the sense that it successfully created a relatable story of what we all strive to be: a Hero.

            All good heroes answer the call to adventure. Beowulf certainly did. But his demeanor raises the question: was his character considered cocky or confident? This is a hard balance to find. Wolverine of the X-men raises the same question. Bad tempered, assertive, and aggressive traits are a match between the two. In Beowulf, he stated he would fight without armor. This was indeed courageous. But this confidence could be viewed as a flaw of arrogance. Wolverine’s arrogance is revealed through out all the X-men’s work, but in the latest movie he volunteers to be the hero of the story while the rest live in fear. No matter which way you view their confidence, either a positive to take action, or a flaw to their defeat, a hero could never conquer if he feared death and did nothing. Both Wolverine and Beowulf display the importance of human action as heroic characters.

             We often look to others, skipping over ourselves when we are in need of a hero. Katnis Everdeen is a teenage girl thrown into a battlefield fighting for her life. Along the way, she not only learns and grows, but she becomes a true hero. She gave people one of life’s biggest gifts of all. She gave people something to believe in. She became a symbol of perseverance and to not live in fear. Another important factor to the Hungar games, is that the stories are told through the eyes of a strong independent female character. She is viewed as inferior to equality being a woman, but surpasses all doubt. Beowulf exposed the opposite. When Beowulf went to battle, his men deserted him out of fear and left him isolated on his own. Katnis illustrates the heroic quality of fate and fight for what you believe in. While Beowulf demonstrates to take a stand, even if your standing alone.