Essay on Beowulf The Ultimate Hero - 1705 Words

A hero is one who places himself or herself at risk for another by performing great deeds of courage. In the epic poem Beowulf, the character of Beowulf is clearly a hero. Not only is Beowulf a hero because of his physical strength, but he also gives the glory to God. Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life on the line for an entire kingdom. Beowulfs heroism can be seen when he takes 14 of the bravest in his land to go help Hrothgar. Hrothgar was Beowulfs fathers close friend who had been plagued by attacks for twelve years that threatened an entire kingdom.†¦show more content†¦I do not consider myself a lesser fighter than Grendel does himself; therefore I will not kill him with a sword, and deprive him of life in that way....No: this night we two will abstain from swords... (19-20) That night, even after hearing of all of Beowulfs heroic defeats, the warriors still feel that no man on earth will be able to stand up to the evil Grendel carries. Beowulf will either defeat Grendel or die in the process. Let me live in greatness...and courage, he says, or here in this hall welcome...my death. Beowulf awaits the arrival of Grendel then goes on to defeat him and sends him back to the fen to die. Hrothgars speech to Beowulf is more than an expression of thanks. For he states: Let me take you to my heart and make you my son too... When a heroic deed is done such as Beowulf has done, it is common practice for them to accept you into their family. Once again, the influence of Christianity shows in Hrothgars speech to Beowulf. It was the Almighty who sent Beowulf and it was with the Lords help that Beowulf was able to defeat Grendel. Hrothgar wants to make it known throughout the world that Beowulf is the strongest manShow MoreRelatedBeowulf As An Ultimate Hero933 Words   |  4 PagesEmon Nguyen Mrs. Hunter English 12 19 September 2017 Beowulf: the archetypal (ultimate) hero Archetypal heroes are found in many literary works, and in varied forms. In literary terms, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is defined as a character that goes against adversity, has great strength, courage, bravery, and who makes unselfish sacrifices, usually for the greater good. The Collins English Dictionary defines â€Å"archetypal† as a perfect example of something. Archetypes in literature was firstRead MoreExamples Of The Epic Hero Of Beowulf846 Words   |  4 PagesThe Ultimate Hero What does it take for one to be considered an epic hero? According to dictionary.com, â€Å"an epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events.† The unknown author, an Anglo-Saxon poet, of the epic poem Beowulf reveals that Beowulf was easily the most legendary hero of all time. In this heroic poem, Beowulf accomplishes many great achievements and is affected by a handful of great events. Beowulf is the grandestRead MoreThe Characteristics Of A Hero In The Epic Of Beowulf746 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf Essay A hero in the modern world is hard to define and in some places even harder to find. Stories such as Beowulf are continually told in order to help define what a hero should / could be. Heroes in these stories possess traits such as bravery, great strength, or great cunning. However, while a true hero needs some of these traits they don’t define that person as a hero. What defines someone as a hero is daring to go and do what ordinary men wouldn’t in order to save innocent lives, knowingRead MoreThe Hero’S Quest Is Commonly Divided Into Three Groups:1273 Words   |  6 Pages and the Return. Each group has its own steps that a typical epic poem’s hero would follow on his quest. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the unknown author uses several steps of the Hero’s Quest to make Beowulf seem like a typical epic hero that follows the Hero’s Quest. The first step of the Departure is the Call to Adventure; this is the point in the hero’s life when he is informed that he will have to go on a quest. Beowulf experienced The Call to Adventure when heard of Grendel’s attacks on HeorotRead MoreEssay on Good and Evil in Beowulf1042 Words   |  5 PagesThe story of Beowulf was probably composed in England sometime in the Eighth Century AD, and written down circa 1000 AD, by a literate scop (bard) or perhaps a Christian scribe who was possibly educated in a monastery. The poem was created in oral tradition and was transferred to writing over time. It had its roots in folk tales and traditional stories until some very talented poet put it in something very near to its current form. The poem was more than likely performed for audiences at courtRead MoreThe Hero’S Quest. The Hero’S Quest Is Commonly Divided1248 Words   |  5 Pages and the Return. Each group has its own steps that a typical epic poemâ€℠¢s hero would follow on his quest. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the unknown author uses several steps of the Hero’s Quest to make Beowulf seem like a typical epic hero that follows the Hero’s Quest. The first step of the Departure is the Call to Adventure; this is the point in the hero’s life when he is informed that he will have to go on a quest. Beowulf experienced The Call to Adventure when heard of Grendel’s attacks on HeorotRead MoreBeowulf As A Heros Journey1624 Words   |  7 PagesFor Beowulf to retain its relevance after a journey from single surviving manuscript to famous epic poem, one can assume its star role is filled by a character extraordinary. The poem’s hero, Beowulf, strikingly resembles many renown principal characters. It would be an uphill battle arguing against him joining the likes of Hercules, Jesus Christ, and many more in their ÃÅ"bermensch status. Based on his words and actions, it is painstakingly clear that Beowulf is an archetypal hero; someone who sharesRead MoreBeowulf And The Heros Journey Analysis740 Words   |  3 PagesJourney. The Belly of the Whale, which usually occurs during the hero’s departure, happens muc h later in both Beowulf and Spider-Man. In Beowulf, that part is represented in the scene when he is in the lake fighting Grendel’s mother. â€Å"Squatting with her weight on his stomach, [Grendel’s Mother] drew / a dagger, brown with dried blood, and prepared / to avenge her only son. But [Beowulf] was stretched / on his back, and her stabbing blade was blunted / by the woven mail shirt he wore on his chestRead MoreThe Ideal Hero in Beowulf1090 Words   |  5 Pageswhether or not Beowulf is an ideal hero, one would have to understand the definition of an ideal hero, and then the decision and whether he has any flaws within this understanding can be made. Beowulf identifies many traits to allow the reader to make his own assumption on this epic poem. According to the dictionary, â€Å"a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities† (dictionary.com?) is the proper guideline to determine if a character is an ideal her o or not. Read More Beowulf: A Hero Essay782 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf: A Hero Beowulf is a hero during the Middle Ages because of his generosity, strength, power, and courage. A hero is one who places himself or herself at great risk while performing acts of courage. Beowulf is a hero that put his life on the line for an entire kingdom. He has heroic and superhuman qualities. He must prove his worthiness of a superior warrior. He is recognized for his strengths and power of protecting his people. Beowulf is faced with three forces to fight, Grendel (a monster)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essays - 691 Words

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs. His journey to find the Green Chapel where he expects to†¦show more content†¦Any other knight would have run off or given up hope. However, Sir Gawain,true to his heroic nature, faces the slings and arrows of danger head on with a courageous heart. Some may have turned saying I could not find the Green Chapel or the path there cannot be tread upon. Gawain makes up no excuses and charges ahead. Gawain does not only face threats from physical beings, but from the heavens themselves. Adding to Gawains perilous situation is the weather. The wailing wind, freezing temperatures and ice makes his journey almost unbearable. The poet compares them: and if the wars were unwelcome, the winter was worse.. (726). If Gawains battles with various creatures are horrible, the weather made his journey more difficult. Even the birds who are equipped with the right amount of plumage: many birds unblithe upon bare twigs that peeped most piteously for pain of the cold (743). Even natures creatures who are used to dwelling among the elements were freezing, so one can imagine the effect it had on our noble knight. Through all these perils and dire situations, Gawain never loses sight of his nobility and reverence for God. Gawains trials and hardships many would have begged God for relief and shelter. Many tears would be shed, beseeching God to change the circumstances in their favor. However, Gawain asks for nothing of the sort. He asks God and Mary merely for a place to hear and participate in ChristmanShow MoreRelatedSir Gawain And The Green Knight1359 Words   |  6 PagesIn the poem â€Å"Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,† a protagonist emerges depicting an Arthurian knight named Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, takes initiative by accepting the challenge requested by the Green Knight in place of his uncle. He undergoes a perilous adventure, seeking for the Green Knight to receive the final blow. Although Sir Gawain is not viewed as a hero for his military accomplishments, he is, however, viewed as a heroic figure by the Knights at the Round Table for hisRead Mor eSir Gawain And The Green Knight862 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author referred to as the â€Å"Pearl Poet,† we are introduced to Sir Gawain. Gawain is a knight of the Round Table and he is also the nephew of King Arthur. As a knight, Gawain is expected to possess and abide by many chivalrous facets. Throughout the poem he portrays many of the qualities a knight should possess, such as bravery, courtesy, and honor among others. Because of his ability to possess these virtues even when tempted to stray away from themRead MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight compares a super natural creature to nature. The mystery of the poem is ironic to the anonymous author. The story dates back into the fourteenth century, but no one knows who originally wrote the poem. This unknown author explains in the poem of Sir Gawain not knowing of the location of the Green Chapel and or who the Green Knight really is. This keeps the reader entertained with the suspicion of not knowing. The author then does not give his name orRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight contains ambiguity and irony that make it interesting to read and teach. Gawain’s conflict arose when he accepted the girdle that could protect him and when he lied to his host, severing fellowship with the lord for courtesy with the lady. By utilizing a social reconstructionist philosophy of teaching that emphasizes personal beliefs and ethics, a teacher will help the students establish their identities and learn to appreciate classic literature. Sir Gawain and theRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1514 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem written in the mid to late fourteenth century by an unknown author. Throughout the tale, Sir Gawain, a Knight at the Round Table in Camelot, is presented with many hardships, the first being a challenge on Christmas by a man in which, â€Å"Everything about him was an elegant green† (161). This â€Å"Green Knight† challenged someone in Camelot to accept his game which they will chop off his head with his axe and the Green Knight will do the same to the playerRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1335 Words   |  6 PagesSir Gawain: The Ironic Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of the utmost irony in which Sir Gawain, the most loyal and courteous of all of King Arthur’s knights, fails utterly to be loyal and courteous to his king, his host, his vows, and his God. In each case, Sir Gawain not only fails to perform well, but performs particularly poorly, especially in the case of his relationship with God. Ultimately, Sir Gawain chooses magic over faith, and by doing so, shows his ironic nature as aRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight906 Words   |  4 Pagesusually the latter. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we see Sir Bertilak go off to hunt three very specific animals as a game with Sir Gawain. They agree that â€Å"what ever [Bertilak catches] in the wood shall become [Sir Gawain’s], and what ever mishap comes [Sir Gawain’s] way will be given to [Bertilak] in exchange.† (Sir Gawain†¦, ln 1105-1007). In this deal we slowly see Gawain loose his honor as paralleled with Sir B ertilak’s hunt. The first animal that is hunted by the knight is a deer, while thisRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1521 Words   |  7 PagesFall 16 Donnelly Many years ago, knights were expected to form a certain type of relationship with their king, this relationship was otherwise known as fealty. Fealty is a knight’s sworn loyalty to their king (in other words a loyal relationship should be formed between the two). The use of this relationship is shown in the poem called â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† ( the author is unknown). This poem has a classic quest type of formula, with a knight receiving a challenge and then going outRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1455 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, for Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight temptation existed around every corner while he was playing the game of the Green Knight. Temptation existed every day and each day it existed in a new way. Gawain never knew what was coming his way throughout the grand scheme of the game, but one thing was for certain he was being tested. Without his reliance religious faith and dedication to his reputation, Gawain wo uld not have been able to make it through the game of the Green Knight alive andRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesBoth Sir Gawain, from â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† translated by Marie Borroff, and Beowulf, from Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, serve as heroes in different times of Medieval English Literature. Many of the basic principles that describe heroes in Medieval Literature are seen in both of these characters even though they were written in different times. There are distinct similarities, differences, and also a progression of what the hero was in English literature, between Sir Gawain and

Sor Juana Free Essays

Writing Assignment Maria Zuniga Book ReportDecember 9, 2005 Corrections â€Å"Sor Juana† is a biography of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz written by Octavio Paz and translated by Margaret Sayers Peden. It is a book of 470 pages divided in six parts that besides Sor Juana’s life and work, explain the difficulties of the time for an intellectual woman. It was published by The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1988. We will write a custom essay sample on Sor Juana or any similar topic only for you Order Now Reading this book gave me the best opportunity to know more about someone that although has been very influential in my entire life, I didn’t know all her history.My admiration and respect for Sor Juana started since I was a child and one of my sisters used to read her poems. Through my literature classes I knew a little more about her and the admiration and respect continued growing. Sor Juana became for me a stereotype of intellect, power, femininity, persistence and freedom combined with the devotion to God. Her story makes me learn to follow my dreams, to be ambitious, and over all to never ever give up. Juana Ines de la Cruz was born in Mexico in 1648. She grew up in the Panayan Hacienda, which was run for her mother for more than thirty years although she never learned to read.Sor Juana started to take lessons at age or three. During a long period of her childhood, she didn’t eat cheese because â€Å"It made one slow-witted,† and â€Å"Desire for learning was stronger than the desire for eating. † By the time she was six or seven, she knew how to read and write. As she couldn’t go to the university (because she was a woman), she studied and read by herself. She used to cut-off several inches of her hair (when hair was considered one of the most important female features), as a challenge for new learning â€Å"A head shouldn’t be adorned with hair and naked of learning† If she didn’t meet the goal, then she cut it again.Sor Juana was sent to Mexico City when she was eight to live with her grandfather, who had one of the biggest libraries of those times. By age 15, as one of the most learned women in Mexico, she was presented at court with the Viceroy and his wife (maximum authorities in Mexico). As a lady-in waiting, Juana Ines would become known at court for her wit and beauty as well as for her erudite intelligence. To ascertain the extent of her learning, the Marquise gathered together some of the most astute minds of the day, poets, historians, theologians, philosophers, and mathematicians.Juana Ines answered the questions and arguments directed at her, impressing them all with her mental prowess. At age 20 she entered the Convent of San Jeronimo, known for the mildness of its discipline. The convent was not a ladder toward God but a refuge for a woman who found herself alone in the world. She lived in a two-storey cell where she read insatiably and amassed an impressive library while pursuing her writing and intellectual pursuits. She brought the elegance of the court with her by transforming the convent locutory into an intellectual salon.The next Viceroy, the Marquis de La Laguna and the Marquise Maria Luisa, the Countess de Pareda, were among the court society and literary devotees who came to talk and debate with Sor Juana. Sor Juana wrote sacred poems and erotic love poems, vocal music, villancicos performed in the cathedral, plays, secular comedies, and some of the most significant documents in the history of feminism and philosophical literature. Her use of language, though characterized by the Baroque style, has a modern essence.Her public face reveals the impiousness of an undaunted spirit who appears, not as a nun, but as an independent woman. One of Sor Juana’s archetypes was Isis, Egyptian goodness inventor of writing, a symbol of intellect. She also identified herself with maidens of antiquity, poetically divinely inspired to produce poems and prophecies thinking â€Å"There were not enou gh punishment or reprimands to prevent me from reading. † The life and work of Sor Juana lines can be summed as: knowledge is a transgression committed by a solitary hero who then is punished.Not the glory of knowledge (denied to mortals) but the glory of the act of knowing. Sor Juana was a pivotal figure who lived at a unique point in history bound by two opposing world views: one the closed universe of Ptolemy and of the Inquisition, which still held sway in Mexico/New Spain; the other characterized by the new science of Copernicus, Newton, and Galileo. On her monumental philosophical poem Primer sueno/First Dream the soul is pictured as intellect, not a religious pilgrim. At the height of the journey, at the fullest understanding reason can attain, there was no vision.Instead, the soul drew back at the immensity of the universe and foundered in confusion. In 1690, requested by the Bishop, Sor Juana wrote her only theological criticism, which she insisted not for public view. However, the Bishop published and censured it with an imaginary name of â€Å"Sor Philotea. † In defiant response, Sor Juana wrote â€Å"La Respuesta de la poetisa a la muy ilustre Sor Philotea de la Cruz,† a feminist manifesto defending women’s right to be educated and pursue learning, citing over 40 women who had made significant contributions throughout history.This work ignited the church’s wrath. In a climate of intimidation and fear Sor Juana signed â€Å"Protesta que rubricada con su sangre, hizo de su fe y amor a Dios† a statement of self-condemnation in bloodShe renewed her vows and surrendered her musical and scientific instruments, as well as her library of 4,000 volumes, considered at that time to be the largest in Mexico. Two years of silence and penance followed. Then in 1695, while ministering to nuns struck by an epidemic, she herself succumbed and died.Sor Juana has been an inspirational model to follow through all the situations t hat she faced. She succeeded in a world that was completely against her. The lack of father, which was almost a crime in that time, the lack of freedom to study, to talk, even to think, and over all the prohibition to be herself were some of her obstacles. Every time I am facing an obstacle, I just recall her story and imagine the innumerable sacrifices she had made to get the freedom of learning.After reading her story, I see the world in a different way. Now I know that all those small decisions that I take every day, such as the cloth I wear, what to eat, to read, what to say, and even what to feel are privileges granted for marvelous people like Sor Juan Ines de la Cruz. I also know that all those people had to pay a high price for these privileges; some of them pay with their lives. I feel not just impressed, but grateful to Sor Juana, her cultural heredity, and woman’s worth. How to cite Sor Juana, Papers