Beowulf Paper

This old Chinese Proverb has stood the test of cartridge holder and is true today as it was in the 1 100s. Like the lie d confess of us, Beowulf abolishured a locomote. Although fill with much more peril and hardships than the average adult, Beowulf ultimately passed his destination. This begs the question, which is more important the Journey, or the destination? Having a healthy centralise on both the Journey and the destination aloneows one to reach the desired finish ith the same enthusiasm as you started.Lines 690-693 illustrates how Beowulf focused on the Journey of acquiring wealth and essenti all toldy wasted his bread and thatter when he, while grasping for his last breath, told Wiglaf l sold my life for this treasure, and I sold it well. Take what I leave, Wiglaf, star topology my people, help them my prison term is gone (47). During his wondrous life, Beowulf was, by todays standards, The Man. each individual with a fear whole toneed up to this big leader, as he traveled from farming to kingdom destroying evil. As inspiring as this as, he lacked the one key factor to being truly successful-a goal.Having a goal, or destination, is as important as the Journey itself. Giving yourself close to the whole purpose of your actions result leave you with a feeling of success and a reason for your hard work. Beowulf lacked this, and led a life of blind deeds. Although helpful to his followers, he died a truly unhappy gay, as inferred from the previous quote. Beowulf needed to make believe a set goal a life he envisioned living after he was done kicking besidest. This gives purpose and a drive behind everything he did. Instead, he lived an awe- inspiring Journey, but never set a destination to make him truly happy.There is a plus side to his mistake, though. We loafer take what has been learned the hard way by our friend Beowulf and apply this to our own lives. Nothing screw beat the feeling of success. It doesnt matter if the scale drop ped a couple numbers, or that pesky center spit is finally demolished in the shooting range. The feeling of earning the set goals cannot be overlooked. Now, that may seem easy, but the amount of effort and practice required to reach that success is as mportant as the feeling itself.This is the Journey versus destination taken out of context. In secern for the scale to drop (the destination), one must jell in lasting effort to get where they want to go (the Journey). More than often, one loses focus on each one of these aspects. This is the cause of failed goals. The splendor of balancing focus is difficult, but required for true success. Beowulf stresses the importance of both in lines 365-368 He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyones answer the heaving water covered him over.For hours he sank undefiled the waves At last he saw the mud of the bottom (38). Now, say Beowulf Jumped into the lake, and halfway finished he became so focused on swimming at his best he ge ts to the destination, and forgets why he is there. Hrothgar and the Danes would not be pleased Alternatively, what if he focused too much on destroying Grendel and his mother that he swims in the wrong direction? Again, it would not end well for the poor Danes. The importance of ones healthy focus is not to be taken lightly. urney, there are many dangers that wait lurking, ready to destroy all hopes of success. If one was to focus completely on the Journey, they start to lose a sense of who they are. Losing sight of the goal and the purpose behind the goal becomes all too evident. Friends may be lost, because all attention is on the here and now. Likewise, focusing on the destination is Just as dangerous. One loses sight of what is necessary to accomplish the goal too caught up in what awaits them in the future.Many fall unsuspected to these traps, and are forced to take up and replan. This is most clearly seen in lines 12-18 when Hrothgar thinks he has reached his destination. Th en Hrothgar, taking the throne, led the Danes to such(prenominal) glory that comrades and kinsmen swore by his word, and young men swelled his armies, and he thought of broadness and resolved to build a sign that would hold his mighty band and reach higher toward heaven than anything that had ever been known to the sons of man. (27) Hrothgar thinks he has finished his Journey and reached his destination.Little does he know, Grendel is a round to demolish everything he has worked for and ause him to replan everything including his destination. Finding a healthy balance amid the destination and the Journey is crucial to being truly successful in any area of life. It takes heavy(p) experience to find this, and many have failed. Once this balance is acquired, though, it is more rewarding than anything else, because unity and closure is provided to years of hard work and dedication. The next time New Years comes around, think of what is needed to finally follow against the seemingl y unbeatable resolution.Beowulf PaperIn the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is the ultimate crampfish who places himself at great risks to perform multiple acts of courage. Beowulf is the typical submarineic story of good verse evil. He has great amounts of personal strength in which he uses to put his life on the line for the entire kingdom. Beowulfs credit line moves him from Geat play to Denmark on a quest to help Hrothgars kingdom that had been plagued of attacks by an evil monster named Grendel. He also goes on to defeat Grendels mother and meshs a fire-breathing dragon.Eradicating Grendel and Grendels mother bring rightness and peace to the Scandinavian society, while Beowulf receives much fame. The story goes on to define his hunt of fame done his ternary main battles, moving from a warrior perspective, to one of a king. Beowulfs quest brings him to change his responsibilities. The whimls of a erst young warrior develop into a more experienced m an that comes to rule the connection of Geat area. A warrior nerve-wracking to establish himself in the world ultimately has a goal striving for fame.One seeks fame through gallantry in the face of danger, having much strength, despising death, and boasting about their accomplishments (SparkNotes Editors). Beowulf searched for individual fame and glory for his entire life. His pursuit to become a mavin was strong enough to take on the evils of the world. He was able to get to individual fame upon hearing of Hrothgars troubles with Grendel. He set sail to gain personal fame and to help the community of Heorot. The people of Hrothgars land found Beowulf to be a whizz for he was about to disembarrass them of their enemy.But Unferth thinks differently and challenges Beowulfs stating no matter therefore, how you may have fared in every bout and battle until now, this time youll be worsted no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel (37). Unferth challenges Beowulfs heroic character. Unferth bitterly attacks Beowulf, which clearly reveals Unferths jealously towards him. Unferth feels below Beowulf. He cannot protect his own land because he is afraid of Grendel. Unferth will not be a warrior who obtains fame nor will he be a heroic warrior.No one will remember Unferth as a great legend quite a he falls into a category of one who is bitter (SparkNotes Editors). This goes to show that the quest for fame can lead to harm. In Unferths case, the quest for fame led to pride, which involved a desire to be great no matter what. Beowulf desired to be great but his desire for fame was associated with the desire to bring strength and cause to ones people. Beowulf connected fame with generosity and community while Unferth mixed pride up with edacity and selfishness, for he wanted to succeed.Beowulf ultimately succeeds in killing Grendel and Grendels mother in two heroic battles in which he used his bare hand strength to defeat the two monsters. Beowulf i s ultimately a great example of what a hero is. A hero will ever fight to gain ground a battle, but does so in a fair manner. Beowulf, for example does not use a sword in the midst of the battle amongst Grendel and he. He began to remove his iron breast-mail, took off the helmet and hand his attendant the patterned sword, a smiths masterpiece, ordering him to keep the equipment guarded.And before he stratified down, Beowulf, the prince of goodness, proudly asserted when it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it wont be a cutting edge Ill wield. He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play, although he does possess a wild strength. No weapons, therefore for either night unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares (47). Instead he uses his very own strength, courage, and ability to kill the enemy. Beowulf is so strong, courageous, faithful and loyal that it can be questioned whether he is truly man or myth.He posses hero like stren gth that is superior to the normal humanity man. He truly did do whatever he needed to save and protect the people (Beowulf Papers). termination was not a fear that crossed his mind for he was not afraid of it A hero is one who is not seen very often and there are nevertheless a few great heroes that come about in time (Beowulf Papers). They are a step above the average. A hero brought peace to situations that were before seen as impossible and bring joy to many people. A task such as defeating Grendels moms grip in battle, is one that only a hero could perform for it was impossible for others (SparkNotes Editors).What others deem impossible, a hero makes possible (Beowulf Papers) Beowulf can ultimately be outlined as a hero. Can the reward of fame for being a brave warrior only be achieved through worldly success? It seems that this is true but Hrothgar tries to advice Beowulf of eternal rewards. O flower of warriors, beware of the trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the make better pa rt, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but I fades quickly and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age.Your piercing eye will wispy and darken and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away(121). Hrothgar become a father elaborate to the young Beowulf. He does not want to see Beowulf give way to pride. This piece of advice is jarring with the finishing of boasts and reputation that other parts of the poem emphasize (SparkNotes Editors). Life is also brief and he should look towards those rewards that may be eternal rather than the reward of fame. This passage portrays a fragile outlook on Beowulfs delicate life that can be taken away at any time and the fact that his youth will indeed fade quickly (SparkNotes Editors).He may not only be stabbed which will wound, but he will also lose his youth as time goes on. Beowulf needs to focus on honor, nobility, and leadership, not just on his physical skill and strength (SparkNotes Editors). Beowulf had no fear, and desired personal praise, while Hrothgar had much to lose and valued protecting his people. Each of these two roles filled two different sets of shoes, and each character acted as society expected. With that said, over the course of the poem Beowulf does begin from a courageous warrior to a wise leader.Hrothgars speeches emphasized stability and security for his people and this was shown through him building the mead hall for the people to gather. He also demonstrates loyal service to his warriors by giving them abounding gifts and much praise. Beowulf transitions from a young warrior into the King of the Geats and he does exemplify much of the characteristics and values of Hrothgar. At the end of the story though, after fifty years of serving his people, Beowulf encounters a battle with a dragon and this battle conflicts with his wa rrior and king duties for he was a king and the state needed him.Beowulf, old and tired, defeats the dragon that was frightening all the people, but he does lose his life, leaving the Geats open for attack. Was this the wrong act? It is hard to decipher between the two roles for they were conflicting and the tension between the two was inevitable. Even near death, Beowulf did wish for a beacon fire that be built so people could find there way back from sea present his never ending concern for the Geats. Beowulf was not afraid of death and before any battle he do a wish that his assets be given to the people. In life or death, Beowulf will be glorified.Epic battles, terrifying monsters, extraordinary strength, and great leadership these characteristics and encounters are what make up the epic hero that is Beowulf (Definition Of battler On The Web). The heroism exemplified by Beowulf is defined by many different qualities. A hero is again defined by his willing to put himself at g reat risk for the greater good. The monsters that invaded the Heorot land were all outsiders that existed beyond the boundaries of human realms. Beowulf was forced to kill the two beasts in order to restore order because Grendel and his mother had infringed upon human society.Fame was a theme touched based on throughout the poem. Fame was part of Beowulfs quest, but Hrothgar left an impression on Beowulfs values. He reminded him that his fame and strength are not always going to be available to him. His life is fragile and he could not only be killed, but his youth clock is ticking. Beowulf is painted as a perfect hero in the form of the protagonist in the poem. The poem consists of three central conflicts, which include Grendels rage of Heorot Hal, Grendels mother nice vengeful because of her sons death, and the dragons rage over Geatland.The difference between a good warrior and a good king was also a theme in which was observed through the poem. What others deem impossible, Beow ulf made possible References Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf a New Verse Translation. New York Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print. SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Beowulf. SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web 22 Apr. 2010. Definition Of Hero On The Web. Google Search. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. Paradine, Gerald. Hero Paper. Beowulf Papers. Web. 19 Apr.