Beowulf

The story of Beowulf is very inspiring. The themes used for this story are still relevant I enjoyed hearing how Beowulf was going to defeat his nemeses. Although the story had many positive aspects there were also some negative parts as well. Beowulf was an honest, courageous man. I thought his character was someone to admire. In the story Beowulf says he will not use any weapons to fight his nemeses. I found it exciting to see how he was going to beat these terrible enemies. "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..." Another part of the story that I found to be interesting is the historical background because this story is so old. Even though the story has aged it is still relatable. The theme of the story is courage. I think this is very important because Beowulf becomes King. I think Beowulf's courage along with the fact that he believed in himself were what made him a successful leader. My favorite part of the story is when Beowulf is having a ceremony in his honor. To me this part was good because everyone seemed so joyful and proud of Beowulf. Beowulf was boasting about all of his marvelous achievement. It did not seem like bragging. This is because he had a lot to be proud of. On the other hand there were parts of the story I did not like. Beowulf was written a very long time ago, which makes it hard to understand. The language during that time period was very different and I also did not like the way all of the character names sounded so similar such as Hrothgar, Hygelac, and Hrothulf. My least favorite part of the book is when they take a severed arm off of Grendel and hung it on the wall. I thought that was gross. I thought the story was more about helping people. Not about having trophies of violence. Over all I thought the story had a good message. The main character was strong and dignified. I also felt that the heroism in the story was inspiring. I would recommend this story to an older audience because I think it is at an advanced reading level.
Beowulf relates to the Anglo-Saxon lifestyle in many ways. Having a prestigious family was very important during the Anglo Saxon time period. In the Anglo-Saxon’s culture the attributes of a hero were to be bold, strong, fearless, loyal and displaying no pain. Beowulf’s faith and confidence in him as a warrior in the society are other important factors in Beowulf’s heroism. Beowulf demonstrated how bold he was. When he fights the dragon and Grendel and Grendel's mother with out thinking twice. He was bold by doing this because he was especially old when he fought the dragon. Beowulf fought to the death and fought for his people.
Beowulf was also loyal. He fought for his people and was their King. He fought for them fearlessly. Anybody who would fight until their death for their people is very loyal. Beowulf was also a hero. People looked up to him and celebrated him. People looked up to his wealth and were joyous towards his victories. Proving his loyalty, he gave the dragon’s treasure to the people of Herot so that his memory will still be there after he died.
Beowulf's death was very heroic. He died fighting for his people, which was very noble. His people respected him due to the fact in which he would do anything do defend them.
Beowulf did relate to our modern day super heroes. He closely resembled superman. This is because of how powerful and well known they both were/are to there time periods. Both "super heroes" helped to save the people and everyone loved them.
Beowulf did not relate in some ways. The way that he was so boastful towards his victories is unlike our modern super heroes. For instance when he was at his ceremony dinner he bragged about all of his victories the entire night. Also Beowulf started out successful he never really went through any times of being poor, have any weird science go wrong on him like current heroes such as Spiderman or Clef the Boy Chin Wonder. He also gave his glory to God which a lot of modern super heroes do not.
Beowulf's death was very heroic. He killed a dragon but ended up being killed himself. He died saving his people, which is quite respectable. Beowulf's heroism is demonstrated when he takes 14 of the bravest in his land to go help Hrothgar. He could have lost all of these men but instead he chose to so the brave thing and do what he had promised.
Over all, I felt Beowulf was a powerful man. He made many contributions to his people and to society. His death struck people terribly. Although I believe even though it was courageous Beowulf was showing off a little bit by trying to beat such a powerful creature when he was so old! "Let me live in greatness...and courage," he says, "or here in this hall welcome...my death."