Beowulf a Perfect Hero?

In "The Hero and the Theme," George Clark quotes Kathryn Hume stating, "We know too little of his everyday humanity, his normal human feelings, to be able to see him as an extension of ourselves." I agree with this statement, Beowulf is not a perfect hero. He is far from it actually, his power is exaggerated and his actions are too absurd that he is not at all relatable to a reader. Beowulf goes from one epic battle to the next, from Grendel, to Grendel's mother, to the dragon. There is never a time where Beowulf is not battling some fiendish monstor. Every "hero" in literature accomplishes great feats against monstrous foes, but not all the time. The time in between those battles is what makes the character relatable. Similar decisions that need to made to what we as readers must also make on a day to day basis make a hero relatable. That is why people attach themselves to heroes as much as they do, because they identify with them. Beowulf cannot be easily identified with, unless you are an insanely strong brute of a man. Though Beowulf makes some extraordinary sacrifices in his epic poem, he is not a role model in his quest for immortality through his fame and honor. If Beowulf's struggles were shown to us, if we could see that he was in fact human and prone to human feelings he would be more of an ideal hero. In the media, we see superheroes such as Batman and Spider-man as human beings capable of human feelings, but have extraordinary powers that normal people do not posess. Each of them struggles with something that anyone could relate to whether it is about relationships, guilt, a need for revenge, or a feeling of helplessness. They show feelings, something Beowulf never really did. We cannot see Beowulf as an extension of ourselves as we could other heroes, therefore making him unrelatable and not a perfect hero. Beowulf may fit Clark's opinion that the poem's theme and hero are the same, as Beowulf reaches for immortality among men. But, what is the point of reaching immortality or even dreaming of it if one cannot grasp the possibility of oneself ever accomplishing something as Beowulf did. Beowulf is not depicted as being a human, we do not see any everyday actions or human feelings that are relatable in Beowulf, he is not a perfect hero.

Who is your hero?

What is a hero? What makes someone a hero? I believe that almost anyone can be a hero. It all depends on people's perspectives. What one person believes to make a hero may not be what another person believes. Heroic deeds can be just conquering personal fears or sacrificing oneself for the better of others or both. Like I said, it all depends on a person's personal perspective. A literary hero is usually a person that a vast majority of people can easily admire. This admiration usually comes from actions performed by the main character for using courage to overcome his or her fears. Or a literary hero could be a person that demonstrates bravery to help others. In Beowulf, Beowulf is the proud "hero" of the epic poem. He challenges many monsters to save the lives of others. In the battles with Grendel and Grendel's mother, Beowulf offers to help the Shieldings rid themselves of the murderous monsters. And once again Beowulf saves the people, when defeating the fearsome dragon that was attacking his people though he sacrificed his own life in the process. However, in Grendel, we see that the "hero" is not always a hero. Beowulf becomes the monster and Grendel the character we most identify with or at least the victim. Today, in the mediea, heroes are perceived to be the people that heroically save a person from a burning building or land a plummeting plane safely to save the passengers. To some, a music artist could be thought of as a hero, or maybe evena comic book character, or a family member that works incredibly hard for the rest of the family's benefit. Self-sacrifice is what I believe to make a person a hero. To a child a character like Superman is a hero because he puts himself in danger to save others. But, a hero to a child is not a hero to an adult. A hero can be anyone as long as they overcome a difficulty to help others; it all depends on a person's own perspective of who their hero is.

Impossible Escape

In the world oppressive poverty is always present. Whether someone is from Africa, India, Russia, or even the United States, there are people that are poverty stricken. Often those oppressed with poverty are not able to escape from such a hard life. In "Eveline," though she is part of the lower middle class and not exactly extremely poor, the harshness of life is depicted. Eveline has to argue with her father about money, so she will have enough to take care of the house and the kids that she has to take care of. She works hard and many long hours. Even though Eveline did have a chance at escape by running away with Frank, she did go through with it. The thought of her father not being able to take care of himself with out her made it impossible for her to escape from her life. "A Modest Proposal" also presents the cruelty of poverty. Ireland is oppressed by England and the Navigation Laws. The population is too great for such a little island and the country is overrun with the poor. Jonahtan Swift's solution to the povery because of population in Ireland is to eat babies, but in life there is no such solution that is plausible. Many people around the world struggle to even have enough food to eat. In India the population is overwhelming and many do not have the privileges that Americans have. Most that are impoverished work extremely hard physical labor though never see any real profit from their back-breaking work. I think it is horrendous that we live in such wealth while others around us struggle to keep their lives. I'm not saying we have to give everything we have to others so they might succeed and not lead a harsh life they can't espcape, but maybe we should try a little harder to help other people and give what we don't need. It is our job to make this world a better place, and I believe that starts with helping other people.