Beowulf Essay

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself," by Joseph Campbell. In earlier times, someone looked at or called a hero was someone very different than a person who is considered a hero in modern times. Heroes from the past would encounter a monomyth, or a hero's journey. On this journey the hero was called to action and supposed to fix a problem. The hero went into the situation and was supposed to find something or make something of itself. Finally, the hero was to come back and tell of its monomyth to their people. "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles," by Christopher Reeve. Modern day heroes are, in most cases, ordinary people who hold bravery that are willing to save the life or put their lives on the hands for other people. In modern times, it is much more difficult to obtain the title of a hero because a person must be willing to risk their lives, whereas in the past a hero was called to adventure or action. If a story was told of a hero from a feminist view in the old times the story would differ in many ways than if a male told the story, but if a female was to tell the story in modern time the story would not be told differently. Heroes in the past, such as Beowulf, differ from those in the present, such as a firefighter, in ways such as what the person must accomplish or how the person holds themselves.
  In the epic story Beowulf, the hero of the story is Beowulf, who steps up and solves the problems that the King has. Beowulf's calls to action throughout his journey are to fight a monstrous creature that gives the King or community problems. He shows heroism in his will to fight "naked" or without weapons against an enemy that has "magical" powers, unknown to mankind. These characteristics of the enemy and descriptions of the battles are told using hyperbole because they are often extremely exaggerated. Beowulf choses to fight Grendel because he believes that he needs to show respect and honor to the King who had done a favor for his family in the past. The honor that Beowulf holds towards the King is a common theme throughout this story. Beowulf has to face "the dragon" who has been protecting the treasure and will not let anyone pass or come near it. Beowulf is confident and his arrogance encourages him throughout his battle. When he discovers the true strength of the dragon and is soon badly injured, he must find strength to keep fighting. Wiglaf comes to help him, another sign of honor in which he respects Beowulf enough to help him when he is down while the rest of the crew runs, and Beowulf and him defeat the dragon together. Although Beowulf died and was unable to go back and tell his story, Wiglaf was able to go back and redeem his honor for him. Beowulf is considered a hero of the time for his strength in conquering and willingness to put his life on the line.
A commonly known hero of modern time is a firefighter. A firefighter is a common, everyday individual who is willing to save another person even if it means taking his own life. A hero is usually recognized from someone or a group of people that notice their heroic actions. There is a certain group of firefighters that are well know heroes. This group of firefighters faced a huge, hot fire in Arizona and spent countless days attempting to put the fire out. All the people that lived in or near the area of the fire saw those men and women as heroes because they were willing to save people and land even if it meant their life would be taken. Nineteen firefighters lost their life in this fire and they will be the most remembered heroes for their honor and fight against such a horrible fire. The story of these heroes is told in a much different way than Beowulf because the Heroes of modern time are much more realistic. In this story there would be no exaggeration, rather there would be stories of irony and personification of how the fire came to life. In modern times it is much more difficult to earn the title of a hero because many people only see realistic situations as a sign of heroism, rather than an unrealistic story being told about monsters.
  Perspective plays a major role in how a story is told and what will be or won't be included. In the past men and women held very different roles and were amongst very different statuses. If a female were to tell the story of Beowulf, the plot and details would not exaggerate as much and would not make the monsters and Beowulf as much power as if a male would be telling this story. A women's point of view in this particular story would hurt the story because the reader would lose the real understanding of Beowulf's strength. Also, women would tell the story in a much more caring, soft-natured way because that was who they personally were, whereas men had a tough, hard-headed side and could truly explain the gory of the story. If a female were to tell a story of a more modern hero, for instance the firefighters that fought the Arizona fire, the story would not be much different then if a man told it. The roles of men and women in modern society are equal and they both understand the real world in the same way. Although a female might tell the story in a more heartfelt and sympathetic view then a male would, the story would be understood the same and not have major changes. The reason for the major difference is the roles and status of women and their responsibilities in the community in the past to modern days.
   A hero can be defined as a character who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice. A hero is a hero, but a hero from Beowulf's time is much different then a hero from the modern firefighter's time. Although in both cases the hero was recognized by the people and the heroes wanted to help, in Beowulf, the story was much more exaggerated and unrealistic while the modern hero was a deeper and a more realistic hero. With Beowulf as the hero, he felt confident and arrogant, while the firefighters were humble and acted as if it were another simple day of their life. The reason the "hero" has changed is because of the changing of societies. Many things have changed in the world since the time of Beowulf, which transforms the reader or the peoples view of a hero. The way the story is told allows for the hero to be revealed, whether it be a female or male author. The role and definition of a hero has changed so much in one thousand years, but what will a hero be defined as in one thousand more years?