Essay on Comparison of Modern Day Heroes and Beowulf

Comparison of Modern Day Heroes and Beowulf Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf. Bravery is a trait that†¦show more content†¦Loyalty is defined in Merriam Webster dictionary as â€Å"faithful in allegiance to ones lawful sovereign or government†. Also known as comitatus, Beowulf declares But if battle should claim me, send this most excellent coat of mail to Hygelac, this best of corslets that protects my breast; it once belonged to Hrethal. the work of Weland. Fate goes ever as it must! In this passage Beowulf is saying that what ever may happen to his body, send his coat of mail to his leader, for that is where his loyalty belongs. United States soldiers are often thought of as heroes, and travel to parts of the world where they might face death, and instead of burying their body in foreign lands they choose to be brought back to their homeland to be buried, showing their loyalty to their country. Generosity another trait of a hero is depicted by Beowulf on many occasions in the epic. When hearing of Grendel terrorizing Herot, Beowulf ventures off to see if his assistance was needed. He does this out of generosity, and when much treasure was rewarded, he gave it to his kingdom rather then keeping it for personal profit. After the September 11th tragedy occurred people came form far and wide to help out or donate money. Generosity is also displayed every year at Christmas when people go out of their way to help needy familiesShow MoreRelatedModern Hero vs. Anglo Saxon Hero Essay814 Words   |  4 PagesTodays modern day hero has similarities and differences than the Anglo-Saxon hero. The two heroes each have different values they believe in. Also, they are motivated to fight for different reasons. An Anglo-Saxon hero also fights differently than a modern day hero. An example of this comparison is Bono from the band U2 and Beowulf. Both modern day heroes, like Bono and An glo-Saxon heroes, like Beowulf, try to improve their societies, but do it in different ways and for different reasons. 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