Beowulf And Martin Luther King Similarities

When thinking about the stories told in the Medieval Ages, many people today might picture a knight, hero, or king that represents as a role model for us people. Two books, Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel and The Once and Future King by T.H. White are two examples of stories told at completely different times, by different authors, that include hero’s. In both stories there are similarities and differences that can spotted between these character’s heroic traits. Both Beowulf and King Arthur show the heroic trait of wisdom which is essential to becoming a great leader.

“A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway”-Joseph Campbell. Stories have so much power connect you to another world and teach you lessons that are needed throughout history. Archetypes give the story a focal point and shape the lesson the author is trying to get across. When ideals get embedded into stories, usually it’s when the hero does something noble and valiant so they want their readers to follow in his footsteps. The Anglo-Saxon Beowulf and Medieval Christian King Arthur display many archetypes and ideals to shape the story and make it exciting. The Beowulf and King Arthur storytellers use archetypes to create stories with suspense and have their heroes display values of loyalty to their respective listeners.

Most obvious is the fact both leaders in Beowulf and The 13th Warrior have similar names. Beowulf as we know is Beowulf and in The 13th Warrior the leader’s name is Buliwyf. In Beowulf`s story he is asked by King Hrothgar to save the Danes from Grendel. The completion of this task anger’s Grendel’s mother becoming engorged with revenge. Beowulf also in his old age goes off to defeat a dragon, to save his kingdom, but dies from the venom of its bite. In The 13th Warrior the character Buliwyf was tasked to defeat a race of Wendols. The Wendols are lead by a `Mother` and are thought to be a race of evil. Just as Grendel was believed to be from the ancestral blood line of Cain, looked at as evil in his own right. Buliwyf defeats the mother without a weapon, but never truly defeats the entire race of Wendols. The dragon Buliwyf was supposed to defeat is actually a hoard of Wendols coming to attack Hrothgar`s land. In both the poem and the movie, the king asking for assistance does not change, however the battles and outcomes of them

Today in society there are many individuals who can be described as heroic because of their courageous actions towards helping others. People who do not believe in heroes today do not see the change happening around the world for the benefits of future generations. However, in reality many individuals are risking their own lives to fight for what they believe in and for the change they wish to see in this world. Alfred de Vigny asserts that there are no heroes in this world, but even ancient stories like Beowulf provide examples of heroes who risk their lives to save others while we do still have heroes during modern-day times.

The novel Beowulf, A New Translation with an Introduction. by Burton Raffel, is an epic tale of good vs evil. Beowulf is the idealistic hero of the Middle Ages based on his generosity, strength, and courage. He puts his life on the line for an entire kingdom by protecting his people and proves his worthiness of a superior warrior. He is continually recognized for his strength and courage. Beowulf is not so different from modern day superheroes such as Captain America in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America defeats evil with his mighty shield and protects the people through his generosity to protect Earth, his strength, and courage. The protagonist of both the novel and movie share commonalities of a superhero.

Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. are incredible individuals in the history of the world. And both have contributed a significant amount of knowledge and influence that have changed the lives of many individuals, and even today is being studied and researched. These two great individuals have more in common than many people know, and that resides in their names respectively. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth name was Michael and not Martin. His father Martin Sr. traveled to Germany and was inspired by Martin Luther and his philosophies and teachings. He was inspired so much that he adopted his moniker of “Martin Luther”.

Martin Luther King Jr. has been influential in multiple ways that have caused positive impacts in American society, and has gotten the attention of foreign countries to change their policies. When Martin was a child, he tried to kill himself by jumping out of his bedroom window when he had received the news of his grandmother's death. MLK’s speeches and writings guided the journey to breaking racial boundaries, desegregation and the decline of racism, enjoyed by modern generations.

o one would ever compare Beowulf and Jackie Robinson! Everyone would think they have no similarities. However people would totally think they are two completely different people. These two guys are the same in many heroic ways. Beowulf and Jackie are two people that are definitely heros.

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and the modern day hero. All soldiers that are fighting for my country certainly comes to mind first, when I think about a modern day hero. Both hero’s are fighting for a good cause, get rewarded for what they do, and get treated with much respect. Although a soldier might not withhold unworldly strength as one such as Beowulf, they both are putting their life at stake, which gives them both the title as being a hero.

Courage displayed by people of today’s times which amounts to monumental change, like that of Martin Luther King Jr, shows heroism. M.L.K Jr. embodies the characteristics of a hero through his bravery which resulted in the betterment of society. His revolutionary behavior to strive for advancements in the culture of many, and his risk in doing so, labels him a hero. Alike to Martin Luther King Jr. with his willingness to be criminally charged, Beowulf has the audacity to fight the evil that is Grendel. With his bare hands, Beowulf would “settle the outcome in a single combat” (line 426) that would rid the town of evil. The similar bravery between Martin Luther King Jr. and Beowulf depicts how people of today can be heroes. The bravery that exists in the most revolutionary people which leads to good change displays qualities of a person that can label them a hero.

The contemplative question of “What would Jesus do?” has become a popular pragmatism in society today. There is an unwritten rule or sense of morality by which a properly functioning civilization may live. However, what method did early Anglo-Saxons use to remind themselves of what would be the proper thing to do in a situation? Even though they were a violent and warmongering culture as a whole, geared toward waging and winning war, they did have a moral code to honor. Anglo-Saxons prized the values, which they would have been learned by rote since childhood, including: courage and selflessness, honor, discipline and duty, hospitality, self-reliance, and perseverance. These principles of character are some of the main mores clearly

In the story of Beowulf there are accounts of two men, Hermod and Siegmund. Different points of Beowulf’s life refect both of these men’s lives. Beowulf, like Siegmund, was a mighty warrior, fought many monsters, had fame beyond his life, and fought a dragon. He also greatly resembled Hermod as well. Beowulf and Hermod both ignored wise men’s warnings and allowed pride to lead to their defeats. Although Hermod and Siegmund were two different types of people, Beowulf’s life reflects both at different times and aspects of his

King Arthur and Beowulf are both heroes in their stories which causes them to have many similarities in their traits but, they have differences in their traits as well. Arthur and Beowulf are both courageous leaders. They fight fearlessly for themselves and their people in battle. A difference between Arthur and Beowulf is their ability to depend on others. Arthur depends on others many times in The Once and Future King while Beowulf depends only on himself in Beowulf. Despite the differences, Beowulf and Arthur still have many things in common such as their wisdom. Both men are wise and make incisive decisions in battle and in leading. Their wisdom on the battlefield is a heroic trait that both men possess. Another heroic trait that they share is their courageousness.

Heroes, from Beowulf to Superman our cultures have always created heroes. We may always have political, social, economic and religious differences, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common, heroes. They help define who we are and what we want to be. They give us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction. They show us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Heroes give us the inspiration we need to overcome problems in our own lives and that is why we create them. Beowulf perfectly embodies the idea of a hero. He defeats the evil Grendel and his mother, slays the dragon and saves his people. He is