Comparing Beowulf and Superman Essay

his muscular strength, speed, and flight due to the Earth's gravity. Due to the new explanation of his powers, Superman no longer had super powers on a world without a yellow sun. Lex Luthor and other villains began to create weapons that used "red sun radiation" which made Superman's life miserable.

Beowulf, an anonymous English epic, is an archaic poem written in the times of the Anglo-Saxon reign in England. It speaks of a mighty hero, Beowulf, who through his great courage, strength, and cunning is able to defeat evil and vicious monsters and save his people. Beowulf shows great power and resourcefulness, and in this way is similar to one of my heroes, Superman. Beowulf and Superman have many similarities and differences.

Beowulf’s strength is beyond any of human comparison and has allowed him to accomplish tasks that would have obliterated lesser men and gain renown throughout the world. Beowulf’s boasts of his strength are not to be received as prideful or egotistical but rather as a true representation of his power as Beowulf always fulfils his boasts. When Beowulf pledges to vanquish Grendel, he does not take it lightly and tells Hrothgar and his wife, Wealhtheow, that “..I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud victory or meet my death here in the mead-hall.”(636-638), showing that he is prepared to die, if needed, to defeat this hellish creature. Later that night, in his battle with Grendel, Beowulf showed his strength. “The Captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth… in all his days, he had never been clamped or cornered like this”(749-752,755-756). Beowulf’s strength surpassed that of even supernatural beings and allowed his to go on the offensive against a foe that had ravaged Heorot for years and thus allowed him to fulfill his boast. Beowulf power is brought out in his recitation of his deeds and again later actions against the mother of Grendel and a fire breathing dragon that threatens his home. In all of this fights, Beowulf is not seeking glory for himself, but

Beowulf and Superman are characters that define what it means to be an epic hero. Epic heroes are leaders, warriors, or rulers that possess characteristics that provide for the betterment of their people. Although they are similar in many ways, Beowulf and Superman are also different in many ways to. Beowulf is known as a great warrior with unmatched fighting skills, and Superman is known as a man from another world that has god like powers. Beowulf and Superman possess the characteristics of battling supernatural foes, superhuman capabilities, and unmatched warriors.

Beowulf’s next test of courage came when he fought Grendel’s mother in her lair, she like Grendel, has incredible size and strength. Grendel’s mother wants to get revenge for the murder of her son, Grendel. Beowulf jumped in the lake, leading to the lair, going after Grendel’s mother without any thought that would suggest the slightest hint of fear. After swimming in these murky waters Beowulf finds his enemy. “Swift she grappled and grasped the warrior with horrid grip, but could work no harm, no hurt to his body; the ring-locked

But whence digging past the loud colours and the "it's-a-bird-it's-a-plane," generic, one realises the true face of Superman. He isn't super for his inhuman abilities or his capricious appearance, he isn't a true man for his strong build and his appealing features:  Superman is super because he's what everyone should aspire to be, and he is a man because he melds the world in a form of good and good only. For if Superman wanted to, he could rule the world and no one would be able to stop him. Superman is, literally, a god among men.  He has the power to sink entire continents and kill millions of people with ease, but he chooses to protect everyone, good or bad, no matter how insignificant and tiny the life is for nothing in return. Superman is a hero because he's there for everyone, never compromising his ideals and taking the high road to support those in need. This is despite the fact that he could basically be a god lording over others without much trouble, but instead chooses to serve and inspire. That is why he is a hero. Superman is the ultimate hero, and not just because he is the most powerful being on earth but for his integrity which sets him completely apart. One could constantly remark on how Superman looks for the best in everyone, how he is ultimately loyal and selfless, not even considering the fact that he could rule the world but chooses to serve is the greatest compliment you can

“‘At first, I [Eli[] wanted to be Superman, but then I realized that leaping tall buildings and bending steel is not exactly a skill set you can learn’,” (Omololu 22).

Beowulf was a brave and strong hero. He feared nothing. Superman is much like Beowulf in this sense. Beowulf did not have super powers but he had no fear of death. He didn’t go out to fight demons for gold. He fought for glory. Superman was similar. He fought to protect. He did not want anything in return. The thing that makes these two men heroes is that they would lay down their life at any moment to save another. The both faced their “demons”. Superman fought crime day to day as Beowulf went around the world to fight demons and prevent them from harming villages. Although both of these heroes were great, they both had their weaknesses. Beowulf could not resist the beauty of Grendel’s mother. She was too beautiful for him to resist.

He skillfully tracked the demon mother back to her underwater lair. However, this time Beowulf had to face another obstacle beside the demon he had gone after; the waters were filled with ferocious sea monsters. Once he began fighting Grendel’s mother, Beowulf had to adapted as his sword was no match for the demon. After a try with his hand-to-hand combat skills, Beowulf mustered up all the strength he could to lift a huge mystical sword, which had the ability to defeat the demon and Beowulf was able to decapitate her.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Man of Steel ,then you would know that at one point in the movie the government was trying to take him out because he was destroying the town while trying to save it. Although superman is subsequently good he was seen as a villain at one point. Eventually people started to warm up to him and started seeing him as a hero but others still saw him as a threat to them. Some heroes can be seen as villains until they prove themselves to be heroes. There's always two sides to a person some focus on the good other focus on the bad

While I respect his courage and dignity, Superman truly has a heart made of steel. He moves on pure intuition and always

People look at Superman like a God, strong and mighty. A warrior against evil. Superman's appearance is distinctive and iconic; he usually wears a blue costume with a red-and-yellow emblem on the chest, consisting of the letter S in a shield shape, and a red cape. Clark creates the costumed identity of Superman so as to protect his personal privacy and the safety of his loved ones. As Clark Kent, he wears glasses to disguise his face and wears his Superman costume underneath his clothes so that he can change at a moment's notice. To complete this disguise, Clark avoids violent confrontation, preferring to slip away and change into Superman when danger arises, and suffers occasional ridicule for his apparent cowardice. Whenever I picture Superman

Batman has an iron will power and will do anything to save the greater good, his

In 1938 an idea that would shoot over the country faster than a speeding bullet came to being in Action Comics #1. He was stronger than a locomotive and had the ability to leap over tall buildings in a single bound. Onto the scene came a man in swirling red, blue, and yellow. This was the first iteration of Superman but it would not be the last. Seventy years of comics have been published and over time the Man of Steel naturally evolved to meet the demands of new writers and new audiences. However, Superman evolved peculiarly in one specific way. Over time and over the different Ages of comic books Superman developed caring towards each individual he saved. Different from when he first started out where he would save an individual but he acted

He was not able to assist before, because he was an infant. However, since he can aid now, he is trying everything to make sure that Earth does not become another Krypton. His powers, however, does not change throughout the decades: super strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, sharp senses, and the list goes on. In most stories about his history let the reader knows that he did not have any powers when he was a baby, but discovered them once he was in his late teen. It is said that since Superman is a native of Krypton, a planet that had a red sun, under a yellow sun (like that of Earth's) his Kryptonian cells act as living solar batteries, which absorbs solar energy, giving him superhuman powers. Superman lives by the traditional moral values installed in him by his foster parents. Superman is an idealist, devoted to promoting "truth, justice, and the American way," and has proven time and time again that he is a true hero, capable of whatever bravery and self-sacrifice is necessary to right a wrong and to save a life.