Comparing Superman, Beowulf, And Sesame Street

Under society’s customs for decades, young women have found themselves immersed in the pressure and anticipation to have exemplary bodies. Nearly every young woman prefers to be slim, have a perfectly shaped body, that is beautified by applying pounds of makeup to their face but does not appear ridiculously overdone. Who’s responsible for these measures imposed on young women? When a young girl picks up the model on the cover of Vogue being called flawless, naturally it’s easy for her to then aspire to be a real-life imitation of the that model. These companies produce magazine covers shown with girls’ images daily. As if keeping the perfect body wasn’t hard enough, our culture also forces girls into the forever expanding world of composition, however, body image is a surging subject for young girls. Advertisements and pictures of lean female models are all over. Young women are measured and perplexed by their physical appearances with attire intended to raise their physical structures; social media, magazines, the society, marketing campaigns, advertisements, and the fashion gurus add to a strand of excellence.

      Superman, also known as Clark Kent, is the most popular modern day hero. Superman spent most of his time saving people from natural disasters and corrupt businessmen. He would level slums to force the city to build decent housing, and he would use his powers to terrorize munitions makers.

Thesis statement: Using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, Sherlock Holmes, one of our very own modern superheroes, and Beowulf. I have learned many of our similarities and differences. Through the overall strength of Beowulf, through the determination of Spider-Man, and through the fact that Sherlock Holmes can solve almost any crime. I got to see many of these similarities and differences.

One major similarity between Beowulf and Superman is their battles with supernatural foes. For example, Beowulf defeated the monstrous Grendel, a dragon, and Grendel’s mother. Similarly, superman had several fights with the invaders from Krypton. The battles are related in many ways such as their fighting style. The heroes in both battles only use their fist in battle, that is if the opponent only uses fists. Although Beowulf and Superman fought fairly, both heroes used weapons at some point. Beowulf used a sword in his fight with Grendel’s mother and Superman threw various objects at the soldiers. The heroes also fought the battles for others rather than for themselves.

Beowulf and Superman have many similar traits that almost every epic hero has. Both of these heroes are courageous, brave, strong and loyal to their people. Beowulf can be considered brave because he defeated Grendel with his bare hands which shows his courage. Similarly to superman who fought against Zod who wanted to take over planet earth and transform it into his own planet, Krypton. This also shows Superman’s bravery, confidence and courage because he fought against his most prominent enemy and saved a whole world, which shows all the traits a hero needs.

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.

Heroes. From the timeless tale of Beowulf to the well-known chronicles of Superman, cultures all throughout the world have taken it upon themselves to weave a fabrication of a fantastic being, said being a hero of a sorts, that always makes it to defeat the bad guy and save the day. Even whence we as human beings always tend to have our political, social, economic and religious differences, at the end of the day we all have one thing in common that fills our dreams with hopes of the future, of safety, of a peaceful life; heroes. Helping to define who we are and what we want to be, giving us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction, showing us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your

Under society’s norms for decades, young women have been put under the pressure and anticipation to have perfect bodies. That is, thin and curved, beautified by applying pounds of the makeup to their face but not appear ridiculously overdone. Who’s responsible for these standards imposed on young women? When a young girl picks up the model along the cover of Vogue being called flawless, it’s easy for her to then aspire to be a real-life imitation of the photocopy. These companies produce magazine covers shown with girls’ images daily. As if keeping the perfect body wasn’t hard enough our culture also forces girls into the forever expanding world of composition, however, body image is a pressing issue for young women. Advertisements and posters of skinny female models are all over. Young girls not only could be better but need to be more upright and feel driven to throw the perfect figure. Moreover, girls are evaluated and oppressed by their physical appearances. With supplements and apparel designed to enhance a facial expression; social media, magazines, and marketing campaigns and advertisements add to the burden of perfection. The fashion industry is a prime object of body image issues, as they believe clothes look better on tall and svelte women. Established on a survey participated by 13 to 17-year-old in the U.S., 90% “felt pressured by fashion and media industries to be skinny”, with more than 60% routinely compares themselves to models, while 46%

strength. Beowulf went to help a friend of his father by slaying a monster by the name of

Superman and Beowulf both showed examples of great courage. Clark Kent used courage when he refused to show his true self to the public when his father was about to die. He also exhibited courage by revealing himself to Zod to save

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.

For many years, heroes have been seen as people such as Hercules or Superman, men who have supernatural abilities and the power to overcome obstacles the common man could not. People crave these stories, as though hoping to live vicariously through these heroes’ feats. They develop a love, or rather obsession, with them. They dream of becoming like them and place them on a pedestal as some sort of unobtainable standard in which to mimic within their own life. This practice of idolization has continued for centuries.

Beginning in1938, with the introduction of Superman, the mythology of the superhero has influenced young Americans sense of crime and the justice system. However they consumed their media, whether through the weekly purchase of comic book issues or, more recently, through movies and television, Americans have been exposed to superheroes and their crusades for justice for decades. Through his various battles of good vs. evil, very few superhero mythologies have shaped the ideals of right and

Over the years a debate over who is to blame over the decline in how girls perceive themselves has arisen. With Photoshop being the societal norm concerning the media, it has become difficult for many to understand where the line between real and near impossible standards lies. Youths see an image edited to “perfection” and strive to reach the standards that they imagine due to the images displayed on magazines, television and social media. From Disney to magazines like Vogue the mass media bombards audiences with fake beauty that they, as normal people, will never be able to achieve. The mass media is responsible for causing the rise in the number of people with a poor body image, eating disorders, and cosmetic surgeries.

Through my analyzation of these values, I have assessed the relevance of superheroes in cinema through the impact of American popular culture, the contrast of gender roles, and their impact on children. As a result, society should be gracious toward the immense popularity of superhero films, as they bolster American popular culture and positively impact children from a young age. Although the gender roles might be a bit skewed, many film companies are taking steps to include women in more empowering roles such as Wonder Woman in the DC cinematic universe. Therefore, superheroes in cinema tend to only create and preserve positive characteristics within society, which is glorious in the future of mankind. In closing, I end with the question, “Which superhero best depicts