Examples Of Selflessness In Beowulf

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

Beowulf is an epic poem that describes the heroics of a man with superhuman strength and bravery to go with it. The poem starts with a journey across the sea to defeat an enemy that has plagued the land of Herot for twelve years. The poem ends with Beowulf’s final deed of defeating a dragon that was plaguing his own land, but with the defeat of the dragon also comes the death of Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem of bravery by one of King Arthur’s knights. Sir Gawain takes up the deed of playing a Christmas game with the challenging Green Knight. The Green Knight takes a blow from an ax at the hand of Sir Gawain, and in one year and one day, the Green Knight is to reciprocate the action to Sir

Wealth, payment, greed, and generosity are very consistent concepts found today, however it was also in Medieval times. These things were in medieval times because of necessity, there were not there by choice. People needed to barter in order to thrive in society. Bartering was a staple of human society. In the text Beowulf, these concepts are routinely shown. The concepts of wealth, payment, greed, and generosity will be evaluated, and reflected upon, to give the reader an accurate description of these concepts in Beowulf.

The main traits of a hero are bravery, courage, and selflessness. Heros are there for his or her people to protect them whenever they are in danger or a crisis. Abraham Lincoln he willingly fought for the right for colored people. Some heroes do it for money and fame others do it out of good heart. In the epic poem Beowulf the main character Beowulf proves that he is a selfless hero by serving and protecting people before and after he is king.

“Where is the glory in doing something that others have done” (Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief). A quote befitting of the character Beowulf who slew the abomination known as Grendel to save the people of Heorot, then killing his vengeful mother using the sword Hrunting and finally as his last legendary exploit he brought down a mighty dragon to save his kingdom, the most prominent definition of an epic hero and the epitome of what the ideal Scandinavian hero is. On the surface, this may seem like Beowulf is a selfless hero willing to go to great lengths to save the people around him but after deeper analysis of the story, it may be that Beowulf’s pride and search for glory is what truly drives him.

A man quivers in fear as a large monstrous mass stands before him. He shouts for help, but there is no left to come to his aid. For years the Grendel attacked this mead-hall killing hundreds of men. A hero was needed in order to purge the village of this beast. Beowulf used his mental and physical strength for the betterment of the village because he came on his own accord without any prior knowledge; he puts his faith in god and not within his own strength; and he dies with honor and not in vain.

Theme is the matter of a subject within a piece of writing. Throughout this essay examples of mesopotamian literature, old english poetry and ancient greek literature are brought up. The central theme throughout all these epics is bravery. I chose bravery because each one of these characters risks their lives to save others. The ability to take on life threatening battles is an extreme form of bravery.

A hero is defined as “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character,” says dictionary.com. During the whole book Beowulf is saving the Geats, aiding Hrothgar, killing creatures and saving his people. He shows his heroism through his bravery and acts of courage; but he is also being assisted through fate and God. From killing Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon he knows that he is doing great things for all of the people in his kingdoms.

One deciding to serve their surrounding community in an attempt to better the lives of people living in that community is one of the most selfless actions one individual person can perform. Throughout my time in high school career I committed myself to serving the broader community in order to better society whether it be me serving as Co-President of Life is Delicious or raising money for Special Olympics Connecticut by doing the Penguin Plunge.

The world as it is depicted in Beowulf is home to many aspects of society that are at odds with behaviors acceptable in modern culture, but perhaps shares a startling number of similarities as well. As part of the Anglo-Saxon society, the concept of loyalty is imbued into the seams of the civilization, and allegiance can be found split between lords and kin. Tales concerning themselves with eternal human problems are not few and far between in Beowulf—given that it is an epic poem—and antithesis governs the flow of the narrative. In the midst of the battles raging between evil and good, heroes and villains, mourning and glory, and victory and defeat, death is omnipresent, constantly looming and prompting men to drift towards their swords. This is a society in which chances for a clean slate—a tabula rasa—are minimal, and every action is chiseled in stone, forever etched into eternity. During a time period when very little is certain, the only guarantee of being remembered, of having your name go down stamped with your identity, is through heroism and action. Boasting is a means through which one can build a reputation for himself, planting his name into his opponents’ heads and setting a foundation for success. It remains a skill to be used prudently, though, as overstating and misrepresenting one’s abilities has the great potential to yield adverse repercussions.

English is a language that has been around for roughly 1300 years. Its’ early days included several variations of the language. Despite this, the Anglo-Saxons were the most prevalent group in England and are basically the most responsible for the long history of the English language as they were one of the few groups in the world not using Latin. Their history and culture is largely responsible for where the language is in the world today, with several classic pieces coming from this time period which showcase what the various tribes valued in terms of traits. The Anglo-Saxons were a people who respected honor, justice, and bravery.

With no known author, Beowulf, originated in oral-tradition representing the Anglo-Saxon culture and lifestyle. It is a showcase work of “art”, serving as a purpose of moral instructions. Beowulf, shows a great demonstration on important Anglo-Saxon values. The main characters, Beowulf and Wiglaf, help portray the values of which the Anglo-Saxon hold among their culture. The poem, Beowulf exhibits three monumental values they uphold: bravery, honor, and loyalty.

When one sees the word selfless-service, he or she literally sees the words self and less, followed by service. Self refers to an individual (in this case, it refers to one’s own interests) and less indicates a lack of, or without. Service can be a synonym of the word volunteering or duty. Therefore, the term selfless service must literally mean the lack of the pursuit of one’s own interests for the betterment of others. There is no measurement of selfless service. No matter what the scenario or who is involved, everyone who is involved benefits from one’s selfless acts. The one who shows selflessness may benefit by receiving a “thank you,” or even just a good feeling of helping others. Of course, the ones who receive the selfless acts benefit from obvious reasons. Selfless-service can be shown by anyone and everyone, including a soldier putting his/her life on the line to save a fallen comrade, a husband and father protecting and spending time with his wife and children, someone donating his/her time by volunteering as a tutor or with the American Red Cross or some other goodwill charity, and the teamwork of two or more athletes. Those four examples provide different scales in which selfless-service can be displayed. Selfless-service can be displayed in regards to one’s nation/military, one’s family, one’s community, and any team sport.

Although boasting and bravery are strong qualities, you also need to have a little bit of a warm heart to be a hero. Beowulf is selfless, a important word to signify that he would do anything to protect others. The first quote to show of Beowulf’s selflessness is, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting Flames, stand till fate decides Which of us wins.” (638-639). This means that Beowulf is standing his ground until fate takes its course, which is selfless because he is giving his life up if that is what fate decides in order to rid of the dragon. Another notable text from the book is, “A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel. Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dance doubted the Victory.” (404-408). It can clearly be inferred that the people of the land were in ‘grief’, ‘sorrow’ and were ‘suffering’ because of Grendel. But, because Beowulf defeated him that grief and sorrow has been eased. Beowulf wants fame and fortune, but to also help the people who need it.

I didn’t truly understand it at the time, but as I grow older and mature I am beginning to understand more and more. Also, in that same conversation, my father told me about some of the people he works with and works for, and how they give back but often only in the spotlight. They will donate money when the attention is on them, or they will do charity events when the media is involved. Looking back at it, this is a very selfish idea. When do we hit that point in our life where we are so selfish that we can not help others; is it a conscious decision or are we just not aware of our actions? I have seen this same of idea of selfishness in my own experiences. I went to a very wealthy private school, with many students coming very wealthy families. Often these families would donate money to the school, but in return they expected a plaque or they expected something to be named after them, some kind of recognition. Some people will say this is not selfish because they are giving back; however, others will say this is a selfish action because they are only giving looking for a return.