Compare And Contrast Obama And Beowulf

If one hundred people were asked the meaning of the word hero, each of them would have a different definition. The word hero has several definitions based on the fact that the definition varies based on the person who is being asked. The late author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou defines a hero as “… any person really intent on making [the place they live] a better place for all people” (Zevallos). Her definition pinpoints why Beowulf and Reverend Al Sharpton are both heroes. Even though Beowulf and Reverend Al Sharpton were born in different time periods and places, they have more differences and some similarities.

Both Beowulf and President Obama are heros of their eras. “The birth of Beowulf’s epic after the fall of the western Roman Empire to Germanic tribes in the 5th century AD , Europe entered a chaotic period.[page.31] “ During this time period Europe needed a strong warrior, and Beowulf rose to the Occasion. Before President Obama was elected as President in 2008 America was in a lot of dept and the unemployment rate was high.

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

Long-form poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight stem from two distinct time periods containing distinguished cultures, values, and ideologies. The Anglo-Saxon age, where Beowulf takes place, was a melting pot of Christian and pagan values. Epic battles, gruesome challenges, ideas of fate and destiny, and personal pride defined their heroism. Centuries later, in the Age of Chivalry, heroes possessed humility, respect, honesty, and integrity. Beowulf and Sir Gawain represent their cultures’ ideals respectively. Beowulf’s masculine demeanour and physical prowess, contrasted with Sir Gawain’s nuanced mental self consciousness, demonstrate an incoherent, often polarizing depiction of Old English heroism, in which neither protagonist fully possesses the values of an ideal hero.

One historian says, “Their search was the greatest treasure hunt in history.” This last unexpected hero is Michelle Obama, because she explains how anyone can be a hero. Obama states, “Somebody’s got to do it, and why shouldn’t it be you?” She takes what inspires her, applies it to her life, and tells people about it. Heroes don’t have to be popular or famous people, heroes can be anyone.

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.

Have you ever met a hero? Someone who inspires you with their actions. Heroes are people who impact others positively. Beowulf in the adventure short Beowulf by Robert Nye is described as a warrior. That makes him a hero because a warrior is a brave fighter which he proves he is by defeating Grendel and his mother. Similarly, Evita Peron in the online biography Eva Peron by Biogrphy.com editors is written as a person who used the power she had to fight for women's suffrage as well as changing the lives of the poor. Beowulf and Evita are heroes in their own special way furthermore, heroes won’t always have the same traits which doesn’t make them any less of a hero.

“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Angelou) In the eyes of Maya Angelou, a hero does not have to be someone with superpowers that saves the world but someone who simply makes a difference and helps the world in even the smallest way. All heros, despite the time period and the extent of their impact, take a comparable passage of heroism. The Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, from the epic of the same name, and the modern hero, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice display many compatible characteristics of an archetypal hero.

The poem Inferno and that of Beowulf shows various acts by the character and other participating parties in the two poems. Among the characters, there is a show of modern heroism as depicted by the characters Dante and Beowulf. A hero is one who is endowed with strength and courage with boldly acts and great favor in their acts. Further characteristics of a hero are deeds of nobility and stand-off acts in the sacrifice of oneself with particular achievements in the long run.

Imagine if normal people today flew around wearing capes and all had an S on their chest. You might think of them as the superheroes you see in comic books or television shows. But there is more to a hero than their appearance. A Hero. One word, thousands of meanings. What is a hero to you? A hero is someone who is brave, takes initiative for others and stands up for what they believe in. There is one hero who lived during the 1900s, Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a strong, independent woman who worked for equality and human rights. Not only did Eleanor Roosevelt make a huge impact on America, she made a huge impact on the world. Because of Eleanor Roosevelt’s diligent personality and persistency, she transformed the role of the First Lady for people today, changed women’s rights, and improved worldwide injustices, which makes her the greatest hero we have read about.

What is a hero? As a society we have many ideals of them and with the recent events, whether they are real, War on Terror, The persecution of our emergency responders, the upcoming political races; or are simply all the new superhero movies coming out, the definition of a hero is somewhat vague. Looking at Beowulf, however and comparing him to Captain America, a revisit of an old comic book, we can see that though times have changed, our idea of the “prefect hero”, which these stories seem to describe to us remain largely unchanged. In the opening part of Beowulf, ”a fiend of hell, began to do evil.

These opening lines of the story introduce some of the many ideas of the whole work. The beginning of the shows us the ancestral beginnings of the rulers of Heorot. The introduction of Shield Sheafson as an example of a hero is very important to the story. Heroism is a central theme throughout the whole poem. These opening lines also show us the ancestral values of the people of Heorot.

Beowulf does not fail his people, even at the last, when as an old man

Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives can be a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. Even a parent can be a hero to his or her child by leading them in the right direction. All teachers are heroes when they make it their job to teach a child anything that will help them in life. You don’t have to go to great lengths by risking your life to make a difference in someone else’s life.

A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.