Beowulf is the longest epic poem composed in Old English. This epic poem deals with a man, Beowulf and his adventures toward killing a great monster, Grendel. Throughout his adventures, we the readers realize many negative traits about Beowulf. Beowulf’s main trait is that he is a charismatic leader. Even though being charismatic is fine in many cases, Beowulf being the main character over boasts himself. “He is absolutely fearless and supremely confident in his own abilities.”states John Finley and Tom Loughman. As well was being overly confident and fearless, he is also known for being a model to his comrades. He is seen as strong, helpful, yet very narcissistic. In today’s world we still have narcissistic and charismatic people which is why the article, “Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership” is such a phenomenal piece. It talks about today’s struggles and the struggles dealt with Beowulf back then.
In continuation, in everyday situations being charismatic and showing leadership is all over the place. For example, my father works for Bank of America and he is very
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Though being the leader he was he knew what to do and how to handle things. In big deal companies there are many people such as Beowulf and I couldn't agree more with John Finley and Tom Loughman when they stated, “He is absolutely fearless and supremely confident in his own abilities.” which you see in many CEO’s today. To compare to my father once more I can really see that this epic poem can relate to today’s world. I was very surprised that they got something out of his character and connected it to situations that are still happening. Overall, I agree with what John Finley and Tom Loughman stated in their article. The grand epic poem, Beowulf and today's world are very similar. Thus to end, I enjoyed how both John Finley and Tom Loughman discussed a matter that can be connected to two different worlds in two different
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Show MoreBeowulf is a strong heroic hero who shows honor,selfless,courage. Beowulf is a strong heroic hero in a way because heroes are protectors and he protected his people of his town. So he is a hero in fact a strong one and a loyal one. There is lots of ways he shows loyalty one i can show is “I had a fixed purpose when i came to sea as i sat in the boat with my band of men I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in attempt in the fields clutches i shall fulfill my purpose prove myself of proud deeds or meat my death her in the mead-hall”(pages 632-639).I chose this quote because it shows that beowulf would give his head for his people. I think that beowulf wanted to die for his king after all that is the reason
The authors use of the hero tradition is contradicted when we get a glimpse of Beowulf’s arrogance. During the final battle as Beowulf said his goodbyes to his followers, he humbly reassured them, “fate decides which of [them] wins,” showing now sound of arrogance (666-667). Beowulf is living up to the “hero” expectation in the citizens’ eyes; he is being selfless for this kingdom. However this role is not applicable for him just yet. His humility, that the other characterized for him, is overlooked as he states, “this dragon’s treasure, his gold and everything hidden in that tower will be mine,” showing his true intentions.
The epic poem Beowulf was a story told in the anglo saxon time period. A time when people believed in dragons, monsters, and curses. Many stories told by people of this time talked about the good and evil forces there are in the world and what happens when they collide in battle. The hero in this story has sailed from his home to fight this evil being named Grendel, a monster that has become a nuisance in Herot.
Beowulf could any obstacle that got in his way. In contrast to Beowulf’s courage he can be very pompous. In a sense he can seem ostentatious or show a display his dignity of higher importance. Presenting himself as someone who is full of himself as a hero Beowulf
Beowulf is a leader for the majority of his life, and he never receives opposition from any of his followers. “He is absolutely fearless and supremely confident in his own abilities (Loughman).” Beowulf’s confidence ensures his followers that he knows what to undertake; a leader cannot be unsure— especially in dangerous circumstances such as that in Beowulf. Accordingly, Beowulf’s confidence in himself also induces his comrade’s confidence in him to triumphantly be their leader (Loughman). Beowulf displays confidence by fearlessly travelling to defeat Grendel’s mother by himself.
“Beowulf” is an old English heroic poem written in the Anglo-Saxon Era. While the battles of Beowulf were mesmerizing, the concept of defending the civilians throughout the whole poem was self- evident. Even so, the poem contains many types of archetypes; situational, character and symbolic. Beowulf hears the monstrous acts of Grendel and sets forward towards a quest to conquer the wild beast.
Alexander Hamilton once said, “There is a certain Enthusiasm in liberty that makes Human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” Beowulf is an epic poem in which the main character Beowulf did acts of service, but he fought for those who couldn’t fight. The overall theme of good versus evil in Beowulf had Beowulf dealing with challenges that no ordinary man would be able to handle unless they were a true epic hero. Throughout the poem Beowulf proves to be an epic hero by his strength, bravery, and sacrifice.
Strength, honor, and resilience are all words that captures the essence of Beowulf. During the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf is a hero who strikes fear in his enemies and relief in his allies. Beowulf is widely-regarded as the most honorable and ruthless hero in all of the world; he defends villages of people from blood-hungry predators, defeats sea monsters, and defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother in the epic poem Beowulf. However, Beowulf can be an egomaniac at times. For instance, before Beowulf’s epic fight and defeat of the monster Grendel, Beowulf strips nude and fights the monster nude to boast and show off.
Christopher Reeves once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Although Beowulf was human, he was not an ordinary individual, hero, or king, for he was a man who displayed superhuman qualities in his efforts to protect the Danish and Geatish people. Beowulf, who was established Geatish warrior that spent his life in battle, showed these extraordinary characteristics that made him an epic hero, one who possesses superhuman, almost god-like qualities. Being constantly on a quest, risking his life for glory and the greater good of society, and being superiorly intelligent, courageous and strong are the three most important reasons why Beowulf deserves such a notable
Beowulf’s rise to become a hero was a long journey that took nearly a century of leadership and bravery. The well known poem, written by an unknown author, tells the story of the great leader’s journey. Beowulf’s journey allowed him to meet and hear stories of some of the greatest kings in the area. Some of those kings may have been considered heroes to the common people.
Beowulf was very greedy for glory but when it came to the safety of others, he was selfless. Raffle says, “…He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s/ Answer; the heaving water covered him” (Raffel ln. 570-571). Beowulf thinks about his solders, he does not want them to get hurt. I think Beowulf shows kindness and selflessness which can really be used in today’s society.
Beowulf is an epic story that relates well to the time that it was presented by having the stories of the epic fights and the thrashings of beasts that kept everybody engaged amid this time. Beowulf presents its audience with extremely intriguing characters, topics, and images that help show us lessons that are particularly required in today 's general public. Beowulf shows us strength through the various characters, for example, Beowulf himself that are consistent with his pledge and fearless, and it likewise indicates us images that give a picture of God and the trust that he conveys to the general population that demonstrate his strength. A considerable
Everyone who reads the story can easily see that he is a strong, powerful hero-type that saves a community from a monster. However, if Barney Stinson read that same story, he would come up with the same conclusion that I had: Beowulf is a bloodthirsty, vainglorious superhuman who values killing and fame more than the saving of a community or the vanquishing of a terrorizing
“In the case of Beowulf, we witness a good example of the heroic ideal that in several important ways fits well the Conger-Kanungo charismatic leader model summarized in the previous section. He is absolutely fearless and supremely confident in his own abilities” (Loughman and Finley, 159). There was no doubt that Beowulf was a very confident leader. He delivered a boast about how he was going to defeat Grendel, which he followed up on by killing the monster. Even when he was an old man, and even when all of his Geats left his side, he was still confident in taking on the dragon by
The epic poem “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel, focuses on a hero by the name of Beowulf who goes on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from an egregious monster by the name of Grendel. This Anglo-Saxon tale gives insight into the values and beliefs of the people from whom the story originated. Their war-centered ideology and views on loyalty and courage were the principles that the Anglo-Saxon culture was founded upon. While warfare was a focal point in their lifestyle, it was far from a savage, barbaric state of fighting. Honor and prestige were bestowed upon those who died during battle and selflessness for fellow warriors was a fundamental belief.