Beowulf is the archetype of the dragon slayer, the hero who faces death in order to save a threatened community. Does Beowulf remind you of any heroes in real life, in fiction, and in the movies? What characteristics do the heroes share? Your response should be a minimum of 100 words. Please respond to at least two classmates' posts with your disagreements as well as support of your disagreement in the form of reasoning (in a manner that lends itself to discussion).
33 Comments
Rebecca Deist
9/18/2014 11:53:55 pm
The “dragon slayer” archetype that Beowulf represents has always made me think of the soldiers that are putting their lives on the line, daily, for us. My uncle, in particular, has gone on three tours overseas and killed his fair share of “monsters”. Some of the sacrifices he’s had to make and things he’s been ordered to do have turned him into a monster to himself, but those are the sacrifices he chose to make to keep this country the way it is. The willingness to lose something that has meaning to you, even your life, in exchange for the safety and security of a number of people is what these two have in common. It’s easy to say that you’d help somebody or that you’d give your life for someone else’s, but to be sincere when you say it AND be willing to do everything in your power to do what needs done; that’s what makes the “hero” archetype true.
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Kylie Wiens
9/19/2014 03:25:18 am
Before I read any of the comments I was actually thinking along the lines of soldiers and the battles they had to endure. It was hard to think of something more movie like because war is so much more real than that. The monsters are more like the enemy that we fight.
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Ashley Hines
9/19/2014 03:30:33 am
Very constructive paragraph. Your uncle sounds so cool!
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Ellen Yowell
9/20/2014 12:50:26 pm
One of the first things that came to my mind was also those who serve in the military. I agree that they sacrifice so much for us while they try to "slay the dragon". They are true heroes.
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Caroline May
9/21/2014 01:04:20 pm
This is a great comparison. I agree with your point that risking your life to ensure the safety, and security of the people is what a hero does. A hero puts themselves out there wiling, and knowing the risk. Great point!
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Ty hart
9/21/2014 01:46:27 pm
I agree with your view of Beowulf about him giving his life for someone else's, and also your view of someone's willingness
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Cody Manning
9/19/2014 02:46:44 am
There are many modern day examples of the dragon slayer archetype the one that reminds the most of Beowulf is Disney's Robin Hood. Robin is also a fabled character able to hit anything he shoots at. He also rescues the "village" by robbing the rich to feed the poor. When Robin breaks all the unfortunate souls who are unjustly jailed by Prince John while he didn't fight off a flesh and blood monster he did fight one of the biggest monsters of all greed.
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Rebecca Deist
9/19/2014 03:19:35 am
You're comparison of Beowulf to Robin Hood is understandable, but I feel like with Robin Hood's innocence in the fact of actual fights and death, he doesn't link as well to Beowulf's archetype as he would to a "noble vigilante" archetype.
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Jaxon Jumonville
9/21/2014 05:19:13 am
While I do like Robin Hood. He never faced almost certain death when saving the "village"
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Payton Stephens
9/21/2014 11:08:57 am
I agree that Robin Hood was a great selfless character. But I wouldn't say he is quite the caliber of superhero that Beowulf is. Beowulf was a much more powerful individual, and did more than just give money to the poor.
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Kylee Koerner
9/21/2014 11:33:38 am
I agree that Robin Hood was a hero. However, an epic hero is someone who doubts their strength but goes ahead and preserves anyway, risking everything, because they know in the end it will benefit others, not just themselves.
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Whitney Thiessen
9/21/2014 12:04:46 pm
I feel like I just read this out of an encyclopedia. Great job.
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Amber Mendez
9/19/2014 02:51:56 am
Beowulf reminds me of a character in a book I have read, Nevermore. The character, Reynolds, has to go and defeat the Red Death before the Red Death goes and kills everyone at a party in Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Masque Of The Red Death. He has to fight and kill the Red Death as he is being stabbed repeatedly by it, but never dying (weird book, I know). Reynolds fights until the Red Death is defeated, and slowly heals from his own wounds as he helps the main character, Isobel, to get back to the Real World. Even though he didn’t end up giving his life, he did save tons of others, and he is still a hero.
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Whitney Thiessen
9/21/2014 12:06:16 pm
Honestly donuts make everything ten times better so yes donuts with SPRINKLES of course got to have them otherwise its a naked donut :)
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The Ghost of Adam B
9/19/2014 03:23:00 am
Doonnuuutssss......with sprinkles Doooonnnnuuutssss.......with sprinkles
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Ashley Hines
9/19/2014 03:32:02 am
I understand your love for donuts with sprinkles, but they aren't necessarily heroes in this case. Maybe if they were fighting off the evil pirate of jelly filling...
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Kylie Wiens
9/19/2014 05:11:20 am
This makes me think of events from 9-11. The three people in the north tower that instead of going down they went up to try to help people and find them to get them down. And with the flight that was planning another attack but the people heard about it and risks there lives to do anything in there power to prevent the plane from crashing. Heroes don't have to be like a stereotype and be portrait in having capes or slaying dragons, but to help people. They knew bad things were happening and risks there own lives and ended up saving hundreds.
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Ellen Yowell
9/20/2014 12:57:31 pm
I agree with you that average people can be heroes too. Heroes don't need to be famous or have super powers; they put others ahead of themselves.
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Jaxon Jumonville
9/21/2014 05:16:24 am
I do agree that everyday people can be heroes. But Beowulf is an epic hero, in my perspective, and I think there were lots of heroes involved in 9-11. I just don't think they were epic heroes.
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Kylee Koerner
9/21/2014 11:27:11 am
Epic heroes are people who don't expect anything in return for anything they do for others. They could be a teacher who stays after school to help a student or a firefighter who gives his oxygen mask to a small child, ensuring that the child doesn't die but in the end the firefighter does.
Caroline May
9/21/2014 12:58:54 pm
I completely agree with this post. While the hero's of 9-11 did not posses super strength, they put others lives before their own. That is what a hero does. I think that hero's are ordinary people working for the greater good of the community. I like your thinking!
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Ellen Yowell
9/20/2014 04:30:02 pm
When I think of modern day heroes, my first thoughts went to those serving in the military, police, and firefighters as they all put their lives on the line daily to protect us. As we just marked the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11, Todd Beamer came to my mind. Beamer was one of the passengers on Flight 93 that choose to attempt to take over the plane from the high jackets in an attempt to prevent them from hitting the White House. These every day passengers saw the high-jackers kill the pilots and they had heard the Twin Towers had been hit when they made last minute calls to loved ones. They knew unless they took control, their plane was on the way to a suicide mission.
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Payton Stephens
9/21/2014 11:05:58 am
While what Todd Beamer did was incredibly brave and courageous, I don't think that comparing him to the type of hero Beowulf is would be an accurate comparison. Beowulf and Beamer represent two completely different hero's, on one hand we have Beowulf who is a glorious, heralded, supernatural hero. When talking about Beamer I think of an amazing person who stepped up to the plate when he was needed, this was a selfless act that shouldn't go unnoticed but I wouldn't say it is quite the same as what Beowulf did.
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Jaxon Jumonville
9/21/2014 06:26:09 am
When I think of epic heroes like Beowulf who shares the same characteristics and qualities i think of Captain America. He didn't start out as an epic hero but in the end I believe he became one. They both sacrificed themselves for the greater good of their country. As far as dragon slayer I think that the Hydra organization certainly counts.
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Payton Stephens
9/21/2014 11:00:18 am
When I think of Beowulf, immediately what comes to mind when comparing to a superhero, would be Batman. The reason I think of Batman, is not only because he is my favorite superhero, but also he shares many characteristics with Beowulf. Both risk their lives for people that they generally don't know, while defeating a villain that has a sole purpose to destroy. What I find most intriguing though, is that both heroes’ choose to fight their battles in the most honorable way possible. That is what really makes a great hero in my mind. Both heroes' use their weapons to their advantage.
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Ty Hart
9/21/2014 01:42:51 pm
What is batman without the money though?
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Kylee Koerner
9/21/2014 11:21:46 am
Beowulf makes me think of all the people who risk their lives daily for us and expect nothing in return. Not only do these hero's protect us during tragic events, such as 9-11, but they also take time of their days to ensure our safety. They also take time away from their families to help people they haven't met before. Hero's aren't just police officers, firefighters or soldiers, they can be ordinary people just like you and I that take time to make someone else's life better.
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Whitney Thiessen
9/21/2014 12:03:41 pm
I think that there are tons of heroes in the world good and bad to people but we need to think of the good and remember the good and not the bad. Beowulf reminds me of a unsung hero the people just don't understand fully, all the stuff he has done defending. Like firefighters risk their life to save other peoples life especially right now in California with the fires we need to understand and honor them too.
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Maria Boswell
9/21/2014 12:13:29 pm
Beowulf does remind me of super heros. From fictional ones like spider man to soldiers like a lot of people said. One quality they all share is putting their lives on the line for other people. They're so selfless. They never hold back to think of themselves. They're just concerned with the well being of others and that's what makes them a superhero.
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Caroline May
9/21/2014 12:50:43 pm
Honestly when I began comparing Beowulf to a modern day "hero" I realized that it's completely a personal opinion. A hero in that time was someone who possessed amazing over the top powers, strength, and was basically blessed by the God's. People in the community looked up to them. Beowulf for example helped out Hrothgar and his community, he was their hero. Now if we compare this to modern day, you could say there are plenty of examples. I think that the obvious one is a "super hero" who posses super speed or strength. Such as batman, superman, the hulk, or any other superhero. They battle "evil" (villains) in order to protect the people of Gotham, or some other made up community. You could also look at the example of a real life hero such as someone in the military. While these people do not possess super powers, they put their lives on the line every day in order to keep their "community" (country) safe. Both of these examples, and Beowulf, share the common idea of risking their lives for the greater good of their community.
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Ty Hart
9/21/2014 01:40:54 pm
Beowulf to me is his own character with his own personality traits. Most super heroes have their identity hidden. The things I found weird about Beowulf is that he doesn't have a secret identity he is "Beowulf". Another thing I found interesting is that his story doesn't end with the hero walking of into the sunset, he's one of the few that don't. I guess it's kind of hard to categorize him in some cases. You could also say he does lay everything on the line much like people in the military. He did go into battle without a weapon, in the military that is a big no no. He's a very abstract hero which he could relate to the hulk because of his super strength but that's too cliché. In today's world I see a lot of celebrities getting more attention for a song or a movie more than somebody who has been sent over seas and actually suffered a loss. Beowulf upon his return was known by everyone for his actions not for who his is like a celebrity but for what he's done for the people.
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Nick Purcell
9/21/2014 02:00:11 pm
Beowulf reminds me of iron man in a way because he knows he's good and can fight really well. He also reminds me of a judge because he needed enough evidence to kill Grendel and know he was evil. He sacrificed one of his own men to make sure of it. I really can't think of anything else to compare such and old hero he was a symbol of hope and now days a hero is a symbol for large chunks of money
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Kylie Shoulders
9/21/2014 02:09:57 pm
Beowulf doesn't reallt necessarily remind me of any type of character that is meant be a hero. Probably because I'm not used to stories with heroes quote like Beowulf. Beowulf is his own hero in his own way. He's willing to risk his life to fight Grendel no matter what the outcome is. He portrays a very selfless and willing hero. So I can't necessarily think of a hero that Beowulf could possibly remind me of. He's one of a kind.
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