The Epic Poem, Beowulf - Beowulf and Heroic Virtues :: Epic of Beowulf Essay

Beowulf and Heroic Virtues      Ã‚   Although the main character in Beowulf is Beowulf himself, I believe that the single section which most concisely illustrates the heroic values in this poem occurs on pages 61 through 64 of the text, and is illustrated not by Beowulf's actions, but by Wiglaf's. Although Wiglaf is by nationality Swedish, he identifies himself as Beowulf's kinsman when he says "I did begin to help my kinsman." (Chickering 64)    Wiglaf, in coming to Beowulf's aid in the fight against the dragon, typifies several important heroic virtues. The most obvious of these is the importance of the relationship between lord and thane. In trying to persuade the other thanes to assist Beowulf, Wiglaf says, "Now the day has come that our liege lord has need of the strength of good fighters. Let us go to him, help our war-chief while the grime terrible fire persists." (Chickering 61) In stating this, Wiglaf reminds the other thanes of the necessity of holding up their end of the bargain in the lord-thane relationship. Beowulf is a good lord, who protects his thanes and dispenses treasure to them, and it is their turn to support him in battle in his time of need.    When Wiglaf comes to aid Beowulf against the dragon, he also illustrates the importance of the kinship bond. Beowulf states that "Fate has swept away all my kinsmen" immediately before he dies. (Chickering 63) As one of Beowulf's last surviving kinsmen, Wiglaf's aid would be especially valuable to Beowulf. As the editors of The Norton Anthology of English Literature point out in the introduction to Beowulf in their introduction to this text, relationships between kinsmen were extremely important to this society. (Introduction 23)    Wiglaf also exemplifies the heroic virtue of courage. He give no thought to his own safety or to the odds against him when he fights the dragon, but goes to help his thane and kinsman. In the fight he conducts himself courageously; the author of the poem says that, in attacking the dragon, "he took no heed for that head" -- that is, the dragon's head, which breathed fire -- but that "that hand of the brave man was burned as he helped his kinsman." (Chickering 62).    Finally, Wiglaf's action demonstrates the heroic virtue of living up to a promise made. "I remember that time we drank mead, when we promised our lord in the beer-hall -- him who gave us these rings -- that we would repay him for the war-arms if a need like this befell him," says Wiglaf of an earlier promise made by the thanes. The Epic Poem, Beowulf - Beowulf and Heroic Virtues :: Epic of Beowulf Essay Beowulf and Heroic Virtues      Ã‚   Although the main character in Beowulf is Beowulf himself, I believe that the single section which most concisely illustrates the heroic values in this poem occurs on pages 61 through 64 of the text, and is illustrated not by Beowulf's actions, but by Wiglaf's. Although Wiglaf is by nationality Swedish, he identifies himself as Beowulf's kinsman when he says "I did begin to help my kinsman." (Chickering 64)    Wiglaf, in coming to Beowulf's aid in the fight against the dragon, typifies several important heroic virtues. The most obvious of these is the importance of the relationship between lord and thane. In trying to persuade the other thanes to assist Beowulf, Wiglaf says, "Now the day has come that our liege lord has need of the strength of good fighters. Let us go to him, help our war-chief while the grime terrible fire persists." (Chickering 61) In stating this, Wiglaf reminds the other thanes of the necessity of holding up their end of the bargain in the lord-thane relationship. Beowulf is a good lord, who protects his thanes and dispenses treasure to them, and it is their turn to support him in battle in his time of need.    When Wiglaf comes to aid Beowulf against the dragon, he also illustrates the importance of the kinship bond. Beowulf states that "Fate has swept away all my kinsmen" immediately before he dies. (Chickering 63) As one of Beowulf's last surviving kinsmen, Wiglaf's aid would be especially valuable to Beowulf. As the editors of The Norton Anthology of English Literature point out in the introduction to Beowulf in their introduction to this text, relationships between kinsmen were extremely important to this society. (Introduction 23)    Wiglaf also exemplifies the heroic virtue of courage. He give no thought to his own safety or to the odds against him when he fights the dragon, but goes to help his thane and kinsman. In the fight he conducts himself courageously; the author of the poem says that, in attacking the dragon, "he took no heed for that head" -- that is, the dragon's head, which breathed fire -- but that "that hand of the brave man was burned as he helped his kinsman." (Chickering 62).    Finally, Wiglaf's action demonstrates the heroic virtue of living up to a promise made. "I remember that time we drank mead, when we promised our lord in the beer-hall -- him who gave us these rings -- that we would repay him for the war-arms if a need like this befell him," says Wiglaf of an earlier promise made by the thanes.

Anti Violence Essay

Anti violence essay Seven years ago I did not think violence existed in America. The most violent act ever committed was the tragedy of the World Trade Center in 9/11/01. The Trade Centers had been the target for something so horrible, and I thought at the time, ‘This will change the world. † I was right about that fact: our airports are more secure, we have to have pass-ports anywhere you go now, you have more thorough bagage checks, and they’re more selective as to what’s in your purse before boarding a plane. I think the most secure place in America right now is our power plants. They have increased security at all our power plants, including the nuclear plants, and also there is air space around each plant so planes have to keep their distance from them. Homeland Security is a common word in our homes today because of 9/11. I wanted to know how. Wanted to know why. Wanted to know what our leaders reactions would be. The world trade center killed many people that my friends knew and loved; that can never be replaced. This act changed the way my friends lived, loved, and acted in school. This spine-chilling nightmare was committed because terrorists took over three planes that flew into the giant buildings. The causes of this violence is the hatred between countries, states, or nations. The hatred is then passed down to the youth generation, because we hear, and see the dislike between the grown-ups. Children learn from the wisdom and actions of what the elders do. Shooting, stabbing, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and gang fights are a few examples of youth violence. All of these exist in schools, neighborhoods, malls, the movies and even in your own home on the internet. Schools have tried to stop it but there is still a lot of verbal abuse anywhere in the school system you go. Youth violence can be stopped by reporting abuse, shooting, stabbings, and anything to do with gangs. It can also be solved by not being the one that does bulling or any of the things listed above. I think it is funny how teachers wonder about why no one reports violence in America. My say on the matter is the kids are scared it will only get worse if we tell a teacher or principal or any adult because they use our name and our grade to the bully or person that Bothers you.

The Effects Of Global Warming On The Planet - 879 Words

Every place becomes warmer because people always do the things that would damage the planet. For example the people usually use the air conditioner, this would discharge a lot of greenhouse air. That is too late to save it from complete destruction when climate change has damaged the planet beyond repair. Global warming is caused by the factory and cars always discharge CO2. ’ Global warming is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere—which acts as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet.’ (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2011) Some people think that it is not a serious problem to damage the planet or they can still save the planet. However, Global warming has already caused serious destruction to the planet and it is too late to save it because the planet start to arise many problems and people cannot do anything to help the planet. First, some people think that the animals extinct is not very important in the planet, they think the natural chain do not make the planet have any problem, so they do not care about this. However, the climate change would make the different and the animals start to extinct. It would change the natural environment. ‘Bergmann s rule, as this tendency has been misnamed, doesn t mean large warm-blooded animals do not live in warm climates. Even very big animals can evolve to cope with heat, as elephants prove. Rather, for a given set of adaptations to heat or cold, a smaller body is better in warmerShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Global Warming on the Planet1158 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming can be defined as the increase in the earths sea level due to an increase in surface temperature. In decades past, there have been debates on what can be causing global warming. 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