Soldiers as modern heroes and the role of imagery in Beowulf

Hero has the ability to face adverse situations without any fear. They put the well-being of others before their own well-being. They do not necessarily have to be physically strong or have muscles that are able to life entire buildings at once; they just have to have a strong character. Although in modern society, it can be rare to find actual heros, individuals who are selfless and thoughtful of others, they are still found. Soldiers are today's modern heros. Specifically, soldiers fighting in the Middle East, whether it is Iraq or Afghanistan, are the individuals that everyone should look up to because of their bravery. They encounter the evils of war everyday, yet they persevere with dignity and ambition. Having to be on their toes everyday, they must constantly deal with the idea of being easily killed in a war strike. Yet they confront this because they will do anything for the honor and the respect of their country. It can be easy to say that one has love, pride, and honor for one's country, but soldiers show day after day, time after time, that they are willing to put their lives at risk in order to maintain that dignity and pride that they see in their country.

Soldiers confront evil on a daily basis for the sake of the American people. They go in the place of many who cannot. In doing so, they risk their lives and time with their families in order to defend their country from further and/or future attacks of any sort. Soldiers are completely virtuous in this sense. They persevere despite any obstacles and see nothing too big being in the way of what they love more: their country and their people. To say that soldiers are brave is one thing, but day after day, they prove this. Unfortunately some have died because of these wars, but that only further demonstrates their selfless acts. They are willing to die for their cause without any great monetary reward. They fight and defend their country for the well-being of it, not for the riches. This in fact makes a true hero.

2) Responding to Beowulf

Imagery plays a pivotal role in Beowulf. Grendel is often associated with darkness and death. When Grendel is first introduced, he is automatically associated with death, as one who brings death to other people, "He came to, ripped him apart, cut / his body to bits with powerful jaws, / drank the blood from his veins, and bolted / Him down, hands and feet; death and Grendel's great teeth came together / Snapping life shut." Imagery is powerful here as it not only provides a description of how vicious Grendel could be, but also how he can easily bring death upon others. Grendel's dying days were also described in a way that made him out to be evil and unable to be defeated, pointing out the darkness in his soul, "...trying to open / a path for his evil soul, but their points / Could not hurt him... blunted every mortal man's blade." This provides an image of how strong he was and how the darkness consumed him, and compared him to demons. Blunting blades can be seen as a reference to fire melting the weapons, another reference to his being demon-like. Lastly, his dying days were also full of dark imagery, one that detailed just how unavoidable death was for Grendel after a certain point. His fight to live, and his eventual resignation to die were clear images of death portrayed by the writing. All these images put forth by words are supposed to allow the reader to see just how strong Grendel was. Readers are supposed to feel hatred and disgust for him.

In "Grendel," Gardener's depiction of Grendel is quite different than that of the epic. First and foremost, Grendel is seen as someone who was protecting those people, not one who was out to hurt them. He is viewed as a provider for those people. Secondly, he is being mourned. This is something that would not have been the case in the epic's description of him. And lastly, Grendel is made out to be as an innocent person who had followers. This depiction of Grendel is one that greatly contrasts that of the epic. In this piece, readers are somewhat forced to sympathize and feel bad for Grendel, as he is not introduced as a monster, but of a creature with caring characteristics.

The first difference between today's world, and that in 999, is the difference in environment. What used to be filled with trees and vegetation, is now covered with buildings and modern architecture. Another difference is the way that lives were lived. People depended on the environment in order to survive and ran a lot more risks in 999 than they do now. Technology is the major difference between both eras. Technology has helped us develop into a modern world, while back in 999, it was barely impossible to leave the immediate vicinity. The first similarity that stuck out was the vast differences between social classes. Although it may not be as extreme, today's societal hierarchies are just as divided as they were in 999. Taxes is another thing that does still exist in today's world, just as it did in 999. And finally, the huge increase in population is also something that can be seen in almost any part of the world right now, just as it was in 999.

3) Epic Conventions and Epic Heroes

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a perfect example of what an epic poem represents. Just as any epic poem does, the Epic of Gilgamesh details a long journey in seek of unraveling a purpose. There is a set hero, one that became a legend and was able to represent honor to himself. However, what makes the Epic of Gilgamesh one that falls into an epic poems category is its powerful imagery. This makes the epic seem real and make is seem as if the readers were actually there, present and witnessing the intense fighting, "How pitiless he was to them. Gilgamesh in horror saw / Him strike the back of Enkidu and beat him to the ground / Until he thought his friend was crushed to death." This provides a great support for the poem's epic status.

A characteristic of an epic poem is its ability to stay relevant despite the passage of time. It has the ability to stay viable, readable, and it is a poem that people could still relate to, despite its age: something that all epic poems do. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one that has lived through oral tradition. It has survived the change of culture and society, further proving its ability to stay relevant and the fact that it is indeed an epic poem. Death is something that is always feared, and in order to overcome this fear, sometimes individuals do things to directly put themselves in harm's way. This is something that is demonstrated in this poem. A moral lesson is characteristic of epic poems, and the Epic of Gilgamesh falls right into this category. This among other factors truly encapsulate what it means to truly be epic.

4) Responding to Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh does indeed meet the requirements of an epic poem. First and foremost, it has withstood the endurance of time and has again and again gone down in history as a tale to never be forgotten. Its length has remained intact despite its various translations into other languages and it's hard-to-read English. An epic poem tells a heroic, almost mythological tale of heros coming to terms with their environment. The epic of Gilgamesh does all this and more. It depicts just how much a character can withstand for something that they fully believe in.

The characteristics of an epic tale also encompass having an almost mythological god-like hero, one that can withstand any hardship despite their surroundings, and the Epic of Gilgamesh has this to an extent. Although Gilgamesh may be afraid of death, he is willing to face it, in a heroic fashion. The poem states, "I will go ahead of you, and if I die / I will at least have the reward / of having people say: He died in war / Against Humbaba. You cannot discourage me / With fears and hesitations." Despite Gilgamesh's fear of death, he is willing to encounter danger and go down as a hero, instead of a coward if need be. This provides a moral twist to the story, one that is characteristic of an epic poem.

Gilgamesh is encouraged to go out and face the world by his fear of death, however Enkidu is quite the opposite. He is encouraged by adventure and by his ability to accompany Gilgamesh as his good friend. Enkidu is indeed a good and dependable friend, one that provides encouragement and strength to Gilgamesh when he needs it most. Gilgamesh is part God and Human and Enkidu is part Animal and Human, giving both of them an extraordinary will to overcome. However, because of Gilgamesh's thought that he may be invincible, he is actually putting his friend's life at risk by going on his adventure. In his attempt to prove that he is brave and that he would rather die for a cause, he actually indirectly causes the death of Enkidu, who shows that he was the stronger of the two.

5) Defining Honor

Honor is a characteristic that few individuals posses. It is a special type of distinguishing factor, that although many attempt to have, very few actually embrace it to its full meaning. Honor entails pride and personal excellence. It is fully believing in an action or an entity that represents something very important to the self and to those around. To me, honor is being able to stand up for your beliefs despite the opinion of others.

Honor in society can actually be viewed in two ways, depending on your perspective. A great example of the divide between how honor is viewed can be with war. Some members of society see an individual that goes to war as being honorable because they are ultimately making a sacrifice. They are putting their the respect, dignity, and pride that they feel for their country above all else, even their own lives. However, an individual can be viewed as honorable if they choose to stick to what they firmly believe. Someone who is against the violence and/or against the cause of a certain war may choose to not partake in any sort of those activities, and it takes bravery and honor to choose what is against society. That is a different form of bravery that can be viewed as honor as well.

As aforementioned, two different views on honor can be both beneficial and detrimental to society. Individuals who view an honorable action as something personal, may in fact be a harm to others. There are certain religious actions that may be seen as being a last act of honor that will bring them closer to a personal accomplishment and respect from their community, but may in fact be a harmful to others, as is the case with many suicide bombers. Aside from certain extreme cases though, honor is overall viewed in a positive light by society. To have enough dedication and enough pride in something that one is willing to sacrifice all, makes honor something that many strive to attain.

Somewhat unlike Homer's depiction of what he thinks honor out to be, honor should be something that is personal. It is the ability to stand up and fight for what one believes in and to stand by that belief despite other people's opinions, but that is not necessarily what Homer thinks about honor. He believes that honor should be something that is earned, some sort of respect from other individuals. Honor is being able to die for a larger cause. Honor to him is having approval for certain actions. In today's society, that view of honor does not really exist to its fullest. Honor is viewed as something that is kept in order to preserve self-satisfaction, not necessarily to not be viewed as a coward by others. This is a clear demonstration about the change in time and society.

Honor is something that is very contingent on the individual. It represents something different to all those who think of this feature. It is a very personal thought and a very personal action. As previously mentioned, the definition and representation of honor depends greatly on the person, but in the end, standing up and fighting for what one believes most in, is the ultimate characteristic of honor.

6) Responding to Literature

From the beginning, Hector is doomed by fate. Although he is fighting for a cause that he thoroughly believes in, he kills Achilles's close friend, Patroklos. This would prove to be a fatal mistake for him. He believes so much in what he is doing that by committing this murder, he is actually sealing his fate. This is where the first example of how Hector was doomed by fate comes into play. He has now won Achilles as an enemy, one that will do nothing until he avenges his death for this fellow friend. He is determines to kill Hector. Fate also comes into play when Hector, plagued by the fear of being killed by Achilles joins in comradery with an individual that he finds on the street in order to come together to kill Achilles. Upon making this decision, he does not realize that he is already doomed to die, for the person with whom he makes a deal to kill Achilles with, is in fact Athena in disguise. This brings him in direct combat with Achilles. Lastly, Hector's death is the ultimate example of this doomed fate. Hector stole Patroklos's armor after killing him, hoping that the armor would indeed protect him from any strike against him. What he did not realize was that Achilles knew all the weak and penetrable areas that the armor had because it belonged to his close friend and was once Achilles's, so even though Hector wanted to go down fighting honorably, he was actually killed in one strike by Achilles. This further proves that dying was in Hector's fate and inevitable.

Pride eventually becomes detrimental to most of the characters in "The Iliad." To begin with, Achilles was overwhelmed in grief that he let his guard down and allowed Patroklos to wear his armor. Achilles wanted to show pride in his people and in those around him, that he ended up making a fatal mistake. Patroklos's death was proof of that. However, it was also Patroklos's pride that made him take Achilles's armor in the first place and what eventually led to his own death by Hector. Patroklos thought that he would be invincible with Achilles armor on. This led him to take Hector on who would eventually end up killing him. This all occurred because Patroklos was too proud to stand down. Hector was actually the one character who ended up with the short end of everyone else's downfall. He chose to take Patroklos's armor and because he was too proud to hide from Achilles, chose to fight him. This led to Hector's death, all as a result of Hector's pride. The combination of all these factors eventually led Hector's hubris to Hector's own fate.

Although rivals, Hector and Achilles were both heros in their own way. They both lived up to the Greek's view of arete as they individually fought for something that they fully believed in and died in the name of their kingdom. They went down in ways that they thought were honorable and died for a cause that they supported. They died in battle, an ultimate sign of heroism and of being a warrior.

The Iliad has become both an example of how war can hurt a society, as well as how it demonstrates bravery of individuals. It can inspire heroism because the main characters of "The Iliad" all believed in their own cause. They were fighting for something more than just themselves. They thought that their beliefs and those for whom they were fighting for, were more important than their lives. This is still seen in wars today. Every war has more than one side, and every individual on each side have their own reason to fight, making themselves justify war for themselves. On the other hand, "The Iliad" also shows the downfall of the war-like mentality. It can lead individuals to make grave mistakes, ones that they probably would not have made had it not been for their sincere and utter dedication for their cause and their inability to die without a fight.

9) What Women Want

Women want to be treated as equals. They want to be able to share with their partners any indication of insecurity and any sense of inability to fully live up to the expectations with their husbands without the fear of being judge for not being the person that they are expected to be. It is not necessarily a fortune that women want, but they do desire security. This security does not have to come in form of money, but in form of love. At the end of the day, what women want most is to be understood, loved, and cared for.

This is exactly what the story, "The Wife of Bath" depicts as women wanting. They want to be loved by their husbands. Although the Wife of Bath does get a bit more demanding in terms of what it is that women actually want, it is the same thing. The Wife of Bath states that women want a submissive husband, one that will kneel at their every desire, although it also states women's need and want to be loved. They want to be considered as being people in the eyes of their significant other, not in the way that they were viewed during that time period. Women wanted a distinction between being seen as objects and property whom were not necessarily worthy of respect and appreciation.

10) the Wife of Bath (Read pages 155-166)

The Wife of Bath expresses concerns in her tale that were pretty advanced for the time that it was written. She addresses the concerns of how women were being treated back during her time period. She states that they were indeed treated as servants and as subservient women when in fact they should have been treated in equal status to men. All these ideas, concerns, and opinions that the Wife of Bath expresses says a lot about her character. She would be considered a modern day feminist. She stood up for what she believed. She was also a woman who had been married multiple times, something that was extremely unheard of during the time that her story took place.

Chaucer's writing and his depiction of the Wife of Bath demonstrates his progressive attitude, but because of his style of writing, can also be interpreted as him being a bit close-minded. To begin with, he wrote about something that was unheard of during his time period and was not shy about sharing it. He rose women to a level where they were to be seen as equals to men. However, Chaucer loves to be ironic and in his portrayal of a woman who rebels against society can actually be seen as a mockery to women who felt this way during that time period. Depending on one's interpretation, Chaucer can either be seen as a progressive male, ahead of his time period in defending women, or someone who thought that this feeling was completely irrational and was indeed being sarcastic about the whole affair.

Nowadays, women and men tend to be on the same page when it comes to their relationship and their roles within them. Although these beliefs do vary according to cultures and traditions, the status of women has completely changed since the time period that Chaucer wrote this tale.

11) Revisiting the Monster Archetype

Sociopathic

Evil

Conniving

Narcissist

Intelligent

Multi-Dimensional (more than one side to their character)

Complex

Underhanded

Opportunistic

Strategic

Dark

Just like the monster in "The Third Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor," a villain possesses dark inhuman characteristics. The monster in this story was just as any monster would be in a story where he or she is portrayed as a villain. The characteristics of this monster also coincided with the characteristics that I saw were present in most characters. In this case, the monster was feared, for he brought upon death without even trying. He was smart enough to outwit many of the people who set foot on his island, because at the end of the day, he just wanted them dead.

12) Late Breaking News (Read page 110)

Based on: Get Up and Bar the Door

At midnight last night a wife and her husband were both mugged. According to the wife, her husband and herself were having an argument before the incident happened. They were in their bar, which is part of their house, where she was cooking and performing her chores. The time was getting late and they had to lock up, however, neither one of them wanted to budge. "I told him to bar the door because it was getting late," reported the wife. However, the door was not barred. "I told her that she had to do it," reported the husband. No one wanted to take the initiative to bar the door so that no intruders would be able to get in. Both husband and wife blame each other for the initial incident.

"They were not speaking, we just didn't know what to do after a certain point," recalled the burglars after getting caught. "We just walked in and nothing was said to us, so we thought it was okay to go inside and eat their food." Reportedly both wife and husband had agreed that the next one to speak would have to close the door. Of course, that did not occur, for we would not be in this situation right now if anyone of them would have just gotten up. Allegedly the intruders started eating their food, something that the husband did not enjoy seeing. It was during this moment that he spoke, after he was threatened by losing his food. "He didn't even care that they wanted to kiss me, he just cared about his food" stated the wife. "This is true. He only cared about the food," affirmed the burglars.

After everything settled down, the married couple got in contact with the police and reported the incident. When the police arrived at the scene, everyone was around the table enjoying the food. But because of the violation of privacy, the burglars were charged and booked with a minor crime. No word yet on whether the door was ever eventually barred.