Comparing Beowulf and Star Wars

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Heroism Paralleled A hero is someone who possesses traits such as courage, perseverance, and selflessness. However, an epic hero is also comprised of characteristics that allow him to achieve a great task, with the risk of losing his own life. He depends on faith and confidence that he is the one who can bring hope to the hopeless. In the narrative Beowulf and the movie Star Wars, many aspects of heroism are paralleled. Beowulf is defined as a hero by his bravery to set out and defeat a monster that has been invincible to Hrothgar’s men. He was well respected because his confidence was evident as he trusted his destiny to fate. Fate is a reoccurring theme in heroism; it is a supernatural aspect that allows a hero to conquer a quest fearlessly. Beowulf fought Grendel without weapons and was sure his strength, experience, and belief in fate would allow him to triumph over the antagonist that terrorized Herot Hall. His dependence on fate benefitted him as he defeated both Grendel and Grendel’s mother. There is also a presence of a supernatural essence in Star Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi preaches the importance of using the force to his followers, and more directly to Luke Skywalker. The force directly relates to fate as it is the derivation of the heroes’ power in Star Wars. Like Beowulf depended on fate in his expeditions, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke depended on the force in Star Wars to battle the Galactic Empire. With the use of the force, Luke fired the successful shot that destroyed the Death Star right before it would reach the Rebel base. Another similarity between the Beowulf and Star Wars is the motif of good verses evil. Good verses evil was present throughout Beowulf. Grendel was a representation of “evil” that Hrothgar and his men, representations of the “good”, feared, but could not defeat. Therefore, Beowulf, another portrayal of the “good”, sought out

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