In the novel, Beowulf, the main character is the epitome of an epic hero. He has great strength, he is morally sound, and, for the most part, he thinks of others before he thinks of himself. Beowulf comes to the Geats’ aid when an evil monster named Grendel terrorizes their mead hall. He courageously defeats the monster and defeats the monster’s vengeful mother. Through these battles, Beowulf’s strength, humbleness and courageousness is revealed.
Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, portrays Beowulf as an archetypical hero. Beowulf goes on an epic quest risking death for glory which is a definite trait of Archetypical heroes. Other traits furthering this claim include his inhuman strength and compassion for other humans feeling the need to save them. Beowulf is a brave fearless leader and has inhuman strength, “greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (lines 110-111). “Death was my errand and the fate they had earned” (lines 168-169), meaning Beowulf believed it to be his duty to kill and rid the world of evil, and that the evil he faced got what they deserve, which is death by him.
Sir Gawain is challenged. Gawain’s quest is not a typical challenge of the heroic knight errant; rather it is the inner-wrought moral challenge of Gawain’s soul, and of his own human nature. Gawain’s quest takes him from the shining court of Arthur to the fetid Chapel Green. Along the way Gawain is sorely tested, both in bravery and chivalry. Though Gawain pridefully upholds the highest perfection of moral codes and Christian knighthood, he comes to recognize a painful lesson; that all men are merely human, and thus imperfect as nature created him.
Although they differ vastly in their approach and their path to heroism, their common link is the will to protect those who are unable to defend themselves. Beowulf’s Norse lineage is of a proud, brawny people who pride themselves on physical strength and duty to their liege lord. When he hears that Grendel is terrorizing a poor, defenseless village, immediately he accepts the challenge of freeing them of the monstrous fiend as he seeks glory and fame among his people. In this fictional tale, Grendel is in fact a monster and is described as a direct descendent of Cain with an insatiable thirst for blood. Beowulf closely parallels the first of the thirteen warriors, Buliwyf, who leads a group of Norsemen and a reluctant Arab ambassador to defeat what is described as a monster very reminiscent, if not a full impersonation of Grendel.
In the land of Denmark, Beowulf is a true hero in the eyes of the Danes, yet a “Monster” to Grendel and his mother. In all situations, good vs. evil exists. However, the perception of good and/or evil is in the eye of the beholder. For example, king Hrothgra is a well-respected leader held in the highest regards of the people of Heorot. Sadly, Opposing king Hrothgra’s goodness is the horrible swamp dwelling, demonic Monster, named Grendel who terrorizes and kills innocent Danes for simply enjoying themselves and having a good time.
He can be compared to Karl Marx with the analyzes of capitalism and its instability; though Weber rejects Marx’s historical materialism theory and takes a religious approach, both sociologist conclude society is moving towards an unfit way of life. Weber strove to interpret the rationality of the social actions in economic society by studying religious influence. His analyses of Western society dates back to Martin Luther and the early principles of Protestantism. Weber studied the effects Luther’s concept of a religious ‘calling’ had on motivating people to pursue worldly success. He explains the Protestant calling belief;
James Bartkowiak ENGLT 310 Abraham 2/20/13 Challenging Fate A hero’s worth is measured in the use he has to society and how much he is willing to sacrifice. The definition of a hero is widely debated, and comes in different forms possessing extraordinary abilities. However, it is his actions that jettison him into the upper echelon of men and the praise that it comes with. Beowulf is a hero in the traditional sense in that he is brawny, boastful, and without fear, conscious that his fate rests on the edge of his blade and the gods beholding the spectacle choosing whether he should live or die. He is not so much religious as he is aware that there is a higher power that controls his destiny and that if he will survive then he is meant to
Mike Rule Intro to human service Historical essay The Rise Of philosophy and Individualism American philosophy in the early nineteenth century was an enterprise shaped by beliefs in common sense, moral feeling, and self-culture. In addition to being decisively influenced by democratic values, however, Philosophy in antebellum America was also divided by controversies about the roles science and faith would play in constituting knowledge. Scientific empiricism, Protestant theology, and Romantic literary theory contended
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines deontology as the theory or study of moral obligation (2011, Merriam-Webster.com). Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who studied and taught philosophy and anthropology. Kant’s theory of ethics is considered deontology and is disseminated into two major components. Kant contends that for society to act morally immediately, they need to act from duty. Kant also argued that society’s consequences for their actions do not make them right or wrong, but are determined by the motives that they have when they are carrying out their actions ( 2010, Hernandez).
The next argument that I am going to examine is what some people in the world think, but it is based around Cultural Relativists, who say that if morality was decided for by God then he could say one day to murder somebody and it would be fine. This would then agree with the statement above. An argument I’m going to examine is The Devine Command Theory. This argument goes against the statement as it says that you can only have morals if you believe in God because you get morals from revelations, scriptures or religious experience. This means that to have morals God has to exist.