A heroic action can range from a random act of kindness, to a gallant leap of faith, but in the case of Beowulf, his risk taking nature can not help but take over his instincts. His confidence and loyalty lead him to success as a epic symbol whose story is a monomyth. Similar to Beowulf, in modern literature, The Hunger Games portrays a rebellious citizen who rises as a heroic figure. Katniss Everdeen and Beowulf are synonymous in heroic terms but the different ways their stories are told reveal the culture of their society during that time period.
Beowulf represents the artifact of society during it's time period. He rises as a valiant symbol of success and loyalty. His society values materialistic prosperity as this is portrayed when he receives treasures of wealth and land for his bravery. This addition of tangible wealth is what drives denizens of Denmark and Geatland to further respect him. Honor is another major factor that citizens of this era respect. Beowulf's journey to the Danish all began because of the duty of his family's honor.
He fully embodies the traits of a hero: courageous, confident, and loyal. In addition to these characteristics, his confidence exudes to a point of almost touching the aura of arrogance. Although he seems overconfident, his results come to support his trait as his repeated success conquer. To support these heroic traits, literary techniques such as old English diction and allusions to the Bible are used but to also reveal Beowulf's culture.
The Hunger Games serves as the epitome of heroic literature of today. Katniss rises to power as an ordinary citizen, who isn't necessarily renowned but is a gallant woman with a purpose. That fact that she is a woman also symbolizes modern society's acceptance of change. During the time period of Beowulf, feminist views were not considered as valuable when looking at Queen Hygd who serves as an accoutrement to the king and nothing more. Today's heroes are seditious and firm believers of individuals' rights which drive them with a purpose. As supporters of democracy, contemporary heroes possess
The epic tale of Beowulf serves as a monomyth as literature fans continue to glorify and read the story. Beowulf's heroic characteristics along with the tale's literary devices unify to create a story of bravery and honor. Katniss Everdeen of District 12, similarly, portrays a heroic story of modern writing that symbolizes today's ever-changing culture.
Great thesis! I feel like you put just enough into your intro to introduce your topic without getting into specifics. I liked how you compared Katniss and Beowulf both fighting greater powers (katniss fighting the government and Beowulf fighting grendle)
ReplyDeleteI really really like your introduction paragraph and first body paragraph. A lot of people want to write more because they think it is better, but your conciseness made the essay extremely strong. I think the first half of your essay and your thesis are very good. Where the improvement could take place would be in the third body paragraph, which was still strong, but was not as strong as the previous paragraphs. Also, your conclusion could also have been stronger, but, with that being said, I really like the short but to the point method used in the beginning. Really good job!
ReplyDeleteOooo girl I really liked your introduction paragraph because it was clear and simple but still had enough drama to capture a readers attention. Your thesis was very good and I liked how you stated the modern hero you were going to be talking about. Which by the way is the hero I chose as well! Very nice essay!
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