Beowulf and Modern Day Heroes (Essay Sample)

Beowulf and Modern Day Heroes
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Beowulf and Modern Day Heroes
Most of us have heard of heroes such as, Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and even the Hulk. All heroes fight for a good cause and they possess the qualities of bravado, strength, ethics, and most notably, they fight against evil. These traits apply to Beowulf, and to a modern day hero like Batman. Even though these heroes have different backgrounds, they had same traits and had a great impact on their society. One of the distinct similarities between Beowulf and Batman is that, they used their strength to fight evil in the society, since none of them had super powers. Their disparity lies in the reason why they are fighting evil in the society.
Just like Beowulf, modern day heroes exhibit much of the same quality as Beowulf. In the poem, Beowulf is portrayed as strong, brave, courageous, and the hero of the people for saving them from the monster Grendel. In the movie, Batman is also portrayed as strong, brave, and a hero ready to save his people from evil. There are similarities between Beowulf and Batman as the two characters possess the heroic attribute of strength. In Beowulf, the main character portrays his strength when he is able to swim for seven days as well as fighting monsters in the sea, something that most people cannot be able to accomplish. In addition, in his battle with Grendel, the author states that, he was able to tear Grendel’s arms with his bare arms, and this demonstrates his strength (Heaney, 2002). On the other hand, Batman also exhibits the gallant eminence of strength. In the Movie Batman, the main character fights gangs of criminals and conquers them on numerous occasions and this demonstrates his strength and endurance, just like Beowulf. Moreover, Batman and Beowulf share the same commitment. The two characters were committed to combating evil in order to save their people. Batman and Beowulf were always ready to protect the people from any attacks. As a hero, Beowulf knew that it was his obligation to protect the King and the people. He was able to save King Hrothgar from Grendel, and went ahead to kill Grendel’s mother in order to stop her from revenging for her son’s death (Streissguth, 2004). Comparably, Batman knew that he had to protect the people of Gotham city by fighting all evil. Batman battled all the criminals who robbed the people on the streets, and he was able to triumph over them by ultimately destroying the Joker (Beatty, 2005). Even though these criminal gangs were not a threat to him, Batman felt the urge to protect his people from evil as their hero, just like, Beowulf. Therefore, both Beowulf and Batman wore the heroic task to wrestle evil and protect the people.
Even though Batman and Beowulf hold several resemblances, they have dissimilarities too. The main differences between them lie behind their reasons of fighting evil. Beowulf fought evil in the society for praise and reputation, while Batman was not looking for honor like Beowulf, but rather, he was fighting evil to protect the innocent citizens from the criminal gangs. Unlike Beowulf, Batman did not want fame and honor; he was only there to help the people and bring justice. However, they were able to save their people from evil. Beowulf succeeded in taking on the monster Grendel and Grendel’s mother in addition to the dragon, and Batman was able to save Gotham city from the criminal gangs.
In conclusion, heroes from Beowulf to Batman have been created in our cultures to inspire and give us hope to head in the right direction and to fight evil. Through these characters,...