Heroes like Beowulf, as well as people all over the world today are confronted with countless monsters and problems. Monsters are the evil that tries to defeat the hero. However, they do not necessarily have to be physical. Today, spiritual, psychological, and personal problems are the monsters. When someone is going through a tough time, their faith in God is tested. Some might lose faith and think that He is not there for them, but the Anglo-Saxons had this unquestionable faith in God. “Whichever one death fells / must deem it a just judgment by God” (Heaney 440). Beowulf was ready for death when he was about to fight Grendel. He did what he needed to but in the end, Beowulf knew it was up to God and fate. People today simply need to stop …show more content…
These expectations create monsters inside people’s heads and can hurt them more than others may think. Of course, the Anglo-Saxons had their expectations, too. Heaney even begins the poem with the theme of greatness and bravery. “So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by/ and the kings who rules them had courage and greatness. / We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns” (1). Men back then were supposed to have no fears. This pushed Beowulf to strive for greatness, and although he benefitted from this push, there may have been others who were frightened and could not live up to this standard. Beowulf’s physical monsters also appear in today’s world. Millions of students are bullied. Bullying can be physical or verbal, but the physical bullying can relate to the monsters in Beowulf. The victim has to stand up against them and be their own hero. “No help or backing was to be had then / from his high-born comrades; that hand-picked troop / broke ranks and ran for their lives” (2597). Friends will be too afraid to help. Beowulf really needed help fighting against his bully, but the people he trusted left