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Identity And Identity In Beowulf

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“Identity is mobile: a progress not a thing; a becoming, not a being” (Simon Frith). With reference to any two primary texts studied, discuss the validity of this statement. Simon Frith states that “Identity is mobile: a progress not a thing; a becoming, not a being”. Identity ought to be realized as an observed progression which must be vividly captured. Identity offers so passionately, the sense of one’s self and of others, the subjective in the collective. Identity according to Mark R. Leary in his book “Handbook of Self and Identity” can be define as the distinctive characteristic belonging to any given individual, or shared by all members of a particular social category or group. Identity may be distinguished from identification; identity …show more content…

Beowulf embodies the characteristics of a hero: bravery, physical power, more than the average human. Although well aware of facing death, the characteristics of bravery was demonstrated in Beowulf as he was eager to defeat Grendel “I shall show the strength and boldness of Geats giving him battle” (p.44, 39-40). Beowulf has proven his strength and bravery which allows him to boast being a hero. When he gets older, Beowulf’s courage and commitment to his country is still intact. Eager was Beowulf in his quest but timid, scared was the cross. Faced with such suffering during the crucifixion of Christ the cross boldly stood as “He climbed upon the cross, brave before many, to redeem mankind” (p. 107, 41-42). Quivering s the warrior clasped on to the cross, the cross demonstrate its bravery daring not to “bow to the ground, fall to earth, I had to stand firm. As a rood I was raised up; I bore the might King…..” (44-47); this in my opinion show that once one has courage and a stern faith one can be brave enough to withstand any crucifixion one may face in their lives. Pride and proudness, bravery both leads to the major identity through both poems, heroism. As stated earlier “Beowulf has proven his strength and bravery which allows him to boast being a hero. When he gets older, Beowulf’s courage and commitment to his country is still intact”. The major act of heroism was to the end of the poem of Beowulf. “Beowulf is a key example of a hero because of his courage when facing the dragon in his final

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   Heroism is shown throughout the poem. Beowulf was heroic in the fight with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. “Behind some broad linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster…” (lines 172-174). In those lines, Beowulf is saying he will fight Grendel alone and without any weapons. “Then Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong…” (line 633).

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Beowulf’s bravery became an example for all of the warriors who would follow after him in Herot and even in other lands as his story spread all

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Emerson has stated the basics for heroism, and Beowulf follows them effortlessly. One of the characteristics Emerson states is having self-trust and confidence. Beowulf shows his confidence when he says, “The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then,/Foeman with Foeman.” Grendel does not use weapons and kills with his bare hands, and Beowulf is stating that he’s confident enough to fight the same way. Another quality trait Emerson talks about would be bravery; Beowulf shows bravery when he tells Hrothgar that he has defeated many beasts before, and will do so again with Grendel.

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The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.

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Alexander Hamilton once said, “There is a certain Enthusiasm in liberty that makes Human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” Beowulf is an epic poem in which the main character Beowulf did acts of service, but he fought for those who couldn’t fight. The overall theme of good versus evil in Beowulf had Beowulf dealing with challenges that no ordinary man would be able to handle unless they were a true epic hero. Throughout the poem Beowulf proves to be an epic hero by his strength, bravery, and sacrifice.

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I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (2511-2515). In conclusion, Beowulf is an epic hero. Although he made risky decisions, he did them for his people. He possessed the qualities of a hero; bravery, loyalty and fearlessness.

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From all this, we know that the perception of a hero from Beowulf’s time differs from our perception today. As we feel that the intentions define a hero while in Beowulf’s time the reputation and accomplishments are what makes a

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It is not because those people did not have identities, but the fact that modern societies have been shifted to multicultural, and one’s recognition becomes more competitive than the previous time and should be acknowledged. It is Nelson Foote who has used the term first in the academic arena and the word has become popular in the second half of 20th century. During this period, the concept of identity has been deployed in numerous ways in the field of psychology, social sciences, anthropology, humanities and literature. Several academic debates have been used as platforms for refining this concept and contributed to this field. Erikson, Stanly Hall, and James Marcia are the main proponents and their contributions in negotiating identity formation theory are appreciated.

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Every person who lives in this world will slowly grow into having a specific identity that defines who they are. For many people, they define their identities by how they grow up and what they practice in their daily lives. Our human experiences are so important to what we tend to be like later in life and I believe that God wants us to show our true identity every day. “We know what we are, but not what we may be”(William Shakespeare). This quote ties into Beowulf because I find that there are two ways that identity is shown in the epic.

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Beowulf makes known that “no man but [himself] could hope to defeat this monster, [and] no one could try.” Beowulf wants to have this fight all to himself, so he can take all of the glory. He is too selfish to conclude that only he could defeat the monster alone. Beowulf cannot be thought of as a hero because “Beowulf only longed for fame.” Beowulf does not perform heroic deeds just to save the citizens, but to receive more admiration from the citizens.

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Not only have we seen brute strength, honorable courage, and admirable loyalty shine through beowulf, Beowulf also possess a great trait not many others have; his will to fight to the death, or self sacrifice. Not once throughout the story did Beowulf ever turn down a battle. Not once did he fear or flee his enemy. Not once did he ever give up even if death had him by the throat causing his mind to flood nothing but fearful thoughts and feelings throughout his body. Every battle Beowulf fought, he fought as if it was his last and that is what truly makes him the great warrior he is.

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Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.

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"Hear me! We've heard of Danish heroes, ancient kings and the glory they cut for themselves, swinging mighty swords." These verses were words sung over and over, by singing poets all over ancient Europe. They were sung in the presence of kings and warriors. They are the beginning lines of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, an ancient tale of monsters, dragons, kings, warriors, battles, life, death, and the virtues of a hero.

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Introduction The concept of identity has been a notion of significant interest not just to sociologists and psychologists, but also to individuals found in a social context of perpetually trying to define themselves. Often times, identities are given to individuals based on their social status within a certain community, after the assessment of predominant characteristics that said individual has. However, within the context of an ethnicity, the concept identity is most probably applied to all members of the ethnical group, and not just one individual. When there is one identity designated for the entire group, often times the factor of “individuality” loses its significance, especially when referring to the relationship between the ethnic

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Paul- Michel Foucault was a French philosopher also known as a historian of systems of thoughts whose influence extended across a broad array of disciplines especially in the humanities and social sciences and a social critic. He created his own title when he was promoted to professorship at one of the most prestigious colleges in France “College de France” in 1970. He is perhaps best known for his ruminations on power, self identity, epistemology, and the evolution of systems of thought and meaning. He is often described as post-structuralist or post modernist, however Foucault himself rejected such titles, preferring to analyse their significance rather than identifying with them.

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