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Materialism In Beowulf

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Beowulf Idealism and Materialism Contrasts Old English Epic vs. Modern Day Film In the story of Beowulf, (Heaney) which takes place in 1000 AD, the protagonist Beowulf is a Geat hero who fights monsters and is known as the strongest conqueror around. The cultural values in the Novel contrasted to Beowulf and Grendel, (Gunnarsson) a movie produced in 2005, are different. The materialism and idealism that both Beowulfs have are completely different in many ways. The reputation, appearance, and attitude as well as a few more characteristics are different from the novel to the cinematic production. In the novel, Beowulf was introduced as a god like hero that could conquer any monster, creature or person that dared cross his path. In the epic, Beowulf was the only person anyone could call if they needed help with anything, and in the movie he is just an average looking man. …show more content…

That was a good king.” (9-11) Beowulf ruled over 50 years with the influence of the Anglo-Saxon culture that he was the strongest ruler there would ever be, even long after he was gone. The idealism of Beowulf will live forever and strike fear in the enemies of the Anglo-Saxons. The goodness, loyalty, courteousness, evenness, and bravery of Beowulf to the Anglo-Saxon culture was well proven in Beowulf and Beowulf and Grendel by showing both versions of the tale who Beowulf was. While the epic provided a more specific, vivid, and precise understanding of not only the cultural values and the characteristics of the old English tale, but also the detail of an Anglo-Saxon writer. The movie, bringing the epic to life, provided an image of the plot and gave faces to the characters to help better understand the story. The idealism and materialism of the culture that this story provided was immensely focused on how the life of the Anglo-Saxon people valued life in the time of their

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1. How does Beowulf character compare with other heroes you know about? When compared against modern heroes, Beowulf comes off as a more of a rugged dirty character. When looking at heroes such as Captain America or Luke Skywalker, both of these characters are never pictured as dirty. Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, is always pictured as clean and his suit never dirty, same thing with Luke Skywalker.

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Beowulf vs. The 13th Warrior Beowulf, an Old English epic poem—written sometime between the 8th and 11th century by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, and The 13th Warrior, a 1999 action film—produced and directed by John McTiernan, share many similarities and differences regarding character, setting, plot, and theme. Because John McTiernan’s film is so similar to the epic poem, it is widely assumed that The 13th Warrior is directly inspired by and based off of Beowulf. Not only is the plot and setting of the two works very similar, but the characters and overall theme is as well.

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The film and epic poem Beowulf may seem alike because of their similar plots and characters, but when looked at deeper, it is clear that their cultural differences set them apart. Traditionally, epic poems are lengthy stories that praise the deeds of heroic warriors whilst reflecting the brutal reality of life. They expressed cultural pride and teachings, while telling everyone that we are hopeless in the hands of fate; that all human ambition ends in death. In our modern world today, movies are made to entertain, but more importantly to sell and make a profit.

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Have you ever heard of the story Beowulf? If not, then I will be telling you the different scenarios that occurred in the movie and the book. Beowulf is about a heroic fellow who saves a kingdom from a magical named Grendel. He went through numerous of battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. In this essay I will be discussing the different event that happened in the story and the movie.

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Thesis: The role of the Anglo-Saxon Hero in Beowulf represents and defines the values of strength, intelligence, selfness, and courage. Beowulf himself models the culture of the Anglo-Saxon hero, as he is willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for their glory and people I. Strength and physical appearance A. Strength is clearly an important characteristic of heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture and heroic code. 1. The beginning of the story Beowulf is described as having the strength of "thirty men" in just one of his arms. 2.

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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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The story Beowulf contains many different rulers that people follow. Among the various characteristics these men share, a few great qualities shine through, these being generosity, loyalty, and bravery. The leader Beowulf portrays these qualities multiple times throughout the story, which define him as a model of leadership for all times. One of the reasons is that Beowulf always acts decisively and courageously to combat evil, and he is also noble in his actions. He knows how to create peace as well as to wage war.

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Masculine Ideals in Anglo-Saxon Society The concept of a hero is prevalent through all generations because it presents a template for ethics and behavior. Beowulf is a pivotal epic told by poets throughout early european society and mirrors the manly nature of their ideal hero. The patriarchal values of the Anglo-Saxons are displayed through the epic Beowulf. The characters’ loyalty to their leaders as well as their conventional sense of masculinity indicate that the values of a society determine the values of an individual.

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He did carry the ways of a Anglo-Saxon which were honesty, kindness,loyalty, and honor. But all of that was soon covered up with his prideful thinking. Beowulf came to the aid of the king Hrothgar and his people willingly, knowing he could solve the king’s problem. Beowulf succeed in killing the monster getting fame , glory, and riches. Although Beowulf brought along his mighty warriors he persisted that they stay and watch him defeat the monster named “Grendel’’ all alone.

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The poem and movie of “Beowulf” are very different and they are also sort of similar. There are a lot more differences between the two than you would expect and while some of them are minor differences others are drastically different. Most movies are very different from the book they are made from. The biggest differences between the movie and poem were the three battles. The three battles have drastic differences.

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Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”

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Many people may have read the poem Beowulf that was written by a anonymously poet in Old English; this book was later on translated by Burton Raffel. This poem captured many people in the old days that eventually lead this to get adapted to the big screen by Robert Zemeckis. People who are into literature like the books better than the movies because they feel like they are more detailed while with the movies they have scenes that are shorten up and do not have the most important parts that we may find interesting. Most movies and books do not often relate to each other and it is rare to ever find a movie that is much more better than the actual book. After watching the movie it has come to understanding that the book and the poem are similar in some ways.

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In the movie and epic poem Beowulf there were many similarities and difference that was noticed. Beowulf was not a true as he was in the movie. However in the epic poem he was more honest and he kept his word. For example, when Beowulf doesn’t tell the truth about defeating Grendel’s mother, but in the poem he actually defeated her. On the other hand it was interesting to see the poem come to life and it made it easier to understand the concept of the story.

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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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Very little is known about the epic poem Beowulf besides that the story was told during the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically between the years 500-1100. The author is unknown, due to the fact that the story was originally told verbally and not documented until much later. Like many stories told throughout the ages, Beowulf consists of many archetypes. An archetype is a recurring symbol found in literature, such as the Hero archetype. In this epic poem, the hero, Beowulf, travels from his homeland to Denmark to save a kingdom from an awful beast that has been attacking men late at night for over twelve years.

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