Taking risks is a necessary action to live a full life. Although many risks have unwanted consequences, they can also result in good consequences. The Deep, Beowulf, and the Challenger all address the idea taking risks can have positive outcomes. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf takes one of the greatest risks, his life, to protect his people. Beowulf puts himself in danger simply by choosing to fight the Grendel, a huge man-eating monster that has been terrorizing Herot for twelve years. Beowulf sets sail with fourteen of the Geats to battle Grendel. Grendel is so powerful that mere steel cannot injure him. Despite knowing this, Beowulf still chooses to fight him. Not with a sword and a shield, but with his bare hands. “ My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linen shield: my hands alone shall fight for me,” (166-174). This is tough feat to complete, but he chooses to do it because he cares about the safety of his people. He knows that, if he dies in the process it will be worth it because Herot will be safe. …show more content…
The risk he faces is even greater than that with Grendel. The short story The Deep by Anthony Doerr is a great example of taking risk throughout life. Tom is born with a heart defect and is told that he won’t live past 18. Tom begins the story by being sheltered from the world by his mother. Throughout the story he learns what it means to live life because of a girl named Ruby Hornaday. Even though he suffers from fainting spells,