Why People Take A Risk In Beowulf

876 Words4 Pages

What does the invention of the telephone, the declaration of independence, and marriage have in common? They’re all outcomes of someone or multiple people taking a risk. By definition a risk is the chance that something bad will happen when a person makes a decision. Alexander Graham Bell risked failure when he invented the telephone, people risk rejection when they propose to the one they love, the founding fathers risked death when fighting for freedom. Not all risks are as successful as as the ones previously mentioned. There’s a fear in risks due to the unknown causes leading after a risk. People take risks because they believe the reward is worth the potential damage. The people mentioned in previous examples all believed that the reward was worth the possible damage of the risk they took. Two reasons people take risks is the reward of glory, as shown in the epic poem Beowulf, and the reward of discovering new things, which Ronald …show more content…

So why bother taking risks? Typically the reward for risks is much more higher than to make a decision with a guaranteed result. This is proven through texts such as Beowulf and Ronald Reagan’s speech about the space shuttle the challenger. In Beowulf, the protagonist takes risks by fighting dangerous in the pursuit to gain glory and fame in his society, and readers can learn that taking risks such as these can lead one to discover their true strength. In Reagan’s speech he discusses the risks that Sir Francis Drake took as an explorer of America, and he himself takes a risk by continuing a space program after a tragedy, justifying it by stating there is more exploration to be done. His message regarding in risk taking is that failure will happen, but that shouldn’t stop someone in the quest for exploration. Risk-taking does not just stop at this though, there are many more risks to be taken by daring people with hopeful