An epic poem can be written and translated in numerous ways. When focusing someone’s perspective in the main hero of the poem they come to the understanding of the physical and nonphysical attributes of the character. For example, when concentrating in the poem Beowulf, many of the readers contribute to the idea of Beowulf being a strong and brave character.
Furthermore, the claim here is not to understand the reader’s perspective in Beowulf’s physical body, but to understand that being a hero does not have to include a strong body when the community around us face stronger struggles that include spirituality, economy, and personal battles, that are not fought with a physical sword at hand. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf has a series of struggles that include fighting Grendel to protect his community within. His way of fighting a Grendel is to physically fight and murder that monster in a gruesome style.
Seamus Heaney quotes. “Every bone in his body quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape” (Heaney 51). In today’s society we do not have to physically fight a Grendel to protect our society, but stand up for each other. An example, for example; is the community of Charlotte, North Carolina. In Charlotte, North Carolina, they are fighting for each other’s rights as to why people should not be degraded based on a darker skin color. In the aspect of economy, both Beowulf and humanity have something in common, which is that both have to fight to accomplish lavishes.
In the poem Beowulf, for Beowulf being able to earn gold, he has to be brave and fight monsters. In comparison to humanity, humanity has to be able to work day and night to earn lavishes or money to buy simply gold. Every human being that walks on this planet has faced a personal problem in their life, just as Beowulf. For example, in the poem Beowulf it quotes. “They have seen my strength for themselves, watched me rise from the darkness of war” (37). This defining that courage has many forms of showing itself, and hard work and leadership are included in the numerous forms of appearing.
In total the definition of this claim can be defined as the comparison of Beowulf to humanity in today’s world, in the aspects of spirituality, economy, and personal life. Spirituality is an enormous concept around the world. Many spiritual aspects around the world are the building blocks to a society, community, or even another country. When talking about other countries, spirituality is what composes a culture, shaping it to be unique. In the Angelo-Saxon era spirituality was defined as a religion and fate.
Angelo-Saxon focused mostly in pre-Christian paganism, which granted them the option to be polytheistic or in other words the idea of worshiping multiple Gods. In Beowulf the poem, their system of religion and fate consist of the Angelo-Saxon tradition, considering the poem is written as a spiritual tradition. The main role of Beowulf in the poem is to show and embrace his beliefs in fate. Seamus Heaney quotes, “Fate goes as ever fate must” (31). This quote commits to the concept of Beowulf defining fate as a predetermined concept that god has created and has no escape.
Giving the fact that fate is a determined idea if a higher power, it gives a reason for Beowulf to be courage’s and slay the dragon. The end results of fighting the dragon in the end only result in both the death of the dragon and Beowulf. To Beowulf his death is just his destiny determined by the gods and is content as long as he show bravery. In today, twenty-first century the idea of religion and fate exceed the aspects of diversity. Even though humanity does not worship paganism as often as before, the common fact is that in every religion there is always one or multiple higher power.
As the days of Beowulf end and death occur, Heaney says, ‘What God judged right would rule what happened to every men, as it does to this day” (193). This quote simply gives another example of their spirituality. As in today’s world, even death is unescapable. The only dissimilar characteristic is that when Beowulf dies, he is splendid with treasure and gold, an idea that helped the economy. The roundabout in Beowulf and human beings is the element of no matter what religion or higher power it will perpetually define faith as a set and tenacious idea that cannot be changed.
The economy has everlastingly been a concept around the planet for many ages. It has always been the fruit to a foundation of a better world, even when going back to the ancient world. Likewise spirituality, economy builds concepts that are composed of money, taxation, and even social power. For example, when putting the one percent people on our list, people around come to the understanding that they seem and tend to have more power over the ninety-nine percent. This concept economically and money wise presents the idea of the one percent owning ninety-nine percent of the money.
Depressingly, in today’s world, people tend to measure money as social power and achievements, similarly as Beowulf in the poem. Heaney says, “Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift, an embroidered banner; also breast-mail and a helmet; and a sword carried high” (69). This quote is achieved after Beowulf is successfully able to defeat Grendel and rip his arm off. The lavishes Beowulf receives after gruesomely killing Grendel can symbolize the idea of him being a high status person economically and stand on top of everyone else.
As the people around live their everyday life, humans tend to know who has higher power of who does not if observed carefully. Today in this era, it is common in a high status person fancies an expensive restaurant rather than a McDonalds down the street. For example, in the poem Beowulf Heaney states, “The king himself would sit down and feast” (67) this defining the idea of someone in a high social status do not tend to mix around with those of a lower status.
Beowulf can almost be seen as the president of America or Queen of England, they seem to have higher authority on everyone. At the end the subject learned here is that higher status economically means higher authority over anyone else. Each and every person around this world has struggled with personal problems. Some problems may be more conflicted than others, but seem to be as difficult to solve. If we look around today people might have minor problems that are equivalent to the cut of a paper cut or as enormous as the next explosions of a nuclear bomb.
That being said, the reason for people seeing the problem hard to solve even if it is a minor is because people tend to see problems in different way. In Beowulf, one of his personal problems has to do with the fact that he loses a swimming match. To Beowulf losing a match connects to a gigantic problem due to the fact that he is the center of attention and is not adapted to the idea of losing. In today’s world losing a swimming match cannot compete to the problems outside the swimming arena. Of course in the poem, Beowulf likewise consist of major problems.
One of Beowulf’s major problems is the loss of his dad and him being thrown to glory. Heaney states, “Shield was still thriving when his time came and he crossed over into the lords keeping” (26-27). This gives an understanding that losing a loved one is difficult and hard. To this day there are people out there involve themselves to addicting behaviors when not knowing how to resolve a problem. Later on Beowulf is thrown into glory. The poem quotes, “Wisest of kings, now that I have come” (1477).
Beyond any doubt the lesson learned here is that every single person around this planet takes problem differently even if ranged in different levels. At last the only conclusion seized is that Beowulf and the Common Era today are not different in the aspect of life. Aspects that might seem different in Beowulf seem to add up to the situations happening in today’s world. Many people may argue that their era was different, but coming to an understanding, if taken the time to pay attention the only difference is the actual time era.
In Beowulf fate as an enormous idea and if actually look around majority of human beings think of fate an essential idea. In the world humanity still has major in Minot problem. What would be the point of living if problems did not exist? In today’s society, human beings have to learn from their mistakes, and if there is not problems nobody would be able to learn. Not only do problems exist and need to exist, but economy also. When referencing back at Beowulf gold and lavishes are a major
