On Monday we discussed whether or not we thought that Beowulf could be considered a superhero or a super hero. Throughout the discussion it was apparent that there are so many different definitions of a superhero and we all have our own opinions of what makes a superhero. I believe Beowulf can be considered a superhero by today's standards because he'd fit the criteria of what I believe a superhero is (as stated in my last post). He may not have gotten his powers from a radioactive spider or fell into a toxic vat of goo, but his "powers" (supposedly) came from God, his strength is unlike a regular man's, and the confidence he has is extraordinary.
There was a point brought up in class that Beowulf is too cocky which takes away from him being a superhero because superheroes are supposed to be humble with their powers, I guess that's why most superheroes have a secret identity, right? Their secret identities are supposed to allow them to blend in and show that they're just like everyone else, even though they're not, right? Well, I was re-reading the first part of Beowulf and I realized that there's a small part that shows his humility. It was before he was to face Grendel and he says, 'So I shall bear no blade in the night if he sees fit to fight without weapons. May God in His wisdom grant whom He wills blessing in battle." (Pg. 1579, 611-614) For Beowulf to abandon all his armor and depend on his strengths and abilities, and to also make it a fair battle, shows that he's cocky but to an extent. He's only interested in a fair battle to prove himself and show that he can talk the talk and walk the walk.
Personally I actually started to like where the discussion was going and I was actually interested in it (to my surprise). The more we discussed whether or not Beowulf could be considered a superhero, during his time, the more I was convinced that he was just super human. Maybe it’s because I kind of think about him and Batman on the same level. Both don’t really have “super powers” they’re human beings that have worked to develop themselves to become stronger and superior than average people. It actually reminds me of what body builders and weightlifters do; they train themselves to become stronger and superior than everyone else. They try to take the human body to the extreme and make us watch in awe as they lift ridiculous amounts of weights.
Back to the story as a whole, I honestly had a difficult time reading the story. The names of most of the characters confused me and I could only understand maybe 25% of what was really going on in the story. I think I understood the important parts, but I think it’d be a better idea for me to sparknotes it and re-read the entire thing. I should be honest, if their names weren’t so difficult to pronounce and actually sounded like real names than I swear it would’ve been so much easier for me to read it. I couldn’t keep up with who was who.
Word Count: 539
Unfortunately, the names don't get much easier in this course. A character list might help a little.
ReplyDeleteWhen you bring up Batman, it brings to mind some thoughts I've had regarding the Caped Crusader. I'm afraid that he might not fit my criteria as a superhero. It makes me sad. If I ever get a moment when I think it's appropriate, I may bring that up in class or blog about it myself.
I also appreciate that you point out that Beowulf wasn't interested in boasting for boasting's sake. He wanted to be as good as he said he was.
I agree with you. Beowulf did recognize that his possibilities in winning the fight with Grendel or with Grendel's mother and the dragon wasn't a guaranteed win. He did have some worry that he might not come out victorious and I believe that's where some of his humbleness may have laid. Being cocky came with the territory he was holding. He was awesome and by being awesome he had to back it up. If he down played everything he had accomplished he wouldn't be that epic character in the story.
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