Beowulf and SupermanJoin now to read essay Beowulf and SupermanBeowulf, an anonymous English epic, is an archaic poem written in the times of the Anglo-Saxon reign in England. It speaks of a mighty hero, Beowulf, who through his great courage, strength, and cunning is able to defeat evil and vicious monsters and save his people. Beowulf shows great power and resourcefulness, and in this way is similar to one of my heroes, Superman. Beowulf and Superman have many similarities and differences.
Superman and Beowulf have some obvious similarities. For instance, Superman is just about the coolest superhero around, just like Beowulf was in the Middle Ages. First, a little background. In the story, Grendel had been stomping around the land, ripping people to shreds and eating them. Beowulf, a notable hero of the time, was called in to stop him. And, as heroes almost always do, he wins. Then, Grendels mother shows up to exact revenge on Beowulf for the death of her son, but she is similarly vanquished. Then, 50 years later, Beowulfs people, the Geats, ask him to save them from a malicious fire dragon. Beowulf succeeds in conquering the fire dragon, but dies from wounds inflicted in battle. Likewise, Superman fights many different enemies bent on destroying human life, and like Beowulf, he always wins. Beowulf seems almost invincible until he dies, and as we all know, Superman is invincible to everything but Kryptonite. Superman and Beowulf both represent the ideals and values of their respective cultures.
But thats not to say that they are completely alike. They still have many differences. For example, while lying there dying, Beowulf waxes philosophical about his gold and treasure. He then says “Now Ive bartered here for booty of treasure the last of my life, so look ye well to the needs of my land!” He is finally understanding that money is not worth all that much. If Superman were lying there dying, he would be still trying to help others, or at least ask someone to take care of his family. Superman is an example of modern American morals, while Beowulf is an example of Anglo-Saxon morals. In the 8th century, most of the people were poverty stricken, and their greatest ambition was to gain money and power. Many people today still strive towards this end, but the ideal is no longer simply to have money. The ideal American would be like Superman; strong, brave, compassionate, willing to do what he knows is right, and
Although the 9th century is far from over, American society is still growing fast. Although all societies are broken down, there is still a lot of hope for our children as they grow up. Because of the promise of liberty and the freedom of everyone, there is a real desire among American children that they can reach their full potential and be free. If we have our children who want to go back into the past and see a better future for themselves and their families, we could move towards a brighter future and live the American dream.
As far as education in America goes, we are in a much better place today than we were back then. College was never a thing in America. However, students now learn to be better than the guys in their class who are already being taught. As a consequence, higher education in America is much, much better than anything we have ever faced in our lives. Ive had all my students ask if America is better or worse than the world around them! All of that means my children can continue to play, play at home, and love their families with all they want–but I wouldn’t want them to be a slave to a future that is different or worse than theirs. My children have an opportunity today–they can choose to grow up to take the American Dream. Our children will have the opportunity to grow up to be part of this world, and grow up without the poverty of their parents. The future generations are the ones destined to succeed, and the kids they will have the freedom and opportunity to grow up. They will be a force to be reckoned with in all countries, and be able to lead the greatest lives they possibly can. It is the goal of many to develop themselves into great people and leaders, and to realize that they’re good at something, that they’re good at being successful. One thing that can make us have success is not so much economic progress, as the way forward in our country. For some Americans, this economic development is a source of joy — it makes them more optimistic and better prepared to take responsibility for how their family lives will proceed while other Americans suffer the loss of their family members. In this way, our entire nation is in a unique position to be happy and to live the American dream, which can be best described as the freedom that is within every American and as the freedom Americans have at least once had to grow up–to be free.
We are so very fortunate as the people who were brought up to love, respect and serve this great nation. This means that our children have never, ever lost the desire to participate in the political process–from being able to vote to electing our president. Even my children have grown out of those very same beliefs — that we are equal on everything, regardless of our differences or even if we are not. And yet, I think that there will always be America and we will always live in this country.
If we can’t have this dream, then why should we care what we can and need to learn from our teachers and our children?