Wednesday, November 19, 2008
David Wang's Beowulf Question #1
To the Anglo-Saxons, courage was a characteristic that they held to a very high esteem. When Beowulf slew Grendel, he was considered to be very courageous by the people of Danes. In society today, courage is still regarded as a essential trait for a hero. In the army, soldiers are awarded medals for "courageous" acts. However, is there a line that should be drawn where courage turns into recklessness? Was Beowulf actually courageous when he fought Grendel barehanded and Grendel's mother alone? or was he just a reckless man eager for attention?
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I think that Beowulf was just being couragous because he was asked to fight grendel and he took the offer and did what he was told.
There is definately a line between being courageous and being reckless. I think Beowulf was reckless when he faced Grendel's mother because he wasn't even wearing any armor. Also he was lucky to get out of there alive. If he didn't just happen to find that sword, Grendel's mother would have killed him. I think Beowulf just got too confident after he killed Grendel and his confidence lead him to try his luck again in battle with Grendel's mother.
I believe there is a definate line between courage and recklessness. I think that he crossed the line by fighting Grendel with no weapons. And he acted with serious recklessness when he fought Grendel's mother with no armor and alone where no one could help him
Beowulf may have been eager for attention, but he certainly wasnt wreckless. I feel that his choice to fight Grendel unarmed was to make it an even match, he knew he had strength that could match Grendel's so he used it in his defeat. I also feel that his decision to fight Grendels mom alone was jsut to ensuer the safety of his men. Since he knew he could defeat her alone he didnt want to risk another one of his men's lives.
Yes David Wang you are absolutely right. Beowulf was just a reckless warrior that only seeked fame in his superhuman acts of "bravery". Taking Grendel on bare-handed, yes, it was a bold move, but yes, it was also very unwise. Even taking off his armor, if Beowulf had been struck even once by Grendel, he would have suffered fatal wounds. He does not take precauctions to formulize and strategize a good plan. Instead, he rushes into the action, only acting on impulses.
I do think that there is a definite line between courage and recklessness. However, I think that Beowulf was courageous when he fought Grendel. He didn't need armor or anything because Grendel wasn't expecting a fight. He caught Grendel completely off guard by grabbing his arm back, which then provided time for the other warriors to get their weapons together to kill Grendel.
Beowulf wasn't being reckless in fighting Grendel without weapons. It had already been determined that Grendel could not be hurt by any man-made weapon, so Beowulf resolved to face him in hand-to-hand combat. He didn't wear armor because he didn't have enough time to put it on. But he was really reckless when he figured he could defeat Grendel's mother just as easily without any forethought. He didn't stop to think about whether her skin was as tough as Grendels, so he assumed he could just lop her head off. He probably could have taken more precaution than he did. He could have easily died if there hadn't been a conveniently placed uber powerful sword nearby.
This brings up an amazing point about what Beowulf does do out of "courage". I think that Beowulf is actually a reckless man and defintitely does want attention. I know that courage is the main outlet of inspiration to actually do the act and go into battle but the motive for him fighting Grendel is a whole other story.
I believe Beowulf was being courageous when he fought Grendel barehanded and Grendel's mom alone. He knew he had to put a stop to the murders that these beasts were making, and he new of his power and that he could take them down.
I think Beowulf was reckless when he fought Grendel and his mother. First off it wasn't his fight. He had to Travel over dangerous seas. Last he wasn't fighting for the people he was fighting for himself trying to become famous.
Beowulf was a courageous man to fight both Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but I think it was him need for fame and attention that drove him to do it. Back then, people did things to gain fame because that is how they would live on once they were dead. Beowulf knew the way to keep his name alive would be to take on these two monsters. He obviously had courage to defeat them, but I don’t think saving the people was his main objective. He crossed the line from courageous to reckless while doing this.
There is no doubt to whether Beowulf’s actions were courageous. He rose above all others and took on not only one traitorous monster, Grendel, but another, Grendel’s mother. He demonstrated great valor in going head on with these monsters when no one else would. Yet, I do believe that his motives for achieving this valor were reckless. Everyone in their lifetime strives to achieve something. Beowulf wanted to supersede everyone and make it known that he was the best. Therefore when giving the opportunity to slay both Grendel and Grendel’s mother he embraced it for pure attention of others. Never did he want to be out of the spotlight, even if it meant endangering his life against Grendel and his mother.
There is little evidence to support the idea that Beowulf was acting recklessly rather than courageously when he fought Grendel and Grendel's mother. He didn't fight without armor because he wanted attention, but because he knew that the armor would not do anything to the beast. Why would Beowulf, the strongest man in the world, not use strength to his advantage and instead use a bunch of burdensome, dysfunctional weapons? Secondly, Beowulf fought alone against Grendel's mother not because he was reckless, but because he was bold. Confident in his abilities to battle the beast alone, Beowulf stepped up and delivered like a true courageous man would. In addition he figured that his men would be of little to no help to him, so why would he jeopardize their chances of survival?
Beowulf is extremely close to the line between being brave and being reckless, and it is unclear which side he is closer to. In my opinion, Beowulf was being reckless when he fought Grendel barehanded. He was putting himself at risk with Hrothgar and the Danes depending on him. If anyone was ever depending on me as much as Hrothgar was depending on Beowulf, I would not allow any possibility of failure.
Yes, I do believe that a line could be drawn between where courage turns into recklessness. This, however wasn't the case during the battle of Grendel. Beowulf was told to fight with no weapons against the beast, which is courageous in itself because of what could of happened to him. Beowulf was just following the tasks that he was handed. When Grendel's mother came for revenge, Beowulf had no choice not to kill the beast's mother, who else would have done it? Beowulf had to do what was needed in that moment, I don't believe he was thinking about what attention or gifts he was going to recieve after the fact.
Yes there is a line that should be drawn between courage and recklessness. In this case I think Beowulf was being reckless rather than courageous because although fighting monsters like Grendel and Grendel's mother takes courage he went too far when he decided to fight Grendel bareheanded and Grendel's mother alone. When he made these decisions he just wanted more attention because he bragged about it many times. He wanted everyone to know how he fought his enemies rather than just the fact that he did. The decisions he made were not intelligent because he was putting himself in more danger than necessary.
I definitely think there is a fine line between being courageous and reckless. Beowulf could have defeated Grendel and his mother with weapons, but he had to show off by not using weapons or armor and risking his life. He was being more reckless than heroic.
I think that Beowulf was a courageous person. Even so I do think that there is a line between having courage and being reckless. Beowulf arrived in the land of the Danes with a reputation as a great warrior. He was strong, brave and selfless. However the Danes told him that no one had ever been able to stand against Grendel. The Danes told Beowulf how strong and powerful Grendel was, even so he still went in to fight him unarmed. I think that he crossed a line between being courageous and being selfless. It is clear that he is brave and courageous just because of the fact that he fought both Grendel and Grendel’s mother. I think that he did fight un-armed because he wanted to be remembered, and what better way to be remembered than fighting and killing two monsters who no one else could defeat, and doing it all un-armed.
There is most definitely a fine line between recklessness and courage in today's society. Tons of Americans make decisions based solely on the fact that they desire attention. Attention is something that Americans constently crave. Take nothing away from the people that engage in actions for the right reasons, but the fct of the matter is that several people risk valuable things just so they can get their 15 minutes of fame.
There is a definitive line that can be drawn seperating courage and recklessness. I do however feel that Beowulf was being couragous in the case of Grendel and his mother. It has become apparent through his actions that he is the kind of person that cannot resist a good challenge. If a problem comes to his attention, he feels the need to tackle it. While he may rush into situations, there is a good chance he would not take them on if he did not feel he could handle them accordingly. I do not think he would want to risk losing his life if he did not feel he could rise to the occasion. Yes, he may have boasted about his accomplishments afterwards but he has a right to live in the moment and be proud of himself, just as long as he does not overdo it.
I think that Beowulf's attempt to kill Grendel's mother showed an interpretation of both boldness and recklessness. In the beginning I think that Beowulf stood for good in killing the monster that has harmed the people. Although he did show boldness, he also showed recklessness in becoming full of himself and killing Grendel's mother baredhandedly.
I think this brings up a great point about WHY people do the things they do. I do believe that Beowulf was craving attention, but that wasn't his only motive.
There was sincerity in his wanting to free the people from the savage Grendel, and I don't think he was being reckless there. He did not know this was coming, and so he just took it as it came.
However, I did find some recklessness in Beowulf when he fought Grendel's mother without armor or weapons. This was just him asking for attention, and I think being "cocky" after his great defeat of Grendel.
He was reckless during the second fight.
He did crave attention....but don't we all?
I believe Beowulf was being a mix of both. He was absolutely courageous in fighting Grendel and Grendel's mother because it was evident that nobody else could beat them. He was begged to help out the people in their time of need. Hrothgar knew they couldn't defeat that beast, so he asked Beowulf, who used his strength and performed a courageous act to save people from Grendel's wrath. However, I think fighting barehanded was a move that perhaps could be seen as reckless. Although, we do not know what was going through the mind of Beowulf. Perhaps he had it all figured out and knew that the sword/armor would be useless and would just weigh him down. We do not know his reasoning, so it could have been a reckless choice or it could have been a wise one. We will never know.
I think that Beowulf was courageous when he fought Grendel because he was told he needed to fight the monster. That was his job and he needed courage to fight it. However, while fight Grendel's mother, Beowulf was reckless and was eager for attention. He saw the attention he received from killing Grendel and wanted more of it. He became reckless and fought the monster with no armor. Beowulf crossed that proverbial line.
Beowulf was 100% reckless in fighting without weapons. Why would he do this? I see no rationality in his decision. There is no way he could know that he would be victourious without using weapons, and his decision to do so was insane.
I think there is a very fine line between courage and being reckless. When someone is reckless, their actions may cause harm to many other people. Also, reckless doesn't involve thinking about the situation like being courageous does. That is why Beowulf was being reckless. He did not think about what he did. Grandel and Grendel's mother could've easily killed him. Fighting with no weapons or withotu help could have spelled death for Beowulf.
For the average person this act might seem a bit reckless. However, Beowulf is the strongest man in the world. Fame was an essential part of their culture during this time. If Beowulf has the strength to enter battle without arms and the ability to come out victorious, that entitles him to a renowned name. Since Beowulf was a strong enough contender to fight the battles unarmed, I am not entirely convinced that Beowulf's actions were reckless.
I think that Beowulf was very courageous when he fought Grendel, however I feel that after he defeated Grendel he was just trying to prove himself when he fought Grendel's mother. He was definitely being more reckless when he made the decision to fight her without any armor because he could have been easily defeated and he didn't really think things through.
I think that there is definitely a line between being courageous and being reckless. Beowulf crossed that line when he fought Grendel without armor and without a weapon. Although this act of selfless heroism was incredibly brave, it put Beowulf in immense danger. It was also reckless when he threw the Hruthing sword away and fought Grendel's mother with his bare hands. It was pure luck that he found the giants sword and was able to kill the monster. Immense courage can become dangerous, when common sense and safety is compromised.
I believe there is an obvious line between an act of courage and recklessness. But in the case of Beowulf, I think that it was courage that lef him to battle Grendel barehanded and his mother alone. I will say that he is an eager man, but I believe it is eagerness to help others and not to get attention.
I think Beowulf just had nothing better to do. He wanted to be the big tough guy. What did he have to lose? The life expectancy back then was not very long anyway, so how much longer would he have lived. He could have died from a cold the next day anyway. I think it was just a matter of whatt he heck why not.
There is clearly a really big difference between being couragous and being reckless. Since that is so, I think Beowulf was only being reckless when he faught Grendel and Grendel's mother. Grendel was a very powerful monster and Beowulf decided to fight him with no weapons, only his barehands. It was a very similar situation when he faught Grendel's mother because he had no armor that could be used for protection and was in an area where there was no possible way for anyone to help him. I believe that Beowulf is only trying to seek fame, so clasifying his actions as recklessness seems like a perfect fit.
Beowulf flirts with the line between recklessness and courage. He was called to fight and took on the challenge for the pride and glory that comes with saving others. He was not responible however by the way he took on the task. He could have fought Grendel with more protection and gave himself the advantage with better circumstances. Also, he did not need to fight Grendels mother alone, his men would come to his aid in the worst of times. His ideals and responsibilities were very couragess but the way he took on the tasks at hand were extremly reckless.
I believe that Beowulf was courageous for fighting both Grendel and his mother. He was not the one who instigated any fight between either of the monsters but he was the one that was called upon to help stop their acts of violence. Grendel’s aggressive behavior was what started any problems. He would go into Herot Hall and mercilessly slaughter and eat innocent men. After Beowulf defeated Grendel, Grendel’s mother believed that it was her place to get revenge on Beowulf. Once again Beowulf did not start this conflict but he was the one who ended it. In both fights it was very clear that Beowulf was the assaulted victim.
Beowulf's motives to fight Grendel and his mother were courageous, but the way he handled the fights could be considered reckless. He should have been more prepared in the way he approached it in case his original plan failed. However, his decision to fight the two monsters was not reckless because they were both threats to his people.
There definately is a line between courage and recklessness, but I do not think Beowulf crossed this line when he fought Grendel or Grendel's mother. He did what was asked of him, though his methods were uniques, he was able to defeat these two monsters.
I think that there is definitely a line between recklessness and courage and Beowulf straddled it. I think Beowulf was courageous in the fact that he was willing to fight for the people and risk his life. He hit recklessness when he fought Grendel’s mother without any armor and alone.
There is definitely a fine line between being courageous and being reckless. Beowulf was dancing on that line when he chose to fight Grendel and Grendel's mother without weapons or armor. I believe that he was being reckless. He had a lot of confidence and thought he could beat them both. He shouldn't have been so cocky and realized the dangers of what he planned to do. He should have had people there to help him in case he got wounded. He didn't think it through before he acted and he just ended up being lucky.
In my opinion there is a line between courage and recklessness.I think that Beowulf was courageous in his actions through out the book. For instance when he fought Grendel's mother. He fought her for the safety of many peoples lives and knew what he was getting himself into when he fought with no armor.
Bravery and recklessness are two very opposite things and there is a clear line between them. When Beowulf fought Grendel and his mother barehanded, he fought out of his heart, not his need for attention. He enjoys being a fighter and a warrior and put his skills at his best. Although insisting that he fight barehanded was kind of egotistical, he was not looking for attention. If anything, he did it for himself and not just to impress others.
There is definately a line between being couragous and being reckless. I believe that Beowulf was skating along that line for most of the story. You could look at both of the fights from either way. He was ask to fight Grendel, so he did, but he didn't have to do it without armor. As far as Grendel's mother is concerned, he didn't have to fight her at all, but he did. Even if Beowulf did fight even partically for the attention, it doesn't make him any less of a hero.
There is a line between courage and recklessness, but I don't think that beowulf crossed that line when he fought Grendel and his mother. While he was trying to gain attention and be famous, he still committed a courageous act.
Although Beowulf is potrayed as a figure of courage, there were certain instances where his ego caused him to committ reckless acts. There most definately is a line between bravery and stupidity, and Beowulf is a prime example of how this line should be drawn. He had slain Grendel without the use of weaponry which is reckless enough. He then fights Grendel's mother without the use of armor and with her brute strength, he was lucky to survive this predicament. It was his confidence and reckless acts that in fact led to his death in the end.
Though Beowulf was a man eager for attention, I don't believe anyone would put their life on the line in such a way that he did, just to get a little praise. I think Beowulf truly cared about defeating the monsters in order to save himself and his people. It was definitely an act of strength and courage, which are the 2 main characteristics of a hero.
Beowulf was indeed eager for attention when he went into battle for second time. Even though in the first battle his took off his armor in order to trick Grendel to defeat him, in turn helping the Danes. After the lavish celebration that was held in his honor, I feel as though Beowulf didn’t wear armor the second time in order to reassure to himself and the people that he was this great warrior. But in the end if Beowulf wasn’t so lucky he may have lost his life, and that is when you know you crossed the line of being courageous to the line of being careless.
I definetly think that there should be a line between recklessness and courage but I dont think that by Beowulf fighting by himself, that he was reckless. Beowulf did what he had to do to defeat Grendel and his mother. He was the one that stepped up because he knew he had the strength to defend against Grendel. Beowulf should be admired for his heroism and not for thought that he was reckless.
I think that it was a combination of both. It took a lot of courage to kill Grendel and Grendel's mother, but he could have done it in a safer manner. He didn't wear any protection and he didn't have the proper weapons. I think that he was being more courageous than reckless, though, because he faced Grendel's mother alone. Not because of the fame, but to keep the rest of his men safe.
I think that it was definitely a courageous act, but also a reckless one at the same time. It was courageous because Grendel seemed as if he could not be defeated by anyone, however Beowulf still chose to fight against him. It could also be seen as a reckless act for attention as well because Beowulf had heard news of Grendel taking over the city and he decided to travel across the world to defeat him, on his own. I think being courageous is more of a spur of the moment type of thing, and doing something courageous happens when the person is unaware of a prize or title after the action.
I believe that he was being courageous, after all, an Anglo-Saxon hero would never be displayed as reckless, and Beowulf knew that he was capable of defeating the monsters.
There is definately a line between courageous and reckless. However, I don't think Beowulf has crossed this line. He came to fight off the monster that has been threatening the Danes. No man was killed because of anything he did. Beowulf was courageous because he stood up to a monster that no one else was willing to fight. I also don't believe he was eager for attention. He never knew the Danes would adorn him with the gifts as they did.
I strongly believe that there us a line between being courageous and being reckless. In certain situations, it is more courageous to walk away or get back-up. If you do something that can put whoever you are standing up for in serious danger, you should consider the consequences and not just whether or not you will receive high praise. It always depends on the situation. When Beowulf fought Grendals mom, I could understand why he went in alone. He believed that he could face her alone, and succeed. However, he made it reckless when he took off his armor. One hit could be fatal, and it is not worth the risk.
I think that Beowulf new what he was doing in a courageous way. Even though his technique to fight Grendel was with using nothing, he knew what he was doing and his life was on the line. It was his decision to fight Grendel the way he did and being recklessness or not his life was on the line either way and so therefore I think that he was doing it in a courageous way to prove his strength.
Although what Beowulf did does seem a little bit reckless and irresponsible I still think he should be considered couragous. Killing Grendel and his mother they way he did is still honorable and couragous. He was called in to kill Grendel and that is what he did. It was not an easy task but he was successful. He might be attention hungery and impulsive but that doesnt take away from what he accomplished.
By fighting Grendel unarmed, Beowulf didnt act in reckless behavior, he wanted to make sure the fight was even, meaning he acted in courage. By fighting Grendels mother with no armor was a act of being fearless. Being fearless is a attribute to being couragous. Beowulf decided to fight Grendels mother no armor to show his bravery.
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