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Heroism is not tangible. It is a set of characteristics that a person posseses naturally or gains over time. Beowulf is a prime example of a herostic person that I would want leading me into war. On the other hand there is the dark or evil side. Grendel and his mother were pefect examples of how one would not fight a war. Even after killing both of them, and ruling a kindom for fifty years, Beowulf still has enough strength to kill a fire-breathing dragon. Seamus Heaney’s description of Grendel, his mother, and the dragon were grusom and dark. “until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world.”(pg 9) In fact Grendel was so horrific he, “…he grabbed thirity men from their resting places and rushed to his lair, flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpeses.” (p 11) “So Grendel ruled in defiance of right, one against all until, until the greatest house in the world stood empty, a deserted wallstead.” (p 11) “So Grendel waged his lonely war, inflicting constant cruelities on the people, atrocious hurt.” (P13) Beowulf speaks to the coast guard when he first arrives to the Danish coast line very confidently concerning the problem with Grendel., “I can calm the turmoil and terror in his mind.”(p21) Arriving into Heorot, Beowulf declairs, “Now I mean to be a match for Grendel settle the outcome in single combat.” (p29) This shows his heroistic qualities along with him being SMART and STRONG.
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