Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Martin Luther King

Many people compare Beowulf to fictional characters such as Superman, Batman, Hulk or even Iron Man simply because they are all made up heroes. These characters were created to be a hero to the world. We expect these heroic figures to save the day each and every day. However, there is one person that many do not compare Beowulf to and that is Martin Luther King, Jr. Both of these men have done outstanding tasks with fighting for their own people, standing up for what is right and they are both currently looked upon for their heroic deeds till this day by their own people. They may have a few comparisons, but they also have some differences. They are not major differences but they fought different battles, and they came from a different background.

Beowulf fought for his people by taking the initiative to fight Grendel and save those who were being attacked. In Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, bravely protects his people. The best example of this is when he fought the dragon. When it gets to this point of the story, Beowulf is an old man. Beowulf knows that luck or fate will not be enough to win this battle with the dragon, but he realizes that no one else has a chance of defeating this monster. Beowulf states, "No one but myself can fight this monster” (Breeden, 71). Facing death, he still does not hesitate to fight the dragon to save his own people, the Geats. With the dragon still alive, there was no doubt that it would continue to ruin their land and Beowulf feels that it is his duty to protect his people. An additional way Beowulf defends his people takes place in the last moments before his death. Despite the fact that he eliminates the dragon, he is actually mortally wounded. Although zero of his men, besides Wiglaf, assisted him in the fight, he still instructs Wiglaf that the dragon's hoard must be utilized to take care of his people. He titles Wiglaf as the following ruler simply because he is

Beowulf's last wishes include the good care of his people, despite the fact that they deserted him in his utmost time of need. Martin Luther King, Jr, just like Beowulf, cared for his people, African Americans. In December, the year 1961, Martin Luther King, Jr. Traveled to Miami Beach, Florida to address the American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrialization, the nation’s premier twentieth century labor organization (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Address to the AFL-CIO Convention, 2004). His effort was to try to persuade the organized labor to take a greater interest in the African American struggle for equality (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Address to the AFL-CIO Convention, 2004). Dr. King noted that reactionary political enemies of labor have historically sought to drive a wedge between white workers and blacks, who instead should be allies in a progressive coalition (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Address to the AFL-CIO Convention, 2004). Dr. King was famous for many things and we all know that one of them is for attempting certain tasks that no other African American would do. Back then, they were all afraid to speak up about what they believed in because the whited would push us around.