Two Different Philosophical Views in Grendel and Beowulf

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“Beowulf” and Grendel are two tales similar in many ways, yet different from each other. These stories are like a coin; you cannot have one side without the other. Just as the sides of a coin share the same coin, these stories share a similar plot, a setting, and tell of the same events. The sides of a coin also have differences as do “Beowulf” and Grendel. In the case of these two tales this difference is in their respective philosophical views. “Beowulf” portrays the philosophical views of life that many people still regard today. Those views helped to shape and define the ideal Dane in their culture. For example, the traits looked for among the Danes were honesty, bravery, and humility. These three “requirements” in the Danes were but a few of numerous, admirable qualities these people possessed. But their most obvious philosophical view on living was for the good guy to always beat the bad guy. Their lives were about protecting others by destroying monsters; in the case of “Beowulf”, the monsters were literal. Grendel was one of three monsters that Beowulf went to destroy over the course of the poem. The Danes viewed Grendel and other monsters like him as stupid animals. The Danes’ view on life was to always stay brave and honest while protecting the weak. Through fighting these forces of evil, they found their meaning for existence while Grendel never did. One last philosophical view of life for the Danes was a resignation to death, especially in the case of Beowulf. In Beowulf’s final battle against the dragon he fought even though he had grown older and knew there was a good chance for him to die. His willingness to die for his people gave him not only recognition as a true hero but also a profound meaning to his life. In... ... middle of paper ... ...the views of the Shaper. The Shaper told the people his beliefs and it spread. Similarly, the portrayal of the terrorists as savage animals also was popularized by a powerful individual(s). In today’s world, the media is an important part of most people’s lives. The media is most assuredly like the Shaper of Grendel. In Grendel, the Shaper had a lot of influence. The people listened to what he said and started to adopt his philosophies and found out most of their knowledge form him. This is role is now filled by the media. If people want to find out information on something, their first resource generally is the media. Also, the media holds a fair bit of power just like the Shaper. Because of this, the media can influence people’s thoughts and philosophies. In this position, the Shaper had and the media has a certain responsibility to not abuse the power too much.

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