A Comparison of Heroes in Beowulf and A Lesson Before Dying

Everyday Heroes in Beowulf and A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest Gaines novel, A Lesson Before Dying, is a story about, Jefferson, a black man who is wrongfully charged with a crime he did not commit. He cannot get a fair trial because he is a black man in the south. He is sentenced to be executed, but before he dies Grant, an educated black man, teaches him how to walk like a man, so people do not think of him as a hog. "Beowulf" is an epic poem over one thousand years old, which was told from one generation to another. It is about, Beowulf, a great hero who defeats three different monsters to save the kingdom. In his last battle he is much older than before and is killed by a dragon. A hero does something that other people do not do and he does things for others, and other people look to a hero for guidance.

Grant does something that other blacks can not do he goes to college. Most blacks do not get the opportunity to go to college, but Grant went as soon as he was old enough. When he returned he was a well-educated man, but he was still treated the same way as he was before he went to college. Grant is able to teach Jefferson how to be a man, and Jefferson learns that he is somebody. " ... I cry cause you been so good to me mr wigin an nobody aint never been that good to me an make me think im somebody"(Gaines 232) No one else is qualified to help Jefferson they all depend on Grant to teach him, and Jefferson appreciates it so much it brings him to tears.

Beowulf is able to do something that no one else has ever done even though many people have tried. He is able to kill Grendel because he uses Grendels own size to hurt him. Beowulf grabs Grendels arm and pulls it until Grandel finally escapes. "He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split And broke"(Beowulf 34). Grendel was so big that when Beowulf pulled his arm there was too much pressure on it and it started to tear.