Arlen Specter stated, “There is no doubt that our nation’s security and defeating terrorism trump all other priorities.” Terrorism has proven to be a timeless problem and there are numerous examples of how it is a priority to prevent it. The epic poem, Beowulf, written circa 1,000 AD, depicts similar threats that are found today’s world.
In the poem Beowulf, there was a monster who single-handedly causes an enormous amount of terror throughout the Danes. “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens;” (102-104). He had been terrorizing the Danes for years, and no warrior had been able to stop him. Individual terrorism like this is still seen today. The suspected Interstate 10
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shooter, Leslie Allen Merritt. Jr., like Grendel, is an individual terrorist. “Phoenix drivers were rattled again Thursday with reports of two shootings on a busy stretch of Interstate 10, the 11th, and 12th attacks since Aug. 29” (Duara 1). For about three weeks, Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. terrorized the city of Phoenix, causing people to fear for their lives while driving. There have been other reports of similar attacks as well. “In Kansas City, Mo., police hunted down a green Dodge Neon with Illinois plates. In Colorado, authorities are still on the lookout for a 1970s style single-cab orange pickup truck connected to the shooting deaths of two people on a highway” (Duara 1). This proves that there are repeated attacks on freeway drivers throughout the nation. Both Grendel and Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. would be considered individual terrorists, because they both attacked alone. Eventually, Beowulf is able to kill Grendel by ripping off one of his limbs.
“The Geat captain had boldly fulfilled his boast to the Danes: he had healed and relieved a huge distress” (827-829). After twelve years of terror, the monster was dead. This is similar to the capture of Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. “…Mr. Obama declared that ‘justice has has been done’ as he disclosed that American military and C.I.A. operatives had finally cornered Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, who had eluded them for nearly a decade” (Baker, Cooper, and Mazzetti 1). For years, Bin Laden was able to hide from American forces. Nobody was able to kill him until the American military did. In the poem, the Danes honored Beowulf and they hung up Grendel’s arm as a trophy. They had a huge celebration in honor of Grendel being dead. When American forces killed Bin Laden, Americans reacted with heavy emotion. “The news touched off an extraordinary outpouring of emotion as crowds gathered outside the White House, in Times Square, and at the ground zero site, waving American flags, cheering, shouting, laughing, and chanting ‘USA!, USA!” (Baker, Cooper, and Mazzetti 1). Both instances of celebration show the pride that people take in their country, and the measures taken to eliminate terrorism. In Beowulf, after the celebrations, Grendel’s mother retaliates by attacking Heorot. She steals Grendel’s arm and kills multiple people. Like in Beowulf, retaliation from the radicals is quite possible. …show more content…
“What remains to be seen, however, is whether it galvanized Bin Laden’s followers by turning him into a martyr…” (Baker, Cooper, and Mazzetti 2). Is is clear that after American forces killed Bin Laden, people feared retribution from radical terrorists. “Given Bin Laden’s status among radicals, the American government braced for possible retaliation” (Baker, Cooper, and Mazzetti 2). Like Beowulf, who had to prepare to venture out into uncharted territory to protect the Danes, the American government must be prepared for revenge by radicals. In both instances, it is an example of how the people make it a priority to keep their country secure and prevent terrorism. Near the end of the poem, a dragon attacks a village because a slave stole a golden cup from its lair.
“The dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glow that scared everyone, for the vile sky-winger would leave nothing alive in his wake” (2312-2315). The dragon is another example of a terrorist because he completely destroyed a village, which terrorized the Geat population. In response, Beowulf set out to slay this evil dragon in order to protect his people. This attack is similar to the brutal attacks from the terrorist group known as the Kataib Hezbollah. “Kataib Hezbollah, formed in 2006 or 2007, was once known for ambushing U.S. troops during their patrols of Iraqi neighborhoods and for placing armored-piercing IED’s on the roads that U.S. Humvees would use” (DePetris 2). These two attacks are similar because it is not on one particular person or for one particular reason. Both attacks were ambushes of a large group of people and occurred because of a hatred of the large
group. Because of the problem of terrorism, defense of the homeland is crucial in order to have the best security for the population. The similarity between the modern world and Beowulf prove that terrorism has always been a problem and will continue to be if people do not put their best efforts forward in fighting it.
Literature, in many cases, takes aspects of the author's/readers culture and expresses it in their writing. Class structure, politics, religion, and anything that could be thought of has probably been shown in writing one way or another since the beginning of time. In Beowulf, the medieval epic poem, the author created a group of diverse characters, who embody different classes of society. No two characters are alike. However, there is one important theme that essentially ties them all together and makes this story: vengeance. In Beowulf, the author seemingly different characters are proven to be alike in the poems perpetuated cycle of vengeance.
Have you ever wanted to avenge a wrong doing done unto you? Well, the characters in Beowulf will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance. Revenge is so immensely practiced that it is a common act to pay of a deed done by an offender. However, a payment or truce does not satisfy the desire for revenge in the Poem. Every time a Character precedes to make peace, it eventually falls apart by a desire to avenge loved ones. This desire is usually upheld until someone is no longer left to be avenged or no one is left to avenge those whom they loved. This, although it may not seem so, happens commonly in this epic.
As Beowulf slayed the Water Witch after Grendel, citizens of Danes never bothered to think about what they would have done if it was their son who has been killed. Through this scene, a typical reader, including myself, would see Beowulf as a hero as well as a leader from a glance. However, because Hrothgar, the king of Danes who requested Beowulf's assistance, is the individual who informed and convinced Grendel as a threat, he is the leader of his Danish environment. Shunned from society, Grendel, in the other hand was not, for all his life, he only lived and interacted with his mother, the Water Witch. From this, I concluded that the poem Beowulf is written in the perspective the victors of this event, Hrothgar and Beowulf, since at the
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to face many adversities that came your way? Or have you been put into a predicament where your loyalty was being put into question by the people who meant the most to you? Many people will end up in situations where they don’t know what the correct resolution will be; that will cause them to get out of character and do things that they normally wouldn’t do. This sometimes causes consequences to humans to have to betray their loyalty to someone who means a lot to them. However, how can one ultimately overcome the adversities that they are faced with? Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel is the first English Literature masterpiece that became well known. The
According to Henry Bosley Woolf, “News of the evil wrought among the Danes by Grendel is carried across the seas” (86). When Beowulf, who is in his home in the land of Geatland, hears about the tragic attack that Grendel has caused the Danes, he announces his plan to sail to Heorot and help King Hrothgar with Grendel (Beowulf 45). Beowulf, by helping King Hrothgar, is showing great signs of honor because Beowulf feels as if it was the right thing to do since he had been successful in his past deeds. In return, Beowulf expects no reward for his action but rather just being able to put another notch in his
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
Beowulf was a man of admirable exploits. He had the strength of thirty men in his arms, and would use this strength to aid anyone in need. Upon hearing of the plight of Grendel and the ill happenings in Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf immediately gathered his entourage to help the king and defend Heorot. When Beowulf encountered the beast that had terrorized for 12 years, he single-handedly ripped off Grendel’s arm, an act ultimately killing the creature. To further delineate his heroism, Beowulf kept the arm as a trophy of his victory.
For countless years stories have involved a hero and a villain, the villain being the one who stops the piece and the hero who brings the piece back, the poem Beowulf is another story like this..Although the author is unknown it is for sure of Anglo-Saxon poetry and may have been written by a monk. The title “Beowulf” tells the reader right away what the story is going to be about, and who the hero is. The main characters of “Beowulf” are the hero Beowulf, the evil monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother She-wolf, Unferth which contrasts Beowulf, Hrothgar the King of the Danes, and Wiglaf the loyal ally. This story is about the greatest warrior in the world being called upon to save Danes and slay the monster who cannot be stopped yet, some don’t
Historical Significance: The September 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, were the events that launched the U.S. War on Terrorism. Al-Qaeda’s attack on the United States was carried out by members of radicalized Islamic groups, whose objective was to spread jihad against the secular influence of the West. This tragic event provided the historical b...
The anonymous author of Beowulf can easily be construed as either arguing for or against war in its basic form. However, on a deeper level, the author is giving a profound and perhaps comforting view of war during this time period. The author we know has a great respect for wyrd or fate. We know that the outcome of any engagement of war is already pre-ordained by the Almighty so how could one argue for or against war when the general consensus was that there was really nothing to be done about it? The author is trying to say that war is a fact of life and no more in the command of man than the weather storms or rising and falling of the tides.
In any classic story about heroes and villains, the monsters involved are often characterized as the evil ones and, consequently, receive no justice under the law. Throughout the epic story Beowulf, the hero of the story encounters three monsters that are threats to society: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. The monsters in Beowulf are quickly targeted and destroyed because of the harm they cause to society. However, upon further examination of the monsters and the motives for their actions, the reader can view the monsters not as the cutthroat villains they may initially appear to be, but perhaps as victims of society. In today’s society, murderers and robbers are also portrayed as “monsters” because of the atrocious crimes they commit. While it is undeniably wrong to commit any kind of crime and I do not wish to condone murder or theft in any way, there may also be an ulterior explanation for why these modern “monsters” cause harm to society. In comparing and contrasting the monsters of Germanic epic with criminals of today, perhaps we can gain some insight into the motivation of both.
Beowulf begins with Grendel attacking the Danes out of vengeance and hatred. Grendel is the relative of Cain which means that he is outcast to eternal darkness as punishment for the crime of Cain killing his brother Abel. Therefore, when Grendel hears laughter in the hall named Heorot, he is angry and a little envious, so he goes on a killing spree in order to put an end to the warriors’ happiness. Because of Grendel’s attack upon the Danes, Beowulf arrives in order to put an end to the killing spree: “And now alone I shall settle affairs with Grendel the monster, the demon” (Donaldson, p.8). The author offers no other solution to solving this issue with Grendel but battle, and after the battle is fought and Beowulf wins, Grendel’s hand is preserved as a trophy. Beowulf is rewarded with gifts for his courage, and now the Danes are at peace.
Abdulrazak Gurnah reflected this on his novel by the sea; he says “I was too young to know how to ignore someone. If I saw and recognized him I would be bound to greet him, because that was the courtesy we had been taught from the morning of our first ages. If I greeted him, that would be treachery to my father and mother. Standing there in front of him, I saw that his face was lean and resolute, and that his eyes looked steadily and sternly at me, as if he expected to find fault with me. (p. 101)” In this passage Latif is talking about his memories as a child and how he was taught to hate Saleh since he was a young boy. His parents forced him to hate Saleh and not to talk to him even though he was not aware why he should do this or why he should not talk or great Saleh when he see him. Gurnah uses very strong words to describe Latif’s emotional states towards Saleh, he uses ignore courtesy and treachery and all these words indicate the strong and deep hate Latif had for Saleh. This anger that Latif has toward Saleh in the present was a result for the things his parents taught him when he was a child because children are
Terrorism represents a continuing threat to the United States. It is the most significant threat to our national security. Terrorist attacks have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents of terrorism in the United States. Since the events of September 11, 2011, Americans and much of the world have been afraid. Americans are at war with terrorism and no longer feel comfortable.
To prevent tragedies like 9/11 from taking its toll on the United States, terrorism needs to be thought about still to this day. One quote that proves this point is, “In 2001, the federal commission warned that terrorists could get weapons that could cause mass destruction. Congress needs to work on the integrated governmental structures to better the nation's security” (Augustine). The nation's security can help with the destruction of weapons that are dangerous to the U.S. This can cause more attacks like 9/11 and create a larger threat to the population.