Courage In Beowulf

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What Matters in the Heroic Code: Courage in the Real and Fictional World
There are many common aspects of the fictional and real world. In the real world, reputation, courage, and loyalty all coexist together, and these values shape the actions of humans today. In the fictional world, heroes embrace these values, and consider them to be bigger than any other part of their life. However, above all other traits, courage is what it takes to elevate myself and heroes. For example, in the novel Beowulf, the hero Beowulf would be nowhere without his ability to step up to a challenge and defeat any monsters in his way. In my life, I need to be courageous enough everyday to walk into school and accept that I might not do well, and that’s completely …show more content…
When I was 14, I entered my first United States Tennis Association sanctioned tournament. I started playing tennis at the age of 10, and the feeling of entering real competition against other children my age for ranking points was horrifying. These players had been training intensely for the majority of their lives; meanwhile, I picked up tennis because I couldn’t play any other sports well enough. At 9:30 am, I checked in at the front desk, my hands trembling in fear. As the tournament director went over the rules of the competition: loyalty, maintaining a good reputation on the courts, and receiving a national ranking through hard work, I thought about dropping out of the match. The pain in my stomach and my head became unbearable. As I looked down to ignore my tall opponent standing before me, my Allah (God) necklace came into vision, and I prayed to almighty Allah that all would be well. Then, with five strong steps, I faced my fears and walked onto Court 1. After the match, which I won 6-2 6-1, I walked up to my mother and told her that without the courage that Allah instilled in me to face my opponent in a match, I wouldn’t have been there. On top of being loyal to my coach by playing the match and not cheating to create a good reputation for myself, I wouldn’t have even had these qualities without the courage to play that first match. Courage …show more content…
In the novel, Beowulf first approaches the Danes to help them against the monster Grendel that attacks their land every night. The watchman let Beowulf pass because he had never seen “a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here...he is truly noble” (Beowulf 249-50). At this point, the watchman knows only of Beowulf’s powerful, demanding attitude, which shows his courage. However, without even knowing much about his reputation or loyalty to helping the Danes, the courageous factor that the hero possesses is enough for him to pass into Denmark to see King Hrothgar. Before his fight with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf states that “let whoever can win glory before death...when a warrior is gone, that will be his best…” (Beowulf 1388-89). Beowulf’s death could have been waiting for him in the lake where Grendel’s mother lived, but Beowulf confidently said that whoever dies will perish known for their courage to fight for the great land of Denmark. In the world of myths, although the important values of a hero are exaggerated greatly, there are not as different from the significance courage, loyalty, and reputation pose in the real world. In order to make a powerful speech in class during a presentation or to recite poetry in front of an English class, a person needs to put themselves in an uncomfortable situation to be
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