User:Jabaden

Beowulf for Mr. Wong

1.Shared Characteristics of Beowulfs Battles

The three battles that Beowulf fought, Grendel, the Troll Wife, and the Dragon,all share distinct characteristics with each other. In each battle Beowulf either neglects to use a sword or his sword simply breaks. The battles end with Beowulf using his fists or in one occasion, and acquisition of another sword. Another shared theme of Beowulfs battles is that they are always fought for the good of others. Beowulf doesn't really gain anything from his ordeals except the admiration of others. Each battle also contains a situation that puts Beowulf in a life or death situation. Beowulf has to save his friend from Grendels onslaught, the troll wife would of killed Grendel but Beowulfs armor happens to save him from her blows. Another common trait from each situation was that each had allies that could of helped Beowulf but decided not to. In Grendels fight, Beowulf is surrounded by allies but he ends up doing everything. In the case of the Troll wife his allies decide not to plunge into the depths of the lake but instead stay back. The last and the most tragic was the Dragon fight, where the cowardice of his allies resulted in Beowulfs death. Another noticeable feature of each other Beowulfs battles is that the one large blow ever dealt to the monster is always the fatal one. The big blow on Grendel was that Beowulf ripped off his arm which caused him to bleed to death. With the Troll wife Beowulf chopped off her head. Beowulf was killed when the dragon slashed him in the neck.

2. How do Beowulf enemies differ 

Although the battles are similar Beowulf's enemies are very different.Grendel and his mom are both cowards but his mom actually attempts to fight back even when Beowulf is winning unlike Grendel whose,"couarge fled but found no escape (571). The dragon however is the most fearsome of the all. He doesn't even back off an inch when Beowulf but instead goes for the throat.The dragon had a purpose to fight back, he wanted his treasure back that was stolen. Grendel killed men because he felt like it the troll wife however, killed for revenge.

How Beowulf Rises to the Occasion in Each of his Battles

In every battle (but against the dragon) Beowulf manages to rise to the challenge. He does this in a few distinct ways in each battle however. When battling Grendel, Beowulf took the challenge even further by using only what was necessary to defeat Grendel, that is, his hands. Beowulf vows to "battle Grendel with hand grip only" (343-344) With that promise he rips Grendel's arm of to deal the final blow. This reliance on himself and not of material items reveals that he is confident in his abilities and himself. In the battle vs the Troll mother Beowulf fights alone against her because no one will come to aid him, his cunning and observation of the arena he is in leads to the eventual victory by chopping of the Trolls wives head with the sword he finds. Even thought Beowulf dies fighting the dragon he still rises to the challenge to save the town he holds dear. His willingness to fight with unbeatable odds shows true courage. His sacrifice allows his ally to slay the dragon and save the kingdom from its rampage.