Beowulf And King Arthur Essays - Beowulf, Geats,

Beowulf And King Arthur Numerous stories about numerous heroes have been told and then retold. All of these heroes do different things and all of them have a different set of qualities which make them heroes. Due to the fact that there are only so many heroic adventures and qualities, most are shared in part with at least one other hero. Such is the case between the great hero, Beowulf, from the epic poem Beowulf and King Arthur from the story of Morte d'Arthur. These great heroes have strong similarities and a great deal of differences. Once their similarities have been compared and then dismissed it is evident that Beowulf is the greater hero of the two. True heroes do good things for good people. Such is the case in Beowulf, Beowulf leaves his homeland to help the Danish people rid themselves of the human eating monster, Grendel. This heroic quality is also evident in Morte d'Arthur, as Arthur consciously rides into a battle in order to rid his people of an evil knight who would not allow others to pass. Both heroes are displaying their concern for others by risking themselves in battle for the greater good. In the same aspect they are also striving for love and respect from the people they protect. In order to obtain maximum respect per battle, both Beowulf and Arthur enter into battle somewhat alone. Beowulf specifically asks, "That [he], alone and with the help of [his] men, / May purge all evil from [the] hall" (Beowulf, line 165-166). His request is granted by Hrothgar, King of the Danes, so he and his man enter into the battle themselves and when Grendel is defeated, the glory, love and respect belong solely to Beowulf and his men. Arthur does the same, "he met with his man and his horse, and so mounted up and dressed his shield and took his spear, and bade his chamberlain tarry there till he came again" (Morte d'Arthur paragraph 20). Although Arthur begins his journey alone he does meet up with Merlin, the court magician and faithful companion, who accompanies him. Much like Beowulf, Arthur gains great respect and praise from all men of worship by fighting alone, even though it is not necessarily the smartest thing to do. The characteristic of being fearless when faced with death is often a trait of heroes because it is associated with courage and strength. King Arthur and Beowulf are not afraid to die, thus showing their courage to their adversaries and peers. When Arthur is faced with death he declares, "welcome be it when it cometh, but to yield me unto thee as [cowardly] I had liefer die than to be so shamed." (Morte d'Arthur, paragraph 34). Simply put he would rather die than admit to defeat and being cowardly. Beowulf feels much the same way about death. He illustrates this by showing no fear for his own life but instead expressing concern for the honor of King Higlac by asking that, "if death does take [him], send the hammered / Mail of [his] armor to Higlac" (Beowulf, line 186-187). In sending his King his armor it recommits himself to his country and lets his King be reminded of his bravery every time he looks upon it. That is the extent to which Beowulf and King Arthur are similar. Beowulf has way more confidence in his fighting ability then Arthur has in his. This is evident in the fact that Beowulf fights Grendel unarmed, he says "my hands / Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life" (Beowulf, line 172-173). His reasoning behind this is that Grendel's, "scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none [so] / Nor will [he]" (Beowulf, line 167-169). By facing Grendel unarmed to shows that he is brave and more importantly unafraid to be equal to Grendel. Since Grendel is going to fight without the use of weapons, Beowulf creates equality and therefore more respect upon himself by doing the same. Were as the much less confident Arthur fights only with weapons and once his wounds were amended his first thought was, "I have no sword" (Morte d'Arthur, paragraph 41) followed by the task of finding him a sword. This demonstrates Arthur's weakness in his dependence of weapons and thus Beowulf's greatness in comparison. Beowulf is indeed the greater hero as the help he received from his men was useless, not by fault of his men but by the simple fact that Grendel, "had bewitched all

Free Essays on Transformation-Chillingsworth-The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter’s characters made major transformations during the development of events. Chillingsworth made major transformations during the occurrence of the events. His pride was broken and consumed himself in seeking vengeance. Chillingsworth was away for four years and when he returned he found his wife, Hester, standing on a scaffold carrying a child. Chillingsworth says, â€Å"I pray you, good Sir, who is this woman? And wherefore is she here set up to public shame?† The stranger then replies to Chillingsworth, â€Å"You must needs be a stranger in this region, friend, else you would surely have heard of Mistress Hester Prynne, and her evil doings. She hath raised a great scandal, I promise you, in godly Master Dimmesdale’s church.† It was at this moment when his life became an obsessive quest for vengeance. Before Chillingsworth left Boston he was a cheerful wise man with an undoubtedly beautiful wife. Hester thinking to herself says, â€Å"But the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was as she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look.† Hester recognized that he had changed from what he had originally been. She acknowledged that Chillingsworth once was a happy, calm and quiet person and remembered Roger Chillingsworth as happy. Thinking to herself again she says, â€Å"Such scenes had once appeared not otherwise than happy, but now, as viewed through the dismal medium of her subsequent life, the y classed themselves among her ugliest remembrances.† She remembered scenes of when they were happy. However, the happy Chillingsworth she knew before he had left changed as soon as he saw her on the scaffold wearing the Scarlet â€Å"A† carrying the child. Hester realizes that she is somewhat at fault for Chillingsworth’s hurt and obsession for vengeance. Hester says, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter bu... Free Essays on Transformation-Chillingsworth-The Scarlet Letter Free Essays on Transformation-Chillingsworth-The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter’s characters made major transformations during the development of events. Chillingsworth made major transformations during the occurrence of the events. His pride was broken and consumed himself in seeking vengeance. Chillingsworth was away for four years and when he returned he found his wife, Hester, standing on a scaffold carrying a child. Chillingsworth says, â€Å"I pray you, good Sir, who is this woman? And wherefore is she here set up to public shame?† The stranger then replies to Chillingsworth, â€Å"You must needs be a stranger in this region, friend, else you would surely have heard of Mistress Hester Prynne, and her evil doings. She hath raised a great scandal, I promise you, in godly Master Dimmesdale’s church.† It was at this moment when his life became an obsessive quest for vengeance. Before Chillingsworth left Boston he was a cheerful wise man with an undoubtedly beautiful wife. Hester thinking to herself says, â€Å"But the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was as she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look.† Hester recognized that he had changed from what he had originally been. She acknowledged that Chillingsworth once was a happy, calm and quiet person and remembered Roger Chillingsworth as happy. Thinking to herself again she says, â€Å"Such scenes had once appeared not otherwise than happy, but now, as viewed through the dismal medium of her subsequent life, the y classed themselves among her ugliest remembrances.† She remembered scenes of when they were happy. However, the happy Chillingsworth she knew before he had left changed as soon as he saw her on the scaffold wearing the Scarlet â€Å"A† carrying the child. Hester realizes that she is somewhat at fault for Chillingsworth’s hurt and obsession for vengeance. Hester says, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter bu...

Chemical enginering Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chemical enginering - Personal Statement Example The ceremony was simply fascinating and the deep impression lasted for years. I realised that this was the turning point of every person’s life. A young graduated professional walks into the unknown to pursue his hopes and dreams in his future career. Also, I felt a sense of community while observing other students. The community I became eager to be a part of. I understood that this was a whole new level and I had to work hard to achieve it. It was my time to start planning my future and my life, to start thinking about my place in the society and the purpose of my life. I felt that I needed achievements that I could be proud of so that one day I would share my experience with future generations. I chose chemical engineering to be my intended major and my future career. I have great passion for science and technology because it is my strong conviction that they can be beneficial to people and improve the quality of life of each and every individual. Especially, I am intereste d in biofuel as the research in this area can improve the situation with global warming. Biodiesel is significantly more environment friendly then traditional diesel fuel. For example, while burning it produces less pollution and its engine behaviour it approximately the same as in case of traditional fossil fuel. However, the current biodiesel production technology is still not able to satisfy the needs of industry. The fact points out to the importance of research in the area and the development of new production methods. In this way I will be able to make my contribution into society and help people. In my life I had hopeless moments and I know what it feels like. My sister and I were raised only by my mother in Hong Kong. Because I was older, I had to take care of my sister during school time and our way home. She always turned to me in case of any problems. It significantly helped me to realize the importance of responsibility and develop my leadership skills. I also had to dev elop strong communications skills and the ability to fit into new environment while interacting with people substantially older then we were. I am proud of that because I did not turn to anyone for an advice doing everything on my own. I became independent in my views and developed the feeling that I can find a way out of almost any situation. We later moved to the US to start a new life. I absolutely agree with my mother’s decision because a person must always evolve both spiritually and as a professional. Also, it was a great opportunity to face new challenges and see what I really could do. Talking about chemical engineering, I am full of ambitions. By my example, I want to show everybody how we must push the frontier of knowledge. Showing outstanding leadership skills, highlight that it is never too late to better ourselves and persuade people to change their treatment of the environment. 2. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experie nce that is important to you. It is my strong conviction that a person must try a number of part time jobs before entering college or university. It is very important to feel a sense of community you live in, develop skills necessary to fit in the group and be more social. Also, by working from an early age a person will become more responsible while making new contacts. It can help you develop vital characteristics that