The Consequences Of Taking Risks In Beowulf

You take risks every day, know it or not. Even if they aren’t influential, every risk has the potential to teach you a valuable lesson. Lessons like these are seen in many texts. Excerpt from chapter VII of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave is an example among two others, "Learning to Read" and, "The Day I Saved a Life." The three texts all have one thing in common: the speakers all took a risk for a lesson to be learned.

Risk is when someone is taking a chance where there is something to gain or lose. For many people, like Chris McCandless and Jon Krakauer, are willing to take those risks even if there was a chance they would have to die for them. This quote was written by Krakauer describing the time he went to Colorado and planned to climbed Devil’s Thumb. “As I formulated a plan to climb the Thumb, I was dimly aware I might be getting in over my head.

In Beowulf’s original battle with Grendel, he insisted that he use no weapons or armor to defeat the enemy. However, one can see a sense of fear upon Beowulf’s shoulders when he cracked down and used armor and

Beowulf shows immense courage and bravery which anglo-saxons believed to be his fate. Grendel has never found a harder opponent in battle than Beowulf “.... Had he met a man whose hands were harder.... ”(167) At this moment

Beowulf, on the other hand, tore off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. Without struggling much and within moments Beowulf had overpowered Grendel sent him crying in pain. Beowulf portrays his strength through his fight with Grendel’s mother. Beowulf sees a sword hanging that was exceedingly heavy which giants hammered on the wall. It was “so massive that no

Beowulf cares greatly for his honor. When he is fighting Grendel, he decides to not use a weapon since Grendel has none. He doesn’t want anyone saying he won unfairly. When being spoken about his fighting it is said, “He, swiftly banished to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes…” (Part 2)

According to Beowulf in Beowulf by Heaney, “He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play, although he does possess a wild strength. No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares.” (Heaney, 47). Beowulf put all his trust in his strength and his equipments such as his sword and helmet because he believes weapons had advantages over Grendel, the fiend that fights bare handed. It is clear that Beowulf is over self-esteem with his strength instead of being a wise man because he does not question whether Grendel is resistant to swords.

“No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me of face me he dares” (683-685). This quote shows that he will face Grendel without weapons and just his hands. This makes him very courageous because he's sacrificing his life going against Grendel let alone without weapons things like this in what make people envy him. “If we want to figure out what a symbol might mean you have to use a variety of tools on it: questions, experience, preexisting knowledge” (Foster 107). When reading Beowulf you

Beowulf is an epic hero. He has great acts of heroic things. He never flees from a challenge. Beowulf comes for a far land to help hrothgar. There 's a terrible darkness over his land.

Beowulf says, "No Weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me/ if face me he dares"(55. 683-685). This passage shows that Beowulf is fighting Grendel for the pride of killing the greatest monster, instead of fighting Grendel to save the Danes. If Beowulf's top priority is to save the people, he would have known that his best chance would be to wear armour and use weapons, but because he wants the pride and fame he goes into battle without armour or weapons. Beowulf was the best chance for the Danes to be safe again, and if Beowulf went in with no armour and no weapons, and died, then Grendel could continue killing men, women, and children every day until he finally dies.

Compare with his encounter with the dragon. Beowulf treated Grendel as an equal by facing him his bare strength alone. “The prince of the Geats was putting his trust in his great strength and in God's favor. Off came the hero's iron mailcoat and hard helmet; he handed over his trusty sword to an attendant thane and asked him to safekeep all that war-gear (X)”. Beowulf’s confidence comes from his belief that he not matters how monstrous Grendel was, he isn’t invincible.

Integrity and Faithfulness Beowulf was written by Seamus Heaney about an amazing hero who shows all characteristics of an epic hero and exhibits both integrity and faithfulness to both his clan and family. While fighting Grendel, Beowulf knows his strength and power is more advanced than Grendel, so he decides to fight fair; Beowulf fights Grendel with no armor or weapons. “The monster's whole/body was in pain, a tremendous wound/appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split/and the bone-lappings burst.

This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).

Beowulf says, "I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend." (433-440) 3. Beowulf nails down Grendel's arm to the mead hall rafters and Grendel is later found to have bled to death in his underwater

I need no sword.’ .....’Does Grendel use a sword?’ demanded Beowulf. ”p.33-34. Beowulf does not need to use a sword to try and defeat Grendel, he bravely decides to fight Grendel