Blog #2- Beowulf is just too real!

So we just recently finished up reading about Beowulf So I figured I write my second blog about how I ended feeling about him as a “super hero”. In my first blog I mentioned that I did not consider Beowulf a “superhero” because he was just too proud and I do not think that is a characteristic that a “superhero” would possess. When we talked about this in class I came to the realization that the difference in cultures plays a big part when it comes to the definition of a superhero. Back then someone like Beowulf was characterized in this way but today I feel with the advancements in technology we see “superheroes” as something greater than what Beowulf is. So although I came to understand why he could be seen as a superhero I still do not believe he is one in today’s American culture and I thought of another reason why.

Beowulf just seems to be too real to be a superhero. To make my point a little clearer I use Spiderman and Batman as examples. Spiderman is a superhero but his alter ego, Peter Parker, is not. Batman is a superhero but his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is not. This idea, I suppose, could tie into the previous one of Beowulf being too proud. I feel that characters like Spiderman (even though I do not like him) and Batman can be considered “superheroes” because they themselves are “superheroes” but they separate their personal lives from their work. Beowulf is just Beowulf and that I feel would just classify him as a “super hero”. This idea was further embedded in me when we discussed Oedipus in class.

In class the only thing we really mentioned about is Oedipus as a “superhero” was that we believed he was not one. I agreed with this idea mainly because he was a King and even though this may be a dumb reason I just do not think Kings can be superheroes. I think it may be because Kings are there to rule others more than to just watch over them like superheroes do. Also, the job of a King, anyone can do but you would have to be really “extraordinary” to be a superhero. That is why when Beowulf became king I really didn’t classify him as a superhero because I feel that if he really was one he would be out killing monsters instead of sitting on a throne, which he did end up doing in the end but it didn’t really help change my mind. So in the end I see Beowulf as more of a “Super Hero” than a “Superhero” because he was just too real!

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Blog #1- Beowulf Pt. 1

This week we started our first reading; Beowulf. I must admit that that I was not looking forward to taking this class just because I find these types of readings difficult to understand but Beowulf has been relatively simple so far.

In part one of the story we learned about Beowulf’s past and the characteristics that make him a superhero to his people. These characteristics are many of the ones we (the class) considered were needed to be a superhero:    

          1.  Beowulf needed to have a back story; he did not have his real parents.    

          2.  He needed something that made him unique; he had extraordinary strength.  

          3.  He needed to defend the weak; protected the cities’ people who could not defeat their adversary. 

          4.  He needed an antagonist; Grendal.

There are some characteristics we haven’t seen yet, like a love interest, but there is still much of the story left.

While these are some of the characteristics that we came up with as a class in the end we are all individuals with different opinions and I for one feel that Beowulf has one characteristic that in my mind stops him from being a superhero and that is conceit. So far all I’ve been able to focus on in the story is how much Beowulf loves himself. He bragged about how he defeated the sea monster and how nobody else but he could have done it. He also boasted about how he would be able to fight Grendal without weapons. Even though he was capable of all these feats I feel it isn’t necessary to brag. Again, this is my opinion, but I can’t respect someone that is that into themselves, no matter how great they may be and I think that having people’s respect would be an essential part of a superhero.

Beowulf so far has reminded me of Ironman, and I make my comparison to the Ironman movie because I have not read the comic, because he too is extremely vain. I really didn’t like Ironman either for that reason; he was very into himself and could not figure out why people liked him so much. I can see why people would appreciate the things these two characters did but not the way they acted. I think this is another thing we can talk about a little more in class. Does a superhero need to be respected to be a superhero? What are some other ways superheroes have lost the peoples’ respect?