Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He killed three monsters and then he died. Not a very interesting fate, but it is none the less one that I find myself having to write about regardless of whether or not I want to. Thus it was, the mighty Beowulf of old England that went forth to slay the evils which plagued the lands of his own people as well as those of his neighboring tribes. The second battle was one that was brought about by Beowulf’s willingness to go and help an old friend, and thus he nearly lost his life once more. For those not acquainted with the story of Beowulf, he was said to be the strongest man ever to live, and given this he was fated according to their beliefs to accomplish certain things in his life. Some of these things being to be slaying of great monsters and winning of great wars. And thus that is what he did as he progressed through life. The epic is rather brief in terms of what an epic normally is, but, in this time he manages to travel to a distant land, and slay a monster that has taken over that land, and then after that feat he of course makes that monsters mother mad, you know you can do something to someone without making dear old mom mad. So, then Beowulf must kill the mother and then after they are both sent into hell, the land is free of tyranny and injustice Beowulf returns home a hero. After fifty winters of rule by Beowulf, a dragon attacks his people because of what was done by a thief, so Beowulf knowing in his old age that he would probably not survive this battle to slay the dragon, goes into battle anyway and slays the dragon and he himself is then slain, by injuries sustained by this fight. My focus is fate, and how no matter how Beowulf decided to do it he would eventually die for his people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those of the age of Beowulf, were strong believers in fate and destiny. Everyone was born with a fate already assigned to them by the gods. And this was the case with Beowulf. â€Å"One of Hygelac’s thanes, Beowulf by name, renowned among the Geats for his great bravery, heard in his own country of Grendal’s crimes; he was the strongest man alive, princely and powerful. He gave orders that a good ship should be prepared, said he would sail over the sea to assist the famous leader, the warrior king (Hrothgar) since he needed hardy men.† (Crossley, Beowulf). Beowulf would set sail for Hrothgar’s kingdom an... ... their, â€Å"fate†. Beowulf takes with him the greatest of warriors when he goes to fight the dragon and they all falter, it is because there is uncommon valor and bravery within Beowulf, it was the same with Batman. â€Å"Gotham not only has a mayor, but a police commissioner, a police chief, and squads of officers, but it is Batman who defeats the city’s dragons†. (Beowulf to Batman, Rollin) Beowulf fulfilled two of the roles in Gotham, he was the mayor and Batman. It was this that made him great and it was his fate that led him to do it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I do hereby conclude, that the effects of the belief in fate has had great effect over society and history the like. However I do believe that in the delivery of an epic poem it is best to concentrate specifically on the material contained within the epic first and to then reevaluate the symbolic and hidden meaning after the initial meaning of the poem is understood. I have myself had to reread the poem in order do make enough sense of it to be able to write about it. Beowulf has many things, namely concepts and ideals contained within it that we should all take into consideration and perhaps even model into our own lives.

A Book Review of Native Son by Richard Wright

Strong interest in Wright's life, his work, and his influence continues in the 1980s and 1990s, although with not quite the same emphasis as in the preceding four decades. The focus of attention has shifted somewhat, with studies of Wright's political vision diminishing and analyses of his craftsmanship and literary sources increasing.The great majority of scholars and critics during this period are in general agreement about the centrality of Wright's position in African-American letters and his great importance in American and modern traditions, although some reappraisal of a negative sort has also developed, especially among those expressing dissatisfaction with Wright's portrayal of female characters.And with the publication in 1991 of the Library of America editions of Wright's major work, the critical response to Wright has entered an important new phase in which fundamental questions are now being raised about which texts are the most authentic representations of Wright's actu al intentions and which texts are highest in literary quality.Wright's achievement in Native Son was not only to project the experience of American black people, in all its raw brutality but also to form it into a rich, coherent, balanced vision of life. Wright attracted in some ways to Western culture because of its tradition of Enlightenment rationalism that promises political freedom to oppressed people. Wright was deeply suspicious of other aspects of the West, especially its history of racism.Although characters like Bigger Thomas are initially described as alienated from both self and community, they experience genuine selfhood and become a participant in the life of the spirit by establishing kinship with others. I envision Bigger Thomas as caught between these two opposite qualities of Western culture, for he is both victimized by Western racism and also achieves selfhood in a very Western way through â€Å"revolutionary will, individualism and self consciousness† (p. 311).The slum conditions of the South Side so vividly portrayed in Native Son had been the daily reality of a decade in Wright life ( 1927- 1937). He had lived in a cramped and dirty flat with his aunt, mother, and brother. He had visited hundreds of similar dwellings while working as an insurance agent.The details of the Chicago environment in the novel have a verisimilitude that is almost photographic. The â€Å"Ernie's Kitchen Shack† of the novel, located at Forty-Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue, for example, is a slight disguise for an actual restaurant called â€Å"The Chicken Shack,† 4647 Indiana Avenue, of which one Ernie Henderson was owner. Similar documentary accuracy is observed throughout the book.Wright drives his story forward at a furious yet skillfully controlled pace. The full drama is unfolded in just about two weeks. There is first of all the prophetic killing of a rat in the room where Bigger, his mother, his sister and his brother live in quarre ling, desperate squalor.Then Bigger, who has a bad name as a braggart living by shady devices, goes out to meet the poolroom gang environment provides. He plans a hold-up he is afraid to carry out. To hide his cowardice he terrorizes one of his friends.You see his character. That is the point. Wright is champion of a race, not defender of an individual wrongdoer. Bigger gets a job as chauffeur in the house of Mr. Dalton, who is a philanthropist toward Negroes and owner of many Negro tenements. Mary Dalton, the daughter of the house, and her friend Jan, a supernally noble radical, make him drink with them. Through an accident, Bigger kills Mary Dalton.That is the first murder. There is a gruesome dismemberment to hide the crime. Bigger thinks of demanding money, and makes his girl, Bessie, help him. His crime is discovered. After that there is the flight, the second murder, deliberate and brutal, the manhunt spreading terror over the whole South Side, then the spectacular capture and the day of reckoning in court for all concerned.Apart from the ideas that give it volume, force and scope, Native Son has some magnificently realized scenes: in the early part, where Bigger, a stranger and afraid, as Houseman said, in a world he never made, gropes for freedom from the walls that hold him; in the flight across the roofs and the stand high over the world, in the jail where processions of people come to see him, at the inquest and in the howling mob outside the court.The measure in which it shakes a community is the measure of its effectiveness.

My Family At The United States Essay - 1027 Words

My family of five is blessed to have unique names that are quite different from the common â€Å"Sams† and â€Å"Johns† floating around the United States. However, it is not the tongue twister names that confuse people as they get acquainted with my family. When I share the names to others, I never fail to baffle people at the end of my list, Heonsu, Misug, Onyoo, Youngeun, and Sarah. â€Å"Sarah?† they exclaim. â€Å"Wait, what? Why is her name different?†. Every time this occurs, I am forced to explain in my practiced speech tone, â€Å"My family immigrated to the United States from South Korea when I was six. We all have Korean names, but my little sister was born here, so she has an American name.† Most people are satisfied with this answer before I can splurge with more information. They just leave, scratching the backs of their heads and continue with their mundane tasks. As a result, no one truly knows all the bizarre events that led to my li ttle sister’s common name. My little sister was born in June, 2007. The weeks before her birth were filled with excitement since she was a late addition to our family. There were pastel pink themed baby showers, house visits overflowing with Pampers diapers, and elderly church ladies knitting sunset-yellow blankets. All the visitors asked the pre-requisite set of questions to my parents: â€Å"How is the health of the baby and mother? What is the gender? Are you excited? When is the due date?† and so on. What they failed to inquire about was the name of theShow MoreRelatedMy Family At The United States1039 Words   |  5 Pagescoming to the United States, my family was in search for a better life. My parents both came from Asia; my dad was from China and my mom was from Japan. Being a first-generation American, I was considered Nisei. I lived in San Jose California and stayed there my whole life. My parents were hard working people and showed me what it meant to be tr uly American. I was an only child and was twelve years old when the United States was attacked by the Japanese military. My dad owned a store and my mom helpedRead MoreMy Family And The United States1010 Words   |  5 PagesMy life was split over two distinct culture as my family moved back and forth between Syria and the United States. My family immigrated to the U.S. in the early eighties and moved back to Syria two years after I was born. I completed my first and second grades in Syrian public schools before immigrating to the United States in 2001. I was first placed in english second language classes, which I completed in 9 months. I then continued my fourth grade in regular classrooms. These two years exposedRead MoreHow My Family Changed The United States1605 Words   |  7 Pagesthought about how my family had come to the United States. I assumed someone in my family, long ago, had decided that they wanted better for themselves and their family and had decided to come to the United States. It did not become a big deal for me until I found out that those people, who wanted better for themselves and their family, were my grandmother and grandfather. Up until then, I always took my citizenship for granted. I believed that being born in America was one of my natural rights thatRead MoreThe Traditions And How My Family Have Brought Them From The United States1381 Words   |  6 Pagesabout how to learn about Chaldean culture? This paper will provide you the reader with this knowledge. I will discuss Chaldean traditions and how my family have brought them to the United States. The Chaldean tradition derives from the ancient civilization and though it has little change my family is very fortunate to practice this unique culture. We as a family lived in the Middle East (Iraq â€Å"majority†, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran †¦), and nowadays are spread all over the world after the recent warsRead MoreEssay about My American Dream1334 Words   |à ‚  6 Pagesthe United States but my family was not born here, they came from an area south of Los Angeles, Mexico. In the border between the United States and Mexico, many immigrants have lost their lives attempting to achieve their promise dream. Many immigrants who cross the border pursue the American Dream. My family was one of the many immigrant families who attempted and fortunately succeeded in crossing over the border. My father’s family originated from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mà ©xico. Many families justRead MoreFictional Account: My Family History1415 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿As the United States was expanding, so were the prospects for my family. My ancestors arrived in the United States with the hope of bettering themselves and taking advantage of the opportunities that the United States was said to hold. This made my family excited about coming to a new land, one where their future generations, with me included, would be able to progress and prosper. Upon arrivi ng to the United States, my uncle Ben made the journey to the lands in the Far West. They were rumored toRead MoreSocial Life Of The Usa And Oman941 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent countries. The United States and Oman each country has some differences and some similarities in social life and it is obvious in people, families, lifestyle and social life in the educational institutions. The people in the United States are a mixture of different cultures and religions who socialize with each other wonderfully. There are some people who have Asian or African origins, and that is the reason for the culture diversity of the people in the United States, but they live with eachRead MoreThe United States Is The Nation Of Immigrants876 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States is the nation of immigrants. Everyone living in the United States has migrated here, whether it was 10 years ago, 100 years ago, or 10,000 years ago. Migrations can take place for many reasons, the main reasons being the search for a better life, escape from poor conditions or as captives. We all have stories that branch out to other homes outside of this country. Some stories are untold and will forever be hidden; like the story of my father. My father passed away eight years agoRead MoreA New Generation for Our Family919 Words   |  4 Pagesday for my parents, a day in which they joined their lives to have something that amazing, and change their lives forever; they were getting married. That day a new generation of the Carranza’s family began. My family was one of the typical South American families in which almost everybody lives in a single house. We used to live with my uncles, aunts, grandparents, and nephews. At that time my family did not have much money, my family was going through an economic crisis. Eventually my grandfatherRead MoreAn Event That Changed An Individual Life848 Words   |  4 Pageschange my education view is when I move to the United State. I have been in America for about 8 years. The first couple years are hard because I don’t speak English so there is no way to communicate with others. With all the thing we hear about America, It’s no brainer to move to the United State. So my family decides it would be the best for the family to move to the United State for a better life and education. The decision of moving to America is probably the best decision my family had ever