BEOWULF ESSAY

Compare Beowulf with a modern hero, both as characters and as symbols of the times in which both were created.  Support your thesis with at least three (3) literary techniques and three (3) textual examples that strengthen and illustrate your ideas for your readers.

Beowulf & Batman

Different people have different views on heroes. One view on heroes is that they are the ones who make difference in the world no matter of how big the good deed is. Beowulf, classified as a "classical hero" because of being in the classical story of "Beowulf", can be compared with Batman from the famous DC Comics. They both have similarities such as they both have huge reputations, they both save lives, they both are called heroes, and they both have huge egos. Both stories utilizes indirect characterization, allusions, and setting to emphasize who the characters are of each story.

Since both "Beowulf" and "Batman" are both from works of literature, both of their authors have used similar literary techniques. One literary technique that they both have used is indirect characterization. In "Batman", Bruce Wayne/Batman , the main character is depicted as the "richest man in Gotham". The author uses indirect characterization when Bruce Wayne has many rich parties and invites everyone. This allows the audience the figure out that Bruce Wayne is extremely wealthy because of the impression he gives. The author didn't really have to say what Bruce Wayne is like. The author just needed to provided scenes to characterize what Bruce Wayne is like. The author/storytellers of Beowulf have used indirect characterization as well. In the feasting hall scene, Beowulf is praised for being a great life saver to many people with the experiences Beowulf has gone through that were described in the story. This telling of experiences has prompted some indirect characterization inferences of who Beowulf is and what Beowulf is like. He has been described as one who fights, has a big reputation, and has much endurance. Indirect characterization allows the readers to use the give information to make their own perspective of the characters.

Another literary technique that both stories have is the literary technique of allusions. Allusions can be about something that happened a many, many years ago. Allusions can also be about something that happened not too long ago. In "Batman", Batman uses many allusions to his past which allows the audience to find out why he became the "Batman". An allusion he always refers back to is when he falls into a cave full of bats, but his father then came to save him which gave the words "Why do we fall, so we can learn to pick ourselves up". Batman became the one who would attempt to save the city from turmoil because of what he experienced and of what his father told him. In "Beowulf", Grendel, the antagonist, is said to be a descendant of Cain. This is a Biblical allusion because it refers back to Cain and Abel in which Cain kills Abel because he was jealous of Abel. Although Beowulf was not jealous of Grendel, Beowulf felt like Grendel was a demon or had a devilish attitude which also goes back to how Cain had a devilish attitude when he slew his own brother. Using allusions help emphasize the moral of the story to an even better extent.

A third literary technique would be the setting. The setting is one of the most important parts of the story because it shows the environment the characters are going through. The setting also foreshadows what events that will occur throughout the story. In the story of "Batman", the city of Gotham has always been shown as dark, poor, muggy. With these elements, the audience has the opportunity to foreshadow what type of events that will happen in the story such as Gotham being taken over by the notorious "Two Face", one of the antagonists of Batman. In Beowulf, the story describes the kingdom of Heoroth. The story talks about the feasting hall scene where Grendel approaches every night. From this, the audience can now understand what that part of the story is all about when the story is currently at the spot about the feasting hall. Even the tiniest detail such as setting can tell what the story is  really about or will be about.

There, simply, has to be literary techniques that will get the reader to be connected with the story. Utilizing indirect characterization gets the audience to stop, think, and analyze who the character is which will allow them to have a better connection with the characters. Utilizing allusions allows the audience to take hold of the what the moral of the story is or will be. Utilizing the literary technique of setting get the readers to be pinpointing out the tiny details that could potentially lead to the meaning of the story and the events in the story. These three literary techniques are three of the many important techniques used in literature in order to grasp the audience into finding out more about the stories that they are already partaking in.