Beowulf Not Just A KidS Story Essays - Beowulf, Grendel, Unfer

Beowulf: Not Just A Kid'S Story When you compare Beowulf to any modern novel or movie, Beowulf seems childlike at best. Beowulf is told in a straightforward, uncomplicated manner very unlike many of today's works, which contain complex plots and themes. What makes Beowulf readable to an adult and not just children? Why do people find stories such as Beowulf so intriguing? Why is Beowulf, or any myth, significant? Beowulf, the story of the young Beowulf sent by fate to save a kingdom plagued with a nightmarish monster, a rather basic plot synopsis especially for a story that has been around for more than one thousand years. However Beowulf contains far more long-standing impact than a slew of the best selling books at any bookstore. Beowulf, as any myth, teaches many moral lessons giving us a detailed insight into the culture and writer's beliefs through written accounts of morality and religion and through the tale's deep symbolism. And it also provides for an entertaining ride filled with supernatural feats and monsters with an inspirational hero or role model for the reader. In contrast to some other popular mythological stories such as the tales of the Greek gods, Beowulf is almost believable. Beowulf is just over the edge of ?real?, it pushes our definition of what exists but not to the point to where we cannot imagine what is happening in the story. Also I feel that Beowulf is a superior work of mythology because Beowulf is a true and perfect hero, and represents the personality and courage most people wish they had In Episode 1 the story begins with the tale of Scyld Sceafing, which parallels Beowulf's evolution, it is the motif of a helpless child turning into a great king. Similarly, Sceafing arrives from the water to the Danish lands in the same way Beowulf arrives. This is a popular theme in many myths, a small and weak one rising to be strong and a leader (i.e. Jesus). Part of the beauty of mythology is the repetition of motifs such as this one. Another facet of mythology that is uncovered in Episode 1 is religion. In every myth religion is dealt with in some way. Unlike most myths, however, the religious affiliation and code is hard to decipher. References to the Old Testament are made often (i.e. Cain and Abel, the flood), but it is never made quite clear of what the religious beliefs of the Danes are. The writer himself is definitely familiar with the Bible, and was probably actually a monk, but the Danes do not seem to be. This raises the question of whether the original oral presentations contained the religious references or sub-stories that the written one does. Obviously the hero of the story does not completely fit the humble pacifist Christian personality, so it is a reasonable inquiry. As shown here, part of the reason myths are so fascinating is because of the questions and speculations they cause to arise about the culture and its ideas from which the myth evolved. In Episode 3 the phenomenal Beowulf arrives on the Herot scene to slay Grendel. Beowulf in Beowulf is a very strong individual, so strong in fact that he rips archrival Grendel's arm cleanly off! This is impossible of course, for a man to do such thing, physiology doesn't permit it. Even more unbelievable is Grendel himself. Grendel's ?fingers were nails like steel? (Beowulf Episode 5) and ?no battle sword could harm him - he had enchantment against the edges of weapons? (Beowulf Episode 6). A fantastic hero and villain is a key to mythology. Why have such an unreal hero? It's simple because he is a hero, a role model, and so why not make him as powerful and super human as desirable. When the story originated, and was thus truthfully believed, many youngsters probably idolized the mighty Beowulf, and wanted to equal his valor and courage. It evoked emotional inspiration to conquer evil with bravery and goodness, a very desirable goal in any culture. Demonstrated in Episode 4 was some very dramatic language that made the story very compelling and entertaining. The author uses some vivid imagery and language to describe the approaching Grendel's character ?Came then from the

Two Paths From Kabul essays

Two Paths From Kabul essays Two paths from Kabul is a text that talks about the life of Nelofer Pazira, an Afghan girl, that leave Afghanistan with her family at the age of 16 years old. In 1979 started the Soviet invasion and at the same time, a dark period in the history of Afghanistan . Parizas father has been imprisoned because he was accusing of denouncing the regime. It has been really hard for Pariza and her family to see their father suffer in jail. With a lot of chance and time, he has been released. But the war was still there, and professionals were leaving the country, one after the others. However, Parizas family decided to stay and it was time for her to go to school. Its in elementary school that she met Deyana, who became her best friend. Its together that they took a liking for poetry and novels. They also wanted to go at university. But their plans changed when Paziras parents decided that they would leave from Afghanistan, because her little brother was now 13 and if they stayed there he would be drafted into the army. Moreover, it became really dangerous to go out in the city; the war was coming closer and living there was becoming impossible. So, in 1989 Pazira, at the age of 16 years old, and her family left Afghanistan on an early morning. It has been really hard for them to leave all their friends and family. At first, they move in Pakistan where Pazira realized that she was now in another world. Then she moved with her family in Canada where her parents thought that it would be a good country to grow up. Then she started exchanging letters with family and friends but mostly with Deyana. Receiving letters from her friend was her last link with her home country. It was hard for Pazira to learn a new language and to adapt herself to her new life. In 1992, it was the end of the Soviet invasion, and because of that, they thought that maybe it would be ...

Playworkers' Responsibilities with Regard to Common Forms of Abuse Essay

Playworkers' Responsibilities with Regard to Common Forms of Abuse - Essay Example They should be able to make full and correct records of everything and also know the laws which demand the required action (e.g. Children Act 1989) Finally, their greatest responsibility is to the child first, so the attitudes of caring kindness, empathy, and support must be present. They need to listen, question appropriately (for age), offer help and support. Thus a knowledge of support systems and services is necessary. Identification, Consultation, Referral, Initial Assessment, Planning, Strategy Planning Meetings, and after all these, either of two strategies may be put in place: 1. Services offered to child and family to ensure its future welfare is secured, or 2. Child's name is placed on the Child Protection Register and further assessments, meetings and reviews of progress will continue. Flowcharts 1 5 The playworker will have input, as someone who knows the child and its circumstances. If they have raised the concerns, they should make clear and correct records, consult with managers and colleagues, and those in other child protection roles, usually beginning with Social Services.

Law - Responsibility to Protect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law - Responsibility to Protect - Essay Example During this occasion, all member states agreed to be held accountable for crimes against humanity such as mass killings, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. The principle of R2P is anchored on the responsibility of the state to protect its population from large-scale man-made atrocities. When the state is either incapable of or unwilling to fulfil this obligation, then the responsibility passes to the international community. The latter should first explore diplomatic persuasion and other similarly peaceful avenues to avert or arrest the catastrophe. Should these means fail, then the use of coercive force is justified in order to intervene in the interest of the oppressed population (America, 2009). Since the launching of R2P, there have been instances where countries were clearly remiss in the observance of this accountability. There had been mass killings and other widespread violation of human rights, which in turn led to a decimation of a large number of the population in Bosnia, Cam bodia, Darfur, Kosovo, and in the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (America, 2009). There have likewise been fresh initiatives in the implementation of R2P. In January 2009, the Global Civil Society Coalition on the Responsibility to Protect was launched. ... Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed on December 10, 1948 by the UN General Assembly, is the founding document of the international law of human rights (Renee Cronin-Furman, 2010); the UDHR is in turn founded on the principle that â€Å"the protection of human rights knows no international boundaries† (Buergenthal, 1997:704), and therefore an obligation exists for any and all members of the international community to ascertain that governments guarantee their protection over their people. A conceptual conflict exists between the doctrine of state sovereignty and non-intervention and the doctrine of human intervention. Classical political realism stresses the dominance of the sovereign state as the principal actor by which rights are created and given effect, and human relationships regulated. Humanitarian intervention, on the other hand, is a relatively new concept, a product of normative discourse because it infuses values into the appreciation of the human c ondition, and espouses certain norms held to be morally right over that which is morally wrong. The doctrine of state sovereignty is firmly embodied as policy in the UN Charter; in contrast, the Charter made no mention of the right of humanitarian intervention in any of its provisions, although humanitarian intervention likewise poses a challenge to state sovereignty. However, despite the lack of any explicit acknowledgement of the doctrine, the Security Council had always incorporated the implicit right to intervene, even with the use of military force, for humanitarian reasons in its decision-making, such as the resolutions it adopted in the case of Korea in 1950 and the Congo in 1962. The rationale of the concept is well elucidated by Thakur (2003) when he wrote: â€Å"Intervention for human

Goal of My Life Essay Example for Free

Goal of My Life Essay There are many goals in life that I have planned to accomplish. When I was in high school the most important goal was to finish the school with a G. P. A. 3. 0 or higher so that I could get into prestigious colleges. I have accomplished that goal, I graduated high school with a 3. 2 G. P. A. However, when I got into college people start asking me, â€Å"What are you planning to do after you finish college? † This is one of the toughest questions for a college student. Since I have been a student for all my life, I would have a hard time to answer the question. For every typical graduates would do is to find a job that suits with the field that they have learnt or help with their family business. People said that if you don’t have any idea on what you really want to do in your life, start with the things that interests you, things that you enjoy doing. Therefore, my goals in life are to take care of my parents when they are old, marry the best man, help the community, get a good job that makes me happy and gives me enough money to support my family. The first major goal in my life is to take care of my parents because in the Buddhist world, taught me that to take care of your parents is the most virtuous thing in life. Parents are the people that give birth and raise me to be a good person in the society, therefore I have to give back what they have given me for all their lives. The second goal in my life would be every girls’ dream that is to marry the best man (on earth). These days to find the right guy is very difficult thing to do because it is almost impossible. From the research of 100 guys, found that at least 50 guys are gay, 20 guys are married, 10 are in jail, 5 became monks, 5 are unattractive, 5 are disabled, 3 have HIV, 1 is in asylum(27 August 2012). However, I still believe that every person are destine to be with someone, and I will find my best man someday. Another goal in my life is to help others. I believe that every people should learn how to give and take, it’s the only way to make this world a better place. When you make more then you should give back more. By that I mean helping the community. I may not be able to donate tons of money to the people in need but I started off with little things such as littering in proper places and donate essentials to the orphanage. And in the future I would promote education for children that are in need. My last important goal is to get a good job with ood money. In this life I don’t expected to be a millionaire, I just want a job that makes me happy and gives me enough money to support my family. The reason why I don’t want to be a millionaire is because when you make more money, money will consume more of your time and you won’t be able to enjoy your happiness. I have set these goals to remind me that these are the reasons why I am here. And everyday that I live, everything that I do more or less would help me to accomplish these goals.

The Use of Language in A Fable for Tomorrow by Rachel Carson Essay exam

The Use of Language in A Fable for Tomorrow by Rachel Carson The extracts give the impression of stark contrast, even contradictions, from the very beginning. The author chooses to use the word fable in the title, which, traditionally, is something fictional and also usually refers to the past and yet this is coupled with ‘tomorrow’. This indicates that the author is looking to show the reader that, although the situation she refers to in the second extract may not be factual in its entirety, it may not be long before it is. Carson uses graphical descriptions to convey the idea of harmony and peacefulness in the first paragraph ‘white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields’. The author uses all of the senses to invite the reader to picture the scene more vividly. Carson uses language that suggests she has seen the subject matter on several occasions and knows it well, she describes how the scene changes from spring to autumn ‘oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of colour’ and then to winter ‘dried weeds rising above the snow’. Carson’s detailed descrip...

Jacksonian democracy Essay

Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of United States President Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson’s policies followed in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. Jackson’s Democratic Party was resisted by the rival Whig Party. More broadly, the term refers to the period of the Second Party System (1824-1854) when Jacksonian philosophy was ascendant as well as the spirit of that era. It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy, which dominated the previous political era. Jackson’s equal political policy became known as Jacksonian Democracy, subsequent to ending what he termed a â€Å"monopoly† of government. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group. In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the presidency and executive branch at the expense of Congress, while also seeking to broaden the public’s participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all white men, rather than just the propertied class, and supported the patronage system that enabled politicians to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of elites and prevent aristocracies from emerging. They demanded elected (not appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. In national terms the Jacksonians favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of Manifest Destiny. There was usually a consensus among both Jacksonians and Whigs that battles over slavery should be avoided. The Jacksonian Era lasted roughly from Jackson’s 1828 election until the slavery issue became dominant after 1850 and the American Civil War dra matically reshaped American politics as the Third Party System emerged.