Bausmith 1 Isaiah Bausmith Mrs.

Tieman English 12 12 February 2014 A Reason to Fight When faced with a bully, a student has two choices: keep it bottled up or tell someone. By keeping it bottled up, the bully is left free to terrorize all he wants, spreading his abuse throughout the school. Or by telling someone, the student can stand up for whats right and save others from having to endure the bullys torture. The point here is that the student is saving people, friends, from the bully even if that means getting hurt in the process. As a result, the bully is defeated and reprimanded. The student has accomplished in saving others, putting the safety of others above his/her being. And just like the student, Beowulf and the things he uses represent how ones intentions must be for higher purposes or defeat will march to his door. Grendels one thought was to run/ From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:/ This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied (8: 437-39). Grendels escaping goes against Beowulfs oath. Furthermore, it goes against what the people of Herot need. However, the author makes note of how Beowulf flashbacks to his promises of killing Grendel. But Higlacs follower remembered his final/ Boast and, standing erect, stopped the monsters flight (8: 440-42). Flashing back to the past causes Beowulf to jolt back to life. He is reinvigorated to end this monsters reign, just like the student saving friends and others from the bully. The purpose is revealed to Beowulf that he is not just in it for the fame. He is there to protect those of Herot, protect the soldiers, women, and children from evil. Otherwise, Grendel would have kept eating the Geats until there was nothing left and we would not have an epic.

Bausmith 2 But because of his intentions, Beowulf lives to tell the tale of how Grendel was defeated. Because of his higher purpose, his goal was met, and he was able to revel in the victory instead of answering to death. Speaking of death, Beowulf quickly learns that swords and other human made arms do no harm to the monster. He can hack away as much as he wants; Grendel will feel nothing. As a result, Beowulf is forced to fight hand vs teeth. In the lines following 485, the author describes how no sword made of iron could pierce Grendels skin; he is protected from mans weapons. Therefore, Beowulf has to remember what he is fighting for. Otherwise, it doesnt matter that everyone adores him. It doesnt matter that he is stronger than the ordinary man. However, not having the weapons forces Beowulf into a corner: do or die. Its that final push that sends him into killing mode. Before, he and Grendel were simply making a mess of Herot. Now, the real fun begins and Grendel says adios. Through his hands alone, Grendels arms are ripped off, fleeing from Beowulf to escape the pain. Beowulfs determination proves that the use weapons are only an easy way to reach the fame. Beowulf proved that he was worthy of the glory by fighting with his bare hands, and that he can handle the fame of killing an infamous, heinous fiend. Also, the same theme is present when Beowulf dives in the malevolent lake in search of Grendels body. The initial reason is to to assure the people of Herot that they are free of tyranny and are able to come back in full faith that they can live in peace. When Beowulf dives, its like every creature in the lake knows he entered: the Evil Witch, especially. She quickly snatches Beowulf and drags him to her battle hall. There, she intends to take revenge for her son. However, Beowulf is not one to give in so easily. The battle commences, dragging on minute by minute. As the battle continues, Beowulf fixates on staying alive and defeating her,

Bausmith 3 forgetting hes there for Grendels body. But Beowulf/ Longed only for fame, leaped back/ Into battle. ...So fame/ Comes to the men who mean to win it/ And care about nothing else! (12: 605-12). It wasnt until death had Beowulf in its sight that Beowulf snapped out his trance, realizing she would not die like her son did. He has to think past the obstacle in front of him. Once he does, the giants other-worldly sword becomes visible and he quickly makes mincemeat of her, continuing his search for the peoples proof that Grendel is dead. His overarching cause saves him: assuring the people they are safe. He brings back the head of Grendel, and is then rejoiced by the people. At any rate, Beowulf only lives to deliver Grendels head because he was able to find that higher purpose; he was there to give peace to the people who so desperately needed it. In this part of the epic, weapons of human nature are rendered useless much like that in the The Battle With Grendel. However, his reason for living is to survive past the witch and find Grendels head. He has to finish his promise of killing Grendel. But because Grendel took off, Beowulf is obligated to find him. Anyways, its for this purpose that he is able to reach past the witch and find the giants sword. He was able to ascertain his goal and find Grendel. In the last part of the epic, The Final Battle, Beowulf finds a horde of gold and jewels guarded by a monstrous dragon. From the start, his desire here is to obtain the gold rather than for something like ridding his people of the dragon. And this dragons treasure, his gold/ And everything hidden in that tower, will be mine/ Or war will sweep me to a bitter death! (12: 68587). Not only is Beowulfs outlook foreshadowing his demise, but his desire for the gold signifies a similarity between him and Unferth. Questioning Beowulf about his ability to defeat Grendel, Unferth is wanting to prove that he is better than Beowulf and that the glory is rightfully his. And just like Unferth, Beowulf wanted to kill the dragon for the glory of killing it,

Bausmith 4 for the glory of obtaining such a vast treasure. Rather than for himself, the treasure could have gone to his people to pay for new housing, advanced weaponry, feed the hungry, etc. Furthermore, Beowulf lacked such a determination, such higher purpose. Consequently, his goose is cooked and no one will or is capable of rescuing him; he bit off more than his ego could chew. Beowulf became too good for even himself. But after his roasting, Wiglaf is the only one of his followers to brave the dragon, signifying that he is able to look past the safety of himself for the protection of others-- much like Beowulf and his fight with Grendel. Wiglaf is able to see the higher cause and, therefore, succeeds in saving his lord. As a result from his good deed, he is given the throne and everything that belonged to the beloved leader. So in conclusion, having determination and using weapons only gets you so far. You have to be able to look beyond the personal gain and realize that others are counting on you to succeed. The lesson here is that without the reason and motivation of a higher cause, Beowulf had nothing to fight for, nothing to live for, and in the end, everything to die for.