What makes a hero the epic icon it is brought up to be? According to a dictionary definition, a hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. A hero also withholds the outstanding qualities of bravery, determination, loyalty, selflessness, and sacrifice. Two heroes that truly embody these heroic characteristics are an Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, and a political hero, Martin Luther King Jr. While the remarkable stories of these two heroes remain very different in plot and general theme, they both remain very similar in other aspects.
In the story of Beowulf, he courageously saves King of Hrothgar and his kingdom from the terror they received from Grendel, a horrible and bloody demon, along with his vengeful mother. Beowulf vigorously fought Grendel without armor and finished him by ripping his arm off. This embodies the heroic qualities of bravery, selflessness, and sacrifice. Beowulf put the safety of his kingdom before his own. In comparison, just as Beowulf fought against a legendary flesh and blood monster, Martin Luther King Jr. selflessly fought against the insidious and more subtle monster of racism. During the Civil Rights Era, standing up against racism took a lot of courage and sacrifice, considering the possible harsh consequences of doing so. Although, King willingly took the biggest stand in history against slavery and segregation, changing the fate our nation forever.
As said before, heroes obtain many qualities. Although, bravery is the quality that has to be the most profound and most common. In Beowulf, he displays countless actions of bravery. One that really stands out in the text is when he has to face the monster that is terrorizing his kingdom; “I won’t shift a foot when I meet the cave-guard: what occurs on the walls between the two of us will turn out as fate, overseer of men, decides.” Through this text, you can feel the incredible bravery withheld by Beowulf that is found throughout his story. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. displays bravery just as well as Beowulf does. Although, being that he was a leader of the civil rights movement, King displays bravery in a different way. King had to stand up all around the world to get his message of equality and anti-segregation out. He had to do this while knowing many people did not support him and were willing to get rid of him. His bravery was unimpeachable and something to strive for. King is described in "Marks of Modern Sainthood" as the following: “A hero, he confronted death with courage: a saint, he enriched the souls of even his bitterest enemies.”
Overall, Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. both embodied the characteristics of an extraordinary hero in various ways. Both strove to free an oppressed people through sacrifice and stood for what was right even though it may not have been necessarily popular or safe. They are both incredible heroes that should never be forgotten for their remarkable bravery.
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