SAMPLE BLOG 1:
The difference between mortals and gods is the fact that mortals die and gods don’t. In the epic poem “Beowulf”, heroes are seen as god-like to the other characters in the story. The heroes usually have a special skill. In this case, Beowulf has the strength of thirty men in each hand. Beowulf uses his strength to defeat Grendel and save Harot. His community thought it was near impossible to kill Grendel. When he did kill Grendel and displayed his arm on The Hall, his people rejoiced. They were thrilled that the murderous Grendel was done for and Beowulf was rewarded handsomely for his courage and bravery. “Then Halfdane’s son presented
Beowulf/ with a gold standard as a victory gift,/ an embroidered banner; also breast-mail/and a helmet;/ and a sword carried high, that was both precious object and token of honour”
(1019-1023). In this quote, Beowulf is presented with many gifts, where in modern literature, readers would see it fit to award the immortals gifts. They were obviously grateful for Beowulf and wanted to thank him but no attention was paid to God, who helped Beowulf succeed in his endeavors. The schism between thanking Beowulf and thanking God seems great especially since Beowulf seemed to be the only one thanking God after his battle with Grendel. Thanking a mortal for something a higher power helped with seems like the antithesis of the normal beliefs for the time period. In the end, Beowulf had to die to prove that he was indeed mortal.
After defeating three monsters Beowulf seemed immortal to not only the people that he was surrounded by, but also modern readers.
If Beowulf were to live and die of old age, he wouldn’t seem as noble if he didn’t go out with a bang. This “bang” would actually be a dragon, which ends up getting the better of
Beowulf, but not before the dragon loses his life first. The fact that Beowulf thinks he can defeat a dragon in his old age puzzles modern readers and makes them wonder why in the world he thought he could complete this task. His sword failing should be a big red flag but Beowulf, being the strong man that he was, would not die before the dragon. “When a chance came, he caught the hero/ in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs/ into his neck. Beowulf’s body/ ran wet with his life-blood: it came welling out” (2690-2693). If the dragon had been in the story,
Beowulf would probably have died of natural causes, which also makes modern readers think about the future of Beowulf’s legacy. If he had died of natural causes, he wouldn’t be remembered for all his bravery and courage. Beowulf could’ve also died at God’s decision.
Beowulf had lived a very fulfilled and eventful life so it seemed necessary for him to go out in a big way. Beowulf had to die in the end to remind readers that he was in fact mortal.
Observations:

SAMPLE BLOG 1:
A man’s mere deeds do not define his heroicness. Nor do his words measure his might.
Although these certainly contribute, there are a plethora of other ingredients in the concoction of a hero. Beowulf, the protagonist from the famed epic poem Beowulf, displays every characteristic of a true hero. His heroic nature appears within the surface of his simple talk and action, and also beyond, in his failure and weakness.
Beowulf does indeed show aspects of a hero in his feats and speech. He manages to not only fight, but destroy three petrifying monsters: a descendant of Cain named Grendel, the beast Grendel’s revenge-ravaged mother, and a murderous dragon. The courage Beowulf shows in these battles is deemed heroic by all onlookers. Death was a definite possibility yet nothing fazed Beowulf. When speaking of the imminent violent encounter with Grendel,
Beowulf declared, “I meant to perform to the uttermost / what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, / in the fiend’s clutches” (634-636). Again, in both Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother and tussle with the dragon, Beowulf was fully aware of death’s frightful nearness yet harbored no fear. This continuous courage is a major factor in the making of a hero.
Words oftentimes display a person more accurately than actions, as the mouth is the opening of the mind’s thought-river. Indeed, Beowulf’s words are exceedingly supportive of his heroic image. A true hero is kind, generous, and benevolent, and Beowulf certainly fits into this classification. Even when attacked with biting, flippant remarks from Unferth, a jealous Dane,
Beowulf replies with grace and truth. He states, “Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say / about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer / that was doing the talking” (530-532). Rather than resorting to insulting names Beowulf replies with “friend”, and instead of blaming Unferth’s coarse nature, Beowulf points to the alcohol earlier consumed. Such a kind-worded reaction, the antithesis of the expected words, demonstrates Beowulf’s kind heart.
It is true: words and actions help make a hero. However, there is another, often overlooked, factor. In order for a man to achieve heroic status, he must fail. Although seemingly contradictory, failure is essential to a hero’s attainment of his zenith. Beneath the glory and honor, a hero is human. He may seem to possess god-like qualities, but it is his human weakness that makes him capable of such a prestigious title as hero. Beowulf fails in his final battle: that of the mighty fire-breather. The dragon encounters its doom, but deals Beowulf a fatal neckwound in the process, resulting in both contestants meeting their death. Beowulf’s demise strengthens his human characteristics. Rather than an unattainable god-like figure, readers now picture Beowulf as a courageous man, which, after all, is the essence of a true hero.
In addition to failure, heroes must have some weakness, as this also contributes to their human nature. Beowulf’s downfall was his excessive pride. This weakness is common, and readers discover it across literature. Odysseus, of the poem The Odyssey, also harbored a prideful heart. Similarly to Beowulf, Odysseus entered a brawl to save his pride. Unlike Odysseus,
Beowulf’s self-importance leads to his death. Before entering in the fight with the dragon,
Beowulf proclaims, “I shall pursue this fight / for the glory of winning” (2513-2514). His intentions were not only to save his people, but were to bring glory upon himself. Unbeknownst to him, this egotism created a pathway to his death. Combined, Beowulf’s pride and death create a human, and one must be human to be a hero.
Beowulf was loved by his people. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth / he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, / kindest to his people and keenest to win fame”
(3180-3182). His awe-inspiring actions and grace-filled words won Beowulf respect and love.
These contributed to his hero status, which was made true only by his pride and failure: evidence of a human heart. By maintaining the expected aspects of a hero, yet proving his humanness, Beowulf took the form of a true hero: a courageous, attainable figure respected by all.
Observations:

Examples of Student Replies
Student Reply Sample @ Student Name
People in the kingdom gave gifts to heroes in exchange for protection. When Beowulf returned to the Geats after killing Grendal, he received multiple gifts as a sign of respect. The
Geats rewarded him because he was a hero, and at any sign of trouble he would hopefully save the Geats. This way, if another monster came, Beowulf would owe it to the people to fight.
After the dragon killed many people, Beowulf was urged to fight because of the respect and gifts he received; he was known as the hero and expected to kill the dragon.
Beowulf also received treasure after he died; they piled treasure on top of his coffin.
“And they buried torques in the barrow, and jewels / and a trove of such things… They let the ground keep that ancestral treasure, / gold under gravel” (3195-3199). Even after death, he was honored with the respect of a true hero.
I agree he didn’t fight to receive gifts; his goal was to become a legend, remembered by his kingdom. He was focused more on becoming a hero than becoming a king. Therefore he wasn’t concerned about continuing his family lineage. He also might have not wanted to raise a family with the fatal, ubiquitous monsters.
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Student Sample 2 @ Student Name
Beowulf is a great hero in this epic and shows many traits of a hero.
Observations:
Student Sample 3 @ Student Name
I agree entirely with you, ---. Beowulf is a true hero and he shows traits and attributes of a true hero througout the epic poem. The story itself would lose so much charisma and flare. Beowulf proves himself as a hero in constant situations. He also shows the leadership skills needed in able to effectivly rule a kingdom. Beowulf fights for his people whenever his strength is needed, that alone is enough in Beowulf's time to be looked at as a true hero.
Observations:
Student Sample 4 @ Student Name
Your statement that the characters’ actions and will does not affect their future as fate and God does is correct. However I wonder about your views on the difference between fate and the will of God. In your post you seem to switch between saying “God and fate” and God or fate”. Do you believe it is the same thing? Or it varies depending on the situation of the story?
I am not necessarily asking for your views on God’s role in our modern life, but rather on his role in the story. I believe that in Beowulf, fate and God are mixed quite a lot, which can only mean they are essentially the same entity. God determines the fate of the characters.
Honestly though, once I factor in the truth that the story was most likely altered by a
Christian monk, I get quite befuddled. In the original story it was probably all fate that causes specific outcomes, determined by either nothing or gods. But after the story was changed, does the entire reason behind the text change as well? As in, since God is now the one who chooses the fate, that dramatically changes the messages behind the text, doesn’t it? So that brings me to the question of how do we interpret it? As the original probably was, or as it is now, altered and different?
Observations: