Essay: Comparing traditional and non-traditional heroes: teachers and Beowulf

Joseph Campbell recognized, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Heroes comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether they’re teachers or a war fighting man. They are the ones that inspires us to follow their example. They are the ones who do not expect compensation. A hero is a person raises up and makes a positive impact either in the lives of one or in the lives or in many. Teachers are important heroes because they are the one’s producing tomorrow`s future. They not only teaching them the fundamentals of core subjects, but they are the ones giving hope to the ones whom have lost all hope in their future. They are the ones giving mentorship to the ones who has no mentor to guide them. Teachers are non-traditional heroes as to where Beowulf is a traditional hero because he is a war fighting man. He the strong, heroic, courageous man that goes out and slay monsters in the name of good. He a classic archetype of a hero. Both teachers and Beowulf contribute something beneficial for the betterment of their society as a whole. So, which hero between the two comes up on top?
In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf fought many battles in his lifetime. Whether they were small or large he went to the battlefield with pride, courage, and most importantly honorable. Beowulf showed courage when he used the enchanted sword made by giants to kill Grendel’s mother. In lines 210-222 of Beowulf, it describes how he was quick and saw the sword “hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic…and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through”. He wasn’t just only a hero to his people but yet at the same time he was also a hero to everybody in the world who had ever heard of his story. All of his battles were very distinct and different but yet at the same time each of them carried their own unique and different purpose while simultaneously being connected in one way or another. When reading Beowulf, the whole centralized idea around the battles that were fought is between good and evil. Beowulf being the representative of light while his enemies is the representative of darkness. Beowulf really shows himself being a very traditional hero.
The true heroes of the world are teachers. They are the hidden gems that are placed all throughout world inspiring, bring creativity to the classroom, making dreams into reality, and most importantly being there for the kids no matter who they are. They are the leaders fighting day by day to not only making their community better but the world better through small yet powerful gains each day. Teacher are the most powerful people in our society today. They are the ones shaping and molding the lives of the younger generations and inspiring the people of tomorrow. They are the ones giving hope to the ones whom have lost all hope in their future. They are the ones giving mentorship to the ones who has no mentor to guide them. They are the ones that shows compassions and comfort to the ones who are lacking it. They stand tall with their heads high and eyes shining bright like the morning sunrise as they face the fury of the outside world and lead with honor. They are united under the common core. The common core that been here since the dawn of time. The common core that no child is left behind. The common core that teachers are able to create life-long learners inside of the classroom that will continue to grow and learn throughout life. They are there to show the kids what the world has to offer and open these kid`s eyes to the beauty of the world. They are the ones that are the biggest heroes in the world due to the fact that they give light to a path that’s been darken. That is why teachers comes out on top.
Teachers and Beowulf are heroes in their own and unique way. They both reminded us that we must keep fighting even if we are fighting a losing battle. They taught us lessons through their acts of heroism, courage, leadership, and faith. One of the biggest lessons Beowulf taught us was when he took his final breath and the great light that once shined so bright in the world has finally went out and darkness set in. He reminds us that light doesn’t always prevail whether it’s in a story or in real life. For teachers they are the one creating light for darkening paths, opening doorways to doors that’s been locked, opening eyes and ears for the ones that’s been blind and death for far too long. Restoring hope to the hopeless.
We as human in a way lose sight of what it means to live and be a human because society is ever fast pacing, and we are stuck in this tight box that sometimes keeps us from reaching our dreams because we are told they are they are just dreams. Our passion is suddenly pushed back to the back and locked down and never to be resurfaced. We suddenly feel trapped and cannot break free from this grasp that society has ahold on us. So, therefore we lose sight of what it internally means to be heroes. We forget that they’re not just out of old tales, but they exist in real life and they’re all around us. When we forget the real heroes of the world, they lose a magnitude amount of respect that they deserve. Heroes are put on this earth to help people realize that they as human beings can do anything if they have passion, courage, and faith. Passion for something that you love, courage to be able to out and do it, and most importantly faith. You must believe that you can do it.
Heroes radiate this energy that lights the very fire inside of us that has been smothered by society because we are told we shouldn’t chase after our dreams and passions. The fire that burns fuel us to go out and fight for our dreams and our passions. We are then able to break out of our box and the stigmatized society and become heroes for our own selves because of the heroes that inspired us.
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