“Audrey was the kind of person who when she saw someone else suffering tried to take their pain on herself. She was a healer. She knew how to love.” What is a hero? Audrey Hepburn was a hero; as was Beowulf. Each in their own respective sense. The thought that follows is that the heroism of Beowulf could not be more different than that of Audrey Hepburn. In contrast, while societal ideals may change with the times, the true foundations of heroism remain. A hero is someone who is brave, strong and earnest. Hepburn was born in 1929, ten years prior to World War II (Gitlin). She was sent off to for boarding school at the age of five not knowing how to speak the language of the country, England (Gitlin). By ten years old World War II
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As a young adolescent Hepburn could not jump into the war to save the day, considering her hometown was facing Nazi Germany as opposed to a nefarious monster, but her small actions were similar to that of Beowulf’s. As Hepburn carried messages about for the Dutch resistance and attempted to raise money, she was doing everything in her power to help the place she did not even call home; similar to Beowulf. Later in life, she risked her own health and life in order to save the lives of children while she was working with UNICEF (UNICEF). This is not unsimilar to the actions of Beowulf. By being strong and overpowering, Beowulf represented the societal ideals at his time. He was a skull crusher who was willing to break as many heads as need be in order to protect the town. In contrast, Hepburn had a delicate frame and instead used her voice and her actions to stand up for what she believed in. While the route to achieving heroism was different, the same moral and ethics remain. Both Beowulf and Hepburn did everything in their power to save others, and both held what were then societal ideals in …show more content…
In order to be a true hero, one must have to believe in their cause. Audrey Hepburn did that, as a young adolescent witnessing the war, Hepburn saw the true perils of death, suffering and starvation and it was not something she could forget. It was UNICEF that came and relieved her of her woes and it was an act she would never forget (UNICEF). Audrey Hepburn went on to pursue a lifetime of working with UNICEF in order to help children in need. The difference between Hepburn and other charitable people? She felt with great sincerity that it was her calling. Hepburn wanted to give back to the world what had once been given to her. Beowulf did not have similar motives but he did show sincerity. It is Anglo Saxon culture that in order to be great, one must leave a legacy in the wake of their death. This was Beowulf’s motive to kill Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. Beowulf wanted to prove himself to be great in order to leave stories for a legacy. To further this point, one of Beowulf’s last requests was that the tower for which he fought for be named “Beowulf’s Tower”. In different forms, sincerity was found in both Audrey Hepburn and Beowulf’s
As a young adolescent Hepburn could not jump into the war to save the day, considering her hometown was facing Nazi Germany as opposed to a nefarious monster, but her small actions were similar to that of Beowulf’s. As Hepburn carried messages about for the Dutch resistance and attempted to raise money, she was doing everything in her power to help the place she did not even call home; similar to Beowulf. Later in life, she risked her own health and life in order to save the lives of children while she was working with UNICEF (UNICEF). This is not unsimilar to the actions of Beowulf. By being strong and overpowering, Beowulf represented the societal ideals at his time. He was a skull crusher who was willing to break as many heads as need be in order to protect the town. In contrast, Hepburn had a delicate frame and instead used her voice and her actions to stand up for what she believed in. While the route to achieving heroism was different, the same moral and ethics remain. Both Beowulf and Hepburn did everything in their power to save others, and both held what were then societal ideals in …show more content…
In order to be a true hero, one must have to believe in their cause. Audrey Hepburn did that, as a young adolescent witnessing the war, Hepburn saw the true perils of death, suffering and starvation and it was not something she could forget. It was UNICEF that came and relieved her of her woes and it was an act she would never forget (UNICEF). Audrey Hepburn went on to pursue a lifetime of working with UNICEF in order to help children in need. The difference between Hepburn and other charitable people? She felt with great sincerity that it was her calling. Hepburn wanted to give back to the world what had once been given to her. Beowulf did not have similar motives but he did show sincerity. It is Anglo Saxon culture that in order to be great, one must leave a legacy in the wake of their death. This was Beowulf’s motive to kill Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. Beowulf wanted to prove himself to be great in order to leave stories for a legacy. To further this point, one of Beowulf’s last requests was that the tower for which he fought for be named “Beowulf’s Tower”. In different forms, sincerity was found in both Audrey Hepburn and Beowulf’s