Kristena Westerfeld English 11- Beowulf essay: personal dragons Throughout life, there are many obstacles that are faced day after day. Some obstacles bigger and more difficult than others. These obstacles faced can be either physical or mental and are found in today 's everyday life, the poem Beowulf and the story Grendel. Mental obstacles come in many different shapes and sizes, in real life or through a story.…
Deisy Molina Salgado https://www.hbu.edu/the-honors-college/honors-college/application-part-b/ The Honors College at HBU Application: Part B How do you think the study of history could improve your friendships? We have all in one form or another, heard that history repeats itself. Philosopher George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”…
In my seventeen years of living, I have gone through my fair share of tragedies. Yes, at seventeen years old. I have seen a marriage fall apart and a family member die right before my eyes. But even after all this, I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason and life shouldn’t be taken so seriously besides all the misfortunes it could throw at us. All of my family lives in Nicaragua, so growing up my mother and I would travel every time we had the chance.…
Singer-songwriter Eric Burdon illustrates human nature and the universe’s constant struggle between good and evil, “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It 's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” John Gardner’s Grendel also exemplifies this conflict, and there is frequent controversy over whether Grendel is considered evil or not. Grendel is not evil; he is merely led to perform evil deeds due to his absence of self-acceptance, companionship, and communication.…
The day that I thought would never happen, it happened. I did not know what to do or how to act, I just set back and tried to deal with it. I could not see this coming nothing was going my way. I was think that it would not happen but it did. How could something be good one minute and the next not.…
I adored my owner but then one day he wasn’t the same anymore. For a while, everytime he came home he was different, he wasn’t the kind gentle one I knew. He didn’t pay much attention to the others or me, he lashed out at the girl owner. No longer his normal self. One night he came home with the different presence, I’ve avoided him for a long time, and knew that he would notice one day, and today was that day.…
There have been many deaths and adversities in my life, however, none affected me like the death of my cousin’s baby and my current home situation. In 2012, my cousin’s baby Eben died. He was only four months old and died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). I have always been told everything happens for a reason, but there is no reason that the life of an innocent baby should be taken away so young.…
What the Hurricane Created Strongest, weakest, elated, depressed, calm and confident, nerve racking and nauseating, ashamed, proud, the quiet voice never heard the one who stands up for all. These are the strong winds that chaotically pushed and pulled to and from the wall of life. My life was a smooth calm tropical island, all was good. My parents got along, we had money for all the things we needed and the things we wanted. My brothers and i were good, school was easy and my personal and social life were just fine.…
It’s very ironic because my cousin Jack battled leukemia and Alex was his roommate at children's! Some events just hit you like that. This girl Jamie died from a car accident because the driver didn't see a stop sign and it just hit me so I created a fundraiser for Jamie even though her school was a rivals but we raised around 2,000 dollars for her family, and a scholarship in her name. The title is catchy, I didn't know what it meant at first. I thought it was about sports…
Traditional heroes grace the covers of comic books, the posters for films, and come to mind first when the word hero is mentioned. Traditional heroes are the Supermen of the world, the ones who are larger than life and embody every perfect trait everyone should aspire to have. Grendel, the hero of John Gardner’s novel of the same name, is not a traditional hero by any means. Not only is he not a human, nor attractive, but he storms meadhalls and eats people for entertainment; yet he still appears to portray very heroic qualities underneath the homicidal tendencies. Although he finds amusement in killing and consuming people, Grendel is a tragic hero and a victim of fate and circumstance.…
At the rightful age of thirteen and three days, I learned of the fine line between what was and was not important in life. My home was a wind gust and a dirt road away from being burned down all while the next three years of my life were waiting two miles away. While juggling the events of the county fair on Saturday, August 17, 2013, I looked over my shoulder to see a sight I never wished to see, black smoke. A view seldom seen until then but everyone knew exactly what it was from and where it originated.…
Grendel, by John Gardner, follows the story of a bestial creature named Grendel and his experiences with his human enemies. Undeniably, Grendel and the Danes are connected in some way, using each other in order to properly define themselves and explain their meaning in life. The mutual dependence of Grendel and the humans highlights the similarities between the seemingly two different species. However, when taking a closer look, Grendel and the humans are more similar than different. Grendel, despite his monster-like physical attributes, and maniacal actions towards humans, is more human than monster.…
In a way, my life has a lot of resemblances to the novel of small steps. Around 3 to 4 years ago, when I was only eleven, my father had gotten ill to brain cancer. I was very scared and hoped not to loose him. A few months later, the removed the tumor until another one had grown back. It was very horrible to find out about it.…
A Turning Point Many events occur during a person’s lifetime, some heal the soul and others leave an unpleasant scar. Either way, by time, all of those events come together to give that person a memorable experience that will not be forgotten. I have faced many terrific circumstances, some of which gave me good memories and some gave me terrible experiences. However, the most remarkable event in my life was an exceptional one, one that made me realize that no matter how bad things get, there will always be something better.…
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is a commonly used quote. I can honestly say I didn’t hear it from an upbeat pop song at first. But from someone more important in life, my father. When I was younger I thought the tiny scars and disgusting bruises was something hard to overcome. What I “overcame” was nothing compared to what would happen in January of 2008.…