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Brigid Prewitt
Mrs. Tieman
English 12
6 February 2014
` When you think about the word evil what comes to mind? Is it monsters, like the
ones found in the epic Beowullf? Or could it be demons, maybe even Satan himself. I
personally believe that evil isnt what something is, its the actions that one takes. The
definition of evil is morally wrong or bad. Well what comes to mind when you hear the
word hero? Superman? Or my personal favorite Batman? The definition of the word
hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble
qualities. Once again it all has to do with the actions that someone has. The world for
thousands of years has been filled with good and evil. Temptation is a word that comes
to mind, when i think about the battle between good and evil. Temptation dates all the
way back to Adam and Eve, with the apple on the tree, and the snake. Should people
have to have consequences? Yes, of course. But we find ourselves wondering what is
just? I personally think it depends. The most controversial way of punishment would
have to be the death penalty. If someone takes the life of someone else shouldnt they
have theirs taken as well? I mean its only fair. But its not that simple. Sadly the line
between good and evil isnt that simple anymore either. There are many differences
between the present and the time of Beowulf.
He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born/ Of

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Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abels
death (Raffel 19-23). I chose this quote to describe how evil Grendel is, to describe
that this creature really didnt have any other choice but to be evil. He was conceived by
two monsters, and was brought into this world already looked at as an evil creature. He
did not have a choice in the matter, he was exiled by God. Not for a crime he had
committed himself, but to try and stop other crimes from happening. Back then it was
simple, if you werent good you were evil, if you werent normal like a majority of the
people you were looked at as evil. Granted Grendel is portrayed to be an evil,
disgusting looking fiend for the sake of this epic to have a monster. In the present its
not so easy to figure out what is good and what is evil, the differences between right
and wrong. Our parents try to teach us and tell us to stay away from bad things and to
not put ourselves in these positions. But truth is, it really isnt that simple anymore. You
could know someone for a really long time, you could pass them everyday and smile at
them, and treat them with the respect you think you should have. At the same time you
may not really know that person. Justin Back was a wonderful young man, he was
about as good as they come. He never had anything bad to say about anyone, yet he
got murdered. Even worse he got murdered by a classmate that he saw everyday, and
treated with respect. In return Justin got murdered. His murderers had good parents,
they were taught the difference between right and wrong, yet it didnt matter. They had a
choice, unlike Grendel. They could of let Justin live, they could have not planned on
killing anyone, but they chose to do an act of evil. Just like Justin choose everyday to do
acts that were good.
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In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlacs/ Follower and the strongest of the Geats --
greater/ And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world-- / Heard how Grendel filled
nights with horror/ And quickly commanded a boat fitted out,/ Proclaiming that hed go
to that famous king/ Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar,/ Now when help was
needed (Raffel 109-116). This quote helps to describe our hero of the story. Not only
as him being the strongest in the world, but the fact that when help was needed he was
more than willing to come help. As soon as he heard of the killings that Grendel was
committing he knew he needed to help these people. He didnt take into consideration
of what could happen to him, he was only thinking that he could help, and more than
that he wanted to help. A hero doesnt think he acts, he knows that while he is doing
something heroic he chose to do the right thing. He may not get a reward, but what he
does get is the feeling that he helped someone, and that he had done something right. I
believe that in the present our heroes are people in the military, volunteering their lives
so that all of us can live a free life. Another example of a present day hero would be our
firefighters and policemen that daily risk their lives to try and save someone elses. But
just because you arent a hero, doesnt mean that you are evil.
None of his comrades/ Came to him, helped him, his brave and noble/
Followers; they ran for their lives, fled/ Deep in a wood (Raffel 746-749). This quote
describes Beowulfs men as being scared. If you were to have to face a scary dragon
wouldnt you want to run away too? That is nothing to be ashamed of. Running away
from things that scare you isnt a problem and it doesnt make you a bad person. Even
though you may
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not be a hero to the world doesnt mean you may not be someone elses hero. To be
someones hero could just simply be someone who is a good influence who you want to
grow up to be like. I can honestly say that the strongest person I know is my mom. She
had me when she was 18, and was a single mother. She put aside her life so I could
have what I needed. She is everything that a hero has. The bravery to keep me, the
nobility to put aside what she wanted for my needs, and the fact that she is the best
influence on my life. If I turn out half as great as my mom I would be happy.
The balance between good and evil is merely the will. You get to decide what
you want to do. Anything you want to do, you can do. Whether its right or wrong is a
different story. You have to understand the consequences you may have to face, and
just because you mess up doesnt mean you are evil. It is what you make of the
situation. If you go into something knowing that the outcome is going to be immoral then
yes you may be evil. But doing something and not even realizing what could happen
you may just be naive, not evil. Temptation has a big role, but giving into temptation
doesnt make you evil it only makes you human. And humans are made to fail, but to
also learn from the mistakes you have made to be the perfect person you can be. The
people who refuse to understand and try to fix their mistakes may be the ones who are
heading down an evil path.