Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literature - Essay Example Rowling’s series of Harry Potter. Often Harry has to face insurmountable odds in order to protect the one’s he loves as well as stand up for what he believes is right. A warrior must also be righteous in that his ethical values are clear and true with their moral compass always pointing north. Lastly, resourcefulness and humbleness are key to the creation of a warrior. Not only is a warrior a hero, but he/she is also a leader and must show resourcefulness when solving complex problems as well as show humility when they conquer a task for the people. The role of a warrior in society depends on the societal norms placed on the individual. This also shapes how the person deals with the demands from this society. In Beowulf, Beowulf is tasked with the challenge of slaying Grendel, an evil creature who has been terrifying the people in the king’s hall and killing them. In this, Beowulf functions more as the archetypal warrior character in that his primary purpose as a hero is protecting the people through slaying the beast. Like in government, the power and respect that a warrior yields is not his/her, but rather is delegated to him/her by the people. Many warriors often have abilities that can be considered superhuman abilities, but they always have that one flaw that challenges them in the development of the character. In the Illiad, Achilles is a fearsome warrior who fight’s for Agamemnon in the Trojan War recanted by Homer. Achilles yields the respect of all those in the army for his skill of the sword and his prowess as a warrior. His enemies fear him knowing that he will bring death and destruction. Despite all of this, he was one weakness on his leg in which he is vulnerable to defeat. Unfortunately, he is unable to overcome this weakness and perishes which lead to the name of the area to be called the Achilles tendon in that if any one of us is injured there, it fundamentally changes the way we are able to get around. The idea of a warrior is based on what he/she does for society and how society interprets the actions of the hero/heroine. It is as easy to be praised for a positive act of protection as it is to be reprimanded for an action that society deems immoral or just as easily not meeting the expectations of society. Question 2: Cultural and societal beliefs help fundamentally define the people within. Many cultures have beliefs that there is divine intervention among those in society either for better or worse. They will create shrines to celebrate these deities and make sacrifices to curb the wrath of them. The first and probably most well written about would be the roman gods and demigods which dominated and shaped the roman way of life during ancient times. Many superstitions can be attributed to these gods. They believed in many different gods which usually had domain over an element or aspect in life i.e. Venus is to love as Neptune is to water. They believed that these gods influenced their live s every day in every aspect. In order to gain favor, they shaped their entire culture around this. They paid homage to their gods for good fortune and built great Parthenon’s in their honor. Contemporary, we look at Christianity and the belief in one god subdivided into three aspects: the father, the son, and the holy spirit. In today’s day, society is divided on the divine interference of god in daily life. Many people pray and read the bible in order to try and interpret his meaning in order to live a moral life that will