Comparing Beowulf And The Last Samurai

Courage is defined as the ability to conquer fear or despair. In both Beowulf and the Last Samurai, the heroes of each story had to fight obstacles and overcome fears to be victorious. Beowulf and the Samurai both showed unwavering courage and had honorable leadership skills. Beowulf was a very courageous character because he always went into battles with no fears in mind and he never gave up. In the story of Beowulf, Grendel, who is a monster that has a hatred for humans, went to attack Beowulf, but when Beowulf fought back, Grendel was thinking that, “nowhere on Earth had he met a man whose hands were harder.” Beowulf showed him how strong he was by letting him have the full force of his brute. After Beowulf killed Grendel, he faced the
fears of the fire-raging swamp where Grendel and his mother lived. He swam for hours through the dark swamp all the way to the bottom where Grendels mother discovered him. Grendels mom attacked Beowulf and when she had the upper hand, Beowulf was pinned down fighting for his life. He knew that he could beat her and took her sword from the wall that no ordinary man could pick up and he used all his strength swinging the sword into her neck slicing it through and killing her. Beowulf’s bravery helped him to defeat Grendel and his mother. The Samurai were courageous people because they fought the Japanese using bows and arrows and swords when the Japanese used guns and explosives. The Japanese were trying to modernize and take away the Samurai culture, so when the Japanese attacked using guns and bombs, the Samurai fought back to the fullest of their ability. Because they wanted to keep their ways of life the same, the Samurai fought hard with bravery and never gave up knowing with just one bullet they could die. The Samurai were outnumbered but they believed in their culture so much, it meant fighting to their death. Beowulf, the leader of the Geats, shows many qualities of a good leader because he has a high self-regard for his people. Beowulf promises his people that the dragon will be defeated and gives them the courage to withstand the threat. The dragon attacked Beowulf’s country because someone stole his golden cup. The Geats loved Beowulf and didn’t want any other king to supersede his place. Beowulf would always try to protect his people so that they wouldn’t get hurt. His strong foundation created stability within the kingdom and that is what all the people needed in a time of anarchy. Beowulf became a legend among his people. The Samurai were good leaders among their people because they could train anybody to be a fighter and actually make them good at what they are just picking up on. The Japanese leadership is trying to take over and they want to introduce new customs and a new way of life that go against the samurai way of life. Nathan Algren, the American teaching the Japanese how to use guns in combat, meets a man named Katsumoto who is the leader of the samurai. He keeps Algren alive to study the American way of life and to see how his enemy fights in combat. The two become deep friends and have much respect for each other. Beowulf and the Samurai were very courageous characters and they led their people to victory with good leadership. Beowulf was a courageous and wise leader in his fight with Grendels mom and the dragon. His people will miss that leadership and rivalry for the throne will probably cause many problems in the future. The Samurai were strong and courageous warriors that only used swords and bows and arrows. They were willing to fight to their death just to keep their ways of life.