Imagine older fathers with families and priorities to their families picking up sports again and trying to show off and win fame over younger ball players. They should be spending time with their families and doing loving things for their wives, but their egos are more important to them. It’s not a guessing game. Just about every one of those men will walk away with an injury, which will impair them from fulfilling their family priorities. Beowulf is noted as honorable, loyal, dutiful and brave, but not as meek and wise. He would and did lay his life down but he did so more out of pride and honor rather than out of love that seeks another’s benefit. Through Beowulf’s character the author demonstrates Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
When Beowulf was young he sought glory and fame. Beowulf gave many boasts about what he had done or what he would do. This was part of a hero’s duty. Making vaunts or oaths to each other ensured that they would actually do the daring deeds. Behind all the speeches and vaunting Beowulf’s better motivation is reduced to mere duty. His primary motivation was for his own glory. He says, "On the might of his hand, as a man must do Who thinks to win in the welter of battle Enduring glory; he fears not death" (1420-23 62) C.S. Lewis says in “Virtue and Vice” “The rats are always in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul. Now that cellar is out of reach of my conscious will. I can to some extent control my acts: I have no direct control over my temperament. And if (as I said before) what we are matters even more than what we do—if, indeed, what we do matters as evidence of what we are—then it follows that the change which I most need to undergo is a change that my own direct, voluntary efforts cannot bring about. And this applies to my good actions too. How many of them were done for the right motive? How many for fear of public opinion, or desire to show off? How many from a sort of obstinacy or sense or superiority which, in different circumstances, might equally have led to some very bad act?” Beowulf is the hero in this poem and he destroys the monsters therein, but one monster he let live: pride. As C.S. Lewis writes that, “Things always work according to their nature” in “The Magician’s Nephew”. Beowulf’s “good” deeds bore the fruit of freedom from monsters just as the fruit in the magician’s nephew gave the witch everlasting youth; but the fruit wasn’t as it was meant to be because it was taken selfishly.
Hrothgar, after Beowulf had killed Grendel and Grendel’s mother, gave a speech to Beowulf, a warning of his pride. “all the world wends at his will, no worse he knoweth, till all within him obstinate pride waxes and wakes while the warden slumbers, the spirit's sentry; sleep is too fast which masters his might, and the murderer nears, stealthily shooting the shafts from his bow!”---“Greedy and grim, no golden rings he gives for his pride; the promised future forgets he and spurns, with all God has sent him, Wonder-Wielder, of wealth and fame. Yet in the end it ever comes that the frame of the body fragile yields, fated falls; and there follows another who joyously the jewels divides, the royal riches, nor recks of his forebear. Ban, then, such baleful thoughts, Beowulf dearest, best of men, and the better part choose, profit eternal; and temper thy pride, warrior famous!” Beowulf didn’t heed any of this advice. 50 years pass and Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and even though he sat with the fame from killing Grendel and Grendel’s mother he still wanted more. At the battle with the dragon he said,” "I should carry no weapon, no sword to the serpent, if sure I knew how, with such enemy, else my vows I could gain as I did in Grendel's day.” An aged man Beowulf is going to battle against a dragon and without weapons. Our hero is being swallowed up by his pride. he goes on, “Now abide by the barrow, ye breastplate-mailed, ye heroes in harness, which of us twain better from battle-rush bear his wounds. Wait ye the finish. The fight is not yours, nor meet for any but me alone to measure might with this monster here and play the hero.” He unknowingly abdicated his throne in attempt for greater glory and fame. When Wiglaf ran to the rescue of his lord they defeated the dragon, but not before Beowulf received his death wound. Beowulf took eleven comrades with him who with strategic planing they could have delivered the dragon to its death much more easily if two did so. But, “till all within him obstinate pride waxes and wakes while the warden slumbers”
As king, when Beowulf put his life into jeopardy he also put his kingdom into it. He didn’t think what would happen to his kingdom and people if he died because he was stuck thinking about his glory and how people would revere him. Although the poem does not specify the momentum of the feuds after Beowulf’s death it does allude to more trouble being initiated because of his death. There was a better rout, which Beowulf could have taken than to seek his own glory. Beowulf’s desire to praised higher than others led to his down fall and undermined what God had made him. There was a way that was more about others than himself. His whole life he sought his fame and neglected weightier matters.
The full legacy that Beowulf left wasn’t one he would have wanted to leave. Though he did many mighty deeds which brought the feuds to peace, his vain desire for more and more glory countered the peace his life brought and when he died peace also died. Beowulf had other responsibilities as a King that were much more important than gaining fame. He abdicated his throne when he went into battle with the dragon. Beowulf let his pride get in the way of his life like a father with a family lets sports or any hobby get in the way, only Beowulf is a king with a kingdom and a much bigger hobby. To Beowulf life was not a game, but the pride he allowed made it a game of who was the best, the bravest, and the most honorable; and at this people would benefit at times as well as perish. Beowulf’s character was very valiant, but valiance’s becomes only a game when the motive is selfish and prideful: that is, a game of destruction. |
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Sep. 16, 2008 getting colder!
The beginning(attention getter)
It was 57degrees this morning! It's time for Hot-Chocolate! It's under 60 degrees.
The body
But beside that.... by Oct24-30 I should know about "From the Top"!
I meet Paul Hastings! ( visit Toni's blog for more about that, of paul's, which is under my links)
My sisters playing the Piano right now as I write.
Here are some words for the Day:
Harangue
Bombastic
The end
Joshua
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Sep. 11, 2008 Life without limbs.
This is my new piano that was made in 1920. As most of you don't know, unless I've already told you, I'm going to try to learn to be a piano technician/ tuner and such...and any ways....
  
you can see I've taken it apart. When I was bringing it up to pitch I only broke one string...first sting I ever broke... but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be..
And I thought I'd put in picture of some of my family and me. As you can see we have aluminum foil on our heads ; )
Well hows that for a post?
Joshua
P.S. by the way, if you didn't figure it out yet... I'm the one on the right ; )
P.P.S. Jesus loves you a lot. |
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Aug. 22, 2008 When one isn't bloggin'
(speaking like a well trained speaker)
Well, today I will explain to you why one does not blog more often than every so often.
The ice burg is 100% ice, but we only see about 15% of that ice... and so lately it's the unseen 85% that's been happening. thus not so much blogging...
(feels like the point has been made and resumes regular voice)
I have been working on a master piece [with big meatball eyes and a cheesy smile : ) not really] titled, "THE SWAMP ADVENTURES OF DINO AND JOSH" it is not for the faint of heart... but of course it's not done yet.... Not to mention I'm applying my song to www.fromthetop.org and have been filing out forms like...(thinks)...Like a person who fills forms out... I texted Dad4Him to see if I could hire him. He said," No Way"... Back to the Ice burg. The Ice shelf has not broken off yet, but it's close. then the Ice burg will be afloat with cube after cube of blogging... But not yet, it's not ready. I'm hoping to send the forms today though.
Joke time: What do you get when a Piano falls down a mine shaft?
the answer will be revealed at a later date. thankyou. good bye.
(Jesus Loves You)
Joshua |
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Jul. 25, 2008 The Burnt Pizza
This Is my Friday night dinner... every one else didn't want to eat it so I took the liberty of doing so (inspired by Dino Maisano) and found that it tasted just about like what it looks like... but a little better... like a burnt toast... but pizza... I couldn't let it go to waist...a whole 3-4$ that's like a gallon of gas!
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Jul. 25, 2008 Movie Time "The kerosene Bar"
I have found that one of the hardest things in life to overcome is to get in cold water. But recently I've discovered that if I embrace and except the fact that it is going to be cold it's a refreshing time rather than a dreaded chore.
As many know I wrote a music piece for piano and quartet recently where our performances went good(thanks to God), and people liked the song a lot, which is also a plus. Mrs Flecter wants us to record it and send it to "up from the top" so lots more practice.
Faced now with the decision of collage and life (I'll skip the confusing parts, just imagine them) I am confused at what direction to go study etc. Which doesn’t make fore a relaxed, refreshing, peaceful time. It’s at this point I begin to realize life is like jumping, wading into the "cold" water. So, after long talks with my best friend, Jesus,( and my mom) I am making a connection from my head to my heart. Cold water: uncomfortable, but potentially refreshing. Life's transitions and trials: uncomfortable, but potentially rewarding. So instead of being confused with whatever is happing, I will trust in God as I jump into the cold water and find it to be more of an adventure than stressful, and more refreshing than restless. So let's Jump in the water cold or not! Live life as an adventure!
I love swimming, I love Living (this is the rhyme of the day)
James 1:2-8
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Joshua |
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Jun. 20, 2008 Writing music
The biggest thing from my perspective lately has been writing a music piece for a piano and string quartet. The best part of it was that( I finished for now: deadlines give me no choice) I didn't really know what I was doing. This was the challenging thing that I determined to do this year... there were many times I thought of a phrase my little sister Abby had said," I don't know what I'm doing but I'm going to do it anyway." After many hours of working, playing, and arranging I showed it to a respected friend of mine. I asked her (Esther Jones) what she thought and she told me. She had good advice and it helped me a lot, but at the time I was at a loss on how to implement it. Up to that point I just had a bunch of song ideas with no real structure or meaning. So time passed and one day I help my friend, Cameron out with some volunteer work at Harmony music school where Mrs. Fletcher was expecting the sheet music seeing how the music festival was only a couple of weeks away. After some conversation I said,"I could have it done tomorrow if I have to", but that didn't happen. That same evening, as I sat down to finish what I wasn't satisfied with. Then God said, "go take a walk”. As I walked and thought of the piece in my head and thought of the advice Esther gave me the piece started to unfold more, but I still didn't know what I was trying to get across. But as I walked Jesus showed me the format which is that of my life from night into day, from before Jesus to knowing Him ... So with this, I will call it the thesis of my piece I finally knew what to do, or write about.
Another day was walking and praying and looking at trees with an overcast sky and thought, "That looks cool." But then the clouds went away and the tree's looked the same in ways but entirely new. And the phrase "From Night into Day" came to mind.
The most amazing thing to me is that Jesus talks to me and as I don't know what to do he says," do this' or " this is what you want to do". So anyways I can say I have the best teacher in the world!
Joshua
P.S. after the performance I'll probably put a video up.
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