Beowulf vs. Captain Miller of "Saving Private Ryan": Comparison of hero Characteristics.

Imagine being on a boat, full of anticipation. As the door drops soldiers are gunned down simultaneously before they have a chance to defend themselves. Captain Miller looks around as his comrades are slaughtered in vain. Out of instinct he seizes a fellow soldier, leaps off the boat into the water and screams, "Let's go!" just as the man in front of him is hit by a mortar shell. Throughout history, many conflicts required the …

…in such a victorious moment of defeating his enemy. In the stories of "Beowulf" and "Saving Private Ryan", the characters Beowulf and Captain Miller are true heroes. Even though their stories are centuries apart their acts of: courage, unwillingness to give up, and their concern for the welfare of others. Are still traits that make the hero today, whether it is in modern day motion picture or in old Anglo-Saxon poetry, it does not matter.