My whole life I have heard that actions speak louder than words. I have always found this to be true in life. This idea is brought up in Beowulf when the book states," Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere." I believe this idea will be a major idea in this book because of the warfare during this time period. It is also important to point out that during this time period the gaining of glory could be associated with warfare. Shield in the book is talked about as a one day powerful person and he later dies in battle. I believe that this shows us that at the time fighting in battle brought power and glory to you. Just like this statement was true during the time period of the book I also find it to be true now. Although the times have majorly changed this idea is still prevalent in todays society.
In todays society you can see this statement in two different lights. We can recognize this statement still in the context of battle. Today we have holidays to honor our military and those that fight for our country. We respect and honor our military for their courage and bravery. At the time of their death they are typically given a special service. We can also recognize this idea in the context of Christianity. We as Christians are called to live a certain type of life and point others to God. We are called to treat others the way we want to be treated and to show God in all we do. Although we do not gain power by doing this we are pointing others to God who is the most powerful. We can talk all day but if our actions do not match what we are saying then the words say do not mean anything.
I commented on Haylee Lynd’s and Caroline Tucker’s post.
A lesson I learned both the easy way and the hard way is that consistency is key. Lining up what we do with what we say takes someone wanting to change the way they have been living and ultimately helps the individual gain a discipline that they didn't have before. I like how you related the saying from the reading into modern societal terms, it shows that we can still learn a thing or two from the classics. Good Post!
ReplyDeleteEmma Kate, I thought your post was very interesting! It is true in this culture that the actions behind the words speak louder than words themselves. Beowulf defends his reputation as a great warrior by telling of his amazing feats in battle. You made a good point in saying that, from a Christian standpoint, these ideas stand true. On the spiritual battleground, our actions speak louder than our words.
ReplyDeleteA person should match their talk with their walk (so to say). And, modern society seems to be more bark than bite. It is important that people can follow their words and not become hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteMadalyn Dillard~