Years 5 and 6 are enjoying the ancient story of Beowulf, in an edition written for children by Michael Morpurgo. This week we’ve been comparing how our modern day heroes stack up against heroes like Beowulf, who fought the evil monster Grendel and his wicked mother too.
Here are some thoughts from the students in 5/6B.
This one is by Elisar:
My hero is my dad. My hero gives me lots of love and doesn’t need armour, loyalty or avenging me to show that why he is my hero. My dad would risk his life for me and so would Beowulf, but my dad doesn’t kill anyone and doesn’t use weapons to show that he cares.
The times are different – because Beowulf had weapons and travelled by rowboat, but my dad just has his heart and he is always right next to me.
Sama compared Beowulf with his soccer hero:
Messi and Beowulf are both inspiring for what they do. Messi is a really good soccer player but he is not good at killing people. Beowulf is good at killing monsters but he is not good at soccer.
Shakelea wrote about why her father is her hero:
My hero is my daddy. My hero risked his life for me. He works to put my brother and me first before himself. He will save us if we are in trouble, he is the greatest hero in the world to me.
Dragana’s hero is her sister:
Heroes from long ago were brave and strong and up for anything – they were not scared of anything. My sister is scared of spiders but she will never stop protecting me because she loves me.
Beowulf and my sister are alike because she would do anything for people, but they are also different because Beowulf is not scared of anything.
Dylan admires his neighbour:
My hero is my neighbour Mick. He is brave like Beowulf, he is strong like Beowulf, and he is kind like Beowulf.
Nikolia’s hero is Superwoman:
What’s good about Superwoman is that she is similar to Beowulf because they both save millions of lives and conquer super villains. They rescue towns from villains. But they are different because Superwoman is considered a super hero that everybody knows whereas Beowulf is a hero except that not a lot of people know him.
Zealand finished her work early so she wrote about what she thinks will happen next!
I think that Beowulf and his crew will be having a party when they hear two big monsters stomping around. They go and check and they can’t believe their eyes because it’s Grendel and Grendel’s mother! They thought that Beowulf could kill them but they were much stronger and had more power. I think that their grandmother put a spell on them so that they will never die.
These thoughts are from students in 5KW.
Rukhsar thought about this deeply:
There are many heroes like my mother and Beowulf. They are tough, strong, courageous and fearless. Beowulf and other heroes like a mother are good, and it doesn’t matter which time they come from. They are good because they help innocent people and solve problems before they get out of hand. Beowulf and my mother are good because they are clever and kind. Beowulf and my mother are alike because they are determined to help out everyone in any way possible even if it’s life-threatening, but they are different not just because my mother is a woman and Beowulf is a man, but also because they use different things. Beowulf uses weapons like swords but my mother uses iPads and stuff.
Mia thinks that actually Beowulf has an advantage!
There are heroes like fathers and Beowulf who are protective, strong and helpful. They are clever, and they help out. My dad has no weapons but can still stop a fight. Beowulf had weapons and a special suit to help him!
Ali hasn’t been learning English very long but he’s been listening carefully to the story and this is what he thinks:
My hero is a fireman because he is brave and strong. Beowulf is a hero because he is brave and strong too.
Miss Hill loves dogs so she really enjoyed reading this one from Angelina:
My hero is Rex, my dog. Rex and Beowulf are both very brave. They are both courageous, and they are both dashingly handsome. They are heroic, fearless, and confident. They are both tough, but Rex is strong in pushing people down and doing puppy eyes – and (in a way) that’s tough, sort of!
Gabby compared BatGirl and Beowulf:
Batgirl is powerful, brave, bold, and trustworthy and Beowulf is trustworthy, generous and courageous.
Khushi’s is a heart-warming tribute to her mother:
Heroes like Beowulf and my mother are honest, loyal, and trustworthy and they stick to their word. My mother is heroic in a different way to Beowulf.
Beowulf is physically much stronger than my mother but my mother would definitely be more comforting. Both of them are very, very talented.
Sadly, they were in different time periods, and they were heroic for different causes. Beowulf was heroic because of his strength and bravery but my mother is heroic because of her warm heart and the way she’s friendly and welcoming. She loves helping everyone out just like Beowulf except she is less serious and her voice is different. Beowulf used tools and weapons but my mother uses her heart-warming hugs and verbal acts.
Luka compared Beowulf with his soccer hero:
Heroes like Beowulf and Ronaldo Fenomeno are brave and strong, and they believe in themselves. The difference between them is that Beowulf is a fighter, and Ronaldo Fenomeno is a very good soccer player.
Nicholas I compared brains and brawn:
Heroes like Bobby Fischer and Beowulf are dedicated to do something and always get the job done. They are similar because they are smart but Beowulf uses weapons and magic and Fischer uses his brains to do things.
These thoughts are from students in 5/6V.
Salma D admires Sir Peter Blake, a famous Kiwi yachtsman:
Both Beowulf and Sir Peter Blake are adventurous. Sir Peter Blake was a sailor until he was shot dead by pirates, and Beowulf would not give up until he saved the kingdom.
Beowulf was strong, tough and really muscular, but Sir Peter Blake was more caring because he never killed anyone. Beowulf was not really an optimist like Sir Peter Blake because he did not look on the bright side of life. Sir Peter Blake was not as sturdy as Beowulf because Beowulf killed Grendel with his bare hands, but he was still strong enough to use an oar.
Liam is another who admires superheroes:
Heroes like Beowulf and Superman are honourable, generous and strong so they encourage us to be the same. Superman is like Beowulf because he is as brave and strong, but Beowulf uses weapons and armour and Superman uses magic and a cape. Superman’s transportation is flying but Beowulf uses boats for transport. Another difference is that Superman is by himself but Beowulf has an army. Finally, Beowulf has fighting skills but Superman doesn’t – he has super powers.
In 6CC…
Jayden I admired the nuclear physicist Albert Einstein:
Einstein and Beowulf were the same because they were persistent, courageous and smart. They both have done good things that help our world today. Einstein had to think a lot, and Beowulf needed to be really strong.
The times were different, because in Einstein’s time people knew a lot and Beowulf didn’t. Einstein had lots of transport but Beowulf could only travel by rowboat.
Lauren X’s hero is Nelson Mandela:
Nelson Mandela and Beowulf are alike because they were powerful, noble and brave. Nelson Mandela was powerful because he stopped racism and Beowulf is noble and brave for killing evil people.
Neha admires doctors:
My hero is all doctors because they help people. The good thing about heroes from our time and long ago is that they’re courageous. They’re alike because they’re both helping and determined to do their best. They’re different because Beowulf kills people [evil ones] and doctors save people. These days the rewards are different. Doctors get paid but Beowulf got treasure.
Shevin’s hero is his father:
My father is brave, strong, caring and helpful. Beowulf is brave, strong and daring. They both help other people and are up for any challenge. In Beowulf’s times, heroes fought against monsters while heroes nowadays help people with work of whatever. Heroes now use their skills while Beowulf had magic swords and stuff. Beowulf used his strength and my father uses his brain to work out a problem. Beowulf will jump to any challenge but my father thinks about the consequences first.
Habib’s hero is also from his family:
My mother is my hero. She is really caring, nice, kind, well-mannered, intelligent and helpful. Beowulf and my mother are alike because they are both well-mannered, helpful and intelligent. They are different because Beowulf is stronger and more courageous than my mother.
These days you can be a hero by being yourself, being a brave explorer and in many other ways. My mother helps me a lot when I’m feeling down, she cares for me and is really fun to be with. Beowulf wants peace and harmony and will try his best to accomplish it.
Rukaiya admires Martin Luther King:
Beowulf was heroic, he was healthy, muscular and fearless. He was honourable, adventurous and noble.
Martin Luther King was fearless, he was tough and he never gave up when his speech about racism was not taken into consideration.
Beowulf was different from Martin Luther King because he was a person who fought against a cannibal, but he was the same because he fought against evil just like Martin Luther King fought against racism.
Still, after Martin Luther King Jr died, his speech has brought changes to society, and if Beowulf had died, his actions would have changed the world too.
Yasmin E recognises that heroes help out others who are too scared to do things themselves:
My mother is strong and courageous like Beowulf because she catches spiders when we are too scared to do it, and she can lift really heavy shopping and items that are too heavy for us. She is like Beowulf because he defeated the monster when everyone else was too scared to do it themselves.
The heroes from our time are passionate about a certain topic and will express themselves in any way to achieve a goal and to make people support what they believe in.
Miss Hill is proud to share these wise thoughts about heroism from the students of Year 5 & 6 at Mossgiel Park PS.
September 7th was the anniversary of the birthday of Aussie poet, 
