FCAs:

Full T.A.G.
Compares and contrasts significant elements of both pieces with appropriate phrasing
Real world conclusion
Use of topic/transition sentences

Evan Simon
English Comp - F
November 17, 2014

The Heros Code Past and Future

Each generation has their own idea of heroes. A hero could just be a person that does an
extraordinary act, or someone who saves lives on a daily basis. Through each generation the code that
defines a hero evolves with the evolution of the life style. The changes of this hero code through
generations is usually portrayed through that generations literature. Two very different people are both
thought of as heroes because they both fulfill the hero code of that time. A hero from the Anglo-Saxon
culture is written about in the epic poem Beowulf written by an unknown author. He was known as Beowulf.
The other hero is the Doctor, in a Star Trek episode called Heroes and Demons written by Rick Berman,
Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and created by Gene Roddenberry. The code during the Anglo-Saxon period
is driven by a war-like nature which when compared to the code from Star Trek is greatly more violent.
From the past to the future the hero code has evolved with the evolution of society.
The Beowulf story takes place during the Anglo-Saxon period, and during this time hero warriors are
raised to fulfill the code of that time. They are raised to fight and solve their problems with violence, which
was how Beowulf was raised. The Star Trek episode was created in 1995, but based in a far future. In the
episode the Doctor is a holographic person that is only programmed to work in the medical bay. The Doctor
was not raised he was coded for one purpose. Both the epic and episode are similar in plot because the

episode takes place in a holodeck which is currently reenacting the epic poem Beowulf. The heros code
has similarities during both times. Some of these similarities are: strength, fame, loyalty and following oaths
that are taken. At the beginning of the episode Beowulf is dead, which gives the allusion that the code of
the Anglo-Saxon time is dead. This old code for the Anglo-Saxon hero is outdated and not relevant for the
current time. Traits from the old code can also still be used in the current day, such as strength.
Strength is a hero code trait for both Beowulf and the Doctor. Strength, as a code trait, can be
interpreted in different ways. Beowulf interprets strength as physical strength. Beowulf thinks that being the
strongest person makes him a hero. Even when Beowulf loses a bet with Breca he tells the story to make
him look better by telling people that he had to fight nine sea monsters to protect Breca. Also, Beowulf
thinks that fighting and winning battles make you a hero. During that time period Beowulf would be correct
in thinking that the great acts of strength make him a hero. On the other hand, the Doctor fulfills the hero
code of strength by intellectual strength. The Doctor solves his problems by using his brain and not his fists.
This is a big difference from Beowulf but both ways fulfill the hero code because over time the code has
evolved to fit that time period. The Doctor solves his Grendel problem using his mind and tries to
communicate with Grendel. The Doctor says that the crew should return the remaining life-form which
shows that the Doctor wants to avoid fighting. The Doctor releases the creature in front of Grendel to show
that he doesnt want to fight. He then asks Grendel if he could return the crew that they took, now that they
released their crew. By avoiding violence the Doctor saved lives. The hero code trait strength was passed
down from the generations because it was interpreted in different ways, but in the end is still relevant, just
like the code trait of fame.
Over time one of the hero code traits that stayed with the evolving code was fame. The code trait
fame covers a wide variety of things. It covers the motivation for heros actions and also the heros resume.
Beowulfs actions are almost always driven by fame or the act of achieving recognition. Beowulfs resume
means everything to him, and being known for his heroic actions is the way that he introduces himself.

When Beowulf first meets Hrothgar, he tells him that he is here to help him. Beowulfs only motivation for
helping Hrothgar was the rewards that it will bring if he succeeds. If Beowulf were to succeed in ridding
Hrothgars Grendel problem he would be rewarded with riches, but most importantly his story would be told
to others which would boost his resume. Unferth points out to Hrothgar and his people that this is the
Beowulf that lost a swimming race to Breca. Because Beowulf wants to protect his reputation he explains
that the only reason that he lost was because he was protecting Breca from nine sea monsters. Not only
did Beowulf discredit Unferths accusation, he also boosted his resume even more. The Doctor, however,
doesnt act for reward or care about his resume, like Beowulf, he acts selflessly for only the protection of his
missing crew. The Doctor is a holographic person on the ship, and therefore doesnt have a name. Before
the Doctor goes on his mission he chooses a name for himself. The Doctor chooses a name which
resembles his actions. The Doctor chooses the name Schweitzer, after the man who got a Nobel Peace
Prize for putting others in front of himself and solving problems by talking and not violence. The Doctor
engages Grendel, not to have his story told or to get a reward, he acts because some of the members of
his crew were taken and he wants them back. When the Doctor firsts meets Hrothgar, Unferths actions are
parallel to his actions in the poem Beowulf. Unferth states that he has not heard of the Doctors victories or
songs or stories told about him, which is the way stories were spread during that time. While dining
Hrothgar asks the Doctor to tell them about one of his accomplishments. The Doctor tells them about a time
he had to stop the spread of Parinisti measles and he had to work at it for 74 hours straight. Hrothgar,
living in a different time period, didnt understand what the Doctor was talking about. Just like Schweitzer,
the Doctor retrieves his crew through communication with Grendel and because of his heroic actions, his
success was recorded in the captains log of the ship and will be in the history of their exploration. While the
hero code trait evolved, the trait of fame has stayed with it and over time has remained relatively constant,
unlike the trait of loyalty which has changed and evolved with the code.

Loyalty is one of the big code traits that a hero must live by. For Beowulf, his loyalty goes to a point.
Loyalty to a point is acceptable for a hero during that time. An example of Beowulfs loyalty reaching its
point is the death of one of his geat followers. When Beowulf fights Grendel, Grendel first arrives in the hall
he starts attacking people. He takes one of Beowulfs followers and kills him. During that time Beowulf just
lies there and lets his follower die, just to see what Grendel is capable of. Beowulf expects that his followers
during battle can take care of themselves, but other times he would protect them. This point was
acceptable because during that time, before the code evolved, heroes had to be based in strength and
battle, so letting one of their followers die to further understand their enemy was a necessity. On the
contrary, the Doctor is loyal, and doesnt have a point to which is loyalty ends. The Doctor is loyal to his
crew but also to people that he meets. An example of this is Freya. Freya is a holographic person that he
meets in the holodeck. When the Doctor goes to fight Grendel Unferth tries to stop him and Freya sacrifices
herself for him. Unferth runs off but the Doctor stays with Freya and comforts her while she dies. The
Doctor says to Freya, right before she dies, that he will never forget her. Opposite of Beowulf the Doctor is
loyal to his followers right until death. This shows an exact example of the code evolving from being loyal to
a point to being loyal completely, even to strangers. Another part of the loyalty is not just to people but
being loyal to oaths that are taken.
Standing true and following an oath that is taken and another big code trait that heroes follow.
Beowulf always fulfills the oaths that he takes no matter the cost. An example of this is when he swears to
Hrothgar and his people that he would rid them of their Grendel problem. Beowulf attempts to fulfill this oath
even when it was at high risk of him losing his life. During that time period oaths meant a lot to people and
once they are taken they must be fulfilled no matter the cost. Similarly the Doctor follows the oaths that he
takes. Through the evolution of the code this code trait stayed the same with one small difference. Oaths
that are taken are always fulfilled but when lives are at stake there is wiggle room for following an oath. An
example of the Doctor following an oath that he took was the Hippocratic oath he took as a Doctor, to do no

harm. One example of the Doctor following this oath is when he confronts Unferth in the hall after Unferth
kills Freya. The Doctor holds a sword to Unferths throat and says The only reason you wont die, is
because Ive taken an oath to do no harm. This is an important code trait for a hero because if they only
act out of their feelings then they are not heroes they just become people that act selfishly for their self.
Those are just some of the ways that the code of a hero has evolved over time to best fit the
changing society. In conclusion, the hero code that is for the time period that Star Trek takes place in, is the
code that we strive for, but are not there just yet. An example of this code affecting the real world today is
when police officers take an oath to protect and serve the people. Another example is, more and more
people try to solve their problems through communication and not violence. A third example is when people
do selfless acts just to help others with no expect of reward. This code that exists in the future is idealistic
for people to live by, but it will take time to get there. Every kind act, no matter how small, gets society
closer and closer to that future.