Growth Mindset: Stories of Growth

A painting of Beowulf. (Wikimedia Commons)

Of the stories, we've read of this class, one character stands out to me as exemplifying the growth mindset perfectly. Beowulf is a character who is never content to rest on his laurels and is always trying to improve himself and gain renown. It would have been easy for him to content himself with his great strength, but he wanted to do more to prove his mettle. Even after he slays Grendel, he longs for a challenge that can top that one! The fact that he's always trying to move forward and accomplish new great feats makes him an icon of the growth mindset.

Bibliography. The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs. Web Link.

Week 12 Story: Beowulf's Race

“On your marks! Start!”

With that announcement, Beowulf and Breca bounded into the raging sea, each man determined to best the other in a treacherous swimming race. The rules were simple: first to the far shore would be declared victor. A testament to the courage of the two men, the route was several days’ swim even in good weather; yet presently a storm raged on, churning the sea and provoking great waves. The sky was blackened by grim clouds. This would be Beowulf’s first true test of might. He had been challenged by his compatriot Breca as a means to prove his alleged strength and bravery.

Beowulf took an immediate lead, nearly unfettered by the crashing waves that pushed back at his progress. It should be said that both men were fully equipped with armor and weapons against the legendary beasts said to lurk these waters. Though it was uncomfortable to swim in such conditions, Beowulf was a man of such strength that he was able to press on at an impressive speed.

For the first day, the greatest obstacle Beowulf faced was the sea itself. Even he was brought near exhaustion by his navigation of the unrelenting waters. After some time, he pause to take in his surroundings. Breca was nowhere to be seen, nor was the shore of home. Black sky and black waters raged with equal intensity. Beowulf swam through the night and only when dawn broke did the storm begin to calm. Fatigued, he calmed his pace as the waved subdued.

He wasn’t able to relax for long.

Many yards in front of him, he saw a great many bubbles breaking against the water’s surface. There was something breathing beneath the sea, and perhaps it was coming up for air. Beowulf braced himself and readied his sword in preparation. Soon enough, a serpent’s head came crashing into the open air, staring at Beowulf through slit eyes. Its scales were oily and green, and it opened its mouth to reveal fangs like daggers.

A sea monster (Wikimedia Commons)

The appearance of this sea monster was enough to rejuvenate Beowulf as he charged to make the first attack. He attempted to strike the serpent, but narrowly missed as the creature darted behind him. A whip of its tail knocked the steel helmet from Beowulf’s head. Beowulf turned to protect his skull against the next strike, and quickly slashed at the tail that made a second attempt at his head. As quickly as the battle had begun, it was over: the serpent, cut in two, sank to the bottom of the sea with one last hiss.

Though he made the attempt to swim onward, he was drained of all energy after the rush of battle slowly faded. At length he went limp in sleep, carried by the waves to an unknown shore. When he awoke days later, he knew not yet that he was the victor in a most honorably contested race.



Author’s Note: In The Story of Beowulf, some reference is made to a race between Beowulf and Breca. Until Beowulf battles with Grendel, the race is his only real claim to fame. I decided to write out how it might have gone! The legend tells of massive waves and sea monsters in a several-day race, and I tried to be true to that.

Bibliography. The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs. Web Link.

Reading Notes: Beowulf (Part B)

In this section of the reading, Beowulf has many battles. Consistently, his enemies use magic. The nature of the magic in this legend is really interesting: There are spells to deepen sleep and to sense the plots of faraway foes. I wondered how Grendel came to be, because his "mother" seemed so different in nature than him. She was magical, so I wonder if she created him by some unnatural means?

A painting of Grendel by J. R. Skelton. (Wikimedia Commons)

It turns out that the picture I found for Part A of Beowulf fighting a dragon came from his final battle. At first, I was surprised that Beowulf died during his fight against the dragon, but the more I think about it the more I feel that a "warrior's death" is fitting. Especially with the emphasis on his bravery, it's only a fitting end.


Bibliography. The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs. Web Link.

Reading Notes: Beowulf (Part A)

I was excited to read the legend of Beowulf this week because it should give me material for my storybook. I need some terrible monster for my character to battle with, and it seems like Grendel will be a great point of inspiration. Part A of this reading served to build tension around what is bound to be an exciting battle between Beowulf and Grendel.

A painting of Beowulf fighting a dragon by J. R. Skelton (Wikimedia Commons)

One thing I noticed while reading this story is the value that is placed on bravery. Especially evident in the exchange between Beowulf and Unferth, courage is the most admirable quality in this to those who established this legend. Beowulf is very strong, but he's kind of mocked for it. It's his bravery that wins him respect.

Bibliography. The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs. Web Link.

Tech Tip: Bookmarks

For this tech tip, I explored bookmarking in Chrome. One thing that I learned is that you can create sub-folders for your bookmarks to more efficiently organize them, but I don't think that I use enough bookmarks for this to be terribly useful.

I use bookmarks sparingly, and I already have all of mine on the bookmark bar! Something I've learned about myself is that I can get very easily distracted by bookmarks for social media, games, etc. I keep my bookmarks reserved for websites relating to work and school, which helps me stay on track when I need to be working. For everything else, autocomplete usually does the job!