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This illustrates his persistence, suggesting that when one lacks the strength to defend himself, one should persevere in his pursuits by entrusting someone powerful to defend him on his behalf.
Ultimately, the motif of swords and arms illustrate that inner courage is the greatest weapon to combat evil. The poet emphasizes this by highlighting different sources of power in each battle. In the battle between Grendel, Beowulf fights using only his arms. When using his arms alone no longer works, then, he must use the power of the sword. Finally, when the power of his arm and sword dwindle, he pleads for outside help. The sources of power used in each battle are like a pyramid; they all must be founded on the inner strength of the arm. In each battle, the fiend cannot be defeated until arms step in to provide power. Thus, Beowulf emphasizes that one must trust themselves before they wield a weapon, suggesting that evil in society must be combated by confronting fear. One can stockpile themselves with weapons as a security blanket, but none of them can be useful unless the user of them is strong, courageous and fearless. It takes time for a hero to defeat a monster, but the difference between a hero and an ordinary person is their fearlessness, courage and inner strength. The hero is undaunted when their sword or arm fails them and will ask for help if necessary to obtain victory. By instilling these characteristics solely in Beowulf, .the poet suggests that there very few people like Beowulf, who generate courage from their inner strength and use the fallible sword as a secondary source of power, who have the strength to rely on others. However, it serves as an ideal for mankind to adopt. Beowulf calls everyone to be a hero, to live like fearless Beowulf, to be persistent, and to rely on inner strength or the strength of others. This echoes through "The Case for Rage and Retribution," in which writer Lance Morrow asserts that we need "to relearn a lost discipline, self-confident relentlessness" (Morrow). Both Marrow and Beowulf highlight that people lack self-confidence and strength to relentlessly defeat the enemies present in their lives. This suggests that many people have lost touch with their inner self as a result of focusing external objects for protection instead of generating inner strength to face their fears with courage.

Works Cited
"Arm." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Based on the Random House Unabridged
Dictionary, Random House, Inc. 2006. 06 Nov. 2006.

Excerpts from Beowulf. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Ed. Mescal Evler.
Orlando, Florida: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, 1997.
Gurewitsch, Matthew. "Evildoer." Smithsonian. April 06.
Morrow, Lance. "The Case for Rage and Retribution." 12 September 2001.Time
Magazine. 06 November 2006. .

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