Every day society misunderstands identities. In the eyes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “A hero is not braver than any common man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” Heroism, in Emerson's perspective, is the ability to stand out longer and endure hardship for longer periods. The passengers of United Flight 93, hijacked by terrorists during the September 11 attacks on the United States, demonstrated courage that few other civilians can match. While it is unclear whether passengers on the other hijacked flights fought back with tenacity, it is known that passengers on Flight 93 attempted to take control of the plane and succeeded. During the 35 minutes the passengers spent attempting to enter the cockpit, they achieved an unparalleled level of heroism. Persistently, the passengers attacked, and this is what helped define them as true heroes. In some ways, we cannot compare the heroes of Flight 93 to Beowulf's definition of heroism. Unlike many sane individuals in today's culture, people, even heroes, don't simply put themselves in danger, like Beowulf. True, there are people who strive to challenge the obstacles in our world. Beowulf, however, does something slightly erratic. “Then the hero, stern under his glittering helmet, with his sturdy mail and plated shield, went to meet his enemy.” Beowulf seems like a madman after looking at this quote. We must view Beowulf's motivations as the result of his apparent boldness. What's a better reason to put yourself in danger? An intense desire for fame or an intense desire to bestow kindness on others? Logic speaks for itself, though in our day we might quickly turn to Beowulf's obvious desire for fame, instead of loving kindness, ... middle of paper ... instead of trying to gain presence for his kindness. Once again, examine the apparent values ​​of people in Beowulf's time. People believed that there was no substitute for fame when trying to become a hero. Today heroes are commonly generous people. Bill Gates, for example, has donated billions of dollars to poor people around the world. We consider Bill Gates a hero. While some might argue that Bill Gates was brave in business, he would not have been as much of a hero as he is now if he had lived in the time of Beowulf. Beowulf is a hero in the minds of civilians, and a hero is defined as one with Beowulf's rough qualities, less as a generous person. This is further proof that Beowulf is indeed a hero. Because if he had been generous, people wouldn't have thought of him as a hero, as he is mentioned in so many places throughout Beowulf..