“Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.”

This quote exemplifies the control that Beowulf had in his life, because he was so admired by the people of his society. Beowulf held traits that many people thought highly of. His strength, heroism, and fearless actions put him on a pedestal.  Although he never demanded power for himself, the people around him granted it because of his actions that benefitted them. If Beowulf did not defeat Grendel and save his people from the destruction the monster brought, then he would not have become King of the Geats. The society in this time lived by the high values of heroism and because Beowulf followed these values he was highly esteemed for them. He boasts of his warrior status and follows through.  He is thus commemorated and received. The direct response from this bravery and heroic action was the future power he would achieve later becoming King. On the other side of the idea was Unferth who did not step up to fight Grendel. His actions were not admired by his people thus he did not gain any power in his society. Behavior is the most important aspect of gaining respect and support, and because Unferth failed to show admirable behavior, he gained no power.

 To admire someone is to regard them with respect or warm approval.  This is the first step in gaining power from those around you. A person does not attain voice and direction in this world without first being liked. Admiration is part of the initial satisfactory a person has with another person. When a person behaves in a way that grabs positive attention from others, he or she is in turn noticed for their efforts and as a result gains power. For example the President of the United States is not voted in to be the leader of our country without first displaying behavior that a number of people admire. If a person running for office displays negative or noted “bad” behavior then their chances of being accepted and respected by other people is slim. This results in them losing the election, thus not gaining any power at all. For example, when Barack Obama was first elected he was seen as an upstanding citizen who displayed all the right attributes of behavior, but Sarah Palin on the other hand, was involved in scandals which lead to people not liking her behavior thus resulting in a reason that she lost the election. Admired behavior is key to the establishment of power for a person.

A Stand For Yourself

-->
Childish: of like or pertaining to a child; silly or immature.  In a discussion pertaining to Question 92 of The Fountainhead, many students shared the fact that Howard Roark destroying his Cortlandt homes was just this.  If you remember, Howard Roark always wanted the buildings he erected to be exactly as he drew them.  When Roark gave Peter Keating his drawings for the homes, he agreed that Keating could use them as long as he didn't alter any part of them.  He didn't care who constructed the buildings as long as the design was erected as he drew it.  The Cortlandt homes that was built, was much different from Roark's original plan.  So Roark, self-proclaimed in who he was and what he stood for, destroyed them.  I believe that this act was not childish at all, for many children have difficulty standing up for themselves when other people are pushing them down.  This is the one time in the book when Roark shows in his actions that he wouldn't stand to let his vision be compromised.  His building was a reflection of who he was, and he wouldn't let others opinions of it change what it stood for.  Some may ask was this stand even necessary?  My answer would be yes.  Roark needed to destroy Cortlandt homes for the sake of not letting others walk all over him again.  It was standing up for the individual he stood for and justifying to himself that he could have pride in his work and the person he was. Just because he was different didn't mean that his ways were wrong.

In today's society, although people are encouraged to stand up for themselves, many times they fail to, in fear of what others will think or say.  Bullying can be the strongest reflection of this fact.  When someone is being bullied they are frequently unable to stand up for themselves.  In the novel, Roark was in a sense “bullied” by his society.   His action of destroying Cortlandt was his way of publicly showing his “bully” that their opinions did matter for once, but he wasn’t going to change his ways as a result of those opinions. As people grow into adults they discover what they truly stand for and are able to stay standing in their beliefs even when others continue to knock them down. Roark shows that he has already found his identity, and he is going to do whatever is necessary--in this case making a point to society that they can't have any of his ideas if they don't use all of them. Therefore, his actions can not be characterized as childish, only as a reflection of the man he is.