Kyle Carpenter Analysis

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes with many different capabilities, values and attributes. We see heroes every day; firefighters, police officers, and even one’s parents. Heroes have been around for a long time displaying similar skills and abilities, but as time has gone on heroes have started to present different values of their society. But what truly makes a hero? What values does the hero portray about society? Heroes such as Odysseus from Ancient Greece and Kyle Carpenter from our time help us better understand the traits of a true hero. Ancient Greek society valued pride, bravery and selfish behavior as shown by Odysseus. However, heroes today show more humility and selflessness as our society has changed from the Ancient Greek society.

To start with, Carpenter is very generous, unselfish, and brave. He showed great determination to save the lives of other Marines. According to the writer, Clark Fouraker, “Carpenter threw himself on a grenade during a Taliban attack, intentionally placing himself between a grenade and another Marine.” Carpenter’s decision was completely impulsive; he only had a couple of seconds to react to the situation and act. Carpenter’s acts were intentional which shows courage and selflessness. Furthermore, Carpenter knew the consequences of a grenade explosion, yet he still did it to save the life of another Marine. Carpenter’s heroic acts show us that society values fearless and altruistic actions. Because Carpenter was valiant and selfless, the society decided to honor him for his acts in Afghanistan with the Medal of

Both societies valued loyalty as shown by the pair of heroes. The heroes were both devoted to their people during their journey. Kyle Carpenter was loyal to his Marine team whom he deployed with. Carpenter said “As Marines the only people we have, and that who deploy with, and that we live and die besides is each other.” Carpenter clearly shows that he was really attached to his Marine members, and because of that loyalty he was able to save the life of one his fellow Marines. Carpenters feelings for his Marine team helped him save a life, and show us that modern society really values loyalty. Odysseus was a bit different, but he did show lots of loyalty. Odysseus’s goal was to “bring his shipmates home,” and he used that goal throughout his journey to show dedication to his shipmates. Odysseus saved his crew from many formidable monsters. Odysseus and Carpenter both risked their lives to save the lives of others which was a key in showing both of their loyalty. Modern society and Ancient Greek society shared many similar values like loyalty.

Modern and Ancient Greek societies both had heroes, but the values the heroes portray has changed a lot. Modern hero, Kyle Carpenter, was brave and unselfish. On the other hand, Odysseus was brave, but he was also egocentric. Modern society values more of humility and selflessness acts, rather than pride and selfish behavior