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A hero is a person who is courageous, helps others in a big way, and tries their best to make the world a better place, without being asked to do it. A person who is not a hero is either evil, and does bad things that causes the world pain, or is a person that helps others, but not in the way that a true hero would. Introduced as an evil character, and the cause of the main conflict in The Hobbit, Smaug the dragon can hardly compare to a hero, when he tries to light a town on fire, "Fire leaped from the dragon's jaws. He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake; the trees by the shore shone like copper, and like blood with leaping shadows of dense black at their feet." (Tolkien 249). Smaug isn't a hero, because he …show more content…
As an important character in The Hobbit, Thorin may appear to be heroic, but deep inside he does not have what a hero is defined by, which is the mutual feeling to go first and protect others, "It was certainly an important occasion, but by now, Bilbo felt impatient. By now he was quite familiar with Thorin too, and knew what he was driving at." (Tolkien 212). Thorin was afraid to sacrifice himself for the sake of finding the treasure, and so he pushed Bilbo to do it. A true hero has the guts and spirit to give themselves up, to help others, or in this case, for a quest to find treasure. While this person saved many people's lives, Bard was an experienced dragon slayer, though many recognized him as a hero when he slayed Smaug, "There was a hiss, a gushing swirl, and then silence. And that was the end of Smaug and Esgroth, but not of Bard." (Tolkien 251). While through the townspeople's eyes, Bard saved their lives, and is a hero, he cannot be truly called a hero, because he had slayed a dragon before, and some would expect him to be able to kill another dragon. Non-heroes can be alike or very different from true heroes, and sometimes there isn't really a difference between the …show more content…
As a pilot who saved many people's lives, Captain Sully found a way out of a tight situation, when he landed a plane in the Hudson River, "Because of him, everyone survived." (Sully). A hero does anything he or she can do to help others. The people who survived were connected to many friends and family, and for those friends and families, because the people survived, the world was a better place. Many recognize Bilbo as the warm-hearted main character from The Hobbit, and a brave hero who helped his friends uncover and guard an ancient treasure, and along the way faced a dangerous dragon, "Well thief! I smell you and I feel your air. I hear your breath. Come along! Help yourself again, there is plenty and to spare. (Tolkien 222). Bilbo had the courage to enter Smaug's lair for the sake of his friends, and the treasure. A true hero would be able to do actions Bilbo did. While appearing as an unlikely hero, Gandalf the wizard was the first person to spur Bilbo to go on the journey, and become a hero, when he first arrived at Bilbo's house, "Good morning!" Bilbo said, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat." (Tolkien 4). At the time, Gandalf wasn't a hero yet, at the beginning of The Hobbit, but after leading Bilbo and the dwarves on such
For example, Bilbo fits the role of the hero, because he sacrificed and helped all the characters along the journey. Stated in the amazing book, The Hobbit, the author wrote, “It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous thing that happened afterwards were are nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait” (Tolkien, J.R.R., The Hobbit, page #233). Bilbo had basically sacrificed himself, so all of the other characters and himself could get through the journey safely. Their hero, Bilbo became braver each and every day while he tried to help and support them. Written in the fantastic book, The Hobbit, the author has written, “‘I have no idea at the moment-if you mean about removing the treasure. That obviously depends entirely on Smaug. Getting rid of dragons is not all in my line, but I will do my best to think about it. Personally I have no hopes at all, and wish I was safe back at home’” (Tolkien, J.R.R., The Hobbit, page
He went from being a reluctant hero to an epic hero just from a few slight changes. Bilbo was almost forced out the door to begin his journey with the dwarves by Gandalf. He did not want to go on the journey and certainly did not feel the need to be a hero, although he reluctantly ended up being one in the book. In the movie, on the other hand, he had many opportunities to become the hero and he took these opportunities, becoming an epic hero. While change can greatly impact some things, it can also take away from important pieces of the
The dictionary defines hero in mythology and legend as, "a man who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and born of divine or royal blood. He is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life." In addition, I believe a hero is one to be looked up to and emulated. What is interesting about epic heroes is that their great deeds and exploits all have to do with defeating themselves, so with help from the gods they can truly become heroic. They can only defeat themselves with the help of the gods.
Bilbo Baggins, having a diminutive stature but, a heart bigger than than Hobbittown. People may begin to wonder would Bilbo be considered a hero? Being heroic is portraying qualities that are helpful, selfless, and brave. Bilbo possessed these character traits in The Hobbit. Gandalf exclaimed that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye, I feel like that statement is true because Bilbo has went through many heroic events that he could have easily backed down from. In The Hobbit, while still wearing the ring Bilbo “beats the creature off with his hands-it was trying to poison him to keep him quiet as small spiders do to flies-until he remembered his sword and drew it out to cut his legs loose. After that it was his turn to attack” (154) This shows how courageous Bilbo was when he could have gotten eaten alive, I think what changed in Bilbo was when he came in contact with the spiders, he be...
A hero is defined as "someone admired for his bravery, great deeds or noble qualities". There are three categories to which all heroes can be classified into, one of which is the anti-hero genre.
A hero is defined as a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. A hero is strong in mind and body, courageous in spirit, and selfless where others are involved. Superman and Beowulf both exhibit these characteristics. The differences between Beowulf and Superman are as obvious as their similarities.
According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
What is a hero? A hero can be classified as a number of things. A hero can be a person who in the opinions of others has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Ervin Staub, a holocaust survivor from Hungary and as scholar on altruistic behavior, has written, "Goodness like evil often begins in small steps. Heroes evolve; they aren't born. Very often the rescuers make only a small commitment at the start, to hide someone for a day or two. But once they had taken that step, they begin to see themselves differently, as someone who helps. What starts as mere willingness becomes intense involvement." The business man, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example
George Washington. Aragorn. Beowulf. Captain America. Martin Luther. Han Solo. Wright Brothers. History, books, and movies are full of these types of characters. Whether they led our country to victory or saved a galaxy far far away, these people can be defined as heroes. A hero could be defined as someone who is cunning, shows justice and mercy, and has the courage to take on many challenges. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s renowned book The Hobbit, he fills the pages with many heroes. There is Thorin, King under the mountain, who has come to reclaim his home. There is Bard, a bowman, who kills the chiefest and greatest dragon Smaug. There are the mighty eagles, who rescue the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf moments before their death. And there is also
Beowulf has spent most of his life protecting the Geats and the Danes from dragons and monsters. When Grendel showed up to threaten the Danes Beowulf came to their aid. Beowulf said, '"Our errand is a great one, our business with the glorious king of the Danes no secret; there's nothing dark or hidden in our coming. You know (if we've heard the truth, and been told honestly) that your country is cursed with some strange, vicious creature that hunts only at night and that no one has seen. It's said, watchman, that he has slaughtered your people, brought terror to the darkness'" (4:269-277). After killing Grendel, Beowulf also killed his mother. His adventures did not stop there. When the dragon showed up and attacked the city Beowulf, with all his strength, fought it alone. Like Beowulf, Bilbo Baggins has saved his friends from danger many times. Bilbo has saved his friends from giant spiders, elves, and fought a dragon. He risked his life to cut his friends down from the spider webs while fighting off the spiders. When the dwarves were captured by elves he snuck into their layer and set them free. Bilbo and Beowulf are very brave and selfless because no matter what they are willing to die for the sake of
Thorin is courageous because he didn't hesitate fighting the trolls and the goblins. Like when they were all being captured by the trolls Thorin “ Jumped forward to the fire, before they could leap on him….and so the fight ended”. I found that the closer they got to the treasure the more greedy Thorin would become, he was obsessed with wealth. It was consuming him and changing him to become irritated more quickly. Thorin is greedy because he wanted the treasure all to himself, without sharing it with the dwarves and Bilbo.
There are many reasons why Gandalf is an obvious hero in “The Hobbit”. Without Gandalf the journey would have never happened. Gandalf is always there when he is most needed. Gandalf also tries to keep the peace before fighting. Gandalf is a true hero for many reason’s.
...y a little fellow, Gandalf hints that even he was impressed by the large role Bilbo played in their journey, adding irony to the theme of heroism. Bilbo was the perfect character for Tolkien to express the theme of heroism because he was just the average, everyday character with a kind heart. He wasn’t some wizard or renowned warrior, but a hobbit, a simple hobbit who didn’t ask for heroism. Bilbo would much rather stay in the quite of his own home, but fate would have him do much more, even though Bilbo wouldn’t say so himself, he was indeed…a hero.
A hero is a man who is distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility. and strength to carry out tasks that involve great risks. A hero can also be a person who fights for other people to help or save them. from their fears and fears. He opposes the villain - a person who does wicked or intentionally harm others in some way, emotionally or otherwise.
Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn’t necessary to save the world from explosion to be a hero. The act of standing up for a friend can also be called a heroic act.