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Heroism and literature essay
Theme of heroism in heroes
Heroism and literature essay
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Recommended: Heroism and literature essay
This particular English 102 class pertains to going in depth of the heroic. This means to me that we will discuss what characteristics it takes to be a hero and how those characteristics have evolved in classic stories that many of us all know in today’s society. This course will help me develop better research skills, different and more efficient writing styles, and how to communicate with others. The objective is to be able to research a specific topic from a certain academic aspect that inspires myself, which in my case is nursing. For example, nurses have a duty like heroes and they are much alike, to help save people from something that is endangering that specific person whether it be a disease or a villain. The goals for English 102
In many works of Literature, a character comes forth as a hero, only to die because of a character trait known as a tragic flaw; Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Okonkwo from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Winston Smith from Orwell’s 1984 all exhibit that single trait, which leads, in one way or another, to their deaths. These three tragic heroes are both similar and different in many ways: the way they die, their tragic flaws, and what they learn. All three characters strongly exhibit the traits needed to be classified as a tragic hero.
Heroes in literature and history, more often than not, meet tragic ends, unless they were created by Walt Disney. These particular people are often seen as someone who is apart from the masses in morals and attempt to accomplish a higher calling for the common good. The problem with this type of hero is that they are destined for suffering.Two such characters exist in classic literature, Winston Smith of George Orwell’s 1984 and Hamlet of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” Hamlet is the true classic tragic hero, though, because he is of noble birth, possesses high moral standards, completes the task he is given to better the world, and causes tragedy in both his life and the lives of others.
Idolized for their courage and noble qualities, a hero achieves superlative success by utilizing their strength and intellect to battle against their greatest challenge. Typically, heroes bask in the glory of their fame and triumph, admired by those throughout society, but realistically, not all heroes live happily ever after. As demonstrated through the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, and Sophocles’ tragic play, Oedipus, abridged by Nick Bartel, there comes a time for one’s downfall, usually provoked by an illogical decision or characteristic flaw. Their misfortunes arrived as a result of a free choice gone awry, not because it their fate that doomed their lives, proving that heroes are just like any commoner who experiences
Are heroes important? This is the question that Scott LaBarge, a philosophy professor at Santa Clara University, tackles in his article “Heroism: Why Heroes are Important.” He encourages teachers, parents, and students to realize that heroes are tremendously significant in society by using references to factual and historical details, personal association, and various examples of different types of heroes. LaBarge effectively uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and kairos to convince his audience that heroes are important.
“The Hero’s Journey.” Ariane Publications, 1997. Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 26 October 2013.
Two qualities of the perfect hero fall into the same general category: prowess in battle and valiance. Along with the two, a hero must behave honorably, both on and off the battlefield. In addition to strength, honor in combat is an important part of being a warrior, and without valor and cour...
The hero; the most dominant of archetypes throughout time and culture, is represented in the following description of the basic unit of the monomyth by the mythic scholar Joseph Campbell, “ A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." It is in this light that we moderns as well as our ancestors have given life and formation to our universal struggles. By representing the greater tribe, community, country, etc… each story has within it, a character who leads and who undertakes that primordial journey toward a destination that will ultimately restore vitality or provide that elixir to her people, which is so needed. However complex, our world has brought forth several thousand variations on the hero itself, with as many problems and hopes as a people might have, so too does the heroic character of a culture embody them. Yet, as complicated and nuanced and non-traditional a society’s representative hero might be, the character of Hamlet seems to be the most unique in that more than creating an anti-hero who still provides in some way for his people, albeit in a way that bucks societies’ cultural norms, Shakespeare has created his story around a man who destroys rather than builds and a hero who subverts the archetype so much, that the basic tenants of heroic description must be altered in order to recognize him at all for what he seems to be.
...f the adventure that shapes a hero. The ladies in “Pretty Little Liars” are shaped into heroes through their hardships and trouble, and their ability to over come it all together. As compared to the texts read and viewed in class, the show may be set in modern time, but the idea of myth is carried on from centuries before. A myth doesn’t need a love story, or bloody battle scenes to comprise a reader’s interest. It needs a core built up of strength and perseverance which creates the hero of it’s journey. My modern television show choice is a prime example of an ongoing story with the heroes continuing to the best of their abilities to make it out alive. As I have learned, a myth can never die out, and in this story the legend of the strong ladies will never die out in their town. The dedication they have to each other and their own prosperity is not to be forgotten.
All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies. They are known collectively as The Hero’s Journey. Understanding these elements and their use in modern writing is the object of our quest. Used wisely, these ancient tools of the storytellers craft still have tremendous power to heal our people and make the world a better place (xxvii).
In medieval literature, heroes are defined to be courageous, valiant, courteous, generous, and loyal. According to Napierkowski, he adds more to the nature of an Anglo-Saxon hero; a hero should be able to have the:
Heroes are often described as physically attractive, strong, intelligent figures with a flair for grand gestures,and an eloquent knack for stringing words together. The fundamental aspects of what defines a hero are conveniently glazed over. People forget that heroes often lead lives of quiet determination. When they have an idea, a goal they want to accomplish, they ignite a spark within themselves that burns into an uncontrollable blaze, which that can only be tamed by success. The fabricated image of a hero has been so deeply rooted into society that the quiet heroes in literature, such as Jefferson from A Lesson Before Dying, are often forgotten, or the misdeeds of cowards such as Frankenstein are overlooked. Jefferson is the literary foil for Victor Frankenstein, because he has strongly built morals that enable him to become a hero, whereas Victor Frankenstein is a weak willed and indecisive character. A hero is defined by their ability to go through with a task despite the obstacles that lie in their way, along with their courage and ultimately, they accept any responsibility that may befall them.
actions of a character and the concept of the tragic hero. Comparisons are drawn to the tragedies
We’ve discussed in class the qualities of a “tragic hero”. Illustrate that either Oedipus or Creon satisfies the requirements to meet the definition.
Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., et al. A Brief History of Heroes. 2004. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. 69-72. Print.
To answer this question we must address what we are actually being asked. To do this we must evaluate what a hero really is, a true hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The question of nobility in a hero is greatly debated, in order to be a hero is it a crime to know you are and feel a sense of pride and maybe over confidence in your ability? ‘Let no man call me good. I am not blest. My single virtue is the end of crimes’ meaning, heroes are those who recognise they have done something to receive respect and authority but do not brag or call themselves good, furthermore in this essay I will be evaluating on whether both authors portray their characters, mainly Stanhope, as modest and just. I will be evaluating whether they are truly worthy of being named heroes. The question of a ‘flawed hero’ is a very interesting concept, we have to wonder whether the flaws make them a hero because they can be relatable to us, someone for us to look up to, someone to be like, or whether them being flawed takes away some shine from their heroism. Stanhope is looked up to and respected by all his men, whether his drinking problem is a flaw or not, whereas Jack is still on light footing, the respect his men have for him is limited.