Since the beginning of time humans have never been perfect. The first heroes were the gods and even they had flaws. The heroes of society have always had imperfections no matter how hard citizens try to look past them. The flaws of cultural heroes are something that all cultures have in common. No matter what story, the hero contains at least one weakness. A few examples are shown in the American, Japanese, and Brazilian cultures. I believe it is what makes our heroes realistic. Heroes are normal people who overcome obstacles in their way to make a difference in the world around them.
The American culture has many weak spots in society’s heroes. The Disney movie Megamind serves as a great example. The main character Megamind believes that the world is simple. He has faith that there will always be a good and an evil, but when he takes out the town’s hero Metroman, he learns that there is no point in being bad if there is no evil to stop him. “I’m so tired of running rampant through the streets. What’s the point of being bad when there’s no good to try and stop you?” (“Megamind”). It becomes a reoccurring idea for Megamind that it does not matter how much chaos he creates in Metrocity, he can never go back to the way things used to work. “I’m a villain without a hero. A yin with no yang! A bull fighter with no bull to fight. In other words, I have no purpose!” (“Megamind”). Therefore, Megamind decides to fix what he has done.
After realizing that he can never undo the past, Megamind sets out to create a new hero that can fight against him. In doing so Megamind goes to look for Metroman’s old hideout. While there he discovers that Metroman is not really dead. The town’s greatest hero had been hiding the ...
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...curity. I value a heroes ability to admit they are wrong and to strive for a better self. I believe that a person can always find the strength to reach their dreams as long as they never give up. Anyone can be a hero to either themselves or others under one condition: always be persistent. Flaws are either the major or minor imperfections that develop a hero’s personalities.
Works Cited
Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. Print.
"Flaw Synonyms, Flaw Antonyms | Thesaurus.com." Thesaurus.com | Find Synonyms and Antonyms of Words at Thesaurus.com. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
"Megamind Quotes (Page 2)." Movie Quotes and More - For Perceptive Movie Addicts. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Morimoto, Junko. A Piece of Straw. Sydney: Collins, 1985. Print.
the traits of becoming a hero. Sometimes it would have to depend on the wisdom that the character has. It is their purpose to explain what is going on in this story to make it clear for the audience to understand. Even some stories have insights of what a person can do.
Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers.
... is not simply defined by his/her strength or looks; it is also their inner strength and beauty that is truly important. A hero can have many qualities but when they show true understanding for something even without proper education, they are accepting of those around them, and breaking rules when the time is at its most important. While there are true heroes, there are also anti-heroes which have the opposite qualities that of the true hero. Furthermore, there are many kinds of heroes but a true hero is defined by inner qualities that of outer qualities.
People have been unsatisfied with their lives and they want change. Their lives are filled with imperfection. They realize that their lives could be improved if everything around them and themselves were cleanse of the disadvantageous aspect of life. In the case of Brave New World the Controllers came into power sometime after the Nine Years’ War began. They had a “campaign against the Past” after the war where any remnants of the former way of living were destroyed. They considered that the past contained too much imperfection so they had to destroy museums and impede publication of certain books to shield the people from the harm of imperfection. The revolutionaries of that time wanted a new life for the people on Earth where all the adverse elements of life were removed. They desired perfection. A perfection similar to the perfect drug they created, soma, which has “All the advantages of Christianity…; none of their defects.” This drug embodies perfection because it only benefits the user without any maladaptation. And they hated and were discomforted by anything related to the past or anything less than perfect. An example of the displeasure of the imperfect past would be when the students became extremely distressed at the Director’s mention of the concept of fatherhood and motherhood. Their disdain for the past is also delineated through the Controller’s reminder to the students of how they revere the quote of Henry Ford: “History is bunk.” As the Controller reflected upon the old family life of his ancestors he recognizes it as having “appalling dangers” that Freud made a revelation of. He thought by the presences of fathers and mothers in the world is parallel to a world “full of misery…” and “full of madness and suicide...
When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
When people think of a hero, they picture someone flawless, someone who does no wrong. A hero is humble and is recognized for constantly saving people in dangerous situations. But that is not realistic. Heroes have flaws, and they do not always make the right choices, but they are still heroes because their courageous actions outweigh their rather dishonorable ones. This topic is discussed in the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus does not always fit his image as god-like, but he is still very much a hero because he has respectable morals and he protects those in need of protection.
Holzer, Harold (2004). Heroes of History Lecture: Abraham Lincoln, American Hero. National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved from We the People.gov.
The mythology of culture heroes, both fictitious and those who are the product of mythicized historicism are important anthropological tools, which allow for an intricate understanding of a particular facet of a culture. Culture heroes provide a detailed look at many of the ideals held by cultures, as well as provides insight into cultural cognition. One might expect a degree of archetypical character behavior from cultural heroes; however, this is not the case. The manifestation of culture heroes in terms of character is rather broad; however, there are several distinct similarities in the manifestations of culture heroes cross culturally.
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.
There are many types of heroes (such as the ones in comic books, myths, movies, or even just everyday life heroes) but all of them have perseverance when they’re going through a conflict. Heroes are role models and they’re people that we look up too. They all have unique and special qualities that make one another different from each other. For example policemen battle crime everyday and when they’re overcoming a conflict they have determination, courage and other traits that people admire them for and that make them as a hero. Typically a hero is admired for their achievement/actions and qualities.
Heroism is defined as an act of courage and an act of selflessness. They reflect the highest levels of morality in society. Heroes have embodied the morality codes of civilizations throughout the ages. When heroes display courage, observers often identify with that courage. The refusal to take the easy way out and the ability to act in spite of fear, is what makes a person a hero. This is the way everyone wishes to react in the midst of a crisis. As witnessed in literature and real life, mankind needs heroes to provide an inspirational role model, an escape from the mundane, and a guide for morality.
The specific characteristics common in fictional and real life heroes revolve on, as what Ray mentions in his article the thematic paradigm “…the best characteristics of adulthood”(p 379). Official heroes have a higher ethical code, wisdom, and as portrayed in popular comic book characters such as Captain America they are white Christian males. It’s an odd thing that America fictional heroes have to be Christian or display some sort of Christian morals in order to be seen as a hero. As Richard Corliss adds in his article, The Gospel according to Spiderman (599), ministers find religious dimensions in comic book superheroes because the heroes wisdom and integrity tells people that God has created us all in his own image. As more and more traditional heroes have embodied God-like heroes and created an unreachable pedestal that only a select few can reach the line between traditional heroes and others such as anti-heroes has
... so many troubles in the past and in the present. When a person has been through a challenge, and they have the strength to conquer they are a hero. It takes so much strength just to even cope with the challenge, and having to resolve it takes a heroic act..
The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Batman, Superman are some of the characters that we stereotypically constitute as heroes. They are known to fight with courage without fear of death. They destroy the enemy within a blink of an eye. They fight using their own body strength, superpower, or some kind of weapon. They come to the rescue miraculously and leave without a trace. They are mysterious. We are unable to identify who they are underneath the masks and disguises. Yet, we praise them and ignore the real heroes that surround us regularly, ordinarily. “All of us …like to believe that in a moral emergency we will behave like the heroes of our youth, bravely and forthrightly, without thought of personal loss or discredit” (O’Brien 39). In other words, we are quite oblivious to the ordinary people of the world that are, in fact, the true heroes.