Imperfection and Cultural Heroes

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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.

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