Heroes Essays (Examples)

Hecto's own human vulneabilities that account fo ou sympathy fo him as a chaacte (and likely his ceato Home's special authoial sympathy fo him as well) also contain within them the ealy seeds of the conditions of possibility fo his late tactical failues: including Hecto's defeat in battle at the hands of his Geek enemy and (aguably) alte-ego, Achilles, and his bave, sacificial, and pematue death at Achilles' hands.
In The Pactice of Eveyday Life (1984), Ceteau, in his explanation and definition of human 'tactics' in opeation, descibes defensive "ticks" and "uses" (pp. xix) employed by eveyday human beings "making do" (Ceteau, pp. 29-42) against societal and/o othe stategists (politicians; bosses) that set the agendas of pivate and public life othes then must follow. Futhe, Ceteau dedicates The Pactice of Eveyday Life: "To the odinay man... To the common heo... [n.p.] This and is not Hecto; eluctant stategist eventually and…

Heroes & Anti-Heroes
Chester Himes and Americo Paredes tell stories that compel readers to be concerned about structural racism in America. Though the settings are circa 1900s and 1940s, the stranglehold that bigotry has on America -- particularly in the South -- has not been eliminated. Certainly bigotry -- or the overt expression of bigotry -- has abated some, but one wonders if Himes would still conclude that society is characterized by hypocrisy and contradiction. acial hatred and racial violence find expression today, just as they did in Los Angeles in the 1940s.

With His Pistol in His Hand by Americo Paredes is a Texan tall tale -- and an American true story. The book was first a doctoral dissertation by a University of Texas student in the Department of English. It came to fame as a lead story published in Dallas in 1957 by Mody C. Boatright (ed.) in Chapter II,…

Heroes
The author of this report will be discussing the conception of heroism when it comes to several notable tales throughout history. The author of this report has been asked to choose three from the list of four that includes Gilgamesh, the ook of Exodus, the Odyssey and the hagavad-Gita. Of those four, the author of this report will focus on all but the Odyssey. The stories and accounts of Gilgamesh, Exodus and the hagavad-Gita all share some strong parallels but they are different in many ways as well. The author of this report will cover each one individually and discuss the aspects and conception of heroism in each one. While heroes manifest and mean different things to different people, there are common threads that are easy to spot and describe.

Analysis

The most widely known, at least in the United States, of the three hero stories being covered in this report is…

Heroes of American Labor
In the beginning years of the last century, working conditions were grave, especially for female workers. This is was, in part, because the world still wasn't behind women wanting to work outside of the home. Male unions and employers kept women out of better-paying jobs, forcing them into industries such as garment-making, where sweatshop conditions prevailed, pay was low, and employees had to pay for their cutting and sewing supplies. It seems horrible, it seems impossible today, but it could have been just yesterday.

New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory became a target for its known violations to women. ut women, including Pauline Newman, were ready to fight back. That winter women and girls in their teens left their cramped and filthy work rooms, and marched to Union Square to protest their poor working conditions at a meeting called by the ILGWU. Pauline Newman, remembering the day, recalled:

"Thousands upon…

Heroes of the Holocaust:
A Comparison of the Hubermanns and Jeanne Daman

Jeanne Daman

Belgian Roman Catholic school teacher, Jeanne Daman-Scaglione, was twenty-one years old at the time of the Second orld ar, when she was invited by Fela Perelman to assist in a dangerous initiative. Perelman was a hero among Jews in the day, organizing extensive, remarkable missions for saving Jews from the Nazi genocide. ith the increasing restriction imposed on Jewish children, from enrolment in public schools, Jeanne was invited to work at Nos Petits -- Perelman's private kindergarten school for Jews in Brussels. Jeanne responded in the affirmative and ultimately rose to the position of the school's headmistress. But in spite of these pro-Jews' tremendous efforts, their little Jewish pupils were absolutely at risk, at least in the city of Brussels. No Jew was safe in public. Nos Petits was forced to close down, owing to looming Nazi threats and…

heroes of Homer's great work, The Illiad, is Achilles. Achilles, known for his handsome appearance and physical invulnerability, is driven by his compelling need and desire to have his memory preserved in history. Although such need and desire is expressed as Achilles' personal compulsion, the author Homer certainly intended that it was reflective of human kind in general. This desire and need for everlasting immortality remains an important part of western culture even today.
The real question is whether Achilles' actions in the Iliad qualify him as a real hero. Most readers of the epic tale view Achilles as a hero but a more careful reading may raise doubts as to his status as such. Part of Achilles' appeal is based on his described appearance and charm. He has the traditional earmarks of a hero such as a muscular build denoting extreme strength, handsome, masculine features, and an apparent close…

Heroes
Explain what each shows you about the definition of a hero in that culture.

The Prince is showing the ideal hero inside mid-evil society at the beginning of the Renaissance period. This means that there are several different attributes that are most important to include:

Focusing on being stingy vs. generous.

Building goodwill among the people for military and defensive purposes.

Engaging in large scale building projects to enhance their reputation.

Looking out for the interests of society vs. that of an individual.

Choosing advisors who are wise vs. individuals that will agree with them.

These different factors are showing how this person must be focused on gaining and seizing power at any cost. As a result, the ideal hero is someone who is able to engage in certain attributes that will achieve the large social and political objectives. ("The Prince")

hile Confucius is demonstrating that idols must have different characteristics they are embracing. These include: being…

Heroes
Since the terrible attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the actions of New York City's police officers and firefighters have given us one definition of a hero: they ran in the doomed buildings trying to save people while everyone else ran out. That tragic event illustrated that a heroic person often does not know where his or her actions will lead.

Don Quixote would be an example of a hero who courageously enters a dangerous situation without knowing what the outcome will be. Don Quixote was delusional of course, but he believed in his artificially constructed persona and repeatedly showed no hesitation when charging, sometimes literally, into trouble, with the goal of saving someone or righting some wrong. His encounter with the windmill demonstrates the kinds of events that typically happen to heroes. Convinced that the windmill is an evil giant, he gallops toward it. He gets…

Odysseus's claims to fame are also strength related, his actions in the Trojan ar and on his journey home. This suggests that the idea of the ideal man had changed significantly. No longer do we revere men for their might, but for their diplomacy.
For women, too, the expectations have changed. Shamhat, a character in The Epic of Gilgamesh, is a temple prostitute whose claim to fame is her ability to civilize the wild man, Enkidu, by having sex with him. The trapper tells Shamhat, "Spread out your robe so he can lie upon you / and perform for this primitive the task of womankind!" (The Epic Tablet I). This means that Shamhat is a hero because of her sexual ability. Today, those women who are able to succeed because of their intellect, not because of their sex, are considered to be heroic.

orks Cited

The Epic of Gilgamesh. Academy for Ancient…

Heroes of their Own Lives: The Politics and History of Family Violence," by Linda Gordon. Specifically, it will contain a book review of the book. Linda Gordon's book discusses the history of family violence in oston Massachusetts from 1880 through 1960. It is a topic not often discussed, and the history of family violence in its many forms may be even more disturbing than the existence of this violence in our modern families.
HEROES OF THEIR OWN LIVES

The author's clear purpose in writing this compelling and disturbing book was to chronicle the history of family violence in oston from 1880-1960. She wrote the book because the topic of family violence has become so much more prevalent in our society, and as it has increased, so has public awareness of the problems. Gordon notices "family violence had had virtually no history; that most who discussed it - experts, journalists, friends -…

But before Odysseus returned back home his destiny gave him serious trials: mean-eating giant Polypheus, temptations of Calypso who offered him immortal life if he refuses from return home, etc. Odysseus returns home, but first in order to spy the real situation in Ithaca he dresses as beggar. "At the end after revenging his enemies he reunited with his family." (osenberg).
Odysseus is the first Greek epic hero, who on the hand with typical heroic traits of call of adventure and strength possesses such quality as intelligence. All his actions are contemplated; he never acts spontaneously and never gives freedom to his emotions. Such traits on the hand with his patience and wit put him apart from the rest of epic heroes. Unlike heroes of other eposes who are god-like, Odysseus has much of an ordinary man. He has weaknesses, which are common for all mortal people. He is especially…

Epic and Epic Heroes
Epic is probably one of the most fascinating forms of ancient narratives and its contribution to the growth and evolution of literature cannot be overestimated. To seek a clear definition of an epic would be a futile attempt since there appears to be lesser consensus on its definition than we have on tax cuts today. Philosopher, writers and oral masters since the times of Aristotle to Seamus Heaney have argued about various critical features of an epic, and while all agree it's a long narrative eulogizing the heroic deeds of the protagonists, there appears to be no agreement among on a clear definition that could highlight other essential features of epic narrative. oughly epic is a term used by historians for "a number of works belonging to the earlier Middle Ages, and to the medieval origins of modern literature. "Epic" is a term freely applied to the…

Military and Athletic Heroes
According to author Joseph Campbell, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." (Campbell 123). Soldiers are the most obvious example of heroes; they put their lives one the line, and lose them, for their country. Athletes too, are often called heroes. Athletes rarely die while playing sports, but many of them do devote their entire lives to success on the field of play. Of the two, soldiers clearly have the most at risk; but military heroes are almost never as heralded or well-paid as athletic heroes. In a perfect world the people who take actions to save others lives, as well as their own, would be the most wealthy and famous people in the world. Yet, that is not the way America works. Athletes earn a lot of money and are admired because they are a novelty --…

Beowulf, like Prometheus, stands apart from the rest of his society. He possesses great strength and wisdom as a king, and only he can slay the monster Grendel. He must wait alone in the Great Hall, waiting for the beast, and he has no choice. Only Beowulf is capable of inflicting death upon the monster, so he must be alone. If he does not risk his life, than many more people will die. As with Prometheus, his ability is a curse and a blessing -- he can release others, but his talent means he must suffer fear and risk death. Prometheus possesses the ability to create a race of sentient beings, but without sacrificing himself, humanity will never know its full promise. Beowulf has great strength, but his strength and simply his status as a king makes for a lonely life. Both individuals have great responsibilities -- to give fire…

"Xenia is the Greek relationship between two people from different regions. This [value] allowed for the members of the relationship to safely travel into the other member's territory and receive a place to stay and something to eat" (Biggs et al. 2009). This is one reason why Penelope's suitors in the "Odyssey" are seen as especially brutal, because they violate the principles of being a good guest to a hospitable host.
The Indian hero Rama is almost always shown with a bow over his shoulder, and Odysseus is famed for his skill as an archer (Murthy 2004). However, unlike Odysseus, Rama only attacks when provoked and only engages in aggressive behavior when others are under threat, such as his beloved wife Sita by the evil monarch Ravana. lthough the suitor's eating his food and wooing his wife could be considered provocation, Odysseus is overall a more aggressive figure than the…

Homelessness Among the Veteran Community: America's Forgotten Heroes
Each year, thousands of citizens wind up homeless and living on the streets in America, as well as all over the world. The issue of homelessness in the U.S. has become widespread especially within the last few decades. Homelessness does not discriminate among people on caliber since any unexpected event or poor decision can leave a person homeless with very little warning. Some people that become homeless lose so much more than just a home. They lose connections to family and the outside world. They lose physical things that connect them to their past. They lose a sense of belonging in some cases. In many cases they may even lose their identity. Many of those within the homeless community were once heroes who for Americas' freedom throughout wars, both past and present. They are the homeless veterans, often passed by, overlooked and simply…

His continued silence in the face of adversity earns him instant entrance into heaven, and he is told he may have his greatest wish granted. Bontshe the Silent proves his unusualness again when he says "what I'd like most of all is a warm roll with fresh butter every morning" (Peretz). This illustrates his simplicity, not in the sense that he is stupid, but that he is easily made content. The lesson to be happy with simple things amuses the heavenly court, but it had great resonance with a Jewish community often forced to live in poverty, and Bontshe the Silent is shown to be not really as foolish as the heavenly court believes. He is portrayed this way to reflect the continued forbearance of his people, who have little need9according to the Jewish faith) to want anything other than God's love and the promise of the messiah brining…

He is thinking ahead. Achilles is consumed by the energy of the moment and is not thinking about the future. In modern times, he would be considered an adrenaline junkie, one who is out for the thrill of battle. This is a key difference that supports the youthful exuberance of Achilles and the wise restraint of Odysseus.
Odysseus admits that Achilles is a physically stronger warrior and that his own strength lies in his head, not in his abilities in battle. Odysseus addresses Achilles saying,

Akhileus, flower and pride of the Akhaians, you are more powerful than I am - and a better spearman, too - only in sizing matter up I'd say that I'm just as far beyond you, being older, knowing more of the world" (Illiad XIX, p. 178).

This statement summarizes the difference between the abilities of Odysseus and Achilles. A part of wisdom is knowing one's own strengths…

Trakr, a retired police K-9 heard the call for help as well, and came to the Trade Center rescuers' aid.

When they heard about the disaster at the World Trade Center, Trakr and his owner, Constable Jamie Symington of the Halifax egional Police, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, hopped in their car and drove 14 hours to New York City.

They worked tirelessly from Wednesday morning through Friday, when Trakr collapsed from exhaustion (Adelman). Another example of how rescuers both human and pawed refused to give up, until they physically couldn't go any longer.

Perhaps one of the saddest losses of canine heroes was Servus, a highly trained Belgian Malnois. This brave boy died in the arms of his handler of lung injuries, attributed to the World Trade Center site, a year and a half after his rescue efforts. Chris Christensen, Servus' handler, recalled that Servus had refused to stay in the police car,…

Robber Barons
We live in a capitalistic society. Our economic system is driven by the idea that any person can start a business and reap the rewards in the form of profit. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a group of entrepreneurs in the United States pushed the capitalistic system to its limits, making tremendous profits. Because of the extreme measures they sometimes used in their quest for profit, they were nicknamed the "Robber Barons." By today standards, it would be easy to point to these men and look only at their excesses. However, they did what many business owners today would have done. They exploited every opportunity to make a profit. We have laws precisely because people need boundaries on their behavior. The "Robber Barons" accomplished a great deal that was good, and our system of laws found ways to deal with the excesses.

One…

Jesus was also an influence in Kaboo's life. Kaboo believed he saw a great light in the sky, when he fled his captivity and found the missionaries who saved him. This is why Prince Kaboo was converted to Christianity, and took the Christian name of Samuel Morris. Finally, in America, at Taylor University, Morris was able to receive a higher Christian education
hat obstacles did this person encounter? ho, other than family members, inspired this person? hat dreams did this person have? hat convictions? hat made this person decide upon success, no matter the obstacles? hat good habits did this person develop that helped him or her achieve success?

Samuel Morris' early captivity was his first great obstacle. He had to flee on foot to the capital city. There, to survive, he helped the missionaries with hard, manual labor. To go to New York and realize his dream of becoming a…

Sarah Connor as Modern Monomyth
The Greek hero monomyth, as discussed by Joseph Campbell and others, is a concept and storyline that dates back to the tragedies and tales of the Greeks. However, to suggest that these basic storylines and traits are not used today (and used pervasively) would be incorrect to say the least. Indeed, the plots of many movies, plays and stories have some or even all of the traits of the monomyth pattern as described by Campbell. Just one of those, and the films that will be analyzed in this report, are the first two installments of the Terminator movie series. Specifically, the character to be affixed upon is Sarah Connor, the heroine of the movie. hile some may not see it, her ascendancy and eventual victory is by no means linear and it follows Campbell's monomyth pattern almost to the letter.

Analysis

As far as what mythology example best…

men and Hamatora are very similar in the way that society treats minority groups they do not completely understand. In the case of the X-men, society is fearful of their abilities to cause harm, but often neglect their ability to do well. Much like in society the bad deeds of a few characters in the series, negates the over good behavior exhibited by the X-men. No matter how many lives are saved by the deeds of the X-men, they are often overshadowed by the deeds of other, more destructive mutants. In the case of Hamatora, Nice has established a private investigation unit, with the purpose of doing well for the world, but he often does this in secret. As a result, both groups must continue to innovate and rise above misplaced anger. In the case of the X-men, they must overcome negative public sentiment, anti-mutant legislation, and overall societal…

oan Crawford's life appeared to mirror the characters that she portrayed on film in several ways. By analyzing the 1945 film Mildred Pierce, in which Crawford plays the titular character, one can see how Mildred's character is designed to reflect American perspectives of women.
For example, in the film and in real life, Crawford was able to reinvent herself and become more successful as time went on. However, despite her successes, society still maintained that in order for a woman to be complete, she had to have a man in her life, thus propagating the social stigma that a woman could not be independently successful. Allen writes, "in many of the woman's films what the heroine strives so hard to achieve is given up at the end of the film in favor of the 'happy ending'; a chance to be a traditional wife and mother." Another example is that women could…

Hero
One of the most pervasive archetypes in literature is the hero. The Greeks presented a complex and very human type of hero, often referred to as the tragic hero. eaders can relate especially to tragic heroes because tragic heroes have flaws. Their flaws make tragic heroes more human, and are effective protagonists even when their plans fail. The hero who is semi-divine or divine is a less compelling story, given that few if any human beings can relate to a figure who is flawless, immortal, and possessing of unlimited strength. Graphic novels present complex characters including some that fit the definition of tragic hero. Modern literature teems with examples of heroes who are just like us: they have good intentions, they are far from perfect, and they sometimes fail. Yet embedded in the definition of hero is the imperative that the individual must be able to put aside egotism, and…

Hero with 1,000 Faces
The classic hero seems to teach us the value of humanity, while helping us strive for excellence by understanding the value of the experiences rendered through intuition, emotions, and often feelings that are special to the hero -- often rather than logical reasoning. The paradigm of heroism transcends genre, chronology and has become so common in the human collective consciousness that it is easily recognized and repeated (Campbell).

One very interesting aspect of the human experience is the manner in which certain themes appear again and again over time, in literature, religion, mythology, and culture -- regardless of the geographic location, the economic status, and the time period. Perhaps it is the innate human need to explain and explore the known and unknown, but to have disparate cultures in time and location find ways of explaining certain principles in such similar manner leads one to believe that there…

However, because of Gilgamesh's thought that he may be invincible, he is actually putting his friend's life at risk by going on his adventure. In his attempt to prove that he is brave and that he would rather die for a cause, he actually indirectly causes the death of Enkidu, who shows that he was the stronger of the two.
5) Defining Honor

Honor is a characteristic that few individuals posses. It is a special type of distinguishing factor, that although many attempt to have, very few actually embrace it to its full meaning. Honor entails pride and personal excellence. It is fully believing in an action or an entity that represents something very important to the self and to those around. To me, honor is being able to stand up for your beliefs despite the opinion of others.

Honor in society can actually be viewed in two ways, depending on your…

" By commerce, one should read the relationship between master and slave in general. Here, Jefferson speaks as a true man of the Enlightenment who cannot accept the degrading submission of a human being.
On the other hand, some of his arguments against slavery are related to manners. Manners should probably be here less regarded as the social conventions of the time, but rather as some sort of collective conscience that should oppose the idea of enslaving another individual. More so, the people's morale, as well as the respect for people tolerating slavery, will be broken by perpetuating slavery.

3. The Sally Hemings Case

The controversy surrounding Sally Hemings is well-known, although it has never been fully proven. Sally Hemings was owned by Jefferson's father-in-law and rumors appeared that Jefferson had fathered five children with Sally Hemings. At that moment, the controversy started as a political quarrel in fact, in an attempt to…

Hero can be defined in numerous ways. In more recent years, Hollywood has brought comic book heroes to the public via blockbuster films. These cinema heroes have helped audiences redefine what it is to be heroic without taking away from true heroism. One of the most patriotic films to come out of this comic book genre is Captain America: The First Avenger. In the film, Steve Rogers demonstrates that one does not have to have superhero power to want to do the right thing -- although he does eventually acquire superhuman powers that enable him to fulfill his goals.
Steve Rogers, at the beginning of the film, is deemed not fit to join the army, yet he does everything possible, including lying on his enlistment forms -- a federal offense, in order to move towards the fulfillment of his goal, to serve his country and fight against those that would threaten…

Hero
Every year, right before the beginning of the rainy season, right when the air is at its thickest, hottest, and most utterly unbearable, everybody rushes around, trying to get everything done. For when the rains come, you want to be ready. You never want to get caught out. Because once they start, they do not stop for months. the world is transformed entirely, the fields become lakes, the stilted houses on which we live become islands, and life becomes attuned to the migration of the padang fish. They come so thick through the muddy waters that once held our crops, that one cast of the net will feed each family for a week. I remember the idyll, those carefree days after the lakes have formed, where there is nothing to do but lie in my hammock listening to the rain patter on our shack's tin roof.

But the rainy season does…

Revenge, too, is prominent in all of these works: Beowulf must destroy the monster our of revenge for the havoc on the Kingdom; the Greeks must avenge the kidnapping of Helen and the slights against their lands; the Knight, the Miller and the ife of Bath all must seek revenge for perceived wrongs. Poems like Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, and the Iliad and Odyssey, especially as oral tradition, frame the journey of the hero through trials and tribulations to, eventually success. The saving of society, though, is often met with grave personal sacrifice, sometimes of tangible wealth, more often of loved ones, or, in the case of Beowulf, the ultimate sacrifice -- giving up one's own life in the service of society.

Yet in each of the tales there is at least one, and frankly many more, characters that have a fatal personality flaw that causes not only consternation, but increases the…

Madam Eglantyne the Nun, is also an ironic charater. She eats in a very refined manner and attempts other fine characteristics such as speaking French, although she fares poorly at this. Ironically, not all her language is pure, as she swears cosntantly by "St. Loy," a saint renowned for not swearing. Unlike the general conception of the Nun, she is very concerned with outward appearances and did not much care for human beings. Indeed, she cared much more for her three dogs than the human beings around her. Another irony is that she has a coral trinket to fight worldly temptations, which is clearly failing badly.

A second character is the Friar, Hubert. While he is jolly, merry, and festive, his actions are nevertheless evil and cunning. He impregnates girls, for example, and marries them off. He deceived the faithful by hearing confessions for a fee, and even begged from poor…

The positive value that most people place on a character's ability to face their demons is traditionally what defines a "hero." What defines a "tragic hero" is when facing those demons is too much for the protagonist to handle, which is the case in this play. But this lack of unwavering strength and courage is what makes the character of Oedipus seem human, and therefore relatable to the audience. If his reaction to the truth had shown nothing but strength, he would seem more like a cardboard cut-out than a human being.
A hero is more noble and more human when he must overcome his flaws and life's adversities. This may be why literary heroes have appealed to readers across many different cultures and over many different eras in history; because they represent the deepest and most respected ideals of human behavior, without extending too far beyond the constraints of…

Hero's Journey in O, Brother! here Art Thou? And The Lion King
The journey home may, at times, be complicated and met with obstacles that must be overcome. O, Brother! here Art Thou?, the 2000 film directed by Joel Cohen, depicts one man's journey to get back to his family after being made part of a chain gang in rural Mississippi during the 1930s . Similarly, the animated Disney picture, The Lion King, released in 1994, depicts a young Simba's quest to return to his home and restore order, eventually regaining his rightful place as king. O, Brother! here Art Thou? And The Lion King explore the protagonist's journey home and the obstacles that must be overcome in order for them to achieve their goals.

The hero's journey is often characterized by a series of steps that must be completed in order to attain a goal and aid the transformation of…

hero? Does it depend on whether one is a man or a woman? Is the nature of heroism engendered? Are there different categories of heroism - a heroism of the mind and a heroism of the body, for example? The life and work of the novelist Jean Rhys help us to understand the nature of the heroic. Rhys herself may be considered to be a hero even though her life was not by conventional means a success. Indeed, it might be considered to be a stereotypical failure: She drank heavily, had a number of unhappy love affairs, and seems to have lost her talent or at least her will to write for decades. But in the end. A woman who called herself a "doormat in a world of boots" proved by her life and in her work that doormats are durable indeed.
Rhys's sense of herself as a certainly less-then-conventional-heroic…

With the help of the stories of Maksim Maksimich (Pechorin's friend) and personal diaries of Pechorin, the author makes a clear picture of hero's life. Pechorin had a rich life experience like majority of aristocrats; his young years were full of joys and were spent in luxury. Pretty soon such life became very dull for his ambitious nature and he ended in army, fighting against highlanders of Caucasus. He was indifferent to death, he was not afraid of being shot either by highlanders or by some arrogant officer on duel. He never experienced love to any of his women. His death was a logical final of his fatalist life: Pechorin perished during military campaign to Persia.

Pechorin's life describes pursuits and deprivations of the best people of 19th century epoch, as most of them remained unwanted in society of declining aristocratic tradition.

eference:

Lermontov, M.Y. A Hero of Our Time Penguin Classics, 1966…

hero After First Death Robert Cormier; prove claim . -This essay represent interpretation center assertions make support, ideas interpretations . Only work cite book, -text citation! Any paraphrases .
Ordinary heroes:

The central importance of the character of Kate in Robert Cormier's After the First Death

The plot of After the First Death revolves around the story of a group of terrorists who have hijacked a bus full of young children from a summer camp. The book dramatizes the stand-off between Miro, a young member of the group who has never known anything but violence and hatred in his life, and Kate, the young, eighteen-year-old girl who is driving the bus. The book is told through a series of alternating perspectives, some first-person limited, some third person limited.

The question of who is the hero of After the First Death is ambiguous. Not even Miro is characterized as entirely villainous. It difficult to…

Camera angles that focus on wretched faces, of young boys in red coated uniforms begging for mercy, and of the arrogance of the British officer corps, not just towards Americans, but towards their own enlisted men, are shown with filming skill. As might be expected for this type of film, John Williams' score was masterful and very much in line with the generation of epics from the 1950s and 1960s -- painting a realistic picture of the film without dialog. Similarly, the audience is set up between the idyllic farm and hard work of a widower in the opening scene to the juxtaposition and hoped for return to normalcy in the final moments -- however, knowing that things will never be as they were (See: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=336714&contentTypeId=130&category=trailer). The scene, however, that most stays with the audience is not one of the grander battles, but a one-on-one battle between Benjamin and…

unter and the unted:
Courtly Love and the Many Faces of the ero

Literature abounds in depictions of the hero.

Solomon, Esther, Gawain, and countless others call to mind tales of strength, valor, and passion. Whether a text's purpose is religious, instructional, or purely a matter of entertainment, a single character stands out. Emotion is often overpowering, as too, are the choices between what is right and what is wrong. Morality plays an equally important role in each of these "superhuman" stories. Frequently, the path of virtue is crossed by the highways of desire. A hero may take the high road, or he may take the low road, but which choice is correct depends upon the specific circumstances of the narrative, and upon the central figure's point-of-view. A bewildering array of problems, impossible tasks, and larger-than-life villains can turn closely-held beliefs inside out, and cause a hero to commit acts that, in…

Epic of Gilgamesh
In a time when natural disasters were the whims of the Gods, when hunger, disease, and death stalked ones life as surely as the wild beasts of the land, the epic poem of Gilgamesh found its way across the ancient landscape. It was unearthed as part of a library collected thousands of years before our time, yet "reflects an ancient range of human experience and emotion not so far removed from our own" (Jackson, xi). In a cultural context of nomadic life and city-states, ancient Iraqis worshipped numerous gods. Every aspect of their life depended upon the favor their gods bestowed. The Epic of Gilgamesh illustrates an understanding of the human spirit unbent by fickle gods and powerful kings. This is a story of human growth and acceptance for a difficult life and violent time in human history.

The ancient Iraqi society was "mostly illiterate," passing on history…

Hero's Journeyv
A Hero's Journey: Rooster Cogburn in True Grit

The three central characters in the film True Grit are Rooster Cogburn, a rough U.S. marshal, Mattie Ross, a girl who plans to bring her father's killer, Tom Cheney, to justice, and LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger who wants to capture Cheney for his own reasons. The story follows a pattern of narrative identified by Joseph Campbell. It is an adventure story that has the same structure as other classic adventure stories that we see in drama and myth.

At the beginning, we see Rooster Cogburn in his ordinary world. It is the first stage in the hero's journey. Rooster is asleep after a night of drinking. Mattie finds him and wakes him. In his ordinary world, Rooster Cogburn was drunk, dirty and mean. He liked to be by himself. He did not care about anyone. He did not care about anything but money…

HEO'S JOUNEY CHAT
Be sure to read and review Lectures I, II, and III in before doing this assignment.

You may use the form below or write an essay to answer these questions.

This assignment involves analyzing a film in basic archetypal terms. Choose a film which you have seen recently or with which you are very familiar and discuss its archetypal characteristics. (It's a good idea to select a film which you think has such characteristics in the first place, of course! And it doesn't have to exhibit all of them.) The film you choose does not need to be a typical "hero" film; almost any film can be appropriate! You do not have to compose an essay for this assignment but should answer as many questions as possible as fully as possible. Feel free to copy this form along with the questions.

Movie: Terminator 2 -- Judgment Day

SEPAATION

Call to Adventure: How does…

hero? And what has one got to do with the movies? The answer to that question - which is really the question of how the mass media influence popular perceptions of the heroic and the Hero - is a complex one as are any significant questions that examine the relationship between mass media and the culture that produces, absorbs, reflects and reifies them.
This paper examines one person who as much as anyone became the emblem of a hero in the 20th century because of the image that he portrayed on the big screen: John ayne or The Duke. To say that he was a hero because of the roles that he played is not to imply that he was not himself a good person. But we remember him today, and remember him as a heroic figure not because of his actions as an individual but because of the characters…

("Mark Hoppus Quotes" (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_hoppus.html)
Not unlike Socrates Hoppus, wishing to offer youth guidance for the future expresses keenly that the world is not what it seems and that the individual is likely to know far less than they think they do.

III the Search

As with many modern pop heroes information about Mark Hoppus is limited. Though he is willing to challenge untruths he is still rather tight lipped about the truth, regarding anything but his music. hat limited facts about him that are accurate include the fact that he was born in Ridgecrest California on March 15, 1972, he is a self taught bassist who began his music career with a bass as a gift from his father and a trade of work for amplifiers. ("ikipedia is rong" Mark Hoppus blog (http://www.pickrset.com/markhoppus/?p=248)

The information that is available is filled with myth, legend and even colored by the fact that Hoppus and his…

Bob Hayes -- Sports Hero
One of my all-time inspirational heroes is Bob Hayes, known as the only athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympics and also a Super Bowl ring. Hayes as a young man with a great deal of athletic talent grew up in a segregated community in Jacksonville, Florida, but he went on to dazzle the world with his accomplishments. This paper details that rise to fame.

Bob Hayes struggled from childhood on to become what he knew he could become, and his career should serve as a positive role model for any young man caught in a socioeconomically underserved neighborhood with odds against him because of the color of his skin and because of racial stereotyping.

Bob Hayes' Life and Times

Hayes was born to Mary (Green) Hayes and George Sanders on the 20th day of December, 1942 in a ghetto on the east side of Jacksonville, Florida.…

Yet, Odysseus is also rewarded for his loyalty and survives the Trojan War. His wit and intelligence provide a much different vision of an excellent hero than presented by Achilles. However, it is he who figures out how to end the lengthy war with the trick of the wooden horse. In the case of both heroes, it is not divine or monstrous adversaries that they face. Instead they fight a similar battle that Osiris did -- they must fight the greed and lust of mortal men. Although Agamemnon is their king, he is an adversary in that he forces them from their homes and places them and their men in danger for selfish greed and lust. However Agamemnon is later punished when he his murdered by his deceitful wife upon his return. Another human adversary faced by the heroes of the Iliad is Paris and his uncontrollable lust for…

Your answer should be at least five sentences long.
The Legend of Arthur

Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16

Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty

1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality.

2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable.

Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 10 of 16

Journal Exercise 1.7B: Combining Sentences

Complete the Practice Activity on page 202 of your text. After completing this activity, read over your Essay Assessment or another journal activity you've completed.

* Identify three passages that could be improved by combining two or more sentences with coordinating or subordinating conjunctions. Below the practice activity in your journal, write the original passages and the revised sentences you've created.

* Be sure to indicate which journal or writing assignment they came from.

The…

Those with issues to overcome are always more heroic. Hector also becomes a hero when, after at first running from Achilles, he eventually stands up to him and dies a heroic death.
The Iliad is primarily a war epic. In your opinion, is the Iliad condemnation of the it could easily be argued that the Illiad glorifies war, as much of the poem is spent portraying the warriors as brave and courageous, even as they go on killing rampages. Warriors are describes as "masters of the battle cry" and "warlike" in glowing epithets. When Achilles originally refused to fight, he is roundly condemned for it by all of the other Greek characters. Even the weapons of war, such as Achilles impenetrable shield, are glorified. But homer is more complicated than simple -- war also brings death, which he describes in great detail. Hector's death is perhaps the most graphic of…

Nell cleaned up the yard and planted tomatoes and marigolds. One afternoon as she was sweeping the walk to the alley she heard a commotion and went to investigate. A young girl no more than eight years old was cornered in the alley by a group of ruffian boys with bats and sticks intent on beating her up. Nell raised her broom and began swinging at the boys. "Get out of here!" she shouted. "Quit your messin' with that girl!" Shocked, the boys ran off. The little girl, who was really quite beautiful, cried with relief and thanked Nell over and over for saving her life.
The next day came a knock at Nell's back door. It was the same little girl only today she was smiling. "I brought you a present," she said, "from my mother and sisters." She gave Nell a silver palm pilot and showed her how…

Charterhouse of Parma Hero, Fabrizio Del Dongo
It is exceedingly difficult to label Fabrizio de Dongo, the protagonist of Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma, a hero in the conventional sense. Heroes conventionally are imbued with heroic qualities including great courage, physical prowess, a discerning intellect, and other superlatives that make them better than most men (who are not heroes). There are many characteristics of Fabrizio that make him more of an anti-hero -- he is excessively idyllic and is plague by misfortune (which the author satirizes in a comical way). However, there is a similarity with conventional heroes that Fabrizio unequivocally shares: he is a starkly shining idealist and, whether or not he can actually fulfill them, he is motivated by some of the purest and most heroic motives.

One of the aspects of Stendhal's novel which helps to prove the veracity of the previous thesis is the fact that Fabrizio is…

Winston Smith is the hero of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Winston's ultimate failing is not the failing of a human being, instead it is a symbol of the ultimate power of the society.
Persuasive technique - definition, personal observation)

In literary terms a hero can be vaguely defined as the main character. However, further to this the character needs to be superior, of good character or extraordinary in some way (aldick 98). Winston Smith is the main character in 1984 and he is extraordinary. What is most important in understanding this is realizing that we must not compare Winston with modern man in this society, but with modern man in the society of 1984. This is one of the key aspects to understanding, to first understand the society he is existing in. This society is one where the people are completely controlled, with the people having no freedom…

His very defiance of the immortals at almost every turn in the story is evidence of the extreme degree of certainty and even of righteousness that Odysseus carried with him throughout his journey, and this certainty is a strong sign of his heroism.
One of Odysseus' most obvious character traits, and one of the primary indicators of the Western ideal of heroism, is his militancy and physical prowess. This is commented on be several figures in the epic, including Odysseus himself. One of his sailors says at one point, "You are very strong yourself and never get worn out; you seem to be made of iron" (Book XII, par. 22). His single-handed destruction of Penelope's many suitors is also compelling evidence for this facet of his personality. His sheer battle prowess, which is how he came to be on this journey in the first place and is shown in many…

Heracles -- Mythological Hero
Heracles Mythological Hero

Heracles-Mythological Hero

About a Mythological Hero

Heracles, also known as Hercules, was a great mythological hero, who was considered as the son of God. His strength, valor, courage and supernatural characteristic were seen from his very childhood. The biggest turn in his life occurred when he murdered his wife and children, and was thus compelled to fulfill twelve challenging labors in order to purify himself. This article presents one of his twelve labors, which involved slaying away the Stymphalian birds. Several art works including pottery paintings and canvas art work, depict several instants linked with the heroic acts of Heracles.

Character Analysis of Heracles

Heracles or Hercules was a strong mythological hero who was considered as a man possessing supernatural power and was thus called half-god, a son of Zeus. The supreme confidence of Heracles was depicted from the early days of his childhood when he used his brute…

How irrational it is of Odysseus to say to the Cyclops after several men have been eaten, " You ought to be ashamed of yourself; how can you expect people to come see you any more if you treat them in this way?' (Book IX) the Cyclops obviously does not want people to visit him!
Another fault that makes Odysseus an anti-hero and therefore a bad king is how stubbornly prideful he is. An example of this behavior is when he is escaping the island of the Cyclops and decides to jeer at him from the sea and boast by telling him his true name. Odysseus tells that even his men "begged and prayed of me to hold my tongue." (Book IX) Had Odysseus not further taunted the Cyclops, the monster would not have learned Odysseus's real name (and his father's name, and his birthplace!) and therefore called down the…

HUM/105 World Mythology Contemporary Hero's Quest Presentation (Robin Hood Prince Thieves 1991 Starring Kevin Costner) Pick a contemporary story form a, movie, video game inspired a mythological epic journey a hero's quest.
The character of Robin of Locksley in Kevin Reynolds' film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves goes through a complex set of events as he tries to discover his personal identity. In his journey he realizes that it is essential for him to get actively involved in taking on a hero-like attitude in order to save numerous individuals from falling victims to an oppressive system. As a nobleman, one would expect Robin to react differently in the face of danger, taking into account that it was characteristic for people during the era to put across attitudes that had nothing to do with the general public's well-being.

In contrast to how most would expect, Robin takes on a rebellious nature and practically…

Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our ime places a Russian piece of literature in the Western context of literary influences without sacrificing the Russian characteristics of the writing. At the time of its first publishing in Russia the critiques of Lermontov's short stories novel were mostly controversies over the real values of such a literary undertaking. Lermontov's novel, published in the 1830s, a period of confluences in international literature, when the romanticism was slowly dying out and the realism had not yet started to make statements, led to powerful reactions, especially at home.
Lermontov's antihero was in fact creating confusion: many were not able to understand him, others were not willing to see through, while still another part of the readers and critics alike were considering him a threat to the old values they had grown fond of. Buracek, a reputed professor of science and Lermontov's contemporary "considered the novel a…

Geronimo, War Hero
Geronimo was in many ways an exemplary human being. He was brave, loyal, passionate, spiritual, truthful, strong, and wise. aised in the Apache tradition, his real name was Goyathlay (meaning one who yawns). The name Geronimo was given him by his enemies (the Spanish-Mexicans, who called out to St. Jerome -- or Jeronimo -- when Goyathlay attacked (Welker, 2011). To the Spanish-Mexicans and the Americans, the man they dubbed Geronimo was a savage, but to his own people -- and indeed to many Americans who met him after his surrender -- Geronimo was a noble soul and a great leader as opposed to the villain the propagandists tried to make him out to be. This paper will show what made Geronimo such a noble man.

The war between the Mexicans and the Apache was indeed brutal. But it was a war over land -- and both sides committed what…

Alcibiades, Hero or Zero
Alcibiades was an Athenian aristocrat living between 450 and 404 B.C. And the last member of the famous Athenian family, the Alcmaeonidae. The fact that he was born in a privileged environment provided him with the opportunity to be properly educated and to develop a sense of grace that influenced most people he interacted with to appreciate his personality. He was a very ambitious man, but his interest in emphasizing his superiority in front of his adversaries meant that he gathered a lot of enemies throughout his lifetime. He expressed appreciation toward politics at an early age and got actively involved in a series of political dealings, this persuading numerous notable individuals living contemporary to him to turn their interest toward his personae. Even with the fact that he was a controversial character and that he was reputed for his tendency to focus more on rationality than…

Decatur's death was unpleasant and unfortunate. Allegedly over a matter of honor, it actually was not. There was no specific issue of right and wrong, but there was the perceived issue of status and career. There is no doubt that Decatur could have done more had death not silenced him. This is often the case with great men who do great things against the will of others.
This book is fascinating and interesting, and Allison (2005) makes a strong argument and presents a clear thesis. The evidence that he has for who Stephen Decatur was and what he contributed to the country and the Navy is a great tribute to a man who most people have either forgotten or had not even heard about. I agree with the authors conclusions in that Decatur did appear to be a great man. Whether he was killed as a matter of honor as…

7) There are several subplots in the film. The first of these is Felix Happer, the chairman of the board of Knox Oil & Gas, and Mac's boss. He is extremely wealthy and powerful, but psychologically somewhat fragile. In order to help face his problems, Happer engages an "abuse therapist" to hurl various forms of ill treatment at him. He is also interested in furthering his chances of immortality. He addresses this need by compulsively scanning the skies for a comet to bear his name. This relates to the theme as a whole in its commentary on how fleeting and futile the world of business is. His extreme wealth does not make Felix Happer a happy man, nor does it bring him peace of mind or any sense of contentment. In contrast, the beachcomber/owner Ben Knox lives in complete poverty and utter contentment in the knowledge that no force on…