Abstract This paper reviews and critiques the ideas of George Roche in his book "A World without Heroes." The author takes issue with many of Roche's views, arguing that indeed there are still heroes in today's society. Lance Armstrong is used as an example of a modern hero. The paper further describes the characteristics of what makes a hero. The paper concludes with a critique of Roche's own life and the author's personal definition of a hero.
From the Paper "Our heroes come through people who, sometimes unwittingly, set an example for us to better ourselves. Lance Armstrong can be considered a hero, not simply because he won an unwinnable battle, but because he is able to cut through the media spin and admit, "I don't know why I'm still alive. I was lucky." Further, Lance tells us that his illness was a gift that helped him decide what kind of man he wanted to be. That is what is heroic about Lance. He is a teller of pure truth."
Tags: A, World, without, Heroes, George, Roche, heroes, Lance, Armstrong
Abstract The paper scrutinizes how mass media affects the public perception of heroes and heroism. The paper first describes immense power of mass media through the example of the American television being regarded as a powerful force strengthening the presidential system. The paper argues that mass media enables public opinion to spread over wider geographic area. The paper demonstrates the popularity of sports heroes and explains the correlation the entertainment media has with fictional heroes in literature.
From the Paper "What is a hero? And what has one got to do with television? 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."
Abstract This essay is creative writing describing three people that are the author's heroes: Anna Kournikova, Julia Roberts and Ralph Nader and why they have become heroes to many people. The paper studies the achievements and lives of each of these celebrities and explains their heroic qualities and character. The essay gives reasons for why these specific people are considered heroes to so many people.
From the Paper "My first hero is Julia Fiona Roberts, the youngest of the three children of Walter and Betty Roberts who was born on October 28, 1967. She grew up in Smyrna, Georgia, USA. Her parents ran a small workshop for actors and writers in Piedmont Park Atlanta. Little Julia had a tragic childhood. When she was only four years old her parents got divorced because of financial difficulties. At the age of ten Julia's father, Walter, died of cancer. From Internet reference: ?In school children teased her because of her thick glasses and her big mouth.? Just three days after receiving her diploma from Campbell High School, she joined her sister, Lisa, in New York City, intent on becoming an actress. ?I had convinced myself that I had three choices,? she said in an interview with Myra Forsberg for The New York Times (March 18, 1996). "I could get married, I could go to college, or I could move to New York. Nobody was asking to get married, And I didn"t want to go away to school, so I moved.? She made the right choice. Julia modeled first and later she became an actress. Released in March 1990, Pretty Women was the most
Successful romantic comedy at the box office in recent film history (Wayne Wilson 12). The papers wrote about her and the whole world talked about her. As statistics show, superstar Julia Roberts is the highest-paid actress in history. According to The New York Times, Julia is the only female star who can pull in $100 million in domestic ticket sales in movie after movie (Wilson 5). In an interview from the "Celebrity Profile" program, I have learned that when not working, Julia divides her time between a house that she owns in Los Angeles and a ranch in Montana that she shares with the actor Kiefer Sutherland, who was one of her costars in Flatliners. While Julia Roberts continues to charm the world with her beautiful smile, my second hero Anna Kournikova has become one of the best tennis players currently."
Abstract This paper begins with a discussion of the importance of mythic heroes to society and storytelling and how they serve to teach the principles that are valued within different cultures. The paper then describes the main attributes of mythic heroes and looks at some famous mythic heroes in literature that suit this description.
From the Paper "Myths have served as cosmology and theology, as entertainment and as educational. They are actually all of these things and probably more. The myth is what the individual or the culture needs it to be. It is not the form that is important as much as the function: a way to experience and describe the mystical aspects of life; a means to understanding and explaining the scientific truths that have, at times, been beyond the abilities of science; to support and validate the social order; and to provide guidelines for living."
Abstract This paper attempts to establish the character Othello in Shakespeare's Othello as a classic tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. The paper gives the various theories of Aristotle as found in his 'Poetics' related to tragedy and tragic hero.
Abstract An analysis of Joseph Campbell's twelve stages of the hero as they relate to Neo in the film "The Matrix", and Harry Potter in "The Goblet of Fire". It also discusses the mythological hero.
From the Paper "Joseph Campbell in his landmark book "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" outlines the deeply rooted human psychology that forms myths. Through his twelve stages of a hero, Campbell attempts to isolate the key ingredients of all mythological hero stories in order ..."
Tags: mythology, hero, joseph campbell, the matrix, harry potter, goblet of fire, Neo
Abstract This paper analyzes the song "Working Class Hero" for what it says about work and workers, and for how it might help a vocational counselor. This paper notes that the song "Working Class Hero" celebrates the members of the working class who do their jobs for their families and who do not get the respect they deserve. The song does not single out one type of worker but instead celebrates the class of workers who do most of the work for society.
From the Paper " The song begins with a reference to retirement, to the end of the working life, showing how little the worker receives in terms of praise for what he has done. He is given a gold watch and holds it in his callused hand. The song also indicates, however, that the working class hero does not want more than this and instead has worked his whole life for the good of his family, giving his wife a house and his children a start in life. "
This paper contrasts and compares the character of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman," and Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero in "Poetics."
Abstract This paper focuses on the character of Wily Loman and finds out how the man fits the description of a tragic hero as given by Aristotle in his book, ?Poetics.' Willy Loman is the leading character of Arthur Miller's play titled "Death of a Salesman" which appeared in 1949. The author of this paper feels that Willy Loman is unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. Using examples from the play, the author shows how Loman feels that he and his son are successful businessmen but in reality he is a weak fellow who is incapable of turning his dreams into reality.
From the Paper "Aristotle also clearly said that a tragic hero was not someone who brought misfortune upon himself through some accident. For example while Brutus was a tragic hero, Julius Caeser himself cannot be categorized as one because the latter as killed by those whom he had trusted while the former ruins himself because of a series of errors. Therefore it is clear that a tragic hero is the one who commits series of mistakes and therefore ultimately ruins himself and meets a tragic end. Willy Loman too did not become suicidal all of a sudden, he committed grave errors form time to time because he failed to acknowledge the importance of hard work and thus finally met a tragic death which was more a result of living in an imagery world than anything else."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts two Arthurian legends with respect to the role of the hero cycle. It looks at T.H. White's novel that traces the life of King Arthur, "The Once and Future King," and the chivalric adventure, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." It also looks at the hero quest and the journey to obtain it in both stories.
From the Paper "Among the many themes that dominate all Arthurian literature is that of the hero on a cyclic quest in pursuit of some greater good or cause that speaks to the obligation of the knight to protect others. In this brief.."
Tags: King Arthur, Holy Grail, hero quest, hero cycle
Looks at gender ideals in medieval epic literature as presented in "Beowulf", "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales".
Abstract This paper explains that the medieval masculine and feminine ideals are very well represented in three major texts of English literature: "Beowulf", "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales". The main heroes and their female companions in these three texts share very important features, both physically and psychically, which indicates that there is a pattern in medieval literature regarding the essential characteristics of a virtuous individual. The author contends that the main necessary features for the male hero are honor, prowess, valor and purity of heart; however, the female characters, who are also very virtuous, pure and extremely beautiful, are passive characters that serve only as instruments to men's actions.
From the Paper "The male ideal briefly sketched above is complemented by the female ideal of such characters as Wealhtheow, King Hrothgar's wife in "Beowulf", or Guinevere, King Arthur's wife. Both are perfect beauties and virtuous, gentle persons. However, they are no more than icons, without a real importance. Although Wealhtheow seems to play a role in the poem as she makes two speeches in important moments of the action and performs ritualistic acts, she is actually just an instrument in the very masculine world of the epic. Women do no play a role as such in the medieval society, although they can have some value as emblems for purity and beauty."
Abstract The hero of the revenge tragedy is known for having certain characteristics. These include that the hero is compelled to act by certain forces, that the existing authorities are unwilling or incapable of satisfying the hero's craving for justice, that the hero has a detailed and devious plan they are determined to carry out and that there is a moment of declaration where the avenger tells the victim why they are going to be killed. "Hamlet" (William Shakespeare) and "The Libation Bearers" (Aeschylus) are two revenge tragedies, with the heroes of each Hamlet and Orestes. Since Hamlet and Orestes are both revenge heroes, it would be suggested that they are similar characters and they would each meet the criteria of the revenge hero. However, a close look at the two plays in this paper show that Hamlet and Orestes are very different characters. Orestes meets the fours criteria of the classic revenge hero, while Hamlet pushes all the boundaries of what would be expected and either only partially meets, or does not meet, the four criteria at all. To illustrate the differences, Hamlet and Orestes are compared, based on the four characteristics identified.
From the Paper "The second characteristic of the classic revenge tragedy hero is that the existing authorities are unwilling or incapable of satisfying the hero's craving for justice. In both plays, the authorities are unwilling to right the situation, meaning that it is left to the hero to right it. Hamlet's and Orestes's circumstances are the same on this point. However, the two heroes differ in that Orestes has a craving to right the situation and Hamlet does not. The circumstances in both plays are very similar. In Hamlet, Claudius has killed the king and assumed the role of king. This puts Claudius in the role of power and since Claudius is at the highest level, the authorities cannot right the situation. This creates a need for someone to right the situation and Hamlet is assigned to this task. Seeking revenge is then a way to avenge Claudius's murder, as well as to restore harmony. In The Libation Bearers Orestes's mother Clytaemnestra has murdered her husband and Orestes's father, King Agamemnon. Clytaemnestra has obtained the highest seat of power, just as Claudius did. With Clytaemnestra at the highest level, the authorities cannot right the situation. The task of righting the situations falls to Orestes, with this necessary both to revenge his father's murder and to restore harmony."
Abstract This paper examines the conception of heros, or heroism as detailed in Joseph Campbell's essay,"The Hero's Adventure." The author discusses that each person defines a hero differently, and that it can be someone who has made a difference in our own personal lives, a famous person from history that has influenced many people, or the individual, themself. The author feels that many heroes are people who have come from humble beginnings and overcome many obstacles to succeed in their lives. The examples given in the paper are Ghandi, Jesus and the leaders of Ancient Greece. The paper also discusses the role of movies and television in promoting the role and definition of the 'hero' as the good guy who has triumphed over evil and adversity to save the day. Also discussed in the paper is how we are all heroes, as we all have overcome challenges and difficulties such as illness, death and trauma in our own lives.
From the Paper "The hero's journey is essentially a cycle of going and returning, and for most people this involves a journey within our self, in order to conquer our personal faults and self-doubts. Just as with the heroes of history and fiction, everyone faces trials and challenges throughout their lives. These challenges are often difficult, such as the illness or death of a loved one, the trauma of being the victim of an accident or of crime, or the loss of a job. Others, such as moving home, starting school, or changing jobs, are situations that can be stressful and require us to adapt and reevaluate our priorities. These events and situations require the individual to show the same "heroic" qualities of courage, bravery, persistence, and self-discipline, that fictional and historical heroes exhibit in their mythical, hero's adventures."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that Bond is quite different in certain aspects of being a hero such as secret identity, social life, moral values and general applicability from other heroes. The writer notes that American heroes are all similar in character, but the hero character, James Bond, works to conflict with these classical criteria. What connects him to the title hero just as Superman, Batman and Spiderman is his ability and drive to protect innocent people from evil. What sets him apart is his means of getting the job done. The writer maintains that Bond's significance is to show the realistic interpretation of the traditional American hero in our world today. Each hero achieves the same goal in saving innocent lives, Bond just embodies the grown up and realistic way of getting it done.
From the Paper "No matter how many women he has, there is no attachment between James and his ladies. His relationship with them is strictly sexual. This goes back to the secret identity issue mentioned before in terms of the love life. Since James does not have any type of emotional attachment to his mistresses, he has no reason to create a secret identity in order to protect them from his enemies. The other characters largely care about the women in their lives, thus using a secret identity to keep them safe. Not having the problem of worrying about his lovers, Bond is able to use his real name. This idea of moral involvement is another aspect in which Bond contradicts the traditional American hero myth.
"In each of the three American hero stories, the character has something in their past that makes them who they are. This leads to a moral obligation felt by the hero to protect those who can't protect themselves."
This paper discusses the tragic hero in Greek mythology by comparing Sophocles' character Oedipus with other Greek heroes---Hercules, Odysseus and Achilles.
Abstract This paper explains that a tragic hero, which was created by the ancient Greeks and defined by the philosopher Aristotle, is a hero who is otherwise perfect except for a fatal flaw, that eventually results in his demise. The author points out that the typical tragic hero is a complex and well-developed character, as is Sophocles' "Oedipus the King ", who is a textbook tragic hero that draws out the three responses from the audience--attachment, fear and pity. The paper relates that Oedipus' demise is unlike the demise of other typical heroes, like Hercules or Odysseus, because Oedipus' story does not end with his death but rather with blindness and his expulsion from the human community.
From the Paper "The complexity of Oedipus' "harmartia" is an important element of his heroism.The Greek term "harmartia" means "tragic flaw." However, the tragic flaw, in Greek mythology, is more of a mistake than an innate flaw. Aristotle stated that all tragic heroes suffer a "harmartia." This human weakness allows the audience to relate to the hero and feel sorry for him. Oedipus' flaw is his lack of knowledge about his own identity. Because he is not responsible for this flaw, the audience feels sorry for him and fears for him because they know there is nothing he can do to change his fate."
