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Reflecting on our own cultural identity
Reflecting on our own cultural identity
Essays on cultural identity
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The archetype of hero is a literary character that is all-round good. He or she will save other people, do the right thing, protect that is good and they will fight any monster that comes to his or her way. They are one of the basic paradigms in tales and mythology from across the world, but especially in European culture. For example, the hero archetype starts from Achilles until Beowulf via superheros such as Superman and other 1980s action
But a hero isn’t just defined by their superpowers or what book they come from, it’s the choice to do the right thing even if it means getting hurt in the process. Heroes don’t have to be from a book or a movie franchise. Heroes can be ordinary people thrust into impossible situations or one who sticks their neck out to save yours. Take the nameless French girl from Elie Wiesel’s Night for instance. She slipped him a small piece of bread after Elie got beat by Idek, a guard.
There are many characteristics that make up a hero. For instance, many hero’s are known to be very brave, courageous and motivated people. Many people have different ideas of what they think a hero is, but no who idea’s are ever alike. Some people when they get asked “What is a hero?” they
A question often addressed in literature, media, and art, as well as by people themselves. The typical idea of “heroism” tends to bring to mind an image of a superhero or someone who saves many lives, but does being heroic always involve having superpowers or putting yourself in danger to save others? Exploring what makes someone a “hero” in others’ eyes could just mean looking at people who do things that no one else would think or care to. Evaluating what defines a hero in the most basic sense can help to show what being a hero actually
The novel “The Outsiders”, is about two gangs, the Socs and the Greases. The members of each gang show that they’re unified. The characters in the novel are united by living in the same neighbourhood and being in the same gang. The appearance and language unites the characters, they look the same and talk a lot like each other. Violence in the novel is very common, this unites the characters, by fighting together this shows that they will always be there for each other.
When asked to describe a hero, Mickey Mantle, famous baseball player for the New York Yankees, Said “Heroes are people who are all good with no bad in them” This quote shows that a hero is someone who always does the right thing and has good intentions. What a hero should look like now is someone who is loyal and brave. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus proves that he is a hero when he went to save his men on “Circe’s Island.” and defeated the cyclops in “The Cave of the Cyclops.”
After careful examination of the article, “Where I Find My Heroes” authored by Oliver Stone, it became apparent that Stone uses the rhetorical devices of examples and imagery to help convey his definition of a hero. To help portray his image of a hero, Stone provides examples of heroes all throughout his lifetime. For example, he later stated that as a child, “My heroes were always people like George Washington and General Custer and Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Men, generally, and doers” (Stone 1). Then as he talks about what he believes fits the definition of a hero now, one can see that he has mentally evolved to that of someone who should be honored for sacrifices made, not actions that led them to fame.
"A hero is someone who does something for others. He does something that other men don’t and cant to. He is different from other men. He is above other men. No matter who those other men are, the hero, no matter who he is, is above them.
In todays day in age, a hero could be sitting behind a computer hiding in the darkness (Cannon). In the 20th century, heroes were considered to be people who fought in wars and who won medals of honor. These people performed amazing feats and went through hardships during these times of war. However, the definition of a hero has evolved since the 20th century into people who make a difference in peoples lives not just in warfare. A good example of an important hero is Beowulf.
Philip Zimbardo once stated, “I'm saying to be a hero it means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are making a sacrifice. Heroes always take a risk. Heroes always deviant. Heroes are always doing something that most people don't and we want to change.” I completely agree with what Mr. Zimbardo said, A hero is someone who will always be willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good.
Heroes in our society are revered and respected as Joseph Campbell reminds us: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Joseph Campbell). Heroes exist in all societies and throughout history. Maybe they are not always on the news or from the movies, but their words and their actions never fail to resonate across their feats. A hero gives of himself and dedicates himself to causes which better others and their society unlike individuals who are self serving, greedy, and cruel.
On October third, exactly at 1:49 PM, I finished an essay that explained my definition of a hero. In the essay, I stated that a hero should have three main character traits: selflessness, responsibility, and kindness. Out of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus from Black Ships of Troy, Hector would best fit my definition of a hero. To begin, Hector could be known as selfless. Selflessness has a connection to the word bravery.
A hero to me, for the longest time, is someone who did something epic. Something that changed the world, something that impacted our lives in a positive way. Never did I once stop to think about the smaller things that made someone a hero or the virtues that these heroes had in mind that mad them what they were, until I read Homer’s The Odyssey. I started to give more thought on how commitment, sacrifice and loyalty all came into play to make Odysseus the great leader that he was portrayed as, at the same time I questioned if these values, when placed in the “wrong hands” would make one into a bad and morally corrupt person.
In Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, he writes about the many different stages of the hero’s journey. He claims that the hero’s journey, or the monomyth, has existed as a guideline for authors and storytellers for centuries. The authors of these stories may have consciously utilized the monomyth, or the stories may be so commonly used that it became the natural way of telling a story about a hero. The monomyth is organized into three different phases: the initiation, separation, and return. Within these phases are the different encounters the hero has.
What defines a modern hero? By itself, the concept of modernism is defined as a divergent from any traditional standards. It could be either religious or societal standards. Therefore, the overall concept of a modern hero is defined as a protagonist who goes against the traditional standards. In other words, a non-stereotypical hero.