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Being A Gladiator Essay

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The Americanized image of gladiators is one of savages, who are glorified killers. Our culture celebrates gladiators and cherishes them as heros, Children fantasize about being gladiators and even dress up as them for halloween. Gladiators are seen as heros who are expert swordsman, people who are to be looked up to and admired. Movies such as Spartacus and 300, portrey gladiators as main characters, in which these men are champions are are tough and rugged and appear to be content with their lives. Gladiators fight for glory in golden armour with cool and unique weapons. However, on the contrary their predicament was extremely dire. The vast majority of the public is unaware of what being a gladiator entailed. The iconic image of a man …show more content…

Currently The fight is very easy as humans as a species have progressed and made our society one of comfort compared to past times. Life and death was a much more common situation in the time of gladiators and a gladiator knew all to well that they themselves were going to be faced with life or death situations. Kill or be killed is an interesting situation and one that gladiators were faced with often. Survival is instinctive for all species of animals, but to take another 's away another 's life comes with some mental stress. To eliminate someone else 's existence, knowing that has family and is loved and has wants and goals is horrible. Yet gladiators did not have any other choice as the value of their own life takes precedence over that of someone else 's. The mental drain of being a gladiator must have been immense and those who could not handle it would have been quickly killed, because those who hesitate about hurting someone on the battlefield would eventually meet someone who would not hesitate and take their life in an instant. This is a crude concept, that over time these men would become so used to bloodshed that they lose their appreciation for human life. Once someone loses that appreciation are they still human? A crucial part of humanity must be the appreciation and empathy associated with human life. Was some vital part been stripped away and rewired by the sick people in control of the gladiatorial

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