...Bo Jackson has always been a larger than life ideal, possessing many characteristics of an epic hero. He played not one, but two professional sports. He was a superstar in both Professional Football and Professional Baseball. Even at a young age he was doing many things out of the ordinary. For example, he jumped over a volkswagon bug and landed the jump. This is just one of the many things that made him better than a normal person. Although he was born in a small poor town in Alabama, Bo is an epic hero because he is capable of great strength and courage, he possess humility, and he has traveled over a vast setting. Bo Jackson was born with incredible strength and courage. From a young age till his retirement he showcased his strength and...
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...Bo Jackson was a real life eric hero. He was one of most strongest and fastest athletes to ever live. What was special about him was that it was all natural. You would expect him to get all his muscle from lifting weights or using steroids. In reality, all that power and speed came naturally to him. Even though Bo Jackson has all the characteristics of an epic hero, the obvious ones were him being capable of deeds of great strength and courage, him traveling over a vast setting, and Bo being a great warrior. Bo Jackson is the definition of great strength and courage. At batting practice for the Royals, Bo hit a ball so far it hit the crown on the Royals scoreboard. No one has ever done that before or after him. One time he was standing in...
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...Literature and the Individual in Early Modern Masterpieces Monique Dean ENG/106 August 21, 2012 Ann Francis Literature and the Individual in Early Modern Masterpieces Montaigne is known as one of the most prolific authors throughout history. His works are largely based upon his life, a life that began in the 1500’s. One of the more fascinating facts about Montaigne is that he had an absolutely horrible memory. This goes on throughout many of his books, he holds nothing back speaking about how he is just an ordinary person and not perfect. Even with his memory failures and other shortfalls, there have been many successful writers and readers all over who admired and looked to him as someone they aspire to be. Early Writers Montaigne was not known for being a follower however; he did have those who he admired throughout his life. He was a huge fan of Socrates. Socrates usually made it known that there were many things that he did not know. Montaigne adopted this mindset as well, and is known for asking the question, “What do I know” (Laundry, 2011)? “Unlike Socrates, his is not the mastering of nature by reason, the subordination of the outer self by the intellect, but a bringing into balance of the inner and outer self” (Losse, 2002). Montaigne would also provide most of the information in his essays on himself, and his situations as they relate to his life. This is why most considered him to be a bit of a skeptic. Montaigne also had his favorites that...
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...#1 Epic heroism usually denotes to an individual of highest social class such as great kings or leaders. Epic heroes are outstanding fighters, sometimes carrying some divine powers. To show his heroic elements, the hero must confront some supernatural enemies, quests, war, or adversity. The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts most of these characteristics of epic heroism. The description about his birth to the journey and adventures in his life meets the characteristics of an epic hero. Although, at some points, Gilgamesh engages in acts of selfishness and arrogance, I believe he achieves the characteristics of an epic hero and portrays those characteristics throughout the epic. Gilgamesh is described as a son of a mortal man and a goddess, which makes him a one-third man and a two-thirds god. During his birth, Gilgamesh is marked out as a unique type of a person who has connections with both the mortal world and the divine world. The divine birth is very central and important to the various adventures and achievements to come into his life. “When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body…..Two-thirds they made him a god and one-third man (Mitchell, 13). Like most epic heroes, Gilgamesh embarks on heroic quests where he fights with the guardian Humbaba, which was a monster of the holy forest in order to achieve immortal status. Gilgamesh reveals his courageous nature by defying his advisers, including his own mother in efforts to accomplish the quests. Epic heroes...
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...Qualities of an Epic Story in The Notebook What is an epic? An epic, by definition, is the telling of an epic hero’s story through the vast journey and sacrifices he makes. The Notebook would be considered an epic for many reasons. Some may disagree and say it’s just a love story that contains no characteristics, and no proof of being an epic. But in this paper the characteristics of an epic will be explored through facts and examples from the text and from today’s present life and culture. The epic hero, Noah Hamilton in Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook states, “I am no one special, just a common man with common thoughts. I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me. And my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect, I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived (The Notebook).” Some examples of the characteristics in The Notebook that proves this is an epic would include vast settings, the story begins in medias res, the characters have epic digressions and that the hero embodies the values of the culture. Because of how the story starts, media res would be considered the first characteristic of an epic that can be noticed in The Notebook. Our story begins at a nursing home in the south where Allie is being looked after due to her dementia. The nurse is in her room, attempting to have Allie come out and go outside for a little while until a mysterious man shows up. Now, we don’t know who this man is that has just entered her room, and we’re not...
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...Epic Hero An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Beowulf is an epic hero who has an extraordinary amount of great strength. His character in the epic poem shows all of the characteristics that he needs to be an epic hero. The main characteristics of Beowulf are his personality, his great strength and his heroic code. The personality trait that Beowulf contributes to being an epic hero is his humility. This supports him being an epic hero because it shows his humbleness when it comes to how great other people thought he was. He didn't take pride in being the strong and noble person he was. For instance, when Beowulf goes to battle with Grendel, he says he will win if it is God’s will. Here, Beowulf shows how he is not overconfident about himself and he shows how he is trusting in what ever happens, if he wins or loses, that that will be the right thing to happen. Another example of his humbleness and modesty is when Beowulf goes to Herot and approaches the king, Hrothgar, with deep respect. This shows how Beowulf does not have pride in himself. Something an epic hero wouldn't have either. The second characteristic that Beowulf proves to have to be an epic hero is his physical strength. In lines 380-384, it shows how much actual strength Beowulf possesses. Another example would be when he goes into battle with Grendel’s mother. Here, he proves his extraordinary strength when he decides to throw...
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...An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character that is admired for great achievements and known for being a warrior (dictionary.com). There have been plenty of heroes over the course of time, but many believe the most popular Anglo- Saxon hero, Beowulf, most perfectly fits into this category and truly defines what it means. At all times, Beowulf is never afraid to put his life on the line for the sake and protection of his people, which helped him gain approval from the people of his area. Throughout the course of the adventure and journey, Beowulf exemplifies what it means to be an epic hero showing loyalty, courage, intelligence, and selflessness in his efforts to save his people and achieve immortality. Beowulf proves that he is a great Anglo-Saxon epic hero through his loyalty. Loyalty was held paramount by...
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...Lord of the Rings and Modern Day Epic? Epic adventures are one of the oldest and most celebrated works of literature. These adventures paint pictures of larger-than-life heroes, terrifying battle scenes, and heroic triumphs. Most epics served the purpose of transmitting culture and history, as well as entertaining readers. Among classical epics are the well-known Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. However, is the epic adventure a dying breed of literature? Is it possible that epic stories have sustained the test of time and evolved over the centuries? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, is one of the greatest examples of a modern day epic. What do The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Lord of the Rings all have in common? They all share typical characteristics of epic adventures in some form or another. Though the motives and reasons may differ, the theme of journeying is common to all epic adventures. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous adventure with his closest friend Enkidu in order to find enduring fame and glory. In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus embarks on a 10 year-long journey through trials and tests to find his way back home to his wife and son. Epic hero Achilles, of The Iliad, sets out to fight in the legendary Trojan War. Similarly, Frodo Baggins, unassuming hero of The Lord of the Rings, sets out from his home and...
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...Epic Hero Paper There are numerous examples of epic heroes in real life. One that comes to mind is Lilly Singh. Like a typical epic hero in a story, Singh has the same traits as most. In order to be classified as an epic hero, you should have at least 3 of the characteristics. They include having a noble birth, being a great warrior, traveling over a vast setting, being recognized as a national hero, showing humility, having supernatural help, and showing great strength and courage. Lilly Singh embodies the characteristics of an epic hero because she has traveled over vast distances, has shown humility, and has been recognized as a national hero. One reason why Lilly Singh is an epic hero is because she has traveled far distances. According...
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...Odyssey, written by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, had the leadership qualities one must possess to be an epic hero. People in general, always will follow a leader no matter what his or her characteristics are.An epic hero is defined as a human in the favor of the gods who is the main character in an epic poem, has larger than life qualities, goes on an adventure, leads a group of people, and has at least one flaw. All of these characteristics are what make a leader into an epic hero. Odysseus is was exactly what the definition states. There are so many things that can turn an ordinary person into an epic hero and Odysseus is a great example of this. One of the requirements an epic hero must have is the favor of the gods. Odysseus was in the favor of multiple gods and goddesses. Many of them gave him advice or things to help him along his journey. Hermes gave him a magical plant called, Moly, which would protect him from Circe’s drink. Athena was probably the goddess that helped him the most throughout his journey. She warns Odysseus about the suitors back home and helped him fight against them as well as the Trojans. Zeus went both ways about helping Odysseus, sometimes he did and sometimes he did not. The “omen” that Zeus sent when Odysseus faced the suitors is an example of Odysseus being in his favor. Aeolus, King of the Wind, also helped the epic hero. When Odysseus and his crew left the King’s island he gave Odysseus two parting gifts. One of them was a wind that...
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...are certain characteristics that make literature so interesting and entertaining, which are the facts that certain works have the capacity to create a trend or a genre, therefore it gives the piece of work a feeling of transcendetality. Two great authors from the Western civilization that take part of a modern literary culture that is characterized for its epic stories and epic characters that follow along the definition of an epic hero. An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Dante’s Aligheri’s Inferno and Homer’s The Odyssey respectively have two characters that fulfill what is like to be recognized as a brave and noble character. Throughout both poems, we can see how each character has unique qualities that make them outstand and set them up as a leader, but at the same time, they have the flaws of any human being. It is clear when a character overcomes the status of any human being and sets the lead as a hero. An important trait of an epic hero is the fact that starts a journey; it may be of a personal matter, such as Dante, or of societal matter, like Odysseus. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is a war hero travelling home after a period of twenty years. In this epic, Odysseus is brought out as a hero with superhuman courage. In most cases, he has been shown fighting with supernatural forces. One characteristic of this journey that is different from Dante is that the hero in this epic fights against...
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...In Homer's the odyssey there is a character named Odysseus. Odysseus goes on an amazing journey and along his way he goes through many things that mold him into an epic hero. Odysseus also proves his heroism through his behavior. During the story Odysseus often presents us with his great intelligence, his superhuman strength, and also his great leadership and bravery. However though Odysseus does not always act like a hero and does immoral things but when the time is right, the true heroic side of him will come out and we will see how heroic Odysseus really is. Odysseus is a true epic hero and has the the personal characteristics to prove it. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus presents us with examples of his superhuman strength. That is characteristic...
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...In Beowulf there are many symbols and elements. The symbols of Herot hall and Grendel represented all that was good, and all that was evil in the story. There are also many Christian elements in this pagan story. These aspects of the poem are important, but not relevant to today's society. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf is an epic hero. The poem gives the idea of what a hero really is. Many of these ideas have been carried into modern society, and one person fallows these traits of Beowulf. That is the modern hero of Michael Jordan. Beowulf and Michael Jordan had a surprisingly similar journey. The similarities between Beowulf and Michael start with their fathers. Beowulf's father was a great warrior who had earned a reputation as being strong and courageous; however, Beowulf's father was killed and never saw his son do great things. All of these traits of Beowulf's father are similar to that of Michael's dad. Michael's father, James Jordan, was a great professional baseball player who had earned a reputation as a hustle player and a good lead off man. James was killed later in life, and was never able to see his son do great things. Just like Beowulf's father. It is know that both Beowulf and Michael earned reputations when they were young. Beowulf earned his reputation by killing nine sea monsters, all while competing in a swimming race. Beowulf did go on to lose the race, but earned a great deal of respect in his homeland when his people heard the story. Michael earned his...
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...Ian Warren Mrs. Barber English 10 14 November, 2016 Odysseus As An Epic Hero To most people, a hero is a strong, brave person with an amazing costume. Heroes usually have super-powers and are constantly saving people. However in the novel The Odyssey by Homer an epic hero is a character with great bravery and courage to do the tasks that might not be very easy. Odysseus definitely defines these requirements. He is on a long quest to get back home and faces many monsters and deadly situations. Throughout the Odyssey, while facing many obstacles and distractions, Odysseus must be brave and make courageous choices to make it home. A example of a great monster Odysseus comes upon was the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus was trapped in the...
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...The difference between tragic and epic heroes Tragic heroes and Epic heroes; to the average person, they may think there is no difference. The main characteristic of a tragic hero is that he or she must have a tragic flaw, which leads to their downfall. A tragic hero, unlike an epic hero, usually does not have a successful conclusion and does not have to be neither good nor evil. While with an epic hero, he may have to deal with supernatural beings and is said to often perform unheard of, sometimes super human quest. The differences between the two can be hard to find but when you really look into the text, you can snoop out the differences. “Epic heroes somehow always get off easier than tragic heroes do.” “Epic heroes get win and at the end of the day are still thought of as noble birth and great to all humanity. In the play Beowulf, Beowulf, the main character is the exact image of an epic hero As for tragic heroes, it is the complete opposite; they come out on the bottom, with a tragic downfall that they will probably not ever get out of. Epic hero is the central figure of an epic poem whereas a tragic hero is the central figure in a tragic play.” The Circumstances of the Hero’s birth are unusual. At birth, he is said to be the son of a god. At the birth of the Hero, there is often an attempt to kill him. He may be kidnapped or sent away for his protection, foster parents often save him. Though the tragic hero is undoubtedly great, he is not perfect. Combined with his...
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