...Kayla Romine Mr. Kaplan English 12 P.4 25 October 2011 Heroes Essay “Hero” is one of the thousands of words a person is capable of looking up in the dictionary and the definition is not exactly described what it is stated as. Many Americans believe that the definition they are capable of getting out of the dictionary is the most correct and reliable definition. However, that is not the case because everyone in the world as their own definition of a hero. On the website of The My Hero Project by Ashley from Fredericksburg it is stated, “ When asked "What is a hero?," Christopher Reeve replied that he used to believe a hero was someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now he believes that ‘A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.’ ” A hero does not have a specific definition that could be set in stone for each individual to comprehend. As in the Iliad with Achilles and in the epic of Beowulf, both were heroes in different ways. Whether it be them being main characters or being a male. Beowulf's’ heroic strengths and weaknesses versus the strengths and weaknesses of Achilles’ will be further described. Although the characteristics between the two are widely different, they are both fueled by pride and glory. The only reason Achilles goes to Troy is to enhance his own glory. On the other hand, Beowulf is not as persistent, but the value of glory in his society implies...
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...so interesting about heroes? Thousands murdered by thousands of murderers-war, the place where heroes are born through impossible acts or even death. The battle of Troy was a war in which the most famous of heroes were born. The battle, depicted by Homer in his epic poem the Iliad, gave birth to one of the mightiest of all heroes in history-Achilles. Achilles, renowned for his skills in combat and his blood lust for war, was a hero among the Greeks for his actions. Many considered him a demi-god, for his physique and skills in combat were similar to the of the war god Ares. He was a warlord, an expert in the profession of murder, who’s skills were considered unmatched by any mortal on earth. Achilles himself is the definition of interesting. Although heroes like Hector were mentioned, Homer depicted Achilles as the most ideal hero in the Iliad. Homer puts more emphasis on Achilles than any other character in the text. In fact, it was his name that was mentioned in the very beginning of the text. Homer starts his epic poem with, “Rage: Sing Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks incalculable pain, pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark, and left their bodies to rot as feasts for dogs and birds, as Zeus’ will was done. Begin with the clash between Agamemnon-the Greek warlord-and the godlike Achilles.” (CR, 39) Right away Homer depicted him as a godlike man of war. Also, the text jumps right in to the actions of Achilles, thus centering the...
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...or an average person who is giving everything they have to defend his or her people, heroes will rise when needed. The stories of Beowulf, Achilles, and Aeneas provide the reader with an example of what society of that time viewed a hero as and how they can compare with one another. Homer’s Iliad shows the reader whom ancient society believed a hero to be. It was written in a time when society relied on those strong enough and brave enough to rule the people. This was perfect for the character, Achilles, because in the Iliad he is described to be “godlike” (Iliad, 131) and “swift-footed” (Iliad, 121) suggesting he had superhuman traits such as strength and speed. These qualities worked to his benefit in battle and give him the “Hero” title he deserved. His story tells of his success on the battlefield and his defeat over Hector. Even though Achilles was seen as a hero to his people, he was not always emotionally sound. Achilles once gave up his wife, Breseis, to stop the god Apollo from sending a plague upon the Greek army. When the plague stopped, the battle roared on but Achilles did not participate. He was angered that his wife and prized possession was taken from him. It was not until his best friend, Patrocius, was killed that Achilles, out of complete fury, joined back in the battle to kill any Trojan standing in his way of revenge. His acts of solitude and revenge show where Achilles lack of devotion was to his people. He fought to protect them but his pride and reputation...
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...prevail; scenes of war, heroes are described in action, military leaders, and courage are depicted in such text. The story of the Iliad by Homer describes fifty latter days at the Trojan War. The book is a classical epic poem that vividly describes brass armaments and mortal blows in combat. It also glorifies battle, violence, bloodshed, relates vicissitudes of fortune and the prominence of god intervention in human affairs. The book is a great war book in a sense that the story takes place in a war environment, it has leaders, heroes, who demonstrate courage throughout the book. A-Presence of a war For a Great War text to exist, it must be a war. There was definitely a war in the Iliad by Homer: the Trojan. This War began after the abduction (or elopement) of Queen Helen of Sparta, spouse of King Menelaus, by the Trojan prince Paris. This was an insult to the king. Then all the Achaeans (Greeks) got together to fight the Trojans in order to take Helen back from the Trojans. Everything started because of a selfish act from Paris. Nine years of war, thousands of people dead from both sides, just because one person decides to please himself, regardless of the consequences. War is described in a complex way by Homer. On one hand he is condemning the war by painting a very morbid and perverse image of it. Indeed, Homer starts the Iliad by describing all the pain felt by the Achaeans and the deaths, of thousands of men in the war, as a result of Achilles’ anger who refuses to fight...
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...Name Course Tutor Date Ancient Greek Heroes vs. Modern Heroes Introduction The word hero brings to mind different things to different people, since people tend to have different concepts of heroism. This is particularly the case with regard to the concept of heroes in ancient and modern societies. As times have changed, the definition of heroes has also changed, in keeping with the changes in the modern society. However, ancient and modern heroes do share some similarities, which act as the basis of heroism regardless of one’s perspective. In view of this, a hero can be described as a courageous person, who deliberately sets out to conquer obstacles for the benefit others or one who performs extra ordinary feats. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast ancient Greek heroes with modern heroes, for the purpose of understanding both concepts of heroism. Differences There a few differences between modern and ancient Greek heroes, one of them being the religious background of the ancient Greek heroes. In Greek mythology, heroes were usually religious figures, specifically demigods. They were usually born from liaisons between mortal and immortal parents. These heroes were favored by the gods, hence were able to accomplish supernatural tasks, which were beyond the abilities of normal men. Hercules’ mother for instance was a mortal, while his father Zeus was a Greek god, who disguised himself as her husband. As a result, Hercules was a demigod, and was able to accomplish...
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...at the times of Greek mythology, there were many heroes such as Theseus, Perseus, Jason, Achilles, Odysseus, and Hercules who were celebrated for their divine powers and superhuman strengths. When Giglamesh was wandering around and learning what it meant to put his personal egotism aside for the good of others, was he in fact a hero, or was he just simply growing intellectually within himself? All heroes are famous for the extraordinary selfless acts that they perform for the sake of others. The Minotaur that lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete was defeated by Theseus after the population of Athens was forced to send fourteen children to be eaten by the Minotaur each year to appease him (Infoplease, 2012). Perseus, who was the son of Zeus and Danae, killed the Gorgan Medusa who caused the people who looked directly at her to turn to stone (Infoplease, 2012). In addition, the most fearless and strongest warrior in the Greek war against the Trojans was Achilles, who became invulnerable everywhere in his body except for his heel that his mother held him by when she dipped him in the River Styx (Infoplease, 2012). Odysseus, who is better known as Ulysses, was the King of Ithaca and also a celebrated warrior who assisted the Greeks in the Trojan War. Because of his cleverness and courage, he saved himself and his men from monsters such as the Cyclops (Infoplease, 2012). Unlike the others who were truly the heroes of their time, Jason led the Argonauts in the quest...
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..."mythos" which originally meant "speech" or "discourse" but which later came to mean "fable" or "legend". So the word "myth" is defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. Furthermore, all myths are, at some stage, actually believed to be true by the peoples of the societies that used or originated the myth. The definition is thus clearly distinguished from the use of the word myth in everyday speech which basically refers to any unreal or imaginary story. A myth is also distinctly different from an allegory or parable which is a story deliberately made up to illustrate some moral point but which has never been assumed to be true by anyone. Some myths describe some actual historical event, but have been embellished and refashioned by various story tellers over time so that it is impossible to tell what really happened. In this last aspect myths have a legendary and historical nature. Definitions of Mythology The word mythology has two related meanings. Firstly it refers to a collection of myths that together form a mythological system. Thus one can speak of "Egyptian Mythology", "Indian Mythology", "Maori Mythology" or "Greek Mythology". In this sense one is describing a system of myths which were used by a particular society at some particular time in human history. It is also possible to group mythologies in other ways. For example one...
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...Odysseus and Achilles. The definition of an epic hero is very wide and varied. It includes a lot of attributes and criterions, but for a particular hero to reach the epic stature, it isn’t really necessary to fulfill all the demands and to come up to all the standards. In a very conventional sense, an epic hero is supposed to possess these qualities or is supposed to come up to these standards: 1. Is an important figure from history or legend. 2. Is usually favored by Gods or even partially descended from Gods i.e. semi-divine nature. 3. Takes part in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries and returns home with significant transformation. 4. Illustrates traits, performs deeds and exemplifies certain morals that are valued and held dear by the society/ culture from which the hero comes. 5. Usually embodies cultural and religious beliefs of the people. 6. Has no superpowers, but is smart, brave and has fears too; which he must overcome to protect his friends, family and / or nation. 7. Can also be a warrior of some sort who performs extra-ordinary tasks that most find difficult. 8. Is also a polished speaker who can address councils of chieftains or elders with eloquence and confidence. Literature is replete with examples of epic heroes. Classical Greek literature in particular has produced some of the most famous epic heroes. The epic hero in Greek literature is best defined in the contrasting characters of Achilles and Odysseus,...
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...Hero: a four lettered noun; the dictionary definition of the word 'hero' states that a hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character. Most times when people think of the word hero, the first thing that comes to mind is superhuman fictional heroes such as Superman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman, but a hero does not need supernatural abilities to be considered a hero. There are two types of heroes, fictional or nonfictional, and there are a plethora of different heroes in each category. Greek mythological heroes like Achilles and Oedipus Rex would be an example of fictional heroes and Vietnam War Veterans and Holocaust victims and survivors would be an example of nonfictional heroes. Although the two differ in realness,...
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...Freshman Summer Reading Required Reading: Shane by Jack Schaefer (This book will be read first in Literary Traditions I.) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Gods, Heroes, and Men of Ancient Greece by W.H.D. Rouse General instructions for answers to all journal questions: After reading the books named above, each student is to prepare a journal to be handed to his English teacher on the first day of his English class. The journal must be neatly handwritten in blue or black ink—not typed—on lined loose-leaf paper and on only one side of the paper. All of the questions for each required book are to be answered in this journal. Be sure to answer thoroughly every question not only by providing the answer but also by citing and discussing several quotes and/or examples (a minimum of three) from the book to support each of your answers. Average length of each paragraph should be a minimum of 100 words (approximately one-half page or more). All responses must be written in complete sentences with close attention to all words spelled and capitalized correctly. In addition, students should avoid writing fragments and run-on sentences. When the journal is complete, each student should fasten the entire report into a binder or folder. No typed journals will ever be accepted. Journal Questions for Required Reading Shane 1. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us to “love our enemies” and to “turn the other...
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... Index Names Pages 1.Abstract................................................................................................................................ 3 2.Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 4 3.What is a fictional Character?............................................................................................... 5 4.Evolvement of fictional characters....................................................................................... 6-7 5.Heroes.................................................................................................................................... 8 6.Villains................................................................................................................................... 9 7.Positive Impression................................................................................................................ 10 8.Negative Impression.............................................................................................................. 11 9.Differentiate characters by age............................................................................................. 12...
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...within an organisational context is a widely explored paradigm. It's nature and mottled definitions have formed the basis of organisational study for many decades. From Handy's cultural forms in the notorious "Gods of Management"3, to the Morganest metaphoric representations of the concept such as, culture as a web, an onion, or an iceberg6. Therefore, the contents of culture encompasses a wide range of organisational phenomena including surface features such as values and forms of expression: preconscious factors such as symbols and norms: and deep structures such as basic assumptions and worldviews (Pettigrew 1979; Frost et al 1985)7. They all imply that culture is an integral part of organisations, that without due consideration, development of strategy will ultimately lead to failure, leading to the assumption that culture should always fit with organisational strategy. Revenaugh2 suggests that most researchers assume that corporate culture is an important consideration for understanding and effectively managing organisations, and thus supports that argument. Bringing me to the purpose of this essay, which is to explore the context of organisational culture in more depth and come to a more discernable conclusion about its relationship with strategic management. As a result of its wide and varying definitions, corporate culture can be hard to define, measure or manage; these definitions reveal culture to be a complex concept that involves many factors as suggested by numerous...
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...price which means an entrepreneur takes risks of uncertainty. Another author Schumpeter (1934) defined entrepreneurship as, “An entrepreneur is a person who is willing and able to convert a new idea or innovation into a successful innovation.” For example, a person wants to manufacture soft drinks which test is different from other brands. So, this is one kinds of entrepreneurship. Generally both entrepreneurship and leadership play important role for the organizations and entrepreneurship is not otherwise than a special case of leadership is mainly described in this essay. In the first part some concept of leadership is described by animal as well as with in human context and also theories. And in another part history of entrepreneurship definition and also some types are described. And in last this statement is analyzed by comparing...
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...the hellish nightmares of tortured souls, desecrated bodies, and the regrets of the dead and living are scattered all over in descriptions regarding the Underworld in Greek and Roman literature; in Homer's Odyssey and of Vergil's Aeneid, both had a noticeable emphasis on their own definition of the, “invisible world,” but while both showed off that particular brand of afterlife rather vividly in their own styles ways and particular reactions to it, many people argue that the Aeneid copied from the Odysseus heavily. However, while the Aeneid did copy verses and the general progression of the story from the Odyssey, the centuries of separation between works and cultures show themselves as the two poems are examined more in-depth. Some of the more prominent reasons that many see that the Aeneid copied...
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...Daniel Vicinanzo Plato’s Republic: A Guide to Education The Republic of Plato is a dialogue in which Plato’s teacher Socrates outlines his ideal city. The dialogue first sets out to answer one very important question: what is justice? The story begins with Socrates in the presence of several people, both friends and enemies, to whom he poses the question, ‘What is justice?’ Socrates then goes on to strike down every theory proposed and offers no definition of his own. This brings about the discussion of the ideal city. During this discussion, it is decided that the citizens of the city will be divided into three classes: the auxiliaries, the producers, and the guardians. The guardians are to be a class of citizens above the rest. They will be the defenders and rulers of the city and, therefore, must be the best of the best. This essay will summarize the education that Socrates advocates for the guardians of his city, and then discuss analyze the education of the guardian class in relation to that of Socrates’ own Socratic method to see if Socrates truly believes in the city he is creating. The first mention of the guardians’ education comes after Glaucon wishes to make the city far more luxurious, as he has begun having too much fun making up his own city and cannot imagine his ideal city as austere as the one Socrates has been describing. When Socrates begins adding some of these...
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