...Defining a Hero Defining a hero: a seemingly negligible task becomes almost impossible when an individual recognizes the boundless definitions that would have to be outlined. Said individual would need to draw a framework for an idolized figurehead that must transcend time which cannot be fully realized because of the limitless possibilities for such a portrayal. Therefore, rather than recognize an independent definition for a hero, the following paragraphs reflect how Homer treats the theme in his great epic of the Odyssey via Odysseus as opposed to Marvel’s characterization of the seemingly novel hero Anthony “Tony” Stark in the Iron Man trilogy. The Odyssey follows the homeward bound protagonist and his men on their adventures after...
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...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...
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...Every year on September 11, the country mourns a terrible tragedy that happened in America. A tragedy that changed America forever and brought attention to the importance of the need for strong emergency services. America lost nearly 4,000 people that day and 400 of them were firefighters and police officers. They represented on that day what the definition of a hero is. A hero is somebody who puts their life before others, who shows bravery in time of trouble and who didn’t ask for recognition for their heroism. With two buildings going down and civilians still inside, the New York Firefighters and Police Officers put their lives on the line. Their responsibility was to make sure they could get as many people out as to the best of their ability. The Officers and Firefighters had to come to terms with the fact that their chances of getting out of this was not very high. Even though they could not save everyone, the emergency service tried to complete their job to the fullest. They were going to make sure as many people could get out of the building and be taken care of by the paramedics down below. Without their bravery and courageous acts many of the people that survived would...
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...Oh bby please English Dec 14, 2014 Tragic Hero Rough Draft A tragic hero is usually a person of high esteem or social ranking cursed with a flaw or obsession that will eventually lead to their demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero. "What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won"(1.2.70). This shows that Macbeth becomes the new Thane of Cawdor, just like the witches had told him. As Macbeth starts to believe the prophecies of the witches that he will be the Thane of Cawdor, Glamis, and the King, he starts to want it even more. He has the ambition to do what he wants. " Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires"(1.4.50-51). This great ambition will turn into the flaw that hurtles Macbeth to his demise. Outside forces contribute to Macbeth's downfall. "Speak" "Demand" "We'll answer" (4.1.63-65). Macbeth is asking the witches for more prophecies. The tragic hero is generally a person of importance in society."He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor"(1.3.104-105). Macbeth has been given the title "Thane of Cawdor". Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character. Lady Macbeth convinced him that murder is the easiest way to fulfill his ambition to become king. Macbeth agrees although he is scared that his nerve will fail."If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/It were done quickly(1.7.1-2)". Ambition is also seen in act one. "We fail? But screw your courage to the striking place, find we'll not fail."(1.7.59-61). Lady Macbeth...
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...His weapon was the man above and that’s GOD! There was never a time MLK had a weapon to harm, unlike others that were surrounding him. He had a wife aided by his side during this time. Mentioned before, her name is, well now Coretta Scott King. If anything, his special weapon would be the b ible. No other weapon is above it or no other weapon is like it. Another quality MLK had was his strengths and determination to never give up. His strengths was not just his power ability, but through his outstanding speeches. One of them was his famous I Have a Dream Speech. “I have a dream that my four little children one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (I Have a Dream. 2015 p.1). He gave his message in a civilized way without using any weapons or illegal things. He sustained all the things that happened to him. It takes a lot of strength and will to be calm and not to...
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...My Inheritance Named Courage “Courageous, brave, strong, outgoing...” and the list goes on and on. I could not describe a single superhero without using one of those words, and at the very top of that list, is courage. It seems almost cliché to use nowadays. For myself, courage became something ordinary. It had this numb meaning, almost as if this rare trait lost its worth when it became a normality. To think that a value that I see now as priceless, could be thought of as common and as easily obtained as a cold. However, it all boils down to meaning. How courage is defined truly sets its own value in someone’s mind. At least, that was what happened with me. Courage finally became more than just a word, it became a perspective, a goal, a standard. To do so, all I had to do was look inside my own home. Who knew that extraordinary people could live such “ordinary” lives? In the end, my parents...
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...constituent attributes of a Greek Epic Hero? Explicate with reference to 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...
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...The Railroad Worker She was a hero, a woman, an African American, and a former slave who risked her life to bring many slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. She escaped to freedom herself but then returned to the south many times risking that freedom to rescue not only her family but people she didn't know. She was a hero. She was also as wife, a daughter, a mother, a spy, a nurse, a cook, and an army scout for the Union Army. She was a woman of strong moral character who didn't back down from what she believed in. She was brave, she was just. She was small and petite but she never backed down. She never lost a passenger on any of her journeys. Harriet Tubman during the civil war in any possible way she could such as cooking food,...
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...Creon the king of Thebes lives a life of great power. One mistake and all things crumble down under him. He is the definition of a tragic hero. “One who, unsupported by the gods and in the face of human opposition, makes a decision which springs from the deepest layer of his individual nature, his physis, and then blindly, ferociously, heroically maintains that decision even to the point of self-destruction (Burt).” He kept his stance and followed every law that he put forth. Being a role model for all citizens and show no weakness. Antigone was determined to bury her brother Polyneices even though she knew that it was against the community and law. This made Creon infuriated because Polyneices was supposed to be eaten alive. He wasn’t going to let Antigone get away with what she has done; she must be punished. She was sent away to a small dark prison with a scares amount of food. Haemon, his son, loved Antigone and was supposed to marry her. He tried to stop...
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...The notion I'm going to deal with is the idea of myths and heroes. First of all, I'd like to give a short definition, so according to me a myth or a hero is a person who inpires others with his positive thoughts, values or goals. We get totaly influenced and attracted by their good qualities which motivate us to do something good to the society. We can learn good qualities like patriotism, bravery, courage, non violence, compassion, humility, kindness. I would like to illustrate this notion through the theme of Influence and Role Models. We may wonder how can the actions of icons of the past have consequences on people nowadays? In order to illustrate the fact that what they do influence us, our lives, our beliefs, our values My presentation will fall into 3 parts: First of all, I'll concentrate on how role models inspire us by their actions that move us to do the same, then I'll analyse how they encourage us to be the best that we can be before finally focusing on the fact that they are selfless and teach us how to be. Nowadays, a lot of successful people were seen as other’s model. Most of us looked up to someone. It is wildly acknowledged that, role models can influence our lives. They can play an important role in shaping our society. They are figures who seem to embody everything that we think is good, all of the ideal traits that we would like to be able to possess for ourselves, and the kind of life that we would one day want to live. For instance they can provide...
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...Beowulf/SGGN Essay Beowulf, a strong and courageous king, willing to defend his people and his honor at any given moment, was the definition of an epic Anglo-Saxon hero. He conquered his enemies with strength and power and ruled over his people with wisdom. From the 7th century, in which Beowulf was written, to the late 14th century there was an evolution in the type of heroic characters that were portrayed in epic stories. You can see this change in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain, a noble knight of king Arthur, was humble and full of integrity. Although claiming to be the least of Arthur’s knights he was well respected across the land. He was a man of his word and a true representation of a chivalric hero. Both characters in these stories were brave and daring and shared some heroic qualities but they held individual traits as well that made them distinct and one of a kind. Beowulf is depicted in the self titled poem to be adventurous, brave, strong, determined, and willing to take any challenge. The poem focuses on three main battles that help the audience determine his character; his fight against Grendel, his victory over Grendel’s mother, and his defeat with the fire breathing dragon. In these confrontations you can understand that he was a hero, a guardian, and a protector. He rescued those in need by conquering whatever was threatening them. One example is shown when Beowulf is introducing himself to King Hrothgar. He says, “ I battled...
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...Macduff was the ending hero of the story and the sad widower and no longer a father. He decided to avenge his family and protect Scotland by gathering an army and new king, Malcolm. Macduff plays a big role in the story and shows characteristic of a man in this story. One of the main characteristics that he has is honor. Honor is shown by being loyal to Malcolm. Even though Malcolm has many flaws, he still stayed by his...
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...'Lear's suffering is due to the stripping away of his identity'. By considering the dramatic presentation of King Lear, evaluate this view. Shakespeare presents that the stripping away of King Lear's identity is largely responsible for much of his suffering throughout the play. Lear's identity can be seen as lost partly through his own actions, as well as the actions of others, in particular that of his daughters, Goneril and Regan. It can be argued that Lear's loss of identity is down to his own actions. Hence, he can be seen as responsible for causing his own suffering. According to A.C. Bradley 'The idea of the tragic hero as being destroyed simply and solely by external forces is quite alien to him (Shakespeare); and not less so is the idea of the hero as contributing to his destruction only by acts in which we see no flaw'. Bradley's emphasis on the tragic flaw implies that Shakespeare's character's bring their fates upon themselves and thus deserve to face the consequences. An example of this can be seen in Act 1, when Lear fragments his land and divides it between his daughters. The fragmentation of the land is symbolic of the way that Lear also fragments his identity. As king, Lear identifies himself solely on his position of power, and therefore by giving away his land his is also giving away the control he previously maintained over his kingdom, and thus his identity. However, Lear mistakenly believes that he can give up certain aspects of his role, including...
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...Book Review Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. Three Cup of Tea. New York: Penguin Young Reader Group, 2009, 209 pages. This book is from the author’s personal story of how he discovered himself from the failure of mountain climbing to the rescue by the village Korphe in Pakistan. His life goal occurred a big change and resulted the commitment of building schools for poor children in Pakistan and Afghanistan mountains which inspired by the kindness offering that the little mountain village’s chief he stayed. Furthermore, this book is about the process of how he achieved this life goal. Biography of The Author Greg Mortenson is born in Minnesota and move to Tanzania with his parents when he was just three months old because of his father was missionary. He went back to the domestic of the United States when he was fifteen years old. Mr. Mortenson is also a previous mountain climber. He is the cofounder of the nonprofit organizations the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. He has established many schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to more than 28,000 children where few education opportunities existed before, especially female children. Introduction of The Book Greg Mortenson, the author of this book, went to Pakistan for climbing the second highest mountain in the world, K2, to memorize his dead sister. After the unexpected failure of his challenge, he got lost in the mountains. However,...
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...The army’s definition of leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. (Army Publishing Directorate, 2012) Leading is not just getting your troops from here to there; leaders must make corrections and arrive there with a better product than he left with. The old military ways are over. That one angry Sergeant yelling and making Soldiers do push-ups is no more. Yes there are some though actives required to succeed in the military but they build confident, responsible, and disciplined leaders. General of the Army Omar Bradley once remarked: “Leadership in a democratic army means firmness, not harshness; understanding, not weakness; generosity,...
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