Cyrano De Bergerac – Heroes
Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers.
Cyrano De Bergerac is a perfect example of how many protagonists win our allegiance because his sensibilities will not be denied, because he lives life to the hilt, and because he is a victim of his surroundings. If there was ever a figure who would not be denied his sensibilities, it is Cyrano. When lovers admit, "I'd die for you," it is usually only a figure of speech. Cyrano actually crossed over enemy lines every day simply to mail love letters. He also confessed to her, "My mother made it clear that she didn't find me pleasant to look at. I had no sister. Later, I dreaded the thought of seeing mockery in the eyes of a mistress. Thanks to you I've at least had a woman's friendship, a gracious presence to soften the harsh loneliness of my life. " When Cyrano admits, "My heart always timidly hides its self behind my mind," the reader can instantly relate to this dilemma but it is the fact that Cyrano is able to overcome it that makes him a hero. Not only is Cyrano filled with emotion, but he also goes out of his way to live life to the fullest. Cyrano's introduction to the reader definitely leaves a lasting impression. Not only does he banish an actor from the theater for performing poorly, but he proceeds to recite poetry while dueling with another member of the audience. Every moment of Cyrano's life is filled with action like this. When he was informed that one hundred men were going to kill his friend, Ligniére, he was thrilled with the idea of fighting all these men at once, and, of course, he succeeded. How could anyone not love this man who takes Carpe Diem to its most extreme form? Also, Cyrano is a victim of his surroundings. This may be the one characteristic that completely wins over the reader. Cyrano's most obvious flaw is his grotesque nose, but this would not be so awful if the people around him didn't care.
Al Capone’s family came with a wave of other Italian immigrants that migrated to the United States in the 1800’s. Most immigrants in that time were living in poverty and in very urban areas. Capone’s family lived in the heart of Brooklyn, but his father was a successful barber which allowed them a slightly better lifestyle than most. Al Capone was the fourth of nine children and grew up with a very tight-knit Italian family who were trying to succeed in their new country”. Capone attended public school in the city and had a natural brightness by keeping a “B average” despite playing hooky on many occasions. The sixth grade showcased Capone’s short temper when he hit a female teacher who was lecturing him. This incident reveals the beginning of who Al Capone would come to be. After being suspended for his violence, he never officially furthered his education. He began his life of crime by joining the kid gangs that existed all over Brooklyn. These “gangs” were nothing more than children being hoodlums and participating in petty crimes, although they would be the ...
Al Capone (Alfonso or Alphonse Capone) was born in 1899 and passed away in the year of 1947. Once he had been brought up in New York City, Capone became connected with crimes and was the subject of murder investigations. In 1920 he moved to Chicago and became a lieutenant to John Torrio, a notorious gang leader. They established numerous speakeasies in Chicago in the Prohibition era. After eliminating his opponents, "Scarface" Capone took over control from Torrio. He was implicated in brutal murders and received tribute from businessmen and politicians. Al Capone was a well known powerful, murderous gangster in America in the 1920’s. (MasterFile EbscoHost)
Countless things have been written about Al Capone were merely fictitious, such as he was born in Italy, when actually he was the first Capone to be born in the United States. When Gabriele Capone came to the United States, he owed no one and was able to read and write in his homeland language. This helped him to get a job and work until he could save enough money to open his own barbershop. He brought with him his 27-year-old wife, Teresa and their two sons, Vincenzo Capone and Rafaele Capone. Later another son, Salvatore Capone was born in 1895, finally the fourth son born in 1899 was Alphonse Capone. Later in 1906 when Gabreile became an American Citizen, all of the family took American names. Vincenzo became James, Rafaele became Ralph, and Alphonse became Al. Later children were John, Albert John, Matthew Nicholas, and Rose. With this large loving family, what made Alphonse become a major figure in Organized Crime? Was he a child who was abused by adults? Was some genetic strain of violence passed on to the child before he was born? No he was not, the Capone family was a quiet conventional family. Al Capone did very well in school until the sixth grade when he lost his temper and hit the teacher and she hit him back, resulting in Al being expelled from school. Al was never going to go back to school again.
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” (Confucius) Cyrano’s insecurity of his nose effects his relationship with Roxane. In Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano De Bergerac, Cyrano’s insecure and eloquent self-perception results in Cyrano’s companionship & loving in his relationship with both Christian & Roxane. Cyrano’s level of eloquence helps him combat the insults of his nose. Cyrano is a poetic, witty, & eloquent man who is insecure & has trouble showing his true feelings for Roxane .Cyrano and Christian work together to win Roxane’s heart, and at the end Cyrano allows love to kill him, even after Roxane discovers & reciprocates his feelings.
Al Capone, America’s most prominent Mafia figure in the 1920’s, also known as “Scarface” for a scar running down his left cheek. Capone didn’t hide in the shadows like most figures in such a shady occupation. He didn’t shy away from the camera, more like he welcomed it, and aimed to be seen by the public as a respectable businessman and a pillar of the community. Surprisingly, Capone wasn’t from a distinctly poor community, his father earned a living as a barber. Capone was introduced to the gang life by a friend and from there it all went downhill and into the life of a gangster.
According to “The Hero’s Journey”, societies throughout history have lifted up exemplary individuals. There is almost always one individual who is a perfect example. He is the guy that leads others and is looked up to. The greeks valued a character that they could aspire to be. Also from “The Hero’s Journey”, the hero seems to be invincible and incorruptible. The hero is tested, but he always seems to prevail. In real life, this can be seen as a world leader or a famous warrior. As quoted from The Odyssey, “ He fought only to save his life and to bring his shipmates home.”(561). The hero always fights for good causes and for others. You never hear about a hero being selfish or foolish. They are always pure and just, so they are often well known and popular among the
When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...
As a young adult, Capone worked as a clerk in a candy store, a pin boy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery (Al Capone). He also worked as a bouncer and a bartender in the Harvard Inn for Jonny Torrio’s friend and Frankie Yale. The Harvard Inn is where Capone received his famous scars, which gave him the nickname, Scarface.
His name is Frank Gulouchyo. Frank Gulouchyo scarred Capone for life. Capone got up, walked over to the young lady’s table, and told her that she had a nice butt. Then Gulouchyo got up and pulled a knife out of his pocket and sliced the left side of his face. That is how Al Capone acquired the nickname of Scarface.
The Five Points Junior introduced Al Capone to a New York mobster named Frankie Yale. By watching Hale using violence to keep control of his turf, Capone followed in his footsteps.Al Capone worked in an Inn where he saw a man and women sitting at a table. He whispered a rude comment into her ear, the man that was with her was her brother Frank Gallucio. It escalated as Frank punched Capone, but Capone didn’t back down as he tried to fight back. Frank Gallucio pulled out a knife and cut Capone from his ear all the way to his mouth. That is how he got the nickname Scarface. A little while after the fight, he met a blonde Irish girl named Mary. They dated, got married, and had a son. Al Capone kept his business away from his family. In 1920, he moved to Chicago to start over.
1. Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac is a classy, intelligent man who writes for a living and his role is that he serves as the gateway for Christian to be with Roxane. Cyrano is so significance because he is stuck in a love problem where he has to help Christian, through his writings to get him and Roxane together but Cyrano also loves Roxane in which he can’t be known that the letters Roxane thinks Christian wrote are actually Cyrano’s feelings. Cyrano is a very intelligent, noble, skillful swordsman who is full of knowledge and creativity to allow him to write his writings. Cyrano shows loving character because he delivers a letter to Roxane every day, of his own feelings and helpful when helping Christian and his struggles with
He is completely confident, almost arrogant, in his fighting and literary abilities, as demonstrated by his defeat and humiliation of Valvert in Act I. In a captivating display of intelligence and physical ability, he defeats Valvert in a swordfight while he composes a poem poking fun at him. Evidently Cyrano has the potential to be a great man, even a hero. The problem originates within his inability to act normally around a woman he is attracted to, much like the majority of modern adolescent boys. This lack of confidence in one area of his life quickly spreads and begins to affect his everyday life, as shown in Act IV when his desperation for a female partner leads him to risk his life on a daily basis by delivering love letters across enemy lines on foot.
In this tragic love story about two men who struggle to win over one woman’s heart, working together seemed like the only option for both of them to get what they wanted. Cyrano is the most admirable character in this play because of all of his acts of kindness and helpfulness and also with his bravery and loyalty to his friends. Sometimes, fate can be unfair, and the greatest person can end up having the worst things, while the worst person can end up receiving the best things. In Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano is a great man, who is noble and brave, but ends up being very poor and dies sadly. Cyrano has proved the readers that he is a admirable person with his loyalty, and has the characteristics and qualities of a gentlemen
Hamlet is a classic example of a story that has a tragic effect. In order for a story to have this effect it must have a tragic hero that receives sympathy from the audience members. To be a tragic hero a character must possess good characteristics: bravery and loyalty, but they also can possess a bad one like pride. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet became the tragic hero after his father is killed. His father, King Hamlet, is killed by his brother Claudius so that he could inherit the throne and everything that came with the kingdom of Denmark. After his father’s death, Hamlet avenges his father’s death by trying to kill Claudius. Hamlet is the tragic hero because he is brave and loyal, but he could not move past his father’s death quick enough which ultimately play a key role in his death. The audience feels sympathy for the predicament that hamlet is in which makes him the perfect tragic hero of the play Hamlet.
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.