Lance Armstrong, Tragic Hero? Lance Armstrong is a modern day tragic hero. He managed to win the hearts of millions with his heartwarming survival story, and his charming personality. Armstrong was a worldwide inspiration for those who had survived cancer, and cyclists in the making. He was a remarkable athlete with a remarkable judgment error; doping. Armstrong was a man with slim odds of surviving his testicular cancer. Through all of his treatments, he beat the odds. He survived and came back stronger. His cancer background is powerful, practically legendary. He used his survival story to defend his name, hoping for pity, when the doping accusations began. As Armstrong became healthy again, he compared losing to dying. He used this mindset to motivate himself in his cycling competitions. His near death experience molded him into a driven athlete. Armstrong’s tragic flaw was his desperate need to win. He went to great lengths to achieve this. From a cancer survivor, to a doping cyclist, he had the public fooled. …show more content…
He was considered to be a noble man, as he did everything in his power to distract the public from knowing his truth. He supported anti-doping organizations and even published a book stating he was innocent. But he knew he was guilty, along with the hundreds of people involved in the races. He took ownership of what he did, even as he refused to admit it to the public. Armstrong repeatedly told lies to the public, he refused to give up his miracle story, the story that made him into an icon. He felt that he had to keep his story
He experienced joy, pain, satisfaction and disappointment through it, but ultimately, he let social pressure overcome his spirit and change who he was meant to become. Hockey allowed him to physically and mentally mature as a person, but it was the sport itself, at the end, that led to his destruction. His journey as a player is a clear representation of the racism that is still unconditionally present in our community and that has to be overcome in order obtain social equity in sports and other recreational
Humanity has created this “universal story” of what a hero is, or at least the myth of it, time and again. Different tasks and encounters with a variety of villains all lead the hero to the prize, to a new life (Seger). This person deemed the hero is as ordinary as the next but what makes them different is the drastic test that they must face. Individuals admire this character because the hero stands for something, something bigger than themselves. Whether it be the compassionate act of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or the death of the oldest brother in Brother Bear, as an outsider, an individual sees the human side of these heroes and relates. Connor Lassiter from Unwind by Neal Shusterman is an ideal example of the myth due to the
Terry knew that aches and pains are common in athlete’s lives. At the end of his first year of university there was a new pain in his knee. One morning Terry woke up to see that he could no longer stand up. A week later Terry found out that it was not just an ache he had a malignant tumor; his leg would have to be cut off six inches above the knee. Terry’s doctor told him that he had a chance of living but the odds were fifty to seventy percent. He also said that he should be glad it happened now fore just 2 years ago the chance of living was fifteen percent. The night before his operation a former coach brought Terry a magazine featuring a man who ran a marathon after a similar operation. Terry didn’t want to do something small if he was going to do something he was going to do it big. "I am competitive" Terry said, "I’m a dreamer. I like challenges. I don’t give up. When I decided to do it, I knew it was going to be all out. There was no in between Terry’s sixteen month follow up he saw all the young people suffering and getting weak by the disease. He never forgot what he saw and felt burdened to thoughts that died to run this marathon. He was one of the lucky one in three people to survive in the cancer clinics. Terry wrote asking for sponsorship " I could not leave knowing that these faces and feelings would still be here even though I would be set free of mine, s...
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
Terry Fox had all the obstacles lined up and he knocked them down, although the malignant tumor in his right leg finally overwhelmed Terry, he still overcame numerous obstacles. Terry Fox dealt with the tumor in his leg and overcame the amputation of his leg. He also managed to train for the marathon of hope, even though overcoming a physical and emotional amputation. He also was able to start his run for the marathon of Hope, by attempting to run across Canada raising money as he ran. Even though Terry Fox did not complete his goal, he still lives on today in our currency, stamps, and many more ways.
In conclusion, Arthur Ashe successfully accomplished his American Dream, earned admiration from many and was recognized as one of the greatest tennis player in the country. As one of the first African American male tennis player who overcame inequality, he became an inspiration to others and encouraged them to work hard for their dreams. It had been years ever since his death in 1993, yet his legacy still live on.
According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
During his training, he was full of ambition of winning the 10 kilometers’ race (6.2 miles). He qualified in the United States qualifier with earning the last spot on the team. He was going into this event as nothing but a regular human but that’s how all the heavy competition saw as. They thought of him as a dirty savage that did not belong at Tokyo for the race. He did not mind because he was just going to run in his state of mind
won millions to his cause. Even though he said that at his death he was "...the
Beowulf perfectly fits the definition of “tragic hero” as evidenced in the epic poem, Beowulf. He is defiantly the hero in the story, but as a result of his tragic flaws of having too much pride and seeking fame, he loses his life and his kingdom falls into the hands of the enemy.
Tom Longboat was a fantastic runner and had a different training style which he got called lazy for and was told he didn't care. Even though in today's world his style of training is what we use. After winning the Boston Marathon, Longboat got lots of criticism from the newspapers being called a "redskin," "obstinate" and "the original dummy" (Kelly). One newspaper congratulated his trainers for "having such a docile pupil. "Longboat didn't let all the criticism bother him and just pushed it aside and kept running, many times he would address it as people just being jealous. On many occasions, Longboat was discriminated against for being indigenous and accused of using narcotics because of his
Who is your hero? Many of us can clearly picture our idea of our personal hero in our head, but is the person you consider to be a hero really a hero by definition? In Heroism: Why Heroes are Important, Scott LaBarge, a Classics and Philosophy Professor at Santa Clara University, awakens your thoughts on the word heroism and how it has changed since its origins in ancient Greece. Throughout his essay, he goes in depth into the term ‘hero’ and compares it to society’s take on heroes today. Although LaBarge uses examples to back up his stance that “Today, it is much harder to detach the concept of heroism from morality (LaBarge. 1),” his essay contains flaws and he contradicts his own words.
He donated a lot to those who got the cancer and claimed in the media that everyone should pay attention to people who happened to get cancer and do something to make a difference. His pity on those pathetic patients and his kindness proved that he could be a hero helping with cancer. In 1997, Lance Armstrong created a riding activity which is called riding for the roses. Then he went over the America to advertise the importance of taking care of people who got cancer. His kindness proves that he is the strongest inspirit to be the
The definition of a ‘tragic hero’ is “a character with a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his or her own ruin.” Lance Armstrong, a professional cyclist who raced from 1989 to 2011, was not only a tragic hero but he was also known as the saviour of cycling. He not only survived stage IV testicular cancer but he came back to win the most prestigious cycling event on the planet, the Tour de France. He did this not once but seven times consecutively. He also established the ‘Lance Armstrong Foundation’, now known as the ‘LIVESTRONG Foundation’ a charitable organisation which raised millions of dollars to provide support for people with cancer.