Man on Fire
When I think of an American 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 an American Hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines heroism as "heroic conduct especially as exhibited in fulfilling a high purpose or attaining a noble end; the qualities of a hero". Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.
Looking in this day and age, movie heroes are taking the law into their own hands, creating the anti-hero in the long run. Defined by wikipedia, the anti-hero is a villain or an outsider, but is nevertheless portrayed somewhat sympathetically. In particular, an anti-hero may have enough heroic qualities and intentions to align them with the heroes in the readers' mind ("Anti-hero"). A film that depicts the classic vigilante is Man on Fire by Tony Scott. The film takes on the idea of revenge with a blend of disturbingly sentimental seriousness and harsh reality.
John Creasy has the vigilante characteristics that drive him to be an anti-hero. Creasy, however well he hands down earthly consequences, believes devoutly in divine justice. This means that his own journey can't end with his violence unto others, and moreover, that his serial sacrifices for the white child so abused by every adult in sightsave for himmake him less admirable than frightening, a spectator of payback that extends far beyond his own experience or representative capacity (Fuchs).
John Creasy in Man on Fire is to present times as Blondie in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was to the past. Creasy seems to always be down, with not much to look forward to in life, until he opens up to Pita. Creasy is solid as always, and we can see how Pita brightens this troubled soul's days (Laforest).
There are several quotes throughout the movie that lean toward the vigilante side of heroism. " I'm gonna do what I do best, kill em" "You're talking a bout a war, Creasy" "Exactly" "Forgiveness is between them and God, It's my job to arrange a meeting" "Creasy's art is death, he's about to paint his masterpiece" (Man on Fire).
The macho agony of the guilt-ridden hero is over-the-top and an invitation to gnash teeth and chew carpet.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a short film where cruelty functions as a crucial motivation and a major social factor. In the film there was a lot of cruelty going on and helped shape the theme. There were some cases in the film that cruelty showed characteristics of a victim or one of the characters. Cruelty was apart of puritan aspects and it revealed that John didn’t care what he had to go through to save his soul.
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.
Life as a human is dictated by an inborn hunger or purpose, and people, in general, will act on this hunger for their own personal gain in their individual ways. This hunger, be it for wealth, land, love, power, revenge, or pride, can, and will be the undoing or failing of all mankind as Miller so clearly points out in his play 'The Crucible';. This essay will explore the motives of characters within the play and even the motives of Arthur Miller himself and therefore show how conflict stems from certain recognisable human failings including those mentioned above, fear, and hysteria.
Scheidt, Jennifer L., and Denis M. Calandra. “CliffsNotes on The Crucible.” CliffsNotes.com. CliffsNotes. 2010. Web. 18 Sep 2011.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that discusses many issues and spurs contemplation within the reader. While reading this play, because of the controversy of many issues detailed within, it is difficult for one not to take a look at one’s own morals and determine what one would do if placed in a similar situation. The key issues discussed within this play, the effects of hysteria, marital betrayal, and the murderous powers of lies, are portrayed intriguingly and effectively. The lessons that can be learned from The Crucible are still quite applicable today.
This is a character essay on the “The Crucible”. The character I have chosen to be my
The Crucible is a play which brings to our attention many timeless issues. The nature of good and evil, power and its corruption, honour and integrity and our tendency to create scapegoats for all manner of problems are all brought up through the course of the play - sometimes in very dramatic fashion.
Good vs Evil, Reputation and Injustice, as well as fear and hysteria are all key themes in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. Significant events throughout the course of the play were used to highlight and illustrate the importance of these themes within the duration of the play.
It’s clear that both “The Crucible” and American post 9/11 society were so intent on ridding themselves of evil that they sacrificed the lives of the innocent. It is the way in which society reacts to situations that will not only set current decisions into motion, but will also establish this generations legacy for future generations.
Those characteristic traits are what I think makes a hero. We come in contact with heroes everyday. We may not know they’re heroes but whether we know or not doesn’t matter as long as the person they protected believes they are a hero. Just like the people serving our country...heroes, they are pure, true heroes. They have the courage to serve, they have the integrity to serve for America’s morals, they have the fidelity to keep their promises made to this country, and they have the determination to stand and fight for the United States of America. To me those qualities make a
...ssion and intrusiveness. John’s lack of having an open mind to his wife’s thoughts and opinions and his constant childish like treatment of his wife somehow emphasizes this point, although, this may not have been his intention. The narrator felt strongly that her thoughts and feelings were being disregarded and ignored as stated by the narrator “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him” (Gilman 115), and she shows her despise of her husband giving extra care to what he considers more important cases over his wife’s case with a sarcastic notion “I am glad my case is not serious!” (Gilman 115). It is very doubtful that John is the villain of the story, his good intentions towards doing everything practical and possible to help his wife gain her strength and wellbeing is clear throughout the story.
Being one of the world’s most popular art forms, it was inevitable that these archetypes would find their way into film as well. In this essay I will argue that the films Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Watership Down, and Trainspotting are all versions of The Hero’s Journey, consequently demonstrating just how prevalent these archetypes have become in modern cinema. And that mythology and storytelling are important parts of each culture because they prevent the darkness in our hearts from spreading.
Throughout the drama, The Crucible, the characters are faced with chilling choices as they maneuver through a world that has lost its moral compass. The crucibles, the serious tests, of their dearly held values put them in the position of having to figure out what is right and true in a world turned upside down. The value of truth is tested when lies are rewarded and truth brings suffering, shame and the scaffold of the gallows. The value of justice is challenged by a system that comes to be based on coerced confessions, unsubstantiated charges and self-serving political scheming. The value of love, be it of husband and wife or of friends and community, is put to the test where true love is exemplified by fatal choices.
Although both John Proctor, from Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, and Walter Lee Younger, from Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, demonstrate qualities of the anti-hero, such as being ordinary men who are “disillusioned with the society around [them],” Proctor is less of an anti-hero because his downfall benefits a greater cause than Walter’s.
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.