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Characteristics of heroes
Characteristics of a heroic man
Characteristics of a heroic man
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Hercules, a great figure in Greek mythology who fought off massive beasts with his bear hands, can be considered one of the most popular in Greek mythology. How does Hercules compare to a little known Nigerian boy born to poverty who becomes successful through plain hard work, better known as Okonkwo. These heroes both were helped along by wise men, both had to prove themselves as a hero through tough situations, and They also had to deal with large amounts of pride that initially kept them from fulfilling their destinies. Now let's compare the heroic nature of both Hercules and Okonkwo.
While in hard times or when struck with a hard decision, The heroes both found the advise of very wise people weather it was intentionally sought out for or not. In the story “Hercules” the hero, obviously Hercules, went to “The Oracle at Delphi” to find what he can do about the accidental murder of his own family. The oracle told Hercules to “ Go to king Eurystheus... and submit yourself to any punishment asked of him” (“Hercules”). Afterwards, Hercules went to the king and had to complete the “12 labors of Hercules” (“Hercules”) as his punishment. Hercules completed all of the tasks and the twelve labors ended up being Hercules' claim to fame and it was all to the credit of the Oracle's advice. In Okonkwo's case, The advice came from one of the elders of the village Ezeudu who told him not
“to have a hand in Ikemefuna's death” (Achebe 57). Okonkwo, being a little more independent and stubborn than Hercules, completely ignored the advice and cut Ikemefuna down to avoid being called weak. This moment in Okonkwo's egg-headedness helps you to understand why Hercules's ending is a little happier than Okonkwos while still going through a similar jour...
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...until it was too late that the other messengers were already gone. They could now inform The others that Okonkwo had killed one of them. After Okonkwo killed the messenger he realized that it was too late to save his culture and religion from to British who were seeking change. This rapid sequence of events led to Okonkwo's eternal downfall and he killed himself out of hopelessness.
While these heroes both traveled through time being helped along the way, facing hardships, and finding faults in their own pride. One of these heroes found success and the other found failure. Hercules took the Oracle's advice and used it to help prove himself worthy of the title hero. Okonkwo let his negatives outweigh all of the great feats he was able to accomplish and so his ending was not as sweet. These heroes, no matter how similar their journeys were destined to opposite fates.
The Odyssey is a famous Greek tell written by Homer about Odysseus. A hero in the Trojan War and king of the kingdom island of Ithaca along side his wife Penelope and son Telemachos, Odysseus is known to be a great man. Then there is Okonkwo, the main character in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. A story of the African Ibo tribe, Okonkwo is known as the greatest fighter in his tribe and grows to plays an important role in his village, despite his father leaving him with nothing to live off of. These two different characters from these two different books, both full of pride and reason, embark on a epic journey that will challenge who they are/have become but each will react differently based on time and experience and for that reason there are two different outcomes.
Nathaniel Hawthorne once said, “The greatest obstacle to being heroic is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one's self a fool; the truest heroism is to resist the doubt; and the profoundest wisdom, to know when it ought to be resisted, and when it be obeyed”. The book, The Odyssey, written by Homer, explains about a man named Odysseus and his ten year journey home from the Trojan War. During his journey, he encounters new challenges such as battling mythical creatures and surviving the situations the gods and goddesses create. However in the end, he must prove himself worthy to the people of Ithaca and to his family. Considering this, Homer represents Odysseus as an epic hero multiple times. The author uses the element, leadership to develop Odysseus for his noble deeds. The author also describes him as being glorified, or worshipped by others. Therefore, Odysseus truly is an epic hero because of the descriptions Homer uses to describe Odysseus’s strategic acts in times of need and the growing inspiration everyone has for him.
Opposed to that of common thought, superman is not the only type of character that fits the heroic persona. Although “superheroes” typically come to mind when one thinks of a hero, there are many other ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. A hero is a person who takes the initiative to set out on a journey of internal growth. During this symbolic journey, one truly finds himself and betters the lives of other mentally and physically. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus takes the path of heroism, resulting in the reborn spirit of a selfless, modest hero. During the process, Odysseus is faced with many challenges that he must overcome in order to earn the noble title. Odysseus proves himself to be a well-deserving hero because he is intelligent with his decisions, he displays cleverness, and he rids himself of hubris.
Both protagonists, Oedipus of “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles and Okonkwo from “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe, possess tragic flaw that leads to their eventual downfall. Oedipus and Okonkwo are portrayed to be tragic heroes of their respected story. Tragic hero is someone who falls of power not necessarily because he is a “bad” or evil person, but he is destined to his downfall. In both stories, fate and free was a major theme that decided both characters fortune. Both characters, Oedipus’ and Okonkwo’s individual actions and their individual character traits led them closer to their downfall. However, narrow-mindedness leaves them both at fault for their self-destruction. Both Oedipus and Okonkwo’s fate and actions through
“They will take him outside Umofia, as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you his father. (57)” This quote explains that Ogbuefi expresses concern for Okonkwo, because the Oracle explains how it would be wrongful of Okonkwo to kill Ikemefuna. “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak. (61)” This quote portrays that Okonkwo completely disregarded what Ogbuefi and the Oracle cautioned him about, because he was too concerned about his status of what others thought of him. “At last the man was named and people sighed “E-u-u, Ezeudu is dead.” A cold shiver ran down Okonkwo’s back as he remembered the last time the old man had visited him. (121)” At this point in the story, it appears that Okonkwo is starting to realize his wrongdoings, primarily because he takes religion and his spiritual life very seriously, in regards towards the Oracle. Okonkwo begins to lose trust within his family, especially with Nwoye. (As mentioned in the previous paragraph.) In the beginning of the book, Okonkwo relied on Ikemefuna to help Nwoye become more masculine and tough. After Ogbuefi warns Okonkwo about taking part in the murder, Okonkwo thinks about what could happen to him once the gods find out. Once again, Okonkwo lets his emotions
Okonkwo is often described as being similar to characters in Greek tragedies. Okonkwo knew that the end of his clan was coming, and that they would do nothing to prevent it from happening. He took his life out of desperation. He had struggled his whole life to become a respected member of his community, and suddenly his world is turned upside down and changed forever because of an accident. Okonkwo sees that he is fighting a losing battle, so he quits. Suicide was one of the biggest offenses that could be committed against the earth, and Okonkwo?s own clansmen could not bury him. Okonkwo?s death symbolizes the end of patriarchy in Umuofia. The last page of the book is from the point of view of the white Commissioner, who notes that he wants to include a paragraph on Okonkwo?s life in his book entitled The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of Lower Niger. Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs and defeats are all reduced to a paragraph, much like his culture and society will be reduced.
Both characters have life goals before the fall. “In Things Fall Apart, Achebe makes it clear that Okonkwo’s single passion was ‘to become one of the lords of the clan’. According to Achebe, it was Okonkwo’s ‘life spring.’ Okonkwo wanted to be a hero,” claims Nnoromele (41). In becoming a great man and hero he must overcome the shame his father has left upon him. His father was lazy and had no titles. This helps motivate him on the road to heroism.
Okonkwo crumbled under the newly developed society of the white man in Umofia. He could no longer act on his fury, vehemence or impetuousness, because acting in those non-compliant ways got him no further advancement and was frowned upon. Okonkwo lost his mental composure and everything in his life went to pieces because of it. His lack of sensitivity and understanding of those different from him handicapped his entire life. Okonkwo’s strength was further proven to have many fallacies because he was not strong in the important aspects of having composure and not acting on impulse. He could no longer control the people around him, nor his own life so he became misfortune of a classic tragedy.
Okonkwo associates many of his tribal influences with masculinity. Right away in the book, Achebe affiliates strength with manliness. “As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalizine the Cat” (3). He is honored because he had enough strength and agility to overthrow the cat. Okonkwo feels to be successful and manly, one also must show no emotion. He thinks emotion is for the weak and for woman, and he does not want to be either of those. “Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness,-the only thing worth demonstrating was strength” (28). Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna with this idea. He becomes very fond of the child, but never outwardly shows his affection. If he showed his affection he was afraid he would be looked down upon in his tribe. Although his father enjoyed little things like music and dancing, Okonkwo had no desire to share his father’s enjoyment. He desired power and wealth. He wants to construct and maintain a big house for his many wives and even more children. “Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of ...
Okonkwo wanted to become one of the greatest men in the Ibo tribe, but three unfortunate events occur bringing him closer to his end. Okonkwo was a proud, industrious figure who through hard work was able to elevate himself to a stature of respect and prominence in his community. The one major character flaw was that he was a man driven by his fear to extreme reactions. Okonkwo was petrified of inadequacy namely because his father was a complete and utter failure. This fear of shortcoming made him hate everything his father loved and represented: weakness, gentleness, and idleness. Who was Okonkwo, well Okonkwo was a hero and also he...
Okonkwo is actually very similar to Western heroes, particularly the Greek tragic heroes. Okonkwo acquires the status and prestige similar to the Greek tragic heroes.
As you see, Okonkwo was a deprived man after hearing about the whites expanding their beliefs and customs to Umuofia. Being unable to contain it, he had no choice but to give in. Okonkwo wanted to go to war and fight the invading Europeans, but he soon realized that he was the only one hungry for war. “I shall fight alone if I choose” (Achebe 201). Being the only one seeking for revenge, he had no choice but to behead the head messenger who was trying to end a clan meeting. Letting the other messengers escape, Okonkwo’s visual was the truth. “He knew that Umuofia would not go to war” (Achebe 205). Everything that he stood for was now distant. His once powerful and running clan was now weak and resistant to fight off enemies. What was the point to live when everything else had failed him and he could do nothing to resolve it? He struggled with the changes occurring in the tribe. He was known as a very strong and honorable tribesman, but when the whites arrived promoting Christianity and other tribe members began to change as a result, even his own son, he could not bear the change. While viewing the others as weak, like his father, he tries to remain strong against change however he is the only one. Killing the messenger was the last attempt to try and save the tribe from the influence of the white man. Seeing the others not join in his action, he loses hope and in desperation ends his life
To Conclude, Okonkwo had began his life out strong. Raising himself, and learning right from wrong. By having a role model like his father to show him what not to do with life, influenced him and put a great impact on his life. Upon reaching Umofia, he met the missionaries. The missionaries changed and impacted his life also. They showed him attitude and how to care less about individuals. Okonkwo had many rough spots in his life and was put through a lot. Overall Okonkwo was a very strong character. He stayed strong for as long as he could until he could no longer fight for himself and had ended it all.
Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, was faced with many hardships in his life. When growing up he had to deal with a lazy father, then when he was older he had to kill a boy that called him father, and he also accidentally killed a young boy from his village. These events played a very tragic role in Okonkwos life.
The greatest opponent in life is the one that is created inside the mind. As Okonkwo grows up, he decides to be the absolute antipodes of his father Unoka. Okonkwo perceives his father as a culmination of the weaknesses in man. In this erroneous view, Okonkwo buries his feelings deep within himself. When these emotions emerge, he views them as a sign of weakness. When Okonkwo participates in Ikemefuna's killing, he is deeply affected as he has ended the life of one who he grew to love as a son. Okonkwo is excessively depressed after the slaying, "not tasting any food for two days." (61) As he notices his confusion, he calls himself weak like a shivering old woman. In his emotionless show of strength after Ikemefuna's death, Okonkwo actually proves his frailty by hiding what he feels. Okonkwo is dominated by his private fear of appeari...