There you look at our wonderful heroes, astonished by their accomplishments, wondering how such perfect people can exist in this world. But the actual truth about heroes will certainly surprise you. Sure, if you examine heroic figures like Albert Einstein on the outside, you might conclude that they have some imperfections; flyaway hair perhaps. But then, behind that outer shell of theirs, sits something incredible; something powerful, something indescribable, something that makes them flawed. But yet again, you do not know what these flaws are since you have been prolonged exposed to the idea of ‘perfect heroes’. Also, in Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey Archetype” there is a step inside the initiation which specifically describes that …show more content…
A notable trait that strongly pops out for Superman is essential for a hero to be respected. “Wish that I could cry. Fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie. About a home I’ll never see” (Five for Fighting 3). When looking into what he says, he is stating what he wants in life, but some of his wishes have negative elements; such as lying. Stating what he desires into the public eyes not only takes courage, but Superman builds a strong honest relationship with his fellow citizens and real life readers. To illustrate how this applies in the real world, we must speak why society trusted heroes like MLK or Superman. The simple answer to that mind boggling question is, honesty. Now let’s move that to the side and see what Superman really wants to accomplish in life, “I’m just out to find the better part of me” (Five for Fighting 1). From this, we can conclude when he states that he desires to find the better part of him; it balances his self esteem, which the trait ‘humble’ falls perfectly under. To tell the truth, heroes from every media also have some sort of humbleness that they fall into; It doesn’t matter what kind of hero it is. Einstein for instance, even though he is head strong, he still acts like a goof, which is good in a way. For the past few moments, we have discussed what makes Superman, and any other hero-like figures, a hero, but that’s enough. It’s time to discuss the flaws that Superman specifically possess that make him an ordinary civilian. The one flaw that Superman has is expressed by the following. “I’m more than a bird. I’ more than a plane...It’s not easy to be me” (Five for Fighting 2). One can see that Superman is implying that he is telling the world that he is not a simple stereotype. He’s more than that and from the tone that he portrayed, it is obvious that he is
Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, conveys, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. In other words, Aristotle states that the gaining of self-knowledge provides an individual with the ability to know one’s personal gifts and accountabilities. To start one’s adult life a person must pursue the journey of self-discovery to learn in depth about their skills and weaknesses. Individuals must find themselves through the limitations and ordeals that they face during their voyage for self-awareness. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River”, the narrator shares his story about self-discovery. O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype.
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
The Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is an epic poem written about 3000 years ago. It is essentially a sequel to the Iliad, as it tells of the story of a Greek man named Odysseus and his ten year journey back home to Ithaca, after the Trojan War. It also follows the story of his estate and his wife Penelope which are both being fought over by the suitors that have occupied his palace and are consuming his goods. Along with his son, Telemachus, who is set out on a journey to uncover the whereabouts of his father by the Greek goddess Athena. The epic also gives insight to many of the classic Greek ideals that Odysseus embodies and other Greek virtues and values that are explored through the story of Odysseus’s journey back home. A striking resemblance is seen between Odysseus’s characteristics and many of the characteristics we see in heroes in modern culture and entertainment today. Another striking resemblance is that of the journey of Odysseus and how closely it follows that of the Hero’s Journey archetype. Although some of these Greek ideals still maintain to be relevant, others are
Joseph Campbell made himself one of the chief authorities on how mythology works when he published his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In this book, Campbell describes what he believes to be the monomyth, known as “The Hero’s Journey.” Campbell wrote that this monomyth, the basic structure of all heroic myth, has three basic stages, which in turn have subcategories themselves. The heroic story of Katniss Everdeen, told in the movie Hunger Games, follows Campbell’s monomyth outline quite well.
What makes a man a hero? Where lies the line which when crossed changes a mortal man into a legend? Is it at the altar at Canterbury? in the Minotaur’s labyrinth? or is it an age or a time? Does a man become a hero when he transforms from a boy to an adult? or when he stops being a man and becomes a martyr? Where are the heroes of 1993? In whom do the children of this age believe? Like whom do they strive to be? Kennedy, Lennon, and even Superman are dead. World leaders are mockeries of real men, more like Pilates than Thomas Mores. Pop culture’s icons change daily. It is interesting that nearly 600 years ago someone was writing about heroism in a way that can be understood today. The poet of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells a tale in which a man is proven to be a hero through the seemingly un-heroic decisions made in the course of numerous tests. Sir Gawain is a hero for the 21st century. He is tried and trapped, he is inundated with opportunities to fail and yet he does not lose. More importantly though, in the end he learns an essential, inescapable fact about himself and human nature.
In conclusion, a hero may not measure up to what the public accepts as true, but the nation grants them credit for the country’s success. If the world lacked baristas and other “small” employments, “the right stuff’s” significance would cease to exist. A hero’s accomplishments often overshadow the genuine individual behind the deeds. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe illustrates how humans have the tendency to place heroes in a position of high honor and respect, when perhaps these idols do not hold entitlement to the privileges they
Since the beginning of time humans have never been perfect. The first heroes were the gods and even they had flaws. The heroes of society have always had imperfections no matter how hard citizens try to look past them. The flaws of cultural heroes are something that all cultures have in common. No matter what story, the hero contains at least one weakness. A few examples are shown in the American, Japanese, and Brazilian cultures. I believe it is what makes our heroes realistic. Heroes are normal people who overcome obstacles in their way to make a difference in the world around them.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
For my reflection, I will explain my progress in this class and what I expect about it. At the same time, I will give some ideas about it and my final opinion about the class in general. Itself, I like the class and how the instructors explain the lectures everyday, it is hard to find professors with that excitement to give a class. As the same manner, I want to express that I love all the stuffs about the PMAI, the character archetypes, and the hero’s cycle.
Heroes portray to society the best qualities of the human being, but often possess various flaws. The imperfections of the hero’s human are offset by the “superhuman” characteristics and as a result people become blind to the infirmities. This rationale exists in ancient and modern heroes alike. Beowulf was a hero of the 5th century, A.D., to his people the Geats and also to the Danes. Steve Jobs was a hero of the 21st century to countless business executives and the numerous consumers of Apple products. Although a major gap in time between the lives of the two is present, both Beowulf and Steve Jobs share a number of the strengths of a hero in addition to the weaknesses that lie behind.
“The journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us; the uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know. The hero journey is a symbol that binds, in the original sense of the word, two distant ideas, and the spiritual quest of the ancients with the modern search for identity always the one, shape-shifting yet marvelously constant story that we find.” (Phil Cousineau) The Hero's Journey has been engaged in stories for an immemorial amount of time. These stories target typical connections that help us relate to ourselves as well as the “real world”.
The word hero as defined as an “individual who has the courage of conviction to perform feats that benefit the general populace, acts as a soldier of virtue, and has an altruistic spirit that urges him or her to act against evil and defend the greater good at all costs, even sacrificing his own well-being or life.” (Harrison 2). Although heroes can come in any shape and size they are commonly found in stories we read, movies we watch, or people we look up to. We do not think about it much but even our own life is made up of many hero’s journeys. We never realize that our hardships and how we overcome them is exactly what a Hero’s Journey is about and why we relate to and enjoy these stories so much. I will be going into the depths of a Hero’s
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.
Whether this society's hero is the imperfect human form or the near-perfect non-human, someone will always be able to overcome the challenges of his or her world. Maintaining an open mind, clear conscience, and healthy body and soul are the basic needs of a hero, while traits like reason and patience come with age and experience. The question of society today is not "what is our wasteland?" but "who is our hero?" Individuals often speak of a certain movie star or tv actor as "their hero," but how true is this? Is he overcoming the demands of society, or merely glorifying them? That is what each of us needs to decide for himself; who our hero is and what he can help us to overcome. Once we accomplish this, our idols will become valid ones, and we can all learn to overcome our wastelands and not only survive, but thrive, in today's society.