...Hero Essay Everyone needs a hero. Nowadays there are songs which lyrics rhyme about heroes. Enrique Iglesias’s song “Hero” is about the love he can show for his female companion. Along the same line Mariah Carey song “Hero” will go down as one of her all time greats. No matter the substance, the bottom line is that people look up to their heroes and are influenced by them, especially kids. Kids, however, have a different way of choosing their heroes. “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” We can thank the creator of Superman, Jerry Siegel, for his character has inspired many youngsters, including myself, to be that hero we admire. Many kids look up to fictional characters and sports figures as heroes, but it’s the everyday run of the mill people we see all the time who possess the real qualities of a hero. Repeated times in my childhood I would recall tying a towel on my back and running around pretending I was Superman. I would “fly” over cars and obstacles, stop invisible bullets with my hands and rescue the beautiful damsel in distress. Whatever the scenario would, I knew I was unstoppable. I would pretend to be fast, strong, intelligent, and loyal, all the qualities I believed a good superhero should exhibit. Little did my young mind realize, I would also inherit these qualities as I got older. Taking a hundred eighty degree turn away from fictional characters,...
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...That girl standing over there in the corner smiling with scars all up her arm, might not be a hero to you, but to me she’s a hero because even when she doesn't want to move on and live anymore, she is up and dressed and trying to make the best of the situation she’s in. Most people when you say hero think of people like Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr, don’t take it wrong in people's eyes there heros too, but people think only popular or famous people are hero's and that's not true anyone around us can be heros. One might believe the purpose of a hero is to make the world a better place and to make a difference that people will remember and to leave an imprint on the world. Shakespeare once wrote, “One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” Although the typical villains in movies are easy to pick out - they're the ones wearing black and wreaking havoc - real-life villains are much harder to identify. Villains are often antisocial, wicked and...
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...In The Odyssey, an epic poem; the main character is Odysseus. In his adventures he shows that he is an astute, warm hearted and an agog hero. He has to make decisions that trouble him and his crew ,but the outcome is greater that losing all of his crue. Therefore he is a hero in trouble. Which means someone who has to make hard decisions and work very hard to save himself and the people and things around him. Odysseus proves he is an astute hero by a traitorous challenge of escaping the cyclops cave. Or being proving that he is agog by getting while passing thru the Sirens. Or warm hearted when he loses his men to Scylla. While Odysseus is on his voyage home he encounters the cyclops. One of the things that the gods expected from the people was that people should show courtesy to their visitors ; thus Odysseus and his crew except that the cyclops show them manners and great them. But the cyclops had another plan. He began by eating some of his men. Afterwards Odysseus offers the cyclops some wine to get on the good side of the cyclops, which was pretty ingenious. So the cyclops asked for Odysseus’s name and he said his name was Nobody so the cyclops he said he was going to save him for last. The he plotted a plan while the cyclops was drunk asleep and sheard his eye with a hot spear they made. They could not completely kill...
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...The characteristics of a hero likely vary from person to person, however, there are some universal qualities that a hero should have. Some of the features that come to mind when thinking of a hero include: superhuman abilities, courage, and selflessness. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf displays all of these heroic traits. While some could argue that Beowulf is not a hero due to his desire for glory, his heroic qualities outweigh this one fault. Overall, Beowulf’s effectiveness as a hero can be seen through his courage and selflessness to take on extraordinary monsters and his superhuman ability to take on these creatures. The story begins by introducing a community and a monstrous creature that plagues the citizens. The creature, Grendel, is exceptionally power as he is able to kill thirty warriors with little effort: “He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies” (4). This would surely scare most men but not Beowulf. Beowulf welcomes the challenge and prepares to fight him as soon as he hears about the creature: “In his far-off home Beowulf, … heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out” (6). Beowulf’s readiness to fight Grendel exemplifies his courage and selflessness. The fact that Beowulf lives in a far-off land further...
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...In Beowulf, as in many stories the titular character can be portrayed as a hero. However, Beowulf like most stories due to the argument that can be made for him not being a hero. In the poem there are many examples of Beowulf being a “hero”. The examples are seperated by the two stages of his life, youth and adulthood. There maturity of Beowulf as a leader also coencides with his maturity as a leader. As Beowulf grows and becomes a better leader he also becomes a hero. Beowulf can be defined by his strength in his youth. These acts contribute to the lore of him becoming a hero. His swimming match against Breca is a perfect example of him establishing himself as a hero. All heros make mistakes and Beowulf did not listen to the advice of the elders and ended up losing the swimming match. He is also the perfect model for the way a warrior should live as he follow the Germanic Code perfictly. He redeems himself from his swimming loss by defeating Grendel and his mom. He also helps the Danes and this exemlifies an outstanding leader because he goes out of his way to help other countries when they are in need. The expirences in his early life help him to become a good ruler when he does acend to the throne. Beowulf’s adulthood (in the story) focuses more on his encounters with leaders and his warrior as opposed to his youth...
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...“When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness” (Campbell Online). A hero is a person who doesn’t help others for self-recognition. Rather, a hero is someone who risks their own wellness for the welfare of others. First off, there are many types of heroes and they come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common, they sacrifice and don't expect anything in return. “I think we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it’s a verb” (Downey Jr. Online). You have to do something in order to be considered a hero. Whether it's risking your life for your country or even giving up a few minutes of your day to save a cat stuck in a tree,...
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...definition. Ponyboy, an orphan, who is part of a gang, is the type of hero who helps other people without asking for a prize. Ponyboy saved the children in the burning church. Johnny, also part of the same gang as Ponyboy, is someone who puts other people in front of himself. Heroes can be anyone, people all around the world have been heroes to their families to their country, and even to their friends. Ponyboy and Johnny both sacrificed their lives to help save the children in the church. Johnny saved Ponyboy from the burning flames, by pushing him out of the window. Darry sacrificed his education for his family to have a normal life. Jonny, Ponyboy, and Darry are a couple of examples of people who do not help others for fame, but for the love of their family and others. Ponyboy, who is a...
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...Everyone imagines themselves as the hero of their own story. Actually finding a fictional hero — or character — that matches myself though proved to be a larger challenge than I first thought. I have plenty of favorite characters from my avid reading sessions, but many of them did not seem to satisfyingly fit with me. I searched through my beloved stories, rewatched exceptional movies, and even asked some of my closest friends for help. In the end, all it took was a short walk over to my personal bookshelf. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and head counselor of her cabin, helps lead the fight against Cronos, leader of the titans in Greek mythology, and against Gaea, the earth goddess, in the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan. As a daughter of the goddess of wisdom and battle, Annabeth excels in the intelligence department, but also has a multitude of other attributes that make...
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...According to Dictionary.com, “hero” is a man who distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Beowulf is an example of a great Anglo-Saxon hero. He has the courage to face the monsters without fear of death. He did what others cannot do. Beowulf willingly sacrificed himself for his people. Beowulf was a hero because he saved people by killing monsters. Beowulf was not only brave but was physically stronger than normal. He heard that there was a monster that killed people in Heorot. He vowed to kill the monster for King Hrothgar. Beowulf was the strongest, mighty warrior of Geatland. He fought to bring glory to him and his people. Beowulf showed great courage when Grendel could not. Grendel attacked Heorot at night because he was too much of a coward to fight Beowulf in the light. When Grendel charged in to kill Beowulf, Beowulf’s counterattack by grabbing Grendel’s hands by his bare hands and took Grendel by surprise. Grendel bled out and died (page 47) and Beowulf kept Grendel’s hand as a trophy. King Hrothgar threw a feast for Beowulf’s victory over killing the demon that haunted Heorot....
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...There are different meanings/definitions of heroes, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “A Hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” which is what he believed while Webster’s Dictionary Defines heroes as “Heroes are people who are admired for their great deeds, bravery, or noble qualities; however, hero worship now comes in many forms.” I have many heroes but one would have to be my pastor from church -Pastor Steven Wallis. Although, he already passed away, he has always been my hero. He fought so hard through stomach cancer , He never gave up to teach us about the word of god. He was going through so much pain but still managed to show up to church. Like one time it was Wednesday and i saw him in the nursery...
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...An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character that is admired for great achievements and known for being a warrior (dictionary.com). There have been plenty of heroes over the course of time, but many believe the most popular Anglo- Saxon hero, Beowulf, most perfectly fits into this category and truly defines what it means. At all times, Beowulf is never afraid to put his life on the line for the sake and protection of his people, which helped him gain approval from the people of his area. Throughout the course of the adventure and journey, Beowulf exemplifies what it means to be an epic hero showing loyalty, courage, intelligence, and selflessness in his efforts to save his people and achieve immortality. Beowulf proves that he is a great Anglo-Saxon epic hero through his loyalty. Loyalty was held paramount by...
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...A hero can’t exist without a villain and victim. But what defines the role of the hero is what others think of them and the actions they’ve taken. Consider heroes in pop-culture who are depicted saving civilians from otherworldly creatures and how we feel towards them. And then imagine how different you’d see it if you were to change point of view. What defines a true hero is action and perception, a hero is nothing without the people they inspire. Think of Odysseus and how he is illustrated as a hero for the entirety of The Odyssey. He was called a hero by those he fought alongside as well as the people he networked with in Ithaca. But to some others he was quite a villain, like Poseidon who felt hatred towards him for the slaying of his son Polyphemus(IX.584-597). While Odysseus was at sea (for three years) he was depicted as both the hero and...
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...“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people”(Angleou Online). A hero does not have to be some strong or supernatural human being. A hero is someone who does something from the heart or for the common good without needing recognition for doing so. When people think of heroes they automatically think Superman, Batman, and/or Spiderman. But, do people think about the hidden heroes? Such as, parents, teachers, and normal people. To illustrate,” So there you go- heroes are everyday, common people. Most of what they do goes unheralded, unappreciated. And that ironically, is heroism: not to be recognized.”(Stone 64) Heroes are not always big name, hot shot people they can be people we don’t think of, the most unlikely of people, a teenager that wants to help people,wants to finish school, and through all the drama at school still has an open relationship with his/hers parents....
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...Benjamin Wood As you may know Hercules is the best hero. There are many reasons Hercules is an amazing hero. Hercules is strong, courageous, and clever. Traits that all true heroes have. Many think Hercules is impulsive and brutal but the acts that he has committed that are impulsive and brutal were Hera’s doing. The first reason that Hercules is the best hero is because he is strong. People may argue that being a hero just relies on your courageousness, but in real life that is not always the case. The greeks valued strength in their heroes as well as the other qualities I mentioned. Hercules was very strong and took his body to the limits. He vigorously trained and was ready for any challenge. Without Hercules’ strength he would not have been able to complete many of his challenges. For example, to strangle the nemean lion and cut off many heads of the hydra are tasks that require major strength. Other heroes strength may have been mighty but not as mighty as Hercules. Another example of Hercules’ insane...
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...In today’s time, speaking out for oneself and others is difficult for many citizens. Many groups of people only see a a hero as Batman or Superman. However, heroes that are not seen as commonly are also important in todays society. A hero can be defined as a person who courageously speaks out at the risk of rejection more than a person who braves physical danger. William Lloyd Garrison, the abolitionist during the civil war, exemplifies heroic traits by sticking up for the African Americans during the late 1800’s. Lloyd is a hero to many, even without facing physical danger. Despite the risk of rejection from the whole country, Lloyd wrote the newspaper “The Liberator”. In this newspaper he wrote abolitionist and suffragist views to demand the rights to set the slaves free. During this time, Lloyd’s views of slavery were uncommon and resulted in many problems in Lloyd’s life. In 1832 Lloyd organized the New England Anti-Slavery Society. Lloyd also was a prominent activist for the woman suffrage movement. Although Lloyd received many death threats from the Confederate, he still dauntlessly advocated for the freedom of the slaves. With the help of Lloyd’s heroic acts, the abolishment of slavery arouse....
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