...Martin Luther King, Jr.: An Epic Hero On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to 250,000 people. He expressed his true feelings about the opression of his race in front of several faces that may not have shared the same opinion. This act of immense courage remarkably shed light on and motivated other civil rights activists. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a leader and humitarian who exhibits traits of an epic hero, shown through his courageous, selfless actions. Like many epic heroes of fictional stories, King is a figure of strength and courage who is admired by countless people across the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. embodies the characteristics of an epic hero because he was capable of tremendous deeds of strength and courage, traveled over a vast setting, and showed national heroism....
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...The Decisions of a Hero Throughout life, ordinary people can do heroic deeds but do not classify themselves as a hero, may be a hero but do not want to be one, or they may even be a hero without knowing it themselves. When the topic of Heroism or what it means to be a hero comes up, most people may think of there favorite football player or the “Super Hero” on the big screen, but no. A real hero is someone who does heroic tasks persistently without being asked and doing so for nothing in return. Heroes are the people who will never turn down an opportunity to do something for the greater good of others and while others are cowering in fear, heroes are brave and reliant, and do not move along with the crowd but instead break off from the...
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...An epic hero by definition is a brave and noble character admired for great achievements. Epic hero traits are mostly embedded in fictional characters and a known example would be Odysseus who has been admired because of his adventurous stories and accomplishments through his expeditions. Such impressive traits are not recognised in many of the real-life leaders, but Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the few who exhibited it very clearly. Martin Luther King Jr. was recognised by many and had a inspiring journey as he strongly indicated to others, the pain of the segregated lives. MLK with his heroic traits spread awareness about the torture and was able to gain significant civil advances and voting rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the characteristics of an epic hero...
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...A hero consists of many qualities such as, serving as a positive role model, showing perseverance and having a great work ethic. Martin Luther King Jr. and Derek Jeter support these characteristics. A hero needs to set a good example for others. Martin Luther King Jr. serves as a great role model because he worried about others rights more than his own. Also, he had over two million followers that all believed in him, and followed him, because they trusted in him to make the world a better place. Derek Jeter also, acts as another positive role model, because he not only served as the captain of the New York Yankees, but also the captain of an organization to help kids stay away from drugs. Some celebrities let their money corrupt them into buying harmful things, but Derek used his money to start an organization to help kids stay away from bad or even dangerous things. Derek Jeter, former teammate Robinson Cano once said that, "It is Jeter's goal for young people to be able to turn to his foundation for guidance and help to avoid drugs and alcohol while it promotes healthy lifestyles.”...
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...What is a hero? Superman and Wonder Woman are common figures that may pop into a person mind when they think of someone who may be considered a hero. Superman and Wonder Woman saved cities and defeated villains on a daily basis, which by definition would most definitely make them heroes. However, in the non-fictional world what would define a hero? Does an individual have to wear a cape and fly over cities using their superpowers, and risking their lives for the good of mankind in order to be considered a hero? Living in the non-fictional world hero’s exhibit much different characteristics and super powers. A person may sacrifice his own safety or life in order to save or better the lives of others, this would be the act of a hero. A hero is an individual that is courageous, brave, loyal, and selfless in a way that they are continually sacrificing their own needs and well-being for the best interest of others. A hero is an individual that is courageous and brave. Having the ability to face adversity, pain, and danger without fear of hesitation is courage and bravery. Throughout history there are numerous brave hero’s that didn’t wear a cape in order to save the day, Martin Luther King, Jr. is the epitome of a courageous and brave hero. In an article written in the Seattle Times, King is described as “the stoic who faced injury and death before howling mobs, and the single figure of his period and ours able to articulate to whites what blacks wanted and to black what would...
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...Digmi A hero is someone who is brave, trustworthy, and reliable. This is the kind of person we look up to. Some of them may be legendary, while others are everyday life-savers. Heroes are typically on quests often to help others, they are ethical and strong and responsible leaders. A hero could be anyone who has these qualities. Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. both meet their criteria because they share the same heroic characteristics: they were both on quests, ethical, strong responsible leaders. Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. were both on a quest. For example, in Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, is on a quest to help Hrothgar save his village by defeating Grendel. This means that Beowulf came from Geatland to save a village even though he wasn’t guaranteed a reward. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. was on a quest to stop racism and segregation between white and colored people. For example, he stood up to the white people and makes it as public as possible that he wants to change the way society is for the good of other people. In other words Martin Luther King Jr. and Beowulf share a heroic characteristic in that they both go on quests to create change for the benefit of others. Beowulf and Martin Luther Jr. were also ethical. For example, in Beowulf, Beowulf is a good king to his people and ends up fighting a dragon and dying for his people. This means that he was ethical and it contributed to him being a great hero. Likewise Martin Luther King Jr. is also...
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...Martin Luther King, Jr was a well- known hero in the history of United States. King was one of the most important African American leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr.King believed Gandhi’s ideas of non violence to help African Americans obtain the rights and liberties that they deserve. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s achievements in leadership and beliefs lead him to become an historic hero. Martin Luther King, Jr, accomplished many things in his lifetime. He especially believed in civil rights between White people and African Americans. King followed Gandhi’s non- violent methods in the Civil Rights. Before the Alabama bus boycott, whites and blacks had separate seats. There were seats reserved for the whites and seats reserved for the black in the back of the bus. After Rosa Park was arrested for refusing to give up her sit to white man in front of the bus, Martin Luther King started the bus boycott. King’s non -violent method led no segregation on a bus being illegal. His non-violent method spread throughout the country. All the African- Americans used his method of non-violence, during the Bloody Sunday March from Selma to state capital of Montgomery. While they marched, there were a mob and police violence against the African-Americans. Bloody Sunday was a major turning point for the Civil Rights Movement; this event was an example of Martin Luther King, Jr’s, leadership for African-Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the views and beliefs of a...
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...Martin Luther King Memorial Analysis Martin Luther King to some is one of the most influential and iconic African Americans in US history. His “I Have a Dream” speech is globally known for its attack on civil rights segregation. When looking back throughout history, Martin Luther King would be a name you would recognize with others such as Jesus or even Mahatma Gandhi. Today, we can remember Martin Luther King as a man who had hope and truly cared about his countries people, so why shouldn’t he be respected by all with his memorial? Two articles that debate and identify individuals who have beleif that the Martin Luther King memorial is a “violent allegory of political conflict and tribalism,” have been posted by Philip Kennicot and Colbert I. King. Kennicot and King both approach the memorial in their articles from different styles and tones. In Kennicot’s article you can see that its style is more informational and the tone is positive while in King’s you can notice the sarcasm as well as the negative tone. When analyzing both articles, I can relate to the opinion based on the ideas of King. In the beginning you can see that King pokes fun at the immediate reaction of the “I Have a Dream” speech by saying how that it “did not spark an “Aha” moment causing the south to repudiate segregation” nor “ignite an Arab spring (Colbert I. King).”Although he might be recalling facts of that day, he also follows up the impact of the speech as a whole and that the idea of racial segregation...
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...“I Have A Dream!” Doesn’t that sound familiar? Of course, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Martin was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. He was the middle child of three children. He went to Morehouse College and later met his future wife Coretta Scott. Then, he became a Baptist minister and socialist activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S from the mid-1950 until his death. While Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for equality and peace, the whites fought for slavery, unfairness, and to please their selves. MLK encountered many hardships and difficulties fighting for peace. His quest was very painful and physically torturing. He marched, do speeches, boycotts, did whatever he had to do to fight for the right of the people. “The bus boycott would be 382 days of walking to work, harassment, violence and intimidation for the Montgomery’s African community.” (Montgomery Bus Boycott, 2015 para.5)....
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...Odyssey The first thing Odysseus has in common with today’s hero is, being logical during situations. On page number 885 in the Odyssey it says, “But as I sent them towards Scyllca, I told them nothing, as they could do nothing. They would’ve dropped there ores in a panic.” (Homer,885) During this scene, Odysseus had to decide if he wanted all his men to die by Charybdis or have six men die by Scyllca. He made the logical decision not to kill all his men, but let Scyllca kill six. This scene reminds me of the hero Katniss from the movie Hunger Games. When Katniss is trying to get inside the capital, she needed people to help her. In order for her to get inside, she needed a distraction. There was people, from other districts who wanted to help...
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...African-American men and women, along with whites, organized and led the movement to fight against injustice. The eight resources below provide information about several historical leaders that made an impact on the Civil Rights Movement. These resources may be used to create assignments to help students develop a deeper understanding of the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, students will benefit from meaningful classroom discussions about these heroic leaders. Important People There are numerous well-known historical figures that influenced the Civil Rights Movement leading up to the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is probably one of the most powerful leaders involved in the fight for civil rights. Coretta Scott King worked and marched alongside her husband, Dr. King and continued his fight for justice after his death. In addition, Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American judge on the Supreme Court appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball which contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement. African-American, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955. Collectively, these heroic leaders merged the separate worlds of whites and African-Americans together as one. Informational Books There are numerous biographies written for children that recognize...
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...of Christopher Reeve, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” I think that his words have true meaning because when analysing heroes like Spiderman and Martin Luther King Jr. you would notice that both come from a background full of struggles. For example, Spiderman dealt with the death of his parents and uncle and Martin Luther King Jr. suffered from beatings and depression. The two are now heroes because they found the strength to live and endure. This theme is also commonly found in Greek mythology. Heroes from those times had also undergone many hardships in their way to glory. A great example of a hero from Greek times is Theseus. He fought through many obstacles and it is because of his strength, leadership and determination through them that he carved his name in history....
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...There are many values and characteristics in a tragic hero. For example, most display haughtiness and are destined to fall. In the example of “Antigone”, Creon, the powerful and ignorant leader of Thebes, exhibits many of the tragic hero’s attributes. Throughout the story, Creon shows his overwhelming pride in many different situations, often referred to as hubris. He is one that believes only he is right and is very close-minded. To illustrate, he says “He shall not save these girls from death,” as a response to his son, Haemon, that his decision is final and nothing Haemon says will change that. Creon takes pride in his decisions that he will be giving death to Antigone and sees no reason to listen to anyone else’s views, which will always be the case. Also, Creon feels superior to...
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...Martin Luther King Martin Luther King was a great American who worked for civil rights in the United States in the 1950s and 60s. He fought for the rightsof African Americans and many people, blacks as well as whites, supported him. In 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He had a brother, Alfred and a sister, Christine. Both his father and grandfather were ministers. His mother was a school teacher who taught him to read even before he started school. Martin was a very good student. He even skipped two grades. He had many hobbies like reading and singing and like every boy of his age he got interested in basketball and football. After he graduated from college Martin Luther King got married and decided to become a minister, like his father. Martin Luther King saw how badly black people were treated and during the 1950s he became involved in the Civil Rights movement. In 1955 a black woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested because she didn’t give up her seat to a white person on a bus. This incident made many blacks angry .They protested and decided to boycott the city’s buses. Martin Luther King became the president of this boycott. White terrorists started to bomb King’s home and wanted to force him to give up his fight for equal rights. But King wasn’t afraid. He continued working for the black people in America. At that time, blacks and whites were separated in schools, restaurants, sport and in other fields. In the...
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...World leaders and United States leaders share the ambitions to achieve these descriptions. Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. are two names nearly every American citizen knows and most likely respects today. To begin, Martin Luther served as a prominent world leader. Many years ago, in medieval Germany, Martin Luther changed the church forever. He lived as a man full of deep faith for God and was a strict Christian all of his life. Today he is known by numerous people as the most influential German monk who ever lived. Luther had a doctorate in Theology and craved for a reform. He had the biggest issue with parishioners buying indulgences, believing that this purchase would ensure their salvation. He fought for justice and equality, as many great leaders have. At one point he nearly brought down the entire Roman Catholic Church. After writing his famous 95 Theses, the Church was devastated. Even though Luther was hesitant to fight back about the indulgences, he found answers when he turned to the Bible and realized that it is not the Church that will guarantee salvation, it is your own personal faith. In his theses he criticized the Pope’s purpose in raising money and expressed a straightforward concern for the people of Rome. Due to the revolutionary machinery of printing, Luther’s 95 Theses spread throughout all of Europe within three months (“About Martin Luther”.) In 1521, Luther was forced to face Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms. Here, he was expected to retract...
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