Heroes have found their way into our oral tradition and the written record throughout human time. In fact, one of our oldest written text is the Epic of Gilgamesh. From fireside whispers of folk tales, to Greek mythos and war stories, maybe it is the human need to have hope personified that has mankind setting individuals on to pedestals. Flawed, or shiny perfection, they represent the ideal of a savior from whatever harrowing situation we are in or our minds can create. Yet, heroes are subjective, not objective. A hero to some is the villain to others. For me, there is no true hero, only heroic acts. To be a true hero I believe in a purity in actions, life, spirt, and not an end justifies the means result. My husband claims I confuse heroes
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After Mattie is struck by a snake during the rescue Rooster races to take her to the care she needs. While this is a heroic act, risking his own life for someone in need, does it wash away the fact that Rooster rode with Quantrill’s raiders? Quantrill left a bloody trail of death and destruction during the American Civil War. Yes, history is written by the victors, but even if 1/10 of the tales of these raids were true, it is enough to blacken the soul of those who took part. Rooster was chosen by Matti due his willingness to get justice and his quick draw of a gun to kill those who stood in his way. This she calls “grit”. For me this does not a hero make, and the act of saving someone he has come to care for is more selfish than altruistic. Selfish in that he had a stake in saving her, his own emotions at the loss of her. It is the blind trust and push of the horse Blackie that shines of heroic. It could be argued that the horse would not know why it is being pushed and is only reacting to commands, yet he pushed until his own death trusting that there was a reason for this …show more content…
There is a prejudgment and a digging in of stereotypes of those who are different of us. There is no other way to define what happened to Nede Christie other than victimization. No one will know the happenings on that road that night except one, the person who committed the act. It is the darkness of human nature that created this paper villain. Rumor and myth roll out of control creating something that was human nature at its worse. Compounding falsehood, exaggeration, and rolling up of other’s deeds created a criminal worthy of Sherlock Holmes. An epitome of evil. Nede Christie’s case is an example of just how everyday people becomes the villain in their everyday actions. In the end, he was sacrificed on the altar of the evil of bigotry, lies, mistrust, and the branding of another culture that differs from the know.
While I know this exercise was to create awareness of looking at another’s eyes, for me it has left more questions than answers. Heroes to some are black and white, yet for me it is shades of gray. Some actions to reach a goal can be understood but cannot be condoned in my conscience. This life has shown me that there will never be a white hat riding in to save us, but it is the everyday little things that build to victory and we all need to practice this to create our own
After Mattie is struck by a snake during the rescue Rooster races to take her to the care she needs. While this is a heroic act, risking his own life for someone in need, does it wash away the fact that Rooster rode with Quantrill’s raiders? Quantrill left a bloody trail of death and destruction during the American Civil War. Yes, history is written by the victors, but even if 1/10 of the tales of these raids were true, it is enough to blacken the soul of those who took part. Rooster was chosen by Matti due his willingness to get justice and his quick draw of a gun to kill those who stood in his way. This she calls “grit”. For me this does not a hero make, and the act of saving someone he has come to care for is more selfish than altruistic. Selfish in that he had a stake in saving her, his own emotions at the loss of her. It is the blind trust and push of the horse Blackie that shines of heroic. It could be argued that the horse would not know why it is being pushed and is only reacting to commands, yet he pushed until his own death trusting that there was a reason for this …show more content…
There is a prejudgment and a digging in of stereotypes of those who are different of us. There is no other way to define what happened to Nede Christie other than victimization. No one will know the happenings on that road that night except one, the person who committed the act. It is the darkness of human nature that created this paper villain. Rumor and myth roll out of control creating something that was human nature at its worse. Compounding falsehood, exaggeration, and rolling up of other’s deeds created a criminal worthy of Sherlock Holmes. An epitome of evil. Nede Christie’s case is an example of just how everyday people becomes the villain in their everyday actions. In the end, he was sacrificed on the altar of the evil of bigotry, lies, mistrust, and the branding of another culture that differs from the know.
While I know this exercise was to create awareness of looking at another’s eyes, for me it has left more questions than answers. Heroes to some are black and white, yet for me it is shades of gray. Some actions to reach a goal can be understood but cannot be condoned in my conscience. This life has shown me that there will never be a white hat riding in to save us, but it is the everyday little things that build to victory and we all need to practice this to create our own