The Shield Hero

This world we live in is darkness. We live bound in society for all of our breathing days; forcefully restricted and bogged down by its own rules and moralities. We are denied any semblance of choice of freedom while we bind ourselves with the rules and strictures we’ve set upon ourselves. We can wear this, we can’t consume that, don’t speak of such matters with others. The society has the capability to deem that each and everyone persisting within it be corrupt and coaxed by the abyss. A stigma; a blemish upon the world as dictated upon by society and those amongst it. In the story of The Rise of The Shield Hero and well as Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country both focus on the unjust stigmas placed upon the protagonists for the choices …show more content…
While the setting of this tale transpired in this society, four heroes were summoned to aid in saving the nation. However, with that responsibility bequeathed upon them, the king as well as the denizens of this nation seemingly failed to mention that they adhered to a religion that canonizes the heroes of the bow, spear, and sword while vilifying the Shield hero and labels him as an “evil god.” With this adherence to this religion as well as the heroes ignorance, companions flock to each of the heroes to aid them except for the Shield hero who draws only one. A single night passed shortly after they garnered their companions when the Shield Hero is forcefully arrested and recalled when “[he] had no idea what was going on. The only certainty was their eyes - their eyes that clearly regarded [him] as a …show more content…
the setting is the late 1940’s, and the country is only a few fleeting years from the passing of Apartheid: a system of segregation and discrimination. Within Paton’s story, and history, the original inhabitants of South Africa were quite frequently persecuted and discriminated upon by the Caucasian populace of the nation. These unjust actions caused individuals of the native populace to rise up in action against the caucasians through methods of assault, theft, battery, and even murder occasionally. A prominent character that aided in Stephen’s search words it quite well by stating “The white man has broken the tribe. And it is my belief - and again I ask your pardon - that it cannot be mended again. But the house that is broken, and the man that falls apart when the house is broken, these are the tragic things. That is why children break the law, and the old white people are robbed and beaten” (Paton