Heroism Essay

Haywire Heroism For billions of years, people have been telling stories of heroes and their adventures. As time goes on and these stories get told, evolved, and have been created into many different adaptations. One example of such evolution is the classic Anglo-Saxon tale of Beowulf. There are dozens of different versions of this classic tale, each one bringing their own twists and alterations. One of the most noticeable differences are the flaws that Beowulf inherits in some of the versions,…

George Orwell once defined heroism as an ordinary person doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed. In 1984, by George Orwell, Winston Smith is the protagonist of the story. He is an ordinary everyday man who represents and stands for all the oppressed citizens in Oceania and according to Orwell’s definition of heroism, the hero of the novel. Throughout the novel, Winston has a desire for the…

left there. Odysseus, throughout the story shows the true trait of an epic hero. Although he isn't the perfect person he shows loyalty, compassion, and determination throughout his journey to Ithaca. Amongst many other things these traits show the heroism of Odysseus during his journey. Odysseus shows loyalty to his men, his country, and his family.“I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships” (101), this shows the undivided loyalty he has towards his men. When they are distracted from their…

What is Beowulf? Beowulf is an ancient story about a heroism. Within the story one encounters a multitude of amazing things, such as dragons, monsters and mayhem, kings and queens, magic, unbelievable strength, interesting armor, and what it means to be a hero. What the story does not include is a major role for females. The only roles that females play within in this plot line are the monsters or understated characters. Now one might ask “Alright well why does that matter now? That story was…

Ender’s Game features Andrew “Ender” Wiggins as a conflicted, young hero thrown into the life of a hero. His morals and true heroism is questioned by his actions, but also had been forced or tricked into such actions, creating conflict within Ender and the reader’s opinion. Ender follows the Hero Cycle, entering new worlds and victories over enemies. Even so, at the same time, he must kill and fight in order to reach those victories, and Ender does not want to become a ruthless killer.…

A large part of our modern day interpretation of what a hero is comes from medieval texts, legends, and epics. These tales more often than not star brave knights, volunteering for quests, leading armies, and killing dragons. Tolkiens view of heroism focuses less on strength and power and more on ethics and true human, or should I say Hobbit, development. In the beginning of the novel no one, not the dwarfs or even Bilbo himself can imagine himself being truly helpful to the cause. If it wasn’t…

for entertainment, he does this by depicting events dealing with interaction between the gods and men. The Odyssey is set after the sack of Troy and tells the story of Odysseus’ nostos –journey home- to Ithaca. The epic poem shows us the nature of heroism in classical Greece, and touches on themes of what it means to be a man, the duties of a king/ruler and the ideals of a marriage. The ancient Greeks heavily believed in the existence of heros, and The Odyssey was a source of information as…

were heroes for opposite sides of the war, but Fergus mac Róich is considered a hero despite his involvement with both sides. Heroes are not defined by any set definitions; instead, as characters such as Medb, Cúchulainn, and Fergus demonstrate, heroism is defined by individual actions and motivations. Throughout the epic, Medb appears to be one of the most dishonorable people in all of Ireland. While her methods at times are questionable, Medb is forced into corners by her society, and does…

for the betterment of another society, and with this he chivalrously saves many people. Even though Beowulf is portrayed as an ideal hero in the poem, and in the movie the audience is introduced to his flaws, they are both similar in their theme of heroism. Despite these differences, both the poem and the movie are able to reveal to the audience that one who takes risks, fights…

Heroes, inhabitants of an ontological Limbo Student ID: 2143830 One of the most intriguing questions about heroism regards the delicate coexistence between heroes’ private and public spheres. A hero’s ‘valet de chambre’ (i.e. ‘valet of the chamber’), representing those who have access to his most human sides, may be contemplated as a metaphor of his private image, counterposed to his public one. The purpose of this essay is to emphasize the organic relationship between the presence…