The archetype of hero is a literary character that is all-round good. He or she will save other people, do the right thing, protect that is good and they will fight any monster that comes to his or her way. They are one of the basic paradigms in tales and mythology from across the world, but especially in European culture. For example, the hero archetype starts from Achilles until Beowulf via superheros such as Superman and other 1980s action
Batman Nightwalker, by Marie Lu, follows the story of a young Bruce Wayne as he transitions from a troubled teen to a hero determined to rid Gotham City of its villains. The hero archetype is evident throughout the novel, as Bruce undergoes a transformation that embodies the coming of age theme. This essay will explore how the hero archetype is portrayed in Batman Nightwalker and how it represents the coming of age theme. The hero archetype is often characterized by an individual who faces adversity and emerges triumphant, embodying noble qualities such as bravery, selflessness, and courage.
In this article, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes,” the author Stephen Garrett argues that in today’s society our whole perspective of heroes has changed since the mid-twentieth century. Garrett is appealing to all American’s who love watching their favorite TV heroes and heroines. In addition, Garrett’s main focus is the fact today’s heroes entirely different from what the idea of a “hero” was two or three decades ago. The author relies on generally accepted ideas from the American public to base his main idea; he uses sources from popular TV shows and movies which have anti-heroes that draw the attention of their audience.
What is a hero? Is it a being or idea classified by tights and capes or is it something more? A hero can be anything their society makes them out to be, which is the case in Etheridge Knight’s short story, “Hard Rock Returns to Prison.” A hero can also be a reassuring mother of a frightened child, as shown beautifully in John Hope Franklin’s short story, “The Train from Hate.” In both stories, the theme heroism plays important roles in their respective plots.
From a young age, children are told that the good guys are the ones wearing the superhero suit: they help those in need while maintaining a good reputation among others. But, most heroes are only known by their “stage name”, like Superman, and Clark Kent doesn’t get the everyday recognition of the people around him, like his alter ego does. If people learn that Clark Kent and Superman are the same, they will view him in a better light. But when an everyday person sees themselves as a superhero, their ego can grow unreasonably high. Geraldine Brooks, in her novel March, shows that an obsessive need to look like the hero is just a ruse for an inflated ego.
In comic books, the hero saves people and stop crimes. But what is a true hero? To most people, a hero is someone who has superpowers and wears a cool costume, but they’re not. A hero is someone who is admired for their outstanding achievements or for their courage and bravery. A typical hero to the human race would be a handsome man who is really buff and has the name superman.
Why were superheroes created in the first place? How did events from the Great Depression and the global build-up to World War II play a part in it? How did comic books get so popular from the events? Are people still interested in comics? Well, we are going to find out.
Everyone has heard of extraordinary superheroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman at least once in their childhood. Children think that since they possess superpowers and incredible gadgets, like being able to fly and turn invisible, that makes them a superhero. Comparatively, some people in these stories have similar powers, but use them for evil instead. Today, however, there are many heroes that do not have any special powers to help them achieve heroism. Philip Zimbardo and CNN display some of these heroes.
Superman, Black Panther, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Flash, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Wonder Woman. All of these characters are examples for children, or even adults, all around the world, and are considered perfect examples for the term “Hero”. In the odyssey we see the journey of Odysseus, and his perils, and his victories and losses. Odysseus fits the archetype of a hero, in many ways, so he will be compared to a stereotypical hero, Batman. Batman and Odysseus are both fit to be called a “hero” for many reasons, for example, they show strength, bravery, and confidence many times throughout their journeys, they both come up against supernatural foes, and they are both of Noble birth.
For many Americans a time when Superman and other masked heroes on our screens and in the local comic book store seems impossible. Today we see a new hero on the big screen almost every month, almost daily on our televisions and every time we step into a bookstore. But the modern superheroes that we all know and love are less than 100 years old. In the book Superman: The Unauthorized Biography by Glen Weldon, a self proclaimed comic book geek, the story of one of the earliest superheroes is laid out year by year. While Weldon goes all the way through 2013, we will be forcing on roughly the first half of Superman’s life.
When Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, explicitly states,”A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” he represents the significance of the unreplicable impact of Superheroes in our lives and the irresistible power of bravery a hero has. Even though we are highly influenced from the qualities of our superheroes, we neglect the acknowledgment of the advancement of developing these qualities. Heroes like Theseus, obtain their considerable success by the use of his or her determination, and they alter our determination to be our better selves. Because of their exhilarating but successful feats, Superheroes inspire us to improve on ourselves by supplying us hope during helpless times, and educating us about the right and wrong. First and foremost, the hope of our people when drastic times come with drastic measures is obtained because of the presence of superheros in our literature.
In contrast, Ray states that, the official hero is customarily portrayed as a teacher, lawyer, politician, farmer, or family man (Ray 451). He continues to say that the official hero represents the American belief in collective action, and the objective of legal process that understands right from wrong (Ray 451). The official hero is a thinker and will not act impulsively; he trusts his fellow men, believes the whole world is fundamentally reputable, uses reasonable judgment, and believes the justice system cannot fail. The outlaw hero and official hero can have a reconciliatory hero or a reluctant hero characteristic. Reconciliatory hero is when the hero agrees with someone other than themselves, changing their actions, and making his beliefs
Paragraph 1: Examples of modern heroes and why they
Introduction: Marvel Cinematic Universe has been adapted from Marvel comics universe which is of genre science fiction, superhero fiction, fantasy, horror and action. The concept of a super human exists since the age of old literature. Beowulf, the Iliad, the Odyssey, they were all stories of superheroes. A Superhero is someone with extraordinary powers. Marvel universe, despite dealing with science, also deals with supernatural, mystical elements and mythology too which brings out the essence of literature in these phenomenal movies.
The character of the American hero that has traditionally dominated the American psyche is one that had been suggested in an essay by Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893. This was a hero who had been forged by a frontier existence, as America expanded westwards. Imbued with qualities of “…coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness;” this hero embodied a spirit of individualism, toughness and a drive for advancement (Turner, 1893, 9). Commonly featured in North American literature and films, this image of the American Hero remained dominant during the first part of the twentieth century. As the century progressed the figure of the American hero evolved and adapted to suit the challenges faced by the American nation.
