Hero As A True Hero - 1427 Words

The great and mighty Hercules once said, â€Å"A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.† The word hero comes from the Greek, literal meaning of â€Å"protector† or â€Å"defender†. A great example of a tenacious protector is Beowulf, â€Å"Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats - greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world,† (Beowulf 195). A man beloved and looked up to by his people- a noble warrior at heart. On the other hand, there are kings, like Oedipus, who can be heroes and highly regarded just because of their societal status. Since ancient times heroes have been a quintessential part in all societies, from the poverty and slums of Africa to the proud, flourishing Hollywood. They†¦show more content†¦Another thing highly valued by the Geats’ society was their king. They greatly appreciated and praised them and when their king died â€Å"...they heaped up treasures, jeweled helmets, hooked swords and coats of mail, armor carried from the ends of the earth: no ship had ever sailed so brightly fitted, no king sent forth more deeply mourned,† (Beowulf 37-40). The Geats valued showing respect for their king and almost worshiped him. Not all values will be the same in every society. In Beowulf’s society the king and citizen relationship was like a father to his kids, which worked because, as the king, Higlac was well respected by his people and they listened and obeyed him. Whereas in Oedipus The King, when a plague struck the city of Thebes and the people â€Å"[huddled] at [Oedipus’] altar, praying before [him]† their â€Å"...city reek[ed] with the smoke of burning incense, [rang] with cries for the Healer and wailing for the dead,† (Oedipus 2-6). The Thebans had no idea how to handle their previous king dying; therefore, being very dependent on him, when disaster struck they leaned on their next king, Oedipus, to fix the problem and end the plague. This shows how a society can get chaotic without morals or principles: from a king and day to day tasks, to no king and no knowledge of how to act or function. If a society becomes too dependent on their king or their hero to save them in times of trouble, an unexpected or sudden death of that particularShow MoreRelatedHero Essay : A Hero Is A True Hero805 Words   |  4 PagesReeve states, â€Å"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.† In other words, a hero is a everyday person that has the courage, bravery, and strength to overcome any challenge they are going through or as a challenge to help someone no matter what it takes. Even though there could be many struggles, a hero has to endure the strength to do anything to help in any way they can. Many people think they know what a hero is, but do theyRead MoreIs Odysseus A True Hero1352 Words   |  6 PagesMccann Mrs.Carroll English 01 February 2016 Is Odysseus A True Hero In the story The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is not a true hero. A man with so much hatred and anger should not be someone to hold to a high prestige, or want to be. The needless killing and disrespect to other people s wishes is not part of what a hero should be, or is to endanger the people that he is in charge of. This is why odysseus is not a true hero. â€Å"A favorable wind brought us from the land of Troy to theRead MoreOdysseus : A True Hero1227 Words   |  5 Pageshave held debates about Odysseus. The discussion is whether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is abundant supportive evidence to verify all sides of the debate and opinions held about Odysseus. Odysseus had encompassed many qualities that I believe make him a hero. The qualities he embodied were mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero. To support my thesis, I want to explore Odysseus, first in the area ofRead MoreOdysseus Is A True Hero1233 Words   |  5 Pageswhether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is much supporting evidence to prove all sides of the debate and opinions held of Odysseus. It is of my opinion that Odysseus is a hero in his homeland, his family, the Greek people, and for us to learn from to this day. Odysseus had encompassed three many qualities that I believe made him a hero. He embodied, mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero. To support my reasonsRead MoreHeroism : A True Hero1283 Words   |  6 PagesGeorge S Patton, a senior officer of the U.S. Army, once said, â€Å"The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.† The online dictionary from Merriam-Webster defines a hero as, â€Å"One who shows great courage.† People notice that a hero shows courage and perseverance in overwhelming positions. People can even be inspired to show the same in the problems they are going through. Maybe inside the hero they are nervous, or even scared, but outside they show that they will power through whateverRead MoreThe True Meaning Of A Hero1240 Words   |  5 PagesTo many the true definition of a hero varies. The true meaning of a hero varies according to the individuality of a person due to our uniqueness. A hero to some if not many, is a person who acquires courage, intelligence, strength, and has risked and sacrificed his life for the dignity of himself and the wellbeing of others. A h ero bears the characteristics of a leader, by not only possessing physical strength but most importantly intellectual strength. A hero is also described as someone who landsRead More A True Hero Essay3569 Words   |  15 PagesA True Hero As I read David Halberstam’s ideas in his essay, â€Å"Who We Are† (2004), I started thinking about our nation’s leaders and heroes. September 11th came to my mind and the many firefighters and rescue workers who heroically risked their lives to save complete strangers. Then, I remembered that the media dubbed Jessica Lynch a hero when she came back to the United States. Not only Jessica, but also many other American soldiers fighting abroad are called heroes. I started wondering ifRead MoreBeowulf : A True Hero1763 Words   |  8 Pagesimpressionable king. Beowulf displays four key characteristics, courage, strength, knowledge, and respect/trust, which are extremely important to the plot, as well as for the life of the Geats, the Danes, and Beowulf’s true identity. From the beginning, Beowulf is viewed as the epitome of a true hero. He may have been somewhat selfish at times and boast about his achievements, but when it really mattered he is there for h is people. These traits truly expose the heroic king he becomes. The courage and braveryRead MoreThe True Hero: Odysseus623 Words   |  2 Pagesan epic hero. Epic heroes all have good and bad qualities, for example Hercules is known as the strongest man in the world, but he is not that smart. Odysseus is a great example of an epic hero. He is smart, strong, and protected by gods and goddesses, but he does have faults in his actions considering he is only just a mortal. In Homer’s book, The Odyssey, Homer shows how Odysseus is truly an epic hero, by showing his journey back home to Ithaca. Odysseus’s most known trait of an epic hero is hisRead MoreA True American Hero637 Words   |  3 PagesA True American Hero After reading about Alexander Hamilton we can definitely see the importance that he provided in establishing the United States. The author also did a very good job of explaining how Hamilton was able to do this. When we reading the story we can see that Hamilton was able to use his intelligence, Finical knowledge, hard work ethic,background, patriotism, and the respect that others had for him to influence and help establish the United States. It was by successfully obtaining