Compare And Contrast Heroes And Villains

The Dual Nature Who is a hero? Who is a villain? Based on the Oxford Living Dictionary, a hero is a person who is admired for his or her actions, while a villain is a criminal, therefore his or her actions are not admired. Ray Bradbury, in his novel Fahrenheit 451, created a protagonist, Guy Montag, who is both a hero and a villain. Bradbury illustrates Montag’s dual nature through his actions in the book.

What would the world be without villains? What would become of all of the people who are very heroic, but have no way to prove it? That is where villains come in. A villain is a malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness Ursula from Disney's The Little Mermaid is a villain, but the Sirens from Homer’s Odyssey exhibit more evilness by tricking people, killing people, and being clever.

Nobody likes a hero. Nobody likes the gallant knight riding out in shining white armor to save the poor maiden in her castle. That story was exciting the first time, maybe even the second and the third, but after that… it just gets boring. Those characters aren’t people, they’re caricatures, hyperbolic representations of traits their creator deemed positive. It is impossible to learn from them, because they don’t have anything to say about life, society, or the processes therein. Characters that do that are hard to create, and consequently, hard to find. Characters that do become living, they rise from the page to join mankind on our mortal plane, if only for a little while. They have this power, unlike our knights and maidens, because they have moral ambiguity. They have goals, they have dreams, they laugh, they cry, they have real problems they try to solve, and sometimes in doing so, they mess up. And sometimes they mess up very badly. They do bad things and good things, consciously and unconsciously, just like actual humans. They justify their wrongdoings or regret them, and glory in their accomplishments, just like every single person has done and will do. F. Scott Fitzgerald was great at creating these types of characters, and perhaps the best example of this is the titular character of his novel, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is morally ambiguous because he immerses himself in the world of crime to get his fortune and his semi-psychotic pursuit of Daisy’s

On June 28, 1972, James Richardson awaiting the subway train which would take him to work. He was stopped and ordered to “put up your hands, and get against the wall”. These directions were given by an off duty Transit Authority patrolman named John Skagen. Skagen’s actions seem unprovoked and unnecessary. After a short tussle the two men exchanged shots and Richardson fled the scene on foot. Two other officers that were on the main street above the subway station were made aware of what was transpiring below and rushed to the scene. As they approached the entrance of the station, Richardson who was fleeing the scene ran directly into one of the

There are several job opportunities in this world, that people often struggle in choosing which one they would like to pursue someday. My current struggle is deciding which degree I would like to pursue; I know that I want to work with animals. I have narrowed it down to the smaller categories of choosing if I want to go for as many as nine years and get a bigger degree that is going to be hard to get a job and do as well out where I hope to live; or go for two to four years get my degree that will be easier to work with where I hope to live. My current choices are between vet technician, vet technologist, and veterinarian. I have hoped to go into the animal health industry for most of my life and now that I am a junior the time is coming to make the choice of career.

Heroes and Villains: Explore the ways sympathy for and/or dislike of a character is created in the text you have studied.

How is a villain defined? Certainly not as a man like Andrew Jackson who displayed great honor, courage, and determination for the well-being of his citizens and country. Raised in a commoner’s household, he began establishing a leadership foundation at an early age of fourteen. Jackson acquired the nickname “Old Hickory” through his portrayal of an influential and heroic leader. His valiant actions to defend his nation and represent the “common man” earned him the seventh seat as the president of the United States. Although he is notorious for forcefully removing the Indians from their homeland, Jackson’s achievements as a vigilant war general and outstanding president depict him as a hero.

In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like

Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.

Parents play many significant roles in their child’s life, including teacher or guidance, playmate, disciplinarian, caregiver, and attachment figure (Benoit, 2004). However, the most important role for parents is as an attachment figure, which can predict the child’s later social and emotional outcome. The first six months, therefore, is the most crucial period for parents and infants to develop this connection. Many people often have mistaken attachment with bonding. Bonding is referring to physical contact, and in this case depended on skin-to-skin contact child during early infant years. This concept of bonding is not the same with the attachment theory, however, providing physical contact when an infant cry until they are calm may help with forming a secure base for a child. According to Diane Benoit, the attachment is where the child uses its caregiver as a secure base from which to explore and, when necessary, as a haven of safety and a source of comfort (Benoit, 2004).

There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light?

American Heroes were inspired by Greek Tragic Heroes, yet both are very different from each other, but American Heroes have very similar traits to those who are Contemporary Heroes.  An American Hero is a person who seeks justice and always defeats the enemy which results in all people having the justice they deserve.  American Heroes also tends to protect all and has the tendency to fall in love with the “ damsel in distress”.  This type of hero goes about his daily life, just like anyone else would, until it is time to fight, and at that time, their “supernatural” powers shine through in their fighting techniques.  On the other side, all Tragic Heroes possess a flaw that will change their life from a life of happiness to a life of pain and despair.   Ordinarily, Contemporary Heroes have nearly the same traits as American Heroes.  Contemporary Heroes save and protect many individuals from violence and harm and lives a normal life until they have to face another obstacle.  Both American and Contemporary Heroes are able to celebrate their victories, while Tragic Heroes can not do so because they are not victorious.

The original hero archetype greatly contrasts the modern anti-hero archetype. A hero is someone who displays little to no flaws and is widely liked by the majority. This character presents its storyline with exceptional traits. The anti-hero archetype is completely opposite of the hero archetype. “Unlike the traditional hero who is morally upright and steadfast, the anti-hero usually has a flawed moral character” (Michael). Modern anti-heroes lack in grace, power, and social success (Neimneh). They deal with issues and insecurities such as alcoholism and infidelity (Michael). Anti-heroes make unpleasant moral compromises, in contrast to the desired, in order to reach something. They want to create order where it is impossible and put the protagonist to ‘justice’. Traditional hero characters often succeed when trying to complete their quests, which contrasts the extremely grimm success rate of anti-hero victory. Anti-heroes also do not let their inner thoughts influence their actions while original or traditional heroes seek self-definition (Teleky). Traditional hero characters often succeed when trying to complete their quests, which contrasts the extremely grimm success rate of anti-hero victory. The faultless ways of the hero archetype sets it apart from people in society, making it extremely unrelatable to the mass amount of humans today, allowing the anti-hero archetype to prevail through.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman—what do all these characters have in common? They are all products of the human aspiration to be saved. The word hero is passed around too much these days. A hero is not a football player that scores the game-winning touchdown or the goaltender who saves his team from a loss. A hero is usually an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. A true hero is really never a hero at all; at least not in their own mind. However, there are various cases today in which we see the exact opposites of these characters, the anti-heroes. The anti-hero is one who cannot be classified as a hero, for that said character lacks natural heroic qualities. However, the anti-hero cannot be described as a villain either.

Merriam Webster defines a hero as a person who is admired for great or brave acts and defines a villain as a character who does bad things. These definitions may not be so indubitable as John Gardner takes a hero and villain to a whole new level in his novel, Grendel. Throughout the years of novels and short stories, heroes and villains have been constructed as strictly good versus evil, but what if there is good in evil and evil in good? Grendel and the epic, Beowulf, revolve around this idea of heroes and villains and good versus evil. Gardner’s twist on the stereotypical hero leads to the true definition of a hero being changed as he creates one who has a nihilistic view on his atypical life.