Hero Myth Film Analysis

As time goes on and new generations come about, many of the ideals of former generations seem to become irrelevant. Scott LaBarge, a professor of philosophy, elaborates on this idea and others in his essay. “Why Heroes Are Important” is LaBarge’s pursuit to persuade others of his idea of heroes in today’s society. He claims that many of our youth do not know what a proper hero is and that former generations should be educating them. LaBarge begins his persuasion by describing his personal experience and credibility; then, he briefly describes the history of heroes to tie in his opinion on the definition; finally, he uses Aristotle’s idea of Kairos to explain how his opinion proves true according to current events.

Being a hero does not always mean wearing capes and fighting villains during the dark hours of the night, it means so much more as Susanna Barlow, in the article “Understanding the Hero Archetype”, explains. In the novel Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar and in the movie The Wizard of Oz, Scott and Dorothy fall upon two incredible journeys to becoming true heroes. Throughout their remarkable journeys, Scott Hudson and Dorothy Gale experience similar difficulties, obstacles, lessons, and characteristics. These experiences demonstrate how the obstacles and lessons they suffer through teach both characters very important lessons in becoming a hero. Being a true hero requires kindness, generosity, strength,

Throughout humankind, many heroes have impacted world’s history. Some are true stories while some have become legends. These storied are retold over and over due to the hero, which shows a common

Soon after entering Hogwarts, Harry must face a road of trials which will eventually lead him to achieve his unlikely treasure. While roaming the halls after curfew, Harry receives detention in the forbidden forest, and comes face to face with the Dark Lord. Other obstacles come to place when Harry travels down the trap door into the chambers; such as devil’s snare, a human wizard’s chess game, and the room of keys (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). The series of tests make Harry’s mission difficult; however, the knowledge he gains from the unsuccessful trials bring him closer to his main goal. These minor bumps in Harry’s journey strengthen him emotionally and physically, readying him to defeat the traitor at the end of his succession of tests. Unexpectedly, the betrayal comes from the quivering Professor Quirrell who voluntarily gives up his body to the Dark Lord. Harry sees himself in the mirror and realizes he is magically in possession of the Sorcerer’s Stone. Shortly

Historically American film have been centered on heroes. In Ray’s “The Thematic Paradigm” he states that heroes as have two preset archetypes with certain characteristics. These two archetypes are the family orientated “official hero” and the loner “outlaw hero.” In Segar’s “Creating the Myth” she states that heroes are made by the steps or events that they go through on their way to becoming a hero. This means that to Seger the heroes do not start out as heroes, but as normal people. However, Ray and Seger suggest different ways in which Americans relate to film heroes, they both agree heroes are popular through common experience and relatability.

Since long ago, people carried an image of what it means to be a hero. It is evident in some great books one might even say. As in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Antigone, and The Iliad, heroism is displayed and exalted, but what does being a hero mean? Overarchingly, in regards to these works, the heroes earn their titles as heroes by notably doing what is right when the time is right, with humane purpose, and an everlasting message. However, Gilgamesh, Antigone, and Akhilleus, being different in their purposes, everlasting messages, type of heroism as whole, can not compare in regards to heroic status.

The hero’s journey has evolved with literature over time, and remains the basis for character development today. So why are there so many stories of the hero in mythology? Campbell answers this question in his interview with Bill Moyers by saying, “Because that’s what’s worth writing about…. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (The Power of Myth 151).

A hero is universally seen as a selfless individual who puts the needs of others before themselves. Heroes usually hold the same values; honor, nobility, integrity, and strength. Now what happens when a person does not hold those heroic values? What if their motivations did not have good intentions? These are the questions that will be answered using the deconstruction critical lenses. “Today, it is much harder to detach the concept of heroism from morality; we only call heroes those whom we admire and wish to emulate.” (Lebarge web) The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur has evolved into the modern trilogy of Batman which, when deconstructed, reveals how the selfish motivations of

The concept of a hero has been around for many generations, and the meaning of a hero is defined in ways people grasp its idea. A hero can be a person who has a superpower and is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others or can be an ordinary everyday person who just wants to help people out of his or her own heart. Linda Seger’s article, “Creating the Myth,” tackles the idea of a “Hero 's Myth,” and shows the ten steps of how heroes are transformed from an ordinary person to the Savior. On the other hand, Robert B. Ray piece titled, “The Thematic Paradigm,” emphasizes that in modern films, it is either having an “Outlaw Hero or an Official Hero,” which he uses three stages to demonstrates how they are different each other in the way they perform in the society. Further, the article, “Out of Character: Wonder Woman’s Strength Is Her Compassion - What Happened?” by Stevie St. John, explains how Wonder Woman was viewed as a compassionate woman in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the 2000s she changes into a more violent person. In this essay, I argue that a hero is subjective, and is defined by the villain or event that they had to adapt to suddenly.

Zhang Yimou’s thrilling film Hero is both an emotional and exhilarating experience. Hero combines the use of action-packed scenes as well as a beautiful love story. Nameless, Broken Sword and Flying Snow, the main characters, team up to eventually kill the King of Qin who had murdered a number of people with the Qin army including both Flying Snow and Nameless’s father. Although the Qin army is an enemy of Broken Sword and Flying Snow’s people, it is a personal issue to assassinate the king. Throughout the film the audience is exposed to the developing love that forms between Broken Sword and Flying Snow. While their love unfolds, many battles of combat arise between enemies and allies. When Nameless joins Broken Sword and Flying Snow,

In “Creating the Myth” Linda seger claims that hero stories are ¨found in all cultures and in all literature,”(309) gaining such popularity by being relatable to the average person.

I chose this picture because it accurately represents the moods/emotions that film beautifully depicts (happily in love vs. broken heartedly alone). This is the part of the film where Tom is at a party Summer invited him to after the break up. Tom goes to this party filled with high expectations as he took her invitation as a sign of her wanting to get back together. This split scene showed us how Tom expected the night to go vs. what really happened. As this scene went on, the song “Hero” by Regina Spektor plays in the background giving the audience a hint that this party will not end happily. This is my favorite part of the movie because there’s so much depth to just this one particular scene. The audience feels emotionally connected to Tom;

How do you define a hero? Some may define a hero with the ability to fly, or run fast; to others a hero may be saving someone who is in dangers; others may define a hero as one who is able to help another in various ways. Harry Potter is a orphan boy who find out he is a wizard and goes to a magic school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While he is at Hogwarts, he develops his supernatural qualities, goes on a journey, and defeats evil. Although Harry Potter is not a Epic hero in the same way as Odysseus, Harry Potter still fulfills the stages of epic hero cycle and proves that he is a hero by overcome obstacles and showing his bravery, and selflessness.

Heroes are prevalent in everyone’s life. Whether someone’s hero is a living person or a fabled character from a movie, everybody has come into contact with some sort of hero. In fact, the concept of heroes has existed for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. Over time, heroes have drastically changed. As society has evolved, our heroes have evolved with it. Their goals and motivations have changed to coincide with the views of modern society. Modern day heroes have less selfish motives, better qualities, and are portrayed differently than ancient heroes.

Harry Potter is living in the ordinary world with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin who treat him with very little respect. He begins to receive mysterious letters which are addressed explicitly to him. His aunt and