I don’t know why, but I really like definitions. I like dissecting definitions to find greater meaning to words, phrases or ideas. Since a theme to our class this semester is superheroes, I’ve been thinking about the definition of a superhero. In the dictionary the word HERO is a noun. It’s defined as a “person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Another way they define it is “a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.” The word HEROIC is an adjective; defined as “suitable to the character of a hero; daring; noble; having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic (meaning unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others), determined, etc.” It’s kind of going back to the basics, but I think the definitions give neat insight to heroes and their heroic deeds.
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Something kind of interesting that I wish we would look into a little more in class is the idea people had of hero’s in the past. We talk quite often about whether or not the characters in the stories we’re reading are a SUPERHEROES or HEROES, but we haven’t really delved into the history of the cultures or societies enough to confirm whether or not they believed these people/characters were actually heroes. Was their idea of heroes synonymous with our idea of superheroes today? The Greeks had a thing called the HEROIC AGE, defined as “one of the five periods in human history, when, according to Hesiod, gods and demigods performed heroic and glorious deeds.” It makes me wonder if the Greeks believed people could be heroes or just gods and demigods… And if that’s the case, I feel that it’s possible there’s a really strong connection between their heroes and our superheroes today. (Except for the slight difference relating to worship; people worshiped the Greek Gods, but we don’t worship superheroes as far as I know…) It also makes me wonder if there are a select few who are deemed worthy of the title HERO and that others are just simply HEROIC meaning that they are like heroes.
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Are there different levels to being a hero? The best way to explain my question is to give an example using temperature. Simply defined there’s HOT, COLD, and WARM. There are two extreme opposites and then a balanced middle, then of course varying degrees of temperatures in between. What causes this thought is the definition of an antihero or anti-heroine. The dictionary defines them as a protagonist in a novel or plays whose attitudes and behavior are not typical of a conventional heroine. Conventional meaning: conforming or adhering to accepted standards, as of conduct or taste.) People look up to their father, mother, sister, brother, teacher, or friend as heroes in their life. I think it’s safe to say that in most cases, the people we look up to as heroes in our lives may have some heroic attributes about them, but might not be considered a HERO in the worlds’ view of heroes.
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Just something that’s kind of interesting… Most superheroes have their set of super-villains and villains they fight against. But next in line come the reporters or “misinformed” public that don’t like the superhero (usually because of the reporters). People in law enforcement don’t usually like superheroes because they see them as a nuisance or a vigilante often putting themselves above the law.
Examples:
SPIDERMAN-Reporters turn around the good he does, to make headlines that sell papers.
BATMAN-Police don’t like him because he disregards the law which always seems to put his heroic character and true motives in question.
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-This is just a funny example of how the roles of Hero and Villain are strongly connected.
Metro Man is the hero of Metro City, but gets tired of being the hero so he fakes his own death, which is kind of funny because superheroes don’t die, but anyway, he fakes his death and retires, never to be seen again. This gives Mega Mind (the villain) the perfect opportunity to complete all his evil plans and rule the city, but without someone fighting against him he doesn’t find joy in his “evilness” it because it’s so easy… he feels like something is missing so he creates a superhero to fight against him, but there’s a funny twist when the superhero he created turns evil and Mega Mind is forced to become the superhero to save the city and the girl he loves.
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I drank a dragonfruit vitamin water the other day and I always like reading what they have on the side of their bottles. It’s usually something funny, interesting or witty and they change them all the time so there’s always something new to be discovered. This one said, “If you want to be a superhero, here are a few mandates: tights (with underwear on the outside) and knee-high boots (even if you’re a dude). But if you don’t want to fight crime and just want to help in the fight for your overall health, we recommend this bottle. It’s got zinc and 120% of your daily value of vitamin C per serving to help support your immune system. So leave your sidekick back at the cave and bring along this bottle. Best part, you won’t have to attach one of those ridiculous sidecars to your motorcycle. Vitamins + Water = all you need”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So like the title of this blog states, these are just some random thoughts I've had lately about superheros... Let me know what you all think...
Wow.. I liked reading your blog entry. It was interesting even though they were just random thoughts about super/heroes.
ReplyDeleteI do think that there is a different levels of heroes. Tom's shoes CEO Blake Mycoskie who provides shoes to children in third world country is more heroic compared to a consumer who buys a pair of Tom's shoes to help the CEO provide the shoes. A consumer is somewhat a hero for saving a child from illnesses because the child is walking around barefoot. But Blake Mycoskie is more a hero than the consumer because he came up with this idea and made it actually happen. I cannot come up with labels that will define the different levels but I think there is different levels.
'Twas indeed random, but some very interesting thoughts. It's true we haven't looked much into how these societies viewed their heroes. It might be worth doing, but I left that alone in part for the benefit of those who wanted to use that angle for their final paper.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the most interesting blogs I've read. You bring up many great points about superheros that could be analyzed and looked into more deeply. The fact that you brought up different levels of superheros is something I've never thought about, but now that I do think about it I believe there are different levels. Some superheros just have more successful rates than do others. Some get killed and come back, others don't. I believe this shows that there are different levels based on their performance.
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