If you were to be asked to describe a hero, would you say your mum, a surgeon that performed a miracle surgery? Or would you say a strong, brave male who lurks (ventures) the streets looking for citizens to help? The depiction of a hero has changed throughout history. However, their characteristics, personality, and physical capabilities greatly differ from epic heroes to heroes of the modern day. Most people in the 21st century would refer to epic heroes as ‘braggarts’ because they are known to always boast about their adventures, treasures, or battles. Now, heroes are more like ordinary people. A firefighter is a modern-day hero, and he could reside in the home next to you. Modern heroes are not out looking to accomplish great deeds. Their actions are often spontaneously performed, whereas epic heroes look for people or villages in distress. Epic heroes also work for a reward, while most modern-day heroes do not. A comparison of heroes can be made by examining two completely different texts written centuries apart to analyze and share my opinion on the contrasts and similarities of a modern verse epic hero. Despite both texts being different in culture, age, and form, they both still present the concept of a hero.
In most instances, heroes exemplify not only what society considers remarkable and impossible feats, but also the ideals of that society. Throughout history, the definition of a hero has changed concurrently with the values, morals, and challenges of humanity. Presently, Google defines a hero as a person who is admired for his courage, outstanding achievements, or noble. In the eighth century, a hero was defined by his courage, constancy, and self-sacrifice. The epic poem 'Beowulf', one of the first works of English literature, chronicles the adventures of Beowulf, the perfect example of an Anglo-Saxon epic hero. The poem explores Beowulf's heroism in three progressively difficult feuds against Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. With every victory, Beowulf further validates his place as a hero in the hearts and minds of Geats and Danes alike.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
The 2014 film ‘Interstellar’ is set in a dystopian society where Earth is slowly becoming inhabitable due to a worldwide crop blight and the second Dust Bowl. The human race is at stake, yet no one dreams of leaving the planet. Their only hope of survival is to escape their dying world. Most audiences of this film would typically see Cooper as the hero of the movie, as he is a collection of ticked boxes; a single father and a test pilot who washed out and is now a corn farmer. He seems to fit all the masculine ideals of a hero. When the plot hands him an opportunity to be more than a parent and a farmer, he jumps at it with both hands open. To be clear, Cooper, Brand, Romilly, Doyle, and even poor Doctor Mann are unquestionably heroic. There is no way signing up for a probable one-way trip through a wormhole to an uncertain future could be anything other than that. However, Cooper, both John and Amelia Brand, and Mann, the characters we spend the bulk of the movie with, are hideously flawed when it comes to being heroes. For instance, the fact that Cooper was prepared to die to give Brand a shot at reaching the last world shows that he isn’t the true hero, because in any hero-based story, the hero is always the reason there is a happy ending for many people.
Referring to the eighth century, when the hero of a story, in this case – Beowulf, is clear to the audience, to now, where heroes are just ordinary people. To be a hero currently, you don’t need to be feted as a hero or have supernatural strength, but just ‘good’ and selfless intentions. Putting this theory into perspective, the true hero of ‘Interstellar’ is actually Coops’ daughter Murph. In fact, I am betting you might not have recognized her as being the main reason the human race survived. Heroes have changed, yes, but following the ‘hero’s journey’, the structure highlights that Murph was the hero behind the scenes all along, even though she didn’t sacrifice her life to solve the equation for glory as Beowulf did.
Stuck on your essay?
