Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Journal of French Teen

     March 18, 1790.  It was a horrible day.  All I could this about was how torn I felt about this war.  Should I go?  All of my friends are, but that is not a good reason.
     "King" Louis XIV must not care about us.  We, the French people, do not agree with how he treats us, and apparently he does not care.  Our sides have been clashing for around one year, and nobody has budged.  Many of my townsfolk, here in Bel-Aire, have left to fight the monarchy, some of which are my friends.  Before he passed, my best friend, Optimus Prime, gave me his reasons for going.  He started: "|1- Our friends are 2-Why not? 3-..." thats when they shot him.  One of the king's soldiers overheard us slandering the king, and executed him on the spot.  He told me that I would be next.  So as I write this, I realize: I was meant to do this.  I shall go, in honor of my friend.  Of my townspoeple.  Of my family.  I will fight in this war, and the king will fall.  I will leave when I find the best opportunity.  If I do not write tomorrow, then I have already found my means of escape.  Good bye, and blss your soul- French Prince of Bel-Aire. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Hero Analysis Revamped

                Heroes have been important for as long as people have communicated.  They appear in books and movies, and play a large role in our childhood and adult lives as a whole.  As history has progressed, so have the heroes and their details, but there are still many links to the heroes of old.
            There are a multitude of aspects of heroes that have not changed.  The majority of hero stories follow the same journey structure, which people have subconsciously adopted into their story.  There are still characteristics of ancient heroes that can be found in modern ones.  For instance, both Batman and Odysseus, heroes from very different eras, are brave and courageous, neither of them back down in the face of danger.  Heroes are often very intelligent, and can use their surroundings to benefit themselves.  Many heroes are also well-off, Batman has a mansion and Odysseus has a palace because he is a king.  Heroes are similar throughout history.
            A lot of characteristics have changed as well.  Nowadays, the consumers really enjoy antiheroes, or just people that are not liked by their cities.  Batman is hated by most of Gotham, the police are always after Spider-Man, and nobody liked Shrek.  It is common for heroes to be very technologically advanced.  For example, Iron-Man has a bulletproof flying suit.  In modern times, hospitality is not as important as it was in ancient Greece.  This is because our society does not hold it as a must-have trait.  Also heroes tend to not have much family, at least not that they talk to.  Of course, history has taken its toll on aspects of heroes.
            Part of these details that have changed is the obstacles that heroes face.  Heroes from ancient times battled against very different things versus now.  People like Odysseus more often fought uncontrollable phenomena like nature and the gods’ wrath.  Modern heroes fight similar things, but not as often.  Now, more often than not, people are fighting physical objects, namely technology.  This ranges anywhere from guns, to armor, all the way to giant, advanced, magical robots from another dimension.  Odysseus never fought technology.  He was too concerned with the gods, usually Poseidon, the qualities of the native people, and how to get home.  None of these deal with technological advancement.  The driving details of heroic stories have changed greatly.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

     Heroes have been important throughout history.  The qualities of heroes differ because the hero often has qualities that are highly revered by that civilization.  Through this, we can infer a society's high qualities based on their heroes.  Odysseus is the embodiment of the Ancient Greeks.
     Homes describes Odysseus as almost a demigod.  He is an excellent leader, although his crew attempts a mutiny.  According to Nausicaa, Odysseus has "... looks like the gods..." (Homer 92).  Odysseus is very mercurial; he tells the cyclops that his name is Nobody, so that the cyclops will not know who has hurt him.  Odysseus is resourceful.  Circe calls him "Odysseus of the many devises" (Homer 153).  As are many characters in the Odyssey, he is hospitable, to every guest.  He is distraught when the cyclops does not welcome Odysseus and his crew with the customary gifts and food.  Odysseus talks with a level of eloquency that is unmatched by mortals.  Numerous times, this saves him.  It proves to Nausicaa that he is not a savage, and shows her father, the king, that he is a well educated man, which makes him even more valued than a "normal" guest.  Odysseus is very well-rounded individual.
     Many heroes follow catharsis, meaning that they have one fatal flaw.  Odysseus is no exception.  He suffers from hubris, or excessive pride.  His pride gets him into some sticky situations.  The whole reason that Odysseus cannot get home safely is because he could not help but tell the cyclops his name as Odysseus escapes.  It is also why Odysseus's crew despises him, to an extent.  Hubris is not a good quality, especially not in a hero.