Lesson 1.03 Concept Syntheses Exploring the Hero - A/B I chose Option A [Would Emerson consider Beowulf a hero?] I personally think that Emerson would consider Beowulf a hero. My reasoning behind this choice is, Self-Trust is the essence of heroism. It is the state of the soul at war, and its ultimate objects are the last defiance of falsehood and wrong, and the power to bear all that can be inflicted by evil agents. It speaks the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, temperate, scornful of small calculations, and scornful of being scorned.
However, the heroic battles and stories he had hoped for turned out to be a figment of his imagination; Vietnam was the ugliest war the United States has ever encountered. The book starts off with Caputo’s decision to join the marines and become an officer. He goes through military school, and in the spring of 1965 he landed in Danang, Vietnam. Most of the book covers his three year enlistment which started in 1964 and ended in 1967 when he was discharged from military service. He talks about the struggles he went through during the war
“In a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true” (O’Brien 78) In the chapter, “How to Tell a True War Story,” O’Brien eloquently argues that the absolute and objective truth of a story is irrelevant when compared to the visceral reaction it provokes. Most importantly for O’Brien, a war story most closely approaches truth if it disgusts, horrifies, muddles, and forces one to consider some deeper, darker element of human nature that most would prefer remain unexplored. O’Brien bolsters his rationale in his retelling of a Hollywood, romanticized story of a man jumping on a grenade to save his fellow friends: Although the second version of this story, in which the grenade kills the entire group despite the jumper’s sacrifice, quite possibly never have happened, it may “be truer than the truth” (O’Brien, 2009). Like a true war story, it induces discomfort, uncertainty and is unclear in its greater purpose or lesson. This added human element of embarrassment and distress is what makes the second story truer the first.
Proctors action s reveal his inner strength. For example, when John tears his testimony he is giving his life away. Proctor action’s not common because he is a brave man who cares about his family. In Salem no body else would have dared defy authority because they are afraid to die by the injustices of the town. John Proctor choose to go against the judge s orders for the reputation of his family can be ruin because of his action.
Born on the Fourth of July" is about Ron Kovics’ experiences in the Vietnam War. It is a story about an American boy who goes to war with high hopes and lofty ideas and comes back a changed person with a whole new view on life and the government he lives under. Kovic wanted people to understand exactly what he went through, the pain, the suffering, and the agony that he endured through those years. He wanted readers of the book to feel how he was feeling at that time, especially anti-war activists, Vietnam veterans, war enthusiasts. I enjoyed reading “Born on the Fourth of July”.
Grendel's frustration is not simply a matter of loneliness; he also cannot choose between his hatred of humanity on the one hand, and his admiration of man's accomplishments on the other. The novel ends where its inspiration, the epic Beowulf, begins--with the arrival of the mighty Geat soon after one of Grendel's bloodier rampages. Grendel, we know, is doomed to die by Beowulf's hand. In Grendel, Gardner makes that death a matter of great philosophical
He relies on his actions saving a nation to be dubbed a hero and worthy of the title of greatest warrior. Gawain on the other hand did not need to save anything or anybody to be termed a hero to his peers. He embodies virtue and the characteristics of a good person coupled with a perilous journey to keep his word. Some aspects of heroism stay the same though, namely the fact that both characters are in danger of losing their lives and ultimately sacrifice in order to complete their task. In Beowulf’s case, he loses his life in the battle with the dragon, but for Gawain he symbolically offers his life to the Green Knight to take, and only through the Knight’s generosity does he let Gawain live.
The Courage of a Man Is being courageous really worth risking said physical well being or social outlook? Really courageous people risk everything for others. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch takes that risk. He takes the Tom Robinson case when he knows that they will lose, and does everything in his power to prove his innocence. Bob Ewell spitting in Atticus’ face does not faze or provoke him into lowering himself to Bob’s level.
It loses a lot of what could strengthen it to make it more of historical fiction. Although the story, written and published a long time ago, in contemporary times, make readers wonder, "Where exactly does this fit in to my understanding of the Civil War?" The changes that Henry goes through make this story a coming of age story. He enters the army as a young man and, after several battles, leaves a real man. Before he sees his first action, we see him battling with feelings of insecurity and cowardice.
Comparative Analysis: A Few Good Men A Few Good Men, directed by Rob Reiner, starts off with a scene about two men, Private First Class Louden Downey and Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson, giving a Private First Class William T. Santiago a code red; the Private ends up dying a few hours later. Later in the movie, Colonel Nathan R. Jessup meets with his two senior officers, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson and Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick, struggling to make a decision: give Pfc. Santiago a transfer off the base, or ‘toughen him up’. Col. Jessup ends up keeping Pfc. Santiago on the base and gives orders to Lance Corporal Dawson to give Santiago a code red.