Comparing the Hero in Fall of the House of Usher, Rip Van Winkle, and May-Pole of Merry Mount

What is a hero? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In the novel October Sky by Homer Hickam, a teenager named Homer “Sonny” Hickam grew up in a coal town in West Virginia where a boy’s usual fate was to end up in the mines. Although his mine-foreman father contemplated him in dismay, Homer still had his eyes on the sky and a love for flying rockets. Throughout the course of the story Homer proves to be heroic by remaining devoted to building the rockets, disregarding his father’s approval and facing the challenge of his stolen belongings.

Most times, anything abnormal or odd tend to be pushed under the rug. Edgar Allan Poe subtly brings attention to topics the are typically ignored. E. A. Poe had far from a perfect childhood. His father left when he was young and his mother died when he was three. Poe also seemed to have a lonely childhood after his parents were gone. He was separated from his relatives and didn’t appear to have many friends. He attended the army and after went into West Point. His academics there were well but he was eventually kicked out because of poor handlings of his duties. Before Poe died, he struggled with depression and a drinking problem. Some believe Poe’s tragic lifetime was the inspiration for some of his stories. Such as, “The Fall of the House of Usher”. A possible theory about this story is that Roderick and the Narrator were one in the same. This essay will discuss the possibility of them being the same through plot, characterization, and personification.

A hero is somebody who commits an act of remarkably bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character. (Encarta, 2009) Joseph Campbell has come up with eight of his own characteristics of a hero. Joseph Campbell is known as a scholar of mythology. There are several people in our times that are considered a hero. Whether, these heroes are fictional or nonfiction, they all portray some kind of heroic abilities.

During his life, Edgar Allan Poe wrote many classic poems and short stories. Two of his most famous works are “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Masque of the Red Death.” In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” a man goes to visit his childhood friend and while there witnesses the fall of the Usher family line. “The Masque of the Red Death,” on the other hand, is about Prince Prospero’s attempts to keep death from his abbey and what ensues when death enters. Throughout both short stories, “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Fall of The House of Usher,” Poe enforces his theme of the fear of death, by carefully crafting the setting, characterization, mood, and point of view of each piece.

Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, sets a tone that is dark, gloomy, and threatening. His inclusion of highly descriptive words and various forms of figurative language enhance the story’s evil nature, giving the house and its inhabitants eerie and “supernatural” qualities. Poe’s effective use of personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, and doubling create a morbid tale leading to, and ultimately causing, the fall of (the house of) Usher.

In poetry and in song, literature, and action movies, the hero embodies the qualities of bravery, strength, and honor. According to Merriam-Webster, a hero is a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability: a warrior: a person admired for achievements and noble qualities: one who shows great courage. While others define this concept as a trustworthy cause a selfish or unselfish act. On the other hand, a hero is someone who stands for integrity and justice for all mankind and willingly put his life in peril for that belief. As noted there will always be different definitions of a hero as of the diverse perspective on the issue.

Hero ; a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The dictionary definition of hero sets an image of a perfect human, probably hot, with amazing hair and a killer smile that always gets the job done quick and easy. In the epic poem The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is considered one of the best heroes in all of greek mythology. However, like all people, Odysseus is not perfect. Odysseus was imperfect in multiple ways.

According to Joseph Campbell, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself" . This means that a hero is person who is made a sacrifice for the good of others. A Hero is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities" . This means that a hero is someone people look up to. Anyone can be a hero. Heroes have qualities such as bravery, strength, and selflessness. Mothers, soldiers, and Odysseus are all examples of heroes.

Imagine this: a world with never-ending darkness, and only a handful of heroes able to end the murkiness. By definition, a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The characters of Penelope of Homer’s Odyssey, and Percy Jackson from Rick Riordan’s Mark of Athena. While Penelope may have been one of the heroes of the Odyssey, it is clear that Percy Jackson possess more heroic qualities than Penelope.

The "Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are two of Edgar Allan Poe's most well-known and noteworthy stories. This paper compares and contrasts the two stories and provides and outline as well.

A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than life, embody the ideals of their culture, embark on a perilous journey, and possess super-human, prominent characteristics.

A hero is a man of courage and ability who is admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. A hero is a person who does not come along very often in any time period. He is a special person, who is a step above the average person in the way that he handles any situation that may arise.

According to the definition, a hero is one who embodies the values of their society. In the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, the character Beowulf is used to convey the value that Anglo-Saxons placed on courage, strength, and loyalty.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that a hero is a person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or

A Hero, a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and noble qualities. According to “dictionary.com” But what is your definition? A hero is someone who inspires others to be their best.someone who pushes themselves, who is involved in their community, who encourages My hero is the kid from down the street who plays baseball all day.