Hercules Finding Identity

As George R.R. Martin once stated, “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you” (CITATION). In the short stories, David Goes to the Reserve, and Compatriots, characters struggle with their sense of identity. Some know who they are, but lack the knowledge of who they want to be; while others do not perceive any identity, but know they can be so much more. To find their true selves, the characters have to confront and overcome the obstacles that hindered them in the past.

As George R.R. Martin once stated, “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you” (“Quotes About Identity”, 2017). In the short stories, David Goes to the Reserve, and Compatriots, characters struggle with their sense of identity. Some know who they are, but lack the knowledge of who they want to be; while others do not perceive any identity, but know they can be so much more. To find their true selves, the characters have to confront and overcome the obstacles that hindered them in the past.

Everyone in the world has their own identity but some are still searching for it. Many base their identity on race, religion, culture and language because it’s easier to belong to a certain group. However, there are some people who struggle with finding where they belong. For instance, James McBride in The Color of Water wonders who he is through most his childhood and some of his adult life. Mcbride tries to find himself by learning about his mother's background. After evaluating his mom’s past,culture and race his own issues with himself were made clearer because now he finally knows where he came from.

Despite how the Disney movie portrays him, Hercules was not an upstanding demigod. This wasn’t until he finally learned his lesson after he was reborn and made immortal in the Greek myth, where his name was instead Heracles. The myth of Heracles follows a writing template called “A Hero’s Journey” created by Christopher Vogler. This template includes 12 stages which are commonly found in Greek myths. The three major portions of the “Hero’s Journey” greatly align with the story of Heracles.

Essentially, laying the foundation that identity is what makes us all individuals and unique. As a young child I never understood my own identity. I was influenced by society’s conceptions on who I should be based on only my physical identity rather than who I knew I truly was. I

Identity is found in the one who created each and every person unique. As Tebow said, discovering our true identity in the midst of many storms that daily try to wipe us out. Learning to persevere when it feels like all is lost is important for characters and integrity. Sometimes when people are shaken to the core the realization of bringing hope to others becomes the future.

Identity is what makes a person different from all other individuals. Throughout history it shows that people tend to conform to society's perception of who they should be when they don't take the time out to figure out who they are. Therefore, it is important for people to have a sense of who they are. In " The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, it shows how the main character struggles to figure out her identity and how she sees herself.

Identity helps shape and defines who someone is. This allows everyone to be unique of who they are. In a book, Night, by Elie Wiesel displays why his family is important to Elie. Elie attempts to assist his father and care for him at the concentration camp. In a book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding demonstrates how Simon is sincere to the group of boys.

Identity is a complex topic. To explain someone’s identity is to try to put a person’s whole being into words. It is similar to how when an author describes a character, readers have their own interpretation of what that description means. Identity is challenging to define due to everyone's different ideas of what identity means and a person can not perfectly describe someone with words. A common claim about identity is that you can be whoever you want, suggesting that people are in control of their identity.

As explained above Life experiences are important in molding someone's identity as explained threw the story of Odysseus.

The movie Hercules was released in 1997 and was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. Long story short, Zeus, and his wife Hera have a son named Hercules. Zeus' brother Hades wants to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus. Hades asks the Fates for help and learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow Hades to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules is not there to fight.

In 1949, Joseph Campbell, a writer and mythologist, published a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In this book, he proposed a theory of how hundreds of hero stories can be summarized in a twelve-step pattern. Half of the cycle takes place in the hero’s regular world, and the other half takes place in a special world. Clearly, modern hero characters can be traced back to this simple sequence. One hero that has been introduced in recent decades is Hercules, from the 1997 Disney movie of the same name. Hercules, like countless other heroes, fits perfectly into Campbell’s twelve-step cycle.

It is important for a person to know his or her true identity because knowing that means ignoring outside influences and making oneself truly happy. It allows people to be able to be the best and most successful version of themselves. For example, without knowing their true identity, they could be hanging out with people who are bad influences and may get them into trouble. This happens when a person is trying to please someone else or be like someone else instead of being confident in themselves. If they know their true identity, they would be confident in who they choose to hang out with which is the better path to happiness.

A person’s identity can often be mistaken, can be either by ourselves or the people around us. The people that surround us can push us to wrong personality, which might be not good for the rest of our lives. That is because a person will get into a world with a wrong personality and will be affected emotionally, because of not being accepted by the way they are. It is very hard for some people to accept others, the way they are. That is why is good to make sure, that we know who we are, what is our personality?

Identity can be different for everyone because of everyone’s individuality, how they were raised, and what they believe and know. To me, identity is an aspect of yourself that can change any day because of your environment and the people and culture you choose to surround yourself with. Some of the most important factors that contribute to one’s identity include their environment and their mindset, or mainly the way they choose to view things. These factors are prominent in Pan’s Labyrinth and Simple Arithmetic. Put together, the two texts explore and communicate the theme that you cannot force a person’s identity to change, and that you have to let people grow on their own.