Essay on Hero-Anti Hero

In the movie “Divergent” directed by Neil Burger, the central character Beatrice, shows many different characteristics of being an anti-hero. Beatrice Prior otherwise known as Tris is the main protagonist character and the narrator of the film. She is a strong willed 16 year old who lives in a society divided into groups called factions, based on individual human virtues. With her coming of age, she must now choose one of the factions to live in for the rest of her life, Abnegation (selfless), Erudite (intelligent), Candor (honest), Amity (peaceful) or Dauntless (brave). The definition of an anti-hero would be the main or central character in a story, movie or play who does not

There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light?

One specific example of othering and anti-heroism is Don Quixote in Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is an older man who strives for nobility and knighthood;

Heroes care not only for themselves, but for others. In the White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln, “...not for himself only, not for us only, but for all people in all their coming generations till time shall be no more…” This means that President Lincoln took risks not to ensure his safety but to make sure that he would be known as a doer. Lincoln knew that what he was doing would revolutionize the way not only the way his generation would live but all future ones. This showed that he cared not only for himself but for people he would never get the pleasure of meeting. Back in World War II a true hero was born. One of the bloodiest battles of WWII, Hacksaw Ridge, was lucky to have Desmond Doss as a part of their medical team. He saved 75 people. Most in which others had left behind, for they thought that they weren’t saving. He cared about every single one making it back to base to be helped despite who was after him. Or even in the 9/11 boatlift many heroes stepped up to the plate. Vincent Ardolino, Captain of the Amberjack V,

What is a modern day hero, and what do they do that makes them a hero? Modern day heroes slay racism and biased opinions. Someone known for being a modern day hero is Pauli Murray. She was an activist for all things humanity. Pauli Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 20, 1910 (Kathryn Schulz). Murray very much believed in equality for all humans no matter their skin color, sexual orientation, or gender. Having grandparents that were former slaves put a bitter taste of human mistreatment in her mouth. When she was 4 years old her mother, Agnes Murray, died of a cerebral hemorrhage, and just a few years later in 1923 her father was murdered by a hospital guard (Kathryn Schulz). Murray’s decision to go to college and study law was all on her. Being a time of severe segregation, college was not a familiar option for most African Americans, and women going to college was practically unheard of, but Pauli was determined that she was going to college to study law no matter her race or her gender. William Murray, Pauli Murray’s father, attended Howard University, which put the fire in Pauli to get accepted there. After a failed attempt to get into the college once, Murray finally got accepted and graduated

The last person I’d speak today as a hero is Adam Levine. Adam has been part of Maroon 5, a band that has been widely popular since the early 2000s. He is known for speaking about the issues of ADHD and for being an ally of the gay community as his brother is gay. As someone with ADHD, Adam was part of a campaign that had people talking about what ADHD was and why this was a huge deal. He was also an advocate for gay youth after people were more aware of the existence of his gay brother and he made sure to let it be known that he was in full support of his brother and the gay community.

One example is a man named Tristan Eugene Segers, a soldier who lost his right leg in Afghanistan. Even after going through two years of surgeries and rehabilitation, Tristan is leading a normal life. He married his highschool sweetheart and is raising a sweet little boy. He has joined culinary school and is moving into an apartment. He wears shorts and runs in marathons. Tristan is leading a normal life, but there are many soldiers out there who have just given up on life. But Tristan’s strength is changing other’s lives. As he mentioned, “I didn’t do anything special, but if the progress I have made motivates another wounded veteran to keep going, then that’s great.” Tristan was just a soldier like any other who sadly suffered a life changing injury. But his strength through all that has inspired others, which makes him a hero in other’s eyes. Another simple hero is Frederick Douglass. He was a slave in the South who managed to escape to the North. Once there, he was sad and scared. He had no home or friends, but spoke to no one in fear of being sent back. He started to read the “Liberator” and began to understand the idea of anti-slavery reform. Then, one time at a anti-slavery meeting, Douglass felt the urge to speak. But he was nervous, he did not feel like a white person and was nervous to speak in front of them. When

In many situations, there will be at least a hero or an anti-hero. A hero is considered as someone that’s valorous or brave, but an anti-hero I someone that lacks heroic characteristics. An example of a hero would be when someone stands up for someone or saving someone but an anti-hero would be the opposite; which is a coward or lacks heroic characteristics. In the book “The Coquette”, Major Sandford was considered as what we call an anti-hero but Julia would be considered as a hero because she was concerned about her friend. In life, you’ll run across many people who will do evil things to you or towards you.

In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like

By definition a hero is “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” So what is an “Anti-Hero?” An anti-hero is a noble and courageous man much like a hero, but he is selfish and cruel. As readers, we attach ourselves to the anti-hero because we want to see “the good” in everyone. Walter Lee Younger in the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is an anti-hero because of his narcissistic traits, nobility as he evolved, and his passion that drove the action of the play.

and powers beyond the range of any human. The hero himself bring a mystical quality to the story

Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.

Quality’s such as a distorted sense of morality, a self-serving or selfish cause, or qualities that would be considered dark fit the role of anti-hero with distinction. An important distinction to make in respect to the anti-hero archetype is that the anti-hero is not the villain. The villain of a story is just that, the villain. While it is true that they can be like the

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground (1864/2008) comes across as a diary penned by a self-described “spiteful” and “unattractive” anonymous narrator (p. 7). The narrator’s own self-loathing characterized by self-alienation is so obvious, that he is often referred to by critics as the Underground Man (Frank 1961, p. 1). Yet this Underground Man is the central character of Dostoyevsky’s novel and represents a subversion of the typical courageous hero. In this regard, the Underground man is an anti-hero, since as a protagonist he not only challenges the typical literary version of a hero, but also challenges conventional thinking (Brombert 1999, p. 1).

The topic that I’ll be explaining is about anti villains which are different from anti heroes even though both have anti in it which both makes them different from one another. Anti Villain may be more noble or heroic than an anti hero, but the means to achieve their ends are often considered immoral, unjust, or evil. Sometimes, they may simply be a villain with gentlemanly qualities, a code of honor or some sense of justice. The anti villain is the opposite of an anti hero a villain with the heroic goals, personality traits, and/or virtues. Their desired ends are mostly good, but their means of getting there are evil. There are sliding scales of anti villains like for example Noble Anti Villain, Woobie Anti Villain, Well-Intentional Anti