Essay Question: Heroes reflect the best and worst in human nature
Introduction
It is accurate that heroes reflect the best choose word, thesaurus! and worst in human nature. The themes of how compassion after destruction results in love, and sacrifice to survive, portray the best and worst of human nature Repeat?. The novel Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and the film Frozen directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, both explore these themes. In both texts, it is clear that a hero does portray the best and worst in human nature .
Theme 1
To fathom that heroes reflect the greatest and worst in human nature, it’s important to know how compassion after the worst of destruction, results in love. In the novel Ender’s Game, when Ender
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Anti-protagonist – Elsa – displays destruction through her magical powers by “set [ting] off an eternal winter… everywhere”. The constant use of dark colours/moods and establishing shots of the frozen town enhances the impact of the vast destruction created. The use of the colours red and black, in the castle conflict scene, symbolises the danger and destruction; therefore, the worst of human nature. However, on the other hand, the protagonist – Anna – in the mist of witnessing the destruction of her sister ultimately wants to save Elsa (and the town), through displaying true love. The simple words from Anna, “I love you”- including close ups and warm colours - delivers positive connotations and a sense of meaning and connection, displaying the best of human nature. Frozen shows that heroes do reflect the best and worst of human nature through the compassion and love after destruction, as well as the destruction itself.
The sacrifices for survival and the need for sacrifices displays the best and worst of human nature. The sacrifice of oneself for the survival of others portrays the best. Ender, in the presence of a possible annihilating war, is the sacrifice to save the human race. Ender sacrifices his freedom for the need of survival, Graff talks about “humans [being] free except when humanity needs them”. The absence of acceptance and love from real friends especially throughout battle school
To many the true definition of a hero varies. The true meaning of a hero varies according to the individuality of a person due to our uniqueness. A hero to some if not many, is a person who acquires courage, intelligence, strength, and has risked and sacrificed his life for the dignity of himself and the wellbeing of others. A hero bears the characteristics of a leader, by not only possessing physical strength but most importantly intellectual strength. A hero is also described as someone who lands in turmoil and danger, but unlike a noble person, a hero always survives. A hero somehow and inevitably overcomes any obstacle thrown at them. In this sense, Odysseus displays and acquires all of these characteristics to be considered a hero. Although, Odysseus faced many trials and tribulations of different severity all throughout his journey back home. Odysseus allowed absolutely nothing to stand in the way of his ultimate objective to achieve any of his goals, proving that he is indeed a hero.
Some people are born to be heroes and have their whole life set out for them. At times Ender feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. Valentine is one of the many people that believe in Ender when she says, “’It means that you are going to make a difference in the world”’ (235). Every decision Ender makes leads to the survival of humanity. In addition, Ender must be aware of the negative consequences that follow. For once Ender receives a opportunity to make a decision with no strings attached.
Francis explains that he joined the army at fifteen. This makes the reader ask lots of questions e.g.
At battle school Ender is tired and simply wants to go home. In his "final test," he does a maneuver that he believes will make him fail the test. Only it WASN’T a test. In an attempt to relieve pressure from the children, the teachers told them that real battles were just practices. Ender whose main goal was not become a murderer like his brother, wiped out a whole living race. I felt bad for Ender in this part of the book. I know that I have made a bad decision before that had consequences that I couldn’t have even imagined.
Ender grew up in a harsh and belligerent society, run by a secretive and overly patriotic government. Because of Ender’s personality, he began to empathize with his own enemies, but still fought them, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Due to the conflicting emotions of empathy and hostility, Ender’s mind began to wither with the thought of the damage he had done to another race. Ender’s militaristic and desperate society forces him to unwillingly commit genocide to an extent where Ender’s withering and empathetic mind begins to question the consequences of his
However, the main meaning of Ender’s Game is that one’s individual needs must be put below the good of humanity. Since the beginning of the novel, Ender has to give up his childhood and being with his beloved sister, Valentine, in order to go to Battle School to help the war effort in any way. At Battle School, Graff makes sure the other students isolate him to make sure he reaches his full potential there which forfeits any chance Ender has in making friends. However, Ender finds a way to make friends, and just as he does, he is promoted to an army because the human race is depending on him being prepared to fight the buggers. Ender accepts that he might not be happy, but he must be his best to fight the buggers. Before Command School when Ender spends a lot of time at the lake, he finally feels happy after the hardships and horrors of Battle School, yet when Graff asks him if he wants to go on to Battle School, Ender agrees. If he had not made these sacrifices, the humans might not have defeated the buggers, and there would have been different
Once again, Ender’s brilliance shines through. By being able to comprehend the fundamental rules that the computer follows, he believes he will always win, for machines can only do so much. Thus, Ender learns to use trial and error and to improvise as he finds his faults. Although Ender may seem very much like an adult, he has the essence of a true youngster; they have a strong attachment to victory. His fear of losing is pure, but will lead to many casualties during the Third
It is very easy to fall in love with the hero. The nobleman who commits no wrong, saves the day, and usually looks good doing it. But the best characters aren’t thoroughly perfect and selfless like we would like them to be, because in the end, that’s not real-life. The best, most relatable characters are those in which we can associate, abhor, and admire all at the same time. Sophocles, William Shakespeare, and Arthur Miller were able to capture this character in the tragic hero. A character who, despite their human nature, ends up destroying themselves because of their own faults. Though these three playwrights display the tragic model in different ways, they all come back to point out the flaws in human nature through five stages; nobility,
Christopher Reeve once said that, “a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserver and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” It appears as though the world is constantly in need of saving. In turn, heroes have always been around to inspire, entertain, and protect people from evil. One society that told of heroes was the Anglo-Saxons. They told of wondrous heroes that accomplished glorious feats reflecting the values of their society. However, as time presses forward societies adapt to the advancement and breakthroughs that come with passing time. With that, the definition and characteristics that describe heroes has evolved over time as well. Analyzing what makes a hero, differences and similarities are present pertaining to the definition of heroes among myself, Hollywood, and the Anglo-Saxons, however, aspect of each definition may be applicable to today’s world.
In Russian the word for hero is герой. While these words might look and sound different, they both come from the Proto-Indo-European root of ser which means to protect. Although the word hero shares a common etymology throughout Europe, to each culture a hero means something different to each culture. Russia has seen styles of government throughout the past 500 years, but the characteristics of a Russian hero have remained similar. This is especially true in the period between 1900 and present day, in which Russia has seen at least 3 different government systems, yet the heroes portrayed in film and literature maintain similar characteristics. Although throughout modern Russian history, the ideal citizen has changed, but the heroic characteristics of patriotism, strength, and family orientation are consistently represented. From Isaac Babel’s stories about the Polish-Soviet War of 1920, Red Cavalry, to the post-soviet crime film of Brother, a hero is a consistent aspect of Russian culture.
If you was hero what would you do that makes people happy? If you was a hero you should help someone if they're feeling down or sad or maybe upset. Remember heroism is not just all about being brave like on tv when you see heros just saving people from falling off cliffs. What is a hero background? A hero background is all the things that makes up a hero.
As we move through the story of Ender’s Game we will be presented with many ethical questions in relation to the use of children to defend the world, the roles played by the leaders and the followers in the training school and ultimately the war. We will analyze leadership practices used by the battle command as well as the situational leaders we meet along the way. Does the end justify the means? The adults knew they
Whenever you ask little kids who their hero is, most likely they will yell out some fictional superhero character form some comic book. Pop culture has made it a habit of forgetting who the real heroes are real heroes are not some fictional storybook character but, real people with real lives. I can say that I had a pretty great childhood, I had two very loving parents, mischievous siblings ,a private school education and a roof over my head. On one of the hottest days of summer after our Sunday dinner over my grandma’s house, my parents sat me down at the kitchen counter. Myself being all of seven at the time, there were numerous possible scenarios going on in my head. “Oh god I hope they do not find out that I pushed my cousin John” . However, my parents did not find out about me pushing but, something much worse. After they sat me down with an ice cold glass of grape juice they told me “Your uncle Tom has cancer, Mia.” My first thought was “Do all bald people have cancer?”, Instead I asked “is that why he is is so sick all the time?”, “Yes” they said. I just sat there thinking that my uncle of seven years had lung cancer. The real hero in this story is not some fictional comic book character,
One theme of Ender’s Game is the importance of youth. The youth of the children recruited for battle school is ultimately stolen from them by the leaders in exchange for saving the entire human race, justifying the loss in their eyes. However, childhood is important to our development, and that is a major focus in Ender’s Game when we see how Ender becomes ultimately depressed through his time at battle school and after. Another common theme that Card places an emphasis on in the novel is the effects of isolation. Although Ender is usually surrounded by others at battle school, he is isolated by Graff from the beginning, setting him apart from the rest and allowing him to become hardened by the isolation, making him into the warrior they want him to be. Graff even explains to Valentine why Ender has been isolated, claiming that “’isolation is – the optimum environment for creativity’” (Card 149). This tells us that Ender is being manipulated by Graff who put him in isolation for his motives and his purposes, even with Ender’s sanity at
The final and main characteristic of a hero is that they not only try to right wrongs for themselves but for everyone else. Although the cause may have started out focused on a certain individual, they began to help a wider spread of people. Or, perhaps, they could have grown up in a very privileged family, yet after reading an article, decided to help others less fortunate such as the example of Mark Kielburger.