Rhetorical Analysis Of Tim O 'Brien's Speech Heroes'

As time goes on and new generations come about, many of the ideals of former generations seem to become irrelevant. Scott LaBarge, a professor of philosophy, elaborates on this idea and others in his essay. “Why Heroes Are Important” is LaBarge’s pursuit to persuade others of his idea of heroes in today’s society. He claims that many of our youth do not know what a proper hero is and that former generations should be educating them. LaBarge begins his persuasion by describing his personal experience and credibility; then, he briefly describes the history of heroes to tie in his opinion on the definition; finally, he uses Aristotle’s idea of Kairos to explain how his opinion proves true according to current events.

As Novalis, a famous German poet and philosopher once stated, “A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” A hero does not show worry, but pushes through and can be courageous for only a little while longer than everyone else. Because heroes are people who put others before themselves, they must go above and beyond and not worry about their own safety.

To begin, Linda Seger’s article demonstrates how the idea of a hero is universal and is defined by their journey, which is incorrect because other cultures might define a hero as something else. In her article, she tries using ten stages of how a hero is sometimes just an ordinary person. Who then takes in order

Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Hero’s are around us in our everyday lives such as firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect people and their property. Other hero’s can be found in literature. These hero’s, also know as an epic hero, exhibit superhuman qualities to help fight and protect others while on their quest. Being a hero means taking on enormous responsibilities. With these responsibilities comes great praise from others which both Beowulf and everyday firefighter receive for their extraordinary work.

When one thinks of heroes, names such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Mother Theresa often come to mind. These people had done a lot of favors, courage, helps, and more of things for the people who needed them. The true definition of hero is a man of distinguished valor. Bravery, courage, intrepidity, boldness, daring, and prowess in war are a hero’s characteristics. However a hero is understood to be different to everyone. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa. A person can be a hero for saving the life of one or of millions.

In the story on one of the very first pages Tim O’Brien was talking about how in your childhood everybody always thinks that they will amount to be a hero and maintain all of those qualities, however, all he felt was shame. Following this he was talking about how he felt as if he was a coward and how he didn’t assume that he had the courage to go against the grain. From all of this I was envisioning that he didn’t have enough guts to go to Canada for the reason that if he did, I don’t feel that he would have regretted his decision. Tim O’Brien would have done not only what he wanted; on the other hand, what he felt was right for him. Then later on in the story when Mr. O’Brien was expressing how horrible his job was at the meat packing plant was and how the pigs were en route to the slaughter I took it as is was of foreshadowing. I saw this as foreshadowing as a result of him being sent to war, it was as if he was the pig, the soldier, going to be slaughtered, at war, as if he had no chance or say in the situation he was about to be forced into.

When he is discussing the comparison, baseball players who are not all stars get paid more than he, he states, “… the guy who bats in my slot tonight for the Boston Red Sox makes twelve times what I do” (O’Brien 277). Society does not see writers as “all stars”. When O’Brien received his draft notice, he viewed himself as a coward for not wanting to go war; however, Elroy Birdall shows up. He does not give advice, but he does feed and shelter O’Brien, giving him the love O’Brien longed for (O’Brien 278). The comparison in pay is to show that O’Brien does

In Tim O’Brien’s “Heroes,” an eloquent speech delivered when he received an accolade, he tells a story about a man named Elroy Birdall, the caretaker of some old yellow cabins along the Rainy River, who took care of him for six days in the summer of 1968, during the Vietnam War. As he gives his speech, he states that Elroy was a hero; more of a hero than the all-stars. Due to his elaboration, we can see that his message of heroism is that superior heroes are often unspoken, and he does this with figurative language and compare-contrast techniques. Throughout the speech, O’Brien provides us with much detail about Elroy, using imagery and similes.

Writing stories helped O'Brien during the war. They helped him get through the painful and unknown experience that he was not used to before the war. O'Brien says during the war, he picked up multiple bodies and “lifted and dumped [them] into a truck”, but with the stories he made “ the dead sometimes smile

Usually, when people think of the word ‘hero’, their mind conjures up several images of Superman, Batman, or Spiderman. Most people think of a hero as a steroid-riddled man in a tight suit and a cape, capable of flying, shooting lasers out of their eyes, or using some other kind of superhuman abilities. But a hero in a classic story is a completely different kind of archetype. Archetypal heroes are far from perfect – receiving supernatural help and making fatal flaws. A hero also embarks on an epic journey in which they face many issues, and are often honored after their death.

A story may depend on the structure of the book and how well it flows from page to page, but yet it strictly depends on the word choice and how effective the author is able to apply rhetorical devices. Stories such as A Separate Piece, A&P, and The Man I Killed, is able to effectively portray the character’s emotion, thoughts, and the intent of their actions. The authors use heroic, rhetorical strategies to reveal Tim, Gene and Sammy’s struggle to overcome their own selfless desires and ignorance toward the consequences, resulting with each protagonist’s life lesson.

A hero can be viewed differently in many eyes. Author and lecturer Joseph Campbell, has correlated a hero as usually being a male, often of lowly birth, but with special powers or a higher birthright, the hero doesn’t know about. Also, the hero parents are often dead, absent, or uncaring, and the hero is judged by the actions he takes and the way he reacts and relates to people. In the opinions of others, a hero is also a person admired for bravery, great achievements, abilities or good qualities and is regarded as a role model. A hero is also, admired for having done something very courageous or having succeeded in something great. In literature, the hero is the main character of a story, play, or movie. In the textbook, The Norton Anthology

In nearly every book, the protagonist is portrayed as being the hero of the story. It could be a brave knight saving a princess, a bold leader winning a war, or just one person helping another. But for a good hero to rise up, there must be a problem to face. Christopher Reeve once said: “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Heroes are prevalent in everyone’s life. Whether someone’s hero is a living person or a fabled character from a movie, everybody has come into contact with some sort of hero. In fact, the concept of heroes has existed for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. Over time, heroes have drastically changed. As society has evolved, our heroes have evolved with it. Their goals and motivations have changed to coincide with the views of modern society. Modern day heroes have less selfish motives, better qualities, and are portrayed differently than ancient heroes.

There are many heroes, but there are those who sit back and question what or who makes a hero in today’s society. It has never been a set standard for heroes. In this modern world, there are many types of heroes. In today’s media, there is a contrast between million dollar sports figures, glorified celebrities, and the normal people we call heroes. Some heroes receive no recognition and others receive hero status with ease. However, it has yet to be determined whether our meaning of heroes has changed due to this influence. We have known about the